Change to holiday on offer

KMK

Hope this is the right thread! We booked a Fred Olsen "Irish Christmas Market" cruise leaving Liverpool on December 11th, back in August.It advertised a visit to 3 Christmas markets in Dublin, Cork and Belfast.

Yesterday a letter arrived telling us that two of the markets will not be taking place while we are on the cruise, so there is now only one market to visit.The markets were the main reason for our going on the cruise.I rang this morning to ask for a refund so that we could find another holiday instead, because theirs no longer offered the visits we had signed up for.

I was told that because the itinerary was the same we could not claim a refund although the title of the cruise was "Irish Christmas Markets".They have offered £50 to spend on board which seems derisory to us.Are we in a position to claim a refund?How can they justify such short notice of the changes? Is it worth holding out and going to ABTA or Small Claims?We don't want to cancel and then find that they can legally resist our refund claim.Any advice would be appreciated.

daveyjp

I suspect the T&Cs cover such changes - have you checked them?

Whilst it is a change of what was advertised, the ship is still leaving and going to the same ports so its probably not a major alteration.

Fred Olsen aren't in charge of the markets and can only advertise what they know to be true when the cruises are planned (18 months to 2 years in advance) and brochures produced - after the cruise is confirmed which is about a year in advance.

Push for more on board credit and enjoy the trip.

greatgimpo

KMK wrote: »

...cruise leaving Liverpool on December 11th, back in August.

You're going to need a lot of spending money to get you through an 8 month cruise!