Would you like some cheese with your WHINE?

[The_Baron]

1.Top notch policies NOT paying? Sounds to me these UK policies are borderline scams, maybe even full scams. It is so easy for them to say don't book a trip without it, you may need it. But when you need it, they are not there for ya. Sounds like the insurance commissioner needs to get involved, if there is one.

 

 

They're NOT scams, they don't pay because in this instance it's the airlines liability to do so, as required by EU law.

[Sandyscrusin]

3. Interesting that some are making goodwill gestures. But as for the others including RCI does it benefit by smearing a cruiseline's good name all over an online forum when they have done no wrong?

 

 

And that different than people who call others "whiners" and "stupid" because?

[Yo Eleven]

And that different than people who call others "whiners" and "stupid" because?

Identify the INDIVIDUAL member whom I called a whiner and stupid? Thanks.

[Yo Eleven]

They're NOT scams

Fair enough, however it just doesn't seem right to me the way they word it.

[Judi2112]

Hi- you cant book air and cruise combined for many RCI trips from the UK. The Uk is quite a big country (ok teeny compared to the USA!). RCI only fly from 3 (? i think) airports. To get their air travel (if available) I would have to travel something like the distance from Boston to New York first. I could of course fly from the airport 10 minutes from my house to their connection or I could fly direct to most countries from my home airport.

 

Sorry but this statement is not quite true. RCI offer air/cruise packages from most of the UK regional airports. It may, of course, involve a change of plane. For instance if our cruise departs from Fort Lauderdale we fly from Edinburgh via New York. Going to Barcelona this summer is via Amsterdam. You can also get custom air whereby you tell RCI which flights you want to go on and when.

[The_Baron]

Fair enough, however it just doesn't seem right to me the way they word it.

 

Well legal wording is never clear, but if it's read properly it does make clear what is and isn't covered.

 

The problem is, as I said, noone would ever have thought to specifically look for a policy that covers delays due to ash from a volcanic eruption because it's totally unprecedented in this part of the world

[Yo Eleven]

The problem is, as I said, noone would ever have thought to specifically look for a policy that covers delays due to ash from a volcanic eruption because it's totally unprecedented in this part of the world

When you say it is the airline's responsibility to pay in your previous post, are you saying they are supposed to pay for the cruisefare? If so, then what is the problem then?

[supergran]

My husband and I were booked to fly last Sunday to Charleston via Atlanta to cruise on Celebrity Mercury to the Panama canal. Nobody contacted us but I could see on the Delta website that the flights were cancelled. I phoned the travel agent who at first said to talk to my insurance company. I reminded him that this was a fly/cruise package. He then said we would get a full refund from Celebrity. I went to the insurance website just to see how they were handling the situation. There was a link to 'breaking news re the volcano'. this took you to a page that said the insurance company would not be paying out as this situation was not covered by the policy. That's why people on this thread are saying their claims have been refused. They haven't actually put in a claim if there is no point in doing so. Many companies have updated their websites to say the same thing. Claim off anyone as long as it's not us. I have never heard of 'cancel for any reason' insurance in the UK. It may well be different in the US. UK citizens are obliged to take out insurance if you book with a TA. Sometimes if you D I Y a package you can get away without insurance but it isn't advised. I am pleased to say that my insurance company has had a change of heart and now says it will pay out, I still think that if you booked flight and cruise separately you may have to fight for a refund of the cruise part. We have still not had any official notification from either the TA or Celebrity as to when our refund will arrive. They are hanging on to peoples money as long as they can.

[The_Baron]

When you say it is the airline's responsibility to pay in your previous post, are you saying they are supposed to pay for the cruisefare? If so, then what is the problem then?

 

no, I'm not even talking about cruising, I'm talking about the general situation where people have been stranded overseas with no way home.

 

The airlines are legally responsible, within the EU, to pay any additional food and accomodation expenses that their passengers incur as a result of delays.

 

I have no idea about the cruise aspect of it.

[Yo Eleven]

I am pleased to say that my insurance company has had a change of heart and now says it will pay out

Awesome, glad to hear it.

[Shak]

This Q&A was in USA Today today.

 

Q: Would travel insurance cover the fallout from another volcanic eruption?

A: If you bought a trip cancellation/interruption/delay package on or before April 13 (when the Eyjafjallajökull eruption started), you're probably covered for future travel, says Jim Grace, head of InsureMyTrip.com and president of the U.S. Travel Insurance Association. It's dicier if you plan a trip, since Eyjafjallajökull is a "known event" (and therefore typically not covered). And insurers haven't defined what would be considered an end to the current eruption.

As a result, Grace says, "We're recommending 'cancel for any reason' insurance," which reimburses 75%-90% of prepaid expenses if a trip is canceled more than 48 hours before departure. That option generally costs about 50% more than a regular policy, and usually must be purchased within 10 to 30 days of initial payment for a trip. Grace says that a typical policy on $3,000 worth of prepaid expenses might cost $180 and cover 100% of those costs. But "cancel for any reason" might cost $270 and not reimburse the full amount.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-04-30-volcanotravel30_st2_N.htm?csp=travel

 

Shak