Refunds from Explora cancellations

[travelberlin]

Explora has changed itineraries of their ships starting from middle May 2024. This means that many itineraries have been cancelled. Explora has apparently offered two options to guests. A) to apply for a full refund or B) to rebook with a discount equivalent to 30% of the total cost of the cancelled cruise.

 

Many guests will be applying for refunds. I am starting this thread to share the questions and experiences specially in the refund process. My questions are:

 

1) have those guests that are applying for refunds now,  received an official letter of cancellation of their itineraries from Explora?

 

2) some of us have already experienced a cancellation of a previous itinerary from Explora. In case we apply for the full refund due to this second cancellation now, what will we be receive? Are we just going to receive our paid deposit as refund or are we also going to receive a FCC for the amount of the previous cancellation?

 

3) Again for those guests that have already experienced the cancellation of their itinerary and rebooked once, if one decides to rebook again due to this new cancellation, is Explora recognizing the previous FCC of the first cancellation together with the new offer of 30%?

 

4) For those guests that have applied for a refund and this is their first cancellation, how long is it taking to get their refunds? 

 

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this subject.

 

Ivi

Edited September 2, 2023 by travelberlin

[uktog]

43 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Explora has changed itineraries of their ships starting from middle May 2024. This means that many itineraries have been cancelled. Explora has apparently offered two options to guests. A) to apply for a full refund or B) to rebook with a discount equivalent to 30% of the total cost of the cancelled cruise.

 

Many guests will be applying for refunds. I am starting this thread to share the questions and experiences specially in the refund process. My questions are:

 

1) have those guests that are applying for refunds now,  received an official letter of cancellation of their itineraries from Explora?

 

2) some of us have already experienced a cancellation of a previous itinerary from Explora. In case we apply for the full refund due to this second cancellation now, what will we be receive? Are we just going to receive our paid deposit as refund or are we also going to receive a FCC for the amount of the previous cancellation?

 

3) Again for those guests that have already experienced the cancellation of their itinerary and rebooked once, if one decides to rebook again due to this new cancellation, is Explora recognizing the previous FCC of the first cancellation together with the new offer of 30%?

 

4) For those guests that have applied for a refund and this is their first cancellation, how long is it taking to get their refunds? 

 

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this subject.

 

Ivi

Thank you. Great idea

 

Might be helpful if posters say what country they are in and did they book through a travel agent. 
Also if anyone has had to cancel airfare how has Explora handled this (I’ve still so sign of a refund on that from July). 
There are going to be variations depending on the contractual relationship Explora has with each agency and the laws of countries 

 

[bitob]

I am in US.

Explora cancelled my 2025 cruise and I immediately applied for refund through my TA (8/29).

My TA (who is very knowledgeable) told me to give it 30 days.  If I do not receive a refund in 30 days, I will contact credit card company.

[mike@sea]

Interesting.

How and when were you notified regarding the cancellation ? I am affected with 2 reservations made with 2 different travel agents in Germany. None has been informed from Explora whatsoever in regards to a) ANY changes of their routings, b) as to why not a single cruise after mid May appears online for 2 weeks already, c) if,  when and how their booked guests, some even paid in full, will be notified/ contacted about losing their reservations. 

Not a word yet. I contacted my agents myself of Friday afternoon, asking what was going on. They had no idea and were surprised, now they are waiting for reply from EX after contacting them. 

Meanwhile, others, mainly from US, have been notified, cancellations and apparently refunds were already initiated. Probably some are even already rebooked to the still not released new journeys. 

Shocking! They will have a lot explaining to do next week, followed by a bigger offer than the 30% on top, if they have the audacity to bring new replacement future bookings into the game. 
 

I really want to like them, I still believe in many aspects of the experience with EX, but this behavior is so unbelievably unprofessional, that I am not sure, they can lure me in again. 

I guess my „Ocean State of Mind“ got somewhat lost along the way….

[Host Jazzbeau]

12 minutes ago, mike@sea said:

I guess my „Ocean State of Mind“ got somewhat lost along the way…

or is that another way of saying "Out to Sea"...

[hencoll]

Explora cancelled my 2024 B2B sailings. I'm in the U.S.  On Monday August 28th my TA informed me that it was being cancelled and explained what my options were.  He sent me the new itineraries so I could decide if I wanted the rebook or apply for a refund.  He applied for my refund on 8/30 and said it could take up to 60 days.   

 

To be honest, I'm a bit ticked off because I booked this cruise the week of August 21st and my full payment for this cruise was processed on Friday August 25th.  That weekend we started hearing whispers of the itinerary changes.  On Monday, August 28th I was informed by my TA that my cruises were cancelled. At least to me, it seems like they let me book and pay in full for a cruise that they knew they were going to cancel and now they're going to keep my money for up to 60 days.  Not cool at all!

 

 

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, mike@sea said:

Interesting.

How and when were you notified regarding the cancellation ? I am affected with 2 reservations made with 2 different travel agents in Germany. None has been informed from Explora whatsoever in regards to a) ANY changes of their routings, b) as to why not a single cruise after mid May appears online for 2 weeks already, c) if,  when and how their booked guests, some even paid in full, will be notified/ contacted about losing their reservations. 

Not a word yet. I contacted my agents myself of Friday afternoon, asking what was going on. They had no idea and were surprised, now they are waiting for reply from EX after contacting them. 

Meanwhile, others, mainly from US, have been notified, cancellations and apparently refunds were already initiated. Probably some are even already rebooked to the still not released new journeys. 

Shocking! They will have a lot explaining to do next week, followed by a bigger offer than the 30% on top, if they have the audacity to bring new replacement future bookings into the game. 
 

I really want to like them, I still believe in many aspects of the experience with EX, but this behavior is so unbelievably unprofessional, that I am not sure, they can lure me in again. 

I guess my „Ocean State of Mind“ got somewhat lost along the way….

I was not informed officially about the changes of itineraries or cancellations. I have learned via Cruise Critic. My TA in USA has received a PDF with the new itineraries and my cruise is not there. The new itineraries that my TA has received from Explora are the same that are circulating on Cruise Critic since some days ago and that where kindly shared by Cruise Member Bitob. Up to now there are not prices attached to those itineraries.
 

My TA has contacted Explora on my behalf, requesting a letter from them in relation to the cancellation of my cruise and my options. Up to now, no answer from Explora. We will wait some days because there is a holiday in USA and probably nothing is going to happen until people return to work. 
 

As far as I now, Explora has contacted some TAs with a general information in relation to changes of itineraries and options but, officially no one seems to have received anything specifically for their cruise. Even in the Explora web page, I am unable to see the new itineraries. It is disappointing that we are learning about this changes via social media. And that even though there are new itineraries, those itineraries do not have prices attached to them. 
 

Hoping to learn from the experiences of other cruise critic members, and expecting the complete picture from the side of Explora in order to react.

 

Ivi

[java spot]

Luckily I am not in the position of having Explora hold my funds hostage but I am outraged on behalf of many of you who are. Considering that interest rates, even on most simple money market accounts is close to 5%, they are using your cash to earn interest while denying you that advantage.   Maybe it's a little thing to many of you but it seems totally inappropriate to me. 

[Hanoj]

2 hours ago, hencoll said:

Explora cancelled my 2024 B2B sailings. I'm in the U.S.  On Monday August 28th my TA informed me that it was being cancelled and explained what my options were.  He sent me the new itineraries so I could decide if I wanted the rebook or apply for a refund.  He applied for my refund on 8/30 and said it could take up to 60 days.   

 

To be honest, I'm a bit ticked off because I booked this cruise the week of August 21st and my full payment for this cruise was processed on Friday August 25th.  That weekend we started hearing whispers of the itinerary changes.  On Monday, August 28th I was informed by my TA that my cruises were cancelled. At least to me, it seems like they let me book and pay in full for a cruise that they knew they were going to cancel and now they're going to keep my money for up to 60 days.  Not cool at all!

 

 

This may be fraudulent, though if factually accurate it would be difficult to prove. Appears there’s sufficient confusion it could be due to incompetence. 

[PaulMCO]

33 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

This may be fraudulent, though if factually accurate it would be difficult to prove. Appears there’s sufficient confusion it could be due to incompetence. 

Actually quite easy to prove....  They had to book these new ports weeks (if not months) before the change was announce.

 

@hencoll if you really want to pursue the issue -- file a complaint with your states Attorney General office. As others are doing wait a reasonable 30 days and then dispute the charges with your credit card company.

[uktog]

6 hours ago, mike@sea said:

Interesting.

How and when were you notified regarding the cancellation ? I am affected with 2 reservations made with 2 different travel agents in Germany. None has been informed from Explora whatsoever in regards to a) ANY changes of their routings, b) as to why not a single cruise after mid May appears online for 2 weeks already, c) if,  when and how their booked guests, some even paid in full, will be notified/ contacted about losing their reservations. 

Not a word yet. I contacted my agents myself of Friday afternoon, asking what was going on. They had no idea and were surprised, now they are waiting for reply from EX after contacting them. 

Meanwhile, others, mainly from US, have been notified, cancellations and apparently refunds were already initiated. Probably some are even already rebooked to the still not released new journeys. 

Shocking! They will have a lot explaining to do next week, followed by a bigger offer than the 30% on top, if they have the audacity to bring new replacement future bookings into the game. 
 

I really want to like them, I still believe in many aspects of the experience with EX, but this behavior is so unbelievably unprofessional, that I am not sure, they can lure me in again. 

I guess my „Ocean State of Mind“ got somewhat lost along the way….

Forget the bigger offer. Even when they cancel within days of your cruise they don’t go beyond 30% despite all the pain it caused 

[uktog]

5 hours ago, hencoll said:

Explora cancelled my 2024 B2B sailings. I'm in the U.S.  On Monday August 28th my TA informed me that it was being cancelled and explained what my options were.  He sent me the new itineraries so I could decide if I wanted the rebook or apply for a refund.  He applied for my refund on 8/30 and said it could take up to 60 days.   

 

To be honest, I'm a bit ticked off because I booked this cruise the week of August 21st and my full payment for this cruise was processed on Friday August 25th.  That weekend we started hearing whispers of the itinerary changes.  On Monday, August 28th I was informed by my TA that my cruises were cancelled. At least to me, it seems like they let me book and pay in full for a cruise that they knew they were going to cancel and now they're going to keep my money for up to 60 days.  Not cool at all!

 

 

UK agents are having to wait 60 days for refunds for the 17/07 Inaugural- if they pay their clients before then they do it with their own funds out of the goodness of their hearts as they had to scramble and fund alternative holidays at the last minute 

[bitob]

60 days?  Who in their right mind would do business with Explora going forward?

[uktog]

1 hour ago, bitob said:

60 days?  Who in their right mind would do business with Explora going forward?

60 days is the standard MSC terms of trade we were told. Fine if I cancel not fine if they do 

[bitob]

4 minutes ago, uktog said:

60 days is the standard MSC terms of trade we were told. Fine if I cancel not fine if they do 

Exactly

THEY cancelled. 60 days is outrageous 

[flossie009]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

60 days is the standard MSC terms of trade we were told.

Probably an illegal contract term in the U.K. 

Those affected should report MSC & Explora to the CMA and ABTA

 

[hencoll]

12 hours ago, bitob said:

60 days?  Who in their right mind would do business with Explora going forward?

I'm pretty much done. I've enjoyed the MSC YC experience even though MSC land based operations and customer service has been a challenge.  I was interested in trying Explora.  I'll continue watching their product but have no plans to rebook.  I had a a wonderful experience this summer with Silversea on the Silver Dawn in Norway, so I will probably book something for 2024 with them or try out Seabourn or Regent.

[travelberlin]

I have received from my TA, the letter form Explora in which they cancel my itinerary. It is official for me now. The letter gives following options:

 

“ 

Option 1 - Rebook on a new journey.  

Explora I is available for rebooking, and they can choose any of the available journeys. Explora II will be open for sales on September 7. 

Change to a different journey, and they will receive a 30% Future Journey Credit of the current journey's full value. 

Option 2 – Cancellation 

Your clients will receive a full refund of all funds paid for their journey.

There is no Future Journey credit. “

 

Option 1 is not clear. Rebook for a different journey

 

OR change to a different journey and get 30% future journey credit? 🤔

 

Ivi

• 
   

Edited September 3, 2023 by travelberlin

[bitob]

Ivi - Sounds like the future journey credit is for the second cruise you take - cannot be applied to the rebooked cruise.

Remember the value of an FCC on Crystal.

 

Regardless, I would cancel and get a full refund

 

Then I would wait a year or two to see what happens with Explora

They are not ready for prime time.

[travelberlin]

I think they have not formulated clearly. I think they mean rebook to another journey and get 30% off discount.

 

However it is certainly difficult to trust Explora now, specially if the rebooked itinerary is one year from now. I have never imagined that this could happen to a new undertaking from MSC. What a pity!
 

Ivi

[Mr Luxury]

19 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I think they have not formulated clearly. I think they mean rebook to another journey and get 30% off discount.

 

However it is certainly difficult to trust Explora now, specially if the rebooked itinerary is one year from now. I have never imagined that this could happen to a new undertaking from MSC. What a pity!
 

Ivi

Cancel and get your money back.

There are excellent options with Silversea  Nova and Ray coming.

Regent Splendour and Seabourn Pursuit.

We can all watch from the wings to see how EJ fairs.

[travelberlin]

Since Explora has cancelled my booked cruise twice, I will not rebook for a new itinerary. I have requested my travel agent to ask for the refund of my money. 
 

It might be a beautiful ship, but two cancellations within 8 months is just too much.

 

Ivi

[uktog]

Data point

Cruise cancelled by Explora 8 July

Agent has refunded our cruise although not yet reimbursed by MSC

Today they’ve kicked up a stink with them about the refund of our airfares and hotel costs that have to come direct to us. Been advised it will be around 30 days more though we are in the system

 

I don’t care how fantastic the ship is, I’ve done everything I can to be positive about Explora but how they treat UK guests well - grieves me to use language like this, it stinks 

[bitob]

This is a cruise line to avoid. 

 

At least for now . .

[travelberlin]

My TA tells me I should receive my refund between 7-10 days, maybe sooner. Another client of hers had canceled last Wednesday and received his refund today.

So it seems that with the refunds Explora will do a good job.

Ivi