We have to cancel our cruise!!

[bdiddy]

I guess we don't have to but we want to and feel the need too...

 

Our 4 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with epilepsy after her 1st seizure two nights ago, lots of tests and 2 days in the hospital.

 

This is obviously new to us and we are scared and don't really want to leave her so soon after the diagnosis. She's just still so young and we don't know what to expect as time goes on. I know you can't stop living your life but it really is right around the corner and I can't bear the thought of leaving her that soon.

 

Luckily we got the insurance but the flight is non-refundable so I'm not sure what we are going to do about that. Someone mentioned to me that you can use the tickets within 1 year so we were thinking that once we were more comfortable with the diagnosis and how things are going to be then we could maybe go next January instead.

 

Has anyone had to cancel and reschedule?

[readytolose]

I'm sorry you have to cancel your cruise. I completely understand your reasons. I believe I would do the same thing.

 

Hopefully you will be able to rebook for a later date when you feel more comfortable leaving her and the seizures are under control.

 

Just an FYI about the airfare. Most airlines will allow you to use the airfare within a year if you can't fly on the original date, however as I sadly learned when I had to change a vacation it is one year from the date of purchase, not the date of your originally scheduled flight.

[pepsicruiser]

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. You certainly did the right thing with putting off your cruise. I have a dear friend who had flights scheduled and her husband became very ill. She called the airline and they were very sympathetic to her problem and actually returned her money which is very unusual. I am sorry but I forgot the name of the airline. You should definitely call and see what they can do for you. I hoping for much good health to your daughter.

[wolfcathorse]

my daughter just had to cancel her non-refundable NWA ticket home for Christmas. She has 1 year to use the value of the ticket...which was $150 less than the original cost. $75 was the change fee and the other was the security fee, taxes. You lose that.

[DEalfinder]

Sorry to hear about your daughter. You can explore a few things regarding the airfare.

 

1. Call the airline's customer service and explain the situation. They may issue you a credit without imposing a change fee.

 

2. If they don't offer to waive the change fee, try contacting the airline via email. Again explain the situation.

 

3. With which company is your insurance? Our TravelEx insurance covers reimbursement of the nonrefundable price of our tickets up to $200. (I believe that is the case. I know it covers that fee for redeposit of airline miles used to purchase the tickets.)

[luvscruising2007]

bdiddy, I am sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis. I don't think there is a mother in this world who would do things differently than you have. And maybe you will get to take a cruise later when your daughter's condition is under control. She'll be older you might even take her with you.

I wish for you and your family a wonderfully happy new year!

[MilliesMom]

I totally understand the need to cancel. Hope all goes smoothly for your daughter and you.

 

We had to cancel our cruise for this last September. Got our cruise $ back as we were just outside the final payment due date, but nothing back on the airlines. They gave us a credit HOWEVER the credit had to be used within 1 year of the date of purchase NOT the date of cancellation. Also if we rebooked the airfare it was going to be $150 each ($300) for the change and any additional $ if the flight was more than our credit (I expected to pay any excess cost). The credit could not be used by anyone else or given to anyone else.

 

We will lose our airfare credit tomorrow. Was really disappointed as we have a cruise in April planned. It would of been great if we could of used the airfare for that cruise, but no such luck.

[p2lockhart]

We will lose our airfare credit tomorrow. Was really disappointed as we have a cruise in April planned. It would of been great if we could of used the airfare for that cruise, but no such luck.

 

It may be a long shot but would it be possible to book your air for tomorrow and then tomorrow rebook for a later date? May be worth a try...

[MilliesMom]

It may be a long shot but would it be possible to book your air for tomorrow and then tomorrow rebook for a later date? May be worth a try...

 

We actually had to use the credit by tomorrow meaning that we had to fly somewhere not just book the flight. If all we had to do was book by the end of the year it wouldn't of been an issue, but since we had to "use" the credit it was impossible for us to get away by the end of the year.

 

It was a good idea tho, just not possible according to the guidelines they gave us. Thanks for trying to help.

[cruiserbryce]

sad that you will have to put off such a wonderful trip...but I completly agree with your decision...caring for family will always come before vacations

[English_in_Spain]

Sorry to hear of your daughter's diagnosis.

 

We have recently cancelled a RCI cruise. We cancelled just before the final payment was due but still lost our deposit.

 

With the airfare, it depends what type of ticket you have bought. We contacted the airline and were told there was no refund or transfer possible because we had booked a cheaper/non-transferable ticket.

 

So we lost our cruise deposit and the complete cost of the flight. I have now decided I will never book the flight again until much nearer the cruise date - even if it does cost us more.

 

We had travel insurance but the reason for cancelling (business related) was not covered. This is the most expensive 'non-cruise' ever.

[NorbertsNiece]

Totally support your decision to cancel your holiday. How could you relax?

We cancelled a holiday earlier this year with maybe 7 -10 days notice to the airline; my sister, who was travelling too, was terminally ill and felt unable to make the journey by then. The customer services team were awesome and refunded the whole amount of everyone's tickets less a nominal admin charge.

I do hope you are able to take your holiday at another time. I wish you and your little girl and the rest of your family a peaceful new year and better health in the future.

[baabtx]

Totally understanding of your situation and need to cancel. My best friends daughter had her first seizure at 18, 2 weeks prior to her freshman year in college and sorority rush. The first months were difficult as adjustments to medication were made (had a couple more seizures during this period - so your choice is the right one). It's so good that there is time to educate yourselves and daughter about epilepsy, unfortunately for my friends their daughter was a bit older and thought she was more "bulletproof" and that medication would solve all the problems - which it did not (you know college kids staying up late, partying, etc) - so she recently suffered her first seizure in over 3 years which ended up her losing driving priveleges, etc.

 

Best wishes for your daughter. Our friends gained a lot of assistance from the Epilepsy foundation.

[AF-1]

Sorry to hear about your canx. My wife and I had to cancel our cruise do to a death in the family. We had cruise insurance thru AAA. I called the cruise rep at AAA and they refunded our entire amount, cruise, airfare, shore excursions. Check with your travel agent or check with the travel insurance to see if the entire amount u pay for your cruise if refundable. Again, sorry about your daughters health.

[SA Traveler]

Are you sure your insurance won't cover your airfare? If you have RCI's Cruise Care it does cover independently booked air up to the original airfare cost if you cancel for a covered reason.

 

I only recently read this in the Cruise Care booklet. I had already purchased separate coverage for the air part of our upcoming cruise.

[hazeleyez3]

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter and I completely understand the need and want to cancel the cruise.

 

Off topic from the cruise... you may want to take a look at the Epilepsy Foundation of America. Your state may also have a branch. I, myself, have had Epilepsy for 27 years and can tell you first hand that the organizations have helped me, and have given many resources for my friends and family to look at and learn about the condition.

[DanielleRB]

I guess we don't have to but we want to and feel the need too...

 

Our 4 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with epilepsy after her 1st seizure two nights ago, lots of tests and 2 days in the hospital.

 

 

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis. You asked if anyone had been through this...painfully, my answer is yes.

 

2 things come to mind...

 

In November of 2000, my 10 month old was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was told to be fatal - the good news is that he is still with us 8 years later and cancer free. My parents were scheduled to go on their first World Cruise and didn't have the insurance - you can imagine how much they lost. They did eventually get to go on their trip and many thereafter, but that winter was a brutal one...and not because of the cold weather.

 

Then on December 7th, 2006, I was in a pretty bad car accident, getting t-boned in my car and breaking my pelvis in 3 places. We had scheduled a family cruise in January on RCL - in a royal family suite. This time we had insurance and were able to cancel with very limited expenses.

 

I don't make any travel plans without insurance... our own experiences tell us that it is money well spent.

 

--

 

I will be thinking about your family as you get acclimated to your daughter's condition. Our son has a residual seizure disorder and I understand all too well how scary it can be.

 

This cruise will hopefully come back around to you at a better time and you will be able to look at your situation with greater clarity and joy if you go when you are in a better place.

[fpcruiser]

We had to cancel a b2b in Oct. when hurricane Ike came through Cincinnati and deposited a tree on me. Two weeks in the hospital and 3 in a rehab center with outpatient rehab ongoing. We had insurance through RCL and received just about all of our money back including the money it would cost to rebook with the airline. It took a little time but we were reimbursed.

I am sorry to hear about your dh.

[bdiddy]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and well wishes! I keep trying to think positive in that it could have been much worse and we are going to take it one day at a time.

 

I called and cancelled the cruise and started the claim. The representative said there will be no problem getting the full reimbursement.

 

Our flights were through Airtran and are non-refundable coach tickets and when I called there was nothing they could do obviously. I had to pay the $75 per ticket to cancel but we have an $843 credit to use before Oct 17th.

 

I was talking to my husband and we thought that depending how things go that maybe the four of us can go somewhere later in the year for a family trip instead and put off our cruise for a later time once we are more comfortable with the diagnosis. We actually went on a trip to Disney for the first time this past Sept and DH said jokingly that maybe we can go back for a few days (I told him he would love it!:). We figure the four of us could fly to Orlando for the same amount is cost the 2 of us to go to San Juan.

 

Anyway - thanks again for your thoughts and experiences!

[wrp96]

Did you check with your insurance to see if they will cover the cost of the non-refundable airplane tickets?

[petesweet]

I'm sorry you have to cancel your cruise. I completely understand your reasons. I believe I would do the same thing.

 

Hopefully you will be able to rebook for a later date when you feel more comfortable leaving her and the seizures are under control.

 

Just an FYI about the airfare. Most airlines will allow you to use the airfare within a year if you can't fly on the original date, however as I sadly learned when I had to change a vacation it is one year from the date of purchase, not the date of your originally scheduled flight.

 

I wonder if that depends on the airline? We chose to cancel a nonrefundable ticket because the schedule was just too close to cruise time, and we are able to use the tickets up until the time of the original flight. That's Northwest Airlines. The tickets are nontransferable. We had to pay (I think) $50 pp. fee for the privilege. If the new tickets had been more expensive, we would have had to pay the difference. They were cheaper, so we got a voucher for the difference (to be used on a flight by the deadline).

 

I have never bought cruise insurance through the cruise line. I get it through statravel.com. They cover EVERYTHING--not just the cruise.

 

 

I agree with you that OP has made a good decision. I would have done the same, regardless of whether I could reuse the airline tickets or not. Hope the baby does all right.

[hcat]

I guess we don't have to but we want to and feel the need too...

 

Our 4 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with epilepsy after her 1st seizure two nights ago, lots of tests and 2 days in the hospital.

 

This is obviously new to us and we are scared and don't really want to leave her so soon after the diagnosis. She's just still so young and we don't know what to expect as time goes on. I know you can't stop living your life but it really is right around the corner and I can't bear the thought of leaving her that soon.

 

Luckily we got the insurance but the flight is non-refundable so I'm not sure what we are going to do about that. Someone mentioned to me that you can use the tickets within 1 year so we were thinking that once we were more comfortable with the diagnosis and how things are going to be then we could maybe go next January instead.

 

Has anyone had to cancel and reschedule?

 

Sorry about your dtr--hope it work out Ok--but you will feel better staying home with her at this point

 

Why doesn't the ins cover--you needed to cancel for a med emergency?..I seem to recall that when we cancelled for an emergency we did not have to look into it with the ins co.--We called the airline (SWA) & when we faxed the dr's letter, they refunded the money to us on our card--they were very nice to deal with as was Royal C & the cruiseline ins co! (berkely?)

 

Good luck...hope you get to take a nice family cruise very soon!

[kwk1955]

You should call the customer service department of the airline. A few years ago my daughter was a competitive gymnast, and I had bought non-refundable tickets for trips for competitions. Before the start of the competitive season, she was severly injured (tore up her elbow and arm ) and would not have been able to compete that year. One trip was to be on Southwest, and one was to be on Delta. I first called the SW customer service, explained the seriousness of the injury, and with a letter from her doctor and coach, they refunded all my money for the fares. No fees or charges. When I called Delta, they at first said they couldn't do anything, and I would have to pay the change fee and do the credit thing for use within one year. I then wrote their customer service dept a letter saying how SWA had handled the situation, giving me a full refund, and how disappointed I was in the service with Delta. They then also decided that they could refund my money - also on a non-refundable ticket. Airtran used to be a co-partner with SWA, so maybe they also would do this. I would call again, and then write, including some documentation from your doctor. Hopefully, you will find a sympathetic ear. I am very sorry to hear about your dd and hope all will be better soon. Good luck !

[Darkwolfe]

The good news is that once you are acclimated to working with your daughter's condition, it'll be fairly easy to live a normal life.

 

I've had several close friends over the years with epilepsy and the main thing that they do is throw fear out the window. They go forward every day as though there's nothing wrong at all. They don't pretend it doesn't exist, they just accept it, kinda like the weather.

 

So while scary now, rest assured that it will become less frightening as time goes by. Whatever you do, let your daughter live as a normal girl and don't try to overprotect her. That can be a tough thing to do sometimes, but she'll thank you for it in the long run.

 

Good luck and God bless!

[S_cruiser]

I guess we don't have to but we want to and feel the need too...

 

Our 4 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with epilepsy after her 1st seizure two nights ago, lots of tests and 2 days in the hospital.

 

This is obviously new to us and we are scared and don't really want to leave her so soon after the diagnosis. She's just still so young and we don't know what to expect as time goes on. I know you can't stop living your life but it really is right around the corner and I can't bear the thought of leaving her that soon.

 

Luckily we got the insurance but the flight is non-refundable so I'm not sure what we are going to do about that. Someone mentioned to me that you can use the tickets within 1 year so we were thinking that once we were more comfortable with the diagnosis and how things are going to be then we could maybe go next January instead.

 

Has anyone had to cancel and reschedule?

I am sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis and understand the need to stay home.

 

Regarding airfare and insurance: We had to cancel a cruise/airline last year due to husband suddenly getting ill. Our insurance (through RCI) covered the cost of the airline ticket. I had not bought the airline tickets through RCI but had done it independently and was surprised that they covered the cost of the airline ticket. You might talk to an agent for the insurance and see what they say to you about that.

 

Wishing your daughter the best.