Booking a cruise a year ahead...what happens if....

[Traveller20074]

you need to cancel? What if someone gets sick? I guess I could purchase cruise insurance? Is there any other way to deal with this other than the insurance?

[Tralynn]

You can cancel your cruise up until final payment with no penalty. (Unless the TA you use has their own penalty.) But insurance will cover your expenses after final payment. Insurance can also cover flights, missing the ship, and emergencies that can happen while on vacation. Look into it and ask a lot of questions before making your decision.

[uppitycats]

you need to cancel? What if someone gets sick? I guess I could purchase cruise insurance? Is there any other way to deal with this other than the insurance?

 

Whether you book a cruise that goes next year or next week, you really should consider travel (not just cruise) insurance, which can cover cancellations for all sorts of reasons (including "any reason"), like job loss, natural disaster, illness of someone going on the cruise, illness of someone who will be at home but who will need your attention, flight cancellations and delays (which is why I said "not just CRUISE insurance), etc.

 

As for the cruise itself, while there are penalties the closer to the actual date of last payment due, you would be able to get back at least some of your money (and perhaps all, depending on the cruise line), if you DON'T pay it all off until it actually is fully due -- about 3 months away from the cruise itself.

[Traveler353]

It depends on what cruise line that you are booking with, they all have different policy. I would suggest that you check with the specific line that you are thinking about booking with. Insurance, personal choice, can you afford to lose the money without moaning about it and looking for someone else to blame.

[Cuizer2]

you need to cancel? What if someone gets sick? I guess I could purchase cruise insurance? Is there any other way to deal with this other than the insurance?

 

You can cancel with a full refund up until final payment is due. After that you need travel insurance.

[candydane]

As stated above, you can get your cruise money back BEFORE final payment is due.

 

However, airline policies are different, depending on airline and class of ticket. Be sure you understand what refund (if any) you'll get if you have to cancel booked flights. Most airlines also charge a change fee to change your tickets to a different trip timeframe. This can also apply to frequent flyer mile tickets you get.

 

Hotels bought on Priceline and Hotwire are non-refundable and cannot be changed to a different date.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have many, many cruises over a year in advance. We know that we can cancel up until final payment and get all our money back. Our TA does not charge a cancellation fee. There are some that do.

[fideauxdon]

You can cancel your cruise up until final payment with no penalty. (Unless the TA you use has their own penalty.) But insurance will cover your expenses after final payment. Insurance can also cover flights, missing the ship, and emergencies that can happen while on vacation. Look into it and ask a lot of questions before making your decision.

 

An additional point to consider if you delay purchasing travel insurance is that policies differ on how they treat preexisting conditions. You may not be covered if a previous health problem flares up. You're somewhat safe if you buy the travel insurance within ten days or so of booking your cruise, but if you cancel the cruise, you'll have to try to apply the purchased pllicy to another cruise on another date, itinerary, length, etc. I know that you can do this, but I don't know if there's a limit to how many times you can do it.

[cb at sea]

Insurance is a great idea when you're booking so far in advance...you never know what the future will bring!

[Sea Hag]

Insurance is a great idea when you're booking so far in advance...you never know what the future will bring!

 

This is very true, and that future might bring an emergency evacuation from the ship. Everybody hopes that never happens, but if it does it can cost thousands of dollars. I consider travel insurance as necessary as car insurance. Both protect me against the things I hope never happen.

[firefly333]

You can cancel with a full refund up until final payment is due. After that you need travel insurance.

 

Unless you booked with Carnival non ES rates lol. Hi ya :cool: Carnival dings ya on ES.

[Cuizer2]

Unless you booked with Carnival non ES rates lol. Hi ya :cool: Carnival dings ya on ES.

 

Last I heard you were trying to find deck seven on the Mariner of the Seas. :)

 

You are correct. However, you are only risking $50 with the ES. The rest can be applied to a different cruise.

[okimot]

In the Crown & Anchor magazine which arrived today, Royal Caribbean are offering travel insurance specifically related to cruise holidays. Cove includes cabin confinement, missed port of call, delayed baggage from airline delivered to next port of call.

This may only be for UK passengers.

[cuyahoga11]

Unless you booked with Carnival non ES rates lol. Hi ya :cool: Carnival dings ya on ES.

 

On my cruise coming up ES was $150.00 less pp than the next best rate. Even if I cancel and lose $50.00 I will still be ahead of the games by $100.00.

[kitty9]

You can cancel with a full refund up until final payment is due. After that you need travel insurance.

 

This is partially correct. If the OP booked with an agency that has a cancellation policy, there may be a problem getting the entire deposit back.

[Tenn4ever]

You can cancel with a full refund up until final payment is due. After that you need travel insurance.

 

I know this thread is old but decided to post here before starting another thread.

 

Do I have to have a reason to cancel before final payment is due or can I just cancel because I change my mind about the cruise? For instance, if I book a cruise that's a year away but change my mind a couple months from now will I get my full deposit back?

[Cuizer2]

I know this thread is old but decided to post here before starting another thread.

 

Do I have to have a reason to cancel before final payment is due or can I just cancel because I change my mind about the cruise? For instance, if I book a cruise that's a year away but change my mind a couple months from now will I get my full deposit back?

 

Prior to final payment you can cancel for any reason, or for no reason.

[Tenn4ever]

Prior to final payment you can cancel for any reason, or for no reason.

 

Thank you Cuizer. Do I get 100% of my deposit back?

[paul929207]

Before you book, you need to ask. Some TAs will charge a cancelation fee. Most do not. Some cruise lines charge a cancelation fee. Most do not.

[cruisin'tex]

you need to cancel? What if someone gets sick? I guess I could purchase cruise insurance? Is there any other way to deal with this other than the insurance?

 

Depending on length/cost of cruise, you usually have until final payment to cancel w/o losing money. Insurance is always a good idea because you never know....

[tgptmp]

Insurance, Insurance, Insurance---not just cruise but travel insurance-----peace of mind.

[LHT28]

We have no idea where you are from

 

For North Americans you will get a refund up to final payment day then it is a % you get refunded

For other Countries be sure to check what the terms are you may have to claim through insurance for your deposit

 

The TA may charge a fee to cancel so be sure to do your homework before booking

Travel Insurance

 

Make sure you shop around & do your homework so there will be no surprises

[Tenn4ever]

Thanks, everyone. :)

[Cuizer2]

Thank you Cuizer. Do I get 100% of my deposit back?

 

From the cruise - yes. If you used a travel agent - maybe. Some travel agents charge a cancellation fee. However, if you are a good client the fee can be waived. For example, my agent charges a $50 cancellation fee. However, over the last five years I have booked ten cruises totaling about $33,000. So when I canceled one cruise so I could book a different one the fee was waived. I received 100% of my deposit back.

 

I see many have suggested insurance. However, until you enter the cancellation period the insurance is worthless. The only reason to purchase insurance prior to making full payment is to avoid the pre-existing exclusion. Also, insurance only covers cancellations for a covered reason. If the reason for the cancellation is not covered, the insurance will not pay.

 

For this reason I usually wait until final payment is due before purchasing my air and hotel. If I am going to purchase air nine months or more prior, then usually I am buying refundable tickets and thus don't need to insure that portion of the travel.

 

You can purchase cancel for any reason insurance. However, there is a 25% deductible, meaning you will only get back 75%.

[sail7seas]

I have not read this whole thread but if no one else has mentioned, there is no penalty to the cruise line until final payment is due. Your TA may charge a cancellation fee.

 

We book almost all our cruises about a year in advance.

We've had to cancel a few but they were before final payment was due so we suffered no loss at all.

 

(We do not purchase trip cancellation insurance but that's a whole different thread we've discussed [again] very recently.)