klfrodo

6 hours ago, iamtrustworthy said:

Hi klfrodo,

 

I've had more than a few customers on world cruises who have had trip interruptions and neither Royal Caribbean and Holland America are refunding port fees and taxes to my customers who returned home early.

 

So far, no one has let me know if the cruise lines did anything different and all the claims are still being settled.

 

Steve Dasseos

Well, you are a reliable source. 🤣 Thanks for sharing.

is this limited to “World Cruises”? Or are you finding the same thing with the more standard cruises that are less than 14 days.

Please share a link to this reliable source that port fees and taxes are no longer refundable.

I was of the same opinion as you.

Had my first experience with Digital ID this past week.

Let me start by saying that myself? I embrace technology. There are usually some pitfalls when first introduced, but in the long run, it improves day to day activities. 

The application I used is called Airside. I came across it on my Alaska Airlines app after I booked a trip to Cabo. I had never heard of Airside and actually had not heard of Digital ID. For the Alaska Airlines flight to Cabo, AS indicated that if we downloaded the Airside App and submitted our travel documentation (ie Passport) there would be no need to physically present our passports prior to boarding the plane. (The Airside app sends verification to AS 72 hours before the flight).     I'm thinking, "how in the hell does this work?"    Well,,, what I "think" I have come to understand is that Airside is an approved Digital ID (from Homeland Security??) to share digitally your data with the new facial recognition programs used at airports and probably other places. I've recently learned that using this Digital ID can be used at TSA checkpoints rather than using your DL or passport and will be RealID Compliant as long as the document in the Digital ID app that you use to create the QR code is RealID Compliant.

There are a few things about this technology that makes one question the usefulness, but as time and improvements are made, in a few of years it could obsolete the hard copy passport.

OBC cannot be assigned to a specific expense.

It’s just a credit to your account. Whatever expense hits your account first will subtract from the credit.

But yes, if the gratuities hit your account while there is still a credit, the gratuities will subtract from the credit.

Most likely Marco Polo. 98% sure. 2% remaining for disclaimer

My opinion and personal experience only.

My TA sells insurance. And makes a small commission. But, after 10 to 15 years following this particular board, I can guarantee that I know more about the intricacies of travel insurance than my TA does (not to say I know it all. I still get confused a few times.). If questioned about is this covered? is that covered? the response would be to call the insurance company. If asked do I file a claim under trip delay or trip interruption? They wouldn't know. What they do know is that having travel insurance is important.

The next question is probably why I use the TA then. Because they are friends and treat us like family. GREAT on the travel/pricing/OBC/follow-up departments. Just weak on the travel insurance department.

So, my opinion is the broker who can guide you to the coverage that is most important to you and your needs. A good broker will also be just a phone call away to assist if needed when filing a claim.

Calling @iamtrustworthy to the white courtesy phone please.

11 hours ago, KyleClark said:

I have an upcoming cruise which is comped.  I just have to pay the port charges and fees.  Can I take a policy out for $500pp solely for the medical in case of an expensive medical emergency?   Running this back in reverse, (I'm learning here)  Can I take out a policy for $500pp just for the medical even if my trip was expensive in which I know I would absorb the trip cost in case of cancellation?  

That's how I do it. Then again, my State allows this. YMMV depending on the regulations set forth in "Soprano Land".

I also choose to risk the cancellation, etc. I do choose the trip cost at $500. If I run into a Trip Delay or a Trip Interruption situation (which I have), then I am covered up to 150% of trip cost. Thats enough to pick up a hotel, uber, and a few meals while we wait for our next available flight.

47 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Why then do some cruise lines ask you to prove that you have medical evacuation insurance?

too vague of a question. What is their definition of medical evacuation and are these alleged requirements for evac from sea or evac from a land based facility to another land based facility?

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Please can you clarify under what circumstances medical evacuation from the ship at no cost to the patient?

 

International maritime treaties and law. When I say medical evacuation from the ship, I'm speaking of when a helicopter airlifts a patient from the ship while at sea. These are always done by a nations coast guard or navy.

An ambulance ride from the ship while at port to the local hospital will cost money but, in this instance, (a person from the US who has normal health insurance and is in US territory) the health insurance will cover it.

Maybe we can summon @chengkp75 for a more expert explanation regarding ship at sea ambulance airlift and the treaties involved.

The Win/Loss Statement worked fine for me to offset my winnings as Earned Income as stated on my W2G.  This was over 10 years ago though.

I go 3rd party only. The cruise line policy is too low and if you need help, you're on your own. They won't help when it comes time to file a claim. I can only speak of my TA, they don't have a basic understanding of the policy they sell and wouldn't be of any help if I asked them if I should file under Trip Delay or Trip Interruption. Also, the coverage is too low in my opinion.

By going 3rd party (Steve at TripInsuranceStore), he has access to a few different policies that best fit my needs and when it comes time to file a claim, he will gladly assist. He's also been known to intercede on his clients behalf with the insurance company to help clear up any misunderstanding.

I'm going to take a different approach. First, let me say that I agree with every fiber of my being that what has said been said above is true and correct.

I approach sailing from Vancouver differently than any other cruise or trip. This is because I'm making an assumption that this is for an Alaska cruise, and I fully understand that my opinion only works for me. (If this is a 7-day cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii, I might consider the same approach)

My opinion is based on my thoughts that travel insurance is a tool to help me share risk of potential financial hardship. With that being said, I'm in a position in life where I can absorb the cost of missing a cruise. I can absorb that $5 to $10K loss. It will hurt and I might have some explaining to do with my spouse, but it won't bankrupt me.

Medical could cause financial devastation, however, in this instance (Alaska Cruise) I weigh my risks. My Health Insurance/Medicare works in Alaska. I choose to risk the miniscule amount of time I'm in Canada. Evacuation from the ship is at no cost to the patient. If I need evacuation from (Ketchikan let's say) to either Anchorage or Seattle for medically necessary care, my health insurance will pick up the costs. (I also have Medjet Assist for anytime I'm more that 150 miles from home).

With all that being said, I 100% self-insure my Alaska cruises. Every other cruise, (Caribbean and European) I do purchase a 3rd party policy from Steve at TripInsuranceStore to help mitigate any unexpected expenses.

Living on the west coast but always sail from the east coast, we always spend the night before flying home. Allows us to relax and take our time getting off the ship, maybe do some sightseeing, check into the hotel, catch a nice dinner, then catch a good nights sleep before catching the early 6 hour flight home.

For those who live or frequently visit Rome. How is tourism going to be affected by 2025 being a Jubilee year?

We are cruising in 2025. Our post cruise plans currently have us spending an additional 4 to 6 days in Rome. (Early September timeframe)

Can I expect that with the additional number of people of the Catholic faith making the pilgrimage to Rome and The Vatican be of concern when arranging tours and hotel stays?

Ill wait for the expert to jump in. Calling @chengkp75

43 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

  Can the wheelchair person transfer or take a few steps?  

 

Yes

We are a retired group of 6. One of us is in a wheelchair and the other 5 are not.

Of course, we want to hang together with our travel mates on an excursion, but seeing as how accessible excursions are limited in space, I don't want to take up valuable space and maybe someone who needs this service isn't able to because 4 able bodied persons are taking up space.

Does my question make any sense?

6 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

We travel a lot with the air being using awards.

Fortunately, although that part of the trip - the "regular cash price of the air trip" - is not insuranble, for a very modest cost, we can re-bank the points (almost always, IIRC).  And we can insure that modest cost, which we only do because our insurance type requires that we insure ALL non-refundable costs.  Even though we didn't pre-pay that fee, we include it.  It's small enough that it's never kicked us into a higher tier of coverage (it goes by increments of the total cost), so it was always a non-issue.  Better to include anything that MIGHT be in the "everything"...!

 

And yes, we've recovered that "rebanking fee" a few times, although that was never a real concern, obviously.  But if we were filing a claim, we'll include everything there, too.

 

GC

My airline of choice, Alaska Air, has never had a problem just rebanking my miles if I need to cancel. But, that could be because I have elite status with the airline.

1 hour ago, RobC1116 said:

But in our case, we paid $$$ for the original trip that we then canceled. In lieu of an 80% refund (based on the timeliness of the cancellation), we received a voucher for the full amount we had paid. So now, the voucher has 0 value, and cannot be insured? If that is the case, we will just insure the costs over and above the voucher value

I believe @iamtrustworthy corrected me and stated that there are a couple of policies that may be able to help you.

Give Steve a call at Get the Best Trip Insurance Details, Advice (tripinsurancestore.com) and see what he says

With the "voucher" you have $0 cost to insure. 

Side note: I completely understand what you're trying to say, but in the insurance world, your voucher has 0$ value. Just like when you book a flight using miles. The miles themselves have 0 value. As a matter of fact, when you fly using miles, the airline considers you a non-revenue passenger.

That doesn't mean that you can't purchase a travel insurance policy, which you should do now that you're booked, so you can get the medical and evac coverage. You just won't be able to recover the cost of the cruise should you cancel.

Did Op file a claim with their travel insurance for lost/misplaced/stolen baggage?

I do have Medjet Assist as a side backup alternative. Fortunately, I've not had to use it. A couple of requirements are that you have to be more than 150 miles from home, and you must have been admitted as an Inpatient at a "hospital". Clinic won't do. And there must be a serviceable airport nearby.

Have heard of a couple of disgruntled users where 1 was on a remote island that didn't have an airport nearby and another who was in a remote location who clearly needed evacuation but there were no "hospitals", only clinics and no licensed professional medical doctors. I can clearly understand the frustrations regarding the second example, but for me, I don't foresee my fat arse being that adventuresome or remote. 🤣

Make sure whatever travel insurance you decide to purchase waives pre-existing conditions. Cruise line travel protection policies do not waive preexisting conditions. The policy usually needs to be purchased within a short time after initial deposit.

8 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

This may have been your experience, however if you read the policies, they explicitly state that you must call the insurance company before seeking medical treatment unless it is impossible to do so.

 

 

Is this possibly a Candian rule or law?

I just went thru my TravelSafe policy (Purchased in Washington State in the US) with a fine-tooth comb and nowhere does it state the above.

The only place where it comes close to saying that is in the separate "Tip" sheet I got from TravelInsuranceStore, where they recommend that as soon as possible, notify the insurance company so that they may get involved to assist if necessary.