Website and Forums not working properly? Cancellation into December.
Was anyone else have issues with the website and forums earlier today? I could not log in (log in button not present) to verify my payments, etc. I could access the forums, but read only. Since I was not logged in, all posts were bold as if I hadn't read them. Neither log in button on the forum page worked- just gave a 404 Error.
In other news, earlier today we received a call from Tauck advising that our 6 Dec 2020 XMAS Mkts cruise had been officially cancelled. Some months ago we had already re-booked for 2021 but waited for Tauck to cancel 2020. We haven't received a revised Summary of Purchase for the 2021 cruise, but the agent advised that we will get the $250 ea. re-booking credit (we were within days but hadn't made final payment yet so didn't qualify for the $500 ea. credit).
And so it goes.
Comments
Hi Alan--yes, I received the same error messages. I initially thought it was a security issue with my work computer; however, i tried to access the site from my mobile phone and received the same error message. Appears to be working properly now. Sad to hear about your Xmas Markets cancellation...fingers crossed for JE 2021.
Didn’t log into the forum until 2-30pm to day, so it was probable fixed by then
Had the same problem this morning. All is working OK now (including main page). I was worried that Tauck had decided to lay off all of their IT people and had shut down logins to prevent problems. Just COVID paranoia on my part, I guess.
Ken you wouldn't get a new summary of purchase unless the 2020 money and/or $250 are actually applied to the 2021 cruise. If they just put it in a travel wallet then you have to tell them to actually put it towards the trip or another if your prefer.
Claudia, that was me. I rolled everything over to the new booking. I guess I'll give them a call tomorrow just to be sure the numbers agree with my spreadsheet.
Alan, you were certainly wise to keep a spreadsheet. We kept notes of our cancellation compensations and a couple of credits we were given for things like being put into a different hotel, but when we wanted to apply them to a future trip, Tauck did not have the same amounts, giving only one of us the credit when We were given the understanding it was each, but we did not have anything official from them so did not try to contradict. Things will only get more complicated when our tours early next year begin to get cancelled.
I just spoke with Tauck- a new Summary of Purchase was sent yesterday after the call, but it was evidently a victim of their computer problems. They just sent/I received a new one. Hotel pricing for XMAS Mkts 2021 is now available, so the gift of time for our pre-stay in Basel is included.
The balance due shown on the new Summary of Purchase, website My Account, and my spreadsheet, all agree.
(Final payment is due 120 days prior departure.) While I had them on the line I asked about a few other details- Tauck has pre/post stay hotel contracts for our Jordan & Egypt in March 2021. Now all that is needed for that trip is a vaccine. 
All in all it was a very pleasant and productive call.
I hope it will be the same for my upcoming call to Delta to cancel our XMAS Mkts 2020 flights. I won't be able to re-book for 2021 until early January.
Update: As expected fares for the cancelled flight were put in "My Wallet" but must be used by May 2021. That is no problem because, as I said, we will be booking flights for 2021 in January. Wait time was minimal and the Delta agent pleasant and helpful.
Alan I'm really surprised, when I canceled my flights for the Scandinavia tour with Delta, they put the fare in "My Wallett" but it can be used up to 12/31/2022.
These tickets were purchased directly from Delta, not thru Tauck, awhile ago.
A computer glitch caused me to call them back tonight- below the credit info which doesn't show amount, it says, "Uh, oh! the e-credit you have entered has no remaining value . . . " The Delta agent said that was a glitch that she reported. We'll see in January when I re-book.
Alan I also bought my ticket directly from Delta so you may want to call and question them about the expiration date, the computer glitch has happened in the past.
I did some digging and in the Delta Update Center I found the reason for our much earlier "use-by" date:
"Can I Change or Cancel My Flight?
It‘s easy to cancel, make changes or rebook online. Visit My Trips to make changes to your flight(s) any time before your travel date. We’re now waiving change fees and Award redeposit fees providing greater flexibility to travel using eCredits through December 31, 2022, for customers who purchased their ticket before April 17, 2020, and are scheduled to travel through March 31, 2021."
You obviously fall under that policy. I did too, originally, because I purchased our tickets in January 2020. But I re-booked on 25 May 2020 for a better aircraft and itinerary so now we fall under a different policy covered in the next paragraph.
"Tickets purchased between March 1 and December 31, 2020, can be changed without a change fee or Award redeposit fees for a year from the date you purchased it."
It really doesn't matter, though we have a year to use the eCredit we will be using it to book our 2021 XMAS Mkts flights in a few months (Jan 2021).
Travel in 2021 is looking less and less hopeful to me.
My crystal ball says late summer 2021
That will mean two more trips axed.
I tend to see travel by mid to late summer as being possible as well. (Have booked Tauck Bali for September in anticipation) I also agree that we'll most likely need proof of vaccination. There is a term for what my wife and I have been doing in terms of making plans and bookings from late 2021 onwards....revenge travel.
Got it Alan, now I'm on the hook for a ticket I paid for with miles on Sept. 19th for a New York weekend that has been postponed until January 2022, there is no way I'll be able to make changes by Sept. 2021.
British if you are right I will have 2 trips canceled April & July, bummer!!!
Yes, I have trips in April and July. And if you are like us and frequent Broadway shows, none of that until at least June 2021
British, I booked a long weekend in New York with Broadway Across America which included The Music Man, originally it was for November this year, then it moved to June 2021, a couple of days ago I received notice that The Music Man will not pre-open until December 2021 with the formal opening in January 2022.
How right you are kfnknfzk, I miss traveling A LOT however I'm very blessed because that's the only thing missing in my life and none of my sons have lost their jobs. I volunteer at Catholic Charities and they are feeding 1200 families every week, sometimes more and that is not the only charity giving out food boxes every week in the Orlando area.
Well Hawaii reopens in three days ... except for the big island. Numerous places are open in the Caribbean. Brazil is open ... just bring your medical insurance. The ‘points guy’ has a list of all the places that are open to U.S. tourists. United and Hawaiian Airlines have set up covid testing sites. Yosemite is open ... we are going again in four weeks. Antarctica in January looks more doubtful cuz we can’t get into Argentina ... but their officials are not talking much, so it is difficult to tell what is going on. We are on the ‘wish list’ for 2022.
Kenya and Tanzania are open and Amsterdam is open to ‘in transit’ U.S. passengers, so I think it likely we will see Africa again before we see Antarctica.