I'd like to hear about the experiences and aftermath for those of us who have canceled upcoming dive trips to Coz (or other venues) due to Covid-19.
I'll share mine:
Original Trip was for April 18 - 28. 9 days of 2-tank morning diving and 10 nights at the hotel. (Blue Angel Hotel & Dive Op). I prepaid half when I made the reservation in January. I also paid for a R/T ticket with American Airlines.
On 3.21 I notified BA that I was not going to be able to make the trip due to the Covid-19 social distancing protocols and travel warnings. They immediately offered to refund my deposit in full. No questions asked. No haggling. I found this to be very professional and customer service friendly! I am still planning to do this Coz trip with BA, hopefully at a future time in 2020. I told BA to retain my deposit for a yet to be determined future trip. I figured I would not get a refund on the 3% Paypal fees regardless and I would have to pay the fee again if I rebooked at a later date. BA was very appreciative of my decision and I think that it may help them with operational costs during the crisis.
I have not contacted AA about the air travel. I did get an email from AA yesterday (4.1) advising me that "you can cancel your trip online and call later when you're ready to rebook." All change fees will be waived too. That works for me.
So all in all, I am OK with the trip postponement. I am hopeful that life will get back to normal sometime in 2020. I know my little trip to Coz is insignificant and meaningless to those who have been impacted by this crisis directly or indirectly. When I look at it globally, it would be selfish to whine about it and fret over a refund or cancellation fee.
From what I am seeing/reading, just about everyone else has had a similar trip cancellation experience.
I'll share mine:
Original Trip was for April 18 - 28. 9 days of 2-tank morning diving and 10 nights at the hotel. (Blue Angel Hotel & Dive Op). I prepaid half when I made the reservation in January. I also paid for a R/T ticket with American Airlines.
On 3.21 I notified BA that I was not going to be able to make the trip due to the Covid-19 social distancing protocols and travel warnings. They immediately offered to refund my deposit in full. No questions asked. No haggling. I found this to be very professional and customer service friendly! I am still planning to do this Coz trip with BA, hopefully at a future time in 2020. I told BA to retain my deposit for a yet to be determined future trip. I figured I would not get a refund on the 3% Paypal fees regardless and I would have to pay the fee again if I rebooked at a later date. BA was very appreciative of my decision and I think that it may help them with operational costs during the crisis.
I have not contacted AA about the air travel. I did get an email from AA yesterday (4.1) advising me that "you can cancel your trip online and call later when you're ready to rebook." All change fees will be waived too. That works for me.
So all in all, I am OK with the trip postponement. I am hopeful that life will get back to normal sometime in 2020. I know my little trip to Coz is insignificant and meaningless to those who have been impacted by this crisis directly or indirectly. When I look at it globally, it would be selfish to whine about it and fret over a refund or cancellation fee.
From what I am seeing/reading, just about everyone else has had a similar trip cancellation experience.