klfrodo

Mine took just about 13 months.

Some people have reported just a few days. Makes absolutely no sense but it is what it is.

Either way, and I experienced this, as long as you began the process before the original expired, it's still active.

I went so far as to drive to the airport to ask why it was taking so long. They were of no help. They did give me a number to call. I called it and followed the phone tree to where the recorded voice said that if my application was in the renewal process, they couldn't help with no further advice.

Unfortunately, you just have to wait it out with zero options for updated information offered.

There is a pinned thread just above this that has a ton of background information explaining what and how cruise lines work their air programs. The thread is a bit older but still has valid information even today to help you make an educated decision. Cruise Air "can" save you money. But, there can be some drawbacks. You have to decide the level of risk you're comfortable with.

I'm sailing on the NCL Breakaway next year. Starts in Trieste with the first 2 stops in Split, Croatia followed by a stop in Dubrovnik. Croatia was a must for us.

We're going to spend a few days pre-cruise in Venice and Trieste. Then post cruise, we'll stay in Barcelona, then fly to Rome for a few days, then back home.

21 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

I have AT&T and when we are in Mexico I take my phone off of airplane mode and use it like normal.  No extra charges. With AT&T Canada and Mexico are included.  

Yep. T-Mobile is the same. But I also get free data and texting in an additional 140 countries.

Just did a quick check on my 5G. 798Mbps download and 123 Mbps upload. Their 55+ plan is an awesome price plan.

9 hours ago, em-sk said:

Another "creative" option is to drive to Vancouver and fly BA from Vancouver.  

 

The long-term parking lot at YVR has no shortage of cars with Washington plates. 

 

On the same ticket you may also find something that includes the Alaska connecting flight to Vancouver.

Yes, I have in the past just paid the low cost of flying to YVR, spent the night at the hotel in YVR, and saved huge money on tickets flying to Europe from YVR. It's been a crap shoot though getting award tix in business out of YVR though.

57 minutes ago, blackfly said:

Looking at flying with Iceland Air and their highest economy class fare is refundable.  The hotel has refundable rates and all the shore excursions (private) are refundable.  The only cost that is not fully refundable is the cruise fare.  Everyone on this cruise has to fly in (unless you live there) so if the airport is closed due to the eruption there will be no one to take the cruise.

With all of that being said, and the most important factor to you is the cost of the cruise, then I would consider purchasing the cruise lines insurance or Trip Protection policy, if they offer one. Now, I don't know what cruise line you are booking with, but the BIG cruise lines, (HAL, Carnival, Royal, NCL, Princess, Celebrity) offer policies that include CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason). You can cancel the cruise all the way up to the scheduled departure time on the departure date and receive a future cruise credit of anywhere from 70% up to 90% depending on the policy.

3rd party policies do offer this as an additional add-on price but also limit the cancellation time from to 48 hours prior to planned "trip" departure (not ship departure).

However, and this is how I buy insurance, I don't expect or purchase a policy with the idea that I will be 100% made whole. I see travel insurance as a shared risk. I ask myself what can I afford to lose and what do I need to share risk on. Losing the cost of the cruise will hurt but will not devastate me. A medical emergency on the other hand could financially break my bank.

I think you have a valid question. I can't count the number of times I've made an assumption that came back to bite me in the ass.

For that reason, I'd recommend that you reach out to a professional broker like Steve at TripInsuranceStore or someone at InsureMyTrip to get their advice.

Either way, once you buy a policy, I believe you have 10 days to review it and if it doesn't fit your needs, you can void the purchase.

My little thing that I might do in this instance would be to review this policy over the phone with whomever you buy it from, then follow-up with a written e-mail with return read receipt, that states something to the affect that as you both understood the policy on this date, you both agree that this is how we understand the policy. That way, if could lessen the he said/she said defense.

I'm not sure the exact answer you're looking for. I can tell you that it's at the bottom of a steep freakin hill.

But, if you go to google earth or google maps you can see the circular drive way next to the ticket office. And then a little bit further away you can see the parking lot where the busses park after dropping off the passengers.

17 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

If you are referring to Captain Kate McCue, she is with Celebrity and is the Captain on Beyond, not NCL.

You're right. My bad. But same story.

I'm guessing that those who discredit and demonize vloggers on cruise ships feel the same about Captain Kate from NCL? She has people and crew in the background who most likely didn't give her written permission to be in her videos.

MJA kicks in as long as you're 150 miles from home.

So, living in Seattle, If I travel anywhere in the States and find myself hospitalized for some reason, MJA will kick in to get me to an inpatient facility near my house if stabilized of course. I usually don't get travel insurance if I want a weekend getaway to Vegas, or LA, or go to STL to see my grandkids, etc.

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

As someone who only recently started consuming material from YouTube vloggers, I've come to realize that there are two different types. (Or probably more, but only two I can think of that relate to cruising.)

 

One type are made by disruptive entities who are out to shock people, break rules, etc. and generally annoy people on film. I call these the sensationalists. Japan, for example, has recently arrested, fined, banned and/or deported several non-Japanese tourist "vloggers" who have done things like riding long-distance trains without paying, shouting provocative statements, behaving badly in restaurants, etc. I believe I remember hearing about at least one similar incident on a cruise ship a few years ago when several "youtubers" booked a cruise line specifically to see if they could get themselves thrown off. (Spoiler alert: they did.)

 

The other type are the helpful ones such as those mentioned above. 

 

The former should definitely be banned. I have no real issues with the latter, but TBH I haven't actually encountered any of them on my cruises so far.

 

You must have an interesting search history then that cause the YouTube algorithm to suggest the aforementioned videos.

Ive done many years of research of ships, cabins, destinations, etc and have never once viewed such videos on YouTube. Not to say they’re not there, but,,,,, I’m just sayin. Paul Harvey and such,,,,

I'm researching and watching tons of YouTube videos on NYC.

I've never been to NYC. I'm apprehensive about the experience. I'm glad people have taken the time to video NYC. How to best use the subway. What is Uptown vs. Downtown vs. Midtown. What are the latest scams I have to be aware of? Best way to buy theatre tickets. Can I get in to see a late-night show be taped?  These people spend thousands of dollars learning how to video, how to edit, how to produce, purchase expensive equipment.... why shouldn't they make a buck? and yes, there are people in the background who didn't give their permission.

I do the same thing when researching cities I'm cruising into, visiting for the day, and sailing out of. Hell, I even used YouTube to learn how to remodel my bathroom.

I support vloggers. I have zero expectation of privacy in the common areas of a cruise ship or cruise port.

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Do you take a tour of the city/go see any sites, or just enjoy the sweet silence of being in a hotel?

Depends on a few factors. Have we been to the city before and been there done that? Is there something special we want to do?

Or? Will we have to be up at 4AM to catch an early flight back home so we get back at a decent hour?

I always leave my bags out the night before. Then, we are up early, grab a bite, grab some coffee and watch the show as everyone and their brothers and sisters fight, scratch, yell at dads and kids, struggle with luggage to be the first off the ship.

Then we leisurely disembark, grab our luggage, jump in an Uber to our hotel to relax the rest of the day before our return flight home the day after departing the ship.

Everyone is off the ship by 9:30/10:00

Let's see if we can help break down a few of the differences.

Carnivals Trip Protection (notice that they don't call it travel insurance):

     1. Does not include any medical pre-existing conditions waiver.

     2. Medical coverage is maxed out at $20K

     3. Medical coverage is "secondary". They reimburse after your primary has paid or denied the claim. In the case of denial from primary, you must provide proof of denial before secondary will consider.

     4. Carnival does not consider age a factor when pricing.

3rd party providers of Travel Insurance:

     1. If purchased in the allotted time frame, they will waive any pre-existing conditions for the traveler and non-traveling family members.

     2. Policy can be selected that has max limits of $100K, $250K, and higher.

     3. Since many facilities outside the US require payment up front before service begin, many (not all), insurance providers may work directly with the hospital to advance payment so treatment may begin.

     4. Many policies are "Primary". If you have a medical claim, you only deal with them.

     5. Policy holder age does become a factor when setting prices.

My experience is that the hotel shuttles become a free for all with 25 or 30 people all scrambling to get 20 seats on the van.

my opinion only, spend the extra money and schedule private transportation.

STOP SCREAMING !!!! AT EVERYONE!!!

Turn off you caps lock please

Thanks to @CruiserBruce and @FlyerTalker for the information. Allows me to start a gameplan.

Situation : Looking to use miles to get to Venice, Italy next year. Way too early, but just doing research.

My miles are on AS (One World) BA is about my only choice that I'm considering. (BA/AS is currently not offering a married itinerary that will satisfy my desires). Will be choosing Business Class at a minimum. Live in Seattle but want to begin travel from LAX if at all possible. Will pay cash for one-way tickets on AS to LAX and then begin the "mileage" tickets on BA from LAX to LHR, then into VCE.

Question

Is it no way/no how to get the AS check-in agent to check baggage all the way to VCE if we show the itinerary? Or, since all One World, it's no problem at all?

Any reason why the earlier check in time could just wait until the later check in time and then everyone could check in at the same time?

I'd just do a 1 policy single trip.

But, I would also recommend that you work with a broker who can discuss with you what you feel is most important coverage for you.

There are a couple of brokers whom I recommend.

Get the Best Trip Insurance Details, Advice (tripinsurancestore.com)

and Travel Insurance Quotes - Compare & Buy Trip Insurance (insuremytrip.com)

TripInsuranceStore is my go to but either way, call them and speak to them live.

1 hour ago, CAL7 said:

 Qualifying for the medical pre-existing look-back waiver is very important. 

 

Since I have no at-risk deposit, do I still purchase insurance now to qualify for the waiver? If now, for what amount? Should I plan on incrementally increasing the insured amount as costs are incurred? 

 

Thanks for any advice! 

Yes, purchase your insurance within the time frame required to ensure you receive the pre-existing condition waiver.

Most insurances increase the price at the $500 increment. Therefore, I'd recommend an initial Trip Cost at $500. Then, as you accrue additional expenses, call your insurance provider to increase the amount of the trip cost.

Also, completely understand the terms and conditions as to what expenses you must include to maintain the waiver. Some providers require ALL expenses, some require all non-refundable expenses, some don't care just as long as you purchased within the initial time frame. These requirements are based on provider and on the regulations governed by your State of residency.