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Help Needed Costa Cruise


DisneyJan
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I have booked a cruise through a travel agent for a Costa cruise to depart Sept 2018 and originally booked a basic inside cabin.

 

I now want to keep the same cabin grade but upgrade to the total premium package and have been told that I will have to cancel my booking and lose the deposit I have paid which is over £500.

 

Then I will have to rebook the Total Premium Package as a new booking and pay another deposit .

 

I have tried to explain that I do not want to cancel my cruise or cabin I just want to upgrade the package and pay the difference.

 

Has anyone else had this proble.

 

I cannot see anything in the terms of condition of either Costa or my Travel Agent that this states any of this.

 

Has anyone else had this problem or can advise what my rights are.

 

Thanks.

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It's possible that your TA is miss-informed. I would contact Costa directly and ask them how to go about upgrading to the premium cabin. It may be that you do have to change cabins but your deposit should be transferable to a "new" reservation especially for a sailing 9 months away!

 

Last March we booked our upcoming cruise (Jan 13th - Aft Premium Balcony). A couple months later, I saw a rate for a better cabin (aft mini suite) for less through an on-line TA! So I called Costa and they said that this was a regular travel booking agency of theirs and that I should have no worries booking through them AND Costa would transfer my original deposit to the new reservation! Everything worked perfectly!

 

Look at it this way: You are still sailing Costa and they will re-rent your original cabin at a higher rate so they win too!

 

We would not be able to offer advice regarding your rights without knowing who your TA is and reading their terms and conditions

 

Happy Sailing!

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I have also spoken to Costa direct as they were the ones that had advised my travel agent and they advised me the same .

 

Costa said that if they changed the cabin package to a Total Comfort Premium one I would lose 25% of the cost of the booking I have already made because it was a different rate ( I am not upgrading the cabin type I just want to upgrade the package that comes with the cabin) .

 

Costa said they have emailed the sales manager to ask if this can be done without losing the deposit I have already paid .

 

I have never in the years I have booked a cruise known anything like this before £500 is a lot of money to lose just because I have asked for an upgrade to my package.

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These are the cancellation charges on the T & C of Costa :

 

BASIC:25% OF THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE FOR CANCELLATIONS AT LEAST 45 DAYSBEFORE DEPARTURE;50% OF THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE FOR CANCELLATION BETWEEN 45 AND30 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE;75% OF THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE FOR CANCELLATION BETWEEN 30 AND15 BEFORE DEPARTURE;100% OF THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE FOR CANCELLATION FROM 15 DAYSBEFORE DEPARTURE AND THE DEPARTURE.

 

In this instance though I am not asking to cancel my cruise I am asking to upgrade my package . !!!

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It is difficult for members on this forum to help you, not knowing which country you are from and in which country you booked the cruise. Costa in each country it has offices is a separate / indepentdent unit, it has to abide not only by Costa headquarters rules and regulations but also the country's laws. So difficult to give advise with so little information.

 

Also the price you paid may have been a promotion with it's own T&Cs.

 

The Premium item you are talking about is not a package where you can choose a certain cain and then decide if you want the Premium Pacakge.

 

The Premium and Classic are two different cabin categories with certain perks attached to them, the Premium cabins are in a better position on the ship, midships and on a higher deck.

 

Costa will not move cabins from one category to another, i.e. Classic to Premium, Costa's computer system cannot handle such transactions.

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GMT is correct... so if the cancellation fee stands, you could wait for an upgrade or up sell.... I know that would be nerve wracking for us, but it’s an option! Please let us know how this all turns out!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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I am unsure about why you need to upgrade.

 

The choice of dining times, breakfast ?

Both of which can be purchased or changed on board. What other 'perks' are you considering upgrading for.

 

Unless policy has changed once again there is not that much difference apart from to position of premium cabins dining times & Breakfast.

 

Just off Diadema for Christmas never again Club dining room heaving with kids & tracksuits, not one quiet bar.

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Now Im certainly no expert on this. Its never happened to me. But I do know another passenger who was able to transfer her initial deposit on 1 cruise to a different cruise without penalty from Costa. Perhaps if you try to transfer rather than cancel or upgrade. I know Im essentially saying the same thing but sometimes especially dealing with the Italian language things can get lost in translation. This passenger was in the UK but the decision had to come from Costa Italy. Worth a try. Get them to transfer your booking to that of the category that you now require.

I would really push the word transfer.

Edited by tjandluke
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I am doing a 29 night cruise and will not receive my Costa points on the package I have booked in error its a lot of points to lose.

 

My husband and I would each lose 5800 points.

 

Now it is a bit clearer, it seems you booked a Promotional Price cruise with absolutely no perks (a stripped down Classic category) which does not attract Costa Club points, whereas you should have booked a Premium Category Cabin.

 

 

Promotional Prices have their own T&C, this is taken from the current Costa catalog, page 35:

 

And any onboard purchases made on cruises purchased at a promotional rate earn you points too. The cost of the cruise ticket for these cruises, however, does not entitle Members to points.

 

You say you booked a 29 night cruise departing September 2018. I cannot find any such cruise.

 

Also I am confused, you first say would have to pay a cancellation fee of £500 and later on you say you would have to pay 25% of the old cruise price in order to upgrade!

 

Let us know the outcome.

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The cruise we are booked on is the sailing 30th Sept Costa Victoria Savona to Mauritius I thought this was 29 nights but forgot we have added an extra 2 nights hotel stay in Mauritius at the end of our cruise the cruise is 27 nights .

 

Costa are saying I will lose my deposit paid which is nearly £500 I cannot transfer this money if I change to a Premium cabin .

 

They are classing this as cancellation charges as if I am cancelling the cruise when I do not want to cancel my cruise I just want to upgrade !!!

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Have had it confirmed direct from Costa that if I upgrade I will lose the deposit I have paid which is approx £500.

 

Therefore just leaving it as it is.

 

Lesson learnt I need to read the conditions carefully before booking next time !!

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  • 2 weeks later...

djan i have a nice french costa agent, i will try to ask her what they can do to sort your problem. if u didnt hear from me, its stagnant, so cross fingers or pray for a solution. bye bye

 

Btw im in mauritius, if u need other things, asks me. i did the indian ocean cruise part in dec 2017 riviera, and will do it again in 2018 on victoria.

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