Help. We have a TA scheduled (and paid for) at the end of this month - and our 3rd person just had a mother/medical crisis.

[tuxala]

Help. We have a TA scheduled (and paid for) at the end of this month (April 24, 2022) - and our 3rd person just had a mother/medical crisis. It is impossible for her to leave the country. And we are in a Haven 2BR.

All three of us purchased insurance.

We don't think we can pay the whole bill.

Any (and all) advice/recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

td

[GeezerCouple]

15 minutes ago, tuxala said:

Help. We have a TA scheduled (and paid for) at the end of this month (April 24, 2022) - and our 3rd person just had a mother/medical crisis. It is impossible for her to leave the country. And we are in a Haven 2BR.

All three of us purchased insurance.

We don't think we can pay the whole bill.

Any (and all) advice/recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

td

 

Did you contact your insurance agent or broker?  What did they say?

 

This is one of the reasons to buy travel insurance, so you should be okay, if a physician can attest that the person shouldn't travel due to the emergency of an immediate family member.

 

GC

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Then you probably should have booked a reasonably priced room(s).

 

With their insurance, they should be paying about the same each, which I assume they *could* afford.

 

GC

[DaisyGoldberg]

My mom had to cancel a cruise a week out to care for my sister who took seriously ill. Her companion canceled as well and both were reimbursed by insurance. If you can't find a new roommate, canceling might be your best bet, hard as it would be.

[tuxala]

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

This is one of the reasons to buy travel insurance,

We did. Can't contact our TA until tomorrow. I was just hoping someone might have prior knowledge of such an event.

And per ChiefMateJRK's sage advice (?), next cruise we will plan ahead for the death of a relative.

td

[Rusty Shacklefjord]

Does this apply? SINGLE OCCUPANCY COVERAGE
The Company will reimburse You for the additional cost incurred during the Trip as a result of a change in the per person occupancy rate for pre-paid Travel Arrangements if a person booked to share accommodations with You has his/her Trip delayed, canceled, or interrupted for a covered reason and You do not cancel. This benefit is subject to the same Maximum Benefit indicated above.

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, tuxala said:

We did. Can't contact our TA until tomorrow. I was just hoping someone might have prior knowledge of such an event.

And per ChiefMateJRK's sage advice (?), next cruise we will plan ahead for the death of a relative.

td

Don't do anything yet.

But I would suggest contacting you INSURER, *not* your travel agent.

And many (most?) insurers have 24 hour service, although the "after hours" may just be for a true emergency, which this doesn't seem to be.

 

The only thing that matters is what the insurer tells you.  The TA could be wrong about your specific policy, etc.  If the TA says something is okay, and later the insurer says "no", then guess who "wins".  Hint:  Not the TA. 😞 

 

Or read your policy.  There should be something there about this situation.  However, if this is the first time you've needed to peruse the full policy, it might seem very detailed.

Many policies will pick up whatever you each lost (each person's policy for each person).  So if one needs to cancel for a covered reason, they'd get their money back.  If someone else has a loss because they are suddenly paying for a single, that should be covered.

HOWEVER... dealing with one roommate cancelling but not the other *can* get complicated, so make SURE you do it the way the insurer tells you to, after verifying that this is a covered situation.

 

Hope all goes well with the Mother!

 

GC

[ChiefMateJRK]

19 hours ago, tuxala said:

And per ChiefMateJRK's sage advice (?), next cruise we will plan ahead for the death of a relative.

Plan for it?  No.  Allow for it?  Absolutely.  

 

You booked a Haven, made final payment (we'll assume credit card) and now are concerned that you can't "pay the bill."

Edited April 6, 2022 by ChiefMateJRK

[Babr]

23 hours ago, tuxala said:

Help. We have a TA scheduled (and paid for) at the end of this month (April 24, 2022) - and our 3rd person just had a mother/medical crisis. It is impossible for her to leave the country. And we are in a Haven 2BR.

All three of us purchased insurance.

We don't think we can pay the whole bill.

Any (and all) advice/recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

td

You did not say what kind of insurance you purchased. 
 

If you have NCL Standard or Platinum, your traveling companion will be able to cancel and be reimbursed because of the illness of a family member (See #3 under covered reasons for cancellation).

 

You will have to pay the whole bill, but you will be reimbursed  once you file a claim under Single Occupancy. This provision pays the difference when the per person occupancy rate changes because someone in your group cancels. You are not covered for cancellation in this instance, but you will be reimbursed for the up-charge.

 

If you bought third-party insurance, contact the person who sold it to you or the insurer directly. The language and terms may be different. 

. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Babr

[Babr]

Don’t cancel. Only the person with a family illness will be covered. The remaining guests will be covered under Single Occupancy but will have no basis for cancellation.

 

Borrow the money if you have to and pay it back when the insurance claim is settled, but don’t cancel and lose it all.

[tuxala]

1 hour ago, Babr said:

Don’t cancel. Only the person with a family illness will be covered.

Thanks, Babr. We purchased Standard insurance - and will work directly with the company. Our TA doesn't seem to know what is going on.

And the cruise is completely paid for . . .

td

[Babr]

3 minutes ago, tuxala said:

Thanks, Babr. We purchased Standard insurance - and will work directly with the company. Our TA doesn't seem to know what is going on.

And the cruise is completely paid for . . .

td

 

That is the best way to do it. Some policies allow you to cancel if your companion cancels for a covered reason, but the only thing that matters is what applies in your situation. The insurance company will explain your options.

[styles27]

On 4/5/2022 at 6:18 PM, tuxala said:

Help. We have a TA scheduled (and paid for) at the end of this month (April 24, 2022) - and our 3rd person just had a mother/medical crisis. It is impossible for her to leave the country. And we are in a Haven 2BR.

All three of us purchased insurance.

We don't think we can pay the whole bill.

Any (and all) advice/recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

td

Is your TA on Escape by any chance?

[tuxala]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

Is your TA on Escape by any chance?

No. Might be a close relative???

td

[kaprin02]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

Is your TA on Escape by any chance?

The Escape TA is scheduled for 4/25, so probably not the one OP is on.

[styles27]

8 minutes ago, tuxala said:

No. Might be a close relative???

td

Oh okay. I was thinking/wondering if you were sailing on The Escape’s trans Atlantic journey if the ship will even be repaired in time for that itinerary. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by styles27

[bluesea777]

OP is on Getaway TA.

 

Unfortunately it's the 3rd person that is bailing out which means if the insurance kicks in, it'll pay her fare that is the low 3rd person rate (like $100). The taxes, fees, grats, etc will be refunded by NCL to that 3rd person.

 

This means the other 2, being #1 and #2 in the cabin are stuck with full fare - that's why OP says they can't afford to pay the bill.

 

If they originally went 1/3 pp, perhaps the 3rd person can reimburse the other 2 for having bailed out, to help them with bill paying.

 

My suggestion is if you all think that the $100 is too low to get anything/anyone involved, just go on the cruise with the 3rd person as a no-show. NCL will refund the taxes/fees/grats/etc. 

 

in July 2019 we had to bail out a port-intensive Baltics cruise a week before we were due to go, due to severe medical condition that would greatly impact my well-being and enjoyment. We contacted NCL to cancel ... they refunded all (including excursions that we booked and paid) except for the base cruise fares and insurance. Then they told us to contact the insurance (AON). Several forms (including a letter/form completed & signed by my doctor) later we got the full base fares back in form of a check.

 

Contact the insurance to seek options/recommendations. 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by bluesea777

[jules181]

The one question to ask is the insurance through NCL or a third party?

 

If this insurance is through a third party, in NCL's view, the room is still paid for because they won't be giving a refund, the money will be coming from the insurance policy.  

 

Will that trigger an upcharge or a supplement?  NCL has been paid full fare for the room, they aren't giving the money back.  

 

Too bad you can't roll the dice with Escape chicken.  haha, as someone's who's on that TA, you've got a decent chance of not having it be a problem.  🤣

[tuxala]

33 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Unfortunately it's the 3rd person that is bailing out which means if the insurance kicks in, it'll pay her fare that is the low 3rd person rate (like $100).

Yup - you're right. Honestly, the cost isn't that much of a factor. Our 3rd person has offered to pay her share, but her mother is seriously ill and this issue is insignificant in comparison. So we'll just have extra room. Thanks to everyone who provided sound advice.

td

[AtlantaCruiser72]

If the cruise is paid in full what is left to pay other than actual onboard expenses for the travelling persons?  Insurance should reimburse the non-travelling guest for the non-refundable portion of their fare (penalties) provided it is for a "qualified" reason under the plan.  It doesn't really matter at this point who paid what from NCL's or the insurers perspective as what is insured is the fare/components covered for guest 3 that are non-refundable, not what has been paid.

 

Any other financials for how they chose to split payments up when paying off the cruise would be between themselves to sort out.

[GeezerCouple]

13 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

If the cruise is paid in full what is left to pay other than actual onboard expenses for the travelling persons?  Insurance should reimburse the non-travelling guest for the non-refundable portion of their fare (penalties) provided it is for a "qualified" reason under the plan.  It doesn't really matter at this point who paid what from NCL's or the insurers perspective as what is insured is the fare/components covered for guest 3 that are non-refundable, not what has been paid.

 

Any other financials for how they chose to split payments up when paying off the cruise would be between themselves to sort out.

This ^^

 

Make sure that the other two of you call your insurer asap to find out how to make this claim if it's a covered event.  You'll probably need some documentation about the medical emergency that prevented the other person from going.  (That's not usually a problem when it is your own family, but in this situation, it might be a bit awkward...?)

 

RM

[bookbabe]

2 hours ago, tuxala said:

Yup - you're right. Honestly, the cost isn't that much of a factor. Our 3rd person has offered to pay her share, but her mother is seriously ill and this issue is insignificant in comparison. So we'll just have extra room. Thanks to everyone who provided sound advice.

td

Have you looked into subbing in a new person #3 instead?  I think you can still do that post-Covid, can’t you? 

[cherylandtk]

The real problem here is that the 3 people split the total cost and insurance only covers the fare based on (unequal) 1st/2nd and 3rd person amounts.  If the third person cancels, their insurance will only reimburse the reduced third person amount. 
 

As previously noted above, the best option would be to get somebody else to take the third person‘s place and reimburse her directly for her original costs. 
 

Failing that, her insurance coverage is going to be inadequate and since the first two pax are still going there is no fare adjustment (or insurance claim) to be made. 
 

😕

[GeezerCouple]

10 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

The real problem here is that the 3 people split the total cost and insurance only covers the fare based on (unequal) 1st/2nd and 3rd person amounts.  If the third person cancels, their insurance will only reimburse the reduced third person amount. 
 

As previously noted above, the best option would be to get somebody else to take the third person‘s place and reimburse her directly for her original costs. 
 

Failing that, her insurance coverage is going to be inadequate and since the first two pax are still going there is no fare adjustment (or insurance claim) to be made. 
 

😕

The first and second pax also had losses - the extra cost.

So they need to check with *their* insurer, not the insurer for the passenger cancelling.

Whether it's covered depends upon their own policies.

GC

[cherylandtk]

25 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

The first and second pax also had losses - the extra cost.

So they need to check with *their* insurer, not the insurer for the passenger cancelling.

Whether it's covered depends upon their own policies.

GC

What are their losses? I see none unless they voluntarily paid the third person the fare difference, which is not an insurable event.