jean163

This was my topic and thanks so much to those who gave helpful responses!  I decided it was best to just call Oceania and ask about their policy.  There is indeed a policy and recommendation in place for each port/cruise.  For mine, arriving at 6 am in NYC, the earliest recommended flight from either LGA, JFK or EWR is 11:00 am.  We weren't thinking anything before noon so that is just fine and now we know and can finalize our flights!  Confirming what's been said above I had heard from a friend that getting a taxi is just basically crossing the street and doesn't take long at all so we will plan accordingly.

We are arriving 6 am in NY in August.  Would a noon flight be possible?  Does Oceania have a policy about the earliest flight they will allow?  We haven't arranged transport to the airport as yet but presumably taxi or Uber would be the fastest.  Not sure yet whether it will be JFK or LGA.

10 minutes ago, ohmark said:

Jean, one more question: Did you cancel first, or get Oceania's agreement for fcc first? Thanks.

Cancelled first, on the Friday (17th) with the sailing due to start on the next Tuesday (21st).  I had told the TA that we were seriously considering cancelling when the new Cdn. travel advisory came out on the Wednesday (15th).  At that time she said we would be in 'full penalties'.  Our FCCs were emailed to us on the 22nd, so no real delay.

27 minutes ago, Ginnyfyr said:

Here in Ontario, you can buy Manulife's Premium Protection Plan (PPP) which includes CFAR coverage. I just looked on their "cover me" website and didn't see it there but it's available through travel agents. 

Oh thank you for that Ginnyfyr.  I did look into it and it's only up to age 74 so not for us oldsters.  You also have to buy it within 3 days of first deposit so that doesn't work for us either as we never take out our cancellation insurance until we're more sure we're actually going.

I have always believed 'cancel for any reason' insurance wasn't offered in Canada.  Is everyone that's mentioned it here talking about cruise line insurance policies or is there an outside company that provides it?  Oceania (which is part of NCL) doesn't sell their own insurance to other than their US passengers so I had looked far and wide and couldn't find any company offering it at any price.

I guess you could call me the OP of this board but I was just responding to a question someone else had posted about whether anyone was being offered 'move overs'.  I replied in the negative and the post quickly devolved into an entirely different 'discussion' which was eventually hived off and the original board put back on track.  First off there are always some on these boards who are critical/opinionated rather than helpful so just ignore them, I do.  I've always thought 'cruisecritic' was a misnomer as I've used these boards for so many good things over the years.  This is the first time I've been critical of any cruise line.  Will just tell you what I did but, to be honest, I'm not at all sure what 'tipped the scales'.  First, I used the various boards extensively to post the issue, not just this one but also the 2 that included our cruise and also the one specifically for Canadians.  I have long suspected there are those linked to the industry watching what is being posted so felt it was worth a try to cover all the bases.  I also sent a pretty strong message to Oceania on their Facebook page (never had an answer to that one).   We were already 'checked in' for the sailing (had our boarding passes) and held off until the last possible moment in the desperate hope that there would be sufficient information about Omicron and travel restrictions to allow us the comfort to proceed.  We cancelled 4 days before the sailing.  The new Cdn. federal travel advisory was a major concern to us, especially as they said there would be more restrictions coming.  To get to Miami we had 4 airports to go through and 3 flights - another high risk situation for us being exposed just prior to sailing.  I used a travel agent for the booking and she did all the handling of the push for a FCC as I know Oceania's agents won't normally speak to you about a booking if it was done through an agent.  I just spelled out to her all these factors that contributed and also included the fact that 2 ports had already been cancelled with the possibility of more to come (and 2 more did come!).   We already have another O cruise under deposit and this one just cancelled would have been our 14th voyage on Oceania so don't know if those 2 things played a part as well.  When you do the on-line check-in the T&C are there and you have to acknowledge that you've read them.  They are huge but I did skim them and noticed that they contradict SailSafe in several areas and also saw they were dated months ago.  There was a sentence (somewhere!) that indicated that they could be changed due to evolving circumstances, or something similar to that, so thought it was worth trying for a FCC, rather than just accepting the loss of our full fare, by listing all the contributing factors.  The travel agent took it from there.  I do know she has been in the business for a long time and the firm is huge and based in Miami so that can't have hurt.   The FCCs can be used for anything booked by end of 2022 and sailing by end of 2023 so we have our fingers crossed that we make it and that Oceania does too!  (We do know, from postings from the ship, that they did end up with exposures on board as early as the 2nd day of the cruise and they are now yellow on the CDC status site.)

On 12/18/2021 at 12:01 PM, Crown Vic said:

Does leave a rather poor taste in one’s mouth. Still, escalating to Robert Binder, CEO, or Frank del Rio, CEO, NCL Holdings may help. Ya never know.

Loyalty should account for something.

Good luck!

No escalation necessary.  Today we received FCCs for the full value of our cruise on Oceania.  They are reacting to evolving situations I think so presumably Canada's Dec. 15th travel advisory was considered sufficient reason to cancel.  They do state that their T&C can be overridden as they are certainly out-of-date compared to SailSafe and this was a new development.  We have until the end of 2022 to book (we already have a cruise under deposit) and 2023 to sail so, hopefully, by then all this will be behind us!  I would still rather be on the cruise now but this does make for a Merrier Christmas!

On 12/18/2021 at 11:31 AM, ORV said:

This is definitely in their regularly defined Terms & Conditions. Is there some type of circumstances they should make an exception for you? 

Glad to report that Oceania is now giving us a FCC for our full fare.  The existing (out-of-date) T&C are overridden by their SailSafe provisions and any new developments.  We cancelled due to our country's Dec. 15th travel advisory which was sufficient reason for them.  We would not have cancelled due to a change in itinerary as we have been on O enough times to know we would be happy on-board even without all the original ports.  Thank you to O for reacting so well to changing circumstances. 

1 hour ago, Halo19 said:

Cruising Feb 20th.

 

Trying to decide if we want to fly or drive down to Florida.  Flying is nicer, but knowing that if we test positive after the cruise we can still drive across the border. Might make driving worth it.

Also, depending on your length of drive, it can be safer for you (and the cruise line) than flying.  But that's a heck of a drive, with restaurants and m/hotels enroute so tough decision depending on how many flights I think.  We have 4 airports/3 flights to get to Florida hence too much exposure to travel there at all now but if it's direct that's a bonus.

2 hours ago, Schnitzelboy said:

Thanks for the feedback.  Interesting to hear that jackets AREN'T required because elsewhere I read that not dressing for dinner is frowned upon.  "Country Club Casual" is not familiar to me.  I planned to wear dress slacks and a jacket, collared shirt and no tie.  Still not my normal mode of attire.

 

Unfortunately we did not buy insurance.  Sounds like a stupid error now but at the time we were already spending way above our comfort zone just for the cruise itself.  In 50 years of international travel, mostly throughout Europe, we have never needed insurance even when pass riding as airline employees.  Just seemed like throwing away money that might have been used on the next trip.  We were totally unaware that cruise lines can alter an itinerary this much and not offer some sort of compensation.  Yeah, I know, "read the small print in the contract".  Funny how I've purchased a couple of homes, dozens of cars and taken out loans and never had a contract come back to bite me in the buttocks like this.  I guess we were spoiled by so many positive experiences on Viking, Gate 1, Carnival and even NCL.  Live and learn.

Yes, we are in the same boat (or rather not in it!).  Most insurance polcies likely wouldn't have helped as there are so many exclusions now.  We thought we might be able to get a bit back from our travel credit card policy as they do cover cancellations due to a travel advisory (which was put in place here on the 15th) but then they also have an exclusion that it can't be attributed to an epidemic or pandemic!  So you can't win.  We've been sailing with O for 14 years and are very disappointed in their intransigence.  I think you would have loved it and, no you don't need a jacket!  We maybe would have met you at Team Trivia...

10 minutes ago, Crown Vic said:

Jean163, as Oceania is owned by NCL, they are playing ‘hard ball’ and refusing an FCC. NCL says partial refunds are available if the passenger has NCL insurance. We are booked on NCL and are having serious second thoughts about making our final payment. Have read elsewhere on CC that one individual did manage to ‘talk’ NCL into providing a FCC. Worth a try to escalate your problem.

BTW, we cancelled an early December cruise and Air Canada provided a future, open ended, credit voucher for the full flight amount paid.

Good luck!

Not even an option on the insurance as Oceania only sells theirs to US passengers.  We've got all our flights refunded (Westjet and Air Canada) to our credit card so it's only O that is holding back.  This would have been our 14th cruise on Oceania (and we have another one on deposit) so even loyalty doesn't count...

We were on the Insignia Dec. 21 but have now cancelled (and lost our full fare).  They would NOT do a move over to a cruise next year. 

10 hours ago, james_cruise said:

We’re from BC leaving next week. Because of the travel advisory, it seems like many insurance companies (specifically Allianz for me) will not be covering cruise ships and or level 3 advisories for MEdical Emergency.
 

Anyone know if any insurance company will cover cruise ships in BC? Only really looking for the medical emergency coverage.

Yes, Medipac will cover them and regardless of any advisory they also have Covid coverage included.  That's what we had bought for our Dec. 21 sailing which we've now cancelled.  We have lost the entirety of our fare though as Oceania won't issue a FCC.

6 hours ago, melbrook said:

Cancelling is a personal choice for so many different reasons - for us, it is mostly based on our employer's rules and our level of safety.  Based on reviews of cruise life and safety measures I feel pretty safe to cruise.  If we have to quarantine after our cruise we would have to cancel as we're not willing to waste 2 additional weeks vacation to sit at home.

 

I am confused by the number of people cancelling because of the Advisory being implemented again when the Advisory to not take ANY cruise has never been lifted.  If we were all taking the Cdn Gov't advise there would be no bookings to cancel in the first place.  

 

I also wonder if anyone has experienced travel shaming?  When we planned a trip to Punta Cana in October we got a lot of comments and looks - like we were being irresponsible.  We genuinely felt guilt right up until the Advisory was lifted and we didn't feel like a criminal leaving the country!  

We are also cancelling our cruise that was to sail next week.  months ago we felt fairly confident that the measures we were taking and that the cruiseline was taking would keep us safe.  Hence we booked and felt we could disregard the cruise advisory.  This new advisory and the emergence of Omicron is what has made the difference.  With its transmissibility (and vaccine breakthrough) and the need to be in 3 different airports just to get to the ship we felt the risk was becoming too great.  In our view this advisory isn't just about individual risk it is about a greater risk to society and we don't want to have any hand in prolonging this situation the world finds itself in.  Unfortunately for us this decision is extremely costly as Oceania has indicated they won't consider an FCC as Princess and Carnival are doing and we are considered to be in full penalty. 

Would love to hear about refund policies from different cruise lines for travel during the new advisory.  So far it appears that Carnival and Princess will issue a FCC and Oceania is refusing to do anything at all.  If you were set to depart in the next month and have decided to cancel please let me know what your experience is.  Thanks!

26 minutes ago, Happytobeme2 said:

We just made the very difficult decision to cancel our cruise for December 29th. It is so disappointing but personally, I just feel I need to adhere to the travel advisory. I am in no way criticizing those that still go ahead, is very much a personal decision. 
 

We did manage to sneak one in during November though. It was wonderful!  Our next cruise booked for February, fingers crossed!  

Will you lose your full payment?

1 hour ago, mjox32 said:

 

So those of us with Cruises in the next 4 weeks.  Are you going?    As of this moment we still plan to go.  More stress... ugh  😩🤷‍♀️

We were scheduled to leave home Monday for a cruise starting from Miami on the 21st.  Can't risk it with a hubby with asthma even though we're triple vax as even that's not stopping the newest variant.  However, Oceania says no refund regardless of the fact that our country now has an advisory against all non-essential travel and also cruise travel that could lead to strandings.  (These are the same advisories that were in place in 2020).  O doesn't plan to cancel any cruises unless they're made to.  We have read on another board that Carnival has already started refunds for Canadians. 

1 hour ago, Sistersinlaw said:

We got a full refund from Carnival last week, so you should be good regardless.

Our 'Christmas and New Year' cruise on Oceania is leaving next Tuesday and we are scheduled to fly out on Monday so we are really stuck now.  Full fare paid 2 months ago. When was your Carnival cruise departing and had you paid full fare?  They have definitely put in the official travel advisory against all 'non-essential' travel now.  They have warned about the possibility of being stranded.

Just heard that the feds are going to be 'discussing' reinstating the travel ban for non-essential travel.  Wonder if that happens whether we can hope for a refund from our cruise line?

Now I see Riviera as yellow and also one of the Regent ships.  We are slated to be on the Insignia next week and are really considering not going now.  Not so much worried about the ship, as it's the 'maiden' voyage but 3 flights to get to Miami with this new variant being so easily transmissible is the main issue for us.

I see SailSafe has been updated on Dec. 9.  I didn't print the previous one.  Has anyone gone through it and is able to see what's changed?

Our cruise is later this month, Panama.  If we cancel now we lose all our $ as there is no 'legitimate' reason to cancel.  There is NO direct flight to our home from LA so have to go via another Canadian airport.  We would NOT stay in a hotel there for a 3 day isolation at our expense so now what to do?  I guess we wait and hope things become clearer...

11 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Yes - but no home tests that are not telemedicine proctored. For example, Abbott Binax has both proctored (telemedicine)/unproctored versions. Google EMed for info.

Read the current O website SailSafe FAQs which also discuss this.

With the requirement for a test within a day prior to arrival in the US we felt we could get a laboratory antigen done the day before and then O would do that again at embarkation.  That would cover us I think and we're more than happy to go that route.  We can't buy over-the-counter type tests here in Canada so would definitely fit the definition of what is recommended.  We have thought about the PCR but the timing is difficult when you figure in a Sunday (which delays things up here) and we leave on a Monday and get to Miami on Tuesday afternoon so having it done Saturday is dicey that we would have the results in time unless we go the 'rapid' route which is exorbitantly expensive.  We did get the email about our December departure but had a chuckle that the US is listed as having no testing requirements or entry restrictions.  I have also read the terms and conditions that you agree to at online check-in and they certainly seem to contradict what the SailSafe programme lists as far as coverage for Covid costs, unless I'm missing something.  I am trusting that the SailSafe overrides the T&C which haven't been updated but that's kind of a scary assumption.

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Fortunately, it appears that O sent out a Travel Advisory today to at least those folks starting the ATW cruise and it’s December segments clarifying  EXACTLY what I have been pointing out regarding pretesting prior to 1/17/22 cruises. 
If you want to be covered for Covid related costs due to being denied embarkation for a positive pier test, the “recommended” pretest should be considered “required.” What was stated in the 11/15/21 FAQs and missing from the 11/24/21 FAQs update is now back (at least in today’s O letter):

PRE-EMBARKATION TESTING

All guests will undergo COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation. In addition, we strongly recommend that all guests consult with local government websites to determine the country-specific information for your port of embarkation as many countries require a negative COVID-19 PCR test that is not older than 48 or 72 hours prior to arrival in-country. Even if the country where your cruise embarks does not require a negative COVID-19 PCR test for entry, Oceania Cruises strongly recommends you obtain a PCR test not more than 72 hours prior to embarkation. If a PCR test is not readily available, then we encourage guests to at a minimum take a laboratory administered COVID-19 antigen test not more than 72 hours prior to embarkation. Guests that fail to test prior to departure or cannot provide proof of a negative laboratory supplied test result and subsequently test positive for COVID-19 upon embarkation will not be reimbursed for quarantine or return embarkation arrangements.

 

I hope this gets everyone on the same page regarding  the importance of pretesting for the immediate future.

It would appear that any test taken prior to reaching the port would satisfy the requirement to ensure you have coverage if denied embarkation due to a positive result at the pier.  So they say that an antigen test would suffice, doesn't have to be a PCR as long as whatever it is is not longer than 72 hours prior.  Is that right?

We start our journey from the very wet west coast on a Monday and get to Toronto on Tuesday and then on to Miami that same morning.  So we could get tested on Monday before we leave home and not have to have it done in the Toronto airport?   That's if they will accept a rapid antigen test which I would hope they would as the PCR takes more than a day usually.  We already have to have one of those to board our ship on Tuesday so presumably can have that done on Saturday?  That requirement still says 72 hours, not 3 days.