What to Do If You’ve Booked a Cruise or Vacation and Need to Cancel It
If you were planning to go on a vacation cruise during this time, you have most likely heard the State Department's warning to cancel. Besides sharing close quarters on cruises, which makes you more susceptible to being exposed to diseases, many countries are also closing their borders, increasing your likelihood of being stranded.
The CDC recommends “travelers, particularly those with underlying health issues, defer all cruise ship travel worldwide.” They also share that “Cruise ship passengers are at increased risk of person-to-person spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.” In the last few days, many cruise lines have also made statements saying that they have temporarily cancelled their cruises during this time.
Royal Caribbean: Global suspension of cruising and expected return to service on April 11, 2020.
Cunard: Pausing new North American departures for a month-long period, effective Saturday, March 14 through Saturday, April 11, 2020.
Holland America Line: Pausing global cruise operations of its 14 ships for 30 days, impacting sailings scheduled to depart through April 14, 2020.
Carnival: Carnival Corporation, the world's largest leisure travel company, announced that four additional North American cruise line brands will take a voluntary month-long pause, suspending new cruise voyages. (Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard North America, Holland America Line and Seabourn)
Cruise Lines International Association: Suspending cruise ship operations from and to U.S. ports of call for 30 days as public health officials and the U.S. Government continue to address COVID-19.
Seabourn: The ultra-luxury travel experience announced that it will voluntarily pause global operations of its five cruise ships for 30 days starting March 14, 2020.
While some cruise lines are contacting booked guests directly regarding cruises and options, not all ports have cancelled cruises just yet. If your cruise line has a customer service page, they may be listing updates regarding the latest travel and cancellation information. Expect long call waits and have your reservation number ready. Once you reach a representative, be sure to get the person's name and a reference number that you can use for any follow-up. While some cruises are offering refunds, others are offering vouchers for a later date. Each cruise line has their own policy regarding cancellation and some are providing special exceptions to their usual policies at this time.
When it comes to traveller's insurance, unfortunately most insurance does not cover viruses unless you have a policy that allows you to cancel for any reason. Check your policy to see what is included and what you can get back.
If you have booked other travel such as hotels or flights through Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets, know that they "are working around the clock with their travel partners to process an unprecedented number of customer requests."
If you are planning on changing or cancelling travel, here is what Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity recommend:
If your travel plans are more than a week out, please wait to contact customer support. This ensures that travel advisors can prioritize travelers with the most immediate needs.
Travelers with trips in the next seven days are encouraged to visit customer service pages for Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets before contacting customer support for up-to-date guidance and options.
Have your itinerary number ready or login to your account to locate your trip. This will ensure quicker service, whether travelers use new self-service options online or contact travel advisors directly.
How to change or cancel:
Change or cancel travel plans from your account online or via mobile apps without additional fees. Travelers are encouraged to log into their accounts online or through Expedia, Orbitz, CheapTickets and Travelocity mobile apps to cancel or change travel plans. Use the "Change" or "Cancel" buttons in your itinerary for details. Upcoming trips can be found under "My Trips."
Chat with a virtual agent online for direct assistance. This new chat feature can be found on customer service pages for Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets via the "Chat now" button. It's recommended travelers login before initiating a chat session for quicker service.
If your hotel or airline is eligible for refunds or free cancellations, fill out an online form. Travelers with tickets on eligible airlines or reservations at eligible hotels can submit online cancellation forms to receive credit for a future flight or a full hotel refund. Check customer service pages for Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets before submitting for latest guidance.
NOTE: If you have already submitted a request, they ask you not to call for a status update.
Contact customer support. Travelers can also reach travel advisors using the "Contact Us" button on resource pages for these sites.
Airlines
Travel advisors at Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets cannot change or cancel reservations for all air carriers.
Please check the resource page to see if you need to contact your airline directly to make changes.
If your airline policy allows you to change or cancel your flight without a fee and is eligible for assistance via their travel advisors, you can submit an online cancellation form to receive credit for a future flight. **If you have already submitted a request, you do not need to call for a status update.
Hotels
Due to COVID-19, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and CheapTickets are waiving change fees for many hotels based on where you are traveling to or from and travel dates. If you booked hotels for the following destinations and are NOT a resident of these countries, you are eligible for a full refund.
China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Israel, Marshall Islands, El Salvador, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Oman, India, Poland, Cyprus, Ukraine, and Italy.
Check back often as destinations are continually added based on changing restrictions.
Travelers with eligible hotel reservations can submit online cancellation forms to receive a full refund. *Again they advise, If you have already submitted a request, you do not need to call for a status update.
Cruises
If you want to change or cancel a cruise reservation, visit Cruise Support pages on Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and CheapTickets.
Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram: @zillizy