Cooling Off Periods On Travel Arrangements

[iloveglee]

Can anyone tell me if the cooling off period for goods and services apply to cruises. We are planning to book a cruise, maybe online, or maybe over the phone with the cruise line's agent. Bizarrely, the cruise line we are planning to sail with does not give access to the cost of their all inclusive drink packages, until AFTER you have booked.

So, if you book a cruise, then find that the cost of your drinks is going to be prohibitively expensive whether on a package or bought as you go, can you use the cooling off period to cancel. Their terms and conditions appear to say not, but does our law of cooling off outweigh their conditions.

Never experienced this with any other cruise line. Usually you choose the cruise and cabin you want, then as you go through the booking process you add the extras as you go, and you know what the price of them is before you complete the booking. This one, and unfortunately it is the only one sailing from the port we wish to sail from, doesn't do this. I know that airlines give you 24 hours to change your mind, but again, you always know how much it's going to cost you before you book it.

[barry1010]

Generally there is no cooling off period but it will be down to the company's terms and conditions. What company are you thinking of booking with?

[naomi24]

Why don’t you call them? It seems ridiculous to book without knowing what extra costs may be involved. I’m surprised it’s not all listed somewhere on their website. It really should be - and if it isn’t they deserve to be nagged for it.

[Tilly2]

I'd try another cruise company.

[Ellipsis]

The info will be online somewhere. Sites like https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/ are choc full of info including reviews.

[Zacs-Master]

This is true (no booking drinks packages until the cruise is booked) but I’ve been told that there are Black Friday deals to be had. I do hope so as we’ve just booked our first cruise.

[iloveglee]

The cruise line is MSC. It's not my first choice of cruise line anyway, but the port we want to cruise from (one in Sicily), only this line go from there, at the time we want to sail.

Their terms and conditions appear clear, if you cancel you lose your deposit, have to cancel in writing yada yada, so it would seem that UK cooling off law doesn't apply.

It's crazy to expect people to book something without knowing exactly how much they're going to have to pay, but this is the way this cruise line does it. I have looked at the reviews on Cruise Critic, and some of them aren't that positive I have to say. I may have to go onto their member forum and put out a question on the company specific section to see if anyone knows what the cost is. As long as I know up front what it's going to cost, the issue of cancellation won't arise.

There's bound to be someone who is cruising with them this year who should know.

[jno]

yes, go onto their forum and ask, that's what forums like that are for.

You could ask if their unorthodox docking procedures have improved

[Ellipsis]

This may be helpful...

https://cruise.blog/msc/drink-packages

[Tilly2]

Jno! You are mischievous. :-)

[jno]

that seems to be the answer, Ellipsis. I must say I'd have trouble drinking $70 a day.

[jno]

tbh, Tilly, after that and the Costa Concordia running aground, wild horses wouldn't drag me onto an Italian cruise ship. But if they're the only ones docking where iloveglee wants to be, then needs must.

[barry1010]

Iloveglee, frustrating as it is there cancellation policy does comply with UK law in respect of booking cruises online

[Zacs-Master]

I’m sure lessons have been learned.

[bednobs]

you dont get a cooling off period on flights as you suggest. No cooling off with travel

[iloveglee]

British Airways, and one or two other airlines give you 24 hours to change your mind, and get a refund. Some airlines allow you to hold your chosen flight for 24 hours at that price. But the price you see, is the price you get. All the extras, and their costs are there, so you know what you're getting for your money.

If there is no law related to cooling off when booking travel, these airlines must be giving this as a benefit to their customers. It would seem that the cancellation terms and conditions comply with the law, for cruises at least, maybe all kinds of travel. It is frustrating, when you can't be certain how much what you are booking is going to cost you.

Although I have been given, on a different forum, some lists of what drinks are available in each category of drink package, so a bit of adding up would give an idea of how much you may be likely to spend on drinks. And then consider whether you'd not bother with a drink package anyway. Seems to be the best we're going to get. That, or choose another cruise line, and a different trip altogether!!

[Ellipsis]

Was this link not helpful?

https://cruise.blog/msc/drink-packages

[iloveglee]

Ellipsis. Sorry,yes the link was useful. Gives a good idea as to what drinks go with which package, so a bit of addition can help you work out roughly whether it's worth having. Bearing in mind of course, that the drink cost will have at least 15% added by way of gratuity.

I wonder where these websites/blogs get the information from. If it's MSC I wonder why they don't tell the customer and have done with it. I remember them running into the dock, was it in Venice? And the Concordia of course. After that cruising with them was for nothing, and we took several cruises over the following few years. I have to say they were ultra careful after that and we never experienced any issues except during a really bad storm, we pitched up for dinner and all the crew were seasick!! It made us smile, but the staff were very definitely not amused.