ABTA any success stories or tips?

Ayr_Rage

I agree with @Caz3121 , nowhere can I see that they have accepted a change to accommodate one adult and a child unless the OP has definitive confirmation of that acceptance.

Grumpy_chap

"

2. Booking Background and Organiser Status

• I won a two‑adult Norwegian Fjords cruise via a 2024 prize promotion.

• On 31 March 2025, I informed Said cruise line of unavoidable childcare/special‑needs constraints and requested suitable alternative dates.

• On 19 May 2025, Said cruise line issued Invoice IAM‑366632, transferring my booking to Springtime Fjordlands A12704 (18–25 March 2027), Ocean View grade after agreeing to a goodwill transfer (so I assumed they ment my child as they'd addressed this in email correspondence)

• The invoice expressly identifies Said cruise line as the organiser and invokes protection under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. A package travel contract therefore existed between me and Said cruise line , and I was a traveller for the purposes of the Regulations.

"

This seems very relevant, summary:

• Won a cruise for 2 adults.
• Agreed a change of date, goodwill transfer, because of OP's childcare constraints.
• Invoice identifies the cruise line and the OP as being in contract and associated protections applying.
• OP assumes the child is now included. I suggest the cruise line probably know the child is not included and assume the OP has alternative child-care provision in place given the change of date was to accomodate childcare constraints.
• Does the invoice identify the OP's child as a third passenger in the booking? If the OP merely assumed that the child is now included, that would appear to be wholly the OP's error.

"

• I was not informed that the transferred sailing and/or my available 2027 options were subject to adults‑only restrictions, despite my prior disclosure of childcare constraints.

• I was not informed that prize‑winners were excluded from the headline “Said cruise lines Guarantee,” that if you don't enjoy the cruise you'd get your money back a material limitation affecting consumer remedies and flexibility.

• I was subjected to same‑day acceptance pressure (e.g., “I need to get this transferred today really & this is all I have available at the moment ”).

• Said cruise lines booking journey continued to accept and price a child for 2027 sailings until the final step, where only a minimal note appeared (“Guest 3 section is intended for adults”), with no clear, prominent upfront warning that children were not permitted when I tryed to do a dummy booking of the same cruise quote myself

"

You did not need to be informed that the chosen option was adults-only as you only have the booking (as per the cruise that was won) for two adults. Why would the cruise company need to tell you that children are not permitted if only booking two adults? Did the cruise company also tell you that giraffes are not permitted?

It seems irrelevant as to whether you are or are not excluded from the money back guarantee. You did not pay for the cruise, so if you had the money back you would get exactly what you paid, i.e. nothing.

The dummy booking you trialled proves that a child booking to that sailing would not be processed. I am not sure what you are trying to demonstrate by that reference.

"

an in‑brand, like‑for‑like family‑capable remedy is objectively unavailable.

"

Why would anyone expect that remedy to be available as a follow-on from winning a cruise for two adults?

Remember that prize draw competitions will have their own terms and conditions. They are often to fill unsold cabins and provide marketing for the cruise line. There are always restrictions. The cruise line actually does not have any vested interest in the prize winner actually taking the cruise (though probably will seek upsell for extras if the cruise is taken). In fact, the cruise line have agreed a change of date and shown more flexibility than the prize-draw rules, to accommodate the childcare constraints that the OP has. That change of date does not extend to increasing the passengers from "2 adults" (as won) to "2 adults and 1 child". It seems reasonable that the cruise line understood that the OP had some suitable childcare arrangement in place for the alternative date agreed, especially given that the change of date was to accommodate the OP's childcare constraints.

Cutting out the noise, I really cannot see where you have any claim here. The overall summary looks like this:

• OP entered competition for two adult cruise on specific date (with no changes / no cash alternative)
• OP won the competition
• Cruise line agreed to change of date to accommodate OP's childcare needs
• Change of date does not include change of passenger numbers from "2 adults" to "2 adults plus 1 child"
• OP has 15 months between now and the revised sailing date to make suitable childcare arrangements or decide not to go on the cruise.

I am happy to be corrected if my summary is incorrect understanding of what the OP has advised.

eskbanker

EDIT - Sorry to all for the formatting but that is the only way to quote partial quotes from different threads.

Partial quoting can be done like this ^ rather than using lots of quotation marks and blank lines.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81700674#Comment_81700674

NoodleDoodleMan

According to the website advert that I found, the Springtime Fjordlands A12704 is also adults only.

So assumptions to the contrary are difficult to understand.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81860147#Comment_81860147

If I understand correctly from one of OP's other threads about this, it wasn't adults-only at the time of booking, but became so later.

NoodleDoodleMan

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81860218#Comment_81860218

Thanks, that makes a difference to the scenario - although it's difficult to understand why the cruise line would make such a change considering the administrative challenges of informing passengers already booked with children that their reservation was no longer valid.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81860218#Comment_81860218

Although I found the OP's posts quite difficult and it was my understanding from reading all the threads that the OP only ever had a booking for "two adults" and never had a booking for "two adults plus one child".

It is a very significant factor in the OP's position and possible claim but one that we are still awaiting the OP to confirm having been asked upthread.

(I asked in my post at 09:27 today and the OP chose not to respond to that point in their response at 10:24 but did imply they assumed that the rearranged date also included their child.)

If the booking was only ever for two adults whether or not the cruise was adults only at the time of booking may not have been a factor that the cruise line felt necessary to expressly state.

sheramber

It is pity the cruise company changed the booking for the prize as a courtesy, since the prize was non transferable , and it has now led to a dispute.

Probably prevents them repeating the gesture in future.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6652704/abta-any-success-stories-or-tips

OH - another baby thrown out with the bath water at 9:40 pm this evening so I have to assume that the OP did not get the answers they wanted.

OR, maybe we hit the nail on the head with the question that the OP failed to answer about whether the booking from the transferred prize cruise (for 2 adults) ever became a booking for 2 adults and 1 child on the adults only cruise.

I guess we'll never know.

It also seems as though the original post is not available for posterity either. Shame.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81861019#Comment_81861019

On an earlier thread the OP states he offered to pay for his son. He did not expect him to travel for free.

But, when he looked at the new booking he found out it was adults only so he could not pay for his son