twentyknots

We're booked on Reflection for January 29, 2023. Our final payment is due October 31. I have a recent medical problem which began after I made the cruise deposit. I am being treated but the doctors tell me it is probably a compressed nerve causing the pain and can be difficult and time consuming to pinpoint the cause. It is doubtful that the issue will be resolved by October 31 when final payment is due. We did not buy the traditional cruise insurance that we usually buy with pre-existing exclusions because it requires the insurance be purchased shortly after initial payment and because we're using airline vouchers from a previous trip that was cancelled due to Covid, the insurance companies consider that as the initial deposit date which was in 2020. If we buy Celebrity's policy it's my understanding that if we cancelled because of this current medical problem we would not receive a cash refund since the 60 day lookback would prevent that, but we would receive a FCC for 90% of the non-refunded charges (excluding the ins cost). We would have one year to use that FCC. I assume Celebrity would refund in cash the taxes and fees. Is my understanding correct?

Ditto for me, as far as being naive about travel insurance. We've cruised 27 times and always bought travel insurance, mostly from our TA. Many times we used Visa travel credits thinking nothing of it. We may have used airline vouchers in the past so I suppose our thinking that we had a pre existing waiver was incorrect. Off we went on our cruise confident that we had done the right thing. Thankfully we never needed to file a claim. Our last cruise was Alaska in June 2019. Two weeks after returning I had appendicitis and needed emergency surgery. Just real lucky it didnt happen while we were in one of the small ports during the cruise.

Steve called back yesterday with an update on possibilities for a comprehensive policy with pre existing waiver that doesn’t require purchasing the insurance 14-21 days after initial booking but couldn’t find one that was reasonably priced. So that’s off the table. He did say that if we decided not to use our airline E credits and paid OOP for the tickets and insured that amount (which we have to for the pre existing waiver) we could get a refund if the airlines agreed not to issue us an E credit. Steve’s experience with the airlines to do that is mixed he said. I’m surprised that the insurance companies will reimburse for the airfare if the airlines agree not to issue E credit. Nice to know I guess. Knowing what we know at this point, I’m inclined to purchase medical coverage from GeoBlue. No cancellation protection, but good medical and evac coverage with pre-existing waiver. We don’t have to buy the GeoBlue until very close to departure and we can use our Visa credits and airline vouchers. Canceling our trip is highly unlikely, but even if we do, we’ve really just lost a part of our Visa rewards. No big deal. The potential for a medical emergency is equally unlikely but the financial consequences are much higher. I’ll sleep better.

I dont think giving up the on pre existing waiver would have any bearing on the use of Visa travel credits. If we had to cancel the trip and were in the 100% penalty phase the insurer would deny the claim for the cruise refund based on our using the credits and not having any OOP expense.

Update on conversation with Steve We have $3000 in Visa travel credits which we can use as credits on our Visa bills for travel related costs going back 12 months. We planned to pay for our cruise, airfare, hotels, and some of the onboard charges. Steve said that if we use these credits to pay for the cruise, for example, and have to cancel the trip, the insurer will deny a claim for the cruise since it was not an out of pocket expense. I asked how they would know that I had used credits and he said they will ask for proof of purchase and if my Visa bill shows the cruise fare charge and payments with the credit they will deny it. I suggested that I will just pay the minimum payment for a few months until the trip is over and then use the credits to pay it off. He said that would work. As for the airfare, that was a kick in the teeth. We have E credits from a flight in 2019 that we plan to use along with $400 in out of pocket. If we have to cancel, the airline will give use E credits for the total airfare. Steve said we have to insure the $400 because it’s prepaid and non-refundable, but the insurer won’t reimburse us for the $400 since it would be credited back to us as an E credit. An E credit is not considered a refund by the insurer. We want the waiver for pre-existing not because we have any current medical conditions that we think might invalidate the medical coverage, but because like most people we have had some past medical issues and don’t want to give them any reason to deny a medical claim. Basically we don’t trust them. Steve said because we plan to use our airline E credit, the trip deposit is the date on which the E credit was based. Therefore, we missed the 14 day rule by 3 years. So, that leaves us with not using the E credits and paying the full cost of the airfare and using the deposit for the cruise as the beginning of the 14 day countdown if we want the preexisting waiver. The hotel can’t be insured since it’s not a prepaid expense. In summary, very disappointing news.

I will call the tripinsurancestore people and see what they say. I did logon to their site and got some quotes but the number of insurers was limited compared to other sites.

Babr, thanks for the airline tip. I called and they did say if we cancel for any reason they would issue E credits for future travel, so no need to insure that prepaid expense.

We’re planning a cruise for late January, 2023 and have already paid our non-refundable deposit. We want the pre-existing waiver so I know we must buy travel insurance with 14 days of our deposit. I plan to buy the initial coverage of $500 since that is what’s at risk at this time. Subsequently on October 31 the remaining balance of the cruise is due. Here’s my first question: my booking confirmation says that “taxes, fees, and port expenses” are $331. They don’t itemize these fees. Does that need to be insured? It’s my understanding that if the cruise is cancelled Celebrity will refund the taxes to my credit card. They don’t mention the port charges. The insurance states that “prepaid non-refundable charges must be insured.” Second, when I book air I will add that to the policy. That seems clear enough. Third, I plan to make hotel reservations sometime after final payment but those are not prepaid. There would be charges if we cancelled them less than 48 hours before scheduled check-in. Should these potential losses be insured? Maybe I should say “must” these potential losses be insured to meet the T’s and C’s? Thanks for your responses.

AIG knows how to write insurance and collect the premiums but when it comes time to pay for claims they showed their true colors with default swaps and we the taxpayers, had to bail them out. There are many other reputable travel insurance companies to do business with.

If I see a chair unoccupied with towels, flip flops , books, etc., I let the pool attendent know and ask him/her to start the clock and that I expect removal of their belongings in 45 minutes if they dont return. I also let the attendent know that if doesnt happen I will report the attendent to customer service. Tick-tock.

She's the primary user especially in the afternoon. I take a nap inside after lunch while she reads and naps outside. Full sun would really be too hot for her enjoyment. We went with deck 12. Traded shade for noise.

My mistake. I see now that now. Only 2214 and 2223 are not suites.

Why are there 6 SV cabins on deck 12 and 8 on the other decks below?

Decision time is approaching fast. We’ve decided we definitely want SV cabin but can’t decide between deck 12 and 9. We’re holding 2214 and 2223 but deck 9 is wide open right now so if we move down it would be to 9309 and 9384. We’ve read the sticky for ‘S’ class cabins and many other reviews and videos and it’s clear that deck 12 has some noise issues. Nevertheless, most say they had great experience there. Deck 9 SV’s reviews are all good. The thing that keeps us from moving to 9 is the uncovered verandah. The privacy issue doesn’t bother us. My wife loves to sit out on the balcony and read in the afternoon and usually ends up taking a nap out there. She can’t really do that in full sun. I wonder if the little bit of overhang on deck 9 is enough to provide some shade for reading and napping if she sits close to the door. Another thought is the direction the ship is sailing. It’s a western Caribbean cruise so maybe not so much direct sun in the afternoon. Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Is 9243 a ittle bigger than 9296?

Philly Burbs, how about 9243 and 9296? Is that the slant you're talking about?

My wife and I are cruising with our son and his wife in late January, 2023 on the Reflection. It will be our 28th cruise and their 2nd. We have been on the Reflection twice before. I hope she’s just as nice now as then. Their 1st was on the Carnival Fascination, so I hope he’ll appreciate the difference. He did not care much for cruising and voted to go to an all-inclusive in January at the Hard rock Punta Cana but the vote was 3 to 1 for the cruise. We’ve been in a SV cabin twice before but in Holland’s Neptune suite in a wrap-around huge covered balcony on deck 5. I’d like for them to experience the aft-facing views so were holding 2214 and 2223 on deck 12. We have to decide by September 2. I chose deck 12 because it has a covered balcony. I would rather have a lower deck, say deck 9 because it’ll probably be a little quieter but from what I’ve read has full sun and can get quite hot. Also, my son worries a little that a cabin on deck 12 in the back might be a little rough and cause motion sickness. Here are my questions: Are the lower decks full sun for the SV cabins? Does he have a point about the motion on deck 12? Would moving down to deck 9 make any difference in motion? We didn’t feel any motion in our SV Neptune suite but that was on deck 5. Are the balconies at mid-ship covered? Are the “hump” cabins a good location?

Thanks Pools for that link. Was planning to book the Nieuw Statendam but will switch to Celebrity. I guess the smoking ban imposed during Covid was lifted.

I can't find HAL's smoking policy on their website. I thought I read somewhere recently that smoking was not allowed on HAL ships except in outside designated areas.

Does the Apex have obstructed views for any of its sunset cabins, particularly deck 7? We sailed on Holland in sunset cabins many times and always avoided deck 4 with the cleaning machinery. I wonder if the Apex has the same.

We’re about ready to book the Apex for a 7-day January Cruise. We’re trying to understand how the prepaid specialty dining works. From what I can gather, the cost of the package for 3 meals is $109 per person, plus 18% gratuity so $129. Can that be used to eat in any of the specialty restaurants for a total of 3 times regardless of the cover?

We wrestled with this conundrum for weeks before finally deciding to nix the December cruise. We had booked an aft-facing corner neptune suite, but the thought of having to spend part of my cruise confined there was out of the question for me, not to mention having to leave the suite and go to the medical deck. No casino, no meals in the Pinnacle grill, no neptune lounge, no shows, no stops at the islands I wanted to visit, no people watching—all too much for me. I would be livid and impossible to live with. I would rather be put off at the next port and stay in the best hotel until I tested negative and flew home. Frankly, it amazes me how many people are willing to take the risk. Give it another year or two. See how it looks then.

It's been 3 years since our last cruise. We really want to cruise again. We were real close to booking a cruise for December but couldn't get past the risk of having to quarantine. Many seem to dodge the bullet and have a great cruise, but a few like the OP are not so lucky. So sorry you and your husband are having to endure this. Someone said that 2020 logic is being applied to a 2022 sickness. I think there is a lot of truth in that. I wonder if I my wife and I were in the same situation as the OP and her husband would we report ourselves. If we were going on a cruise we would bring Covid test kits and we would ask our doctor if he would prescribe Paxlovid for us just in case. If we tested ourselves and one or both was positive but we felt like we had a bad cold or the flu we could start the 5 day Paxlovid and self quarantine in our suite. Is that a selfish, inconsiderate thing to do?

Yes, my TA did say HAL had some NF deposits. In this particular instance the prepaid deposit I made while onboard is refundable or returned to my account. I think we all prefer refundable deposit without having to pay an upcharge. I suppose if RCCL's approach becomes industry-wide, then it won't be a differentiator in decision-making between lines.

I really like Celebrity and would have booked the cruise that my TA and I were working on until she mentioned the NF deposit. I like Holland equally so jumped over to their site and found something comparable. When we got into the booking, she said we each had $100 in prepaid deposit from an onboard booking we had on an Alaska cruise in 2019. I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the replies.