Grand Circle travels all over the world, with a strong focus in Europe, Aisa and Southeast Asia. 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? They also dont work. To get a job at Grand Circle Travel, browse currently open positions and apply for a job near you. Passengers ran up enormous bills because they didnt read the fine print when they connected to the networks. again.. Its their terms. I've traveled with this company 4 times and find the value and service outstanding. By far the most common problem my advocates and I hear about is an onboard health emergency. Read More rugged variety. 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! Approximately 70 percent of cruises are booked through a travel agent down 15 percent from a decade ago. Supervisors and managers want everyone to succeed. Who Will Enjoy Traveling with Grand Circle Travel? Asia Pacific +65 6212 1000. (Its all taken care of.) I purchased my own flights. Grand Circle CEO Alan Lewis and his wife, Harriet Lewis, who. 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. Tweaking the immortal words of Biggie: no money, mo problems. They have provided great service in the past, but this tour was bad. 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. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME INFO ABOUT THIS COMPANY TREATING HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYEES , AS I WITNESSED, Your email address will not be published. Onboard doctors dont have the equipment or facilities to handle a serious illness. Travel Protection. But why cant I get a refund? Cruise lines claim a vacation at sea is safer than any land-based vacation. If you need advice about a best-laid travel plan that went awry, send an email to travel@nytimes.com. Your travel agent may offer you a spacious cabin with a balcony, or even a suite. The next week, I learned via email that I had been rebooked on the same trip next year. The right to have included on each cruise lines website a toll-free phone line that can be used for questions or information concerning any aspect of shipboard operations. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Grand Circle Travel was started by the founder of AARP, and as such know their demographic extremely well. I would not recommend the company. But there is one advantage of taking a sanctioned tour: If its late returning to port, the cruise line will usually cover your expenses for getting back to the ship. Solo travelers make up nearly a third of Grand Circle's customers, and they're made to feel more than welcome on group tours, including some price breaks on single supplements. The right to a ship crew that is properly trained in emergency and evacuation procedures. was created in 1958 to serve AARP members. Want a picture of you and your beautiful family? 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. EMEA +44 20 7330 7500. See all activities, themes, and interests >, Save $600 off trips to every continent on earth, Redeem anytime before 2023. Consumer Alert: No more automatic refunds for skipped ports? Last minute changes OK, You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type, Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics. Check out Elliott Advocacy Today, our free, daily newsletter with links to your favorite commentary, tips and news about consumer advocacy. Ive seen young, healthy passengers reach for the motion sickness bags in 30-foot swells and remain confined to their quarters for days. Overall, 55% of employees would recommend working at Grand Circle Travel to a friend. GCT cancelled the Greenland portion. According to the A river cruise may be ideal for someone who is reluctant to leave the country after COVIDt. Archive - An offer of a certificate for future travel with a company I no longer trust is unacceptable. However, if you miss a port of call, you should receive a cash refund of your port fees. Other travelers looking for refunds may have a better chance if theyre dealing with companies headquartered within Hawaii, Washington state, Illinois or California. Privacy Statement - document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Proudly powered by WordPress In order to understand the current financial situation of Grand Circle Travel, it is important to first examine the causes behind the companys financial struggles. How can I reach them?? Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations. However, if Grand Circle Travel fails to find a solution to its financial woes, it could lead to layoffs, reduced wages, office closures, and a decrease in the quality of its services. Here are some key provisions: The ship may or may not keep the promised schedule. Copyright 2022 Consumers Unified LLC. In addition, a local restaurant lunch was packed full of passengers with food being served right under their noses. A Comprehensive Guide, Is Hiring a Travel Agent Worth It? G rand Circle Corp. is being sold to New York private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount. You could pay tens of thousands of dollars to a cruise line. In 2018, The Excellence in Service Award was presented to 7 different GCC associates. has refunded more than 5,000 travelers amounting to more than $12 million. Being well organized may sometimes be less important than moving quickly. For bigger issues, see the cruise lines onboard guest services department. Thank you, you have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! And in many ports of call, the medical facilities are not up to Western standards, and the patient must pay in cash. The Elliott Report is a consumer news site supported by Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that offers free advice and advocacy for consumers. service hurdle, when the company announced the sale last week, it Infectious disease COVID and norovirus outbreaks are common on cruise ships. 166,000 travelers in 2007. Most cruise lines have stopped screening their passengers for COVID. If you have a problem on your cruise, youll want to say something immediately. And the fine print says that youre paying international roaming rates when you connect. The activities, lectures, and easy pace are all designed for older travelers. Over the years they have established a solid reputation for tours and river cruises that offer good value to destinations around the world. 13% of Grand Circle Travel employees are Hispanic or Latino. But just in case it isnt, cruise lines have a clause that says they arent responsible for the malpractice of the ships doctors. The cruise line wont let them board the ship. Advertising - Kiddos to the bus drive for being SO informative!! All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Grand Circle Travel. Quality can be subjective, and in our business quality often involves a compromise between speed and perfection. After taking 12 tours with them, they treated us terribly. Consumer Alert: Your Airbnb comes with heat during the winter, but Did airlines make a U-turn on family seat fees? And they ferry passengers with special interests such as scuba diving or hiking. Sign into see which companies give additional savings to Travelstride Members (its free). Grand Circle Travel offers distinctive international vacations for older Americans. The Grand Circle Travel Style is comfortable, standard river cruises and motorcoaches. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Youll need to consider all of these dangers before you plan your cruise. Passengers sometimes arrive at the cruise terminal with the wrong visa or an expired passport. The rating was due in part to a series of customer complaints about For the flexibility and comfort aspects, combined with unique experiences at every turn. The worst fee Ive seen is for the end cut of a roast served at dinner. Well start sending you the news you need delivered straight to you. This is based on 391 anonymously submitted reviews on Glassdoor. Most trips with Grand Circle are, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. We publish the names and emails of customer service managers. Its generally a lot of smaller grievances that dont add up to much. They are what our beliefs and actions are derived from. In a telephone call to GCT I was told the company policy had changed but the paperwork had not been updated. I am disappointed, disgruntled and dissatisfied; I didnt spend money to get this treatment; I could have done better on my own! No wonder offline agents call these operations vending machines. Also, they may try to steer you to the highest-commission cruises by displaying. How Can I Get $$ back?? On our River Cruise Vacations and Land Vacations, you'll enjoy unmatched discoveries . Because Grand Circle attracts a similar age range, youre sure to meet new friends with like interests in no time. Bad service. We receive many requests for help from foreign nationals with residency permits. refund if a trip is canceled. Type: Company - Private. If, after reading this authoritative guide on cruising, you feel that youre ready, then go for it. We plan to go to Iceland. 35% of job seekers rate their interview experience at Grand Circle Travel as positive. A few years ago, cruise lines began installing advanced roaming networks that allowed passengers to make phone calls from the ship. acquired by Travelport earlier this year. Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Grand Circle Travel, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. Yes, my wife and I had to leave mid-way through the cruise and were quarantined for 8 days at a hotel. Corp. has 44 offices and employs 3,000 people. All Rights Reserved. Our 2020 tour has been re-booked to 2022. A link has directed you to this review. Whether its an optional shore excursion or an onboard auction, the cruise line wants more of your money than you spent on the cruise fare. It doesnt have to. Roz. Will this be the busiest spring break ever? | Salaries posted anonymously by Grand Circle Travel employees. Overseas Adventure Travel is part of Grand Circle Corporation, a family of travel companies based in Boston. they acquired Cambridge, Mass.-based Overseas Adventure Travel and WE CAN DREAM ABOUT TRAVEL Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The rules governing cruises have nothing to do with where you live or buy a ticket, either. The right to a full refund for a trip that is canceled due to mechanical failures, or a partial refund for voyages that are terminated early due to those failures. Grand Circle Travel employees are most likely to be members of the democratic party. Americas +1 212 318 2000. 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. You will probably do a fair amount of walking throughout the tour - Grand Circle suggests that travelers be relatively physically fit. Cookie Policy - Don't do business with these people. Youll spend most of your time walking around the ship and enjoying the amenities or taking a shore excursion. Then our columnist intervened with the Boston-based tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel. The Tour guide read from a book, did little guiding on site and was mainly interested in getting us back on the bus. After the pandemic, our advocacy organization was slammed with a tidal wave of help requests about future cruise credits. While they didnt answer my question directly, I was able to recoup more than $100,000, collectively, for you and 10 other readers. I am still pursuing my refund. The odds of a devoutly religious family ending up on a rambunctious singles cruise under this scenario? How do I know I can trust these reviews about Grand Circle Travel? Even email or call back. O.A.T. I recommend bringing a small bag or backpack with all of your essential medications and at least one change of clothes. The cabin is for sleeping. 7% of Grand Circle Travel employees are Asian. So should you take a cruise this year? Our family of travel companieswhich you can read more about belowoffers a variety of innovative trips to more than 60 countries. 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. When the customers asked for a refund, the cruise lines said they couldnt get one future cruise credits were nonrefundable. Youll also connect with other readers who want to make the world a better place. The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission. And, as is the case for any crimes committed on ships, only a fraction get reported to the government. The pandemic exposed one of the most absurd aspects of cruising. I want emails from Fodor's Travel with travel information and promotions. Its your responsibility yours alone to have the correct documents. Book directly with the operator. When something goes wrong, someone should always be there for you. Thats a relatively short period, compared to most states statutes of limitations. Once you get a positive response, make sure to find out about the interview process at Grand Circle Travel and prepare for tough questions. They tied up over $10,000 of our money on a trip they canceled because the cruise line they offered us had Russian links. Its gonna cost you. What's going on? 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. Vrbo took my $1,270! They read scripts, are timed by their supervisors, and really dont care if youre having a good vacation. We ran off the road and almost flipped--and Grand Circle did NOTHING. Todays travel websites try to combine the best aspects of a full-service agency with the conveniences of modern technology. Thats because you are a number. The outcome can often turn on who cancels, which is why a lot of suppliers and travelers are playing chicken right now. Why Choose a Tour with Grand Circle Travel? 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. 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. In addition, there is the worry that many travel companies may go out of business due to the loss of business from this pandemic. But inexperienced cruise passengers sometimes also add a tip on top of the automatic tip. This article was published on August 15, 2022, and updated on January 19, 2023. 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. 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. They have changed our river cruise a couple of times. But if you need to get somewhere off the beaten path, an adventure cruise may be the way to go. Grand Circle's three travel brands are Grand Circle Travel. Candidates give an average difficulty score of 3.1 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) for their job interview at Grand Circle Travel. The Members of the Cruise Lines International Association are dedicated to the comfort and care of all passengers on oceangoing cruises throughout the world. 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. Special access to agent-only discounts. That agency said that it has received about 275 consumer complaints so far about canceled O.A.T. It is the nature of the industry - whether it be hotels, air, packages, tours - that there are a wide variety of cancellation policies out there. As travel companies now suffer a cash crunch, they are facing off with travelers over credits and refunds. Support. If you have a consumer problem,please contact our team at Elliott Advocacy through this form. But then the cruise lines canceled their rebooked cruises. Circle changed its cancellation policy to give customers a full 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. Sarah Firshein is a Brooklyn-based travel writer. (Think of it as a kind of rewards program.) 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. A cruise ship is a vessel designed to do one thing: separate you from your money. To determine if my hunch was correct, I reached out to O.A.T. Agents are often incentivized by commissions and bonuses called overrides from cruise lines that reward them for booking a lot of itineraries with the same company.
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