Refunds

[James S]

Right, but less a 15% penalty, no? 

[NJ Cruiserman]

46 minutes ago, James S said:

Right, but less a 15% penalty, no? 

No. As you didn’t quote anyone it’s not clear to whom you are referring. There is no penalty for bookings made in the US cancelled 120+ days prior to sailing, nor to those cancelled during their special cancellation offer since withdrawn. There is a $200 per booking charge which will be applied to another cruise fare. 
As you are the OP, I think these facts have been presented in the several responses up thread to your post. It may be different for bookings made in other countries so YMMV. 
 

[G2G]

I received the refund of my deposit today and hopefully will have the balance in the next two weeks as per the information I was given last week.:)

[James S]

NJ Cruiserman, my TA has been telling me it’s a 15% penalty up until May 20 and then a 50% cancellation penalty after that. I haven’t seen the cancellation policy in writing from SS, but I assumed he was telling me the truth. Are you saying he’s been misinforming me? The TA was referred by a friend, but is not the brightest bulb in the box. 

[alexandria]

The cancellation policy for a cash refund was linked above in my earlier post and it is also on your voyage confirmation, but here it is as well:

 

CRUISE CANCELLATIONS

If you find it necessary to cancel your reservation or any component thereof, you or your travel professional are required to contact the Silversea Reservations Department by telephones well as submit your cancellation in writing. If your cancellation request is received more than 120 days prior to your initial sailing date, a USD$200 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged per booking. This administrative fee may be converted to a future cruise credit valid for travel within 12 months from the date of the cancelled voyage. Cruise cancellation requests received within 120 days of the initial sailing date will be subject to the following charges, regardless of suite resale:

• 120 – 91 days prior to the initial sailing date: 15% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 90 – 61 days prior to the initial sailing date: 50% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 60 – 31 days prior to the initial sailing date: 75% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 30 – 0 days prior to the initial sailing date or nonappearance at the time of sailing: 100% of the total cruise fare per person.

[NJ Cruiserman]

1 hour ago, James S said:

NJ Cruiserman, my TA has been telling me it’s a 15% penalty up until May 20 and then a 50% cancellation penalty after that. I haven’t seen the cancellation policy in writing from SS, but I assumed he was telling me the truth. Are you saying he’s been misinforming me? The TA was referred by a friend, but is not the brightest bulb in the box. 

As it seems like you are booked on the August 21 Venice cruise you could have cancelled without penalty until April 22 or 23. But the

probability of that cruise not being cancelled are   minimal, leading to a full refund, assuming they have the cash available. 

[pmcer]

Just received a refund for our cancelled cruise that was to depart on 27 Mar!

[James S]

I certainly hope they have enough money left over for refunds for the anticipated August cancellations! 

[SSCAF001]

The cancellation policy for a cash refund was linked above in my earlier post and it is also on your voyage confirmation, but here it is as well:
 

CRUISE CANCELLATIONS

If you find it necessary to cancel your reservation or any component thereof, you or your travel professional are required to contact the Silversea Reservations Department by telephones well as submit your cancellation in writing. If your cancellation request is received more than 120 days prior to your initial sailing date, a USD$200 non-refundable administrative fee will be charged per booking. This administrative fee may be converted to a future cruise credit valid for travel within 12 months from the date of the cancelled voyage. Cruise cancellation requests received within 120 days of the initial sailing date will be subject to the following charges, regardless of suite resale:

• 120 – 91 days prior to the initial sailing date: 15% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 90 – 61 days prior to the initial sailing date: 50% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 60 – 31 days prior to the initial sailing date: 75% of the total cruise fare per person;
• 30 – 0 days prior to the initial sailing date or nonappearance at the time of sailing: 100% of the total cruise fare per person.

The refund policy is different from one country to another. In Switzerland for example the minimum penalty if you cancel is 10% of full fare as soon as you have made a deposit. We do not have the 120 day rule it seems you have in the US. So the OP should refer to his/her specific booking conditions included in the booking confirmation.


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[James S]

That is apparently not the policy in the United States. I wanted to cancel more than 120 days out, but my travel agent told me it would be a 15% penalty. I am not a very happy camper right now. 

[alexandria]

50 minutes ago, James S said:

That is apparently not the policy in the United States. I wanted to cancel more than 120 days out, but my travel agent told me it would be a 15% penalty. I am not a very happy camper right now. 

 

That is in fact the policy in the US.  Here is the link again to the terms and conditions for you to look yourself:  https://www.silversea.com/terms-and-conditions.html

 

Did you ever look at your booking confirmation as previously suggested?  What does your booking confirmation say about cancellation terms and penalties?

 

Do you have some documentation (such as emails) that you advised your travel agent to cancel more than 120 days prior to the cruise date and they told you there would be a 15% penalty?

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by alexandria

[NJ Cruiserman]

42 minutes ago, James S said:

That is apparently not the policy in the United States. I wanted to cancel more than 120 days out, but my travel agent told me it would be a 15% penalty. I am not a very happy camper right now. 

Let me try again. The policy Alexandria posted is the policy in the US which I and others have posted and to which we have referred in several posts. (It has been easy to find on the Silversea website and it is also on your cruise invoice and receipt, with the dates various penalties apply).  If the date you started this thread is the date you requested a refund, that date was less than 120 days from the Venice departure to which you referred. So, yes you are subject to a 15% penalty had you cancelled on or after that date. What date did you speak to your travel agent to cancel? (Did you read any of my other posts in this thread?)

[NJ Cruiserman]

2 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

That is in fact the policy in the US.  Here is the link again to the terms and conditions for you to look yourself:  https://www.silversea.com/terms-and-conditions.html

 

Did you ever look at your booking confirmation as previously suggested?  What does your booking confirmation say about cancellation terms and penalties?

 

Do you have some documentation (such as emails) that you advised your travel agent to cancel more than 120 days prior to the cruise date and they told you there would be a 15% penalty?

 

 

These are difficult questions, and I look forward to the answers. 

[wakey16]

On 4/27/2020 at 7:58 PM, James S said:

My cruise line, Silver Sea, is requiring me to forfeit 15% of the almost $10,000 I paid them if I cancel by May 20. Fifty percent after that. Their cruise sails out of Venice, one of the epicenters of COVID-19 in Italy, in late August. My girlfriend doesn’t want to risk it.
 

Silver Sea claims they are still sailing, but I don’t really believe them. I believe they are claiming they are not canceling so as to make money off our cancellation fees. Any suggestions? 

I have just re-booked a cruise out of Venice from Sept 2020 to Sept 2021 with NCL, we have done this cruise already 4 times and it is our favourite, I want to go and enjoy all that Venice and the ports 'O' call have to offer and feel comfortable and safe, that is why we have moved ours to 2021, fingers crossed everything will be much better by then. Hope you enjoy yours when ever you decide to take it.

[wakey16]

1 hour ago, James S said:

That is apparently not the policy in the United States. I wanted to cancel more than 120 days out, but my travel agent told me it would be a 15% penalty. I am not a very happy camper right now. 

James forgot to mention, here in the UK we are being told it is unlikely we will be allowed to travel to Europe this summer with the exclusion of France, there is a 2 week quarantine for Italy and Spain at the moment and no one knows when this will be lifted.

[James S]

Here’s my first email string on the subject I found from April 20, right around 120 days prior to sailing:

 

“I will look into it tomorrow and get back to you

On Apr 20, 2020, at 6:43 PM, James Shapiro <judgeshapiro@gmail.com> wrote:
 

Hi Jason,

 

Karin and I are concerned about the cruise in August. Other people are advising us to cancel. First, what is the cancellation fee if we cancel by the end of April? Second, I assume if Silver Sea cancels it, there would be no penalty? Finally, if we cancel first, subjecting ourselves to some penalty, and Silver Sea cancels later, would we get our cancellation fee back?

 

Since you have been so wonderful to work with, we will be rebooking with you for next year. We really want to go on this trip, but are concerned about being trapped on a cruise ship the way so many others have been, together with the possibility of catching something while we are are in a foreign country.

 

Thanks,”

 

The next day, he wrote back saying that “starting today” there would be the 15% penalty. I suppose if he had known that the day before, we might have been able to cancel without penalty. Maybe I shouldn’t sweat it so much, unless SS goes bk! 

[alexandria]

13 minutes ago, James S said:

Here’s my first email string on the subject I found from April 20, right around 120 days prior to sailing:

 

“I will look into it tomorrow and get back to you

On Apr 20, 2020, at 6:43 PM, James Shapiro <judgeshapiro@gmail.com> wrote:
 

Hi Jason,

 

Karin and I are concerned about the cruise in August. Other people are advising us to cancel. First, what is the cancellation fee if we cancel by the end of April? Second, I assume if Silver Sea cancels it, there would be no penalty? Finally, if we cancel first, subjecting ourselves to some penalty, and Silver Sea cancels later, would we get our cancellation fee back?

 

Since you have been so wonderful to work with, we will be rebooking with you for next year. We really want to go on this trip, but are concerned about being trapped on a cruise ship the way so many others have been, together with the possibility of catching something while we are are in a foreign country.

 

Thanks,”

 

The next day, he wrote back saying that “starting today” there would be the 15% penalty. I suppose if he had known that the day before, we might have been able to cancel without penalty. Maybe I shouldn’t sweat it so much, unless SS goes bk! 

 

If you are booked on the August 19 Silver Whisper, your TA was correct.  Cancellation on April 21 would have been exactly 120 days prior to sailing and you would have incurred the 15% penalty.  To avoid the penalty, you have to cancel 121+ days prior.

 

If you are booked on the August 21 Silver Shadow, you could have cancelled without penalty on April 21 or April 22.  The 15% penalty period would have started on April 23.

 

Are you booked on the Whisper or Shadow?

 

 

 

[NJ Cruiserman]

5 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

If you are booked on the August 19 Silver Whisper, your TA was correct.  Cancellation on April 21 would have been exactly 120 days prior to sailing and you would have incurred the 15% penalty.  To avoid the penalty, you have to cancel 121+ days prior.

 

If you are booked on the August 21 Silver Shadow, you could have cancelled without penalty on April 21 or April 22.  The 15% penalty period would have started on April 23.

 

Are you booked on the Whisper or Shadow?

 

 

 

The cancellation penalties are also on your cruise confirmation, which your TA would have sent when you booked. Good luck. But I suspect we Americans won’t benpermittedntonenter Italy for a while. 

[James S]

It must have been the Whisper. I can’t believe my email was right on the cusp of penalty-free cancellation. Looks like I’m at the mercy of SS. 

[alexandria]

17 minutes ago, James S said:

It must have been the Whisper. I can’t believe my email was right on the cusp of penalty-free cancellation. Looks like I’m at the mercy of SS. 

 

No offense James, but you aren't even sure what ship you are booked on??  Don't you have your booking confirmation??  As NJ Cruiserman has pointed out, the actual dates for each cancellation penalty "tier" is listed right on your booking confirmation along with the cancellation penalty that applies during each date range. 

 

Forgive my surprise, but I think many on Cruise Critic can name every future booking they have coming up, including ship, sailing date, embarkation port, itinerary, etc.  Some real cruise "enthusiasts" can even tell you who the Captain and other senior staff and crew will be!  😲

 

Good luck.  Patience is truly necessary during this crisis, as difficult as it may be to practice at times!  Hope it works out.

Edited May 13, 2020 by alexandria