rsbrocco

Thank you so much. It brings our family such peace to know his spent his last 75 days cruising with people he loved. I wanted to provide an update. After much back and forth with the embassy, the funeral homes in Angola and at home, HAL and Allianz (including a broken printer, missing stamps, and an abundance of government holidays) - Zeyde is finally on his way home to Florida. He should arrive Sunday afternoon and we hope to lay him to rest beside Bubbe early next week. Thank you all so much for your condolences, advice, and support throughout this ordeal. Surprisingly (or maybe not), Chabad of Angola has been the most helpful during this time. The Rabbi personally sat with his remains, organized a minyan, and advocated for an expedited repatriation. Thank you again. May his memory be a blessing.

Thank you to all of those with helpful comments. We’re working with our local congressmen and senators in FL to try to expedite the repatriation - the Angolan government is closed for several holidays coming up, and it’s been a mess trying to coordinate support between the funeral home in Angola, the local government there, HAL Family Assistance, and the primary insurance we’re using (Allianz). His travel agent (Expedia Cruises) has been exceptional in providing support and the necessary documentation. She’s been working with guest relations nonstop and trying to get this resolved as quickly as possible. Thank you for all of your condolences and well wishes. He had been cruising with HAL for decades and he was on the 2020 pandemic WC. He was so excited to finally get to finish the WC this year.

CareFree Travel Assistance and Allianz - they're currently debating who's responsible for the repatriation. Do you have any recommendations for how to get ahold of someone at HAL? We are struggling to get any support or action from the folks on family assistance line.

My grandfather was on the ms Zuiderdam and took ill. They provided some medical care on board, but they forced him to get off the ship in Luanda, Angola on March 21. They sent him to a clinic in Angola and refused to let him back on board the ship. My family has spent the last week trying to get him medically evacuated from Angola and flown home for adequate medical care. He passed away yesterday, March 29, alone in a hospital in Angola. We are now beginning the arduous process of repatriating his remains. My family is looking for any guidance you might have in navigating this terrible situation. We’ve been in contact with the generic HAL support lines, insurance companies, and the embassy - all to little avail. Thank you.