Getting Cold Feet about an October Trip

[goovermon]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 2:02pm

Some brief background:

Me and my boyfriend go to NYC every October to see shows and catch up with good friends who live in Brooklyn. Last year in particular I procrastinated quite a bit in terms of booking everything. Flights, shows, hotel, you name it. Things were selling out by the time I was looking in August/September, and it was just a horrible feeling.

Fast-forward to this year, and I feel like I over-compensated a bit. As soon as I could, I booked our flight in February, as well as our Hotel (did NOT pay in advance thank God), and 2 shows (MJ and Music Man). 

 

MY QUESTION:

I'm coming to a realization that the situation with COVID19 will probably plague us for the rest of the year. I know many people think this will blow over in a few months, but I can't help but feel skeptical. 

 

Is it too soon to contact JetBlue to see if I am eligible for a refund if I cancel my trip now? The tickets I purchased are labeled as Non-refundable, and they allowed me to purchase travel insurance separately at checkout. Of course, from what I hear, travel insurance does not cover Pandemics. 

 

I know there are a lot of people with travel plans sooner than October that are absolutely freaking out and clogging JetBlue's phone systems/websites. 

 

Anyone with a bit of insider knowledge know what the heck I should do? Even if MJ and Music Man actually open, experts are expecting a second-wave of the virus this fall. I over-compensated for last year and am paying for it big time. 

Updated On: 3/23/20 at 02:02 PM

[Just_John]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 2:22pm

I hope to god not. All we can do is take it one week at a time. I’m thinking early June will be Around when broadway will re open right now. I have a trip booked to London may 22 and I’m not to worried that it will have to be postponed as of now, though London is not being nearly as strict about it right now and there’s no way to know. I wouldn’t cancel yet. JetBlue is really great about rescheduling, so I’d just wait til closer to the time to touch anything. 

[BdwayLife]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 2:47pm

I'd follow Just Johns advice. Sit tight. I cancelled my early May trip a few weeks ago, all tickets from Telecharge refunded, and thinking of asking Ticketmaster to reschedule my Moulin Rouge ticket to a November date. I hear your concerns--I've been hesitant to pull the trigger and book hotel, train, and theatre tickets. This is a rapidly changing situation, and it's impossible to forecast the situation 2, 4, 6, 8 months from now.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 3:01pm

I agree. I would wait. You'll have a much better idea in a couple months.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 3:05pm

Hang in there...just wait and see where things are at in 4-6 weeks -we'll have a better idea by May I believe moving forward...hopefully

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 3:11pm

Agree with the others - sit tight, and do not do anything for now. JetBlue doesn't want people with tickets that far out canceling yet, to give priority to those with closer trips who need to cancel (and as you said, are overwhelming their lines and website). They are VERY good with waiving fees and dealing with cancellations - in the event this carries on into the fall, you shouldn't have an issue with them. If the shows cannot run, you'll get refunded. If they can run and performances are going on as scheduled, and you are still concerned at that point, you can always call them about exchanging your tickets for a different date in the future. 

The situation is so fluid it's pointless to try to suss out where we will be by the end of June, let alone the fall at this point. 

(I'm in the same boat as you - I have flights/hotel/tickets to Music Man this October. All we can do is watch and wait). 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 3:27pm

Concentrate on what you are doing today. Thinking about a October during these times seems rather overwhelming.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 3:54pm

As of right now, Broadway is still scheduled to reopen on April 12th.  Now, obviously I think we all know that's not going to happen.  But my point is, October is six months after it's currently scheduled to be up and running again.  It's possible this virus is still affecting us then, but as of now, there's no reason to assume it will be.  If it does in fact linger into the fall, then obviously you can change your trip then.  But for right now?  Just wait and see.  That's all any of us can do right now.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 4:23pm

Every advance cancellation hurts the tourist economy. If you can hold out on cancelling, please do. October is a long time away and if things are stabilized by then, you'll be more than welcome here. 

[AlanB3]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 6:32pm

Many airlines right now are extending a change fee waiver for flights purchased this month for travel fairly far out into the future.

If you're really stressing over your existing flight, you could check to see if they'd refund those tickets now ... and then go ahead and buy new tickets under the less stringent terms. Then you have flexibility to do what you want in the fall without penalty.

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 6:42pm

I had/have trips scheduled for March (obviously had to cancel), April, May, June, October and December.  Airfare purchased, lots of show tickets purchased.  I love planning ahead.  Usually it works out quite well and it gives me something to look forward to, plus excellent seats to all the shows I want to see.

I am pretty sure that I will have to cancel April, May and June (some of my shows have already canceled), but am holding out hope for October and December.  If not, I will have a lot of travel credits to try to use for 2021.  

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 9:21pm

No one knows what will happen in October.  Don't even fret about it now.  If things are still dicey by end of August, then you can reconsider.  Just sit tight now.

As far as a 2nd wave of the virus coming later in the year, nobody has any idea if that could actually happen.  It's so easy to buy into the fear that the media throws in our faces and on social media each and every minute of the day.  Airlines are being very accommodating regarding refunds and credits for future travel.

I get to NYC 3-4 times a year.  Was just there in January, and (fingers crossed) will be there at the end of April.  If it's determined that Broadway will continue to remain dark after April 13th, then I'll cancel.  The airline ticket will be refunded to my credit card, as well as the 2 tickets that I already purchased.  One of the shows that I already had a ticket for did cancel - The NY Pops Birthday Gala as Carnegie Hall is now shut down until May.  I got a refund for that ticket. 

We are all in this together. 

[mufish]

Posted: 3/23/20 at 9:28pm

I'd echo everyone else saying wait and see.  October is a long way off, and frankly with all the uncertainty these days it's probably not the worst thing to have something like that to look forward to.  Like many others who've commented, I also have some travel currently on the books - was going to visit Spain in early May.  I haven't changed or cancelled it, though I fully realize at this point that it'd be a small miracle if the trip happens..and most likely Delta will end up deciding for me.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 3/24/20 at 11:04am

I agree with everyone else--definitely wait and see. October is a long time off. If you cancel your flight now, you'll get a travel bank credit for the future whereas if you hold off and wait for them to cancel the flight, you'll get a refund to your form of payment. So I would definitely wait and see. If this drags on for a while, they'll also likely update the terms of the current waiver so that it covers your particular travel dates. 

In my experience thus far, box offices have been pretty flexible too so as long as you don't need the v=cash right now, I'd hold off on contacting them too.

 

[goovermon]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 1:48am

Thank you so much for your feedback! I realize now I'll probably have to wait at least a few months before I can try and get a full refund, as opposed to a credit. Any word on how the Broadway closure will affect shows that aren't even open yet? I'm guessing it wouldn't affect them very much but I may be wrong. 

This is definitely an uncertain time. I just found out my boyfriend will be losing his income at the end of the month (works for Disney). At this point I may not even be able to afford to go even if nothing is canceled. Super heartbreaking but I'm trying not to give up hope... 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 3/25/20 at 9:26am

Be patient and see what happens. No one can predict that far in advance. I think by August you can begin to assess the situation more accurately.