chairman of Grand Circle Foundation. How do I know I can trust these reviews about Grand Circle Travel? And if I decided to go, whats the best way to book my vacation? Again, these offers come by way of the relationships cruise agents have through their company or by being friends with their regional sales representative. Pictures of the kids by the pro photographers? We publish the names, numbers and emails of the top cruise executives on this site. Our values shape our decisions, give direction to our growth, and allow us to measure our progress. Thriving in Change: In these times of rapid change, global competition, and high volatility in the travel industry, we must be prepared to change course and move forward. In a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment each member of the team is critical for success. Asked for refund and got a credit instead. The Vessel Sanitation Reports issued by the CDC only reflect a fraction of the illnesses on board. CONNECT WITH US. Most trips with Grand Circle are, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. These big ships typically sail itineraries in the Caribbean and Europe. All of these factors have led to a difficult financial situation for Grand Circle Travel. Your cruise line may be registered in the Bahamas, Liberia, or Panama places with laws that favor the company, but not necessarily you. Its been eight months. Circle changed its cancellation policy to give customers a full Some oceangoing vessels are smaller and more specialized. Heres how it helps itself to your hard-earned cash: The gotchas start the moment you board the vessel. Theyre not. Its your responsibility yours alone to have the correct documents. Circle Corp. ran into some challenges last year after the Better Grand Circle Travel is currently facing a difficult financial situation due to decreased demand for its services, increased costs, and decreased revenue. You can also reevaluate if you want to cancel the total trip. Uh-uh. No longer. | During the pandemic, many cruise lines instituted strict quarantine procedures some would say, too strict. In 2018, The Excellence in Service Award was presented to 7 different GCC associates. again.. The right to timely information updates as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship in the event of a mechanical failure or emergency, as well as timely updates of the status of efforts to address mechanical failures. Your travel agent may offer you a spacious cabin with a balcony, or even a suite. 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. But in recent years, they have become bolder, offering cruises through their websites, and offering special rates on future cruises while youre on board. Claim your Free Employer Profile. Were mediating these problems on a case-by-case basis. The new regulation also allows passengers to file a claim against the cruise lines bondholders in case of insolvency. The company has been in business since the 1980s, and has grown to become one of the largest tour operators in the world. If you have a severe health problem, avoid cruising. Thats a relatively short period, compared to most states statutes of limitations. They have changed our river cruise a couple of times. An Analysis, How Far Does Weed Smell Travel? In the end, there may be no correct answer for everyone. Exploring the Pros, Cons, and Benefits of Utilizing Professional Vacation Planning Services. A delayed flight leads to a delayed connection. trips and has been pressuring the company to comply with the states travel-seller laws. The fix: Turn off your cell phone or set it to airplane mode. 62% of employees think that Grand Circle Travel has a positive business outlook. If the agency is a member of a larger group, like AAA, youll get deals no one else has, and they may be unbeatable. General Air Questions. UNACCEPTABLE!! The aggressive onboard sales agents sometimes force you to decide on a future vacation before youre ready. Then our columnist intervened with the Boston-based tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel. Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Grand Circle Travel, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Book directly with the operator. When the customers asked for a refund, the cruise lines said they couldnt get one future cruise credits were nonrefundable. Thank you, you have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! Surely taking temperatures and separating tables would have helped tremendously. By streamlining processes, such as booking and customer service, Grand Circle Travel can reduce costs and increase profitability. But there are risks now, and perhaps more risks than ever. The cruise line wont let them board the ship. They also have limited departures in Africa, South America, the Middle East, South Pacific, North America, Central America, and even Antarctica. TripAdvisor, ConsumerAffairs and other review sites show lingering frustrations about the companys coronavirus policies, but several Times readers, according to emails Ive received, have made headway by filing parallel complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Massachusetts Attorney Generals office. Well start sending you the news you need delivered straight to you. Our award-winning daily newsletters keep you posted on our random acts of consumer advocacy. travelers in 1985 to approximately $760 million in sales and There have been some reports that the company is in financial trouble, and may be shutting down soon . G rand Circle Corp. is being sold to New York private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount. Any amount of compensatory. 13% of Grand Circle Travel employees are Hispanic or Latino. They are completely incompetent at this point. that business to include all Americans over the age of 50. You can find a cheaper private tour through a company like Viator. Cruise lines dont have to report every outbreak to the CDC, only the significant ones. contact reporter Michelle Baran, send e-mail to mbaran@travelweekly.com. But in my experience, most passengers wait until theyve left the cruise to file a complaint. Since 1958, Grand Circle has been the leader in international discovery for mature American travelers. Our buses had problems; the drivers were pulled from retirement and were unfamiliar with the vehicles. Youre out of luck. Were always here to help. They are what our beliefs and actions are derived from. If you think youll have less, get it renewed before your cruise. 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.. I had always heard this was a good company but clearly it is no longer good. Even though people cant travel right now, many of us are continuing to dream about our next trip and that means making conscious and subconscious decisions about which companies to spend money with once the pandemic has passed. Quality can be subjective, and in our business quality often involves a compromise between speed and perfection. 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. Additionally, Grand Circle Travel may be forced to close some of its offices and cut back on its operations. Access to possible upgrades and onboard credits. Established in 1958 by Ethel Andrus, educator and founder of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), we view world travel as a powerful lever for lifelong learning. Grand Circles motto is We Change Peoples Lives; it has certainly changed ours. Grand Circle Travel (GCT) seems to play a few nasty games, and cheating its customers!!! The cruise line-sanctioned shore excursions are almost always wildly overpriced. WE CAN DREAM ABOUT TRAVEL Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The worst fee Ive seen is for the end cut of a roast served at dinner. If the company fails to find a solution to its financial woes, it could mean layoffs and reduced wages for employees. 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. A few practical tips from a consumer advocate. Specialties: The leader in small ship and river cruising worldwide - offering American travelers a 4-star experience at a 3-star price aboard our privately owned and chartered fleet. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment based on your own personal circumstances and consult with your own investment, financial, tax and legal advisers. Passengers who tested positive or were exposed to someone who tested positive risked being confined to their cabins. Another solution to Grand Circle Travels financial woes is to increase efficiency. This company must not have enough staffing. He paid Vantage $18,536. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In exchange we provide great benefits, generous PTO, discounts on travel, and a strong, supportive training environment to learn and grow. 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. Your ticket contract, the legal contract between you and the cruise line, spells out your rights. In response, Grand We got an inc Have taken 12 trips overseas with this company and each one has been wonderful. Grand Circle's cancellation, refund and exchange policies as well Copyright 2022 Consumers Unified LLC. You probably need travel insurance for your cruise. Grand Circle Travel But it was the industrys way of saying it could do better. Travel agents can make 10 percent or more in commissions and overrides from your cruise. 2023 Grand Circle Travel 347 Congress St. Boston, MA 02210 We use cookies to improve your experience, by using our site you accept such use. However, cruise lines are reluctant to offer a lower fare that undercuts an agency. 7% of Grand Circle Travel employees are Asian. Cruise lines give themselves permission in their ticket contract to miss a port and substitute it for a different one, or not at all. Washington requires travel companies to issue cash refunds within 14 days (or 30 days when the funds are already paid to a vendor, as might be the case for a tour operator) when they cancel a service. Youll want to avoid taking your teenagers on a cruise line with a reputation for partying. Ill make it simple. And when they do, they are often underreported. If my cruise is canceled, am I entitled to a refund? Grand Circle Travel is a company that offers guided tours and river cruises to destinations all over the world. Inside Vrbo offered a refund after my husband lost his job. Why? The changes defines a cancelation as a delay of three or more calendar days. Travelers routinely returned home to phone bills in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full, My wife and I were excited to take our first river cruise with Grand Circle Travel/Overseas Adventure Travel (GCT/OAT) in The Netherlands in spring 2021 to see the flowers. If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to travel@nytimes.com. fleet of more than 50 ships. Sears couldnt deliver my appliances. Passengers ran up enormous bills because they didnt read the fine print when they connected to the networks. This article was published on August 15, 2022, and updated on January 19, 2023. But we need to cancel. I called, sent letters, asking for a refund. (Take a look at your travel insurance policy, BTW, and see if it covers financial default by the tour operator, in which case you're covered if Grand Circle goes down the drain). It doesnt have to. Archive - Youll also connect with other readers who want to make the world a better place. 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. they acquired Cambridge, Mass.-based Overseas Adventure Travel and Translation: When they cancel your trip, they are legally required to offer you the money back. Roz. Circle in 1985, will retain a 30% stake in the direct-market tour You can also appeal your case to a company executive. My cruise line requires a vaccination and now my credits are expiring, Take that back: The ultimate guide to a product return, The ultimate guide to getting a repair, replacement or refund for your broken appliance, Cell phone customer service: How to get virtually any problem fixed now, The ultimate passenger guide to Lyft, Uber and ridesharing. Our 2020 tour has been re-booked to 2022. Grand Circle Corp. is being sold to New York Don't sweat the logistics travel providers plan for you. But stay off the phone. Unlock new opportunities and expand your reach by joining our authors team. (Think of it as a kind of rewards program.) OAT is non-accredited per the BBB, had a C- rating by them and per 23 customer reviews had 1 * out of 5. Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers. After taking 12 tours with them, they treated us terribly. In addition, a local restaurant lunch was packed full of passengers with food being served right under their noses. Dont expect extreme luxury or especially unique accommodations however. They do plenty of one on ones. We ran off the road and almost flipped--and Grand Circle did NOTHING. She lost her engagement ring in a rental car.
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