Global Courant 2023-05-26 21:16:23
Royal Caribbean International has seen record bookings this year. The Wonder of the Seas ship has been overbooked three times in the past six months.PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have overbooked several ships in recent months.
Some passenger journeys are canceled or rescheduled, resulting in varying compensation.
One customer said she could lose nearly $6,000 after being bumped off an overbooked cruise.
Cruises are back in full swing this summerbut the industry’s resurgence has created a new passenger headache (aside from fiercer competition for pool chairs): overbooked ships.
Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have seen a spate of overbooked ships in recent months Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The Wonder of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has been overbooked three times in the past six months, according to industry blog Cruise hive.
Like airlines, cruise lines can sell more suites than they have physically available as a buffer for last-minute cancellations. If the math doesn’t work, cruise lines offer guests various compensations to entice them to change their travel plans, hopefully preventing guests from having to forcibly cancel their reservations.
In the rare event that not enough people voluntarily reschedule their trip, some unlucky guests may receive the dreaded email that their trip has been cancelled.
That’s what happened to 68-year-old Diane Gainey and her family, who were told late last month that their September cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium was oversold. After she refused to reschedule the 12-night cruise from Japan, she was told by her travel agent that Celebrity Cruises had canceled her sailing.
Diane Gainey, 68, a frequent cruiser, could lose nearly $6,000 in airfare and hotel costs after Celebrity Cruises overbooked her September trip from Japan.Thanks to Diane Foley
A spokesperson for Celebrity Cruises said the company is constantly monitoring their sailings to avoid disruptions to guests’ travel plans. To avoid potential overselling issues, the cruise line offers guests the opportunity to choose voluntarily another sail if their plans are flexible and onboard credit to use on their next holiday.
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Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have not responded to questions about their recent overbooking incidents, how many reservations have been forced to cancel as a result, or their compensation guidelines for airline tickets and accommodation not booked directly through the cruise line.
With her September cruise canceled, Gainey had two options: reschedule the $8,000 three-person reservation for a similar cruise next year or cancel the trip and receive a full refund. Celebrity offered to cover $500 in additional expenses, such as airfare, emails show.
But to travel from the US to Tokyo, the cruise ship’s port of departure, Gainey had already spent nearly $6,000 on airfare and hotel reservations, according to receipts viewed by Insider.
Her family’s flights are non-refundable and non-transferable, she said, adding that they can’t change their flights to the dates of the next available cruise in 2024 because the airline’s schedule isn’t available that far in advance .
“I’m really stuck in limbo,” she told Insider. “I don’t even know if I’ll be alive in a year and a half.”
Have you been a passenger on an overbooked or overcrowded cruise ship? Email this reporter at [email protected]
Read the original article Business Insider
