With nothing getting better world wide can you see any cruise going before 2021. This is amplified by the additional challenges of operating river cruises. Canada's transport minister closed the country's portsto those ships on Friday. Additional resources for cruisers during the coronavirus outbreak: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Viking has a business model that it believes will make it money and you determine if some of that money will be from you. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. We are using this period of non-operation as a time for additional training and initiatives to ensure we have the safest and healthiest fleet in the industry. Related: Some cruise ships could be laid up for months. Thanks Viking! This will typically be spelled out clearly on the cruise line's website at time of booking, or by your travel advisor. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. I would say cancel and get your money back minus $200. [CDATA[ Disney Cruises suspended its operations Friday. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. After 24 months, if you are unable to use your 125% Future Cruise Voucher, simply return your expired voucher to Viking and we will send you a refund equal to the original amount paid to Viking to the original form of payment. Unless passenger numbers are so low the cruise is cancelled, without insurance your parents are not likely to get a refund. Related: Could cruising resume in August? It is a risk because you will not know if insurance will pay until after the cruise is cancelled and a claim is filed. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Another thought is do they have insurance for the trip? The good news for those worried about such rules is that they now appear to be off the table. It has for me 4 times over the past few years. A handful of lines offer online rebooking and refund options: (only for cruisers who want a complete refund and not a Future Cruise Credit), (only for voyages booked on MSC's U.S. website). Everything. All programs will be modified to . This is a tough topic to discuss. While major cruise operators such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises arent tipping their hands yet on their comeback plans, were expecting to see a distinct shift to shorter, closer-to-home sailings at least initially. (Updated 1:26 p.m. EDT) Hundreds of thousands of travelers have been affected by the global travel restrictions that began back in March, imposed as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as countries around the world continue to place restrictions on leisure and business travel in an effort to curb the effects of the virus. We just canceled, so I havent seen our voucher contract yet. Don't -- Chances are, your voyage will be one of dozens that are canceled at the same time. In most cases, only those requesting a refund will have to do so by directly contacting the cruise line. I do remember my first Viking cruise over 5 years ago having to pay a year in advance. This is an unprecedented situation.". Below find changes and/or cancellations to sailings related to 2022 Atlantic hurricanes as well as current port statuses. With the majority of the world's cruise lines .css-hghiur{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-medium);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;cursor:pointer;color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);border-color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);}.css-hghiur:focus-visible,.css-hghiur[data-focus-visible]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}.css-hghiur:hover,.css-hghiur[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;}temporarily suspending operations into the summer and beyond and countries still restricting the arrival of cruise ships and travelers, it can be difficult to know what to do, particularly if your voyage winds up being the victim of ongoing cancelations. We are confident you can weather this storm! You can read more about how this all got started here. Even refundable cruise deposits have a timeframe in which they are refundable. Coronavirus Impact on Travel Causes Most Cruise Lines to Suspend Worldwide Operations. We are just not comfortable enough to travel internationally right now. KEY FACTS. Have more questions? Until the order is lifted, cruisers only can travel home from U.S. ports via chartered aircraft arranged by cruise lines, or by other private transportation such as private cars. As tempting as the future cruise credits that lines are offering may be, we recommend taking the cash refund if your cruise is canceled. A significant cruise fare discount is the main reason to book a fare with a nonrefundable deposit; sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars per person on cruise costs. Enrollment required. I am sure you recognize that COVID-19 has made travel exceedingly complicated. Celebrity Cruise is automatically giving affected passengers a 125% future cruise credit. What Are Carnival's Early Saver Cruise Deals. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. All except $100 future cruise credit each. In order to reserve a room onboard, cruise lines will accept a deposit, or portion of the full cruise fare to secure your place. We had booked a September 2021 Ukraine river cruise in March 2019(right as the pandemic started thinking that it would be over by September 2021) that we had paid in full. Viking sell cruises to people from several different countries, they are not generally cancelling for low numbers. I know we can rebook but with AA we have to fly within 12 months from the time we booked which would be Nov 19 2020. What about other regulations that cruise lines have had to follow? Here's how long it will take, Good news for cruisers worried about strict new boarding rules, Some of the year's hottest new ships could be delayed, Stream these 13 movies and shows to get your cruise ship fix, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Did they pay with a credit card? You will have 24 months to use your Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. Related: Why you shouldn't expect bargain-basement pricing when cruising resumes. We and two other couples travelling with us cancelled last Friday. Just got the email cancelling our Jun 27 Majestic Fjords sailing. Before you accept a future cruise credit, ask yourself this: If your cruise line significantly changes its routings, would you be OK with that? Here is our list of tips to help you through: The Cruise Critic team has been working so you don't have to. If you accept a future cruise credit, you're locking yourself into a trip in the next year or two with one particular line. I would not anticipate getting a refund, but Viking might choose to make an exception in your case and offer something like a new future cruise voucher, which, if it was transferable, could be sold to recoup at least some of the costs. Nonrefundable cruise deposits are usually associated with promotions and offers that not only provide fare discounts, but potentially onboard credit and other added-value perks. While cruise deposits historically were refundable, more cruise lines have begun to offer nonrefundable deposit options. Guests will have 24 months to use their Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. "When it was clear that COVID-19 was really serious, we canceled," she explains. At least thats the way it worked for us when Sky did not stop at Heimaey. Do you want a future cruise credit, or are you interested in rebooking immediately on a new voyage? Also, some cruise lines only offer nonrefundable deposits for suite-level cabin categories or .css-hghiur{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-medium);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;cursor:pointer;color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);border-color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);}.css-hghiur:focus-visible,.css-hghiur[data-focus-visible]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}.css-hghiur:hover,.css-hghiur[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;}guarantee rooms. Some cruise lines have resumed sailing again with mixed results. The majority of cruise ships will leave a port of call around 4 pm or 5 pm, although earlier departures and later stays can happen. Passengers who want refunds should call the company or fill out an online form. I booked two excursions before they cancelled the cruise. Cruise lines havepausedtheir operations for at least 30 days. Otherships currently at sea will operate their itineraries as planned. That's the new plan at Carnival. We are not interested in finding out how things go on those huge ships. Why you might want to wait to change or cancel your flight or cruise. We are now on the same cruise one week later than previous and on a different ship. Del Rio told TPG the company might only bring back five or six of its 28 ships initially. 1) Viking like every other cruise line is in business to make money. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. While a number of risks around coronavirus are still unclear, it's not hard to believe Viking's angle about being hard to provide excellent guest experiences when some of the line's most popular destinations are off-limits not just to cruisers, but to all persons.