UPDATE, 1/23, 1:15 p.m.: A memo sent by Costa Cruises to travel agents was sent to Huffington Post Travel.
In it, the company confirms that guests booked on Concordia sailings until March 23, 2012 may rebook on available 11-day cruises on other vessels, or cancel without penalty. Those who cancel will receive a full refund inclusive of air, hotel, transfer supplements, vacation protection plan, and fees and taxes if they booked through Costa Cruises. The 30% discount is available only for sail within 18 months of their original cruise date.
Those booked on the Concordia for sailings after March 23, 2012 can rebook on a different cruise or cancel under the terms above. They are not eligible for a cruise credit.
Guests booked on any other Costa vessel may also cancel without penalty.
--------
PREVIOUSLY, 1/23, 8:25 a.m.: Carnival Corp., which owns Costa Concordia, is adding insult to injury by trying to compensate passengers with 30 percent off their next cruise. And, that's only for a select group of passengers.
"The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30% discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the company," a spokesman for Costa Cruises told the Daily News.
Apparently, Carnival reps have also been calling European passengers to push the discount, and ask whether they have been suffering from nightmares and sleeplessness, the New York Post reports.
Survivors, of course, have a different idea of compensation. It was reported last week that a number of passengers had joined a class action lawsuit, with the objective of gaining 10,000 euros ($12,877) for each passenger.
Another class action lawsuit is expected to be filed in Miami seeking $160,000 per passenger, according to the Daily News.
It was also announced last week that Carnival has ordered a comprehensive audit and review of safety procedures across its 10 lines.
The latest interesting twist in the tragedy is Captain Francesco Schettino's allegation that the "salute" maneuver that caused the ship to crash was actually ordered by the Costa Cruises company.