GeezerCouple

IF you want to pay with a check, to get some discount vs. using a charge card, you can't just *send* them a check? You need to allow them to pull the money from your account? Our bank, if we use the online banking, the check that is sent does *not* include any of our personal account number/information. (And we vary rarely give a "personal check" of the type that is pre-printed with the account/routing number/etc., these days. Very rare need for that, with the online payments.) GC

In general, my guess is that the protection of using a good charge card will not be entirely covered by travel insurance, which usually has very specific convered conditions. Why would you not want to use a charge card? GC

Keep in mind that insurance in the USA and in Canada (and other countries) can be *very* different. It has surprised us how different it can be, although we shouldn't have found that surprising... So make sure you double (and perhaps triple) check. It might become too important to get wrong. In Canada, do you have travel insurance brokers? They'd be terrific resources, I'd think, as they can be here in the USA, both helping you to figure out which policy might be the best fit for your needs and also helping you to understand "the fine print" and how that fits your situation. GC

Ouch! That's a biggie! You DO already have your hotel reservations, correct? I'd be tempted to book another room elsewhere, also pre-paid, just in case. Home-made "insurance". And the further away, the better! Do you *need* to be right in that area that particular night? And keep in mind, many of those from out of town aren't arriving just that morning. Yikes. GC

I'm glad you had such good experiences with the pre-cruise Concierge. We haven't tried that, so we can't comment, obviously. However, we've had great experiences with Butlers when using the starting "letter" AND also letting them know about any other requests or changes. We bring some little Post-It pads, and IF there are any changes (timing for breakfast, new request for snack, request for help with dining reservations...), we always put that in the same *very* obvious place. The Butlers are professionals, and want to do a good job (almost always!). But they can't read minds, although a few seem to come close sometimes! 🙂 One thing we always mention in the initial letter is that "we are usually flexible about timing, so that if we ever request something like a meal delivery at a time that conflicts with something else, please let us know, and we can probably easily adjust things", etc. Enjoy! GC

Thanks so much for your post. And thanks for the book recommendation. I'll take a look at it! Yes, we want to see ICEBERGS! 🙂 Flying might make sense as we could stay for a couple of days, but... I'm not a fan of small planes. And I'm not sure that the Quark cruises are a good match for us these days, or certainly not for me anymore. (Life happens...) Yes, we'd love to see Iceland, too, but "The Icebergs" appeal to us totally separately. Please do report back after your cruise! Many thanks in advance! (or post a nice iceberg photo while there? 😉 ) GC

In this one case, he required cash (in Euros), so... no credit card receipt. But there was the hand written receipt on his letterhead. We can't know whether the insurer did any background checking on the physician himself or got more details from him on what he did or decided before having an ambulance called. I'm pretty sure that our claim form would have allowed them to verify *any* of our claim documentation, which we had no quarrel with, obviously. With hotels, there were credit card receipts, of course. On other claims, such as a cancelled flight when we were trying to get home from Barbados, there were taxi receipts, and those were also hand-written. Note: The *only* claims that were never paid were for two tips for the taxis. We had a receipt for the taxi fare, but not for the tip! We didn't make that mistake again, but it also wasn't very much money at all, so not worth arguing with. They've always paid exactly what we submitted (with receipts, of course). This was Travel Insured, with the policies purchased through TripInsuranceStore.com. We've had several claims, from very small, to a few that were quite large, all paid without any nonsense. I don't consider those unpaid taxi-tips to be "nonsense". TI require receipts, and they have the right to do their best to prevent fraud. (I have no idea what they would have done if we had complained, but we had no interest in that. They have paid us quite a bit in claims over the previous almost ten years, and they weren't difficult to deal with. We read so many complaints about travel insurance; our experience has been very positive, except for our need to make an insurance claim in the first place, of course.) GC

Most of our travel insurance claims have not been for medical expenses, but a few have been. Another was for the costs of a physician sent by the hotel manager to our room, a couple of times before he (the physician) told the hotel to call an ambulance. All we had from the physician was a hand-written "bill/receipt" on his letterhead. It was paid along with the far larger extra hotel bills for the extended stay for DH while I was in hospital, and then for several more days after I was discharged before I was well enough to continue the trip. I had expected some push-back on that one physician bill, but there wasn't any problem. (It also was a relatively small amount compared with the other costs claimed and paid.) GC

Yes. DH was treated on an emergency basis on the ship very early in the morning. We were docked at Bermuda for a multi-day stop. We both felt that the treatment was appropriate (which surprised us). As he was clearly not getting better, and then seemed to be getting worse, I finally told the physician that I would like him to call an ambulance. He replied that he had just done so. We were reimbursed for the ship medical costs and for the ER/ambulance in Bermuda. The total was low 4 figures. As an aside, when we got to the ER, after a short time, we were told that the ship had done exactly what they (the ER) would have done if he had been there first (instead of on a ship). And they wanted to keep him for observation for several hours. At the end of the day, we went back to the ship. Even better, when we got home and saw his specialist, she said, "What they did on the ship is *exactly* what we'd have done here!" (This was at a top tier teaching hospital/major medical school.) GC

This is one of the best, and nicely brief, statements about why it is so important to *call* an insurance broker about the various choices one is considering (or that one might want to consider) for travel insurance. However, I also wonder if even the "elimination" of policies would always work just right. One of the problems is that "civilians" (non-experts with respect to travel insurance) may not always understand the technical use of some terms in "travel insurance usage", which can be different from everyday language usage, etc. One good example of this is with the term "pre-existing medical condition". Each policy will have its own definition, and depending upon someone's specific circumstances, "pre-existing medical condition" might be quickly understood to be more restrictive than it actually is, or to be more liberal than it actually is! So... CALL and discuss! There are no costs to the call, other than some time that might save you a lot of aggravation or disappointment later, and perhaps a lot of money. GC

When you speak with Steve (or one of his associates), you'll find they are *very* patient about answering questions. Don't hesitate to call back if you think of other questions later. Before purchasing our first policy, we had quite a few, "But what about if X happens?" and then, "Well, what if it's Y instead that happens!?" Each question was answered, and in some cases those answers provided even more information than simply the specific question had asked, plus they'd sometimes ask us additional questions. They are really helpful. GC

Double check that the policy and insurance company that you plan to use does allow the "step wise" payments. I have no idea how many offer this, but it's not uncommon. However, if you read here on CC more, you might notice many of us suggest *not* getting travel insurance through the cruiseline (or any "travel provider"). For one thing, third-party coverage would cover you from the moment you walk out your door until you walk back in. That is, if you are adding a little trip on the way or on the way home, that's all included, as is the transportation to the airport, etc. You might want to check prices and coverages before deciding, especially for the price point, before any deadlines pass. The "ease of claims" is something one shouldn't underestimate. We read of occasional nightmares here on CC (and elsewhere!). We've had several claims, including some large ones, and never had a quarrel with Travel Insured. But note: Some of the "nightmares" are because the traveler didn't understand all (ALL) of the terms and conditions, and perhaps assumed something was/would be covered... and it was never covered to begin with... That's why speaking with a broker can really help. There's no extra cost for using a broker, and they can help find the best policy for *your* particular needs/concerns. They can also help with claims should that be needed. (We once needed help re-arranging private transport [covered by insurance] after an emergency hospital stay mid-trip, so we could recover the final week rather than just fly home and get reimbursed for a missed final week. I would never have thought of that situation in advance!) And you might want to compare other aspects of the different policies. Initially, it's tricky, yes. Now that we've found a good policy and an insurer who "pays" (non-trivial on occasion!), and a broker who will help if needed (only once, but that *really* mattered!), we stick with that. We are among the 'unfortunate' who have had several claims (but 'fortunate' in that we had good coverage). We've had a few $$$$ trips (cruise or land - or both!), so we certainly understand not wanting to pay all of it far in advance... the trip or the insurance costs! Enjoy your trip! 🙂 GC

The insurance we get, through Travel Insured (using www.TripInsuranceStore.com) require only covering the initial deposit at the start, within the 10-20 days (state dependent). Then, as additional non-refundable costs are added, we just up the coverage step-wise. So the big insurance payment doesn't hit until the big trip payment hits. GC

Do you have any regular health insurance that covers out of country? You're all below Medicare age, so those restrictions aren't relevant (yet!). Having Primary for travel insurance is good, in our opinion. The policy will pay before you need to deal with any other insurer, especially if that other one gives you grief or weird delays, etc. We had *one* situation where our regular insurance, which does cover overseas as any emergency would be covered at home... kept losing the claim... after acknowledging receipt... repeatedly. They even ran out the clock on our travel insurance deadline to file. This was an employer plan, and we finally turned the problem over to HR/Benefits (who got the same run-around, and told us, "They don't seem to know how to process these..." 😡). So, *always* primary for the travel insurance, and we've had several such claims, all paid without nonsense! What are the prices of the two types? Are you getting these through a travel insurance broker? They can help you figure out the *other* terms and conditions that might make a difference (pre-existing medical conditions, frail family members not traveling with you...). There's no extra cost to the traveler. We recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com - but *call* them to discuss the "fine print", which can make all the difference come claim time... GC

If that situation in Africa is the one I'm thinking of, it was sort of a "worst perfect storm" situation. Just freaky. They had insurance, but as usual, from overseas, providers often don't/can't "bill" the insurer. That's why one keeps some high limit charge cards. But at least at first, there was no way to process anything by charge card, and it was a weekend or such, so they couldn't even get started with some of the emergency (!) plans. They were in a very remote location, and had trouble reaching anyone with limited outside access. [I may have some of the specifics slightly wrong, but this captures the essence of what they went through.] Given what happened, she/they are remarkably lucky that she survived as well as she did (although I haven't read a recent report)... or that she survived at all! But yes, once they were able to get different levels on contact, they sure made use of the medivac! I can't even begin to imagine being in their situation. Chances are SO unlikely that something like that would happen at all, never mind in such a remote location... but very occasionally... they do... 😱 And they did end up using the various insurance coverages they had, but not as promptly as one would have expected, alas. A real nightmare. (Do you have an update about how she is doing? I don't remember the link.) GC

We also use Steve at www.TripInsuranceStore.com ever since we learned about him here on CC. But *CALL* him/them to discuss your questions about travel insurance. Don't just rely upon online summaries. There is no way to learn all the details of the fine print, and one "miss" could cause a claim to be denied. When you speak with them, they'll not only answer your questions, but chances are good that while listening to you, they'll also then ask you some questions to further help them help you find the best policy for your needs. They do not "upsell". Indeed, one experience we'll never forget was after speaking with him to purchase another policy for the "next trip". Suddenly Steve asked a question, based upon his understanding (and memory!) of our previous discussions and also our claims. He then said that he did not think we needed to purchase any travel insurance for that trip, and then he explained why. We discussed it, and... he was correct: for that particular trip, we did *not* need travel insurance! He could so easily have sold us a policy again and we'd never have realized. But he didn't! Also note that some types of coverages are time sensitive, and there may be a window about 10-20 days (state specific) after the very *first* payment to get the best choice of coverages. If you miss that, there are still good policies, but at least one type of coverage won't be available (or not from a reputable insurer). They are very patient, including with newbie questions. That's how many of us learned, after all... GC

[emphasis added] I can't tell if the second sentence is a joke or not (and if it is, it's a bit tasteless). "Worst case" with an 89 year old and a medical emergency far from home!? A delay of "a day or two" (!) could indeed be the very "worst case scenario" possible! A delay could be catastrophic for anyone (and that's one of the hopefully low-risk events that tend to be in the backs of minds), but the more fragile the person, the less "leeway" there is, no surprise. The same "problem" might occur at a nice remote cabin in the woods, too, but the complications of some "problems" such as delays overseas due to missing paperwork or such... some of those can be mitigated without interfering with the vacation itself. OP might want to have Mother discuss the trip with her physician. As we got older, we started traveling with a few extra "just in case" meds. For most, we'd know when to take them. But for a few, our physician had us agree not to take them unless/until we contacted him by email and we'd discuss it. If there wasn't time for that, then it would be whatever emergency medical facilities were available... That's always a risk with travel. Each person needs to weigh the risks and benefits, etc., and that's not restricted to cruising. That's "life". We aren't staying home as we get older, but there are certain very out of the way destinations that we won't be going to if we haven't already... even with our passports. GC

This ^^ Whenever I see a price like "$199.99" (or anything "$xxxx.99"/etc.), I have a very negative visceral reaction... that it's just gouging every last tiny bit... but by thinking they are being clever, and somehow "tricking us". 😠 I mean... $199 and $190 may be only vaguely different, but they *are* different (vaguely). $199.99 and $200?? Not really different at all. More of an annoyance about the one cent. Okay... I notice it seems to be a nice round "$199". Yay!! Everyone saved a dollar! No, I mean everyone saved only 99 cents, definitely not "a dollar", right? When the basic total price point is in the thousands... making some part of it seem "less" because of an attempt at a trivial "rounding down" mystique?? Really? It just seems unbecoming, cheapening things. To be clear, this "air fee" doesn't affect us. We always use awards for business or first class air for any long haul/international, and we usually arrive early and depart late, using the extra time to explore, etc. (We also may fly in or out of non-port cities.) But I still react to the cheese factor. (And I don't mean brie with a nice baguette and glass of fine red wine! 😉 ) GC

And even if they had - and this is VERY important! - was the "event causing the loss" included in the insurance coverage? Not everything is. For "missed connections", were there requirements about how much time was arranged to start with? (I wouldn't expect insurance to cover a missed connection if someone tried to schedule a connection that was too tight, etc.) This is where an insurance broker can be helpful in advance, when deciding which policy to purchase... discussing what is included in each policy under consideration, or, importantly, what is not included. And keep in mind, there may be "things one didn't think of" that may - or may not - be covered. We've had quite a few claims, and everything has been covered... thus far! GC

We strongly recommend speaking with www.TripInsuranceStore.com But CALL them. The online summaries of various policies simply cannot capture all of the fine print. A travel insurance broker (no extra charge to traveler) can not only answer your questions, but they can ask other questions. They know what some of the possibly subtle differences are in the policies (some differences aren't subtle at all, but some are), and they know what to ask, or what to listen for when you ask questions. As mentioned, don't decide by price alone. What matters is if the coverage types you want are included in the policy you get! Also keep in mind that usually if you start the travel insurance within 10-20 days (state dependent) of your *first* payment (refundable or not), you'll probably have a choice of the most options in terms of coverage. We've used TIS since learning about them here on CC almost 10 years ago. We've had several claims, including a few large ones, and all have been paid without any nonsense. GC

We always have that information, about the port agent. (Gasp, what if we get left behind... that's who we'd turn to for starters! 😱) But the suggestion was perhaps to contact an excursion that IS sponsored by the cruise line, just to see what their return progress is. If they are running late and IF the ship *can* wait, then... the ship would be there for others arriving at or before the delayed arrival of the ship excursion. No harm in inquiring in the off chance that situation arises... I still think that's a good idea to keep in back of our minds, separate from the port agent. GC

We always book a private excursion, usually for just the two of us. Sometimes, if it's appropriate, we'll see if others on our Roll Call want to join us, such as when we book a really large catamaran (the type with 4 bedrooms in the hulls, used for overnight charters). Then it's more fun to have some others, plus splitting the cost. And there's plenty of room! We also ALWAYS describe exactly what the itinerary will be, so there are no unfortunate surprises or misunderstandings. Once it was a regular excursion but we took it private without changing anything. Other times, we've arranged where to go, etc., although it could be subject to the winds, etc. Sometimes, we just want to be able to see/do things at our own pace, perhaps to spend more time here, and less there, or to add a stop recommended by the guide, etc... and no shopping! We are always aware that the ship will *not* wait for us, and we always plan to be back *long* before the "all aboard" time stated by the ship. Good thinking about having text contact info for a ship excursion to check their progress. We'll remember that. 🙂 GC

Ooops, sorry... there is no absolute guarantee that any cruiseline will make sure you don't "miss the ship". There may be tides that the ship *must* use, or another ship may be arriving at the same dock... Elsewhere on this thread, above, it's already been mentioned how some HAL passengers got stranded for several days due to a dreadful weather situation (flooding, etc.). That was an unusually unfortunate situation, however. But... "life happens"... What probably WILL happen on a cruise-line sponsored excursion is that the line will get you back to the ship the best they can, IF the ship could not wait. That won't happen if you have a private excursion. But it's pretty rare that an excursion can't make it back in time/that the ship can't wait a bit. They'd do the best they could, whereas for a private excursion, there'd probably be very little leeway. GC

Thanks very much! We'll look into that. Other cruise suggestions are welcome; there's plenty of time for us to be considering this. I looked into that small "people ferry" again, and we decided that if we could get one of the private cabins, it would be fine. However... I then noticed: NO internet. DH still does some work on vacations, so that could be a problem for several days. (I don't mind his working at all. We agreed some years ago: Better that he should do some work on vacations than not take vacations at all! And I wonder how I would "do" with "no internet for days. We've obviously gotten much too accustomed to the "modern" instant news/contact. 🤔 ) In case it matters, one of our key goals is to see the icebergs in Disko Bay. We'll check with the authorities in Ilulissat about what the best month is likely to be, but any suggestions or experiences with the icebergs specifically would be helpful. And all of the scenery should be terrific. IF "iceberg season" happens *not* to be during the most daylight, that would be a bonus with a chance of Northern Lights. (We "saw" them during a Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal cruise, but they were very faint, and they are especially faint to human eyes. More chances would be great.) Many thanks! GC

By all means start looking into awards travel, and start accumulating points asap! With the bonus points, it doesn't take forever. We started with a ton of points that DH had accumulated because he had had significant work travel and was allowed to charge all the hotel and restaurant bills to our personal card and get reimbursed. (That was when he became a "million miler" on one airline program, but it was ALL from spending, and hardly any from actual travel miles. He was among the last to do that before they changed the program so that only "travel miles/points" counted.) So when we started our "real" travel, we could spend those points a bit recklessly, like Monopoly Money, sort of. 😉 We went to Japan First Class on JAL, then to Hong Kong, and home First Class on Cathay Pacific. Did we ever get spoiled! So we started the bonus point game. First, we focus on two airline networks: American Airlines (AAdvantage) and their airline partners, and also American Express's Membership Rewards, which has another network of airline partners. There is minimal overlap in those two networks; between the two of them, almost all airlines of interest to us are included (not all, but most). We wait for "big bonus" offers, such as 100k miles to sign up. I did that , and then got 20k more miles to "refer" DH. By then the 100k offer was over (not fast enough - drat!), but he snagged 60k plus my 20k. Not bad at all. So every year or two, we sign up for new cards. We'll get those that have low annual fees, such as $95/year. A year or two of that, and we either cancel (Note caution below) or drop to a freebie level card. IF we are going to cancel, we only do that if we can transfer the points to another card or airline, so we do not lose those points. Next hint: We use an "awards service" to help us get the actual awards tickets. There are lists on FrequentFlyer.com; read the reviews carefully; they are *not* all the same. We are able to be flexible with our actual travel dates, and if it's not for a cruise, then there is even more flexibility. We don't mind spending an extra night or two in a new town at the beginning or end of a trip! Right now, Chase is, I think, the only card/awards program that will allow spouses to combine points, so that made it easier to drop one of the cards, of course. When we flew home from HK on Cathay First, I would have been *delighted* to stay on the plane and go back and forth again! Yes, really. Those seats/beds are almost as wide as a regular twin bed! And we were pampered like crazy... when we were awake! Traveling ultra-long-haul on Singapore, the time literally disappeared. And the food! They have a "Book The Cook". I had something like braised short ribs, and I would have been pleased with that at the best restaurant in town, it was soooo good. My "lunch" was a second dinner (what I selected), and that was *excellent* as well. And then... we slept. And ate. And slept. And arrived so rested, it was amazing. But the Business class (shorthand "J", although there are other letters for "business") on the top international carriers is more than "fine", too! F is getting harder and harder to get with awards, but J is getting closer and closer to what F was not too long ago anyway. So start collecting those points. Time flies! (No pun intended, argh!) Get those bonus points. The bonus points usually require spending $X,000 within the first 3, 4, or 6 months, etc., so we wait until there is a big bill coming up: home insurance, tuition, a hotel bill, etc., and get the best use of that. (We *never* buy something "just to get the points"; that defeats the entire purpose. If we ever had to, we could top off the points needed by purchasing points, if, say, we were just barely short for a trip, but we haven't needed to do that yet. It would be worth a few hundred dollars if that what stood between us and a luxurious trip around the globe...) It may seem overwhelming at first. Start now/soon by getting those points started. Try to charge *everything* on one card or another. It really adds up. AND get those bonus points. Sooner than you might expect, you'll have enough points for a wonderful trip. (We'd NEVER use points for domestic travel. The best "value" is with top international airlines on long-haul trips.) The airlines are not equal. Read up on FT (also here on CC) for tips about the best airlines and also specific aircraft. Enjoy! GC [sorry to have run so long! I ended up with memories of lots of trips! 🙂 ]