Will HAL Flight Ease Rebook our flights if we have to COVID quarantine on land after we disembark the cruise?

[terrydtx]

We are on the Oosterdam Rt from Venice in August and disembark on Sept 4th and fly home on the morning of September 5th. The flights are business class booked with Flight Ease. We plan on doing the proctored tests on the morning of Sept 4th before we get off the ship so that we can fly home to the US the next day. If anyone of us are positive and have to quarantine in Venice for 5 or more days. will HAL FE take responsibility to rebook us home and will we have to pay for any additional charges? I am trying to set up a contingency plan just in case. I also hope that by September we will no longer need a negative test to fly home.  There are 4 in our group and we are all vaccinated and boosted to meet the Up to Date vaccination requirements of Italy. I am looking for any responses from current or very recent cruise passengers who had this happen to them.

 

Thank you,

Edited May 17, 2022 by terrydtx

[opa&oma]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We are on the Oosterdam Rt from Venice in August and disembark on Sept 4th and fly home on the morning of September 5th. The flights are business class booked with Flight Ease. We plan on doing the proctored tests on the morning of Sept 4th before we get off the ship so that we can fly home to the US the next day. If anyone of us are positive and have to quarantine in Venice for 5 or more days. will HAL FE take responsibility to rebook us home and will we have to pay for any additional charges? I am trying to set up a contingency plan just in case. I also hope that by September we will no longer need a negative test to fly home.  There are 4 in our group and we are all vaccinated and boosted to meet the Up to Date vaccination requirements of Italy. I am looking for any responses from current or very recent cruise passengers who had this happen to them.

 

Thank you,

We have been wondering the same thing.  Hope you receive an answer.

[12cruise2]

I realize you're requesting personal experience, but have you tried calling 1-800-628-4771, the number that the HA web site gives for Flight Ease, to ask them?  I looked for a policy in writing on the HA web site, but didn't notice anything mentioning what you're asking--and ask for it in writing, I say, if someone tells you a policy.

I'm sure others would be interested to know as well.

Edited May 17, 2022 by 12cruise2

[Sea42]

How have they handled it if you miss your flight for any other reason?

Edited May 17, 2022 by Sea42

[TiogaCruiser]

Maybe sending an email to Guest Services will get the question forwarded to the right department and response in writing.

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, 12cruise2 said:

I realize you're requesting personal experience, but have you tried calling 1-800-628-4771, the number that the HA web site gives for Flight Ease, to ask them?  I looked for a policy in writing on the HA web site, but didn't notice anything mentioning what you're asking--and ask for it in writing, I say, if someone tells you a policy.

I'm sure others would be interested to know as well.

Yes I first called FE and after waiting on hold for almost an hour I was told that they were too busy dealing with more current flight changes and couldn't address my question until we were within 45 days of departure. Totally useless call so I tried here. I also had my TA contact HAL and she got nowhere as well. 

[ebeluga]

From what I remembered reading the forum, in the early days when they needed people to get on the ship and sail so most cruiselines' air travel dept assisted with the flight change in the testing (+) disembarkation situations.  Lately the trend has been that cruise lines are narrowing their assistance in every each way, so no telling by August what would be their practice in reality!

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

Yes I first called FE and after waiting on hold for almost an hour I was told that they were too busy dealing with more current flight changes and couldn't address my question until we were within 45 days of departure. Totally useless call so I tried here. I also had my TA contact HAL and she got nowhere as well. 

Not surprising.  Phoning hal will almost always net you incorrect information.

[terrydtx]

My TA got back with me and she could not get a definitive answer from HAL either. She got the same we can't answer until we get closer to our cruise in August. However the travel insurance we have through her parent company will cover us 100% for any post cruise quarantine costs including rebooked air expenses. Even if HAL FE does not cover us, I do have peace of mind knowing that our travel insurance will cover us.

[Mary229]

A word of advice.  We took the test yesterday and I was negative and DH positive.  Our tour guide recommended a superior testing service - cleaner, more efficient and truly professional.  DH’s second test was negative.  Do not rely on a single test, it could be wrong 

[RGEDad]

On 5/17/2022 at 8:49 AM, terrydtx said:

We are on the Oosterdam Rt from Venice in August and disembark on Sept 4th and fly home on the morning of September 5th. The flights are business class booked with Flight Ease. We plan on doing the proctored tests on the morning of Sept 4th before we get off the ship so that we can fly home to the US the next day.

HAL had an interesting approach to COVID disembarkation testing on a recent cruise that ended in Rome. HAL distributed COVID Antigen test kits to all the day before disembarking (or maybe to just those disembarking in Rome and flying) with instructions to do the test by ourselves, by 5 PM that day, and call them if it was positive. By 8 PM we had a letter in our door mail that certified we had tested negative.

However, the airline required the test completed within 24 of travel so the testing (such as it was) the day before disembarkation was not valid for travel the day after disembarkation. 

Since we were overnighting at the airport before our 10 AM flight, and the test had to be done within 24 hours, we could not use that HAL test record. We actually had eMed monitored test kits with us and we used those from the hotel room, without issue. 

I had also figured out where the airport testing facility was - just as a back-up plan in case the eMed process did not work-out. Gots to have back-up plans.

As an aside - not connected to HAL in any way , We were flying AA, and they required Verifly be completed before checking in. Each document was actually reviewed by to Verifly which I thought was interesting (we got two notices to re-submit for better images). Then when we got to the airport to actually check our luggage, AA wanted to check all the documents again, in person. Glad I had photos still on my phone as I did not have internet access in Italy/airport. I assume AA used Verifly to reduce the potential issue at the airport for travel documentation not meeting standards/timeframe requirement.

Edited May 19, 2022 by RGEDad

[Babr]

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/worry-free-promise/COVID-19-protection-program.html

 

Check this. Look under Shoreside Services. It says they will pay change fees, but there is no indication that Flight Ease will automatically do it for you.