happysnapper

Sorry to hear that your husband has to have major surgery and you weren't covered by your travel insurance for the refund of your large deposit.

 

Do you know why your deposit so large? I am wary of large deposits, requested by cruise lines, eg I wouldn't put a 20% deposit on a new car purchase ($4000).

Looking at Princess Passage Contract the longer the cruise the larger the deposit.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and suggestions. It's is a most difficult time for both of us. I'm waiting for the straw...

Have sent an email hoping they have a heart and suggesting $$s towards a future cruise. Will see what happens.

i know its off topic but cruising with princess those FCD do come in handy as it only costs $100 and thats your deposit paid and if something happens before final payment you can cancel out and get your FCD back to use again

It was with Princess not FCD but cruise required 20% deposit.

I just had a quick look at that cover......and yes, it does state No cover until you have received your ticket.

I hope your hubby has a successful op and you return to cruising soon....an no 3's......you have had enough bad news!!

Is he having at Port Base hospital? or heading to Sydney?

No he is having it at JHH, Newcastle. Will be in for 2 weeks. So I will stay down there somewhere with him. Thanks for your concern.

Anyone who uses credit card complimentary travel insurance be aware some card's policies will not cover deposits paid. I have just found out to my dismay when I rang Citibank Complimentary Travel Insurance with Allianz that the insurance is only available after "paid in full international tickets have been issued". We booked a cruise in November 2015 for a return cruise to Hawaii this year and since then have paid over $4000 deposit. The insurance company will not cover it because we have not made the final payment, which is not yet due, and the cruise company will not refund any of it although it is 133 days away (their cruise book says 119 days for full refund but this cruise says188 days) and the cruise is booked out and probably has a waiting list. Yesterday we found out my husband has to have major surgery with a 3-4month recovery time, so we cannot possible go with this hanging over our head. OK so we have learnt our lesson in a very hard way I just hope no one else gets caught. Bad news comes in 3s can't image what the next will be.

Brother-in-law, (a young single 70 year old) is on for the full 42 day cruise rang this morning after arriving in Brisbane and said everything was perfect. He has done many cruises internationally so he knows what to expect. Hope it stays like this for him the entire cruise. He has already made friends at the Riviera Bar!:D Unfortunate on a 2 day cruise things where not up to scratch. If people where on the wrong table they should have been move, although it was probably easier to put you on a clean table. From previous observations this is always done with a smile from the waiters and a "no problem". Actually he said the ship was very late leaving Sydney well after the 1st seating at 5.30pm so the first night may have been open dining.

AN IRISH BLESSING TO FELLOW CC'S

May you have food and rainment,

A soft pillow for your head,

May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows your dead!:evilsmile:

That's interesting about the passports. As four of us did the circ of Australia including Bali just over 12 months ago on the Diamond Princess and we did not have to surrender our passports. We have done seven international cruises and the only time we had to surrender our passports for the trip was for the Cherry Blossom Cruise. Maybe it's something to do with China. We always carry a photo copy of our passports on our person when OS.

Princess Diamond left without 2 passengers a couple of months ago from nearby Lombok. They came belting up in a speedboat and finally caught up with the ship that slowed to a speed in which they could reboard. The ship will not wait. Bali traffic is horrendous. Our passports were retained by the ship for all Asian ports. Only got them back the last morning.

Last two cruises we went on the ship did not keep our passports. This was within the last 2 and 3 yrs. Having said that things change almost overnight.

Oh no this is the first port 😣😣 for my virgin cruising friend !

 

If we are back in the port and in a queue.. surely the boat won't go without us ?

Does the boat keep our passports? Or do we take them to Bali with us ?

My friend will worry about the ship going without us 😢

Keep your passport locked in the safe in your cabin. You will be advised in the ships daily

"Pattter" the time of the last tender. If you miss the last one you're in trouble. But I'm sure if you are part of a long queue they would not go without you.

Anymore updates on this please ?

I'm worried we have booked a private driver.

To take us to the Elephant cave, Tegalalong rice terrace and then to Karsa spa 1pm to 3.30pm

 

Will we be OK as ship leaves at 5pm.

I said to driver need to be bk in port for 4.30pm 😉

Agree with everything above. But I would strongly advise, that if your ship is due to leave at 5pm you arrange for your driver to have you back by around 3pm. The traffic can but just awful. Also be aware many of the private drivers can be unreliable. We booked one on line with good reviews emailed back & forth, confirmed via phone as we were leaving Australia. When we finally got out to the packed car park he was nowhere to be seen (he was to have our name on a sign). Another driver claimed us and I persuaded him to ring our driver. Turns out he took a group of people who arrived before us!

They usually make me put the belt, and the walking stick for that matter, through the scanner.

We were in a transit lounge and had not been required to go through customs it was just the walk through scanner.

And arms out in the xray/body scan cubicle... Not good.. Had the problem myself :o

 

Phil

Exactl y what they said "arms out" as they waved the wand over his hips

Why not hold them up?

Walking stick in one hand belt in other!

Things are pretty much the same in may countries around the world. During a short shop over in Bangkok my husband went through the scanner setting it off. He has a hip replacement is some scanner detect it. Anyway he also had on a belt with a buckle and he was instructed to take it off. Can't says he my pants will fall down "sir remove your belt" which he dutifully did...and down came the pants. He was waved through rapidly trying not to trip over his pants. Elastic waist from then on.

Hmmmm. Will test this out soon as we are booked on a Sydney-Hawaii-Sydney cruise in August. Plan on ringing Allianz CC complimentary insurance line re PEMC the day I pay for the tickets with cc. Will be interested in their response re USA. May have to fork out big $$s for travel insurance. Will keep CCs followers posted as many utilise credit card comp. insurance. Actually there has been a large volume of posts re travel insurance just recently. I would suggest you do a search on here and read a few of the posts for recommendations.

I am surprised you can't get cover with your platinum card. We went with complimentary CC insurance last December for a short cruise. It was a MasterCard (Citibank) platinum card and they accepted my husbands pre-existing medical condition of COAD & hypertension on numerous medications. We only had to pay a small admin fee and we were sent official documentation via email covering these conditions. Citibank take out the insurance with Allianz. I may depend on the PEMC.

Wow, great story but not for the original owner of the ticket.

No it was his bag. He just overlooked the ticket in the bottom of the bag.

Just within the last week a bloke found a one year old lottery/lotto ticket in the bottom of an old shopping bag. Took it to newsagency...now a millionaire.:') So best check your stockpile of green bags!

My bag says "My other bag is Prada".

Seems to be only on the longer cruises and then participation is relatively small. I would say about 5% of passengers, and they combine to organise tours. I usually follow posts on "our cruise" out of interest. Never know what information you may pick up.

I hope not. I hope we are big enough to make our own decisions about what wars, if any, to get involved in.

we have made some bad decisions in the past, like Vietnam, which caused a Government to loose office.

And don't forget Korea...big losses and a no score draw.

Anyway sailing into Hawaii in August, hoping all goes well. Have our ESTA visa waiver form and passport not due out until 2020.

Yes it would be interesting to hear the full story. Current Australian passport plus 6mths, and approved visa waiver form, can't see what the problem would be.

Boat drill when under way. I'd head to the Horizon Buffet. They may make an announcement re fixed dinning times.