Canceling After Final Payment

[zodiac1]

We did NOT purchase insurance for our January 2 Caribbean cruise and now I must cancel due to a family emergency. This cruise was booked on board a Celebrity cruise we sailed on last Spring. Has anyone been successful in transferring their cruise to another sailing if they didn't have insurance? I plan on calling Celebrity on Monday to cancel and I'll be within the loss of 50% of cruise price. I'll also will be out the one way Cruise Air flight and I'll have to spend $150 to put my air miles for one way back into my account. Just wishing Celebrity would take pity on me and allow me to transfer the price of the cruise to another booking. Am I totally out of luck or is there some smidgeon of hope??? Always new I would get burned some day by not purchasing insurance!

Edited November 28, 2014 by zodiac1

[wallie5446]

Sorry for your situation, all you can do is call and ask if you can transfer.

[judyfssw]

Don't wait until Monday, call Celebrity tonight.

[Lois R]

Don't wait until Monday, call Celebrity tonight.

 

Hi Judy:).....I agree with you. They ought to make that call tonight.

[Kamloops50]

Highly unlikely that they do anything for you. Depending how close to the cruise they will refund part of the fare. This is good reason why people should buy insurance . I know one couple they lost almost $10K on cruise because thay didn't think that $250 for insurance wasn't worth it.

[SantaFeFan]

My opinion: if you didn't want to spend the money on travel insurance to protect yourself from an emergency cancellation, why should Celebrity give you a break. That is why many of us purchase travel insurance. If we are willing to spend the money to protect ourselves, why should Celebrity reward someone who can't be bothered to do the same? :confused:

 

People need to take responsibility for their own actions - especially their mistakes. :rolleyes:

 

As someone who always buys travel insurance, I hope Celebrity turns them down. Celebrity isn't a welfare organization. :mad:

Edited November 29, 2014 by SantaFeFan

[KW Cruisers]

My opinion: if you didn't want to spend the money on travel insurance to protect yourself from an emergency cancellation, why should Celebrity give you a break. That is why many of us purchase travel insurance. If we are willing to spend the money to protect ourselves, why should Celebrity reward someone who can't be bothered to do the same? :confused:

 

People need to take responsibility for their own actions - especially their mistakes. :rolleyes:

 

As someone who always buys travel insurance, I hope Celebrity turns them down. Celebrity isn't a welfare organization. :mad:

 

I agree with you that people shouldn't be reimbursed if they haven't purchased cancellation insurance. Why should they make an exception for someone who didn't pay for insurance like other people? I'm with you on this. :)

 

However your comparison to a "possible reimbursement" as being the same thing as an organized welfare system is misguided at best.;)

 

Shawn

[cynbar]

I don't mean to sound snarky, but why is the OP posting here? The only thing that matters is what Celebrity says, so I would call them right away. And, for the record, I wouldn't expect a break. If they made it easy for cruisers to just move their cruise, why would anyone pay for insurance? And, the cruise line would lose money, which usually is not their strategy. But I can assure you that no one's opinion matters except Celebrity's.

[donaldsc]

We did NOT purchase insurance for our January 2 Caribbean cruise and now I must cancel due to a family emergency. This cruise was booked on board a Celebrity cruise we sailed on last Spring. Has anyone been successful in transferring their cruise to another sailing if they didn't have insurance? I plan on calling Celebrity on Monday to cancel and I'll be within the loss of 50% of cruise price. I'll also will be out the one way Cruise Air flight and I'll have to spend $150 to put my air miles for one way back into my account. Just wishing Celebrity would take pity on me and allow me to transfer the price of the cruise to another booking. Am I totally out of luck or is there some smidgeon of hope??? Always new I would get burned some day by not purchasing insurance!

 

Why should they give you anything. You made a decision not to buy insurance so you deserve nothing. If they give you a break, why should anyone buy insurance.

 

Back in the old days, people paid to join a private fire fighting group so that there was money to pay for equipment and hire fire fighters. For that money, you got a badge on your house that told the fire fighters that you had paid. If you did not pay, the fire fighters would rescue anyone in your house and then let it burn.

 

Sorry to sound harsh but that it the way it is.

 

DON

[KW Cruisers]

 

Back in the old days, people paid to join a private fire fighting group so that there was money to pay for equipment and hire fire fighters. For that money, you got a badge on your house that told the fire fighters that you had paid. If you did not pay, the fire fighters would rescue anyone in your house and then let it burn.

 

 

DON

 

Let's hope they don't adopt this policy on board X ships in relation to staterooms...they are a little close together, someone's fire may spread to your stateroom (even if you had the badge on your stateroom door) ;)

 

Thanks goodness society has progressed a little...:p

 

Shawn

[fleckle]

We did NOT purchase insurance for our January 2 Caribbean cruise and now I must cancel due to a family emergency. This cruise was booked on board a Celebrity cruise we sailed on last Spring. Has anyone been successful in transferring their cruise to another sailing if they didn't have insurance? I plan on calling Celebrity on Monday to cancel and I'll be within the loss of 50% of cruise price. I'll also will be out the one way Cruise Air flight and I'll have to spend $150 to put my air miles for one way back into my account. Just wishing Celebrity would take pity on me and allow me to transfer the price of the cruise to another booking. Am I totally out of luck or is there some smidgeon of hope??? Always new I would get burned some day by not purchasing insurance!

If you paid for the cruise with a major credit card that automatically includes travel insurance, don't forget to check what kind of coverage you have there.

 

 

[donaldsc]

Let's hope they don't adopt this policy on board X ships in relation to staterooms...they are a little close together, someone's fire may spread to your stateroom (even if you had the badge on your stateroom door) ;)

 

Thanks goodness society has progressed a little...:p

 

Shawn

 

I made the comment to show that people should be responsible for themselves and not expect others to cover for their mistakes or omissions. I did not really expect that in modern society we should let houses burn. I will bet, however, that the people who did not pay their fire assessment did not forget to do it a second time.

 

DON

[psychtobe]

Most respondents here are misguided.

 

OP can do nothing but ask and is entitled to nothing, that is true.

 

But X may well relent for any number of reasons, mostly having to do with 'good business practice.' They may smell a repeat customer; they may know something about his stateroom category, prepaid excursions, or other spending habits that tell us more about his future profitability to them as a customer than you can know. Or they may just do it to 'be nice' knowing that it costs 5-10 times as much to acquire a new customer as to keep an old customer. Furthermore, on a sold out or nearly sold out cruise they may actually make money with a cancellation and partial refund if they can resell the now vacant cabin, perhaps even at a higher rate than the OP first booked.

 

Airlines also have strict no refund policies but as (former) frequent flyers the airlines often bent the rules for us, based on the correct assumption that by doing so we would continue to be very loyal travelers.

 

I also don't mean to be snarky but it is tiring to hear from everyone who buys insurance all the time about how those who don't buy insurance 'need to learn a lesson.' How petty. It's also mathematically challenged. The travel insurance industry is extraordinarily profitable and those profits come directly from the delta between premiums charged and claims paid. This means your expected return on travel insurance is very low.

 

I have never bought travel insurance in 20 years of worldwide traveling, up to 100,000 flown air miles per year, whether for a $100 hotel room or a $10,000 cruise (plus airfare). I've never had to miss a trip. My wife missed one; we were flying Southwest so no monetary loss occurred. At this point, even if we are forced to miss a trip, we have avoided paying thousands of dollars of travel insurance, which is enough to pay for any missed trip.

 

Even if you buy insurance and have the 'privilege' of making a claim, you should not confuse strategy with outcome. Like in a casino, some bets are simply bad bets. You may win some, and lose some, but the odds don't change.

 

Your own personal circumstances may dictate you insure but the average traveler should not. Those who don't insure aren't 'stupid' or 'undeserving' and you certainly can't make that claim against them without knowing their situations in advance.

Edited November 29, 2014 by psychtobe

[Jane2357]

These insurance threads always confuse me. Insurance is covering yourself for just this type of situation yet you choose to gamble, save your money and not purchase it. NOW you have an emergency but hope that Celebrity will show you some kindness and let you transfer your cruise. :confused: I'm also in the camp that thinks sorry, your loss.

[fortinweb]

Most respondents here are misguided.

 

OP can do nothing but ask and is entitled to nothing, that is true.

 

But X may well relent for any number of reasons, mostly having to do with 'good business practice.'

 

Not sure how it is "good business practice" to allow one person a waiver but not others. It may do more harm to their reputation if they penalize some but not others. Why would a business knowingly anger many for the benefit of one?

[sloopsailor]

Most respondents here are misguided.

 

I also don't mean to be snarky but it is tiring to hear from everyone who buys insurance all the time about how those who don't buy insurance 'need to learn a lesson.' How petty. It's also mathematically challenged. The travel insurance industry is extraordinarily profitable and those profits come directly from the delta between premiums charged and claims paid. This means your expected return on travel insurance is very low.

 

I have never bought travel insurance in 20 years of worldwide traveling, up to 100,000 flown air miles per year, whether for a $100 hotel room or a $10,000 cruise (plus airfare). I've never had to miss a trip. My wife missed one; we were flying Southwest so no monetary loss occurred. At this point, even if we are forced to miss a trip, we have avoided paying thousands of dollars of travel insurance, which is enough to pay for any missed trip.

 

Even if you buy insurance and have the 'privilege' of making a claim, you should not confuse strategy with outcome. Like in a casino, some bets are simply bad bets. You may win some, and lose some, but the odds don't change.

 

Your own personal circumstances may dictate you insure but the average traveler should not. Those who don't insure aren't 'stupid' or 'undeserving' and you certainly can't make that claim against them without knowing their situations in advance.

 

Do you also condone not insuring your car, your home, or your life? You prefer to take the risk that nothing will happen that insurance would cover. That is your choice. A pretty stupid choice, in my opinion. But don't expect everyone else to be equally stupid. Too bad you have chosen to look down at people who take a more responsible approach by purchasing insurance for what are typically expensive vacations. Most people can't easily absorb a loss of several thousand dollars.

 

If someone decides to save money by not purchasing insurance and then cancels an expensive cruise and wants the cruise company to give them some sort of dispensation, they certainly are "stupid" and "undeserving". They took a chance, and they need to accept the consequences. I don't need to know anything more about "their situations". They bet they wouldn't need insurance and they lost. It's their fault they are losing all that money, no matter how you want to twist the logic of the situation.

 

I find it offensive that you call us "petty". Obviously you think you are superior to the rest of us. Your words clearly prove that. :rolleyes:

Edited November 29, 2014 by sloopsailor

[chrismakris]

I always believe that situations like this should be resolved on a case by case basis. Hypothetically, should the OP just want to cancel altogether because of the emergency, then yes by all means dock the 50%.

 

A quick look on the =X= website shows that there are still cabins available in all categories except inside on her current cruise.

 

However in this case the OP wants to move her money to a different cruise. As long as its only the one time, if the cruise she wants to move her money to costs more and there are equivalent cabins available I don't see why =X= should not try to accommodate her as best they can. It's just good business sense. Happy customer = repeat customer.

[4774Papa]

Back in 2011, we had to cancel after final payment due to family emergency. Fortunately, we had trip insurance.

 

However, had we not had the insurnace, Celebrity had a policy that would count a percentage of the cancelled amount toward another cruise. The percentage was around 70% in the early day, but went down to a far lesser percentage if canceled close to the sail date.

 

I don't know if X still has such a policy.

[lovemylab]

I also get tired of all these people who preach how everyone should have cancellation insurance and those that don't are stupid.

 

I encourage people to read their policy. They may find they're not as protected as they thought.

 

Many policies are full of clauses that will void coverage such as pre-existing conditions or have caps on how much they will pay.

 

To the OP - call Celebrity now to discuss this. There is no need to wait until Monday. Also, if you paid with a credit card call that company to see whether anything is covered.

[4774Papa]

I also get tired of all these people who preach how everyone should have cancellation insurance and those that don't are stupid.

 

I encourage people to read their policy. They may find they're not as protected as they thought.

 

Many policies are full of clauses that will void coverage such as pre-existing conditions or have caps on how much they will pay.

 

To the OP - call Celebrity now to discuss this. There is no need to wait until Monday. Also, if you paid with a credit card call that company to see whether anything is covered.

I see cruise critic as a forum to exchange experiences, travel plans and valuable information.

 

Sure, some people don't buy insurance and take the risk of loss, what is referred to in the insurance industry as self-insurance.

 

What I think you tired of is people that try to blame the cruise line for their predicament, which is not wrong.

However, people in these circumstances are seeking help and guidance, and they should get that from us on cc.

 

You are correct about reading the fine print on your policies.

[lovemylab]

I don't need to know anything more about "their situations". They bet they wouldn't need insurance and they lost. It's their fault they are losing all that money, no matter how you want to twist the logic of the situation. :

 

 

You do realize that some medical situations will result in a policy being voided, right?

 

We travelled for years while my in laws were elderly and full of health problems. We were told by every insurance company we contacted that if we put a claim in due to something happening with one of them it would get rejected anyways.

 

If you think all insurance policies provide full coverage 100% of the time you are very naive.

 

While the OP may have benefitted from insurance, not everyone does. That is why you need to know the situation.

[lovemylab]

I see cruise critic as a forum to exchange experiences, travel plans and valuable information.

.

 

 

There is a difference between exchanging experiences and preaching.

[Mr. Click]

Last May we had to cancel our Baltic cruise on the Connie 5 days before departure, two days before our flight to AMS. I was in the hospital facing a cardiac cath the next day and we knew there was no way we were going. Fortuantely we had some insurance so we got most of our money back but when I called Celebrity some months later to ask about Captain's Club credit since they got to keep our money the answer was a resounding NO. I am curious to see if the OP gets anything better.....Oh we did get about $500 back from Celebrity that I believe was port fees that they are required to refund. Bottom line is insure your major purchases or be prepared for face the loss. Don't look to Celebrity for anything more than a nice cruise if you get to go

[fortinweb]

You do realize that some medical situations will result in a policy being voided, right?

 

We travelled for years while my in laws were elderly and full of health problems. We were told by every insurance company we contacted that if we put a claim in due to something happening with one of them it would get rejected anyways.

 

If you think all insurance policies provide full coverage 100% of the time you are very naive.

 

While the OP may have benefitted from insurance, not everyone does. That is why you need to know the situation.

 

I read the fine print. The policies I purchase cover pre-existing conditions. But, they must be purchased within a short time after the booking is made. I have never heard of anyone being refused coverage or a claim if they purchased such a policy within the allowed time period.

 

Last May we had to cancel our Baltic cruise on the Connie 5 days before departure, two days before our flight to AMS. I was in the hospital facing a cardiac cath the next day and we knew there was no way we were going. Fortuantely we had some insurance so we got most of our money back but when I called Celebrity some months later to ask about Captain's Club credit since they got to keep our money the answer was a resounding NO. I am curious to see if the OP gets anything better.....Oh we did get about $500 back from Celebrity that I believe was port fees that they are required to refund. Bottom line is insure your major purchases or be prepared for face the loss. Don't look to Celebrity for anything more than a nice cruise if you get to go

 

Celebrity's policy is to give rewards credit for cruises actually taken, not for those only paid for. Not sure if that is right or wrong, but the policy is what it is and we must work with it the best we can. Airlines work the same way. Airline miles are given for actually airline miles flown, not for dollars spent. Celebrity doesn't reward you for money spent, but for the category stateroom and duration of the cruise. Whether you paid full price or got a great deal after final payment deal, you still earn the same amount of credit. Even a free cruise would earn credit.

Edited November 29, 2014 by fortinweb

[dhill]

My opinion: if you didn't want to spend the money on travel insurance to protect yourself from an emergency cancellation, why should Celebrity give you a break. That is why many of us purchase travel insurance. If we are willing to spend the money to protect ourselves, why should Celebrity reward someone who can't be bothered to do the same? :confused:

 

People need to take responsibility for their own actions - especially their mistakes. :rolleyes:

 

As someone who always buys travel insurance, I hope Celebrity turns them down. Celebrity isn't a welfare organization. :mad:

Well said. Never thought about it like that.How would it be fair to everyone who opened up their wallets to pay for insurance? Why would anyone buy insurance if you could just call in and get your money back?If your willing to take the gamble buy not buying insurance you should be ready to pay the price:rolleyes: