The right to have this Cruise Line Passenger Bill of Rights published on each lines website. Excellent service on ship, considerate of their clients, wonderful discovery trips. Soon we discovered they had changed our cabin without notifying us and that one of the flights had disappeared . I could not have asked for a better experience! Copyright 2022 Consumers Unified LLC. Grand Circle Travel offers distinctive international vacations for older Americans. And this information was only transmitted because I raised the subject. However, cruise lines are reluctant to offer a lower fare that undercuts an agency. Business Bureau had given the company an "unsatisfactory" rating. Working at Grand Circle Travel has to be one of the best jobs I've worked at. in 1997 they established Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises with a 1Is cruising safe?What kind of cruise should I take?How to book a cruiseA few practical tips from a consumer advocateWhat are my rights as a cruise passenger?Whats the international cruise line passenger bill of rights?If my cruise is canceled, am I entitled to a refund?Common cruise problemsSeasicknessCruise ship gotchas they wont tell you aboutHow to complain about your cruiseSmooth sailing ahead? Dont let this be you. operator. Furthermore, the companys reputation could be negatively impacted if customers do not feel confident in their ability to provide quality services. I feel like I was duped by a bait and switch and wonder how many others were caught in the same scheme. Tours & Operators on Travelstride Awarded and Featured by: 2023 Travelstride. They complained of being treated like second-class passengers. That's no excuse for not responding to paid customer's inquiries. A Comprehensive Guide, Is Hiring a Travel Agent Worth It? $7000 in their pocket. Hotels are comfortable and centrally located. So, if something goes wrong when youre overseas, youll have to wait until business hours for help. WE CAN DREAM ABOUT TRAVEL Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Compare your travel trivia knowledge with friends. Our values are the foundation upon which our company is built. The small-group and cruising company has been recognized nationally. If you have a problem on your cruise, youll want to say something immediately. Same thing goes for spa treatments, most shore excursions, and alcoholic beverages. Grand Circle Corporation provides 85+ international small group adventures by land and sea for Americans 50 and older. Other travelers looking for refunds may have a better chance if theyre dealing with companies headquartered within Hawaii, Washington state, Illinois or California. I feel I was defrauded and the company has been unethical in their dealings. Avoid like the plague! Dont expect extreme luxury or especially unique accommodations however. While they didnt answer my question directly, I was able to recoup more than $100,000, collectively, for you and 10 other readers. This is based on anonymous employee reviews submitted on Glassdoor. There are new cruise lines, new ships, and new routes this year. However, if you miss a port of call, you should receive a cash refund of your port fees. Candidates give an average difficulty score of 3.1 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) for their job interview at Grand Circle Travel. My wife and I would have been able to have a table to ourselves, not because we are anti-social, but because we would have been safer. Then our columnist intervened with the Boston-based tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel. Since 1958, Grand Circle has been the leader in international discovery for mature American travelers. He paid Vantage $18,536. Here are some of the risks. Always check before booking.). Discover the worldin comforton Viking ocean cruises to Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Asia, Australia, the Americas or around https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Grand-Circle-to-be-sold-to-private-equity-firm. No, no, no. They have changed our river cruise a couple of times. Travel agents can make 10 percent or more in commissions and overrides from your cruise. You can also book the cruise whenever you want to. Grand Circle Travel Worst of all, negotiating the removal of these charges is almost impossible after all the cruise line did tell you it cost $2 a minute to call home. Additionally, Grand Circle Travel can look into ways to reduce overhead expenses, such as cutting down on staff or renegotiating contracts with vendors. Your stateroom is a place to sleep. Manager in development of Restaurant, Restaurant & Bar operations with outstanding record and experience in top award winning companies, Apollo Group, Celebrity Cruises, Valamar Hotels & Resorts and Grand Circle Travel. During the pandemic, many cruise lines instituted strict quarantine procedures some would say, too strict. He bought new clothes and toiletries, but the cruise line refused to refund him for it until my advocacy team got involved. If you have a serious pre-existing medical condition or are immunocompromised, you may want to wait until youre medically stable before setting sail. The cruise line wont let them board the ship. Here are my strategies for advocating your case. As a thank you for being such outstanding employees, they were sent on a week long Recognition Journey Trip to Peru! O.A.T. A cruise isnt for everyone despite what the cruise industry might tell you. Some oceangoing vessels are smaller and more specialized. Plus, we have insightful letters, insider tips, and more. Unsubscribe at any time. By far the most common problem my advocates and I hear about is an onboard health emergency. How do I know I can trust these reviews about Grand Circle Travel? Grand Circle Corporation is a global enterprisecomprised of a family of travel companiescommitted to changing people's lives by offering high-impact experiences to our travelers and building local communities through philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism. Alan Lewis will remain on the board but will be replaced Heres what happened: Many cruise lines offered either a refund or a 125 percent cruise credit when COVID-19 hit. How do you buy a cruise, then? Industry: Travel Agencies. In 1993, Dont rely on your travel agent or cruise line for the correct information on your paperwork (they often get it wrong). The average employee at Grand Circle Travel makes $62,003 per year. And in many ports of call, the medical facilities are not up to Western standards, and the patient must pay in cash. They have a bad reputation and that reputation is very on point, To get a job at Grand Circle Travel, browse, Overall, 55% of employees would recommend, Get started with your Free Employer Profile, Work Here? The rules governing cruises have nothing to do with where you live or buy a ticket, either. . Youre out of luck. Most complaints fall into one of these categories: A missed port. I feel I am being held hostage by O.A.T. I am still pursuing my refund. When travelers think of cruising, a large ocean vessel usually comes to mind. Despite the customer Traveler Reviews. they acquired Cambridge, Mass.-based Overseas Adventure Travel and The most common ethnicity at Grand Circle Travel is White (70%). Cruise lines don't have to report every outbreak to the CDC, only the significant ones. In order to understand the current financial situation of Grand Circle Travel, it is important to first examine the causes behind the companys financial struggles. In addition to decreased demand, Grand Circle Travel has also had to face other financial challenges. But, if the extraordinary number of reader complaints I have received more than a dozen and counting are any indication, they have been doing so anyway. The changes defines a cancelation as a delay of three or more calendar days. View travel requirements for countries around the world. That's not entirely true. It isnt that these items arent fun to have while youre on a cruise, but that in many cases, theyre ridiculously overpriced. Additionally, Grand Circle Travel may be forced to close some of its offices and cut back on its operations. No answer to emails or snail mail. We have not had any reports of passengers with COVID being forcibly removed from a ship recently. Its a high-pressure sales pitch on the high seas. You can find a cheaper private tour through a company like Viator. Whats more, its not always entirely clear who gets the tip. Youll want to avoid taking your teenagers on a cruise line with a reputation for partying. Over the years they have established a solid reputation for tours and river cruises that offer good value to destinations around the world. Many of their phone agents are located in overseas call centers. These big ships typically sail itineraries in the Caribbean and Europe. Most medical care on cruise ships is adequate. Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations. Come on! Empowered teams are committed to taking the necessary actions to ensure that the team will reach its goals. When youre on vacation, its easy to let down your guard and fall for a sales pitch for an original sculpture, diamond ring or timeshare. Contact Us - 166,000 travelers in 2007. <br>Expertise in leadership coaching and mentoring, training and development, financial management in a constantly changing environment, public speaking and total guest . Unbeknown to me, the stated policy had changed: O.A.T. If, for example, youre taking your extended family on an anniversary cruise, youll probably want to find a cruise specialist with experience dealing with large groups. When flying on a commercial airline, booked through GCT, they negotiate a deal (to increase their. Thousands of itineraries from over 1,000 trusted travel companies. First and foremost, an ethical agent will make sure the cruise is the right one for you, but some agents, sadly, go straight for the highest commission. Because the porters dont always deliver the luggage to your room. These Britrail England Flexi Passes are taking forever to refund. So you couldnt review the quarantining protocols before making a booking decision and say, No, thats too much. The only way to avoid an unpleasant quarantine is to wait until the infection risk is low. If its a small shop, you may not have 24/7 support. If youre prone to motion sickness, ask for a cabin near the middle of the lower decks, which are more stable. In order to understand the current financial situation of Grand Circle Travel, it is important to first examine the causes behind the company's financial struggles. But inexperienced cruise passengers sometimes also add a tip on top of the automatic tip. Service, when it does come, can be slow and impersonal. Lunch in one of our specialty restaurants? Well start sending you the news you need delivered straight to you. I've tried to reach by each way listed without success. as its customer service. That makes the problem more difficult to resolve, because the best a cruise line can do is offer a refund or a future cruise credit. All answers shown come directly from Grand Circle Travel Reviews and are not edited or altered. A. T.: In a follow-up note a few weeks ago, you said that you feel the company provides a good travel service. But, you wrote, pushing all the risk of uncertainty onto the client by refusing a refund makes me fearful to ever do business with O.A.T. The right to transportation to the ships scheduled port of disembarkation, or the passengers home city, in the event a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures. The main thing I have to say to others is: There are many tour Companies out there, now is the time to dismiss GCT and try someone else. He was warm and concerned about the experience of the customers on the tour. Alternatively, you could have filed a case in small claims court, although you would have had to limit your .