Cruzin Terri

An Expensive Lesson Learned. I feel that you are all my friends and therefore should share with you what happened when I tried to claim insurance reimbursement from AMEX through my Platinum Card. Hope this helps anyone who has a Plantinum Card and plans to rely on it for trip insurance. i posted this both on the insurance forum and the Oceania Forum. Here goes: Let me start by saying that I am not blaming AMEX. i did not do due diligence by reading and understanding all the terms and conditions of the insurance so I blame no one but myself. This post is only so that anyone else who may be thinking of using the insurance provided by the AMEX Platinum Card understand when and how they may be able to get reimbursed. Here is my story: We were planning a trip to Italy and then a cruise from Rome back to Miami. We booked our airfare with Chase Points and paid for our cruise with the AMEX Platinum Card. The cruise was under $10,000 so I figured that in the event we had to cancel for a covered reason, we were insured. Well, two days before we were to leave for Italy, my husband became ill and we were unable to go. My airline tickets to Italy (purchased using Chase Points) were fully refundable. So that was refunded and the points re deposited in my Chase Ultimate Rewards account. I had opted to pay for the hotel stays at the time we stayed rather than the early, non-refundable rate. So I canceled in time. The only money we stood to lose was the cruise fare. So I felt we had a shot at getting that back with AMEX. So I called them to file a clam. Not so easy. What I failed to notice was that AMEX says that a Covered Trip is a period of round trip travel 1) to one or more destinations other than an Eligible Traveler’s city of residence at the time of departure where 2) the period of round-trip trave ends when the Eligible Traveler returns by Common Carrier to the city of departure: 3) the trip does not exceed 365 days away from the the Eligible Travelers city of residence and 4) The Eligible Traveler charges the full amount of the cost of the the transportation by Common Carrier(s) to your Eligible Card. The period of round trip may consist of round trip, one-way, or combinations of round trip, one-way tickets with Common Carriers. So the very first question, after verifying my identity, was how did I pay for the tickets to get to Italy. As soon as I told her I used the Chase Ultimate Rewards, she let me know the terms and conditions of the insurance and immediately went on to inform me that my claim was most likely to be declined due to the fact that I did not pay for all my transportation by common carrier with the Platinum Card. It was a lesson for me and I share it with you so that you do not make the same mistake I did. Please don’t flame me for not reading the T&C’s. i already know I made a mistake. I write this as a helpful hint for others who may be thinking of doing likewise. Terri

I posted this on the Insurance Forum and think it is worth posting here as well, since I was to take an Oceania Sirena Cruise from Rome to Miami. Let me start by saying that I am not blaming AMEX. i did not do due diligence by reading and understanding all the terms and conditions of the insurance so I blame no one but myself. This post is only so that anyone else who may be thinking of using the insurance provided by the AMEX Platinum Card understand when and how they may be able to get reimbursed. Here is my story: We were planning a trip to Italy and then a cruise from Rome back to Miami. We booked our airfare with Chase Points and paid for our cruise with the AMEX Platinum Card. The cruise was under $10,000 so I figured that in the event we had to cancel for a covered reason, we were insured. Well, two days before we were to leave for Italy, my husband became ill and we were unable to go. My airline tickets to Italy (purchased using Chase Points) were fully refundable. So that was refunded and the points re deposited in my Chase Ultimate Rewards account. I had opted to pay for the hotel stays at the time we stayed rather than the early, non-refundable rate. So I canceled in time. The only money we stood to lose was the cruise fare. So I felt we had a shot at getting that back with AMEX. So I called them to file a clam. Not so easy. What I failed to notice was that AMEX says that a Covered Trip is a period of round trip travel 1) to one or more destinations other than an Eligible Traveler’s city of residence at the time of departure where 2) the period of round-trip trave ends when the Eligible Traveler returns by Common Carrier to the city of departure: 3) the trip does not exceed 365 days away from the the Eligible Travelers city of residence and 4) The Eligible Traveler charges the full amount of the cost of the the transportation by Common Carrier(s) to your Eligible Card. The period of round trip may consist of round trip, one-way, or combinations of round trip, one-way tickets with Common Carriers. So the very first question, after verifying my identity, was how did I pay for the tickets to get to Italy. As soon as I told her I used the Chase Ultimate Rewards, she let me know the terms and conditions of the insurance and immediately went on to inform me that my claim was most likely to be declined due to the fact that I did not pay for all my transportation by common carrier with the Platinum Card. It was a lesson for me and I share it with you so that you do not make the same mistake I did. Please don’t flame me for not reading the T&C’s. i already know I made a mistake. I write this as a helpful hint for others who may be thinking of doing likewise. Terri

He is doing better, but it was the right decision not to go. My parting words to the lady from AMEX was that I know to use my Chase Insurance the next time. Thanks. Terri.

Let me start by saying that I am not blaming AMEX. i did not do due diligence by reading and understanding all the terms and conditions of the insurance so I blame no one but myself. This post is only so that anyone else who may be thinking of using the insurance provided by the AMEX Platinum Card understand when and how they may be able to get reimbursed. Here is my story: We were planning a trip to Italy and then a cruise from Rome back to Miami. We booked our airfare with Chase Points and paid for our cruise with the AMEX Platinum Card. The cruise was under $10,000 so I figured that in the event we had to cancel for a covered reason, we were insured. Well, two days before we were to leave for Italy, my husband became ill and we were unable to go. My airline tickets to Italy (purchased using Chase Points) were fully refundable. So that was refunded and the points re deposited in my Chase Ultimate Rewards account. I had opted to pay for the hotel stays at the time we stayed rather than the early, non-refundable rate. So I canceled in time. The only money we stood to lose was the cruise fare. So I felt we had a shot at getting that back with AMEX. So I called them to file a clam. Not so easy. What I failed to notice was that AMEX says that a Covered Trip is a period of round trip travel 1) to one or more destinations other than an Eligible Traveler’s city of residence at the time of departure where 2) the period of round-trip trave ends when the Eligible Traveler returns by Common Carrier to the city of departure: 3) the trip does not exceed 365 days away from the the Eligible Travelers city of residence and 4) The Eligible Traveler charges the full amount of the cost of the the transportation by Common Carrier(s) to your Eligible Card. The period of round trip may consist of round trip, one-way, or combinations of round trip, one-way tickets with Common Carriers. So the very first question, after verifying my identity, was how did I pay for the tickets to get to Italy. As soon as I told her I used the Chase Ultimate Rewards, she let me know the terms and conditions of the insurance and immediately went on to inform me that my claim was most likely to be declined due to the fact that I did not pay for all my transportation by common carrier with the Platinum Card. It was a lesson for me and I share it with you so that you do not make the same mistake I did. Please don’t flame me for not reading the T&C’s. i already know I made a mistake. I write this as a helpful hint for others who may be thinking of doing likewise. Terri

Good morning to all the Dailyites. Thank you to Rich for the Fleet Report and Daily. I love the quote. It is really funny. I think I will pass on the meal. The drink and wine sound fine. I have been to Callao/Lima. It was the stepping stone to taking the plane to Cusco and on to Manchu Picchu. Today we are hoping for a quiet day. I have not yet wakened DH. He had a nasty fall last night—and it is all his fault. He did not turn on lights and then tripped over an area rug. I just do not understand. I am sure he is going to be sore this morning. No broken bones but two bruised knees and a bruised ego. Thankfully it is not worse than that. This morning the phone rang at 8 am. I am usually awake before then, but not this morning. It was the eye doctor’s office to tell me that my contact lenses are in and to come pick them up. Was it necessary to tell me this at 8 am? Prayers for all on the cares list. @JazzyV i hope you are feeling bette @mamaofami I hope Sam continues to improve and there are no more hospital stays; Prayers always for Baby Murphy and her parents. and for all others on the Cares list Cheers to those celebrating. @grapau27 a. Very Happy Birthday to you. I am having a hard time with the blue bubbles so I am going to stop. Hope everyone has a great day. God Bless, Terri

And to add another chapter to my story, DH fell down tonight. He hurt his already sore neck and bruised both knees. Thank God no broken bones. God forbid we would ever turn on a light so that we could see where we are going! I’m tired. Terri

i am just checking in. Sorry I am so late. DH had a doctor’s appointment today and after going over all that transpired in the last two weeks, it was determined that his medication needed to be increased. DH was amenable to that. He has seemed pretty good for the last few days. We are trying to book a short cruise just to get away, but not having very much luck. Looking at one that may work. TA will let us know tomorrow. I think it would be good and DH was the one to suggest it. Hope everyone had a good day. i will read all the posts tomorrow. I had very little sleep last night and hope I do better tonight. Prayers for everyone. Terri

We have an appointment with the Doc on Thursday afternoon, Thank God. Thank you all for your support. Terri

I’m trying not to go that route unless all else fails. i don’t think he will go there, but would go tot he doctor. Terri

Well, I called the Doctor’s office and the first appointment is at the end of November. I told them that this was not acceptable. She is seeing if the Doc can fit him in and I am waiting for a phone call for an answer. Here’s hoping. Terri

Good morning to all. Thank you to Rich for the Daily and Fleet Report. And thanks to Vanessa @JazzyVfor the Cares and Celebration List. I hope you are feeling better. Thank you for keeping me and DH on the list. Things are still not right here. DH is still struggling and I am going to make a doctor’s appointment today to see what is going on. Thank you to the Food and Beverage Department @cat shepard Ann, for your wine expertise, Dixie @summer slope Dixie for your wealth of knowledge on libations. And, of course, Debbie @dfish for your extensive encyclopedia of recipes. I can’t wait to see what Hamburger with macaroni soup is. I like the quote. I have been to Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe, and it was not a good experience. It was the only time that we were afraid of missing the ship. We took a taxi to the town of Ste. Anne. The driver was supposed to come back for us and never did. We asked shopkeepers to call a taxi for us and they refused to do so. Finally a local lady offered to drive us back to the ship for quite a bit of money. Having no other choice, we paid her. Needless to say, if we ever go back to that port, we will stay on the ship. No need for a repeat performance. Prayers for all those on the Cares list. Cheers to those celebrating. @grapau27Graham, thank you for the explanation of Diwali. @kazu Welcome home. @aliaschief Bon Voyage! @Seasick Sailor Happy Anniversary. I hope everyone has a good day. God Bless. Terri

Good morning to all. Thank you to Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann and Dixie for all your work on this Daily. And a big thank you to all of you for the support you have given me over the past week or so. DH is having some sort of problem and I am not sure what it is. He is finding it hard to do much and it just seemed that it was going to be too difficult to do this extensive trip. He was getting too anxious and it was only making matters worse. Finally after getting him to calm down a bit and talking it through, we decided that it was better to cancel. We will lose some money but it is better than the alternative. Fortunately, the hotels were not to be charged until we stayed there, so we cancelled in sufficient time and the airfare was refundable. RomeCabs accepted our cancellation as did a number of tours we booked. The cruise was purchased at a sale price and that is about what we will lose unless we can get the doctor to write something. We will see. So that is where we are. He seems calmer already now that the decision has been made. Again, thank you all for your continued support and prayers. God Bless, Terri

Thank you all for all your kind words, thoughts and prayers. We will get through this. It is just unfortunate that things happened the way they did. God Bless you all. Terri

Well, it is with heavy heart and great disappointment that we have decided to cancel our trip. Thank you for all your support and prayers. I will post when I am able to do so. Terri

Good morning, Hope everyone is doing well. I am still dealing with issues and not sure what is going on. @JazzyV you have mail! Please remove me from the cares list. We leave on Tuesday. Maybe. Hope everyone has a good day. God Bless, Terri

@JazzyVThank you for your prayers. I was hoping for a better day but it was not to be. i hope you are doing better. Didn’t mean to leave you out this morning. I try to include everyone and someone always slips by. Terri

Good morning. I figured I had better post now while I am the only one who is awake. Thank you to Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann and Dixie for all you do to keep this thread going. Thank you to all of you for your prayers while we are going through some difficulties. We are working out DH’s situation and hopefully today will be better. Prayers for the people in Israel, and Ukraine. Prayers for Baby Murphy and may she continue to improve. Prayers also for @StLouisCruisers friend Scott, @mamaofami’ DH Sam, @57redbird’s DH and @HAL Sailer’s DH, and @CrabbyPatti’s DFIL. I hope I have not missed anyone. Prayers for everyone on this thread, whether you need them or not. I am almost packed. My problem is not being really sure what the weather will be like in Venice, Florence and Rome prior to the cruise. I am packing some long sleeve shirts, sweaters, slacks and a jacket. Hoping that layering will work. Today I have some errands to run and then try to get the packing finished. Then I expect to spend the weekend getting finances in order and the house straightened up. We get picked up on Tuesday for our flights. We have decided to fly out of Savannah rather than Jacksonville this time. So far it seems that it will work out. We are on Delta to Atlanta, then Air France to Paris and to Venice. Glad we only have to fly one way. Again thank you all for your support and prayers. They really help. God Bless, Terri

Thanks Lenda Terri

@GeorgiaPeach51 thank you for updating us. I am glad Oceania was able offer FCC to your satisfaction. I think that it is a good business practice on their end and certainly a goodwill gesture. I hope they extend it to anyone who wishes it who is on this cruise. Best of luck to you. Terri

Good evening to all, I am so sorry for not posting regularly. i will try harder. These days have been hard ones while we are trying to get ready for our trip. Things are somewhat better, but not great. Just trying to keep it all together. i really feel like the whole world is on my shoulders right now. I think you get the picture. I am mostly packed. However, DH has not started! What can I say. Anyway, on a better note, I want Debbie @dfish to know that I cooked the balsamic honey pork chops tonight. i used the first recipe and it was delicious. Thank you for that. i thank all of you for keeping us in your prayers. I appreciate it very much. DH is having a hard time these days and it is not easy. That is all I can say right now. God bless all of you. Terri

To get back to the OP’s original topic. Oceania is within its rights to change the cruise ports. They certainly cannot go to Israel, and who would expect them to do so. As for FCC. That would be a good will gesture and a good business decision, but they are under no obligation to do so. They are in the business of providing cruises and they are fulfilling their obligation. That cruise will sail. If the OP is not happy with the change in itinerary, no one is forcing her to board the ship. Sometimes we have to take our losses. Terri

i have been reading this thread with much interest. Croooser, i agree with you regarding the Chase Sapphire insurance. We used to buy insurance as well until I had a chat with the folks at Chase and realized we were duplicating coverage. We also pick up GeoBlue for DH. My insurance covers me fully out of the US so I don’t need it. We find this is sufficient. We had friends (RIP) that used Chase insurance exclusively and at the end of thire days had to cancel some cruises and Chase paid with very little problems.. Terri

Thank you all for your prayers. I am hesitant to give more info right now, the reason being that I have been contacted by some CC members that are local in my area. I really do not want anyone to know what is going on. I will tell you this. We are not physically ill and we will probably be going on our trip next week. However, there are some challenges we are trying to face and dealing with them. Today things are a bit better. Yesterday the floor guy was back and had the audacity to give me another bill. With all the other stuff going on, I am now trying to fight this as well. He made the mess and charged me for that and is now asking for money to fix his mess. That did not help with all the other stuff I am having to deal with. More later. God love you all. Terri

Thank you all for your prayers. I will try to post more tomorrow. Good night and God Bless, Terri

Please keep us in your prayers. We are having some challenging days. Terri