I attended a seminar from Holiday Travel of America in April. I declined to buy any timeshare packages. For my time and participation, I received a certificate for a Mexico Cruise for two persons for four days leaving from Los Angeles' Long Beach terminal.
I read the fine print, submitted the name and birthdate of my guest, requested two potential travel weeks, and sent two checks totaling $325 to cover port fees and taxes. I received a letter stating HTOA would contact me 60 days prior to my cruise date to confirm my travel dates.
HTOA never contacted me, so I emailed HTOA inquiring about the status of the cruise. I did not receive an email response. I called HTOA and complained that no one contacted me within 60 dates of my two potential travel weeks. The representative sounded harried (bless his heart) and apologized.
He stated HTOA has been especially busy and was unable to contact many certificate holders to inform them that their cruise dates are booked. He stated I could request two more cruise dates 4 months or more into the future. I requested my $325 back.
He said I would receive my refund within two weeks. At this writing, I will await the two weeks for my refund. He also offered me two free nights at Lake Tahoe Inn and Resort, for which I requested a weekend in January.
I am somewhat confident I will receive my refund. I do not plan to use HTOA in the future. I do not plan to sit through sales pitches for potential free packages. Because I request my vacation days from my employer four months in advance, I need to have solid dates for any travel I wish to enjoy.
In the future, I plan to simply pay for desired travel, rather than wait if I can tag along on an underbooked cruise.
Good luck with all your endeavors!
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