Travel Insurance Claims re: Ecstacy Fog-in Galveston

[JimInBuffalo]

Looking for others who were affected by the fog on the 2/19/11 sailing for the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston. We always buy tri insurance but this is our first claim.

 

We used a popular company and from reading their forms I am wondering if we will get any net return. The forms ask for expenses plus any refunds that you got from Carnival. Also they state that you cannot submit invoices, only a copy of your credit card statement. I have no problem sending them these doc's but it means that the taxi cab that I paid cash for a total of $200 will not even be considered.

 

Looking for others who may have the same issue now or inthe past for advice.

 

Without the return of the cab fare, it looks like we may have no return.

 

As a caution to others, make sure you read your policies in advance and if something does happen, call the emergency number, if offered, and ask specifically what is covered and the documentation that is acceptable.

 

In our case we we optimistic that any minute we were going to neon our ship and therefore did not make many purchases for food, etc. Other than the bare necessities. I will be callingthe company when they open on Mon. And would like to know what to expect.

 

-Jim

[Cardinala]

Don't know why I didn't think of that before. I was so worried about my lost luggage for my pregnant wife, that I never considered all the added cost we were paying while waiting for the cruise (ie hotels/car rental/gas/food).

 

Our luggage had actually been given to a Carnival rep at the airport, but since we could not get on the ship we had nothing....for 3 days.

 

I believe we received fair compensation from Carnival.....but I still can't understand why they did not have any plans in place to deal with such an issue, as from what I've now read it is a continual problem in Galveston each year at this time. It really was a nightmare. And I still feel terrible for the families that were stuck there with little ones....some vacation.

 

Any idea how we use our 50% off our next cruise perk? Do we just call Carnival and they have it on file? Should we be expecting a voucher of some sort?

[cruiseco]

Looking for others who were affected by the fog on the 2/19/11 sailing for the Carnival Ecstasy out of Galveston. We always buy tri insurance but this is our first claim.

 

We used a popular company and from reading their forms I am wondering if we will get any net return. The forms ask for expenses plus any refunds that you got from Carnival. Also they state that you cannot submit invoices, only a copy of your credit card statement. I have no problem sending them these doc's but it means that the taxi cab that I paid cash for a total of $200 will not even be considered.

 

Looking for others who may have the same issue now or inthe past for advice.

 

Without the return of the cab fare, it looks like we may have no return.

 

As a caution to others, make sure you read your policies in advance and if something does happen, call the emergency number, if offered, and ask specifically what is covered and the documentation that is acceptable.

 

In our case we we optimistic that any minute we were going to neon our ship and therefore did not make many purchases for food, etc. Other than the bare necessities. I will be calling the company when they open on Mon. And would like to know what to expect.

 

-Jim

 

You don't specifically say so but I'm assuming you did get a receipt from the cabbie. That should be fine as long as you can justify the reason for the cab ride. The

"invoices aren't adequate" thing is basically for trip cancellation types of claims where a traveler might submit a dummied-up invoice showing he paid $10,000 for his cruise but his credit card statements only show $3000. Things like cab rides obviously won't have the same paperwork trail as a cruise booking. You should be fine -- as long as you got that receipt.

[JimInBuffalo]

Don't know why I didn't think of that before. I was so worried about my lost luggage for my pregnant wife, that I never considered all the added cost we were paying while waiting for the cruise (ie hotels/car rental/gas/food).

 

Our luggage had actually been given to a Carnival rep at the airport, but since we could not get on the ship we had nothing....for 3 days.

 

I believe we received fair compensation from Carnival.....but I still can't understand why they did not have any plans in place to deal with such an issue, as from what I've now read it is a continual problem in Galveston each year at this time. It really was a nightmare. And I still feel terrible for the families that were stuck there with little ones....some vacation.

 

Any idea how we use our 50% off our next cruise perk? Do we just call Carnival and they have it on file? Should we be expecting a voucher of some sort?

 

This is the link that you need to go to in order to get your cruise credit. You first have to go ahead and make your reservation and payment for the cruise. Then you go onto this site and fill-out all of the info requested showing your new cruise and the one that you are requesting the reimbursement for (Ecstasy Fog/3 day cruise to Nowhere).

http://www.carnival.com/cms/RequestForms/ReimbursementForm_cc.htm

 

The form will look like this copy:

 

REDEMPTION FORM

 

Booking #: * Type: * --Select-- Individual Group Ship: * Select Ship Carnival Conquest Carnival Destiny Carnival Dream Carnival Ecstasy Carnival Elation Carnival Fantasy Carnival Fascination Carnival Freedom Carnival Glory Carnival Imagination Carnival Inspiration Carnival Legend Carnival Liberty Carnival Magic Carnival Miracle Carnival Paradise Carnival Pride Carnival Sensation Carnival Spirit Carnival Splendor Carnival Triumph Carnival Valor Carnival Victory Holiday Original Sail Date: * (mm/dd/yyyy)

 

Guest 1 First Name*

Last Name*

 

Phone*

 

Email

 

 

 

Travel Agency (if applicable)

 

Travel Agency Contact

 

Travel Agency Phone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future Credit

 

 

New Ship:

Select Ship Carnival Conquest Carnival Destiny Carnival Dream Carnival Ecstasy Carnival Elation Carnival Fantasy Carnival Fascination Carnival Freedom Carnival Glory Carnival Imagination Carnival Inspiration Carnival Legend Carnival Liberty Carnival Magic Carnival Miracle Carnival Paradise Carnival Pride Carnival Sensation Carnival Spirit Carnival Splendor Carnival Triumph Carnival Valor Carnival Victory Holiday

New Sail Date :

(mm/dd/yyyy)

New Booking Number:

[JimInBuffalo]

You don't specifically say so but I'm assuming you did get a receipt from the cabbie. That should be fine as long as you can justify the reason for the cab ride. The

"invoices aren't adequate" thing is basically for trip cancellation types of claims where a traveler might submit a dummied-up invoice showing he paid $10,000 for his cruise but his credit card statements only show $3000. Things like cab rides obviously won't have the same paperwork trail as a cruise booking. You should be fine -- as long as you got that receipt.

 

 

Yes, I did get a receipt from the cabbie and I got his business card. I agree with you that they should allow it. I need to call and verify now.

Thanks,

-Jim

[HeidiHo]

I found when I recently made a travel insurance claim that what they they SAID they required and what they ACTUALLY accepted were 2 different things. We had a land vacation to MX scheduled this past July when my mother passed away 3 days before we were due to leave. Of course I knew I would need her death certificate to make the claim but according to the instructions on the claim form I needed a "certified" copy of the death certificate AND statements from her attending physician. The death certificate wasn't a problem but I was having a heck of a time finding the attending physician at the hospital. You would think a death certificate would be enough, right?. I called the insurance company and was told that a photocopy of the death certificate would be fine and that I didn't need a doctor's statement. So, rather than part with a certified copy of the death certificate (in case we needed it for something else) I sent a photocopy and no doctors statement. I figured that the worst that could happen is they'd refuse the claim and I'd have to supply the proper documentation but a few weeks later a check with the full refund came in the mail.

 

So send what you have and hope for the best. Good luck.

[Raven Days]

Don't know why I didn't think of that before. I was so worried about my lost luggage for my pregnant wife, that I never considered all the added cost we were paying while waiting for the cruise (ie hotels/car rental/gas/food).

 

Our luggage had actually been given to a Carnival rep at the airport, but since we could not get on the ship we had nothing....for 3 days.

 

I believe we received fair compensation from Carnival.....but I still can't understand why they did not have any plans in place to deal with such an issue, as from what I've now read it is a continual problem in Galveston each year at this time. It really was a nightmare. And I still feel terrible for the families that were stuck there with little ones....some vacation.

 

Any idea how we use our 50% off our next cruise perk? Do we just call Carnival and they have it on file? Should we be expecting a voucher of some sort?

 

I just used mine to book the Trimuph. All I did was call my PVP and she took it from there. It took about 2 days for it to show up on the booking. There will not be a voucher sent out. You just need your booking number.

[Raven Days]

This is the link that you need to go to in order to get your cruise credit. You first have to go ahead and make your reservation and payment for the cruise. Then you go onto this site and fill-out all of the info requested showing your new cruise and the one that you are requesting the reimbursement for (Ecstasy Fog/3 day cruise to Nowhere).

http://www.carnival.com/cms/RequestForms/ReimbursementForm_cc.htm

 

The form will look like this copy:

 

REDEMPTION FORM

 

Booking #: * Type: * --Select-- Individual Group Ship: * Select Ship Carnival Conquest Carnival Destiny Carnival Dream Carnival Ecstasy Carnival Elation Carnival Fantasy Carnival Fascination Carnival Freedom Carnival Glory Carnival Imagination Carnival Inspiration Carnival Legend Carnival Liberty Carnival Magic Carnival Miracle Carnival Paradise Carnival Pride Carnival Sensation Carnival Spirit Carnival Splendor Carnival Triumph Carnival Valor Carnival Victory Holiday Original Sail Date: * (mm/dd/yyyy)

 

Guest 1 First Name*

 

Last Name*

 

Phone*

 

Email

 

 

 

Travel Agency (if applicable)

 

Travel Agency Contact

 

Travel Agency Phone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future Credit

 

 

New Ship:

Select Ship Carnival Conquest Carnival Destiny Carnival Dream Carnival Ecstasy Carnival Elation Carnival Fantasy Carnival Fascination Carnival Freedom Carnival Glory Carnival Imagination Carnival Inspiration Carnival Legend Carnival Liberty Carnival Magic Carnival Miracle Carnival Paradise Carnival Pride Carnival Sensation Carnival Spirit Carnival Splendor Carnival Triumph Carnival Valor Carnival Victory Holiday

New Sail Date :

(mm/dd/yyyy)

New Booking Number:

 

I didnt do any of that...I called my PVP @ Carnival and she took care of the rest and the discount showed up on my booking a couple days later. NO muss NO fuss. She had everything I needed, I didnt even have to tell her my booking number, she already had it up.

[JimInBuffalo]

Just wanted to add that Carnival was very good about posting the refunds to my credit card account. They refunded 50% of the first cruise 2/19/11 and 25% of the second leg of our back-to-back cruises (2/24/11).

 

I checked with my insurance company, CSA, and asked them the questions that I had about the proof of payment, etc. They responded that they will give me credit for the taxi and the other costs that we encountered while waiting for the 2/21 sailing.

 

However, in adding up the charges that we had for the two days, including meals, hotel, taxis and misc. we also have to consider the refund that Carnival gave us. The insurance company takes that amount into the entire equation. Since the amount of out-of-pocket costs that we had were less than the amount of the refund from Carnival for the delay of the cruise, we cannot see where we will get anything from the insurance.

 

I can see it from the side of the insurance company, however, part of the reason that we did not exceed the cost of the refund is because we were frugal in our spending while we waited for the cruise to start. We missed half of the meals that we would have had because we were waiting at the port or at the convention center anticipating that we would be called to get on the Ecstasy at any time. We also got on my daughter's Ipad and found a reasonably priced hotel 30 miles away and left as soon as we were told by the staff at the port that we would not be boarding on Sat. night.

 

Our take-away from this experience is the following:

 

<>Read the contract very carefully in advance of the trip. It is hard because the contract is very lengthy.

<>Take a copy of the contract with you on your trip. We did this and were able to get some info but since we again expected to board at any time (according to Carnival) we did not think that we would be making a claim.

<>Note the "emergency phone number(s)" for your policy holder. As soon as anything happens that sends up a red flag about your trip with relationship to a claim, call the number and ask questions about what you can claim and what proof of payment is acceptable by your policy holder.

<>Make as many purchases as possible on a credit card for additional proof of purchase (your credit card statement may be required).

<>If the Cruise Ship company issues any letters about the delay of trip or other reason for your claim make sure you obtain the letter and keep it in your file to send to the insurance company with your claim.

<>When you send your claim in, send only copies of your information, keeping the originals.

<>Note the time limits on filing. Our company allows 90 days from the time that the incident occurred to file.

 

I am posting this information in the hope that it will help others in advance of a problem that they could encounter on future trips. We are on our 19th cruise and always purchase insurance but have never had the need to file a claim. I do recommend the insurance since the cost is small compared to the amount of coverage that could be needed in case of a major incident.

-Jim

[MizErin1215]

Just wanted to add that Carnival was very good about posting the refunds to my credit card account. They refunded 50% of the first cruise 2/19/11 and 25% of the second leg of our back-to-back cruises (2/24/11).

 

-Jim

 

 

I was on the 2nd cruise you listed here (2/24) and I have yet to get my refund! I have asked the travel agent I used to book the cruise, I have emailed Carnival and haven't received a response. But you did for sure get your refind from that cruise? How long did it take? I wonder why I haven't gotten mine yet...

[Cardinala]

I called Carnival and was told I did indeed need to fill our the redemption form online after booking another cruise.

 

Did it....but guess what....the "submit" button is just for show.

 

Will have to call Carnival again, and see what the next step is.

[MommaSkin]

I was scheduled on the Ecstasy 2/19 - 2/24. We opted to skip the trip and take a full refund. A few days later, we got our refund...but only a part of it! After 6 phonecalls and hours on the phone, I finally got someone to listen to me when I said I WAS NEVER ON THE BOAT; they had us on a list of people who sailed the shortened cruise! So pick up your phone and start calling if you don't have your refund yet...their records from that time period are abysmal.

[MommaSkin]

I was scheduled on the Ecstasy 2/19 - 2/24. We opted to skip the trip and take a full refund. A few days later, we got our refund...but only a part of it! After 6 phonecalls and hours on the phone, I finally got someone to listen to me when I said I WAS NEVER ON THE BOAT; they had us on a list of people who sailed the shortened cruise! So pick up your phone and start calling if you don't have your refund yet...their records from that time period are abysmal.

[kbmocruiser]

We were also scheduled on the 2/19 fog cruise but opted to cancel. Lucky for us, we were able to book the Triumph out of New Orleans for 2/21 at the last minute (had a GREAT time too). When we got home, we had already received full refund from Carnival for the cruise, pre-paid gratuities and pre-paid shore excursions; credited back to the credit card. I ended up calling the Bon Voyage department to get my refund back on things I had ordered and pre-paid, and that too was refunded within a couple days. However, I am STILL awaiting the $45 per person allowance they gave us for 2/19. I've made numerous phone calls and even sent an e-mail. I've been assured it will be reimbursed before 3/29. We shall see.

As far as the travel insurance, we always use (not sure if I can mention the name but here goes) accessamericadotcom. That Saturday evening (19th), when it became apparent that the ship was not coming in, I called and initiated a claim. When we got home the next week, I called to follow-up. They had already sent the claim form via e-mail, so I copied all receipts of our hotel, meals, etc., faxed them in and we had our money back within a week. Very-very efficient. So ALWAYS get a receipt, no matter what it is, when you travel!

We have already booked a future cruise. My PVP did his homework and applied our 25% off at the time of booking. Again, very-very efficient.

Good luck to those of you still awaiting claims from the fog-cruise!

[Raven Days]

We were also scheduled on the 2/19 fog cruise but opted to cancel. Lucky for us, we were able to book the Triumph out of New Orleans for 2/21 at the last minute (had a GREAT time too). When we got home, we had already received full refund from Carnival for the cruise, pre-paid gratuities and pre-paid shore excursions; credited back to the credit card. I ended up calling the Bon Voyage department to get my refund back on things I had ordered and pre-paid, and that too was refunded within a couple days. However, I am STILL awaiting the $45 per person allowance they gave us for 2/19. I've made numerous phone calls and even sent an e-mail. I've been assured it will be reimbursed before 3/29. We shall see.

As far as the travel insurance, we always use (not sure if I can mention the name but here goes) accessamericadotcom. That Saturday evening (19th), when it became apparent that the ship was not coming in, I called and initiated a claim. When we got home the next week, I called to follow-up. They had already sent the claim form via e-mail, so I copied all receipts of our hotel, meals, etc., faxed them in and we had our money back within a week. Very-very efficient. So ALWAYS get a receipt, no matter what it is, when you travel!

We have already booked a future cruise. My PVP did his homework and applied our 25% off at the time of booking. Again, very-very efficient.

Good luck to those of you still awaiting claims from the fog-cruise!

 

I might be wrong, but I think you will not be getting that. That was to be issued as OBC. Since you opted to not sail, then you would not be getting the credit. I know thats the convo's I overheard that next morning (Monday) as folks were leaving the ship (those who opt'd to spend the night and then leave Monday morning).

[JimInBuffalo]

We were also scheduled on the 2/19 fog cruise but opted to cancel. Lucky for us, we were able to book the Triumph out of New Orleans for 2/21 at the last minute (had a GREAT time too). When we got home, we had already received full refund from Carnival for the cruise, pre-paid gratuities and pre-paid shore excursions; credited back to the credit card. I ended up calling the Bon Voyage department to get my refund back on things I had ordered and pre-paid, and that too was refunded within a couple days. However, I am STILL awaiting the $45 per person allowance they gave us for 2/19. I've made numerous phone calls and even sent an e-mail. I've been assured it will be reimbursed before 3/29. We shall see.

As far as the travel insurance, we always use (not sure if I can mention the name but here goes) accessamericadotcom. That Saturday evening (19th), when it became apparent that the ship was not coming in, I called and initiated a claim. When we got home the next week, I called to follow-up. They had already sent the claim form via e-mail, so I copied all receipts of our hotel, meals, etc., faxed them in and we had our money back within a week. Very-very efficient. So ALWAYS get a receipt, no matter what it is, when you travel!

We have already booked a future cruise. My PVP did his homework and applied our 25% off at the time of booking. Again, very-very efficient.

Good luck to those of you still awaiting claims from the fog-cruise!

 

KBMOMCRUISER: I read your message above with great interest. I used a different company for my insurance and as I noted in my original posts, I don't see where I will get a refund from them since their analysis of the claim includes:

<> The amount that we spent

<> The amount that we were refunded by Carnival, including the $45 for food and the 50% off the price of the cruise.

 

When we do the math, evne though we spent several hundred dollars, we didn't spend as much as we got in the refund.

 

My question to you: did your insurance company ask for and include the refund when computing your insurance claim?

 

Thanks for all the comments on this thread.

 

 

-Jim