GeezerCouple

OP, double check about this for any policy that *you* will purchase. Insurance is regulated by the states, so in a different state, a "similar" policy could have different terms/limits. GC

I'm not quite sure how to understand your question. The agent who sold you the travel insurance policy certainly *should* help you with the claim. That's part of the service the provide... or should be! However, that doesn't guarantee that they *will* actually "resolve" the problem to your satisfaction. Whether and how a claim would get resolved would depend upon the specific claim, the circumstances, and whether the reason for the claim is indeed an event that is covered by the policy. You should probably contact your agent to discuss whether and how they can help. (And this is something that one could also ask the agent before using them to buy the insurance!) GC

That's really terrific! Soooo helpful! 😉 GC

Interesting situation. If OP had arrange air independently and only used this particular insurance for the NCL cruise, then yes, trip ("cruise") cancellation. But OP's "trip" included the air. So why isn't it "interruption"? A different question: In a case like this, might the insurer prefer to spend a possibly modest amount to pay for the travelers to "catch up" with the cruise (assuming that isn't disallowed by some cabotage laws, etc.)? That might cost much less than a full refund of an expensive trip. That's a main reason I'd want to double check with the insurer (or in our case, our travel insurance broker) to make sure our decision would indeed be "covered". GC

You think this is "losing" a bit of the freedom we are "supposed" to have in America!?? This isn't what most people think of at the top of the list of "freedoms". Or the middle. Or on the list at all, for the most part! 🤨 Plus, you *could* change your name; that IS a part of your "freedom"! Your choice = freedom! And it's not so expensive. (Or is there likely to be someone who contests your name change case such that there will be an expensive legal battle?) And along the lines of other posts above, what in the world is wrong with asking anyone who calls you <whatever... it could be Rumplestiltskin> to "Please call me <your name/your pronunciation>. Thanks!" Perhaps bring some name tags for yourself to make it easier for everyone, including yourself. You are an adult and haven't figured out how to politely and comfortably help others to call you by the name and pronunciation you prefer? And if it's a "lovely" name that was from your "beautiful grandmother", do you really want to change it entirely? (But that's a totally different issue anyway.) Or you could get your documents re-issued as an "aka" (also known as) or "ka" (known as), although the latter doesn't seem to be your situation, as you *are* also known as both names, etc. Those used to take just a few forms and affidavits, but that may be different nowadays(?). Neither of those are the same thing as legally *changing* your name, and they aren't complicated. BTW, my first name has almost always been mispronounced, and I always used a shortened "nickname" anyway. And when the full first name is mispronounced a certain way, it rhymes with several other (non-offensive) words. Thus, in elementary school, every time a substitute teacher did a roll call, as soon as they garbled my name, the other children would start chanting that long list of rhyming words... I hated it. I've long since outgrown that. GC

Why don't you post this on the NCL section of CC? You could specifically ask something like, for those who have cruised on other lines (maybe specify?) but not yet NCL, what charges caught you by surprise? And any other suggestions about figuring out what $$ surprises there might be and what can or cannot be avoided. GC

As crystalspin wrote, there is a "travel insurance" section of CC. It doesn't appear that you've posted there yet. That's where the most "experienced travel insurance eyeballs" will see your questions. Many of us get 3rd party travel insurance. And at least for the type we get, there are two aspects of the policies that you would probably find appealing: 1) One only insures the non-refundable payments as one makes them. (Note: The deposit must be part of the first insured amount, even if that deposit is refundable.) So as one makes additional payments or adds other "things" to the trip (e.g., hotels), one then ups the coverage. So the entire amount of the trip doesn't require insurance to be paid until the entire amount is actually paid. 2) In many cases, if one cancels the trip WITHOUT having lost any money (and thus without having made a claim on the insurance), one can then apply that coverage to a different trip. (Note: There are some time limits that might apply for this feature.) As far as elders (like us, the Geezers 😉 ) who might have "something medically wrong", if one starts the coverage within a window (usually 10-20 days depending on state of residency) of making that first insurance payment *and* one is "fit to travel* on the day the insurance is started, there are no exceptions for pre-existing conditions. Also, the definition of "pre-existing condition" is quite different for travel insurance than it is in everyday use. The definition may vary slightly from policy to policy, but for the most part, they usually would require no recent symptoms or treatments or changes in medication or testing, etc., within a specified "look-back" period. And one must also be "fit to travel" on the day the insurance is started. Many of us use a travel insurance broker. We are among those who use Steve, at www.TripInsuranceStore.com - but CALL. Do NOT rely upon the online summaries of various policies. (No extra charge to use an agent or broker, btw.) And do browse through some of the posts at the travel insurance section of CC. That will give you a good overview of some of the choices and issues. GC

I'm still wondering why this is only being delt with in the penalty stage. I understand that it wasn't known when the original reservation was made. But wasn't there a time when it was known, and could have been solved (= changed/fixed!) for a relatively modest fee such that both of them could have gone, or perhaps left it for just the second cruise together and maybe get some credit to change the first? Was this really the "best that could have been done" if addressed sooner? However, different people/couples have different patterns. For us, if one couldn't go, the other wouldn't either. I suppose there might be a situation where we'd do that, but I can't imagine it, and it's never come up, yet. If the money is "gone" whether we go or stay home, if we'd need to split up such that only one had the nice trip... that's a no-brainer. The money is "gone". That's a sunk cost. The situation then becomes: Will we be happier with one away on the trip and one staying home, or both home? Very easy answer! And if even a small bit of the money could be recovered, all the better. 🙂 GC

[emphasis added] Sailman55 : Babr brings up an important point that you may not have considered when making decisions about "where/from whom" to purchase travel insurance. Third-party insurance, from an insurer totally independent of any travel vendor, is likely to offer much better coverage in another way: That policy is likely to cover you from the moment you walk out the door (even before you get in your ride to the airport) until you walk back in your door at the end of your trip. If you are making other stops before or after your cruise, the "cruise-linked travel insurance" may not cover that if all of the arrangements are done separate from the cruise line. It will cover air travel that you arranged on your own, by cash or awards. And of course, any covered medical expenses themselves. Speak with a travel insurance broker to determine whether some special issues may or may not apply to you, and then pick the policy that fits best. Concerns might include: illness among non-traveling family members; problems/expenses in other cities before/after the cruise; transportation to the airport... the list goes on. And speaking with a broker can make a huge difference in how well you understand what IS or is NOT "covered". Many "complaints" about travel insurance not paying are in fact because the "event" wasn't actually covered in the first place. Sometimes that's obvious, but sometimes not. Especially: "pre-existing condition" has a very specific meaning for each policy, and it can be very different from our everyday usage. That can make a huge difference (for better or for worse - but one should understand so the coverage "works" for you, etc. - or know that what it does *not* include). So you want a broker you *speak* with, to discuss concerns and listen to any issues they may suggest. Don't just rely upon online policy summaries. If there is any place where "the fine print" matters... it's insurance! (Online summaries may be fine as background information, so you get a sense of "what's available", but then speak with a broker or agent.) And when in doubt, you can always call the broker, who will probably have a fast way to contact the insurer IF there is a problem or some uncertainty. GC

Sorry that has happened to you. This appears to be your first post, but you've been a CC member for quite a few years. I have no idea if you have been *reading* here on CC, but there have been many posts about not getting travel insurance through the travel vendor such as a cruise line. And there are many recommendations to deal with a travel insurance broker. They can help you find policies that best fit your own specific needs *and* they can help with claims should that be needed. For future travel... we are among those who have used www.TripInsuranceStore.com (no extra charge for using them). And we've had quite a few claims (with Travel Insured) and all have been paid promptly, without any drama. Meanwhile, about your current claim, insurance is a regulated industry, so you could try contacting the Insurance Commissioner's Office in your state. Sometimes that, uh, "helps" the insurer to pay, if the claim was for a covered situation. There are others here from Washington, so they may chime in with other suggestions. Good luck! GC

I agree with others that if you will be a nervous wreck (or even partially so) until you actually make that next flight, why not spend the night at or near the airport. As mentioned above, we did that once, and it eliminated a real worry. (In our case, we were traveling on F award tickets to Asia. Given that there are only 8 of those per flight, the chance that there would be two empty F's on the next flight... not so good. So that made it even more risky.) But that allowed us to have a [mediocre] dinner at the hotel, get a good night's sleep, and sleep much later than we'd have needed to do if we were trying for a "first flight out" that morning. And it really did take a major source of stress out of the picture. As for Jet Blue Mint... we did fly that a few years ago, home from Barbados. (We had flown there in coach, but decided that we'd give ourselves a treat on the way home, and hope to arrive back somewhat still rested.) I think they've changed the setup on at least some of the planes (if not all by now?). You might want to check what the arrangement is now. We found the bed/seats surprisingly comfortable. Genuinely "lie flat", and a very quiet, peaceful flight home. The Mint prices seem to have gone up considerably, but it does vary by date and specific flight. The service wasn't like the "real" international flat-bed flights in business, but they may have been changing all of that, along with the nicer physical Mint seat/beds. I just checked, and the price on a similar date in 2023 is twice what we paid, but the regular seats are not all that much more. If the prices are much less than business class on other carriers, we'd seriously consider Mint if we were heading to London. GC

Great "face smack" image! 😉 GC

I think she should be able to read it right here....!? 🙂 GC

Perhaps Steve will chime in here (if he notices this thread?), but my understanding of insurance IN GENERAL (not necessarily travel insurance) and other liabilities is that one is supposed to do one's best to mitigate the costs of the other party. In other words, if it would cost $2,500 for extra plane tickets and a couple of hotel nights to get to the second or third port, one should do that rather than expect the insurer to refund all the costs of a multi-week cruise because of weather or a strike/missed connection heading to the *start* of the cruise. I could be wrong, obviously! Imagine an ATW cruise of, say, 180 days. If there was a missed connection immediately (totally out of the control of the traveler), would the insurer agree that the traveler could just 'go back home' and get back the full cost of that very expensive cruise??? But we would WANT to "catch up" rather than miss the entire cruise anyway. GC

You flew *home* instead of to another port to meet the ship? Did your travel insurer advise you to do that? I'm surprised that they would refund the cost of the entire cruise (or part of a 2-part cruise?) rather than pay for a flight (or two) and perhaps a couple of hotel nights to get you to meet your ship. And *we* would rather try to meet up with the ship than go home, and what... then fly all the way back again for the next part of the B2B cruise? GC

By the way, it's not really the fact that the TA is in a different country. It's the country of residence for the traveler, whether it's stated or "left to be assumed" (as seems to be the case here...?). We have been using a TA in a different country for quite a few years now, but our address is shown - correctly - as being in the USA, we pay in US$, and the terms are always the same terms as for any other USA resident. We've done this for several cruises on a variety of different cruise lines (and cruise destinations), and for hotels and for airline tickets in many different countries/continents, and there's never been any kind of glitch. GC

We almost always book our own excursions (whether during a cruise or a land trip), and NEVER through a third party. We use Google, and then read between the lines, etc. Then we email the guide/provider directly. We ask about specifics, and often arrange a custom itinerary. We also ask something like, "Given what we've been discussing, are there any other suggestions you have about anything you think we might especially enjoy?" That often isn't really useful, but occasionally, the guide will indeed suggest something that is a really nice surprise, something we hadn't thought about, didn't know about, or didn't realize was available, etc. And this advance discussion will show very quickly if the guide is really engaged... do they really care what *we* want to see, or are we likely to be just another cookie cutter outing/people/etc.? We've found remarkable tour guides this way, all over. Sometimes we'll book something that would have extra space for others, such as a half- or full-day charter of a large catamaran. Then we might post it on the Roll Call, and that's led to some really pleasant small groups, and people we then enjoy seeing on the ship or dining with throughout the rest of the cruise. But we want to decide what to see and how much time to spend at each sight/place/etc., or perhaps to skip something entirely, or to add something completely different. And there's no waiting for laggards (and also no worrying if I need to rest; we aren't delaying anyone else). GC

I never heard of this agency that is specifically "Traveling Caregivers & Personal Travel Companions" - but it's great to know about them. Several years ago, there was quite a discussion here about "aides/companions/etc.", and it did mention some services. There are also other sources to consider: A nursing school nearby? Perhaps someone would love to have a paid cruise in exchange for some time spent helping with care-giving? Or any regular service that provides home health care. There are many different levels, from almost a homemaker-aide to a full registered nurse, all priced accordingly, obviously. Years ago, I found an afternoon (afterschool) "companion" for my children when I had a job that meant I could not be at home, and they were too old for "day care". [We just didn't use the word "babysitter", but that's what it was! 😉 ] I found her by posting a job on the local small college that specialized in child development. Win/win. For the "I would also need help transferring from wheelchair to the bathroom facilities (shower, toilet) and to bed" you'd probably need a somewhat higher level of care than if you just needed someone to keep an eye on someone, or help them walk or push a wheelchair. So a home-healthcare agency might be a good place to start. The more skilled the level of care, the more you should expect to pay, in addition to providing the "trip". When this CC discussion took place (maybe 7-10 years ago?), I remember thinking, "GOOD! IF either of us ever really needs so much help that the other of us wouldn't even have time or energy to enjoy any travel, we'll bring someone along!" Depending upon the arrangements, it could be someone who sleeps in a second bedroom of a 2BR suite, or perhaps on a sleep sofa in the LR of a 1BR suite, or an "inside" right across the hall? or 2 connecting cabins, etc. At about that time, we were in the Rome airport, and saw a couple with an aide. The husband was very disabled, and had a motorized wheelchair. They had a man who was carrying some of the carry on luggage, and he was also clearly especially helping the husband. They were all escorted onto the plane before everyone else. When we got on, the couple was already settled into business class (where we were), and the aide was in a front row of coach, quite nearby. You might double check with *any* local caregiver service, to see if someone might be interested, even if they don't advertise "travel"-specific assistance. Enjoy! GC

HOtel options are "limited around JFK"? There may be only one hotel AT/IN the airport, but there are quite a few choices nearby. We've stayed at one overnight so we could be sure to be "on time" for a longhaul overseas flight the next morning, and had no trouble finding accommodations nearby. Just Google "hotels near JFK" for a list. RM

Any "ballpark estimates" of overseas medical costs would depend upon what injury or illness occurs, and how it progresses in *your* body. I would be reluctant to determine my travel medical insurance coverage by where I expect to be going. What if it is determined that you need to be transferred for more appropriate care, and that is in "a nearby country", which happens to be much more expensive? And to the best of my memory, the insurance coverages are determined by the particular policy type. One doesn't typically select "Policy A" and then select $X vs $Y for the medical coverage limit of that policy. Perhaps there are some policies like that, but I don't think it's common. The policies tend to be a "package", so one is getting a medical limit of $Z, but also certain coverages and limits for other travel problems. GC

This sounds incredibly condescending. OP prefers to have his money "work for him", rather than what...? needing to "work so hard for money", as his wife needs to do? Wow. But it goes along with the general theme, unfortunately. GC

Something like this would be my strong recommendation. If you lose any credits (?), then that should still be much less expensive than going on this cruise with someone else - or alone - and then paying for another cruise for the two of you to share *together*. GC

Does she *personally* need to do the deliveries, and right ON Easter, or "how many days before"? Couldn't she have an assistant, even if a very temporary "assistant", do the deliveries on the "appropriate" day(s)? GC

[emphasis added] But here is another thought. The passports are good for 10 years. What if you see another cruise, with a great sale price, especially possible occasionally for last minute travel, when someone may have cancelled late? We've been on both sides of that, cancelling days before a planned departure [yes, travel insurance, thank goodness! 😉 ] and also finding a terrific forward view suite for an Alaska cruise, at almost the last minute, at an incredibly low price. We *pounced*, and had the best view of the Alaska coast, with a huge balcony and hot tub, the entire way from Vancouver to Seward! (No, that trip wouldn't have *required* a passport, but some others would.) Point is, once you have the passport, you just don't have to worry about that for another 10 years (well, 9, given the need to plan ahead for the renewal). Especially these days, getting a passport usually isn't a fast process, and I doubt it will change much very fast. It's just one less thing to need to deal with in the future: Does Caribbean Cruise X on cruiseline A need a passport or not? (You can read in several CC sections about how the requirements aren't always clear, and a cruiseline might have more restrictive policies - meaning requiring a passport - even if all the ports of call do not require them...) Or what if you happen to see a really inviting short trip to Europe (or wherever...), at a great price. Those do show up occasionally, especially in off seasons. If so, you can just head off. That passport (or lack thereof) could be the only thing stopping you from some quickie special trip... OTOH, if you are absolutely certain that you won't ever want to travel "overseas" (cruise or otherwise), then don't bother with the passport just for this one trip if you don't need it. And either way, ENJOY YOUR CRUISE! Our Alaska cruise was also very early in the season, specifically because we wanted to see snow on the coastal mountains. It was magnificent! 🙂 GC

Does your cruise line not provide foam mattress toppers upon request? Have you asked the special needs (whatever that group's name is) about this, in advance? Also ask about your heating pad if it is for medical purposes. Some lines will allow them, with documentation about the medical need. GC