GeezerCouple

F is First Class and J is often used for Business class when discussing awards. If you browse through the AA online information, you should find it. I usually search for something like: "American International Partner Airlines". Ah, here is a place to start: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/oneworld-and-other-airline-partner-award-chart.jsp Just wander around on the website and browse for a while. It can get pretty complicated, but it can lead to some amazing travel! As for "what's better about the international airlines", well, that depends in part on *which* international airlines and *which* US airlines one is comparing. And one person may have different preferences than some others, in part depending upon which class of service they tend to fly. GC

We use only Amex Rewards and AA awards miles/points, mostly using AA. However, we have never actually flown on AA with those AA awards. There are much nicer seats/beds on their better international partner airlines, in either J or occasionally even F (nice!). The call may need to go to an AA group who work with partner reservations, but you certainly do not need to *fly* on American equipment! We hope we never do; those international partners are soooo nice! And in many cases, *fewer* points are needed to travel in the same class (e.g., J or F) with that nicer partner than if we had flown on AA flights. Win/Win to use the partners! GC

There are several reasons that some people may prefer certain locations for cabins or suites when they are in the same "category" (cabins for cabins, suites for suites, of course). There can be less motion in the mid areas of the ship, and also on lower decks. OTOH, some people prefer the view foreward or aft. Another reason is whether someone wants to be "closer" to some amenity, be it a lounge (e.g., the Executive Lounge) or less walking to the MDR or something. Trying to avoid noise is often an important reason to select certain areas, for sure! GC

I obviously have no idea what will happen in your particular case/your specific cruise. However, I assume it is a situation like this (or somewhat similar somehow) that can lead Oceania to make some relatively (or very!) appealing offers for some people with confirmed reservations on a particular cruise in a particular category if they will switch to a different cruise. That would free up something in the "needed" categories. Having an offer like that has been discussed a few times here on CC. We had an offer once that was quite amazing from a financial perspective. O offered to "trade" us for our PH on a cruise for a longer cruise on a different date and itinerary, for a swap that also included very attractive additional financial benefit to us, beyond just the switcheroo. Alas, we were not interest in the newly offered cruise or couldn't travel then (I'm forgetting the reason we turned them down), which was really a shame. If we could have, we certainly would have made a change like that, unless we were traveling with others, which we rarely do. Even if we needed to coordinate with some land-based travel, we could still have done the land part and just replaced the cruise with something later. Or maybe there'd be a very special upgrade for some lucky folks, depending upon what remains or becomes available...! GC

Can Oceania unilaterally change the terms of a contract with a passenger? It would have been nice if they (O) announced all of it sooner and as "complete information", rather than having the information (or lack thereof) dribble out slowly, and possible not accurately. There will without a doubt be some who are not happy about the new program, no matter what it turns out to be. Why add any upset that turns out not to have been needed in the first place because of mixed messaging!? IF this "is it or isn't it" is so O can figure out what is liked or especially disliked, shouldn't that have been part of the research/planning before any changes were actually decided? GC

The requirements may make more sense if you understand the reasoning behind some of these regulations. For minors traveling without *both* parents, one of the concerns is child abduction by a non-custodial parent. So if names don't match up, even if two parents are there, or if only one parent is there, then a notarized form where the absent parent gives permission for the traveling parent may be required. Or from both parents, if others (e.g., grands, parents of friends, etc.) are the adults. The US State Department website has more about this, and I think some forms that could be used (unless a cruise line has their own, more extensive, form, perhaps). GC

It seems likely, especially if that post I quoted above (from some bullet point list) is correct, that "cruise only" will now mean "cruise only, and the cruise includes <things like some excursions, beverages, etc.>", but not air. After all, the air is not "during the cruise", but things like beverages and excursions *are* "during the cruise". That would make them similar to, say, soft drinks (which are not "included" on all cruise lines) or Specialty restaurants... However, it's still not going to be "all inclusive" due to the booze, or excursions above the amount "allowed". I've always had a question about the "all inclusives": I assume that they do not let passengers go wild with a nice wine list... That is, I can't imagine that "all inclusive" would indeed include bottles of Cheval Blanc wine or such, for example. There are some ultra-lux destinations/etc., that do not charge extra for fine wine (and will even try to stock a preferred wine/vintage), but even those that make that claim... there *must* be some limits, or even they won't be in business long. So does the "all inclusive" of the luxury lines actually mean "mostly inclusive", or is it really "everything on the ship is included"? Finally, others have raised an important question (one that doesn't affect us because we take private excursions [and sometimes include others in the Roll Call], but it's important more generally!): What happens about those "included excursions" (or money for them) if the excursions one wants (or in some cases, is able to do, such as long walks) are full? It's not so great if that 3- or 4-figures of included excursions end up being things you absolutely are not interested in, or absolutely cannot even do? Inquiring minds (who enjoy fine wine! 😉 )... etc... Thanks. GC

I thought someone mentioned that there *was* going to be a "cruise only" option. HOWEVER (and the devil is in the details), this was not going to be your favorite "cruise only" of the past (pre "simplyMORE"). Wasn't that choice going to be without the air, but still include the forced payment for the "new" beverage arrangement AND the "new" excursion arrangement? [In an earlier post on this thread, someone mentioned that "Nashna" had mentioned this so-called "cruise only" on a *different* thread. However, I can't now find a post that is directly about the so-called "cruise only" option.] If my memory of that choice is correct, then Oceania is simply using the same terminology for a very different choice! And if so, it's a terrific way to confuse one's customers. Not good... ETA: Found a post by MargateKev that included this bullet point: When you choose cruise-only fare under the simplyMORE program you are excluding air only, all of the other amenity changes outlined will be included. as Post #3 in the "Simply more's impact on current bookings?" thread GC

Many thanks for the "young"! 😀 GC

From Post 269 above, about what's in the SimplyMore: "...All simplyMORE bookings include a shore excursion credit. There will be a group of excursions to choose from using your credit. Unlike Olife, with simplyMORE you can choose to apply your credit to any excursion...." [emphasis added] "There will be A GROUP OF EXCURSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM" or "you can choose to apply your credit to ANY excursion" ? This likely won't affect us, as we so rarely do any cruise excursions (any line, any ship), but for general information, is there going to be a special "group" of eligible excursions available, or is it "any excursion"? Those could be very different... I'm annoyed by the ambiguity/confusion this wording generates, regardless of the actual meaning. Why can't Oceania spit it out once, with the correct and unambiguous wording? GC

Why don't you post this on the Family Cruise section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/28-family-cruises/ You'll probably find many families there who not only "know about" 5-person cabins/suites, but also have experienced them. Otherwise, I'd call a travel agent familiar with cruising, or call any cruise lines you might be interested in. Or... look at deck plans or the "notes" section of those, where some specific symbol will probably be used for accommodations that can fit 5 or 6, etc. (like a double asterisk, or such) that would show on the cabin outline on the deck plans. GC

Thanks Jersey42. I just learned something, which is always good! 🙂 And although it's unlikely to be useful to us (but hey, who knows!?), it will help me to give better information to others, especially about that Travel Guard policy, which isn't restricted to use of one specific travel vendor. (It sounds vaguely familiar, so I probably did hear about it before and just forgot. We always get our travel insurance through TripInsuranceStore.com - and they have one particular policy from Travel Insured that is "just right" for us, so we now just "order the same", so to speak, when we call TIS. 😉 ) And the best advice of all is to ALWAYS read all of the terms and conditions of any insurance policy (not just travel insurance), and more generally, *any* contract that one is agreeing to. GC

Here is my answer, from the previous page of this thread, where there are other discussions of travel insurance claims that were paid: As we mentioned above, travel insurance is for "travel" expenses. In fact, even WHILE traveling, unless one has *primary* medical coverage with the travel insurance, the travel insurance will only cover any medical costs incurred AFTER one's regular health insurance has denied the coverage, or for any portion that was denied. GC

I don't think any (or not most anyway) travel insurance covers medical expenses once one is home. That's what your regular health/medical insurance is for. Most travel insurance will cover extra expenses incurred due to covered reasons *while* you are traveling. This could include medical costs, extra transportation or housing needed during that time, etc. ... but not something that would have been otherwise paid for if you were home... once you *are* home. ETA: I should have added what I wrote in partial response to your other same question: Unless one has travel insurance with *primary* medical coverage, the travel policy will only pay AFTER your regular health insurance has declined all or part of your medical costs while traveling. GC

Yes, as klfrodo knows, we use www.TripInsuranceStore.com And we STRONGLY urge you to *call* them. The online summaries cannot possibly include enough information for you to know for sure which is best for *your* needs. Also, in addition to asking them questions, chances are good that they'll ask you some questions, to try to help you find the best fit policy. (Any frail non-traveling family members? Any pre-existing conditions, which are defined very differently for travel insurance purposes vs. our everyday usage? Do you want coverage from the time you leave home until you return, etc., or "just the cruise"?) And if needed, they can also help with a claim. Yes, as we've mentioned several times here on CC (nope, we don't have much luck with the search function, either!), we've filed quite a few claims, including a few large ones. And we've been paid promptly every time. Through TIS, we get coverage from Travel Insured, but TIS works with several travel insurers. The policy we get might not be the best fit for you, but we can certainly speak for TI's claims paying! Note: You *must* submit RECEIPTS for EVERY expense claimed, so keep all receipts. (That meant, once, getting a handwritten letter/receipt from a physician a hotel had called for us, for example.) The insurer has the right to do their best to prevent fraud, after all... We wish we didn't have so many claims, but alas... we each have several medical conditions, and until just a couple of years ago, we had a very elderly MIL (who passed just a few weeks before her 100th, fully alert until the last two weeks or so - amazing!). IF she had been, er, less cranky, we'd have considered bringing her along. [But... nope! 😠 ] We've had full cancellations and other claims for each of us, plus full cancellations because of MIL's sudden medical issue. TIS do not "upsell". Quite the opposite. Once, Steve (the owner, who had gotten to know use because of a large claim) actually suggested that for a particular trip, we did NOT need travel insurance, and he explained why. He was correct, and he talked his way right *out* of a commission. 😉 We never forgot that! GC

At least with the 3rd-party policies we get, one insures in steps, as one pays the money. So the first payment, usually the deposit, is when we start the coverage, and just for the deposit amount (which also automatically includes the medical, so that first premium is somewhat disproportionately large). If we then pay for a hotel or excursion, or more toward the cruise fare, or for air travel, we change the coverage and pay the extra premium (which always seems "small", because a lot of the initial premium already included some of the longer coverage!). And that continues. At least for our policies, EACH additional expense must be insured within that same 10-20 day time period to keep the pre-existing coverage. And YES, the insurer WILL ask for all receipts and they WILL make sure that the timing of extra costs and extra premium payments match up. We learned that the very first time we got travel insurance. GC

How about using two forms, each one with one notarized signature, both with the same child's name? You *will* have notarized signatures of both of the specified adults, as required. (Staple them together, lest someone separate them.) Or, is there room for a second notary stamp on the form? Have one sign, mail it to the other, and then have the other sign in the presence of a notary. GC

I just posted a tour guide recommendation for St. Lucia. It seems my entire post is on "hold" while the mods decide if the website link I included is approved. If that doesn't get approved, I'll repost with the rest of my text, without the link. We agree that companies that simple arrange with other guides aren't the best choice. We've always made arrangements with the 'guides' themselves, be it a single guide or a company. That's the only way to make sure YOUR comments or questions actually reach the guide! ETA: They've approved my post, but not the website address. Just Google the name, and you'll find them. Enjoy! GC

For St. Lucia, we learned about Serenity Tours here on CC: https://***** We not only had a fantastic time, but we've booked with them again when we returned. They helped us create a very customized tour for just the two of us (but they certainly have "regular pre-planned" excursions, too). We asked them to include two hotels we wanted to check out for possible future visits. And we had discussed a lot of "our interests" so they could add suggestions of places we might enjoy. Much to our surprise, when we visited on of the hotels, they mentioned that there was another hotel right nearby (it was indeed very close) that they thought we might enjoy, and they had made an appointment for us to view the property - but we did NOT have to keep the appt. When we saw the location... we viewed the property. And the Serenity folks got it exactly right. IF we return for a non-cruise stay, that is where we will go! For the second time, they helped arrange a charter of a large catamaran (the type with 4 bedrooms and bathrooms/heads) for day use. We asked on our Roll Call, and had several others join us. It was that first trip with them when we learned to ask private guides something like, "Based upon the questions we are asking and what we want to see/do, is there anything else you'd recommend?" And we've got some wonderful "add ons" for a variety of tours over the years. 🙂 They were really *terrific*! GC

Thanks. Have you ever used the "non-medical" coverage? Have you ever been in a situation where you were considering calling MJA to help, under the non-medical coverage? (No need for personal details, obviously.) We always have MJA regular (medical) coverage when we are traveling internationally. And one time, we came very close to calling them. (We still joke that The Fates must have overheard us mumbling, "Should we call MJA...?" when I was in hospital overseas, because at about that time, I turned the corner and started to improve. We lost a week of our trip, but were able to recover the final week. Our regular travel insurance covered all of the "extra costs". It could have been *much* worse...) In the past, we figure that our main non-medical concern is if some destination starts looking dicey. We've considered using CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) once for that reason, at least getting back 75% of our non-refundable costs. We may rethink things in the future... 😡 GC

OP asked about both "medical" evacuation AND "in the event of political unrest": I thought that MJA had a higher (= more expensive) level of coverage where they would help in non-medical situations. (Was that called "Horizon"?) Unrest would probably qualify, but I'm not sure if they would operate in a war zone... sort of like MJA did not initially handle Covid patients (although they later did). Also, Hank, MJA does NOT require that "medically necessary" condition; that is, to us anyway, the key feature of their coverage. The *patient* decides if the medical care is acceptable, not beancounters or local medical staff (who may be reluctant to declare themselves not able to care for the patient/condition). GC

First, here is a link to the CC section on Travel Insurance: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ There will be LOTS of information there for you to browse or ask specific questions. We would *never* get insurance through the cruise line. We use 3rd party coverage, and use a broker. We are among the many here who use and recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com But CALL them; don't rely upon the limited online policy summaries. Let them help you find the best policy for your specific circumstances. And your TA *charges* you a fee to book a cruise? Don't TAs get commissions from cruise lines when they book for their clients? Sounds a bit like double dipping. 😠 GC

You might try calling to see if they will reprice it. Or there may be a free review period, in which case you could just cancel and re-purchase. If you purchased through a travel insurance broker, ask them for help. GC

Can one do that without some special circumstance. (That could be because you can't travel in Country A if you have a stamp from Country B, and you need to go to both of them, or such.) I mean, that would be great... fewer worries about losing a passport, too! 😉 GC

Are you working with a travel insurance broker? They can help you with all of this, and you wouldn't be stressing now. FIrst, double check your own policy's "deadline" for the pre-existing waiver... it's state dependent and can be from 10 to ~20 days. Second, you should not (depending upon policy, perhaps?) need to insure anything you haven't yet paid for. So one insures the deposit only. Then, as other payments are made, add the insurance for the additional amount. NO need to insure the total cost of the trip months (or years!?) in advance. At final payment for a cruise, then add coverage for that big payment, all within the same deadlines, and you'll be fine. You only insure non-refundable payments. So for example, with our awards flights, we insure the "fee" that we would pay if we needed to re-bank our points or switch to a different flight if a covered event required us to interrupt, change or cancel our reservations. Will your flights we non-refundable, or just fees for cancelling? GC