Corona Virus

dippybird1

Hi I really hoping someone can advise or help. We have booked a 14 day cruise of Asia back in September for our honeymoon. We paid the deposit on a credit card  and are due to go next week. It’s is basically a tour of all the Corona Virus prevalent areas, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. I have been into the travel agents (large high st company) and they have informed us if we cancel at this point we lose all our money. Unless the  FCO stop travel to these places they are deemed as safe and therefor no refund.  This honeymoon has taken us 3 years to save for. They will not let us exchange for another holiday either. I know the risk of catching the virus is low but I really don’t want to go on honeymoon packing swimwear and medical masks and putting us at an increased risk. It has really put a dampener on the honeymoon and the husband is really worried and is debating not going. We have insurance but basically they have said the same as the travel agents. *edit Celebrity Cruises has cancelled all Asian cruises for the next few weeks with a full refund but not our travel company. Please can anyone advise.... 

Alan_Bowen

Your contract is with the cruise company and their terms and conditions will apply. Some are clearly taking a more reasonable view than the company you have booked with but legally unless the FCO says 'do not travel', which they have for China ( and you are not travelling there at all) they are under no legal obligation to refund. However, there are now two ships under quarantine and one seemingly being refused entry to anywhere so it seems very shortsighted of the company not to review the situation. You might want to name the company so that others can take an informed view of whether to book with them in future. You should ask whether the ship you are planning on joining has called at any port in China in the last 14 days as if it has, many ports are unlikely to allow it to land passengers in any event

phatbear

What advice do you want?
The FCO havent advised non-travel to those areas therefore your insurance company arent obliged to payout, from their standpoint this is an instance of dis-inclination to travel.

You can throw yourself at the mercy of your travel company but i would assume that given the dip in numbers of people travelling to those areas they would not want to lose more money by allowing you the opportunity to change your trip.

Im off to Japan in 3 weeks and havent given all this a second thought as it would appear nowhere is risk free at the mo.

Westin

What you have been told so far, by the travel agent, by your insurers, and by other posters is all correct.  

At the moment if you cancel, which of course you can do, you are bound by the travel company terms regarding and refund.

The situation is extremely fluid at the moment. Personally I would hold fire from any action at the moment and continue to monitor the situation.  It would not surprise me if over coming weeks there are not more flexible cancelling and rescheduling options given by cruise lines. I can see it all going rather pear shaped on Far East cruise itineraries in the not to distant future with many unable to join ships, ships being out of commission, demand for new sales drying up etc.