GeezerCouple

It might also require permission from the other country. They may need to have an immigration official available, etc. Ditto to plan to get off at other than the final port. This was the case on the "before times" as well. GC

We have met with one of the "travel medicine" physicians at our major hospital. He gave us a few extra prescriptions "just in case", plus some OTC recommendations to keep with us. And our regular physicians have also given us some other "just in case" meds to keep with us when we travel. All of this is always in a carry-on that one of us always has "hands on", unless it's in the overhead in a plane, and then we put it across the aisle and slightly in front of us so we can see... And we alway take smaller supplies of some with us if we leave the ship. We also carry copies of Rx scripts and a physician's letter of explanation for a few, and copies of everything (including passports) are in the cloud. We also take it easy in terms of excursions. We tend to get private excursions so that we can spend time at what *we* want to see (more time at A, less time at B, if we want, etc.), and also so we can go at our speed. I occasionally need to rest, and we do *not* want to slow others down! (We sometimes invite others from our Roll Call if we do something like charter a large catamaran, with a simple and known itinerary/destination. That's worked very well. 🙂 ) About "ability", I read somewhere here on CC recently that one cruise line, if tendering, will set two strips of tape on a floor, 18 (?) inches apart. If a passenger cannot step easily from one strip directly to the other, then they are not allowed to tender. We each have a food allergy. So if we are going places where language is likely to be a problem, we bring a translation on little cards. And with one tricky allergy, we have a picture of one specific food item, and that's come in very handy a few times, to minimize the chance of misunderstanding! (In one case, the translated word frequently seems to be ambiguous.) However, medical emergencies can happen. As described earlier, we did indeed have a serious medical emergency on a ship; fortunately, it was docked at the time. That did make us start to think more seriously about the "what if's". On the other hand, we still want to enjoy life, and a big part of that for us is travel. Due to our age and a few medical conditions, we try to be careful where we go. For example, because we started travel relatively late (a BIG MISTAKE! 😠 ) we've missed our chance for a safari, and also probably a trip to Antarctica. Similarly, we aren't sure we'd do an ocean crossing, etc. But we've had plenty of other wonderful trips, and hope to do many more! GC

Why don't you post this question in the "Azamara" sub-forum of CC. You'll get responses from those who are familiar with Azamara policies specifically. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/362-azamara/ GC

The fact that some countries, including some that welcome cruise ships, require visitors to have passports, and to have passports that are valid for some specified time beyond the stay is... a real life fact. You may not like it, but that doesn't change their "real life" requirements. GC

There are some countries that require that passengers on cruise ships have passports, and have passports that are valid at least 6 months beyond the travel date. (They may require that of any arriving foreigners, regardless of whether the mode is ship or air, etc.) And... a cruise line can have any requirements they wish, as long as the requirements aren't illegal. So a cruise line *could* require passports that are valid for, say, 2 years past the return date. Because this probably wouldn't be appreciated by passengers, and isn't needed for any other reason, it's unlikely ever to occur like that. 🙄 The point is that what one company does isn't necessarily what other companies do; what one country does isn't necessarily what other countries do... Our children and grands had passports prior to their first trip out of the USA, regardless of age (and the youngest was 18 months old at the time of his first foreign trip). That made it very easy for other trips; just keep those passports up to date... like with the adults (although when the children are young, the passports need to be renewed more often). Then there is never a scramble about timing of travel or perhaps finding a last minute bargain trip. 🙂 GC

What you are describing is precisely why we do not get annual policies. Another reason is... IF we used up the maximum coverage on a trip and still had trip(s) later in the year, there'd be no coverage. And it would be too late to sign us for the regular policy we would have wanted. That needs to be started within about 2 weeks of making the very first payment/deposit. GC

Isn't this exactly what you would *want* to be done? Otherwise, the risk is that the patient isn't really medically "cleared", and continues to sail away and.... then what !??? 😱 We had something very much like this. DH had a medical emergency while the ship was in port (it was an overnight port stop). The ship medical staff tried to take care of him, but things were getting worse. Just as I was about to tell the ship physician to please call an ambulance, he walked into the treatment room and announced that... he had called an ambulance! Good!! We spent most of the day at the local hospital, where they announced that what the ship's medical team had done was *exactly* what they would have done, and that was re-assuring. They kept DH several hours for observation. We returned to the ship and had to think long and hard about whether to continue or to fly home. But we had a bunch of new meds with us, with instructions, etc., and we do have some limited medical background by profession. The rest of the cruise was uneventful and very pleasant. When we got home, we promptly contacted DH's specialist, and she said (this was VERY good to hear) that IF DH had shown up in that condition in their top teaching hospital ER, they would have treated him the exact same way! We now travel with those meds at all times. But we sure would NOT have wanted the ship physician to do anything other than what he did! GC

[emphasis added] You obviously have not had good experience with travel insurance. But some/many of us have. We always get third-party insurance, not through the cruise line or any travel organizer. The coverage would include the full cost of the cruise fare, NOT any "credit". You are probably thinking of insurance that is purchased through the cruise line to be dealing with "cruise credits". The insurer doesn't "take the credits". There wouldn't be any "credits" if the travel insurance is a third-party insurer. The insurer would verify that the loss is for a covered reason (medical documentation, for example), and then look at the receipts for original payment, and then... send a check. YES, we have had this done too many times, alas. But we've NEVER had a problem with FULL reimbursement, by check. Usually within about 2 weeks. An exception would be IF we filed a claim under the "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR, meaning NOT a "covered reason"), in which case we'd get a check for 75%. But all of our various cancellations have been for covered reasons so it's been 100% reimbursement, by check. Note: We fly using awards. So we get insurance coverage for the "change/re-banking fee" to put the points back. And we've also had several claims for problems while traveling, and again, we've been paid 100% of the claim after documenting that it was a covered reason (ours were medical) and then providing receipts. We've never received any "cruise credit". In every case, we WISH we had been able to complete the travel without event, rather than file the insurance. But we did use the cash (by check) refunds for other trips. GC

Contact the Special Needs folks at NCL (AccessDesk). But YOU tell them how severe the allergy is, what does and doesn't need to be done. If there is NOT a "cross contamination" issue, tell them that. We've never had any cruise line do anything different from what we described/requested. For example, on the forms, we state "This is not a cross-contamination issue", as we do in any restaurant. We don't want the food prep folks to go to lots of unnecessary steps. But they don't know if you don't explain it. I'm finding it a bit peculiar they they ship staff was overruling the parents. There must have been something of the warnings that alarmed them. Which cruise line was this? Note: No one wants a severe food allergy in the middle of a cruise, of course. GC

Just contact them. They'll understand once you point it out. Shouldn't be a big deal. GC

The part I bolded in the quoted section is especially important. There *are* occasional mid-cruise port changes, for a variety of reasons. Weather could be one (especially during hurricane season, but other times, too). Or there could be some sort of problem with a port, such as equipment (a few years ago, a ship got blown into a dock structure in Alaska; that took some time to fix!). Or... dare I mention some health problem causing a closure and rerouting? The mega-ships are not going to be suddenly changing their itineraries to head to St. Barts, for example, or other smaller ports. But smaller ships might. Indeed, some of those smaller ports are on regular itineraries for some of the smaller ships, so no surprise that they "might" go there... Better safe than sorry, etc. If even one passenger does not have the proper "papers", then any itinerary adjustment could become very difficult. But again... it's a "them's the rules" situation. You sail with Oceania, you follow *their* rules, not those of any other line, not matter how different or similar. GC

What matters is what the CRUISE LINE REQUIRES in this case. And OP had that information, but didn't read it. There is no requirement that Oceania (or any line) "only require" what some specific island requires. They *could* require 12 months, if they wanted to do that. However, the market place might react 🤔 such that they relax it back to the 6 months that is more conventional in some places... It's the same as some lines let one bring on wine with no charge if you drink it in your cabin or suite, and other lines charge corkage for just bringing it on board, with a small limit on the amount. That's up to each cruise line, and it doesn't even need to deal with any outside laws or regulations. And the passengers need to abide by the terms and conditions. GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic. You MUST check with the requirements of your specific cruise line (MSC), and for this particular cruise as well as their general requirements for "documents". For example, some lines may require (*require*) passports that are valid for at least 6 months AFTER the cruise ends, for all passengers. Some cruise lines have requirements that are more "strict" than what is minimally required at each port. IF this cruise is one of those, you will not be allowed to board. It's NOT a matter of "whether you can get off the ship at a particular port". It's whether you have the proper paperwork for the entire cruise, to get *on* the ship. (Except for very specific destinations, it is not common for the cruise line to be checking separately for each port about whether passengers can leave the ship. They may not let you on in the first place if that is not the case.) It is much better safe than sorry, etc. Don't risk finding out the hard way. IF MSC very clearly states that regular passports are not needed, and birth certificates are sufficient, etc., then you'd be okay, but if they *do* require passports and you don't all have them, you won't be allowed to board on the day of sailing. Read all the "fine print" that appears with your cruise documents. And consider getting travel insurance. (At a minimum, make sure that you have health care insurance that covers you out of the country. That's the most important.) Make sure all have the appropriate passports, and then relax and enjoy your cruise! GC

I agree that this is an issue for OP, no question about that. And it does seem that OP has not been paying attention in the past... and seems to be continuing that policy. However, OP does seem to be an experienced traveler: "... I've been on over 50 cruises and have never ever had this come up...." (from Post 18 in this thread), and she's been on CC since 2002, with 4k posts. OP has been fortunate that not reading all of the terms and conditions of her travel agreements hasn't caused problems before now. There have been uncountable reports here on CC about issues that have arisen when others didn't read the T&C in their various travel agreements, be they from the cruise line or perhaps travel insurance, etc. But most others do seem to get familiarized with their documents. [Note: Reading the Terms & Conditions of *any* agreement is a good idea even when not traveling, including for things like insurance, rentals, various purchases.....] GC

We were in a Neptune suite on the Noordam just before COVID hit. We thoroughly enjoyed every breakfast in the Pinnacle Grille. They were very generous with the Mimosas. 🙂 And they got to know "our breakfast order". We love large breakfasts on holidays, and that takes us through the day. So once we arrived, they started bringing out what we enjoyed. It was *very* pleasant, and we hope to do it again. Everyone was really cheerful. GC

We've had something similar a few times, albeit on our cruises on the Riviera. We arrived and requested a table for 2, and we were shown to a table for 4 and asked if this would be satisfactory. (We did not see any empty 2-tops.) We said yes, and they asked if we prefered to sit "next" to each other, at a corner, or across from each other, and then they clear the other two place settings accordingly. Because the table wasn't huge, we prefer "across" under those circumstances, so we don't have to look sideways (although that's not nearly as bad as being seated side-by-side on a banquette, something we hate, especially if it is just the two of us). On one occasion, we were asked if we'd like to join a larger table as there were no 2-tops immediately available, so we glanced at each other, and said, "Sure!" We had a lovely time, but we generally prefer just a table for two, unless there are others we arrange to meet for dinner, etc. GC

You should probably ask this on the CC subforum for the specific cruise line you are considering. Their "change" policies may differ from other lines. In general, though, it MIGHT be difficult, impossible, or very expensive to change the names of the cruisers after final payment/penalty phase. But again, that can vary, as does the timing of those deadlines. Importantly, IF you want to add another person, say a 4th person to a cabin that shows it can accommodate 4 (but you only started with 3), then it MIGHT be the case that later, you will NOT be able to add a 4th passenger, if the lifeboat capacity has already been filled in that lifeboat section. Better to add a 4th name, and then remove the name before any penalties for changing, if that is likely. (It's really not like showing up at a hotel...) GC

Adding to what I already wrote above [and JoeBucks, please do read that if you haven't already], the legal rights are no small issue, should "problems" occur, as Hank mentions. If one is detained overseas, there may be NOTHING that the US government can do, regardless of how close the nearest US Consulate or Embassy might be. NO "USA" laws need to apply in foreign countries and many don't. And many of the international agreements of various sorts are only "good" to the extent that they are honored at the specific time/location that one needs them ... IF there are any that would apply in the first instance. For example, some people here on CC seem a bit cavalier about medicines/"drugs" when crossing borders. And just because "something went fine" on a previous visit... that doesn't guarantee the same will still be "fine" the next time. The other country's laws/regs may have changed. They may be inspecting more carefully. Or maybe it's only that the particular inspector one encounters by chance... had a bad breakfast or an argument at home or such that morning... (Even if it is determined that there is no law that applies to you at that time, the process can take considerable time and effort.) Some unpleasant travel experiences are truly unpredictable or are very difficult to avoid. But some potential problems are indeed known/understood, and with often only a small amount of planning, can very likely be avoided, or at least mitigated considerably. The need for emergency medical care is something that can NOT necessarily be "fixed later"... if the care was denied when critically needed... Why risk it, if something fairly easy and inexpensive [a good charge card or two, with a reasonable limit for the purpose] would avoid a potentially catastrophic problem? GC

This ^^ is very important, and often not understood, especially by those in the USA where it is conventional that if you show up at the ER, you *will* be seen and treated according to regular triage procedures. They don't ask for proof of funds first (or immediately after treatment, such as before "allowing" you to leave). As for travel insurance, we ALWAYS get that, even though our regular employer-based healthcare insurance supposedly includes that. The ONE time we tried to submit a relatively small claim, it was when we had "secondary" travel insurance, so we were required to submit to regular insurer first - and the terms/conditions stated clearly that for emergency care, it was covered. (There was zero question about the emergency part of it.) They kept acknowledging receipt of our claim and copies of receipts, and then kept claiming they hadn't, or they "lost them". Um, how many times can they lose these things!? I finally turned to the employer's VP/Director of Human Resources, who was in charge of Benefits. She had the SAME run-around! Then they ran out our deadline to submit claims on our travel insurance, so I went semi-ballistic. Our employer self-insures and I remain convinced that given the relatively small amount of the claim, the employer just paid it out of some slush fund somewhere. VP stated that "They probably don't deal with many foreign claims and don't know how to handle them." Huh!? This is a large University, with much foreign travel! Now all of our travel insurance is *primary"; no need to involve any other insurance, and it's always paid promptly! Yes, there can be times a travel insurer will arrange to guarantee payment or even wire funds, IF that can be coordinated. But *we* certainly would not want to "wait around" during a medical emergency, while we try to reach insurer, then insurer tries to make arrangements with medical provider, etc. Nope. We just whip out a charge card and get the emergency care started. And *later* sort out those expenses. (If it's an extended, expensive care situation, then there will be time for those payment arrangements to be made. Meanwhile, we always travel with several charge cards, with very ample limits, for any immediate emergency needs.) GC

I've heard of it, perhaps for Antarctica trips? And during the rougher COVID times, there were some countries that were requiring it, which would mean the cruise line would need to, also. They may still do that, but we haven't been doing any serious traveling again yet... 😞 GC

Good catch! GC

Whoa! So they even recognized there was, or at the least might be, a hazard...!? And then they ignored it? What was wrong with the lower ramps, showing off to the side of the collapsed one? We've used low ramps like that sometimes, especially returning to get back "on" the ship. It is often labeled for "crew", but can be used by anyone who needs an easier entry, or for those with scooters/wheelchairs/etc. Why didn't they use one of those!? 😠 GC

See the photo and description in the very first post of this thread. Awful. GC

There is a travel insurance section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ Many of us strongly recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com We are among those who have actually had claims, and - unfortunately - several claims, including some large ones. The folks at TIS helped us get policies that did indeed work as needed, when needed. But CALL them. The policy summaries cannot capture the fine print, which can matter a LOT in some cases. GC

Ditto the Stewart (Stuart?) who services the cabin. 😉 Many people wouldn't usually see these words written, I suppose. (But once on CC, that could change somewhat...) GC