Bradenton man upset by cruise line's handling of Japan trip

A stack of guidebooks sits on the kitchen counter of Ed Welt's Bradenton home. He's been planning a trip to China and Japan for the past year.

"It's a new part of the world that I've never gone to before," he said.

Welt booked a 12-day trip with Princess Cruises called the "China and Japan Explorer." The ship was set to sail from Shanghai on March 20, with three scheduled stops in Japan.

Then the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11. At first, Welt says he wasn't deterred, but as he watched the news about a radiation leak from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, he grew more concerned. The U.S. State Department issued a warning on March 13, cautioning Americans planning to travel to Japan.

"So we contacted the cruise line," explained Welt, "and said, 'We're concerned about this. Are you still going to Japan?"

A Princess representative told him the trip was still on, he said. Three days later, Welt decided he didn't want to take the risk of being exposed to radiation, so he cancelled his cruise.

"I guess I can tolerate a tsunami and an earthquake, but radiation? Not good," he said.

As it turns out, Princess Cruises agreed. Two days later, on March 18, the cruise line posted a change to the trip itinerary on its website. It canceled all three scheduled stops in Japan, and added three ports in China.

Welt assumed the change meant he'd be able to get his money back, or get a voucher for another Princess cruise.

Instead, he got a big surprise. Princess charged him a $2,398 cancellation fee -- the entire purchase price of his trip. He said he was told he didn't purchase trip insurance, so he wasn't covered.

Welt said the insurance would have added 12 percent onto the purchase price and at the time, he couldn't see any reason he'd cancel. He expected the cruise line to make an exception in the face of a major natural disaster.

"I'm not asking, 'Give me money back,' unless you wish to," he said. "Give me just another cruise on one of your other cruise lines."

When he didn't get the answers he wanted from Princess, Welt took his complaint to the Better Business Bureau. He found out Princess Cruises has an "F" rating, the lowest the BBB gives. The low rating stems from numerous unanswered and unresolved complaints.

John Zajac, corporate counsel for the BBB, said many of those complaints involve cancelation or refund issues, like Welt's.

"We're here to try and resolve the issues and bring these parties together. That's our ultimate goal," said Zajac. "The company is sticking by its contract, which doesn't allow for refunds in cases of disaster."

Zajac said it's important for consumers to read the fine print before making a major purchase.

"When consumers are looking to travel, they need to look at all terms and conditions and make sure they agree with them," he advised.

Princess Cruises is based out of Santa Clarita, California.

Karen Candy, a company spokesperson, said the company has no record of Welt calling to change his booking. She said the cruise line keeps meticulous records of customer calls.

"We would have done everything possible to rebook him, but we don't have any record of him calling," Candy said.

Candy also said there isn't anything Princess Cruises can do because Welt didn't purchase Princess Travel Protection, insurance that would have covered between 75 and 90 percent of his purchase price.

"It would be unfair of us to honor that perk for him because he didn't buy it," she said.

Candy says the basic travel protection for Welt's cruise would have been 8 percent of the cruise price -- $95.92 per person. Platinum insurance costs 12 percent, or $143.88 per person.

Candy called it an unfortunate situation. She said if Welt had gotten a hold of Princess before the sail date of March 20, the company would have been able to help him.

"The biggest mystery on our end is that we don't have any record of him calling," she said.

Welt insists he contacted not only Princess, but also its parent company, Carnival Cruise Lines.

Welt still feels that Princess should have been more accommodating. He said Delta Airlines let him change his flight without a fee, and he canceled his hotel rooms in China without a problem.