Volcanic Ash - Get to cruise Ship or lose your money!

Hi

Just wondering anyone cruising in the next week or so.

Our cruise company (MSC) has said we have to claim off insurance if we cant get to Barcelona for cruise departure next monday.

If you were in uk and had booked the flight through them, they'd rebook you for another time, but they dont offer the flight or airport transfer service to Irish clients.

Not much hope of getting anything back as we have the free annual travel insurance offered by quinn.

Rang the cruise travel agent in Walkinstown and he says there is nothing that can be done.

Still have a few days to go and hopefully wind direction will change on friday as forecast.

If you booked a "package holiday" then you get your money back regardless what the cruise company says or does. the money comes back from the tour operator. By law.
But what is a package holiday?
Its when there is a prearranged combination of ,say, flight and hotel (or cruise, or coach tour) that is presented for sale ,usually but not neccessarily, in a brochure.

For example, the big companies Panorama, first choice are offering packages.

if ,however, you just picked a cruise from the MDC brochure and picked a flight to join that cruise , and that agent bought them on your behalf then this is not a package as per the Act -and ,yes, you can lose your money.

I am guessing that your booking was the second thing, but do check in case it was advertised, presented and billed as a package.

its complicated and a rather fine line between "package" and booking items seperately but a careful study (of the adverts and brochure of the travel company, booking conditions, invoices) and a quick look at the Package Holiday Act could save you and other affected clients a lot of money.

Very briefly -and maybe not too accurately - did the travel company say "we can book you a cruise/hotel, tour with the company concerned and book you a flight"
or did it say "we have great fly-cruise/hotel/tour etc holidays".

Not, in law, the same thing.

Unfortunately we booked the cruise with travel agent and flight independently ourselves with Aer Lingus.

Lessons to be learned all right about booking cruise and flight at same time with agent, and let them worry about it instead.

Hopefully things will come right by Monday and we wont lose our €4500.

Would you not get going now and start driving to Spain?

Had considered taking the ferry on Saturday evening from Rosslare, than it was a 12.5 hour drice to Barcelona.

But things look like they are righting themselves now.

Hopefully we will have ash free airspace for several days from thursday/friday.

however the problem may be getting flights unless you have already rebooked them. My parents were due back from Faro tomorrow - their tour agent has now booked them with the next ryanair flight from their with seats available - which is next tuesday!!

Just remember who let you down when you needed help, and it seems that a number of people who were happy to feed off you have let you down.

SoylentGreen said:

Just remember who let you down when you needed help, and it seems that a number of people who were happy to feed off you have let you down.

Click to expand...

What are you talking about?

SoylentGreen said:

Just remember who let you down when you needed help, and it seems that a number of people who were happy to feed off you have let you down.

Click to expand...

Soylent has a point, i wont be using that particular cruise company or well known travel agent again.

The cruise company had our money and the travel agent was not prepared to put up any battle with them.

Maybe sent them a letter about that, ...but after you get back...