Windjammer Ships Becalmed

Set to cruise in a few days, disappointed Windjammer passengers forwarded Cruise Diva a copy of an email received today from the troubled cruise line.

Dear Shipmates,

We are contacting you about an important change to your upcoming cruise. We are sorry to inform you that S/V "Legacy" and S/V "Yankee Clipper" will not sail the week of October 6/7th, 2007 due to matters that cannot be ignored. Unfortunately we will be unable to correct the situation with enough time for the cruise to sail. We truly apologize for the extreme short notice and for the inconvenience.

We will gladly re-accommodate you on a future sail date if you choose to reschedule your cruise. Passengers who choose to be re-accommodated will be given a free 7-day Windjammer Barefoot Cruise to use within two years (Expiration date October 2009). The free cruise is valid for travel within the next two years in the same cabin type originally booked with immediate confirmation.

If you are unable to re-schedule your cruise for a later date and decide to request a refund, please know we will issue you a complete refund of your paid cruise fare. Regrettably, Windjammer Barefoot Cruises will not be able to cover any air costs incurred and associated with another sail date or ship. We are also unable to cover any air costs if you request a cruise refund.

Please contact our Reservations message line at 1 (800) 327-2600 to discuss options. Once again we are truly sorry for any inconvenience this matter has caused you. We hope you will be able to re-schedule your cruise.

Respectfully,
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises

Will the passengers receive a refund? Fortunately, it appears that their credit card company will dispute the fare charges for the couple who emailed Cruise Diva. What about the alternative of taking a future cruise credit... and the reality of whether Windjammer Barefoot Cruises could ever actually re-accommodate them in the future? We might mention that it would hardly be "free" since they've already paid for it.

No judgments being offered here. We report, you decide.