I booked a cruise for two and about 3 weeks before sailing my roommate cancelled. She had already paid her fare so I assumed I could invite my daughter to take her place. No Way! She was considered a "No Show" and we had to pay another fare while they kept her money. What difference does it make to the cruise line who occupies the cabin as long as they get the double fare? It seems the cruise line is protected for every event and the customer isn't protected at all.

That stinks! Along the same lines, I had booked a cruise for three: myself, my fiance, and my son. A month before the cruise, my fiance unexpectedly broke off our relationship and hastily went to another city. The cruise line did give me the chance to find another traveling companion, but no one was able to go with me. I asked for a refund for his portion of the cruise. They wanted to issue HIM a credit for a future cruise! This cruise was totally planned and paid for by myself. I also had no idea where he could be located anyway. My travel agent fought for me and was able to get me an on-board credit issued for the amount of his cruise fare. That covered excursions, drinks, bingo, etc.

You need to see the forrest from the trees. In the big scheme of things look at it from the cruise line's perspective: They have full fare. They now have someone who wants to back out and that would mean the cruise line giving back money.

What incentive does the cruise line have to give money back? The only incentive that I can imagine is good will and pleasing the passenger. However, it has been my experience that these goals are not always at the top of the list for the cruise lines.

snorkelman:
I don't think there was any mention of asking for money back. Sounds like Wags just wanted to change the name on the manifest.

You're right cruiser. All I wanted to do was substitute my daughter's name for my friend's. The cruise line would not have lost any money. Instead they kept my friends money and pocketed another fare.

I agree with you Wags, unlike any other business out there, the lines come up with some rules that cannot be defended.

I would agree with them (the cruise line) if you were trying to get back money or only paying for one person in a cabin that they always sell for two people. If that were the case they would loose money everytime someone backed out of a cruise. But in this case they were not loosing anything. Instead, they are selling the same room twice!

That would be like you buying something from a department store and knowing you could not use it, you took it back, and the store gave you no money in return and then sold the item you brought back a SECOND TIME at full price, to another customer.

To answer your question, they get away with it because they can, and there is no law to stop them.

That IS awful, Wags. Have you already taken this cruise? Because it seems like gotribe's situation was even harder to undo, and yet he got a full refund in the form of onboard credit...can your TA help you as Gotribe's did?

By the way, Hold is mistaken, there's another business that does the same thing: the airline industry. They will not let you substitute a name either. And don't tell me it's security related, because it's been going on long before 9/11...it's related to MONEY!

Good point about the airlines Joan, I stand corrected.