New Cancellation Policy for U.S. Bookings

If in USA you paid a deposit of 15% which is non refundable like it is in UK whenever you cancel perhaps this would stop people booking numerous cruises and blocking cabins with the intention of only going on one cruise.

On our earlier crossings of the QE2 (1970s) a non-refundable deposit was required. It was a flat rate: Tourist Class US$50 pp and $100 in First Class. The fare for our first crossing was $360 Tourist and a few years later First cost about $700. Although the deposit was a flat rate it was about 15% for an average cabin in each class.

I don't recall when the deposit policy was changed, but it was quite a while ago. Friends cancelled a crossing in the late 1980s and they got their deposit back.

This new policy means that my September Canada and New England voyage will be our last. We had to cancel our Australia boomerang for 2017--son needs oral surgery. We won't rebook however because our travel plans are often altered due to dh's work. Incurring penalties at the 120day Mark is just too risky. Our reason for cancellation would not be covered under cancellation insurance. Thus, no more Cunard for us. A shame because their itineraries are excellent.

balf, no doubt those of us who book in North American will 'get used to' the new cancellation policy. However, options are many and whether or not Cunard retains US passengers remains to be seen. That the North American market is not a priority to Cunard has become more apparent in the past few years.

 

 

 

Does anyone doubt that other revenue enhancing measures are planned to pay for the 'remastering' of QM2? Take glee if you wish in the change of North American bookings: it's only the beginning.

 

 

 

Salacia

I'm not sure that the North American market is not a priority with Cunard more than other regions. The cancellation options are still far more generous than in the rest of the world.

I doubt it will have much impact on booking levels, quite soon it will be accepted and forgotten.

David.

I'm not sure that the North American market is not a priority with Cunard more than other regions. The cancellation options are still far more generous than in the rest of the world.

 

I doubt it will have much impact on booking levels, quite soon it will be accepted and forgotten.

 

David.

David, the reasons why I don't believe the North American market is not a priority with Cunard are several:

-I can't recall the last time I've seen Cunard ads in the media here in NY.

Some travel agents mention Cunard in their ads sometimes, but I've not seen nor heard an ad placed by Cunard.

-Compared with the EU, there are very few Cunard arrivals and departures from North American ports with the exception of transatlantic crossings, and even then a flight is necessary unless it is a round trip crossing.

-At stockholders meetings, Cunard has spoken about those countries where priority is being directed. North American isn't one of them.

-Much has been made about the difference in down payments, but there is also a huge difference in the booking schemes between North America an the UK, i.e. no early saver, super saver or whatever in the US. Travel agencies have different offers, but Cunard has only one on this side of the pond.

-CCL has most of its ships from their many other cruise lines based in the US, so the North American market is well covered without Cunard making it a priority. And that is one reason why an earlier cancellation date may hurt Cunard's US bookings: there are many other options available with more flexible booking terms.

Anyway, those that do not need to book early will simply wait it out. I'm sure there are other passengers who like me, booked early only to see drastic reductions in price after final payment was made. After having that experience several times, I'm inclined to book closer to sail date but I understand the risks associated with doing that.

Regards,

Salacia

-Compared with the EU, there are very few Cunard arrivals and departures from North American ports with the exception of transatlantic crossings, and even then a flight is necessary unless it is a round trip crossing.

Just to point out that not all European countries belong to the EU. For instance Norway - where Cunard visit every year - is not part of the EU.

Much has been made about the difference in down payments, but there is also a huge difference in the booking schemes between North America an the UK, i.e. no early saver, super saver or whatever in the US. Travel agencies have different offers, but Cunard has only one on this side of the pond.

As I have pointed out before on this board, there is no need for those in the US to have Early Saver and Saver Fares, as you can re-book without penalty at the lower price if the fare drops. Not only that - in the US if you do re-book at the lower price you get to keep the same cabin number. If we book an Early Saver or Saver fare, we can't choose the cabin number. We only get to do that with the full Cunard Fare.

If a cruise sells well, there may never be a type of saver fare.

Several years ago Cunard tried to make the deposit non-refundable in North America like it is in the UK. It failed miserably and Cunard quietly retreated from the policy. This new policy is more strict but at least the deposit is still refundable if the reservation is canceled outside the penalty period. Essentially penalties will begin 4 months prior to sailing for the majority of cruises. I will say it's quite odd to have the cancelation penalties begin on a different date than the final payment due date. I've seen other cruise lines push out the final payment date, but the penalty begin date and final payment date are always aligned.

While North America hasn't been a focus for Cunard in some years, they have recently stated that North America will once again become a priority. Expect to see more promotions and marketing targeted to those living in North America.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before. If so, I have missed it.

 

While checking availability and pricing on Cunard's U.S. web site (cunard.com) for a crossing on QM2 in 2017, I was presented with this "Holiday note" (emphasis mine).

 

CANCELLATION POLICY REMINDER

 

Please note that some of our cancellation policies have changed; please review the cancellation schedule on your booking confirmation.

Cancellation fees will now begin 30 days prior to your final payment date.

CunardCare may be purchased until the day before the cancellation schedule begins. CunardCare cancellation coverage goes into effect upon payment; all other benefits begin at time of departure. For the plan to be active at the time of booking deposit, the plan cost must be paid in full in addition to the booking deposit amount. A complete plan description for CunardCare, detailing terms, conditions and exclusions, may be viewed at:

http://www.cunard.com/Documents/us_insurance.pdf.

 

I have not yet found the new cancellation schedule showing cancellation fees beginning 30 days prior to the final payment date. This new cancellation policy appears to apply to voyages after the 2017 world voyages.

This is about Insurance, Not about any changes to booking a Cruise.

Actually, that statement from Cunard quoted at the start of this thread is about both insurance and changes to the conditions for booking a cruise. The bulk of the verbiage in that statement is indeed about insurance, explaining that one can purchase insurance which includes coverage for when one may need to cancel a cruise after the cancellation period has begun. The link included at the end of that message is a link to details about the insurance coverage available through Cunard.

However, the main point of that statement is the portion I have highlighted. "Cancellation fees will now begin 30 days prior to your final payment date" for U.S. bookings of voyages after the 2017 world voyages. The current U.S. booking conditions are that cancellation fees begin on the final payment date, not 30 days prior to the final payment date.

I appreciate that the links to the U.S. passage contracts I provided in post #2 do not work in the UK. That's one reason I included screen shots of the revised cancellation schedules from the new U.S. passage contract in post #7. I trust this helps clear up any confusion that may have arisen regarding all that verbiage concerning insurance.

Regards,

John.

..... I will say it's quite odd to have the cancelation penalties begin on a different date than the final payment due date. I've seen other cruise lines push out the final payment date, but the penalty begin date and final payment date are always aligned.

 

While North America hasn't been a focus for Cunard in some years, they have recently stated that North America will once again become a priority. Expect to see more promotions and marketing targeted to those living in North America.

Not where I live. Final payments are always due around 70 - 90 days depending on cruise line; deposits are forfeited from about the 150 day mark. After full payment the cost to cancel then becomes a %age of the total price.That's the way it is in Au.

Not where I live. Final payments are always due around 70 - 90 days depending on cruise line; deposits are forfeited from about the 150 day mark. After full payment the cost to cancel then becomes a %age of the total price.That's the way it is in Au.

I was referring to North America where it is definitely not typical. The rest of the world has their own rules, policies, and pricing of course.

Just to point out that not all European countries belong to the EU. For instance Norway - where Cunard visit every year - is not part of the EU.

 

 

 

As I have pointed out before on this board, there is no need for those in the US to have Early Saver and Saver Fares, as you can re-book without penalty at the lower price if the fare drops. Not only that - in the US if you do re-book at the lower price you get to keep the same cabin number. If we book an Early Saver or Saver fare, we can't choose the cabin number. We only get to do that with the full Cunard Fare.

 

If a cruise sells well, there may never be a type of saver fare.

Yes, thanks Ray, I am aware that not all European countries are members of the EU, just as not all countries in North America are not part of the United States of America.

BTW, in an effort to educate myself, I Googled "Cunard Fares"...and the first result referred me to the Cunard.com US website, as would be expected. Only what is shown on that page does not apply to US bookings*. In point of fact, much of what is show on the US Cunard website does not apply to US bookings. I'm sure if mattered enough, the website could be corrected to reflect accurate information based on booking placement.

*https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/fares

Yes, thanks Ray, I am aware that not all European countries are members of the EU, just as not all countries in North America are not part of the United States of America.

 

BTW, in an effort to educate myself, I Googled "Cunard Fares"...and the first result referred me to the Cunard.com US website, as would be expected. Only what is shown on that page does not apply to US bookings*. In point of fact, much of what is show on the US Cunard website does not apply to US bookings. I'm sure if mattered enough, the website could be corrected to reflect accurate information based on booking placement.

 

*https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/fares

Hi, Salacia.

I think it may be a common misconception that the web site "ask.cunard.com" is part of Cunard's US web site (or perhaps more correctly in light of this conversation, Cunard's web site for North America) which is "www.cunard.com" aka "cunard.com".

As it turns out, the host name for "ask.cunard.com" is actually "cunard.carnivaluk.host.metafaq.com". The "metafaq.com" internet domain is registered to "Transversal Corporation Ltd" located in Cambridge, UK. The "carnivaluk" portion of that host name presumably indicates Carnival UK is the client supported by that system.

As you have noticed, there is nothing US-specific about the information on "ask.cunard.com". Any country-specific information found there applies to the UK rather than to the US.

Unfortunately, there is no good equivalent to "ask.cunard.com" for the US / North American market. What we have is this weak substitute found by following the "FAQs" link on the "www.cunard.com" web site.

I hope this explanation hasn't been too nerdy and helps clarify that "ask.cunard.com" is a UK web site.

Regards,

John.

Hi, Salacia.

 

I think it may be a common misconception that the web site "ask.cunard.com" is part of Cunard's US web site (or perhaps more correctly in light of this conversation, Cunard's web site for North America) which is "www.cunard.com" aka "cunard.com".

 

As it turns out, the host name for "ask.cunard.com" is actually "cunard.carnivaluk.host.metafaq.com". The "metafaq.com" internet domain is registered to "Transversal Corporation Ltd" located in Cambridge, UK. The "carnivaluk" portion of that host name presumably indicates Carnival UK is the client supported by that system.

 

As you have noticed, there is nothing US-specific about the information on "ask.cunard.com". Any country-specific information found there applies to the UK rather than to the US.

 

Unfortunately, there is no good equivalent to "ask.cunard.com" for the US / North American market. What we have is this weak substitute found by following the "FAQs" link on the "www.cunard.com" web site.

 

http://www.cunard.com/frequent-questions/faq/

 

I hope this explanation hasn't been too nerdy and helps clarify that "ask.cunard.com" is a UK web site.

 

Regards,

John.

 

I hope this

Hi Bluemarble. Thanks very much for that information. Perhaps at some point, Cunard will find a way to respond to specific questions based on where the inquiry is made rather than programming answers applicable to UK bookings only.

Thanks again,

Salacia

Hi Bluemarble. Thanks very much for that information. Perhaps at some point, Cunard will find a way to respond to specific questions based on where the inquiry is made rather than programming answers applicable to UK bookings only.

 

Thanks again,

Salacia

Yes, I think it would be helpful at some point for Cunard to have separate versions of the "ask" pages (perhaps under separate .us, .uk, .au, etc. domains) to help differentiate among various items such as types of fares and booking conditions that vary from country to country.

Once that in implemented though, we might find the .us pages tell us the dress code may include smart casual evenings where "smart jeans are permitted (but cannot be torn or have holes in them)" while the .uk pages might make no such mention. Now, that would never happen, would it? :rolleyes:

Regards,

John.

Yes, I think it would be helpful at some point for Cunard to have separate versions of the "ask" pages (perhaps under separate .us, .uk, .au, etc. domains) to help differentiate among various items such as types of fares and booking conditions that vary from country to country.

 

Once that in implemented though, we might find the .us pages tell us the dress code may include smart casual evenings where "smart jeans are permitted (but cannot be torn or have holes in them)" while the .uk pages might make no such mention. Now, that would never happen, would it? :rolleyes:

 

Regards,

John.

Oh no, that would never, ever happen...nor would there be conflicting information about the number of formal evenings and all that jazz.:cool:

Hi, Salacia.

 

I think it may be a common misconception that the web site "ask.cunard.com" is part of Cunard's US web site (or perhaps more correctly in light of this conversation, Cunard's web site for North America) which is "www.cunard.com" aka "cunard.com".

 

As it turns out, the host name for "ask.cunard.com" is actually "cunard.carnivaluk.host.metafaq.com". The "metafaq.com" internet domain is registered to "Transversal Corporation Ltd" located in Cambridge, UK. The "carnivaluk" portion of that host name presumably indicates Carnival UK is the client supported by that system.

 

As you have noticed, there is nothing US-specific about the information on "ask.cunard.com". Any country-specific information found there applies to the UK rather than to the US.

 

Unfortunately, there is no good equivalent to "ask.cunard.com" for the US / North American market. What we have is this weak substitute found by following the "FAQs" link on the "www.cunard.com" web site.

 

http://www.cunard.com/frequent-questions/faq/

 

I hope this explanation hasn't been too nerdy and helps clarify that "ask.cunard.com" is a UK web site.

 

Regards,

John.

Thanks for that. All very interesting.

One wonders how the ever increasing Cunard German market will view the information.