Deposit Refund

[Lyndihop]

I'm thinking most of us will never see our total refund. 

[FlorenceItaly]

One does have to wonder the circumstances of all the refunds taking so long.    On Feb 23, before the COVID-19 cancellations,  I cancelled a reservation AND some online purchases for the cruise.  I did them separately.  The NEXT day both transactions had been credited to my credit card.  I was very impressed.

[CJcruzer]

Feb 20 is when we received notification that our Westerdam April 10-24 cruise was cancelled.  This was a Thursday, and on Monday morning all my purchases, cruise fare was refunded to my credit card.   

 

I believe this is also when the rest of the Asia season sailings, right through to the transpacific sailing ending in Vancouver, were cancelled.   So shortly after, there were many cruises to refund along with shore excursions, wine-spa packages, etc.   And then broader blanket statement of all cruising ending until such and such date.  That is when the pile up would REALLY begin.

 

I have found Holland America always prompt in refunding or making adjustments - but in this case they are probably inundated and taking one sailing date at a time to process, or possibly one ship at a time (I tend to think sailing date would be the lead factor). 

 

Carol

[Tom O.]

4 minutes ago, CJcruzer said:

I have found Holland America always prompt in refunding or making adjustments - but in this case they are probably inundated and taking one sailing date at a time to process, or possibly one ship at a time (I tend to think sailing date would be the lead factor). 

 

Carol

I think that the slow refunds have nothing to do with how busy they are. After all, the reservation system is computerized, and the refunds should be automatic.

The real problem is that they have no money to refund. They had money at the beginning of this pandemic, and people got their refunds quickly. But when the money ran out, they announced the 60 day delay. The money ran out because there was no money coming in, it was just going out.

They are hoping that people will start making new reservations again, and will be sending HAL lots of deposit money.

Personally, I think that is unlikely, and HAL and most other cruise lines are doomed.

[Sallyandtex]

I cancelled my June cruise on 16th March and was told by may agent I would not receive my deposit back as I had paid in full.

I am now adding it to my  insurance claim for the deposit, and hope I will get the balance back but have heard other people on my cruise said they have been told 6-12 weeks!

Eeeek i need the money now.!

[Horizon chaser 1957]

4 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

One does have to wonder the circumstances of all the refunds taking so long.    On Feb 23, before the COVID-19 cancellations,  I cancelled a reservation AND some online purchases for the cruise.  I did them separately.  The NEXT day both transactions had been credited to my credit card.  I was very impressed.

The circumstances post COVID-19 cancellations vs pre COVID-19 cancellations are fairly obvious. COVID-19 cancelations affect all travel plans, all companies world wide.

As well as our refund from HAL for the rest of the GWV, we are waiting for our refunds from two safaris, several private excursions, and the European river cruise we were going on directly after returning to Fort Lauderdale, not to mention several flights from different airlines.

The only refund we’ve received so far is for two months of cancelled travel health insurance.

Everyone else has told us to expect a 60 day delay. It’s not just HAL by a long shot!

[mudscraper]

It's interesting to note that the cruise lines tell us that it takes 60 to 90 days for a refund to show up on our credit card statements but if someone puts a deposit down on a future cruise the deposit shows up on our credit card statement almost immediately.

[Lyndihop]

IThe way Holland has handled my Lack of refund, makes me very dubious to ever book with them again 😢

[Lyndihop]

Received a email from

HAL. Basically said that the volume of refunds are taking extra time to process. 
Or, it could applied as a future cruise credit. 
Right!!!  I just want my deposit refunded!!

[laumicmah]

Any refunds yet?

[0106]

Not me, been 33 days since HAL cancelled my cruise (which was to depart on 4/5)  and I asked for a refund . Hoping some people jump on their new promotion so they have money to send me my refund.

[Mnfirechief]

Just Requested a deposit refund earlier this month for a cruise in Feb 2021. I had booked four inside cabins for the family and most of them no longer want to go. I was told the wait was 60 days to get my $900 worth of room deposits back. Not the end of the world for us, but I am concerned that we may never see any money back. I know many folks are waiting and worried about a much larger refund. We like Holland America, but I guess this delayed refund issue makes the likelihood that we will sail with them again a little less likely. They have to know that delaying refunds does nothing to inspire confidence in their customers. We are both Three Star Mariners with them 

Edited April 17, 2020 by Mnfirechief
Added a sentence

[Vacation00]

Hey all. Just looking to see how everyone else was doing with their refund. Our cruise would have been March 13. We have FCC but we’re supposed to get our taxes and port fees credited within 10 business days. Well 10 days came and went and I was told that i should receive within 60 day mark. And so we wait. But Interestingly, I was credited back for spa passes, cabana etc, within the first week. I would feel a lot better about booking a new cruise (to use my FCC) if I had the money they still owe me. 

[TN Fem]

12 hours ago, Vacation00 said:

Hey all. Just looking to see how everyone else was doing with their refund. Our cruise would have been March 13. We have FCC but we’re supposed to get our taxes and port fees credited within 10 business days. Well 10 days came and went and I was told that i should receive within 60 day mark. And so we wait. But Interestingly, I was credited back for spa passes, cabana etc, within the first week. I would feel a lot better about booking a new cruise (to use my FCC) if I had the money they still owe me. 

Our cruise was supposed to be 3/14 and was cancelled 3/13. We have contested with our CC company but so far we've only seen our internet packages refunded--no refund of the cabana, still waiting on thousands of dollars to be refunded.  We were supposed to get 100% back plus 100% FCC. I haven't tried checking on the FCC but I check my CC daily and at first they said 7-10 days for refund and last time I called they said up to 60 days.  Personally I think they should be refunding in order of cruise date but who knows if they are refunding at all right now or just holding everyone's cash and will do a big dump on May 12th.  I'm doubting that it should be taking this long to process all these refunds. 

 

Edited April 17, 2020 by TN Fem

[MudderBear]

I cancelled March 18 for a May cruise.  Crickets......nothing......

[Vacation00]

I’mTrying to not let it spoil my outlook on cruising in general but it’s really hard. I’m still trying to get over the fact that we were forced to go along with the cruise even after the pandemic was announced. Then they give you option of cancelling up to a few days prior (which I know is generous for the cruise world but this is a pandemic with Fauci saying don’t go and cruise saying please come and we will give you onboard credit! ) It was horrible agonizing on what to do. I had 2 school age children I had to also think about and the next sail date we could possibly do is a full year away! So I cancel a few days before sail date. And then they cancel our cruise a day after that. I really just want my money back but because I cancelled first, I get FCC. Thanks for allowing me to vent, friends!

 

[strickerj]

21 minutes ago, Vacation00 said:

I’mTrying to not let it spoil my outlook on cruising in general but it’s really hard. I’m still trying to get over the fact that we were forced to go along with the cruise even after the pandemic was announced. Then they give you option of cancelling up to a few days prior (which I know is generous for the cruise world but this is a pandemic with Fauci saying don’t go and cruise saying please come and we will give you onboard credit! ) It was horrible agonizing on what to do. I had 2 school age children I had to also think about and the next sail date we could possibly do is a full year away! So I cancel a few days before sail date. And then they cancel our cruise a day after that. I really just want my money back but because I cancelled first, I get FCC. Thanks for allowing me to vent, friends!

 

That is frustrating. We're fortunate that we were able to wait it out since our cruise wasn't until May, though it's pretty absurd that it took them this long to cancel our Alaska cruise when the Canadian government announced their port closures a month ago. Little by little we've been canceling without penalty - first Air Canada canceled our flights (though they're refusing refunds and haven't given me any confirmation of how much my voucher is, which is rotten), and then Delta extended its waiver through the end of June, so we canceled the return flights. I'm holding out for AirBnB to extend their "Extenuating Circumstances Policy", which currently applies to bookings through May 31 (we check in on June 1).

 

As an aside, I won't bother with AirBnB again - at first they wouldn't even waive their cancellation policies (even as the rest of the travel industry was doing so) except for visitors from a handful of countries who could no longer travel here. It's better now but still doesn't apply to my booking despite me no longer being able to get there. Also, their "Coronavirus Updates" page is presented as a list of articles (in reverse chronological order), so the article on their updated cancellation policies has been pushed down the list by such worthless ones as "Update Your Listing with These Tips" and "Our Continued Commitment to Inclusion".

[Ukulele Dude]

Canceled our almost fully paid July cruise on March 17, 2020 through AAA, our travel agent, and here was her response back then:

 

"Please note your booking has been cancelled, and charges will be reversed by cruiseline . It may take  a couple of billing cycles as they work through on priority basis of immediate urgency. , check in with your bank in a couple of weeks. "

 

Not sure what a billing cycle was, so I followed up with TA on April 7 and was told "Taking between 60-90 days as they service worldwide, patience will be the key at this time."

 

Well to say this least, it's been fun while it lasted.   Holland America - quick to take my money when booking, slower than molasses in winter when refunding.  First cruise; last cruise.  For now I'll hold my breath and I'll post when (hopefully not "if") I get my refund.  Good luck to you all.

 

 

 

[Vacation00]

It’s nice to see I’m not alone and good luck to all!

[Tom O.]

I see only two scenarios where we will get any refunds.

1. The cruising industry will return to normal, and HAL will get over its cash flow problem.

2. HAL will go bankrupt, and when the courts liquidate all of its assets, there may be enough cash to pay us off.

 

The problem with 1 is that this would probably not occur for a long time, and it may never happen.

 

The problem with 2 is two fold: (a) Courts take a long time, and it could be years before we got any money back; and (b) The main asset they have is their ships - If the entire cruise industry collapses, those ships will be hard to sell and may not sell for a decent price.

 

I guess I am a pessimist.

[Vacation00]

In regards to feeling pessimistic, I can’t help but wonder the cuts that we might have to endure in this new era of future cruising. There was an already dramatic difference between my first cruise (2001) and my last cruise (2016) such as cuts in food, staff, etc..) and that is when the industry was booming. 
i will look forward to hearing what this years cruisers experience, once sailing starts again. 

[Tom O.]

10 minutes ago, Vacation00 said:

In regards to feeling pessimistic, I can’t help but wonder the cuts that we might have to endure in this new era of future cruising. There was an already dramatic difference between my first cruise (2001) and my last cruise (2016) such as cuts in food, staff, etc..) and that is when the industry was booming. 
i will look forward to hearing what this years cruisers experience, once sailing starts again. 

I understand what you are saying. But, I will say that the cuts in the quality of food, etc. were the result of an overly competitive market, where cruise lines needed to offer low prices to get people on their ships. However passengers could still get the quality they desired by paying extra for specialty restaurants, suites, etc.

Then there are the premium lines like Oceana and Viking, that still offer the experience cruisers used to get. People just had to pay the premium prices of these cruise lines.

Most people choose to pay less and have a less than perfect experience.

[Vacation00]

I should add that I have no complaints of my cruising experience. And I mean none. They have been great! But I definitely noticed a difference , especially in dinner offerings. It worked for us anyways but I did miss the extras. 
that is one reason I thought I’d try HAL this time.

[kazu]

54 minutes ago, Tom O. said:

Then there are the premium lines like Oceana and Viking, that still offer the experience cruisers used to get. People just had to pay the premium prices of these cruise lines.

 

Based on my experience on Oceania (just one and I know it’s not everyone’s), for me, it wasn’t premium and the line did nothing about it.

 

Prinsendam offered a more premium experience than Oceania did despite it’s 4 specialty restaurants with it’s microwaved pasta 😞 

[echoshipmate]

This entire refund issue seems a little "Ponzi scheme" ish. Relying on new monies in, to pay old obligations out. Must be patterned after our government's social security system. Only difference is our government owns the money printing presses and HAL doesn't. Good luck to all of us.