If you've been tempted by the billboards along I-95 promising great rates on Imperial Majesty's two-night cruises, you may want to know that its ship is in Galveston and the cruises are on hold at least until January.
This report comes from assistant travel editor Marjie Lambert, who booked a cruise slated to leave this weekend:
I booked the two-night cruise on Sept. 19, sailing Oct. 11 from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, and received my confirmation by e-mail a short time later.
Tuesday night I went to the Imperial Cruise website to check some details about the ship. That’s the first time I learned that the cruise had been cancelled.
"The Regal Empress Is On Loan To Help With Relief Efforts In The Texas Gulf Communities. No Sailings Will Take Place Until Further Notice," the website said. I did a little research and learned that the ship is in Galveston, Texas, housing relief workers.
When I phoned the cruise line Wednesday morning, an agent checked my reservation number and said they had tried to call me unsuccessfully when the cruise was cancelled Sept. 25. Turns out they had transposed two digits in my phone number. The line had also sent an e-mail to the same address it had sent my confirmation, she said; it never arrived. Monday, since they had not heard from me, their records show, they sent me a letter through the Postal Service.
The agent offered me two options: a full refund, or a credit for another cruise - same rate, same class of cabin - after the ship returns early in 2009, plus a second cruise, free, except for government fees and taxes. Since I’d gotten a sale price that might not be available later, I opted for the credit. (The sale price was $200 for a two-person room plus $59 a person in fees and taxes, compared to their posted rate of $448 plus fees for an outside cabin.)
UPDATE: When the written confirmation I received from Imperial Majesty did not match what I had been told on the phone about how I could use my credit, I asked for further clarification and learned that my discounted rate was not locked in. So I asked for a refund instead.
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