Help!!!!

[faith1]

I think i have made a big mistake booking this cruise, we are booked on the ncl dawn for March. This would be our first cruise with our daughter. I don't want to go now. How do I go about cancelling this!!! I want to be sick right now, anyone have any advice, we didn't buy any cancellation insurance, oh my god I am going to cry!!

[cantwait2cruize]

Why don't you want to go? You and your daughter will have a great time!

[faith1]

Because I am scared!! I don;t think we thought this through. We don't fly, do we are driving down to miami, the thought of putting my daughter on a boat in the middle of the ocean is too much for me. We lost a daughter at 2 months old, I am very scared that I put our daughter who is 7 at risk for no reason. What if she had a medical emergency or there is some freak storm. What can I do? How do I cancel now??

[shankiko]

Because I am scared!! I don;t think we thought this through. We don't fly, do we are driving down to miami, the thought of putting my daughter on a boat in the middle of the ocean is too much for me. We lost a daughter at 2 months old, I am very scared that I put our daughter who is 7 at risk for no reason. What if she had a medical emergency or there is some freak storm. What can I do? How do I cancel now??

 

I too lost a daughter. As a matter of fact exactly 30 years ago today she died. Yeah, it was valentine's day we lost her. Great, huh? Anyway, go on the cruise. It will be a wonderful experience for you. The ship is well prepared for any medical emergency. But the odds are so much against it happening so go and enjoy and have a good time. We leave on the 22nd for our 5th cruise with another in May. We have sailed with our daughter, her two kids, my in laws, aunt and uncle and our back door neighbors. Each cruise was different and we have enjoyed them all. Our first cruise was Dec 06 so we are going full throttle. Don't be afraid. It will be wonderful for all of you.

Shankiko

[faith1]

I am sorry for your loss. I don't know if I can get past this fear. My daughter is only 7 years old. I am responsible for her, if anything happened while on that boat it would be my fault. Has anyone had any experience with cancelling???

[Twickenham]

You, of course, can cancel, but depending on how close you are to sail date, you will pay a cancellation fee. At this point, I'm thinking it's at least half of the fare you paid, but your travel agent or NCL (whoever you booked with) can tell you.

My recommendation? Don't cancel.

This is a panic attack. It happens to us all. If there's a medical emergency involving your daughter, there's a doctor on board and medical facilities. If necessary, they can airvac her via helicopter. The caribbean islands are quite close to each other, so chances are you'll never be that far from land.

[paulred]

Sorry to be harsh, but you owe it to your daughter to live life. She needs to grow up with a normal appreciation of the world, and a panic attack is not it. Trust yourself to have a good time, and more important, teach her to have one too. Learn to cherish the good times together. None of us know what comes after that.

 

Paul

[faith1]

Easier said then done when you have already lost one child. Anyone have any stories regarding cancellation

[Eeyoregon]

I am sorry for your loss. I don't know if I can get past this fear. My daughter is only 7 years old. I am responsible for her, if anything happened while on that boat it would be my fault. Has anyone had any experience with cancelling???

 

Yes you can cancel but because the cruise is next month you will not get ANY money back.

 

Even if you had purchased trip insurance you would take a total loss on the cost of the cruise as "being scared" is not a covered reason on any plan.

 

I am sorry that your fear is holding you back in life and that your daughter won't get to experience the awesomeness of cruising. This sounds like a very deep and serious problem.

 

Good luck.

[Vampire Parrot]

By taking your daughter on a cruise, you are doing two things:

 

Firstly, you're going to be giving her a wonderful, valuable experience that will enhance her life in many, many ways. Including, it has to be said, she'll be more aware of how to be safe in a "strange" environment. A cruise ship will be a strange environment to her, but it's also a very safe one, a great place to learn. I speak from experience.

 

Secondly, it is safer to be on a cruise ship than pretty much anywhere else! Safety of passengers, crew, and the ship is always the number one priority of the reputable cruise lines, which NCL most definitely is.

 

VO

[travelntreats]

I think i have made a big mistake booking this cruise, we are booked on the ncl dawn for March. This would be our first cruise with our daughter. I don't want to go now. How do I go about cancelling this!!! I want to be sick right now, anyone have any advice, we didn't buy any cancellation insurance, oh my god I am going to cry!!

Why would you all of a sudden be in a panic mode more so now then when you booked the cruise to start with. You and your daughter I think will have a wonderful time experiencing new things and it will be a memorable adventure for the both of you. In general, Trip insurance would not cover your reason for cancelling even if you had purchased it, unless it was a medical issue or you took out a policy that had a cancel for any reason clause......I think you just need to take a deep breath and read all the WONDERFUL POSITIVE POINTS OF CRUISING and will see it will be an event you will always be able to look back on. Take a big breath and get ready for an exciting adventure the two of you can share together.

[juggles]

Easier said then done when you have already lost one child. Anyone have any stories regarding cancellation

 

 

I was like you Faith, I was shaking all over just a couple of days before, my husband said I looked as though I'd got a prison sentence and was heading for jail rather than a cruise.

I went on the cruise and enjoyed every second.

The ships are massive and there is loads to do for your daughter. If there are any storms, the ship's captain knows in advance and takes another route. You can't even feel the ship's movements. It's like being in a ten star hotel, if there was such a rating. It's marvellous and your daughter will just love it

[G'ma]

Easier said then done when you have already lost one child. Anyone have any stories regarding cancellation

 

There are no stories. If you don't have insurance and you cancel for any reason, you lose money. How much depends upon how close to the cruise you are.

 

End of story.

[cusyl]

If both you and your daughter are in good health, please go and enjoy life.

Why would you deprive her of this wonderful life experience? These ships are like floating cities. Have you even seen a cruise ship? They are enormous.

 

One thing about getting sick on a ship is that they have doctors and nurses that can be by your side within minutes. They have hospitals onboard. In fact, you will see a doctor quicker than if you stayed at home.

They also have the ability to take a patient by helicopter from the ship to a hospital on land.

[RogBus101]

Trust Me it is a floating city not a boat! Go you will have a great time!RogBus101

[Mego0427]

Could you take a first aid CPR class before you go? Maybe you would feel better about going if you to have some knowledge of what to do in an emergency?

[cruzinaway]

Easier said then done when you have already lost one child. Anyone have any stories regarding cancellation

 

If it's any consolation, I usually hit "panic" mode about the same time you do - a month away from the big trip. I stress about everything, but especially my 5 year old daughter. She's my only one and I would walk through fire for her. I think any parent feels the same. But after the vacation actually begins and I see her smile and laugh - I'm telling you this from the bottom of my heart - it's so worth it!

 

We all want to do what is best for our children. We want to hold them close forever and keep them safe. Eventually, however, we need to let go. This doesn't mean we let them fly head first into a dangerous situation. But it also doesn't mean holding them back from enjoying life and just "being a kid". Just keep it in mind.

 

If, however, you can't get past the fears - it's okay. :) You can always cancel but you need to realize without insurance you'll probably be hit hard with the cancellation fees. Just call NCL and see what happens. Come back and let us know what you decide.

 

Happy cruising!

[Tsi2quick]

If it wasn't for kids, lines like Disney wouldn't exist. The point of that is to remind you that MANY kids sail every single day without incident. I think everyone here can sympathize with your loss but remember you have a 7 year old too that will be better b/c of the cruise or any life enrichment you can give her at this point.

 

I really hope you reconsider but should you not, you'll lose a substantial amount of money at this point I imagine.

[TiredOl6]

No matter what any of us say; in the end you will cancel if you so chose.

I agree with others that you seem to be in panic mode. As a result, your ability to look at this rationally is somewhat limited. If you can accept that, MAYBE you can start to look at the positives such as the look in a 7 year old's eyes when she sees the ship for the first time or when you are entering your first port of call. I also suggest you use the VAST knowledge on this forum to really understand just how safe you will be onboard ship and on the cruise overall.

 

I KNOW this is an issue you must work through yourself; I just hope you are able to get past the panic and truly understand that this can be an experience of a lifetime for your daughter (and you) and can find a way to take the cruise.

 

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

[powelweb]

My 5 year old DD just completed her 4th cruise in December when we sailed on the 15 night voyager Transatlantic, and she loved it.

 

Although I haven't lost a child (and I'm sorry for your loss), I have panic attacks over flying every time we need to board a plane. I force myself to board the plane and silently pray until we land safely.

 

If you have travel insurance through RCCL, perhaps you could consider cancelling and getting a credit towards re-booking within a year- maybe you'll feel more confident down the road.

[LHT28]

I think i have made a big mistake booking this cruise, we are booked on the ncl dawn for March. This would be our first cruise with our daughter. I don't want to go now. How do I go about cancelling this!!! I want to be sick right now, anyone have any advice, we didn't buy any cancellation insurance, oh my god I am going to cry!!

Call your TA and ask what the penalty is.

I would think at this late date you would lose most if not all of your money.

If you can afford to lose it then cancel ...or you could try getting some help dealing with the panic attack.

You might see if you can switch the cruise to a later date

 

Your daughter will be disappointed in not going but if you truly cannot do it then you have to decide

[MadManOfBethesda]

Even if you had purchased trip insurance you would take a total loss on the cost of the cruise as "being scared" is not a covered reason on any plan.

 

That is simply not true. There are plans that will allow you to cancel for any reason. With TravelGuard for instance, you can get this optional additional coverage if you buy the insurance within 15 days of your initial deposit.

[Happy ks]

I'm truly sorry for the loss of your child. As a parent of two kids, I know it would devastate me. But....you do need to go on living and so does your child.

 

The very first time we cruisedI was so fearful of my kids falling off the ship. Fortunately, we live near the old Queen Mary and we took the kids for a visit, I hadn't been on her in years. The railings are so high, I saw there was no way for them to fall off the ship and I saw how carefully my children approached the railings. My fear of that immediately melted away.

 

The ship has a hospital, a doctor and nurses. There is medivac available to get you back to land if there is a dire emergency.

 

The Captain of the ship will not place you in or near a storm, they have very modern equipment to let them know where the rough weather is. You are not sailing in hurricane season, you are sailing at the best time of year to go. The very rare times we hear of cruise ships sinking happens far away in countries where there are few safety laws to abide by and the ships are usually very old and poorly maintained. While I don't know the exact numbers, there are around 30 million people a year who go on cruises and have a good time.

 

I'll not encourage you to cancel, there is no good reason for it. As a matter of fact, driving on the freeways around here is, for me, a lot scarier than any flight or cruise could possibly be.

[faith1]

I want to thank everyone for their responses :) I know I seem nuts!!! But when you have been through such loss, it truly changes every aspect of your personality and your life. I thank the people who have shown me such compassion and understanding. I know this is probably a panic attack. I just wouldn't want something to happen to my child, I know no one does. But she didn't ask to go on a cruise, this is something we decided. I was fine with it, I truly thought I was o.k. Then last night I started thinking. Then you see things on the net like storms, people getting sick, appendicitus, and rogue waves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I will wait a couple of days and see how I feel.............................

[Leejnd4]

Faith, your fear is understandable - but please know that your daughter is actually safer on a cruise ship, statistically speaking, than in a car driving around your own neighborhood!

 

The fact is that we are all "at risk" of something awful happening every moment of our lives. As parents, one of our most important jobs is to learn the actual risk factors of the things we expose our children to, and make educated, appropriate decisions.

 

If you do a little more research into cruise ship safety, you will learn that safety and security are taken very seriously by the entire cruise industry. No it's not perfect - but then, when dealing with humans, perfection is impossible. The important thing to know is that, when taken as a whole, there is NO measurable statistical increase of risk while on a cruise ship than while at home. In fact, in some ways you are actually at lower risk! For example, if you happen to live in a hurricane zone, you are actually MORE at risk during a hurricane on land than on a cruise ship. Ships these days can easily be moved outside of the hurricane zone - and that happens all the time during hurricane season (much to the dismay of passengers who are unhappy about missing their planned port stops!). I mention this just as an example, but please remember, March is not hurricane season, so even THAT negligible risk is removed.

 

Here is some information that might help: According to the U.S. Coast Guard, cruising today is one of the safest modes of transportation, and the industry is constantly striving to improve its safety procedures. Over the past two decades, an estimated 90 million passengers safely enjoyed a cruise vacation. In 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a comprehensive safety study that concluded the cruise industry is the safest form of commercial transportation and that international safety initiatives being undertaken should further improve its safety record.

 

Others have pointed out that by denying your daughter this vacation, you are denying her an opportunity to learn, grow, and enjoy life. Please think about that. We as parents cannot protect our children from every possible danger out there - and attempting to do so can result in denying them the experiences they need to grow up.

 

To help you learn more about the safety of cruise ships, please check out these links. I think you'll feel much better if you do.

Cruise Ships - Personal Safety and Security

Cruise Ships - Safety Standards

 

There are no stories. If you don't have insurance and you cancel for any reason' date=' you lose money. How much depends upon how close to the cruise you are.

 

End of story.[/quote']

 

Pleasant as always. :rolleyes:

 

Faith, ignore any mean-spirited replies you might read in here. Some people simply do not include basic human kindness among their personality traits.