Please help the passengers of the CruiseBuilder “Cruise Thru History with Glenn Beck.”
On May 10, 2019 we made reservations through CruiseBuilder aka VactionBuilder in association with Costa Cruise Lines aka Costa Crocierce Group for the “Cruise Thru History” chartered by Glenn Beck. This 14-day custom excursion was to begin on March 24 in Venice, Italy. We would be visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia; Haifa, Israel; Athens, Greece; Corfu, Greece; and end our trip in Milan, Italy. We purchased the “Inner Circle” package with all the excursions, dinners with hosts, Glenn Beck and Bill O’Rilley, etc. After upgrading our flights to Business Class, we have paid CruiseBuilder $27,390 between May and November of 2019.
Our trip was postponed due to Covid-19 on March 6, 2020. In July 2020 we received an email that we had new dates and would sail from May 18-29, 2021. On March 23, 2021 we received an email stating that once again it postponed until October 25, 2021. And finally, on September 21, 2021 we were informed that our custom excursion had been completely cancelled.
This email also has given us two alternative options to select from:
Option 1: Travel Credits equal to the amount we paid for the “Cruise Thru History with Glenn Beck” for any vacation package through CruiseBuilder or its parent company, VacationBuilder valid until November 30, 2023.
Option 2: An Alternative Trip Focused on Historical and Religious Sites at a to-be-determined date in late 2022 or 2023 with one or more well-known intellectual leaders who are also to-be-determined.
CruiseBuilder also made the following statement:
“Please respond within 30 days to this notice by selecting one of the two options above. Also, if you do not select either option within 30 days, we cannot guarantee that these offers will continue to be available.”
1. With these options, neither of them will provide us with the customized experience that we have paid for.
2. We are not interested in visiting any of the lesser pre-packaged trips they are offering.
3. The historical/religious cruise is a mystery cruise where we don’t even know where we are going or what experiences we will be given or who the “intellectual leaders” will be.
4. From the date the custom excursion was announced, May 10, 2019, until the day it had to be paid in full, November 25, 2019, was 199 days. The custom excursion had to be paid in full 120 days prior to departure.
5. CruiseBuilder has had the entire $27,390 for 666 days and now within 30 days they expect us to choose between lesser standard cruise packages and/or an unknown historical/religious cruise as compensation.
What we have invested in this trip of a lifetime is no small amount of money and was not one of their pre-packaged standard cruises like the ones they are suggesting we be compensated with. CruiseBuilder aka VacationBuilder have held our money, refusing to refund it, for 2+ years now.
I am sure that they are completely aware of the upcoming proposal the FMC (Federal Maritime Commission) is looking to vote on after October 25, 2021. Hence the reason for giving us only 30 days to choose one of their options. They want to ensure that our situation will not fall under the new proposal.
What I am proposing at this time is that this rule be mandated for all cruises that were cancelled due to Covid-19 to protect investments like ours. Or at the very least, put a stop mandate on CruiseBuilder for pressuring us to choose an option in 30 days until the voting has taken place for the new rule.
Send your comments and stories to secretary@ fmc.gov. Public comments on this new proposal can viewed here.
On May 10, 2019 we made reservations through CruiseBuilder aka VactionBuilder in association with Costa Cruise Lines aka Costa Crocierce Group for the “Cruise Thru History” chartered by Glenn Beck. This 14-day custom excursion was to begin on March 24 in Venice, Italy. We would be visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia; Haifa, Israel; Athens, Greece; Corfu, Greece; and end our trip in Milan, Italy. We purchased the “Inner Circle” package with all the excursions, dinners with hosts, Glenn Beck and Bill O’Rilley, etc. After upgrading our flights to Business Class, we have paid CruiseBuilder $27,390 between May and November of 2019.
Our trip was postponed due to Covid-19 on March 6, 2020. In July 2020 we received an email that we had new dates and would sail from May 18-29, 2021. On March 23, 2021 we received an email stating that once again it postponed until October 25, 2021. And finally, on September 21, 2021 we were informed that our custom excursion had been completely cancelled.
This email also has given us two alternative options to select from:
Option 1: Travel Credits equal to the amount we paid for the “Cruise Thru History with Glenn Beck” for any vacation package through CruiseBuilder or its parent company, VacationBuilder valid until November 30, 2023.
Option 2: An Alternative Trip Focused on Historical and Religious Sites at a to-be-determined date in late 2022 or 2023 with one or more well-known intellectual leaders who are also to-be-determined.
CruiseBuilder also made the following statement:
“Please respond within 30 days to this notice by selecting one of the two options above. Also, if you do not select either option within 30 days, we cannot guarantee that these offers will continue to be available.”
1. With these options, neither of them will provide us with the customized experience that we have paid for.
2. We are not interested in visiting any of the lesser pre-packaged trips they are offering.
3. The historical/religious cruise is a mystery cruise where we don’t even know where we are going or what experiences we will be given or who the “intellectual leaders” will be.
4. From the date the custom excursion was announced, May 10, 2019, until the day it had to be paid in full, November 25, 2019, was 199 days. The custom excursion had to be paid in full 120 days prior to departure.
5. CruiseBuilder has had the entire $27,390 for 666 days and now within 30 days they expect us to choose between lesser standard cruise packages and/or an unknown historical/religious cruise as compensation.
What we have invested in this trip of a lifetime is no small amount of money and was not one of their pre-packaged standard cruises like the ones they are suggesting we be compensated with. CruiseBuilder aka VacationBuilder have held our money, refusing to refund it, for 2+ years now.
I am sure that they are completely aware of the upcoming proposal the FMC (Federal Maritime Commission) is looking to vote on after October 25, 2021. Hence the reason for giving us only 30 days to choose one of their options. They want to ensure that our situation will not fall under the new proposal.
What I am proposing at this time is that this rule be mandated for all cruises that were cancelled due to Covid-19 to protect investments like ours. Or at the very least, put a stop mandate on CruiseBuilder for pressuring us to choose an option in 30 days until the voting has taken place for the new rule.
Send your comments and stories to secretary@ fmc.gov. Public comments on this new proposal can viewed here.