GeezerCouple

Yes. There has been SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY about which ship... or any ship... or when, not to mention what about time for renovations, what about crew/training, and who knows what else... It *NEVER* made sense that there would be a ship sailing in a matter of months, or, worse, a matter of weeks, when they were still dealing with the purchase of the ship, or even the purchase of *which* ship!? No, it has never made sense. So when I first read that people had not just planned to sell homes in anticipation of a multi-year cruise, but... some had already done so... and ... WERE IN ISTANBUL WAITING TO BOARD... uh, waiting to board WHAT? I was... flabbergasted is perhaps a good word to use. Were some of the supposed passengers being given different information? Are there even *really* passengers in Istanbul who have sold homes? (I'm losing track: Has anyone posted who *personally* sold their home and went to Istanbul to "meet The Ship"?) And the nonsense about the quickly changing stories very recently. As I described this to DH earlier today, I prefaced it with, "Yes, I know this will sound like a skit from Saturday Night Live..." Befuddled is another good word... GC

That's only part of the "problem" in terms of ... what... "situational awareness", if not more general "issues", ahem. It was already announced that "The Ship" would be sailing from... ... AMSTERDAM: "...The cruise was originally due to depart Istanbul, Turkey, on November 1, but shortly before that date, departure was postponed to November 11 and relocated to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and then to November 30, again from Amsterdam..." Why were any of them still in Istanbul if they were told a few weeks ago that the ship would be sailing on November 11th, and from Amsterdam? GC

Agreed, not word salad! However, how about something like an "Executive Summary" for those of us with, uh, limited attention spans? 😉 That would truly be appreciated... the real highs/lows/etc. Maybe a few bullet points? Thanks! GC

Right. *How* could people sell their homes, pack up and head for the cruise when there still wasn't an actual ship ready to go? Apparently some sent "pods" of their belongings to bring along for the multi-year trip. And if even part of the linked story above can be believed (??), the nonsense continued (continues?) with short-lived promises/assurances of "another ship" or even a completely new company that presumably will have a ship ready to board in a couple of weeks. Really!? GC

Oh my.... that 3-year cruise is finally cancelled. They never actually got a ship! https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/three-year-cruise-canceled/index.html "...Some of the passengers who booked the 111 cabins sold are still in Istanbul, having made their way there ahead of the original departure date. Others say they have nowhere to return to, having sold or rented out their homes in anticipation of the round-the-world voyage, as well as jettisoning their possessions..." I can't even begin to imagine those who not only are already ready to board (but where!? when!?), but especially those who, even very early, SOLD homes so they could take the multi-year cruise. "What now!?" 😱 GC

Thanks again. I knew that crew costs were much higher (from your previous posts - thanks! 😉 ), but I had no idea they were *that* much higher! I also didn't realize that Mississippi River cruising was that popular, enough to add another boat, and one that is even more expensive to operate. All very interesting. GC

Ah, thanks very much. This is cost-effective for them, obviously (or so they hope). Is this an arrangement that isn't possible for ocean-going ships so the passenger cruises wouldn't need to have the foreign port or distant foreign port requirements, and there might be more like the NCL POA? I thought part of the problem was the prohibitive cost of ship-building in the USA. Thanks as always for your input! And Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂 GC

You mean that 2022 was "YEARS ago" and Google couldn't find it (it did find it), or there was another Viking cruise ship and car cargo ship collision that was indeed "YEARS" ago? GC

That article mentioned several problems Viking has had (and didn't mention that Viking Sky problem a few years ago!). But it also mentioned a Viking cruise ship on the Mississippi River. How is a foreign ship sailing and transporting passengers within the USA? Curious! GC

To get a quick start about how to transfer to airline partners, use Google for whichever card/award/points you have plus "airline partners". That won't show all the possible ways to shift and use points, but it will show the major ways to do this. Then click through to see how many points would be needed for each partner. Many of the cards are actually airline-affiliated cards, such as the American Airlines linked AAdvantage CitiCard Visa charge card. Those points are already logged with AA. However, when one gets points with Amex Membership Rewards, those aren't yet with any specific airline; those can be transferred to Amex's partner airlines. Note that in a some cases, one has more choice of use of points if they were gathered via that airline itself rather than transferred over (airlines might want to reward travelers who regularly fly with *them*). But you can get a very good starting overview just looking for the partners. One other trick (and this could change) is that at least with AAdvantage awards, one could sometimes fly on a partner airline in the same class (e.g., Business class) for *fewer* AA points than one would need to fly that class on American Airlines itself. Given that we much prefer the top international airlines anyway, this has been a win/win for us in the past! 🙂 GC

Yikes. I had not heard about that. How long did it take for those Navy experts to arrive on the ship? Gasp! GC

We *strongly* recommend that one speak with a travel insurance broker who can help you compare various third-party policy coverages. They will also be able to discuss (and answer any specific questions) how "pre-existing conditions" are handled with each type of policy. (The definitions are very different than what we usually think of in "everyday life". Further, different insurers/policies may have different requirements, so be very careful about the definitions for any policy that you plan to use.) If one starts the travel insurance within 10-20 days (state specific) and one is fit to travel on the day the insurance is started (nope, can't call from that hospital room...! 😱 Not even for a trip far in the future), then it is usually possible to get a policy that does NOT exclude any pre-existing conditions. This is what we always do. We make a reservation, pay the deposit, and same day, call to start the travel insurance, which means insuring just that deposit amount, so it's not like paying for the insurance for the entire trip months - or years - in advance. Then, as we make additional payments, or add other non-refundable costs, we add that coverage and pay a bit more for the extra insurance. We *do* get the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage, for peace of mind. With third-party insurers, this does cost extra, and it usually [but check *your* policy!] provides 75% cash back, *not* a credit that must be used on a specific cruise line within some time limit. We are among many here on CC who recommend that you at least speak with someone at www.TripInsuranceStore.com - they can help with questions about a variety of policies from a variety of insurers. There is no extra charge to the traveler for using a broker/agent. But please CALL them. The online policy summaries simply don't provide enough detail, and the discussions will help them to find the best policy for your specific needs (frail elderly relative not traveling with you? Work concerns? Pets?....). We have had several claims (alas), but all were paid promptly, with no nonsense, including a few large claims. GC

Note: To be safe, make sure your passports do not expire until at least 6 months after your scheduled *departure* from each country (not your arrival date). If there is a shorter requirement, not problem, but you don't want the reverse situation... (You might be denied boarding at the initial embarkation port, where they check passports along with other documents.) GC

Welcome to CC! Once you are onboard, there are no "bed checks" at night. 😆 As long as there are no noise problems (or underage issues...), there is no interest in who is where, etc. So the only "problems", to the extent there are problems at all, is how to get access for everyone for the cabins and also how to get the charges charged to the right person (and thus charge card). We've never had any difficulty asking at Guest Services (or a Concierge or whomever) for extra keycards so that "our friends/relatives could come to our room whenever they wish with our permission". We then get extra keycards that will open the "other" door, but do not have charge privileges, but I assume that those could be assigned with permission, too. We NEVER put a cabin number on the card, lest it be lost and someone else finds it... We'll mark cards with a permanent marker, perhaps something like, "Grandpa's cabin" or "Mary's cabin", etc., so they don't get all mixed up. Then we can sort of re-assign who sleeps where... the grandkids can sleep in the suite with the grandparents instead of in the family cabin with the parents or whatever... We *always* tell the steward (or butler, too, if there is one) about any change in "who is in the cabin", and IF this results in extra work, we tip appropriately (including something up front while we thank them for their extra help). This might be if sleep sofas are being used that weren't expected from the official number of passengers in the cabin, etc. Or if we request an extra crib (where no wee ones were listed), etc. Keep in mind that the original "Muster Stations" for the lifeboat drill will need to remain the same as the original ticketing, or the headcounts might not work. (And for official drills, like the first afternoon/evening, they DO check that everyone shows up at the right station, so don't try to change those assignments.) In your situation, it seems it would be even more simple: two adults per cabin booked, two adults per cabin as used. (And in case one person/couple is picking up all of the expenses, then the issue of which keycard goes to which charge card doesn't matter anyway; there's no need to split charges differently, etc.) First get settled as the reservations, and then get the extra "guest" keycards. This isn't uncommon, even if "sleeping" is the same as the reservations. Guest keycards can be just so the "others" can come and go as they please. (And by the way, when we have family members with "guest keycards", we usually tell them jus to knock and unlock the door and come right in... but if we are sleeping [one perk of Geezerdom is lots of naps!] and we don't want to be interrupted, then we'll just bolt the door, although that's rarely an issue.) Enjoy your cruise! GC

WAIT! That's MY name and address/phone! 😉 GC

You *STILL* will have no idea of what the most serious security measures are/were... or hopefully not. Most of those would never be apparent unless there is a need to implement them, in which case, there would be a critically dangerous situation for those involved. The goal would be to AVOID needing to use all of "the security measures". One possible example is that there may be armed security on board... and hopefully the passengers will never fully know they are there, or what they have with them... GC

There is no chance in the world that you - or any of us - would possibly know what the security measures really are. Some of those actions may be a bit more obvious or easier to figure out, but some of it will be kept as secret as possible, lest "the enemy" learn of the details and thus make efforts to defeat them. GC

And this ^^ is why it is SO important to try any meds while one is still "at home". I'm sorry these meds didn't work for you, but at least they won't mess with your vacation! GC

I *seriously* doubt that the description you posted applied to ALL travel insurance policies. I KNOW it doesn't apply to any policy we've ever had. What matters are the terms of the SPECIFIC policy that YOU get. I'm going to stop here. Good luck. GC

That is correct. DH and I are, yes... "geezers" (or maybe "early geezers"?). Yup, we have some pre-existing conditions, and we certainly each take a variety of medications. And those medications may change sometimes. None of that matters for the type of policy that we get. What matters is YOUR policy, not what other types of policies are "out there". GC

There are different types of policies. Obviously the above discussion is for a policy that does *not* have the same waiver as we have been discussing. That's the *point* of the waiver! One does NOT need to deal with whether there has been a change in medication or any look-back period! This is why it is so important to read the terms of *your* specific policy... It doesn't matter what the terms are of *other* policies. But we *ALWAYS* purchase our travel insurance from a broker (Steve, of TIS in our case). They can help with any issues or questions like this, and help a client to get the most appropriate policy for their specific situation. GC

??? At least for the type of insurance we get, it's not really a "special coverage". The waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion is automatic for anyone who starts the insurance (covers deposit plus any other non-refundable payments to date) within the 10-20 days of the first payment. (Timing is state dependent.) And yes, you must be "fit to travel". So don't start the process on a day when you are sick. We aren't aware of any need to have a letter for every time one starts an insurance policy if everything is routine. It doesn't have anything to do with pre-existing conditions or changes to medications, etc. That's the point of the waiver that is included with the regular policy. We have had quite a few claims, most due to medical problems (but one because a flight home was cancelled). We've *never* been asked about whether we were "fit to travel" when we started the policy. And I don't remember reading about anyone who was asked... You seem to be overthinking this. Or do you have some experience that suggests this is an issue? Hopefully Steve will respond to this concern of yours. Or someone could email him directly to ask about this if worried about it. GC

We always get coverage with the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion. And in general, there simply wouldn't be any issue about "fit to travel". We are going about our daily routines, etc. However, there was a time when this was a possible issue. DH was recovering from a medical emergency that had caused us to totally cancel a land and cruise trip, and less than 2 weeks before our planned departure. (This was the first time we got travel insurance, thank goodness. We got it from Steve at TIS.) Anyway, a couple of weeks later, I called him to get coverage for a replacement trip. He mentioned our claim for DH's medical emergency, and asked "Is <name> fit to travel NOW?" Me: "No, but he'll be completely ready to travel by <future month>!" Steve then reminded me of the "fit to travel ON the day the coverage starts", so... NOPE, no insurance for us that day. We waited several weeks, and when his physician said he was "all clear", I asked, "Is he 'fit to travel' today?" The answer was "Yes." So I asked him to write that down on his letterhead or an Rx form, something official, and he did. That way, IF there was ever a question... we'd be covered. We then went home, made a reservation and paid a deposit, and started the travel insurance for the amount of the deposit THAT SAME DAY. We upped the coverage as we made more non-refundable payments, as we always do. All set! We took the trip and had a wonderful time, with no need to use the insurance. 🙂 GC

This is how we occasionally made reservations early on. The "invoice" aka "receipt" aka "confirmation" arrived by email shortly *after* we submitted all the information, including charge card info... and it showed payment received. That wasn't just Oceania. So yes, anything that initially appears for the passenger in that document would be in the "too late" time period. Whether there was any critical information that wasn't disclosed previously, such as on the website... I don't remember. I don't remember being surprised by any rules so I'm guessing that the terms and conditions were shown somewhere online. But my memory... "who knows"? 😱 GC

Ooops! Sorry to have put "email" when it was, as you wrote, any online ad in this case. GC