Grand Circle Travel

I had to cancel my trip this October because of major health issues that developed after i booked the cruise. I cancelled on May 11, 2022.

I was told that I would receive my refund electronically within 45 days. At that time that seemed pretty outrageous that they could hang on to my money that long.

After over 100 days & numerous waiting on hold for hours I did receive the money however the amount is incorrect. It is several hundred dollars less.

Now I have to go on hold again! I have emailed them we will see if respond to that.

I was clever enough to call the new sales number one time that was answered after a few rings. Agent was very pleasant & told me he would call me back if we got cut off. We did & he did NOT! the refund did come a couple of weeks after this so maybe he did something about it.

Tried sales # today but long wait.

They probably have flagged my phone # or something...

I have a few friends who have enjoyed traveling with this company & sister company OAT however I am quite put off but this inability to answer their phones!

Also charges when changing tour due to Covid not honoring free air fares on original reservation. I will be telling my friends about these bad reviews on line & I will not be booking with them.

I booked a tour with Overseas Adventure Travel ( a subsidiary of Grand Circle) on April 8, 2021 to travel beginning October 14, 2022. A deposit of $350.00 was paid under the guise of "no risk travel".

On or about October 15, 2021 I called to cancel the trip due to a change in my health circumstances. I requested the return of my deposit, and was told that there were cancellation fees of $300.00. The person helping me was to call me back on the following Tuesday, October 19 to discuss options. He never called.

Due to my health and age (77) I don't forsee traveling in the future, and while the money is a relatively small amount it is the principle of the matter.

They advertise no risk, and yet he claimed the cancellation fees were in large print on the page. I was not able to find that statement.

I would like my deposit refunded in full.

Monetary loss is $350.00 USD.

With the growing international concern regarding the coronavirus, I am concerned about Grand Circle Travel's hesitancy to cancel upcoming trips which include the area of Italy which is the center of the disease. Both the State Department and CDC have elevated the travel warning to Italy to Level 3.

Yet, GCT hesitates in cancelling trips planned to that area in hopes that customers will simply accept vouchers rather than cash refunds which would be required by law and their own policy should they cancel the trip. I just sent the following letter to GCT to express my concern:

Good day. I am writing to express a concern that my wife and I have relative to Grand Circle Travel's delay in making decisions regarding scheduled trips which involve travel in the Lombardy region of Italy, which includes the city of Milan.

We are currently scheduled to fly into Milan On April 25 for a 15 day tour of the Alpine Villages of Europe. We are five time travelers with GCT and are members of your Inner Circle group.

We are also seniors who have experienced periodic respiratory and coronary difficulties.

On yesterday, I spoke with one of your travel counselors regarding any prospective decision to cancel the trip for which we are registered. The young lady with whom I spoke was emphatic that GCT is closely monitoring developing issues in the world. She pointed to the fact that the company has already cancelled all trips to China for 2020 and 2021. She assured me that the company will act in the best interests of prospective passengers.

She then explained in very specific detail what would occur should a cancellation become necessary. She explained that, since we purchased the "cancel for any reason" rider to our trip insurance, should we cancel prior to March 26, we would receive $2544 in cash and a $4725 voucher for future travel. She further explained that should we cancel after March 26, we would receive a $7270 voucher for future travel. Finally, she related that, should GCT cancel the trip, we would receive a full cash refund of $8068 including the cost of the travel insurance we purchased.

As you are almost certainly aware, both the United States State Department and the Center for Disease Control have elevated the travel warning for Italy to Level 3, urging all Americans to avoid non-essential travel to Italy.

Based on this issued warning, my question is "Why does GCT not cancel scheduled trips to Italy, especially those such as ours which routes air travel through Milan, the center of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy?" I fully realize that, by cancelling the trip, GCT will potentially suffer a significant economic loss. However, it occurs to me that a company which truly places its customers first would not delay making such a decision. We do not plan to cancel our trip prematurely, as we would prefer to receive a full refund rather than a voucher.

If we are forced by you to do so, we will obviously do so, use the voucher, and then look for other companies to utilize in making future travel plans. I am hoping that you will determine that making timely decisions in the best interests of your customers will be in your best interest.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter.