Can company keep my cruise fare?

  • By Christopher Elliott
  • Wednesday, November 18, 2015 7:16pm
  • Life

Question: I booked two single rooms on the National Geographic Sea Lion expedition to the Columbia and Snake rivers. I bought insurance for my 93-year-old dad. I did not buy insurance for myself as his companion.

He has had a series of bad falls. He has a bad heart, a bad aortic valve, has suffered several small strokes, has dementia and cannot safely go on the trip.

I do not want to go without him because it would be too sad, since the trip was for him. The cruise is oversold, and Lindblad Expeditions, which operates the cruise, easily can resell my cabin. But it won’t refund my cruise fare. Can you help me get a refund for my $8,030?

Dorothy Cofield, Beaverton, Oregon

Answer: I’m not sure if a cruise was the best vacation choice for your father, who was already having health problems before you made your reservations. Nice work with the insurance, but if you didn’t think you could go without him, you also might have considered a policy for you. Then all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided.

Lindblad Expedition’s rules are as clear as the water in Oregon’s Clear Lake, which is to say, “crystal.” You’re not entitled to any kind of refund. Period. Dad is going to get all his money back; you’re not.

Is that fair? In this case, no. Lindblad will double-dip, taking your money and someone else’s, but only serving one passenger. In fairness to Lindblad, this is an industrywide practice. But that doesn’t make it any fairer. For passengers like you who can’t take a cruise, it’s like handing $8,030 to a cruise line and getting nothing in return.

You really should have bought the insurance.

Cruise lines rarely, if ever, waive their rules. But in this case, you had confirmation from Lindblad that there was a wait list for your cruise, meaning that you were doing it a favor by canceling and allowing the cruise line to resell your cabin. I thought it was worth asking about your case. Clearly, you’re trying to do the right thing for your father, and a little sympathy from the cruise line would be nice.

“We generally do not negotiate our cancellation policies regardless of the reasons for canceling,” a Lindblad representative told me. “As such, we strongly recommend that guests purchase travel protection at several stages of the booking process, so that they can protect themselves from cancellation charges if the need arises.”

Is that an echo I hear?

I agree with Lindblad. You weren’t entitled to a refund.

“However,” added the Lindblad rep, “there are rare exceptions when circumstances align and we are able to sell the cabin, enabling us to refund the guest. Since we had a small wait list — and in an effort to resolve Mrs. Cofield’s situation — we contacted all persons waitlisted to determine if they were interested in Mrs. Cofield’s cabin. On this occasion, we will be able to provide a refund to Mrs. Cofield, which will be processed shortly.”

(c) 2015 Christopher Elliott. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.