Documents lost in a Fire

[FamilyDoc]

My friends that are supposed to be cruising with us 1/15/2006 on the Conquest were victims of a wildfire tonight and lost everything. Passports, birth certificates (clothes, home, toys, tools, etc...) were all burned. Luckily they and their 2 little girls survived.

 

If they have to cancel due to finances or due to lack of papers does anyone think Carnival might cut them some slack and not penalize them?

 

Needless to say they are devastated and a cruise is the last thing on their mind but by then they would surely need the break. I'm hoping they can make it. Any thoughts??

[brn2crz]

Hopefully they have cruise insurance.

This past October,we had to Evacuate due to Hurricane Rita,one week before our Mariner sailing.Since our home became un-inhabitable,we were eligible for a full refund.And that contuniued as long as the house was considered "unihabitable"

If they still want to go...Documents can be replaced.BC's relatively soon...Don't remember if you said when you were sailing...

 

Oh...And really sorry to hear about your friends loss...I heard of other wildfires today... :(

[MrPete]

I assume they have no cruise insurance, so, maybe yes, maybe no. They may even just offer them cruise credit. At least, have them try it...NOW.

 

If they won't, they have time to replace the docs needed to sail.

[finoky]

I booked a cruise once for a friend of mine as a honeymoon cruise. The engagement ended up being called off so of course the cruise was no longer needed. We were well within the penalty period and Carnival ended up giving him a credit towards a future cruise. All you can do is ask.

[sgriff17]

let us know what you find out! good luck

[GoinCruisin]

Oh how sad :( It is a blessing that they are all safe and unharmed, but I am sure emotionally it is very tough for them. Insurance is generally quick to pay so they can start restoring their lives to normal... I had a small house fire 3 years ago, and was surprised at how quick everything happened. Now, re: the cruise... they can expedite their request for passports, have them contact the agency and see what they need to do. Since they don't have the originals, they will likely need to buy new ones... depending on where they live, they should be able to get DL's fairly quickly (did they keep BC's or anything in a safe deposit box??).. so they will first need to get ID's of some sort... they can get BC's from the dept of vital stats, if they live in the state they were born in, it is easy... BC's and DLs will be all they need, so have them try that route perhaps instead of the passport, since they will need that to get a passport. They should have plenty of time to get what they need. Good luck to them.

[BlueHerons]

The State Department will probably expedite replacement passports to them for little to no charge. I would contact your local congressman and explain the situation for him. It is amazing the amount of red tape your congressman can cut through.

[SLL]

So sorry about their loss. We feel for you all. Forsure call Carnival and explain the situation to them, also talk to a senior supervisor there.

I hope they bought cruise insurance.

We are scheduled for a cruise in January. My dad went into the hospital October 19, well we figured he would be up and out in a few days. I made our final payment on October 18! We did not buy cruise insurance, didn't have the money. Well my dad is still in the hospital in ICU and has a 30% chance of surviving. Then he will need extensive care for weeks if not months. I've called Carnival several times and always get the same anwswer. If we cancel our cruise, it will cost us $500 plus we will lose our on board credits for that cruise. If we had bought the insurance, we would be canceling but we didn't so we are going to stick it out and pray for the best. Besides we really need a vacation after all this.

 

I hope everything works out ok for you all. Surely they can get docs it time.

[sweetmommieof4]

So sorry to hear what happened. Have them call Carnival asap! Where at in Oklahoma do they live? We live north of Tulsa and we had really bad wildfires up here. We had everything important packed in the car. We were keeping our house watered most of the night. The fire was finally put out about 1/4 mile from our house. Hugs to your friends!

[imsulin2]

So sorry about their loss. We feel for you all. Forsure call Carnival and explain the situation to them, also talk to a senior supervisor there.

I hope they bought cruise insurance.

We are scheduled for a cruise in January. My dad went into the hospital October 19, well we figured he would be up and out in a few days. I made our final payment on October 18! We did not buy cruise insurance, didn't have the money. Well my dad is still in the hospital in ICU and has a 30% chance of surviving. Then he will need extensive care for weeks if not months. I've called Carnival several times and always get the same anwswer. If we cancel our cruise, it will cost us $500 plus we will lose our on board credits for that cruise. If we had bought the insurance, we would be canceling but we didn't so we are going to stick it out and pray for the best. Besides we really need a vacation after all this.

 

SLL - it must be very difficult for you with your dad's situation! I sincerely hope he gets better each day, and that you are able to go on your cruise! I'm also very glad that the OP's friends survived a devastating fire (heard aboit those fires in the news!) Yes, both situations could be a good argument to purchase trip insurance, and I'm afraid that the information Carnival gave to SLL is pretty correct as far as losing moeny through time penalties. However, it can't hurt for the OP's friends to call your TA or Carnival (whoever you booked through). I don't know if this will do any good or not, but when I first started working as a TA, a co-worker's client's house had been destroyed by a tornado...they were also under a cruise penalty. She advised them to contact their Homeowner's Insurance Co. to see if the price of their cruise could also be submitted as a claim, since their documents, ID, etc. were destroyed. Sorry, but I don't know how their situation turned out. If you booked through a TA, that person may be able to go to bat for you, and at least get you a future cruise credit. Anyway, the best of luck to both of you!!

 

 

P.S. - you don't need the actual cruise documents to board...you can get them on the ship and fill out the forms, as long as you notify Carnival in advance. You do need Proof of Citizenship, though.

[FamilyDoc]

Thanks all for the support. :) I've put in a call to our TA and will see what they say. She did not have cruise insurance but does have home insurance (I will suggest she check with her home insurer just in case they cover it--thanks for the suggestion.)

We are about 35 miles south of Tulsa in the Okmulgee/Schulter area. We are planning on driving to Galveston so at least no airline tickets to lose. I'll be sure to let you all know how it turns out. Prayers are gratefully accepted.:rolleyes: Maybe someone higher up will help.

[imsulin2]

FamilyDoc - the very best of luck to you and your friends! Please let us know how everything turns out.

 

P.S. I really hate to mention this, but being a Colorado Buffalo, and having to listen to "Boomer Sooner" for too many years, i'll try to pray for you:) !!