Advice RE: Needing to cancel Last minute

[maren91]

Had an epic Thanksgiving weekend fail falling while skiing and breaking my leg which will require surgery next week. Scheduled to leave on Beyond on December 26th and don't think there's any chance I'll be well enough to go. Cruise has been paid in full (booked through TA). I do have an annual travel insurance policy. I'm wondering how Celebrity typically handles last minute cancellations? I did read the website but wondering if there's any way around this. Will I be out all the money and then have to file a claim? I'm so upset over all of this, any advice based on previous experiences would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. 

[cw2go]

5 minutes ago, maren91 said:

Had an epic Thanksgiving weekend fail falling while skiing and breaking my leg which will require surgery next week. Scheduled to leave on Beyond on December 26th and don't think there's any chance I'll be well enough to go. Cruise has been paid in full (booked through TA). I do have an annual travel insurance policy. I'm wondering how Celebrity typically handles last minute cancellations? I did read the website but wondering if there's any way around this. Will I be out all the money and then have to file a claim? I'm so upset over all of this, any advice based on previous experiences would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. 

Sounds awful! Wish you a speedy recovery but to answer you question, you'll need to contact your TA 

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

I'd call you travel insurance company and explain the situation.  They'll tell you what they need in order to process the claim.  That way you can request that from Celebrity (through your TA) when you call them to cancel.  Much easier doing it this way.

 

I'm sorry this has happened to you and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Edited December 5, 2022 by NorthStarStateCruiser

[Babr]

It depends on whether your annual policy has cancellation coverage. Some do not.

 

You need to notify both your insurance company and Celebrity. Taxes, port fees, and other prepaid expenses will be refunded.You’ll have to file with your insurance company and provide the necessary supporting documentation to be reimbursed the rest, assuming your policy indeed covers cancellation.

[ECCruise]

6 minutes ago, Babr said:

It depends on whether your annual policy has cancellation coverage. Some do not.

 

You need to notify both your insurance company and Celebrity. Taxes, port fees, and other prepaid expenses will be refunded.You’ll have to file with your insurance company and provide the necessary supporting documentation to be reimbursed the rest, assuming your policy indeed covers cancellation.

Good advice.

Our annual policy has a wide range of coverages.  Unfortunately, cancellation is not one of them.  Our Credit Card policy, however, does have such coverage, up to $10,000.  

So the OP should explore all potential avenues.

[Babr]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Good advice.

Our annual policy has a wide range of coverages.  Unfortunately, cancellation is not one of them.  Our Credit Card policy, however, does have such coverage, up to $10,000.  

So the OP should explore all potential avenues.

Most of the fee based cards offer some travel benefits with the premium cards having the most generous coverage. Since a broken leg is not likely to be a pre-existing condition depending on the timing of booking the cruise, it should be covered.

[Northern Aurora]

We cancelled a cruise in 2017 when my mother was seriously ill.  I also suggest calling the insurance company and your TA.  It was a real pain as we had to cancel four days (so after making final payment) before flying to Buenos  Aires.  Getting the paperwork from one of her physicians was a real pain.

 

About two years later we again had to cancel after making final payment, and transferred the funds to future cruise.  That was a much easier process.

[TeaBag]

We had to cancel a B2B 28 day cruise a month before sailing.  We had insurance through the cruise and we got back every penny.

[Lastdance]

Have your TA contact Celebrity to see what your options are going forward before you do anything, as there are options...

Edited December 6, 2022 by Lastdance

[OUBaylor1]

I have had to cancel at the last minute four times due to medical reasons.  The latest cancellation was a week before departing 4 December 2022 on Beyond.  I think that your first step is to read your travel insurance policy to see what coverage is provided.  When I cancelled a week before the 4 December Beyond cruise, my travel agent did not give me an option of getting a future cruise credit.  So I do not know if this is still an option.  As stated previously, you should request your travel agent to contact Celebrity for all available options.  As to my personal experience, I always purchase my cruise AND travel insurance through my travel agent.  I first contact my travel agent who takes care of cancelling the cruise with Celebrity.  I have never had to contact Celebrity for any reason.  I then call the travel insurance company and notify them that I had to cancel.  Because of emergency medical reasons, I have always been past "final payment."  In my experience, Celebrity only refunds port fees and taxes because I am in the penalty phase.  I have always received full reimbursement for cruise fare from the travel insurance company.  So, I think your reimbursement depends on your travel insurance plan.  

[D. B.]

I just had to cancel the first of a B2B because of my finances being hacked.

 Not covered by my Travel Insurance but I Did get back all my taxes and fees and shore excursion money  from Celebrity. They kept everything else including my MoveUp costs.

    They did give me an Onboard Credit for our next booking (we have 8)  for $250 Per Guest.

 Only Cancel For Any Reason insurance would have covered the loss.

 

I hope you get a satisfactory resolution for your problem.

[maren91]

I just wanted to thank all of you for the kind advice, working with my TA who is working with celebrity. Such a bummer. Lesson learned, when your friends tell you to go on the black diamond run and you know in your heart it's a bad idea.... don't go.

[LB_NJ]

You will probably need to have a physician say you can't travel due to medical reasons.

[maren91]

Hi All, I just wanted to do a follow-up on this thread so it's saved for anyone that searches for this in the future. Through my TA I submitted a physicians note stating I was unable to travel and included the diagnosis showing I was temporarily disabled along with a nice note, and today was told they would be issuing me a full refund. I am so thankful for the goodwill gesture and while I'm bummed I'm missing out, I look forward to cruising Celebrity again once I'm back on my feet. Happy holidays all and thank you to everyone for the well wishes. 

[FlorenceItaly]

@maren91 - I am so glad it worked out in your favor.  Thank you so much for coming back and updating us as it is helpful to others.  Best wishes to you!