IN THIS CASE
- Douglas Berry books a Princess cruise and insurance online.
- The cruise line cancels his sailing and charges a $3,718 fee.
- The problem appeared to be a credit card glitch — and one you can easily avoid.
Douglas Berry books a Princess cruise online and pays for the fare and travel insurance with his credit card. But then Princess cancels his cruise — and then charges him a $3,718 cancellation fee. Can it do that?
Question
I booked an 11-day coastal cruise on the Majestic Princess from Seattle to San Diego. I made the reservation online and gave Princess my credit card information for the fare and travel insurance.
Princess confirmed my booking, charging my card for the fare but not the insurance. The next day, I received a “shortfall notice” that the travel insurance charge must be paid by the end of the day. Since it was 10 p.m., I called the provided number, but only reached voicemail with no option to leave a message.
At 12:24 a.m. the next morning, I received a “cancellation notification.” When I called Princess, a representative said the reservation was canceled and couldn’t be reinstated. Princess also charged me a $3,718 cancellation fee.
I disputed the fare charge with my credit card company, but Princess contested the chargeback. Can you help me get this fee removed? — Douglas Berry, Sumner, Wash.
Answer
Princess Cruise Lines shouldn’t have canceled your reservation and charged you a cancellation fee. I think you did everything right by providing your credit card information for both the fare and the insurance. It seems their system failed to process the insurance payment. That’s not your fault.
Have you ever had a cruise line cancel your booking at the last minute and still charged you a hefty fee?
Were you able to escalate the dispute to a supervisor or executive and secure a refund?
We want to hear your experience. How did you get the charges reversed?
You followed the instructions in the shortfall notice but were unable to reach anyone because the cruise line’s office was closed. It’s unacceptable for the cruise line to cancel your reservation just a few hours later, without giving you the chance to rectify the situation.
When you disputed the charge with your credit card company, Princess unfairly contested the reversal, claiming you had canceled the reservation. How absurd.
Read more insightful reader feedback. See all comments.
What went wrong? It looks like Princess was trying to process your card but couldn’t. Credit cards use sophisticated but fallible fraud detection algorithms to pick up any problematic charges. It’s possible that your credit card allowed the first Princess charge but blocked the second one, believing it was fraudulent. You can ensure that doesn’t happen by calling your bank to let them know that you’re about to make a big purchase that could potentially get flagged. (Here’s our best guide to resolving your consumer problem.)
Screenshot and save any shortfall notices with timestamps. If you can’t reach the cruise line by phone after hours, email their support address with that evidence and alert your bank’s dispute department immediately to prevent wrongful cancellation fees.
You could have appealed to a manager at Princess. I have a list of contacts for Princess Cruise Lines executives on this site.
I contacted Princess Cruises on your behalf and it agreed to waive the cancellation fees and refund your money.
So what happened? Although the cruise line wouldn’t tell me, you heard from a representative who offered you a few details. “When they finally looked at what happened with our reservation, it was obvious the problem was their automated reservation system,” you told me.
It’s a shame that it took my intervention to get Princess Cruises to do the right thing. If this ever happens to you, don’t accept a cancellation fee. Escalate your case to a supervisor or executive and stay with it until they return your money.
How to dispute a wrongful cruise cancellation fee
- Gather all correspondence and notices — Save shortfall notices, emails, and timestamps. Clear records bolster your case.
- Notify the cruise line in writing — Send an email to their customer service address immediately after receiving the shortfall notice. Written requests create a paper trail.
- Contact your credit card issuer — File a dispute with your bank as soon as you see an unauthorized fee. Provide copies of your documentation.
- Escalate to management or executives — If frontline staff won’t help, reach out via email to a supervisor or executive. Persistence often yields better results.
- Seek consumer advocacy support — If the cruise line still refuses, contact Elliott Advocacy or a similar nonprofit to intervene on your behalf.
FAQs
- Can the cruise line charge a cancellation fee if their system failed? — No. If the fault lies with the cruise line’s automated payment process, you can dispute the fee as unjustified.
- What documentation should I provide? — Provide shortfall notices, confirmation emails, timestamps, and any call logs or voicemail screenshots to support your case.
- How long do I have to dispute with my credit card issuer? — Most issuers allow disputes within 60 to 120 days of the transaction. Check your card’s terms and act promptly.
- Will escalating to an executive really help? — Yes. Frontline agents often lack authority; a polite but persistent appeal to a supervisor or executive can secure a refund.
- Can I involve a consumer advocacy group? — Absolutely. Groups like Elliott Advocacy can intervene on your behalf when the cruise line refuses to cooperate.
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