Thread: Splendor - All Cruises Cancelled Till January 16, 2011

This just in from Carnival concerning the Splendor;

IMPORTANT CANCELLATION NOTICE


CARNIVAL SPLENDOR


11/21/2010, 11/28/2010, 12/05/2010, 12/12/2010,


12/19/2010, 12/26/2010, 01/02/2011, 01/09/2011






November 16, 2010

Dear Travel Partner:


Last week, the Carnival Splendor experienced a fire in the engine room. The fire was extinguished and thankfully there were no injuries to guests or crew. The ship was then towed to San Diego and a team of technicians, as well as authorities, are currently on board investigating the cause of the fire and assessing necessary repairs.

To allow time for repairs following the fire, we are sorry to say that we must cancel the above listed voyages of the Carnival Splendor. We realize how much your clients were looking forward to sailing with us and we sincerely apologize for this disruption to their vacation plans.

We recognize that vacations are important and our team is standing by to help you find another Carnival cruise that works with their schedule.

Here are three options for your clients:

• Reschedule immediately on another voyage – we have a wide variety of options for them. Since we are expecting a high call volume due to these changes, for your convenience, you can rebook your clients’ cruise on GoCCL.com. Then, please send us the new booking information by accessing the link below.

• Have us hold their payment for any future Carnival cruise departing within 24 months.

• Receive a full refund, inclusive of Carnival’s air supplement, optional land packages, Vacation Protection Plan and government fees and taxes. No further action on your part is necessary, as refunds will be automatically processed within ten business days.

In addition to whichever option above they select, we will provide your client with a 25% discount on any 2-9 day future Carnival cruise. This discount is only restricted on chartered sailings and the offer is combinable with most fares. Additionally, our offer is non-transferable and applied to the cruise fare only, after they’ve paid the deposit. They’ll need to sail within 24 months of their original sail date.

After you have rebooked their cruise, please provide us with the new booking information so we can process your clients’ discount.

If your clients purchased independent air transportation and need to make changes to accommodate a new departure, we will reimburse up to $200 per person (via a refundable on board credit) for airline change fees provided valid documentation is provided. If they purchased non-refundable independent air and are unable to reschedule their cruise, please have them send proof from their airline carrier that they are unable to use their ticket (include ticket number) to our Guest Admin Department, so that we may refund the cost of their ticket.

Please note your commission will be protected for these cruises. Our Guest Services Department is available for assistance should you have any questions.

Again, we apologize for the cancellation of their cruise. We would love the opportunity to welcome your clients on another Carnival ship.

Sincerely,
Vicky Rey, CTC Vice President - Guest Services

This is the announcement on the Carnival web site:

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TO BE OUT OF SERVICE UNTIL JANUARY 16, 2011, FOR REPAIRS
Miami - November 16, 2010 – 11am
Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled voyages of the Carnival Splendor through the departure of January 9, 2011, to allow time for repairs following an engine room fire last week. The ship is scheduled to re-enter service on January 16, 2011.

Guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

Carnival Splendor was towed to San Diego following the fire which occurred off the Mexican coast on November 8. A team from the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB and flag authorities, along with Carnival's engineers and technicians, is currently on board investigating the cause of the fire. Carnival personnel are being assisted by representatives of the shipyard that built the vessel and other manufacturers of engine room components in assessing damage and necessary repairs.

"We realize how much guests look forward to their vacations and know that they are very disappointed by this news. We too are disheartened that we are not able to fulfill the dreams of those who have entrusted us with their important vacation plans. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was scheduled to sail on these cancelled voyages and look forward to welcoming them aboard in the future. Now that we have a full technical team engaged in the assessment, we wanted to provide this information as quickly as possible," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Carnival is contacting travel agents and guests on the affected sailings and providing assistance in finding alternate cruises. Travel agent commissions on the cancelled sailings will be protected.

I'm not at all surprised by this decision.

I really feel so sad for all those people who have had their cruise plans ruined.