dalgirl Posted April 4, 2016 #1 Share Posted April 4, 2016 We recently experienced a personal tragedy while on our last cruise and I want to share with you our experience. I am writing this now, several months after our cruise to hopefully help someone else who experiences a tragic event while at sea. We were on a wonderful cruise to South America, several days into a 2 week cruise when we received a ship to shore call from my sister letting us know that our dear son had had a heart attack and passed away, he was only 35. We knew he had been sick but we had stayed in constant contact and he felt certain that there would be no problems while we were away – we were all wrong. We had met a lovely couple while cruising last year who shared their story of losing a brother while on a cruise and how the cruise line assisted them in getting home, so we knew to immediately go to guest relations to begin the process of returning. The problem was that we had just left Argentina on the way to the Falkland Islands and would not be able to fly home to Atlanta for 4 days since the Falklands did not have regular commercial flights. As you can imagine this was very distressing. NCL could not have been more helpful to us. They made sure that we had access to a computer and a telephone so that we could contact the airlines to change our flights and to book additional flights from Ushuaia, our next stop with an airport that could accommodate us. We spent hours that first night making arrangements and contacting family members and the crew did everything they could to see to our comfort including brining hot tea to us. Over the next several days as additional arrangements needed to be made (our son was single) we were able to use the ship telephone anytime we needed. Once we arrived in Ushuaia they made our exit as easy as possible and we were finally headed home. It was terrible being “trapped” on a ship for days, but we made the best of the situation, taking out scheduled excursion in the Falklands, keeping busy while on the ship and with the help of some lovely people got through the ordeal. Keeping busy is the best thing you can do in this type of situation. Because we were not able to take the excursions that we had booked we ended up with a large onboard credit. However, about a month after we returned a check for the balance was sent to us. I did have to call to remind them, but the customer representative I talked with could not have been more helpful and our check arrived within a week. Trip Insurance: As you can imagine, the plane reservations along with missing half the cruise came to quite a large amount of money. Thank goodness we always buy cruise insurance. Upon our return I contacted the company and they sent all the forms we needed to file our claim. The representative I spoke with was very sympathetic and let me know that we had months to file if needed and that if extensions were required, that could be arranged. They could not have been more helpful or understanding of our situation. One month after filing our claim, our check is on the way. I cannot stress enough the need for trip insurance – it is well worth the small expense when you have paid a lot for a trip. Again I wanted to share our experience to thank NCL and to remind people that even when things go wrong, having the right support can make a terrible tragedy more bearable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted April 4, 2016 #2 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted April 4, 2016 #3 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry for your loss....losing a child has to be the worst thing ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pathubia Posted April 4, 2016 #4 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so sorry for your loss.... Thank you for sharing, it isn't often that we hear the good things about a company.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor95 Posted April 4, 2016 #5 Share Posted April 4, 2016 So sorry for your loss - I cannot imagine the grief of losing a child. Would you mind to tell us if you purchased your insurance directly through NCL or an outside provider? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcruiser48 Posted April 4, 2016 #6 Share Posted April 4, 2016 So sorry..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted April 4, 2016 #7 Share Posted April 4, 2016 So very sorry for your loss, and very nice of you to share your experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Nahoumi Posted April 4, 2016 #8 Share Posted April 4, 2016 So sorry for your tragic loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoCandy Posted April 4, 2016 #9 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sns1009 Posted April 4, 2016 #10 Share Posted April 4, 2016 This breaks my heart! I'm so sorry! I'm so glad to hear NCL took such good care of you and made things as easy as they could be. Thoughts and prayers for your family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted April 4, 2016 #11 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Sorry for your loss. So nice to hear how helpful NCL was to you. Shows there are good people in this world who look out for each other. Sorry again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viva_la_Vida Posted April 4, 2016 #12 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry for your loss. We lost our daughter in December. She was a baby, but it was very unexpected and there is nothing that compares to the loss of a child no matter what age they are. Big hugs to you <3 We booked a cruise this summer to help us heal. This reminded me to get insurance. Thank you so much for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare blackwing Posted April 4, 2016 #13 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so very sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted April 4, 2016 #14 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so very sorry for your loss. You are so very kind to share your experience. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LrgPizza Posted April 4, 2016 #15 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Turtles06 Posted April 4, 2016 #16 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so very sorry for your loss. I hope that you will be comforted by the memories of your son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace#11 Posted April 4, 2016 #17 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story - I'm sure it will be helpful to others if they sadly find themselves in a similar situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strykes Posted April 4, 2016 #18 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLH Arizona Posted April 4, 2016 #19 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaja Posted April 4, 2016 #20 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so very sorry for your loss. Thanks for taking the time to share your story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momoftwinteens Posted April 4, 2016 #21 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am so very sorry for your loss. Being a mother myself, I cannot imagine what you are going through. Thank you for thinking of the rest of us while you grieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted April 4, 2016 #22 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Condolences on your loss but thank you for telling us how it was handled by the cruise line and insurance company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsmom Posted April 4, 2016 #23 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Heartbreaking......I am so sorry for your loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j603 Posted April 4, 2016 #24 Share Posted April 4, 2016 My deepest sympathies on your loss. Thank you for sharing your story. It warms my heart to know that the Norwegian crew took such wonderful care of you in your time of need. Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare natefish95 Posted April 4, 2016 #25 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm so sorry to hear about your son. I know how difficult it is to lose someone when you're so far away. My grandfather passed away when I was studying abroad in Mexico, and my sister and cousin passed away when I was interning in Ecuador. My deepest sympathies to your family. I hope you guys can one day complete that South American cruise in his honor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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