Well, we had to cancel...

[Commieri]

A few weeks ago, I posted, asking whether others were thinking of cancelling due to economy. There was quite a response. Most were still going but some people were worried or had downgraded the cruise to shorter ength or closer to home etc. I am working but DH just told his employees that they have to close... the company has been hit by all the "perfect storm" condidtions we've all been reading about. He will be unemployed in a few weeks. At first we thought we'd still go in April as we had booked with other family but when final payment looming this month, we reconsidered and decided to cancel.

 

For us, it felt a bit too anxiety-provoking to think of paying for the cruise when that could be another mortgage payment etc. DH is talented and well-respected BUT the prospects for opportunities look so grim right no that it's pretty scary. :cool::cool:

 

It does amaze me that so many others are still able to cruise not just yearly but even more frequently. It just seems like even people with good incomes (like us) and retirees with good portfolios have been hit by this economy..

Anyway, hope all have fun and see you next year maybe.

[azkcruizers]

I'm so sorry you decided to cancel. I know it must be disappointing. I hope your husband finds work soon so you may book another cruise to look forward to.

 

Good luck:)

 

Karen

[hammybee]

I am sorry for the conditions that compelled you to cancel your cruise. Take care of business and cruise later. You made the mature choice.

[mamaofami]

I can well relate to your disappointment in having to cancel your cruise.

We just had to cancel our upcoming Noordam cruise because DH has pneumonia. We've never cancelled a cruise before, and it's very disappointing.

 

 

Good luck to your husband with the job search. I hope you'll have future cruises to look forward to.

 

[Commieri]

Hi Carol,

That's really too bad about your DH being ill. It is really disappointing to cancel for any reason, but thankfully, you DH will be fine in time.

 

Are you ok with canellation fees? Did you have insurance?

[Cruising-along]

I'm so sorry to hear this. You made the right choice, you can cruise later when things have improved. Take care of yourselves first.

[mamaofami]

Hi Carol,

That's really too bad about your DH being ill. It is really disappointing to cancel for any reason, but thankfully, you DH will be fine in time.

 

Are you ok with canellation fees? Did you have insurance?

 

Yes, we had insurance. I always buy it, even though we've never had to cancel before. My father was an insurance broker so insurance is kinda in my blood. I don't know yet how we'll make out with everything, but when It's all settled I'll come back and let you know.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Commieri, I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers, and not only you, but also your husband's employees who had to be let go due to a rough economy. Please let us know how things are going with you. Thank you for posting.

[MDSue]

I'm really sorry to hear that your family and so many others are having to go through this terrible dip in the economy. We just got our latest retirement statement and we lost almost half of our savings. We can only hope over time it will come back up. Right now our jobs are safe so I feel lucky that we don't have any immediate concerns. One cruise a year is all I can currently afford and I'm determined to keep that going, but I've been on the other end more years than not. It's always best to just live within one's budget, so I hope you can find another less expensive vacation or just familly time for this year.

Hopefully this economy will turn around soon and we can all look forward to better times soon. Your cruise will be waiting for you when the time is right. Best wishes:)

[eldercruser]

Commieri - certainly understand the situation. It is very disappointing when recession hits you square in the face. I certainly went through it in the early 70's and 80's. While we are going on our February cruise, we are not scheduling any more extensive travel until we see things clearly getting better - which be be awhile!

[HALFans]

Sorry to hear it, but as others have said, you made the mature decision and probably chose your wisest course of action.

 

Don't you just hate it? When you have the time to cruise and don't have the funds to do it with? Been there, done that, don't like it much.

 

Best of luck to you and your DH and we hope to see you on a 'Dam ship soon!

[sail7seas]

Commieri....... So very sorry to hear of the hard time you are enduring. Sending all best wishes your DH finds the perfect position very soon. You made a wise, responsible choice and deserve respect for that. The best of good luck.

 

 

Carol....... SO very sorry to hear your DH is ill. Of course, I wish him speedy recovery. Hopefully, soon you will be able to rebook for another wonderful Noordam cruise. Certainly you are disappointed but must get DH well!! Get Well Soon, Carol's Husband. :)

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

So sorry that your DH has lost his job and you have had to cancel your cruise. You have made a very responsible decision knowing that you still have to pay the mortgage and eat.

Hopefully your husband will find another job and things will work out for you.

You all are in our prayers.

[Pokeynose]

Commieri, so sorry you had to cancel. I'll pray your husband finds another job soon. Sounds like you are young enough to look forward to other cruises later down the line.

Carol, I hope your DH gets better soon.

We are in our middle 70's, we booked a cruise for next sept. last summer before all of this hit. We lost a good sum of our money. I was going to cancel but my oldest son talked us out of it. He said at your age, enjoy what years you have left, if we needed help he would help us. I would never take a cruise on his dollar. We can make it just won't do any side trips. It's a shame for all of us seniors who worked all our lives so we could enjoy the golden years. I feel sorry for all the young ones and middle age group with children who are losing their jobs. How did we ever get into this situation?:( I don't usually discuss religion but I think God has a message for all of us. Stop the wars, etc. Enough said. Bless you all.:)

[sail7seas]

I so agree about people who have lived their lives doing the right things, always taking care of themselves and being sensible are now suffering through no fault of their own and it is a painful time in the U.S.

 

My heart breaks for seniors who have lost their security though they tried so hard to be cautious and conservative and followed the advise of 'so called' financial experts. Some experts!

 

Most assuredly, I also hurt for young workers losing their employment. You don't deserve it and it isn't your fault......not that words will pay the bills. Just want you to know many (most) of us hurt for those who are struggling.

 

 

 

[jjgoo]

Im sorry to hear, but this may be the best thing for you. Once you get back on your feet then the boat will be waiting for you.

[twinkletoes4445]

 

For us, it felt a bit too anxiety-provoking to think of paying for the cruise when that could be another mortgage payment etc. DH is talented and well-respected BUT the prospects for opportunities look so grim right no that it's pretty scary. :cool::cool:

 

I'm sorry you had to cancel your cruise. It is a scary time, and I don't blame you for canceling. We know so many friends that have been laid off from their jobs...but I am hopeful that the new year will bring new changes. It always pays to be cautious, IMO.

 

Hopefully your husband will find another job and things will work out for you.

[twinkletoes4445]

I can well relate to your disappointment in having to cancel your cruise.

We just had to cancel our upcoming Noordam cruise because DH has pneumonia. We've never cancelled a cruise before, and it's very disappointing.

 

 

Good luck to your husband with the job search. I hope you'll have future cruises to look forward to.

 

 

We're going to miss you, but pneumonia is nothing to mess around with. Hope your DH is feeling better soon.

[jmk22574]

Just curious, but the OP stated that final payment would be due soon....so if they canceled, wouldn't they be entitled to a full refund even without insurance? Again, just asking out of curiosity.

 

Jill

[twinkletoes4445]

Just curious, but the OP stated that final payment would be due soon....so if they canceled, wouldn't they be entitled to a full refund even without insurance? Again, just asking out of curiosity.

 

Jill

 

I believe if you cancel prior to your final payment date, you do get your deposit back.

[mamaofami]

Thank you pokeynose, Sail, and Twinkletoes for your warm wishes. We appreciate them.

[kryos]

It does amaze me that so many others are still able to cruise not just yearly but even more frequently. It just seems like even people with good incomes (like us) and retirees with good portfolios have been hit by this economy..

Anyway, hope all have fun and see you next year maybe.

I'm very, very sorry that your husband is losing his job, and that he has to let his employees go. Believe me, I feel your pain. My own job is really "iffy" right now. It's in the newspaper industry and the newspaper industry is not doing well at all these days ... not even in the past several years.

 

You are wise to cancel your cruise and it shows you have your priorities in order. Your husband will get another job and then you can re-evaluate your money situation and perhaps book another.

 

By the way, I don't think anybody is immune in this economy. I don't think jobs in ANY industry are safe. With spending way down, every sector of the ecomony is in a downward spiral. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Kyana]

Sorry to hear of your situation. We are retired and have taken quite a hit on our investments. It caused us to reassess our situation. We cancelled the Masdam from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale a land package and the Noordam 10 Day Southern Carribean. We had to have some fix so we booked a 5 day Coastal on the Statendam in May plus 3 days in Vacouver at the Marriott Pinacle. That will be it for this year. We have two sons and we are more concerned for them than us and we have to be prepared to support them if need be. Out eldest just moved to Vancouver to work for the Port Authority and is going to be a father for the first time in April. We allready are helping out because of the cost of the move and the expenses that go with it. Family is first Prioriy and our luxuries our secondary, so althought we indulge a little we did get a great deal on a S Suite for the Statendam Cruise which was our very first ship. We tried to book our original Suite 04 but it allready had been booked. We are taking our youngest son with us and are all pumped up about our first grand-child.

A prayer for all those who are struggling with the current situation on both sides of the border. We have so many good friends we have met on our Cruises and hope all will improve and we can return to our first love, Cruising and HAL.

May you all have Calm seas and fair winds.

[fun*n*sun]

I just want to say our prayers are with you and all those who are having a rough time. It would be nice if recessions didn't happen and hopefully we'll get through this one as we've gotten through the ones in the past, but it's hard on all those effected. We have dealt with unemployment and employers who often couldn't meet payroll several times over the past few years. It's scary to not know what the future will bring. We suffered a lot of reverses during the computer downturn, but are keeping our fingers crossed and things look stable for us at the moment.

 

I understand where you're coming from Kyana. We thought we might have to cancel our cruise for this summer when our oldest son lost his job. Family concerns have to come first and even those of us not directly effected by the economy often have family who is and needs our help. It's good to remember what truly matters most in life. Luckily our son found a job within a couple of weeks, but we are still keeping our options open at this point with our final payment a couple monthes in the future.

 

Congratulations Kyana on your upcoming grandchild ! Is it your first? Being a grandparent is the best thing ever!

[vbmom87]

Just curious, but the OP stated that final payment would be due soon....so if they canceled, wouldn't they be entitled to a full refund even without insurance? Again, just asking out of curiosity.

 

Jill

 

I believe original poster was referring to another poster who had to cancel because her husband became ill. She was asking her if she had insurance. At least that is how I understood it.