GeezerCouple

Sorry you had such an unfortunate experience. However, our experience has been totally different, and with several (too many in our minds, alas!) claims. And when I landed in hospital overseas, Steve was extremely helpfu, over several days. What did the travel insurance company say or do when you asked them for translation assistance? Our policies have always included that service, although we haven't needed to use it. (When I was in hospital overseas, some dear friends we had been planning to visit instead came to the city we were in, so they were able to translate. Otherwise, we'd have called the travel insurance emergency number! And it's the travel INSURER who would be getting you the help/services in real time, be it translation, getting new tickets, or being moved, etc. That should all be spelled out in the Terms & Conditions of the travel insurance policy. What did your policy say about that? And WHICH travel insurance company did you use? That's something we'd like to know, if they aren't providing services during an urgent/emergency situation! When we wanted help filing our first claim, we called TIS and Steve helped us at several points. But we didn't wait for him to call us. And in an urgent situation, we don't rely upon leaving a message and just waiting for a call back. But as I mentioned above, given your very serious situation... are you claiming the travel insurance company did NOT help at all? Again, I'm very sorry you had such a difficult time! GC

You are asking some good questions. Are there ANY shorter cruises with more upscale cruise lines? I don't know, but perhaps others do? The higher price point would very likely reduce the number of "party types" who are looking for a booze cruise, etc. Or you could try a longer (7 day?) cruise but be prepared to disembark early if she is truly absolutely miserable. NOTE: Due to some US laws, it would not work well to plan to disembark early at a different USA port than the one you sailed from. But with a Caribbean cruise, chances are excellent that there are "non-USA" ports where you *could* get off pretty quickly. And perhaps if she knows she *could* get off, that would help, vs. thinking she's "trapped there for the entire week"? Yes, it MIGHT be helpful to "try to stick it out" to see if things calm down, but that depends upon how miserable she is. She - and you - might be pleasantly surprised. Also, pay SERIOUS attention to where your cabin is located. Try to get a cabin on a LOW deck, close to the middle of the ship. That section has the least movement, relatively speaking. You might ask a travel agent (or ask here on CC!) about finding a cabin in that location that isn't right next to [or over or under] "something noisy". And try to avoid "spring break" timing, but that's probably less of a concern the more upscale the cruise line, given the price points are higher. Also, ask her physician about any meds to bring "just in case", to make sure anything she might try doesn't interact with other meds or just be contra-indicated for her. You could also get independent travel insurance that includes CFAR coverage (Cancel For Any Reason). At least some of those also include "interruption for any reason". It costs extra, but the peace of mind, particularly in a situation like yours when you already know you *might* want to get off early, may be a help. Please CALLSteve at www.TripInsuranceStore.com to discuss this to make sure! https://tripinsurancestore.com 888.407.3854 This type of CFAR often only pays 75%, but it's cash back, NOT a credit of some sort, perhaps with a time limit to be used. That should remove the "sting" of needing to get off. I'm assuming CFAR would work for this, but again, check. TIS is a travel insurance broker and they work with several vetted insurers. We've gotten all of our policies from them after learning about them here on CC just over 10 years ago. Many others on CC also recommend them. And we've had several claims, including some large ones, and there was never any difficulty getting paid very promptly. (IF you have a problem contact Steve or one of his associates to make sure that you handle it to make a claim work easily.) CFAR also lets you cancel (75% refund of entire cruise fare, but some add-ons may be fully refundable anyway) if you are worried about stormy weather. (If it's a major hurricane, the cruise may be re-routed, and the insurance may cover at a higher rate... again, I'm not sure, so again, check.) We hope you have a wonderful time! GC

What did they say about this when you called them or sent them a direct email? Oh, and Welcome to CruiseCritic! 🙂 GC

Just in case you do have any "special needs", also look at this section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/ And post any questions you might have, such as about special diets. Note that some (not all) may need advance notice as they would be bringing in frozen meals, not preparing them on the ship. They can prepare a surprising range of special meals these days. One nice situation is that most (all?) cruise lines are very well prepared to handle gluten-free diets, as are most land-based restaurants. (But "on land", one could just go to "a different restaurant", of course.) We were really surprised that in Italy, it was *very* easy to get gluten-free pasta! And it was good! 🙂 But other "special diets" may require advance planning. So in part, your question depends upon just what type of "medical condition" is involved. NO, no need to post it here: Contact the Special Needs dept of the relevant cruise line. GC

I posted my comments to avoid *any* confusion in direct reponse to a post that stated in its entirety: "You can wear any colors you want." GC

NOTE: A few countries *prohibit* civilians from wearing camouflage-patterned clothing. So make sure you have something else to wear just in case. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=countries+prohibiting+camouflage&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 GC

THIS ^^ is important. IF you would need help if there were to be an evacuation, then you definitely (!) want the ship authorities to know (!!!!). And then you'd need help with the muster drill. They are set up for that, to help wheelchair-bound passengers, etc., but they need to know. And they'd "know" at the muster drill if one doesn't show up. However, most "medical conditions" aren't like that, and there's no need to "tell the medical center". But IF there are *ANY* "special needs" (help with muster/evacuation or otherwise), you should tell the "Special Needs" department of the cruise line well before boarding. This includes medical dietary restrictions. They probably have a special form to complete. (Note that it's very likely that most of the form won't apply to any specific passenger, so we just put "n/a" [not applicable] for any such sections.) So... No... you need to report anything that requires or might require special assistance long before boarding. Note that the ship's medical center is for medical emergencies/urgencies-that-might-become-emergencies/etc. They are not set up to assist with ongoing medical care, such as for on-board dialysis. If you need specialized equipment, such as scooters or wheelchairs (or even a hospital bed), those can be rented IN ADVANCE. The cruise line will have at least one vendor to contact for such services. (The ship staff will *not* be able to be the wheelchair "pusher" in general, although they'll help with boarding and disembarking if necessary.) For special diets, they'll need to know in advance, too. GC

I would *strongly* suggest getting the "permission to travel" form completed by Dad (and notarized IF required; I don't know if it is). IF there is a problem at the port, "whatever Dad said" is going to be completely irrelevant. It's a "crossing an international border" thing. Yes, on factor the border authorities consider is not just "child trafficking" but whether a non-custodial parent is removing a child from a custodial parent. It definitely happens, and is a real concern... not frequent, but very serious when it does happen. There may well NOT be any Amber Alert when something like this happens, and I wouldn't rely upon the fact that there is no active Amber Alert at the time. How old are the children traveling without both parents. Again, I strongly suggest they look at the legalities, and also keep in mind a "just in case"... Is it really worth risking the chance of the child (and thus possibly at least one other person in the group) being turned away? It's not only up to NCL, and if a regular NCL phone rep "told you", that may not be correct information. NCL should have the parental permission form as well as the "medical care" form. Maybe they are both the same form? (I don't think so, but I'm a few years out of date on this.) Better safe than sorry! GC

Did they ever!? 😉 (Or "most people", etc.) And especially on a *warm* weather cruise!? GC

You may also have a different issue to deal with: legal custody of some children. Many cruise lines might require a signed statement from custodial parent(s) to allow children to leave the country without the parents. And you might also need "permission for medical treatment" if you (or anyone other than parent) is needed to approve of any medical treatment. The cruiseline should have forms for this. Also, for the first issue, the US State Department has more info, plus a general form. Don't risk showing up at the port with minors without legal parent/guardian and getting turned away. GC

Ask someone on the crew (an officer to start with) about helping you get off on a lower deck. They may already have another ramp, for supplies, etc. We have occasionally asked to return to the ship on the lower ramp because I have difficulty with the steeper incline. At those times, we often entered on a "crew level" and then took an elevator to the main lobby. If they don't already have a second ramp set up, perhaps they could arrange it? It's worth asking. Or... they could assist you? I don't remember any general differences in NZ, but we weren't on the lookout for that. GC

We haven't flown using awards on BA for ages, and we've never flown on USA-based airlines for awards. We've ended up using LH (Lufthansa several times, and we were able to get F, but those were pre-Covid. We were supposed to have taken an LH flight on Monday, but we had to cancel for medical reasons. Those were business class. But we were going to have to add a connection to make it work, going through Canada to catch the LH flight. Things have definitely tightened up for awards air travel in top category, unfortunately. Earlier pre-Covid, we were able to get two F tickets on Cathay Pacific (wonderful!). But by 2019, CX was only allowing 1 awards F seat per flight. We tried VERY hard to throw points at them to let us have a second F seat, but noooo. Instead, the other 5 F seats flew... empty! IF they had let us pay a premium # of points for one more of those seats, they could have sold the J seat, and had a double win. Money for the J, and use up more of our points on that flight, etc. I know there's probably an element of "protecting the integrity of the F product" so that it remains truly "special", but... how far to take that!?? 😠 At least we had the nice experience a few years earlier. Plus, with one F ticket, we both were able ot use the wonderful CX F facilities at the Hong Kong airport. Back then, they's free up another F about 2 weeks prior to flight date if no one was paying cash for it. So we had spent several months holding 1F and 1J, until about 2 weeks prior to the flight, when we were able to get that second F. 🙂 Anyway, sometimes awards seats open up late, as do some nice cabins/suites on ships, because others needed to cancel. Getting those IF they are available took a lot of monitoring, however. GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! You're going to need to give us a lot more information for us to make any informed comments. Which cruise line? Which ship? Which port? Time of year? And how is it written about this requirement (what wording)? A link, if available? GC

Amex Plat customer service kept wanting to deal with insurance for *baggage*! (I'm surprised that "baggage" is separate from the rest of the travel coverage, but ... "whatever", and I wasn't at all sure how correct that rep was anyway.) Finally. the rep mentioned that AIG actually "does" the insuring for Amex Plat policies, so I asked how to reach the AIG group that specifically handles the Amex policies. At that point (finally!), the rep offered to connect me. Uh, "Yes, please!" 😉 And at my first request, the AIG rep sent me copies of the polices, which are separate for trip cancellation and for travel delays. Two separate documents. At that point, I explained that "there is a group of us who are arguing about what is or is not covered..." , etc., and that I'd like to ask specific questions AFTER he sent the policies. By that time (that is, very quickly!), I looked at my email inbox, and ... there was the information from AIG. Nice! That's when I started asking about "needing to fly" vs. "taking a taxi" (or Uber), and also about flying one way and sailing the other, and a few other specifics. Every single question was answered in a way that ==>> actually made sense! That means, things like, "Sure, of course you can take a taxi or Uber, but you won't be covered during that part of the trip". [Note: If one had 3rd party travel insurance, on is typically, in the USA at least, covered from the moment you walk out your door until you arrive back home again. So if one is in a taxi but delayed by a nasty traffic accident - hopefully the accident itself affects others! - the insurance is still covering you in terms of timing, etc.] And things like, "No, you don't have to be traveling by air; the cruise is a common carrier." There was frequent reminding of the "it must be covered as a round trip" and paid with "the card". And as a reminder, no coverage for actual medical care. That alone rules out this coverage, for us, anyway. Note that when I was transferred, I was connected to an AIG rep who appeared to deal specifically with Amex Plat (or are other Amex cards also covered? I didn't ask) members and their AIG coverage. He already had my information, which was fine. I didn't have to go through all of the verification *again*. [I'm all in favor of security, but once I've been "verified as me", I really dislike not having that fact passed to "each of the next reps", etc., and they all the questions start over as if I'm an incoming cold call... However, better safe than sorry, etc.] The AIG rep was among the more polite and efficient "customer service" reps I've encountered recently. 🙂 That was a very nice surprise! GC

I have a copy of both policies/Terms&Conditions, one for Trip Delay, the other for Cancellation. I also spoke with an AIG rep; they do the Amex travel insurance. But before I got to them... the Amex Plat rep was all too eager to give me answers... turned out that it was NOT for regular "travel insurance" but for lost baggage. Duh! I never mentioned anything about baggage, only "travel insurance". As I wrote above, the reps can be so helpful, but not in an actual "helpful" way! They do NOT consider taxis to be common carriers. There is NO need to use airlines; a cruise ship is a common carrier. So drive to the port. Take a taxi to the port! The AIG coverage doesn't start until you are on the common carrier.... just like if you take a taxi to the airport (!). You can fly one way and cruise the other way, as long as all of it is paid using the Amex Plat card. It's pretty much exactly as one would expect, except about taxis/Ubers. No funny business about needing to fly to the cruise or whatever. But yes, it does need to be ROUND TRIP and paid using the Amex Plat card. (I didn't ask what if one uses the Amex Plat card for part, and a different Amex card for another part, but we just use the Amex Plat anyway.) They do not cover any medical expenses. I'm going to read the policies now. (I like reading technical things. Really.) GC

I don't think this is correct. I just looked it up in several different sources, and all state outright that a taxi (and Uber, where mentioned) IS a common carrier. Indeed, the definition: "A common carrier is a person or a commercial enterprise that transports passengers or goods for a fee and establishes that their service is open to the general public. Typical examples of common carriers include, a shipowner, railroad, airline, taxi service, etc." [emphasis in original] ETA: Apparently Amex's definition does NOT include taxis, etc.! GC

The terms are that one must pay for any common carrier with the Amex Plat card. It doesn't specify how many different common carriers one must use! Just that common carriers must be paid for using the Amex Plat card. Otherwise... Oops... we didn't take a train...!!! 😡 GC

A lot of this discussion seems to be about situations very different from the OP's post. Their problem, which was the point of the thread in the first place (to alert others), was apparently because they did NOT use the Amex card for all of the common carrier costs. They also used a Chase card. That is completely different from whether one MUST "fly to the port" and whether one can drive. I'm not really believing that someone who lives in "driving distance" [which is very subjective!] of a port and thus doesn't fly to the cruise would not be covered even if ALL of the actual travel expenses were charged to the proper card. It seems to say that all common carrier costs must be paid by the Card. I'm not seeing where it specifies that "common carrier" must include an airline, that a cruise ship doesn't satisfy that condition. I wouldn't take the word of an Amex Plat *travel agent* about the specific Terms & Conditions of the *insurance*. I'd call someone specifically about the insurance. There are just too many times a phone rep gives an answer, and may even state that they are "certain", when... they are wrong. This is especially likely for questions that are relatively uncommon. I might make this call to double check (if I get bored later today, ahem! 😉 ). And there is this, which I didn't note at first: That is, the points must be "accumulated points on your Eligible Card"? Those would be from Amex Plat spending. So AIRLINE POINTS aren't acceptable? Yes, it continues about "redeemable certificates, vouchers, coupons, or discounts awarded from a frequent flyer program or similar program", but doesn't include the wording "points" or "awards" from some other frequent flyer program (??). We'll stick with our third-party travel insurance. We've never had to deal with quibbling of any sort. We just need the receipts, and, of course, that the reason is a covered reason (e.g., letter from physician unless we have CFAR, Cancel For Any Reason). GC

What's wrong with a regular canvas tote bag? There are some that have a zipper if you are concerned about things falling out. You could just set it next to your chair at dinner, similar to a handbag. You're on vacation, not at a high-powered business dinner (in which case a simple tote bag might still be quite acceptable)... ETA: You wrote "not pool bag". What is an official "pool bag"? GC

It sounds like you are using something like (making this up!) "American Airlines Travel Service". (I know there are such groups affiliated with the airlines, but we've never used them. And we don't use the group "travel portals". I have *not* explored this, but I've wondered [worried?] that the prices through the portal may be higher than "doing it ourselves", or the choices more restricted or something...?) Why are you using a group like this? Do they advertise some special rates or some other special benefit? As an aside, I'd be VERY surprised if they give you "better treatment", but it probably doesn't hurt to try! 😉 As for whether the agent/agency/etc., does or doesn't get the commission if someone cancels, or if the timing of the cancellation matters (and if so, how!?), all I know if from the *one* travel agent we've asked. And even with him, I don't know whether it would be the same from other cruise lines or vendors, etc. We don't work with the type of travel agency sometimes mentioned here (it's not allowed to name agencies) who will share their commissions with some sort of rebate or perk to the traveler. That does seem appealing, especially as our cruises tend to be in suites, so a percentage back would be noticeable! However, our agent offers other help that can be very valuable. (One of those that is very important to us is that he is also an "awards agent", meaning he helps us get the Business or First class airline seats using points/awards. Those are getting increasingly difficult to get. I tried *once* and had terrific success getting two F tickets using awards on JAL. Wonderful flight!! However, I couldn't even find awards tickets of any type on the return flight. And it's only gotten worse, I think. Given that we need to travel "flat bed" on any lengthy flight or just not go, this is incredibly helpful for us. Or we'd need to pay cash; thus far we only needed to do that once, on very short notice, so there wasn't time for him to search and search. That was our "fault", and it was painful to pay for those full-priced tickets! 😡 I guess I just don't understand why any agent/agency would collect the commission AND charge a cancellation penalty, I'll be charitable and assume they do *not* get the commission? (But if they are part of that network, that doesn't really seem likely...) OTOH, it sounds like you are getting a LOT of points! 🙂 Are these regular "airline" points? GC

For background, we've had quite a few travel insurance claims, including some large ones. Almost all of them were for trip costs, not medical costs. I'm a bit confused. You wrote: "...I have to cancel a cruise that departs next week. Obviously, we are way past the final deadline to cancel the cruise and get any kind of refund from the cruiseline. I used an online travel agency. It is their policy to charge a fee for any cancelled booking. I will also NOT accrue any points for this cruise, since I did not complete it. (Points are my main incentive for using this travel agency)..." So the agency is going to collect their full commission AND charge you an additional fee? Sounds like a sweet deal... Also, just a quick question: What type of "points" do you get such that you must use this particular travel agency? We always get the "points"/awards from our charge card, not any agency. (Maybe we are missing out on something?) We have had to cancel a few trips after the 100% penalty stage, and our understanding (directly from our travel agent) is that he still gets his regular commission. (What I don't know is what happens if one is in, say, a 75% cancellation period... does the agent get *any* of their commission? I'll try asking him at some point.) We've always had travel insurance, so we did recoup all of the costs when we cancelled for medical reasons. So the cruise line kept all of their money, our agent got his money, and our insurance refunded us what the line kept. So in the former situation, with 100% cancellation, at least with the cruise lines we've dealt with when we've had such a cancellation, no, the cruise line doesn't also keep the commission. PLUS... in most cases, they have some chance to re-sell the cabin/suite to someone else, so they are then getting a nice profit! Even if they sell it at a big discount, such as very shortly before sailing date, they are still doing well. (We also once had a chance to grab a very nice Owners Suite not too long before sailing date, at a very attractive discount, so we've been on "both sides" of that issue.) GC

I assume you are planning to get the insurance through the cruise line? Does what you are planning cover you for a pre-existing condition? Many of us don't find cruise-line (or credit card) coverage sufficient, so we get third-party coverage. That almost always has much better protections: often higher medical coverage plus fewer exclusions. Whatever you get, make SURE that you real all the Terms & Conditions to make sure it actually covers whatever you expect it to cover. Ooops: forgot to address your question, sort of. If one gets separate insurance, then the deposit is what would be the first covered expense, so getting the policy started within 10-20 days (state specific) would get you the coverage for any pre-existing conditions IF you are "fit to travel" that day. GC

It's good to know that "Book The Cook" is now available on premium economy. As I mentioned, we were in Business. First class had a couple of menu choices that we didn't have, but I don't remember seeing anything such that I thought, "Drat! I wish we could have that!" Of course, at that point, reading about it and making choices for the first time, I wasn't prepared to find out that the special food was really "special"! It was *not* just upgraded beverages and real china/etc., although that would always help. No, it was the FOOD itself. Unbelievable. I don't want to create unrealistic expectations. But we are *NOT* fans of airline food, not at all. Even if first class on top international airlines, yes, the food is "better" than on domestic first class, and seriously better than their cattle-car meals, which are rarely even "good", and sometimes even only partially edible at all. (We bring our own snacks in case we don't even want to eat the economy meals, which happens too often, alas.) Again, I don't want to create expectations that lead to disappointment, and premium economy's Book The Cook choices may be a "lesser experience"... However, as I have mentioned, that first dinner was like short ribs that were SO tender and so *flavorful* that I genuinely would have gobbled it up with pleasure at a nice restaurant! And I'm a picky eater. [Note that apparently it is particularly difficult to get good "flavors" for food served at altitude. So my expectations weren't that great.] Even the pancakes I chose for breakfast were very special, as silly as that sounds. I selected a "dinner type meal" for my second meal (not a lunch type), and I remember wishing I had known and had asked for two of the first choice. But having no idea at all about the food, I didn't want to double up on something and then find out I didn't like it... And I don't remember the choices. I should have made a copy of the menu options, but it never occurred to me that there would be anything "worth remembering"! 😉 I wish it were always possible to have something like BTC on long-haul, even if it means paying more. It made such a difference. Enjoy your flight, and perhaps you'll report back. GC

But note the wording "to arrange". That means contacting the cruise line well in advance so that IF it is possible, they have any necessary time to arrange for the customs/immigration officials to be there. If they can do it, and those officials are not already planning to be on site (perhaps another ship is already *ending* an international cruise there, so they need to clear all the passengers of that ship??), then be prepared to pay for any fees to have those officials show up to process your arrival, IF it is possible. Good luck! If you were able to arrange it, perhaps you could post the details after you are home. GC

I had a longer post written about this, but first... did you already have a pre-existing condition waiver in place when you had that physical, or had you not yet started a travel insurance policy. IF it's the former, wouldn't that be still covered because of your already-in-place policy *with* waiver of that exclusion of pre-existing conditions? Thanks for clarifying. GC