Affected by Sandy, but unable to get a cancel for full refund/credit from carnival

[Pellaz]

[quote=Brenna's Mom1;35970831]When is the last time you have seen a cruise company not go out pretty damn full...and they didn't sell all those cabins in the final few days.[/quote]

Back in January, our sailing on [I]Imagination[/I] was about 75% full.

[quote name='CI66774']Cactuscruise - very simply - those of us who pay auto insurance and health insurance premiums "subsidize" those who don't through higher premiums, etc. For example, someone who doesn't have insurance goes to the emergency room for the flu, etc., - and he/she can't pay - that is passed on to everyone else who can pay and is passed on to the insurance companies through higher invoices. [/quote]

Note that this will no longer be the case with health insurance in the U.S.
Under the Affordable Care Act, those who do [U]not[/U] have any existing medical conditions will have the option of paying a penalty on their tax returns in lieu of actually paying for insurance -- the penalty was carefully designed to be less than the annual cost for health insurance, so you come out better if you simply don't carry insurance.
If you DO get sick, you simply purchase health insurance, since under the ACA you cannot be denied for having a pre-existing condition and they cannot charge you a higher rate because of a pre-existing condition.

It's a bit like being able to buy car insurance to cover your car...AFTER you just wrecked it.

(And yes, premiums [U]will[/U] increase, because there would be no healthy people on the insurance rolls to offset those who are sick or infirm.)

[Sparky2]

[quote name='at_nyc']The medical bills will be paid by your medical insurance (if you have "regular" employer provided insurance)

Just helped someone translating their bills into English and got their money back. So I know.

Though if you're on Medicare, you do need to think about travel insurance for medical, which happens a lot more often than hurricane. :rolleyes:[/quote]

We can afford to lose the cost of the cruise & airfare, but it sure would put a dent in our savings if we had to be Medivaced off a cruise ship.

[Mary Ellen1]

To the OP, ak51:

Thanks for the updates. Please let us know how you make out with Carnival. And, care to share any more details about your Hurricane Sandy story? Got power? Got a roof?

I wish you all the best!

[luvtheships]

[quote name='Simplertimes']You do realize if a cruise line were to purchase this type of insurance, the cost of it would raise the fares? Doesn't make sense.[/quote]
Duh!


Do you understand what Goodwill is? It is an intangible asset that is worth a fortune to a company if they have it. They can amortize it..which means treat is as an expense... somewhat...but it is actually treated an asset to the company.

The cruiselines spend a fortune on advertising....and other marketing expenses....

insuring themselves against late cancelations...and being able to resell the cabin at the last minute...but still getting an insurance rembursement for the canceled pax..and ultimately giving it back to the pax...in the form of a "yes, we understand your terrible situation regarding your home destruction etc. due to the unprecedented Superstorm...and we are happy to refund your mony..in theis case" Is worth millions to the cruiseline.....

Before you get upset with this...I did not say refund every person who lates cancels...just because they can't or don't want to go.....

I am saying if the cruiselines just insured themselves say during Hurricaine and winter seasons.....when the situation of a pax being unable...not unwilling...but unable to get to port occurs.....then the cruiseline would not be out any funds...would be able to truly refund those who can't make it..and would garner Goodwill....


and once more... Goodwill (notice the capital G..as it is an asset to a company) is an investment for the company.

[tweak89]

While a good idea in general, in the real world it just won't happen. It would benefit few and cost EVERYONE (in the form of higher fares). Unfortunately the days of building genuine relationships with a customer base is long gone and replaced with a money first corporate culture.

I was never a big fan of trip insurance when I was younger and taking fly by the seat of your pants vacations. Now that I am planning my vacations months ahead of time I include vacation insurance of some kind. Too many things can go wrong between point A and point B.

While it's very unfortunate that the OP felt that taking the trip was no longer in their best interest, there is nothing that Carnival is liable for. I know what it's like to be in that situation (no power for more than two weeks after Hurricane Ike) and I'm not sure what I would do if I had travel scheduled at that time and no trip insurance.

[ck53]

AK51

I am sorry about your situation, I know we just got power back last week and then lost it again in the Nor'easter. Very frustrating but we did have cell phones and an ipad w/ 3G so we could stay in touch w/ what is going on in the world.
Our shore house did make it through but we still cannot access it, the roads are still too bad. Starting this week permanent residents can get on a bus for one hour, dropped off @ a certain area to walk to their homes w/ one suitcase and the estimate is 4-6 months before anyone can go back to live.


We all makes mistakes and by not having insurance was a hard and expensive lesson but as you said in the future...

Carnival IS doing something so make sure you send them your insurance claim and I sincerely hope you can get a future cruise credit.

Good luck and God Bless!

[klfrodo]

[quote name='luvtheships']finally someone underdstands! exactly..insure themselves against no shows..that is all I am saying...and of course I realize the money is made not on the cabin, but the extras....but at least the pax gets something back and the cruiseline has just earned that very important intangible asset...GOODWILL!

Goodwill is worth a fortune to a cruiseline.[/QUOTE]

No, it's not that someone finally understands. It's that out of 50 people, someone agrees with you.

For individuals, insurance is a way to share risk against potential loss. For multi millon/billion dollar corporations, insurance is money down the drain never to be seen again.
For you and I ( well me anyway) I can't afford a $20,000 loss, that's why I insure my car. A corporation can absorb that $20,000 loss, that's why they don't insure that vehicle. They self insure.

Insurance is a lose lose proposition, except for the insurance companies. BTW. I do purchase insuance for my travel needs. I choose to share the risk.

GOODWILL,, that's a laugh. Consumers don't care anymore about goodwill. If a business provides goodwill to 1 consumer, there are 10 taking advantage of that company. Look at how many people recently admitted to buying an expensive outfit, wearing it for 1 night, then returning it the next day for a refund. How was that goodwill/generous refund policy work?

[Nikki Lisette]

Carnival won't permit a full refund on my trip that I'd like to cancel in the Spring but they did inform me that with a $50 cancellation fee, I can retain the remaining balance of my cruise for credit towards another cruise within the next two years. It's not money back in the bank but it's not money lost either.

Hopefully that info helps, sorry I didn't read all of the other replies.

[Gailerina]

Not sure why I should end up with a higher fare for the inability of another to get insurance.

Don't claim Ruth can't afford it....I bet many have a S&S of a few hundred dollars!

[leaski]

[quote name='Gailerina']Not sure why I should end up with a higher fare for the inability of another to get insurance.[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with this. Carnival tells you the cancellation policy up front. I know that I have been offered their insurance every time I have booked a cruise. It is my choice to insure my trip or to take my chances and not insure it. They pay their own insurance to cover their needs, why can't their customers cover themselves. I sure don't want my cruise prices to go up in order to cover everyone else who choose for whatever reason, legitimate or not, to cancel the cruise they booked and planned. It just seems people always want to shift the blame back to Carnival, when they were the one who didn't take the necessary precautions.

[CI66774]

Pellaz - I agree with you. Insurance is expensive now - just wait until it's "free!"

[LICRUISEAHOLICS]

I am from LI and although did not suffer too much damage from Sandy we were without power for 12 days. We had booked a 11-15 cruise and contacted RCCL to discuss our options if we decided we could not take the cruise. We were told by our power authority to expect power before Thanksgiving and did not want to leave if power was not restored.
They were absolutely wonderful. They said we could not get a refund ( which I would not expect) but they would give us future cruise credit for another cruise. I thought that was more than acceptable and set my mind at ease as we dealt with the current issues at home.
Good luck with your personal situation at home and I sure hope Carnival can offer some accommodation.

[CruisinGirl777]

OP - Any update?