My sister won’t share a potential refund on a holiday

SuzeQ,

Have you had any updates on this??

I dont believe that you're due a refund dear if it was her cabin effected sorry

Your sister was the one in the inferior cabin therefore she should pay a reduced rate. Why exactly do you feel entitled to part of her compensation, what for? You obviously have a lot repressed resentment towards your sisters mean nature, but that is a separate issue for you to resolve.

Don't understand this at all. How can 2 cabins be cheaper then one cabin?

Personally I don’t think there will be a refund, but in any case it will go to the lead name. It is not clear who that is.
If Suzy gets it, I think it should be split equally rather than the sister getting it.
If the sister gets it, she will keep it. End of. Suzy won’t even know, maybe.
More to the point, don’t have any more holidays with this sister, since she upsets you so much. Make other arrangements for Christmas etc. if you feel she is using you, but try to find neutral territory to meet, rather than cutting her out of your life.

knspol

Sorry but don't understand this. Did you pay any extra for the extra single cabin? If not then why should there be any refund? You didn't like the original cabin for 3 people, so you were given an extra single cabin albeit of a lower standard. I think you were lucky to have been given an extra single cabin and see no reason for any sort of refund unless an extra fee was paid.

What OP is basically saying that her sister had an inside cabin without a porthole, which would have cost £680 less than her sister's 1/3 share of the outside cabin with a porthole did. The sister therefore quite rightly feels that any refund should be hers.
This is depending on whether she has taken in to consideration that the outside cabin may have cost more with just 2 occupants rather than 3, to calculate it properly you need to take everything in to consideration. As we have not got the brochure or further details we can not do the costings, but why should the sister pay for more than she got, particularly as she was left by herself with no company, even though a lot of us would maybe have preferred a single cabin, including me but I would have to have a porthole to stay in it. Personally I do not consider a refund is due, if anything is due at all to the sister it should be the OP and her friend who paid the sister the difference between them as they benefitted and decided to stay in the best room.

Were you originally allocated the wrong cabin or was it just not how you imagined?
I'm still not sure where the "fault" lies.

Sorry but don't understand this. Did you pay any extra for the extra single cabin? If not then why should there be any refund? You didn't like the original cabin for 3 people, so you were given an extra single cabin albeit of a lower standard. I think you were lucky to have been given an extra single cabin and see no reason for any sort of refund unless an extra fee was paid.

I remember Frank Muir saying, "When people say it's not about the money, it's the principle: it's about the money."

BigMamma

SuzeQ

I recently enjoyed a lovely cruise with my sister and my best friend. The holiday got off to a shaky start as the 3 of us were due to share a cabin however, the bed arrangement was totally unacceptable. Long story short, the tour rep sorted it and we got an additional solo occupancy cabin for us, which my sister occupied.
The single cabin was a lower category cabin as it didn’t have a porthole and was on the “inside” of the ship. All other amenities etc were as per the original cabin that my friend and I occupied.
A week after coming home my sister informed me that she felt a refund was due from the tour operator as the single cabin worked out at £680 less. I said that any refund should be split between the 3 of us. She has point blank refused to do this.
My sister is several years older than me and single. Over the past six years she has enjoyed several trips away with me or me and my friends. I have invariably organised them and sorted out any hiccups. As she lives a few hundred miles away, she has stayed with us for a few days either side of any holiday so as to be near the airport. She has also stayed for Christmas, New Year etc at our expense.
I have to admit that on the last few occasions I have found her “ hard work”. She has never been a warm person but her coldness and selfish behaviour have become more apparent.
If she is successful in her recovery of some funds and keeps it to herself, I have no intention of holidaying with her again or being hospitable at other times of the year - it’s never reciprocated btw.
I feel that at 60 I do not need her negativity in my life but my other half is of the opinion that I shouldn’t let this refund come between us. It’s not about the money, it’s a principle. We went on the holiday as a group of 3 and if it wasn’t for me speaking with the rep we wouldn’t have got the additional cabin and she would have had to share with 2 other people!
Her new sense of entitlement is surprising and won’t be forgotten.
Just because she’s my sister doesn’t mean I have to accommodate her somewhat prickly character, I certainly wouldn’t choose her as a friend!
Am I being unreasonable to ask her to share any refund that may be made?

If I understand this correctly, all three of you were going to share a cabin with an outide view but because of the poor sleeping arrangements, you and your friend received a cabin for the two of you with an outside view but your sister received an inferior cabin without an outside view.

It sounds to me that you were upgraded as only two of you were sharing a cabin instead of three but your sister had to have a single cabin with no outside view so in a way she was downgraded. Therefore, your sister is the one that should have the refund as she was downgraded.

Under normal circumstances if you booked a cabin for two people it would be more expensive than a cabin for three.

There is no way I could have slept in a cabin without windows or portholes as I would feel claustrophobic. Your sister deserves the refund for living in that cabin.

You had a great holiday so let it go. You could have offered to take the inside cabin but you didn't and if you had done you would have been the one with the refund. If I had been going with my sister and a friend, it would have been myself and my sister sharing a cabin and our friend taking the single cabin.

Absolutely how I see it.

The refund was due to her accommodation and therefore I’d say here’s to keep

If SuzQ booked the cruise then all the paperwork will be in her name and any paperwork would be sent directly to her and no-one else. All she has to do is to bring up the paperwork, ring the cruise line and ask them if any money was refunded due to the change of circumstances on the ship. That is the only way she will find out and she has the right to know this.

No way will the Cruise company refund money to the person who did not book the cruise.

As a person with no siblings I imagine I would not want to fall out permanently with one. I would similarly be devastated if my two (very different) daughters fell out with one another over a couple of hundred quid (which may or may not appear).

I imagine the original cabin had an "overhead bunk" which was not easy to access. You were lucky there was another cabin free. I do not suffer from claustrophobia and know lots of people who book inside cabins quite happily so personally see no issue with that. And has someone said, the sister's cabin was "better" for being a single and "worse" cos of no view, so all in all not really an issue.

Personally I think the sister got the better part of the deal. She didn’t have to share her space with anyone. Realistically, how much time do you spend in your cabin on a cruise anyway?

I would let your sister win the battle - but loose the war - if she gets refund and of course it’s a big if, then let her keep it and don’t bring the subject up again - either to her or the other friend.

But start putting some distance in the overall relationship with your sister - don’t consider holidaying with her again - if she asks to come and stay then find some reason to say ‘sorry, not convenient’ she has a way of causing you anguish and you can avoid all that frustration by removing yourself from this perceived ‘sisterly friendship’.

Two's company three's a crowd. Don't fall out with your sister, she was the one inconvenienced

I still don't understand why a refund is expected. As I understand it, a shared 3 berth cabin with porthole was booked, and the cost was per person for triple occupancy
of that one cabin. Presumably the 3 berth cabin wasn't acceptable as it had a double and a single bed rather than 3 single beds. A complaint was made and Cruise ship offered an ex gratia single berth inside cabin to resolve the issue, and did not charge extra for the twin occupancy of the 3 berth cabin .

Surely having an extra separate cabin for sole occupancy would add to the original cost, albeit to the cabin rate for the extra would be less due to it's less favourable outlook.

Let your sister make a claim and don't let it bother you whatever the outcome. It sounds like you had a bit more space in the triple cabin if she was not using it.. .

Callistemon213

She may not get a refund, of course. It's a hypothetical question.

As you obviously do not get on with your sister and are resentful of her, why do you go on holiday with her?
Holidays are meant to be enjoyable experiences.

Exactly my thought~~~

You're unreasonable to cut her out of your life if she doesn't.

If a refund is possible, I'd let the sister have it as she had to stay in a room on her own without a window. You weren't inconvenienced in anyway so don't understand why you would want a share of any potential refund. You got more than what you paid for, a room with one other instead of two.

You couldn't pay me to go in an inside cabin, so claustrophobic, why didn't you have it, it must have seen she was being sidelined for your friend, shes your sister after all, seems very petty but maybe an excuse to distance for you. Do you know how lonely life can be for someone living on their own then put in that cabin when they thought they were sharing.

I’m wondering if your sister is ‘winding you up’. The refund would come to you as the holder of the purse. She’s pulling your strings.
Tell her there was a refund of £1. and it arrived in your account. She may see the funny side. I personally wouldn’t have used a windowless cabin. She’s a brave lady. xx

The issue here is not the money which does not seem to be short. It is the principle. And this seems to be the straw that breaks the camels back. The sister is tired and on her own and all the grievances of all the years are now surfacing. Either let it blow up into something you will both regret, or meet for a weekend somewhere between you while the weather is nice and sort it out. Sisters are valuable, even if irritating at times. I have one good one, one irritating one and one lost one.

It sounds as though you had exactly the cabin you were expecting, but with two of you in there instead of three? Admittedly your sister had a cabin to herself, but no porthole. Honestly I don't think you are due a refund, unless she's feeling generous.

If no-one has actually got a refund, wait and see what happens.

From your inital post I cannot fathom that your sister could feel entitled to a refund, as it sounds as if she finished up in a better cabin than the one b ooked.

It is easier to drop someone, friend or relativem than to make up the quarrel if you later regret it. So I would choose a medium path here.

Don't continue going on holiday with your sister, but do invite her for short visits once or twice a year.