fire onboard Insignia

[globevest]

Am guessing that they could offer a many many sea day cruise to Singapore but, with a repair lasting an estimated 9 weeks after an evaluation of only one day (ship arrived in San Juan only yesterday), it is likely that delays will occur so would be extremely difficult to schedule a firm date for departure for Singapore and there needs to be that extra time such that they are sure the cruise from Singapore will begin on schedule or much extra planning and changes doesn't occur and people can plan on their vacation.

 

No plan is perfect but, seems O has done their homework to recover from this unfortunate disaster. Sure O would like to receive the revenue for more days but, this conservative approach with perhaps the ship in Singapore early looks to be the best for all concerned.

 

Maybe they can also sail to Singapore with very few crew and save a bunch of money. The full crew could join in Singapore and a lot of them could be from that part of the world.

[Mura]

Business class air from their home city to Singapore is included..

Jancruz1

 

Generous indeed! I was assuming passengers would be on their own to get to Singapore. I know that flying to Singapore from NYC (even in economy) is a LOT different from flying from NYC to Miami! So passengers will miss the first two months or so of the cruise but at least they don't have to worry about airfare to the embarkation point.

 

I was thinking at first that people who booked private tours on the now-disappeared portion might have problems but then it occurred to me that they will be able to give tour vendors reasonable notice for cancellation, and they certainly have good reason to do so since they won't be in the port on those days!

 

No matter what, this is a real mess for everyone. My sympathies also to the people who are missing their cruises. But especially to the families of the lost crew member and contract workers. Those have the greatest loss.

 

Mura

 

P.S. As to sailing "empty" to Singapore, I would think Insignia can get there faster than with a full load of passengers ... which would probably delay the onset of the World Cruise even further.

[buggins0402]

I wonder if someone could do r/t from Singapore? Looks like it extends the trip a month and I don't know if some ports would overlap.

[hondorner]

We had several reasons to book the World Cruise, but the fact that we wouldn't have to fly to see Asia, Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific was a major one. We're not interested in flying to Singapore. We also booked tours to the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat, which will be missed.

 

We're considering booking the 2016 WC, but the price is higher, and I haven't had a chance to see if my $14,000 in Trip Insurance could be extended for a year. If I have to pay it twice, that could put a quash on the entire idea. Our 25% future cruise credit on the 3 cancelled segments will probably only amount to about $5,000 per person, which would cover the increased fare but not the trip insurance.

Edited December 24, 2014 by hondorner

[Mura]

Don,

 

I suspect you are not alone in having to make these calculations.

 

I wouldn't want to fly to Singapore either when the original option was to fly down to Miami from NYC. Fortunately for us, DH won't consider a cruise more than 30 days in length so the World Cruise was never an option for us.

 

Besides, our cat wouldn't appreciate being abandoned for so long.

 

Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

Mura

[dwgreenlee]

Folks, there are several things to consider here;

 

First, the shortest sea route for San Juan to Singapore is 11786 nm taking 24.6 days at 20 knots. With traffic and refueling stops this is a 30-day dead head transit - with plenty of problematic issues (weather, Pirates, etc.) along the way. Some of the Navigation and Engineering team will travel with Insignia but the Hotel Department will be a complete re-crew in Singapore. At least this is a good stress test for the repairs.

 

Second, Oceania, as we know and love it, does not exist. When NCL Holdings bought Oceania they created three "shared services" Vice Presidents, directly under NCL Holdings, that control everything - across the board - for NCL, Oceania, and Regent. This is in stark contrast to when Carnival purchased Princess and went to great lengths to preserve the brand identity. Check out the "shared services" tab at the following link http://www.nclhltd.com/leadership-team.cfm. NCL Holdings, as a publicly traded profit seeking company, is very focused on the bottom line. Lost revenue from this incident is going to be $40 - 50 million USD.

 

Third, Insignia is not in a shipyard - it is an industrial port with a WWII graving dock. Much cheaper that putting her in a full service shipyard but with much less depth of services available.

 

Fourth, nine weeks for repairs is a very long time for a cruise ship. The critical path items are very likely parts - damaged in the fire - that are coming from specialty manufactures around the world.

 

I am not sure there are any conclusions to be drawn here except that I think some confidence expressed in Oceania, based upon members past experience, may be misplaced.

 

r/Don

[YoHoHo]

We had several reasons to book the World Cruise, but the fact that we wouldn't have to fly to see Asia, Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific was a major one. We're not interested in flying to Singapore. We also booked tours to the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat, which will be missed.

 

We're considering booking the 2016 WC, but the price is higher, and I haven't had a chance to see if my $14,000 in Trip Insurance could be extended for a year. If I have to pay it twice, that could put a quash on the entire idea. Our 25% future cruise credit on the 3 cancelled segments will probably only amount to about $5,000 per person, which would cover the increased fare but not the trip insurance.

I humbly suggest to you to review this with your Insurance Agent. It might be beneficial to not claim on CFAR, assuming you bought that in the 14k premium which seems like a lot so assume it îs a 'full meal' deal. I also realize there could be some pre-existing conditions that further complicates this.

 

For example if you cancel the insurance it *might* be transferable to another trip within a year but if you claim any loss it could be done. The amount received from non-refundable things might be considerably less than the 14k premium.

I am not an expert in such things such as insurance I am just thinking out loud that you might want to get an expert opinion while options are still available to you.

 

I empathize with you not wanting to fly to Singapore from your home gateway though Business Class eases the pain. The loss of Angkor Wat, etc. is not trivial by any means.

 

We have been travelling vicariously with you and Betsy on this WC. I hope it works out for you as such opportunities should be happy events and few who can take advantage of them, whether this one or something else, do.

I hope it works out for all in this predicament.

Edited December 24, 2014 by YoHoHo

[YoHoHo]

As with some previous posters we would like to see O administer a crew 'welfare' fund.

 

On a previous cruise we tried to contribute to one and as they did not maintain one we instead added to our 'shipboard' gratuities.

 

It was accepted with some reluctance.

Conversation with a Purser was along the lines of:

Perhaps we would like to simply give cash to these who have given us valued service (or such).

Yes, I will do that but being as we have been taken care of so well on the entire cruise, we want to give to everyone as they all have contributed to our enjoyment.

Again a confirmation that this is what I want, again with some reluctance, then printed and I sign the chit.

We added the equivalent of a single pax 'automatic' gratuities for the cruise (~$125). I realize that adding 1/684th more to everyone's share is not a noticeable amount. Hopefully though a little recognition of everyone's contribution is appreciated.

Edited December 24, 2014 by YoHoHo

[kimanjo]

We had several reasons to book the World Cruise, but the fact that we wouldn't have to fly to see Asia, Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific was a major one. We're not interested in flying to Singapore. We also booked tours to the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat, which will be missed.

 

We're considering booking the 2016 WC, but the price is higher, and I haven't had a chance to see if my $14,000 in Trip Insurance could be extended for a year. If I have to pay it twice, that could put a quash on the entire idea. Our 25% future cruise credit on the 3 cancelled segments will probably only amount to about $5,000 per person, which would cover the increased fare but not the trip insurance.

 

 

I always thought you could cancel your trip insurance anytime up until the trip started with no problem. No trip, no insurance needed. Am I wrong???

 

What $$ would you be out in you didn't claim on insurance? R/T air to Miami? Pre/Post hotels (are they cancelable?) Didn't this cruise include all Visas?

 

Not that I could ever afford a RTW, but some of this helpful info could apply to regular cruises too.

Edited December 24, 2014 by kimanjo

[hypercafe]

I canceled a cruise once and called the trip insurance to ask about a refund. I had to send proof I canceled and they did a prorated refund which was around 90%. I was happy and surprised I got back anything.

 

Sent from my XT1032 using Forums mobile app

[LHT28]

I have cancelled a trip before & moved my insurance over to another trip without issue

If you are not making any claims on the insurance they will usually work with you to transfer the policy

It is worth checking with the insurance company

 

That said I am not sure it would work if you already started your trip but if you were made whole by the cruise line they may reissue your insurance policy ...it is worth asking

 

So sad for those having to make the decision to cancel or take a short cruise

 

Lyn

[2BYoung]

Received an email yesterday that Insignia, after the fire, will not be ready to cruise for 9 weeks. We had an 'epic trip' planned - pre cruise safari, land tour for 2 weeks followed by 35 days on the ship going from Cape Town to Singapore.

Leaving January 30. We have been counting the days so you can imagine our disappointment!

Hoping Oceania makes good for all of our expenses. We need money in hand before we book anything else.

There will be a lot of disappointed travelers! Very Sad. :(

[canuck.qc]

Received an email yesterday that Insignia, after the fire, will not be ready to cruise for 9 weeks. We had an 'epic trip' planned - pre cruise safari, land tour for 2 weeks followed by 35 days on the ship going from Cape Town to Singapore.

Leaving January 30. We have been counting the days so you can imagine our disappointment!

Hoping Oceania makes good for all of our expenses. We need money in hand before we book anything else.

There will be a lot of disappointed travelers! Very Sad. :(

I am soo sorry for all those whose trips have been cancelled. As an obsessive planner, most times a year of preparation and arrangement, I would be devastated:( Hope everything works out.

[hondorner]

I always thought you could cancel your trip insurance anytime up until the trip started with no problem. No trip, no insurance needed. Am I wrong???

 

What $$ would you be out in you didn't claim on insurance? R/T air to Miami? Pre/Post hotels (are they cancelable?) Didn't this cruise include all Visas?

 

Not that I could ever afford a RTW, but some of this helpful info could apply to regular cruises too.

Actually, what we insure is the possibility of having to cancel a cruise from the time of final payment until the time of the cruise. For example, in 2010 I suffered a small stroke 2 days before we were to begin 24 day back-to-back cruise. We were well into the full penalty period for a refund from the cruise line; trip insurance reimbursed us every cent.

 

In this case, final payment was 6 months before the cruise. The total was near $100,000; we could not afford to lose that if something happened before the cruise. Yes, the penalties are prorated, so if something happened early in that period we would not have lost the entire amount, but trip insurance requires you to pay the full premium at the time of final payment. We did actually purchase the insurance in July, 2013, insuring the amount we were at risk of losing on the deposit, just to obtain the waiver for pre-existing conditions. We increased the amount to the full price at final payment and paid the premium.

 

Mark, there are a limited number of companies that will offer insurance for a trip lasting 180 days. Our choice devolved to one, John Hancock, with their Gold policy. We paid over $14K for our category; we have friends who booked a higher category and paid $18K. In both cases we had health concerns that makes trip insurance necessary. Our concern about getting it grandfathered to the 2016 cruise is that John Hancock has changed their policy and no longer insures a trip longer than 100 days. Our agency, InsureMyTrip.com, is holding out hope they will continue to grandfather the coverage, but we won't know until we finalize our 2016 booking, submit the new information and send an email describing the circumstances to be forwarded to John Hancock. If they refuse, we'll be out the $14K and will be looking for new insurance. If it's any solace, we were insured for nearly a year and a half, and the only thing left they could cover would be delay or interruption of the trip.

[I_r_a]

Hey Kimanjo

 

>I always thought you could cancel your trip insurance anytime up until the trip started with no problem. No trip, no insurance needed. Am I wrong??? <

 

Yes, you are wrong, sorta.

 

Here's my experience.

 

I had insured with Travelguard through Diver's Assistance Network.

 

Some very pleasant people walked me through all of my questions and concerns.

 

The policy may be cancelled only within the first 10 days.

 

The policy only insures you if you can't make the trip or if something happens to the ship that requires delay or cancellation.

 

It doesn't insure against the trip being cancelled prior to sailing or against costs associated with getting to the ship and returning home.

 

Ira

[PaulMCO]

Hey Kimanjo

 

>I always thought you could cancel your trip insurance anytime up until the trip started with no problem. No trip, no insurance needed. Am I wrong??? <

 

Yes, you are wrong, sorta.

 

Here's my experience.

 

I had insured with Travelguard through Diver's Assistance Network.

 

Some very pleasant people walked me through all of my questions and concerns.

 

The policy may be cancelled only within the first 10 days.

 

The policy only insures you if you can't make the trip or if something happens to the ship that requires delay or cancellation.

 

It doesn't insure against the trip being cancelled prior to sailing or against costs associated with getting to the ship and returning home.

 

Ira

 

Correct.. Travelguard will allow you to make a onetime change (like change the cruise date). In Don's case getting 180 cruise length insurance was not so easy.

 

Don -- maybe you could segment out the WC if JH refuses to grandfather. At least you would be out only 1/2 at most.

 

Really sorry for all those on the 180 WC -- makes our prior 24 day cruise cancellation insignificant in comparison.

Edited December 24, 2014 by PaulMCO

[randm49]

Here is the full Oceania Document that was sent out. I hope the latter part of the letter may answer some of your questions

 

Oceania Insignia Update

 

As recently shared, we have been reviewing the extent of the damage to Insignia. We have now completed our initial repair assessment and expect the ship will remain in San Juan for an estimated nine weeks to complete the required work. Because the time needed is longer than we anticipated, we regrettably must modify our Around the World cruise and cancel the first three segments of the voyage.

Three Grand Voyages aboard Insignia, the 126-day Miami to Sydney cruise on January 10, along with the 90-day Cape Town to Sydney and 128-day Cape Town to Los Angeles sailings on February 15, have also been altered. The modified Grand Voyages and Around the World cruise will now start in Singapore on March 22, 2015, with the ship scheduled to sail the remainder of the original itinerary.

We understand how disappointing this news is and sincerely apologize for this unfortunate situation. For guests still willing to sail on the remainder of their Grand Voyages or Around the World cruise from Singapore, we are offering business class air and a hotel stay to assist them with the changed travel plan.

Edited December 24, 2014 by randm49
correction

[HeatherInFlorida]

Now that surprises me. I'd have thought that they would have moved the 'Round the World cruise to another R class ship and cancelled that ship's voyages as necessary till Insignia was seaworthy.

 

Well ... selfishly I'm much relieved. While I feel awful for all the disappointed WC passengers on Insignia and can't even imagine planning such an amazing cruise and then not being able to go, as someone who has been looking forward to our 30th Anniversary cruise on Regatta in April for over a year I have to confess I'm happy not to be the person disappointed.

 

There was no way Oceania was going to make everyone happy so they're just doing the best they can possibly do given the circumstances.

[Cruiser John]

Since the beginning of O Mr. DelRio has always been on the spot to solve problems that have arisen. He has been curiously silent here during the unfolding of O's most tragic event. Is he still with the company? Why no comment?

[dwgreenlee]

Since the beginning of O Mr. DelRio has always been on the spot to solve problems that have arisen. He has been curiously silent here during the unfolding of O's most tragic event. Is he still with the company? Why no comment?

 

Since the acquisition of Oceania by NCL Holdings Inc., Mr. Frank J. Del Rio is no longer in the loop. He is, at best, a figurehead - and not much of one. The real control of shipboard operations and customer relations rests with several "Share Services" vice presidents that manage services across the board for NCL, Oceania and Regent and report to the CEO of NCL Holdings. Check out the "shared services" tab at: http://www.nclhltd.com/leadership-team.cfm

[nana541]

Since the beginning of O Mr. DelRio has always been on the spot to solve problems that have arisen. He has been curiously silent here during the unfolding of O's most tragic event. Is he still with the company? Why no comment?

 

 

That's simple, he no longer runs the show! Corporate takeover 101 :(

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[zoncom]

I am on Inside G starting 11 April, Shanghai to LA. Curious how all these cruisers are going to fit on altered itineries? Are cruisers on 3 deleted legs canceled? Or maybe ship is nowhere near sold out? Any comments?

[randm49]

I am on Inside G starting 11 April, Shanghai to LA. Curious how all these cruisers are going to fit on altered itineries? Are cruisers on 3 deleted legs canceled? Or maybe ship is nowhere near sold out? Any comments?

The way I read it you are fine with no change to your Apr boarding and the cruise should not be modified. It all will still depend on how the repairs go and furher updates from Oceania.

[Floridiana]

zoncom,

I am trying to understand what you are asking. Do you think that all the cruisers who booked only the three first segments will now try to book the Singapore - LA segment? Some might, but there is a limited number of cabins. The ship will not be crowded with surplus passengers.

[randm49]

zoncom,

I am trying to understand what you are asking. Do you think that all the cruisers who booked only the three first segments will now try to book the Singapore - LA segment? Some might, but there is a limited number of cabins. The ship will not be crowded with surplus passengers.

According to Oceania the segments will be modified they did not say how. Your April start date will be normal