Barbie and I have been saving for the last couple of years to take a Caribbean cruise. I've never had any desire to cruise on one of those huge floating hotels so I found a romantic cruise on a 196' sailing yacht out of Grenada with Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.
We paid for our cruise in full in June for a cruise leaving right after Thanksgiving. We searched and found some low cost air fare tickets leaving from Tampa, FL to St. George's, Grenada. The bad thing was the tickets are non-refundable. We bought trip insurance just in case. We also bought trip insurance for the cruise.
We received an email today from Windjammer Barefoot Cruises stating that our cruise had been canceled in Grenada but that they could rearrange our cruise to leave from Costa Rica. We didn't want to buy more tickets to fly to Costa Rica so we asked for a refund.
Come to find out Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has been in financial difficulties for the last several years and none of their ships has even sailed in the last couple of months leaving passengers and crews high and dry in the ports where their ships were. Groups were taking up donations to fly the crews left with no pay home.
When we asked for a refund they told us in so many words if we didn't rearrange to cruise out of Costa Rica it would be next April at the earliest before we will see a refund. Well they are still taking people's money telling everyone that their next cruise is set for Nov 3rd from Costa Rica but scuttlebutt has it they still don't have clearances to leave port. We are still going to fly to Grenada in November but we have found and made other arrangements while there.
I don't think we will ever see a refund from Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. As for the cruise trip insurance that we purchased through Windjammer Barefoot Cruises does not cover us if the cruise line goes out of business.
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises Ltd is still taking bookings and processing credit cards through PayPal, not letting buyers know that their ships have all been arrested and cannot leave the ports they are in until they pay their debts.
(Please read the attached comment regarding trip insurance.)
We paid for our cruise in full in June for a cruise leaving right after Thanksgiving. We searched and found some low cost air fare tickets leaving from Tampa, FL to St. George's, Grenada. The bad thing was the tickets are non-refundable. We bought trip insurance just in case. We also bought trip insurance for the cruise.
We received an email today from Windjammer Barefoot Cruises stating that our cruise had been canceled in Grenada but that they could rearrange our cruise to leave from Costa Rica. We didn't want to buy more tickets to fly to Costa Rica so we asked for a refund.
Come to find out Windjammer Barefoot Cruises has been in financial difficulties for the last several years and none of their ships has even sailed in the last couple of months leaving passengers and crews high and dry in the ports where their ships were. Groups were taking up donations to fly the crews left with no pay home.
When we asked for a refund they told us in so many words if we didn't rearrange to cruise out of Costa Rica it would be next April at the earliest before we will see a refund. Well they are still taking people's money telling everyone that their next cruise is set for Nov 3rd from Costa Rica but scuttlebutt has it they still don't have clearances to leave port. We are still going to fly to Grenada in November but we have found and made other arrangements while there.
I don't think we will ever see a refund from Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. As for the cruise trip insurance that we purchased through Windjammer Barefoot Cruises does not cover us if the cruise line goes out of business.
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises Ltd is still taking bookings and processing credit cards through PayPal, not letting buyers know that their ships have all been arrested and cannot leave the ports they are in until they pay their debts.
(Please read the attached comment regarding trip insurance.)
3 comments:
There are alternatives to Windjammer Barefoot for sailing ship fans. And you can buy travel insurance that will protect you in the event of financial default of a travel provider.
Two small sailing ship alternatives that come to mind are Caledonia, a new Canadian ship sailing from Guadeloupe this winter, and Arabella sailing from the Virgin Islands. Royal Clipper sails from Barbados.
Because Star Clippers has repositioned their ship Star Clipper to Thailand for the winter, instead of the Caribbean as in the past, cabins on Royal Clipper are booking very rapidly.
Here are links to these ships:
Caledonia: http://tinyurl.com/4awyw
Arabella: http://tinyurl.com/bfm2z
Royal Clipper: http://tinyurl.com/3pkxv
Regarding travel insurance, if you want protection for financial default of a travel provider (cruise line, airline, hotel, etc.), it's a bad idea to buy the insurance from the travel provider. Most travel agencies offer policies direct from travel insurance companies, such as Travel Guard International, which do provide default protection.
Fair Winds,
Dexter Donham
ddonham@sailingshipadventures.com
The Nov 3rd cruise along with the Nov 10th, Nov 17th, Nov 23rd, and Dec 3rd cruises have also been canceled.
It was announced by Joey Burkes on Thanksgiving Day that the Dec 8th cruise is canceled because most of the crew has abandoned ship. I too don't think I wouls stick around after not being paid for over 3 months and not knowing if I would ever see another pay check from Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, Ltd.
Cap'n Kenny
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