Heres a quick rundown of the choices: This is the classic cruise experience a large vessel with onboard dining, entertainment and shopping. 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. Established in 1958. Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. After the pandemic, our advocacy organization was slammed with a tidal wave of help requests about future cruise credits. One Company Refused to Refund Travelers More Than $100,000, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/travel/coronavirus-refunds-overseas-adventure-travel.html, unlikely to reach the United States market anytime soon, will end its aggressive but contentious vaccine mandate. Trips are mostly all-inclusive, focusing on comfortable accommodations, informative and easy paced guided walking tours, cultural encounters, learning experiences, and special events that they call their Discovery Series. Kiddos to the bus drive for being SO informative!! Plenty of free time is included in the itineraries, and there is a lot of choice among optional tours. Not so long ago, you had to pick up a phone and call your local travel agent to book a cruise. How much of a cut does the cruise line take? Exploring the Basics, Benefits, and Policies, How to Contact Tesla: Customer Service Phone Number, Website, Social Media, Email & Live Chat, Bruce Willis Health Condition: Understanding the Actors Diet and Exercise Regimen, Exploring the Impact of Greg Gutfelds Vacation from Fox News. Grand Circle Travel 347 Congress Street, Boston, MA 2.0/5 (128 ratings) Are you this business? If you have a consumer problem,please contact our team at Elliott Advocacy through this form. Grand Circle Foundation Giving back to the world we travel Upload Your Photos, Videos & Slideshows Share your trips with fellow travelers Special Offers The Seine: Paris to Normandy Average Group Size: 38-45 Travelers Traveler Reviews (611) 84% Traveler Excellence Rating Surely taking temperatures and separating tables would have helped tremendously. The company has seen increased costs due to safety protocols and additional staffing needed to ensure the health and safety of their guests. Sears couldnt deliver my appliances. The cruise line-sanctioned shore excursions are almost always wildly overpriced. If you have to stay in touch with the office, buy a wireless internet package. You might find yourself sharing dinner at the home of a local family or visiting local schools. In 1993, A Comprehensive Guide, Is Hiring a Travel Agent Worth It? We got an inc Have taken 12 trips overseas with this company and each one has been wonderful. The rating was due in part to a series of customer complaints about They also foster a community of dedicated travelers, encouraging you to share your memories, images, and stories with them and the friends you meet along the way. Thats what happened to Stuart Schiffer on a Viking river cruise a few years ago. Help! Our award-winning daily newsletters keep you posted on our random acts of consumer advocacy. The company has been providing travelers with high-quality tours around the world since 1998. How are they allowed to keep my money? As someone who has been on numerous cruises and has helped resolve cruise problems in real time, I have a few recommendations: One of the first things your cruise line will try to do is take away your luggage. Can I get a refund for my Marriott Vacation Club Points? Service, when it does come, can be slow and impersonal. Younger couples or families will probably feel out of place among the crowd on a Grand Circle tour. Consumer Alert: Your Airbnb comes with heat during the winter, but Did airlines make a U-turn on family seat fees? Roz. Onboard doctors dont have the equipment or facilities to handle a serious illness. In theory, a host agency is not liable to clients of a sub-IC for their acts or omissions. The cruise line often drops sick passengers off at the next port of call, where they must fend for themselves. When the level of quality required is in question, we will operate to the high standards expected by our customers. This PayPal invoice scam almost got me. He provided us with so much information. To get a job at Grand Circle Travel, browse currently open positions and apply for a job near you. Grand Circle Travel (GCT) seems to play a few nasty games, and cheating its customers!!! Grand Circle's cancellation, refund and exchange policies as well If you think youll have less, get it renewed before your cruise. Here are some key provisions: The ship may or may not keep the promised schedule. In response, Grand A porter will deliver it to your room. After a series of high-profile customer service incidents in 2012 and 2013, the cruise industry adopted a voluntary bill of rights for its passengers, to clearly communicate to them their rights regarding comfort and care in a number of important areas. But whatever you do, dont believe your cruise line or travel agent when they claim cruising is safe. Theres no form of travel thats safe right now. Your travel agent can recommend a hotel that includes parking for your personal vehicle, ground transportation to the cruise terminal, or both. California, with some of the strongest consumer protections in the country, requires cash refunds for undelivered services within 30 days from whichever date is earliest: the scheduled departure date, the date the refund is requested or the date the service was canceled by the travel company. Your stateroom is a place to sleep. 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? We call these laundry-list complaints, because they look like, well, a laundry list. Join us on Thursday, June 3, 2021 from 4-6PM at our corporate headquarters located at 347 Congress Street in Boston and see if we can change yours, Happy Monday! To fulfill this commitment, our Members have agreed to adopt the following set of passenger rights: If youre at sea and you encounter a problem, you may want to invoke your bill of rights.. 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. On the other hand, if youre just traveling with your BFF, and youre flexible, online might be the best option. To determine if my hunch was correct, I reached out to O.A.T. Sharing Your Travel Videos, Slideshows & Photos. Its Grand Circle Travel division offers all-inclusive package tours at a leisurely pace while its Overseas Adventure subsidiary organizes small groups for land, canal barge, and small ship journeys of the more. When you try to contact someone by phone. Asked for refund and got a credit instead. Pictures of the kids by the pro photographers? If you leave the country, you must have a passport. The Lewises expanded Passengers who tested positive or were exposed to someone who tested positive risked being confined to their cabins. Lewises, the company has grown from $27 million in sales and 5,000 Windstars 2023/24 Middle East program kicks off in November. Everything from non-refundable airfares to auto. Tip: Avoid a cabin near an elevator or nightclub. Grand Circle Travel is currently facing a difficult financial situation due to decreased demand for its services, increased costs, and decreased revenue. I called, sent letters, asking for a refund. Its extra. Grand Circle Travel/Overseas Adventure Travel only offered a $250 credit per person to be applied to a future trip, and the option of booking another trip altogether. They have provided great service in the past, but this tour was bad. $7000 in their pocket. They sent me an unitemized bill for $650 for a trip I'd been notified had been completely paid for. About Grand Circle Corporation Additionally, Grand Circle Travel may be forced to close some of its offices and cut back on its operations. We plan to go to Iceland. You might find yourself sharing dinner at the home of a local family or visiting local schools. Empowering Lives with Nutritious and Delicious NDIS Meals! undisclosed amount. Travel Protection. The right to lodging if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an unscheduled port are required when a cruise is terminated early due to mechanical failures. Sometimes it can feel like college at times. There was a stop at the Hoover Dam to view the dam. Cruise lines add tips of up to 20 percent to your spa or bar bill. Is Grand Circle Travel in Financial Trouble? Want a welcome drink? Todays travel websites try to combine the best aspects of a full-service agency with the conveniences of modern technology. Crypto Wallet Development: Types, Features, and Popularity, 5 Ways AI is Detecting and Preventing Identity Fraud. Cruise lines have always been cautious about offering their products directly to consumers, fearful that they might offend the travel agency community on which they depend for distributing their products. And this information was only transmitted because I raised the subject. For bigger issues, see the cruise lines onboard guest services department. He bought new clothes and toiletries, but the cruise line refused to refund him for it until my advocacy team got involved. Its not just one problem, but many. Heres what happened: Many cruise lines offered either a refund or a 125 percent cruise credit when COVID-19 hit. No answer to emails or snail mail. If the agency is a member of a larger group, like AAA, youll get deals no one else has, and they may be unbeatable. If you test positive, cruise lines will confine you to quarters or to a special section on the cruise ship for infected passengers, usually for the duration of the voyage. When something goes wrong, someone should always be there for you. 1. Agents are not free. 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. But then the cruise lines canceled their rebooked cruises. Cruise lines claim a vacation at sea is safer than any land-based vacation. Once you disembark, the cruise line keeps the money. We have just returned from our 6th, and probably last, Grand Circle tour. Why Choose a Tour with Grand Circle Travel? Thats because you are a number. please contact our team at Elliott Advocacy through this form. Where is it? All of these factors have led to a difficult financial situation for Grand Circle Travel. private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners for an One thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, a passenger is standing at the dock with the ship steaming off into the distance. You can request a roommate if you travel solo to save on the s We had a great tour guide in Ivan, was very knowledgable, friendly and very considerate of peoples concerns. Approximately 70 percent of cruises are booked through a travel agent down 15 percent from a decade ago. But not for cruises. Why? Two days before departure, it was a call from the Program Director in Romania who informed me that masks were no longer required. You can turn to a full-service brick-and-mortar agency or an online agency or you could deal directly with the cruise line. fleet of more than 50 ships. Unsubscribe at any time. The porters removed his bag and he never saw it again. The bus driver, Wayne, could not have been any better! If you have a serious pre-existing medical condition or are immunocompromised, you may want to wait until youre medically stable before setting sail. And cruise lines dont like to do that. Always check before booking.). Quality can be subjective, and in our business quality often involves a compromise between speed and perfection. Recently cruised with GCT and they failed to comply with their stated regulations regarding Covid protocols. But Massachusetts happens to be one of only a handful of states with specific laws that guarantee consumers protection against travel sellers, including requiring that tour operators offer the option of cash refunds (in addition to vouchers or credits for rebooking) when they fail to provide agreed-upon, paid-for services. Required fields are marked *. Payments. Get guided help to find the right trip for you, Travel tips, stories, top 10 lists and more, Get yours before you leave, easier, cheaper. Watch for food-borne illnesses. Online agencies are a volume business, so if you like to feel special and appreciated, you might want to book elsewhere. Our family of travel companieswhich you can read more about below . Do you have knowledge or insights to share? Youll need to consider all of these dangers before you plan your cruise. And if I decided to go, whats the best way to book my vacation? <br>Expertise in leadership coaching and mentoring, training and development, financial management in a constantly changing environment, public speaking and total guest . You can also book the cruise whenever you want to. Its been eight months. This company policy was the reason I booked with them in the first place, because, as we all know, vaccinations may keep one out of the hospital but does NOT keep one from contracting COVID. The Tour guide read from a book, did little guiding on site and was mainly interested in getting us back on the bus. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME INFO ABOUT THIS COMPANY TREATING HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYEES , AS I WITNESSED, Your email address will not be published. The worst fee Ive seen is for the end cut of a roast served at dinner. Supervisors and managers want everyone to succeed. (Its all taken care of.) Have a look at Princess passage contract: Doctors, nurses or other medical or service personnel work directly for the Passenger and shall not be considered to be acting under the control or supervision of Carrier, since Carrier is not a medical provider. In other words, when a doctors negligence leads to the death of a family member, the cruise line is off the hook. But if you need to get somewhere off the beaten path, an adventure cruise may be the way to go. 2 hour wait for phone contact. About Grand Circle Corporation Grand Circle Corporation is a global enterprise committed to changing people's lives through international travel. They tied up over $10,000 of our money on a trip they canceled because the cruise line they offered us had Russian links. FAQ. There have been some reports that the company is in financial trouble, and may be shutting down soon . Try to call this phone number 1-800-221-0814/1-877-220-2610, holding for 2 hours cannot get a connection, if The Cruise Company cancel the trip they should automatically refund your money, finally I have through the credit card company to dispute payment. Consumer Alert: No more automatic refunds for skipped ports? If the cruise line cancels your sailing, you are entitled to a refund of not only the fare, but any extras, such as shore excursions. For the flexibility and comfort aspects, combined with unique experiences at every turn. They do plenty of one on ones. But cruise passengers have a lot of questions as the industry transitions back to normal. Additionally, Grand Circle Travel can look into ways to reduce overhead expenses, such as cutting down on staff or renegotiating contracts with vendors. Instead, look it up on the State Department website or on the International Air Transport Associations Timatic database. A human travel agent who can take the time to sit down with you and talk about your cruise options is a tried-and-true way to buy a cruise. They dont have any way to contact them. This is the Grand Circle Travel company profile. Will this be the busiest spring break ever? A free inside look at Grand Circle Travel salary trends based on 462 salaries wages for 222 jobs at Grand Circle Travel. Support. Grand Circle Corp. is being sold to New York Knowledge of ships (either first-hand or from extensive training) to know which staterooms are the best value, which ones offer the smoothest ride, and which cruise lines best fit your needs. The cabin is for sleeping. As Preferred Sir Edmund Hillary Club / Inner Circle Customers, having made five previous trips with this company (customer number 962737), we pre-reserved our trip for mid-April 2021, and paid in full before the end of February 2020, over a year in advance. All Rights Reserved. Our family of travel companieswhich you can read more about belowoffers a variety of innovative trips to more than 60 countries. Check out our directory. Our values shape our decisions, give direction to our growth, and allow us to measure our progress. Yes, my wife and I had to leave mid-way through the cruise and were quarantined for 8 days at a hotel. Circle Corp. ran into some challenges last year after the Better Even though this place offers a month-long training class, I think it would be best if newer agents get taught more basics before they are put on the floor to deal with customers. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Grand Circle Travel. You must be very efficient at email with On Call. Terms indicate if they cancel you get a refund. Our help is free. If my cruise is canceled, am I entitled to a refund? Working at Grand Circle Travel has to be one of the best jobs I've worked at. If youd rather have a bit more action, or are after a "see a lot, do a lot" city and country hopping pace, this style of travel is probably not going to hit the right note for you. There are many other health perils at sea. It is important to consider the potential implications of Grand Circle Travels financial struggles. The small-group and cruising company has been recognized nationally. There are new cruise lines, new ships, and new routes this year. Grandparents & grandchildren (ages 13 and up are welcome to join). All Rights Reserved. I respected allan lewis and spoke highly of him till i saw that he is not a man of his word and terminated loyal people and hire stupid ones he fooled us and i think this company is toxic ,he knew about sexual harassment for women and didn't do anything about itRead More. Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers. Unbeknown to me, the stated policy had changed: O.A.T. Most cruise lines have stopped screening their passengers for COVID. (Annual sales and employees) What industry is the company in? Circle in 1985, will retain a 30% stake in the direct-market tour But there are risks now, and perhaps more risks than ever. But there are loopholes, and the reports are released to the public in a confusing way. Some oceangoing vessels are smaller and more specialized. The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act requires cruise lines to report criminal activity to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But which one is right for you? Then our columnist intervened with the Boston-based tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel. It isnt that these items arent fun to have while youre on a cruise, but that in many cases, theyre ridiculously overpriced. Bad service. Since 1958, Grand Circle has been the leader in international discovery for mature American travelers. Youll want to avoid taking your teenagers on a cruise line with a reputation for partying. spokeswoman said the company is working to improve our processes and to better address the needs of each traveler whose trip was canceled or postponed due to the pandemic. Why is it taking so long to get a cruise refund? By streamlining processes, such as booking and customer service, Grand Circle Travel can reduce costs and increase profitability. You are on hold for 2-3 hours. Most trips with Grand Circle are, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. Grand Circle CEO Alan But as you can see from the above numbers reported to the government, their record gets progressively worse each year. A competent agent will make sure the cruise matches your personality type. Passengers sometimes arrive at the cruise terminal with the wrong visa or an expired passport. Without adequate funding, the company may be unable to invest in new technologies or hire the best talent to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. Soon we discovered they had changed our cabin without notifying us and that one of the flights had disappeared . Do Not Sell My Personal Information -, Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. as its customer service. Youre out of luck. has refunded more than 5,000 travelers amounting to more than $12 million. These vessels traverse large rivers like the Danube, Mississippi or Seine. What's going on? Here are some of the risks. Ill make it simple. That can get a little noisy. This is definitely a travel experience well suited to older American travelers in the 60+ range, seeking a degree of comfort, in their travel experience, within a mid to high budget range. Its their terms. In early 2022, the Federal Maritime Commission fixed that loophole. Why? Get travel insurance. contact reporter Michelle Baran, send e-mail to mbaran@travelweekly.com. #traveljobs #peru #excellenceaward. You could pay tens of thousands of dollars to a cruise line. It appears that the main cause of Grand Circle Travel's financial issues is attributed to a decrease in demand for the company's services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vessel Sanitation Reports issued by the CDC only reflect a fraction of the illnesses on board. Do they distribute it among the staff? Overseas Adventure Travel/Grand Circle Travel used to be a good company, but they got too large. Quality: Our decisions must be made and actions taken in accordance with high standards of quality and service. Here is a photo of them enjoying the breathtaking view of Machu Picchu. The activities, lectures, and easy pace are all designed for older travelers. Youll probably get the deepest discounts, and in some cases, a price protection that assures you that if the fare drops, youll get a refund. Well start sending you the news you need delivered straight to you. When will cruising feel safe again to you? Nevertheless, Grand Grand Circle Travel was started by the founder of AARP, and as such know their demographic extremely well. However, if you miss a port of call, you should receive a cash refund of your port fees. That doesn't make sense since using them all would have limited the number of passengers occupying them, thus limiting exposure. Grand Circle Travel was started by the founder of AARP, and as such know their demographic extremely well. Book directly with the operator. Temperatures of travelers were NEVER taken on the cruise, and, although ship was approximately 1/2 full, only approximately 1/2 of the tables were being utilized. trips and has been pressuring the company to comply with the states travel-seller laws. Were always here to help. I read that the company is being sold to some type of Holding Company--that may explain it. I booked a river cruise with GCT because their COVID protocols were strong on paper. Can a vacation rental host cancel my stay and keep my money? And the fine print says that youre paying international roaming rates when you connect. To COVID and norovirus outbreaks are common on cruise ships. Alternatively, you could have filed a case in small claims court, although you would have had to limit your . UNACCEPTABLE!! I purchased my own flights. She lost her engagement ring in a rental car. Revenue: $500 million to $1 billion (USD) Competitors: Unknown. Excellent service on ship, considerate of their clients, wonderful discovery trips.