Madrid, December 21, 2020 – Pullmantur Cruises passengers who requested a refund or credit for a future cruise through the Refund or Credit Program for amounts paid following the cancellation of their trip will begin receiving their refunds before the end of the year. 96% of Pullmantur Cruises customers opted for the refund.
Thus, following the launch of this program in July, the cooperation agreement reached by the Bankruptcy Administration, the Pullmantur Group and Royal Caribbean, and the effort made in the last 45 days by the different teams to resolve the technical complexity, the program is now fully implemented.
Throughout this morning, the company will send a statement with details of the refund process – taking into account the different payment methods – to travel agencies and direct sales customers and will update its website with this information.
Feasibility Plan: final phase of the design
Similarly, Pullmantur Cruises is in the final stages of designing its Viability Plan to ensure the company's future. As announced a few days ago, the Pullmantur management team, together with the Data Concursal team, continues to work intensively on its Business Plan from their offices in Méndez Álvaro. This plan will determine the future of Pullmantur Cruises and would entail its return to operations, if the process concludes as expected.
While the company informed passengers with reservations through November 2021 of the cancellation due to fleet changes, allowing them to access the Refund or Credit Program for a future cruise, this does not preclude the possibility of earlier operations. In fact, as the company has repeatedly stated throughout these months marked by the impact of the pandemic, its greatest desire is to resume sailing as soon as possible.
According to the Administrator, Francisco Vera, “the efforts are totally focused on the design of a business plan, which guarantees the viability of the company, maximizes the recovery of the bankruptcy credits and turns Pullmantur Cruises into a strong and competitive company, within a sector with a promising future, which in Spain alone generates an economic impact that exceeds 1300 million euros, reaching over 4,300 if we add the indirect and induced ones.”
Another area of focus for the team is studying the various options available in the cruise ship market. The goal is to equip Pullmantur Cruises with a more modern fleet, one that meets the needs of its product and passengers, enabling them to offer a top-quality experience based on the Spanish/Latin American lifestyle and true to the company's core values, which have positioned it as a leader in the Spanish-speaking market.
* Regarding the Refund or Credit Program for a future cruise
It was launched in July 2020 in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group and aimed at Pullmantur Cruises customers with bookings affected by the cancellation of operations.
In general terms, the FCC program offers Pullmantur Cruises customers two options:
- The refund of the amounts paid to Pullmantur Cruises.
- A Future Cruise Credit (FCC) of 125% calculated on the cabin fare, applicable on Royal Caribbean International or Celebrity Cruises cruises
