OCEANIA HELL: A reason to use another cruise line.

[Bongomauka]

This is both a last ditch call for help/suggestions as well as a warning for those considering cruising with Oceania and its parent company NCL.  My partner was medevaced off the Oceania Marina in April 2023. We have trip insurance as well as medical insurance so we should be covered and, no doubt other cruisers with the same insurance coverage would also mistakenly feel assured that they are safe. However, after 9 months of trying to close our claim, I can tell you that is not the case. The weak link here for these last few months has been Oceania/NCL.  We have been in contact with the following parties to try to resolve our claim:

 

1. The Claims Center which is a third party company that handles NCL’s insurance claims
2. NCL’s Promissory Note Department
3. Executive Desk at NCL
4. Kaiser Claims Department
5. Kaiser Grievance Department 
6. Kaiser Ombudsman
7. Relation Insurance Company, which Kaiser uses to handle third party ambulance claims
8. Portuguese Embassy
9. Several banks regarding wire transfers to Portugal
10. Portuguese Port Authority
11. Portuguese Air Force
12. NCL guest services
13. NCL Holding’s director of financial services

 

We have been in contact with at least one of the above parties virtually every business day since the April cruise. We have been in contact most recently with Oceania Guest Services and we still have not found any resolution.  We only have a few months left to resolve this claim. We finally received assurances from Kaiser in November that they will pay either the Portuguese Air Force or NCL and only need proof of either payment or non-payment from NCL to the Portuguese Air Force. Our claim will then be closed. NCL has been unable or unwilling to either produce the needed document of payment or the statement of non payment for 2 and a half months.  They have,  instead, notified us that they were searching for their receipt from the local port  authority who they claim they paid.  We’ve met and stayed in contact with the port agent who has assured us that they never handle such payments and leave it up to the cruise line and Air Force to settle their billing. Then Oceania emailed me indicating they paid not the local port agent but instead now claim to have paid the “Port Operations Manager for Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal for Intercruises Shoreside and Port Services who had been contact with the Portuguese Air force administrative personnel.” We feel like we are in a frustrating endless loop of misinformation, miscommunication, and misdirection. 

I can’t imagine that anyone who experienced the horror of being airlifted off a cruise ship would then have to turn around and face the almost yearlong frustration and stress of dealing first with medical insurance companies and then Oceania/NCL’s total mishandling of our case. What should be a relatively simple procedure has become an almost year long visit to hell. I have no idea how more senior cruisers would be able to literally survive an ordeal like this. All we need now is for Oceania/NCL to step up and provide necessary documentation so we can wake up from this nightmare. 

And to think, after cruising with a number of other cruise lines, we thought we had found our forever cruise line. We feel guilty as we actually recommended this company to our friends and relatives. 

Has anyone else had a similar experience with Oceania, Regent, or NCL? We’d like to know how you were able get resolution. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Sorry to hear about your grief.

But your post raises a bunch of questions.

Are you saying that the Portuguese Air Force performed a “field rescue” of your partner from the deck of an Oceania ship? And where did the helicopter take your partner? 

 

Were YOU sent a bill directly by the Portuguese Air Force for the “field rescue” to the land facility that provided first emergency treatment and/or were you billed by that Air Force for “medical evacuation” from the land site of emergency treatment to a hospital for inpatient treatment/care?

 

If YOU made any payment of that nature, that bill and your payment proof should satisfy the insurance company (along with the various medical documentation you have demonstrating the MD(s) diagnosis and orders for field rescue and/or medical evacuation.

 

However, it sounds like you’re saying that Oceania Cruises or it’s NCLH consortium or a specific Portugese Port Authority or Oceania’s Port Agent may have been billed by the Portugese Air Force and cannot produce possibly the bill and definitely not any proof that the paid it. If this is true, are you then saying that one of those non-Air Force entities has  now billed YOU for reimbursement?
 

If that’s the case, any entity(s) claiming that they paid anyone should be able to demonstrate with documentation that 
A) it/they were billed AND

B) it/they paid it/them AND

C) it/they have provided you with copies of A and B AND 

D) it/they are billing you for reimbursement.

 

As for your insurance company, it makes sense that they want proof of necessary treatment incl. emergency transport of any particular type AND proof of billing and payment. AND, likewise so should you.

 

I want to ask if you have talked with your insurer about this - particularly if the none of the entities above can demonstrate that they were billed by and/or paid the Air Force.

 

And, yes, I understand that you may be under the gun with time allowance to make a claim. But, do you even have a basis for a field  rescue reimbursement claim if it wasn’t you who paid or you who was billed by the Air Force? 
 

So we’re back to many unanswered questions related to your post. And I’ll add one suggestion/question. Have you spoken with your insurer and/or insurance broker regarding what can be done to direct whoever may want payment from you (now or in the future) directly to your insurer? (Just like what would happen with an auto insurance claim). I’m no attorney. But I’m guessing that the insurer’s or your own attorney could inform whoever from the above group that bill and payment proof is required before XX/XX/XXXX date to be considered and decided.

[babysteps]

Have not (yet) had a similar experience. Agree with advice to involve your insurance agent.

 

Have you contacted any travel-related advocacy group? Elliott Advocacy or Consumer Rescue are the first 2 that come to my mind. 

 

Hope you get this resolved - keep us posted! 

[ORV]

I have no personal experience with this and hope not to, but from things I've read on Cruise Critic I was under the impression that evacuation from a ship was generally a (free?)service of the respective countries Coast Guard or whatever they call them in each country. Is this not always correct? 

 

Sorry for the nightmare you're going through. Was this trip insurance you bought through Oceania?

Edited January 12 by ORV

[Psoque]

I am not reinforcing or refuting what is being said here, but it is somewhat tricky to work with travel insurance and and typically, their third party claims companies (since they essentially are being paid by the insurance company to deny as much claims as possible).

 

We recently had our claims approved by a travel insurance company (their claims processing company, really), but I had to call them three times to remind them of the actual policy details.  The claims processing company (their employees, namely) are apparently instructed to do everything (including mis-reading of the actual policy) to deny any payout.  I had to e-mail the insurance company to send me a reply in writing that our policy provides primary medical coverage, and I had to send that information back to the same company to remind them that their policy covers our claim.  I had to do this three times.

 

We have received our check about a week ago.

[Flatbush Flyer]

39 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I am not reinforcing or refuting what is being said here, but it is somewhat tricky to work with travel insurance and and typically, their third party claims companies (since they essentially are being paid by the insurance company to deny as much claims as possible).

 

We recently had our claims approved by a travel insurance company (their claims processing company, really), but I had to call them three times to remind them of the actual policy details.  The claims processing company (their employees, namely) are apparently instructed to do everything (including mis-reading of the actual policy) to deny any payout.  I had to e-mail the insurance company to send me a reply in writing that our policy provides primary medical coverage, and I had to send that information back to the same company to remind them that their policy covers our claim.  I had to do this three times.

 

We have received our check about a week ago.

When people get the run around with anything related to travel, among the the first folks to contact in your research is elliott.org

[mnocket]

10 hours ago, Bongomauka said:

They have,  instead, notified us that they were searching for their receipt from the local port  authority who they claim they paid.

A bit confusing to me.  If O made the payment did they then invoice you to reimburse them?

[Psoque]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

When people get the run around with anything related to travel, among the the first folks to contact in your research is elliott.org

Thanks.  I have used them before for something more purely travel related.  I have a plenty of experience dealing with health insurance companies and their dirty tricks.  I knew all of it, took advantage of my knowledge of it, and forced them to do their job on time while hanging them totally dry.  It was rather satisfying.

[clo]

7 hours ago, Psoque said:

I am not reinforcing or refuting what is being said here, but it is somewhat tricky to work with travel insurance and and typically, their third party claims companies (since they essentially are being paid by the insurance company to deny as much claims as possible).

 

We recently had our claims approved by a travel insurance company (their claims processing company, really), but I had to call them three times to remind them of the actual policy details.  The claims processing company (their employees, namely) are apparently instructed to do everything (including mis-reading of the actual policy) to deny any payout.  I had to e-mail the insurance company to send me a reply in writing that our policy provides primary medical coverage, and I had to send that information back to the same company to remind them that their policy covers our claim.  I had to do this three times.

 

We have received our check about a week ago.

Thanks so much for taking the time and energy to write this. We only recently bought trip insurance for the first time. Obviously there are lots and lots of choices and I know nothing about any of them. But I DO know that our main carrier for 60 years is USAA (is it okay that that write that?). And, sure, I know that they aren't  THE carrier for this. But what I believe is that they would never do business with any company that wasn't up to their standards. (His choice of USAA was because of his military service 60 years ago.)

[clo]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

When people get the run around with anything related to travel, among the the first folks to contact in your research is elliott.org

Can you expand upon that please?

[Psoque]

51 minutes ago, clo said:

Thanks so much for taking the time and energy to write this. We only recently bought trip insurance for the first time. Obviously there are lots and lots of choices and I know nothing about any of them. But I DO know that our main carrier for 60 years is USAA (is it okay that that write that?). And, sure, I know that they aren't  THE carrier for this. But what I believe is that they would never do business with any company that wasn't up to their standards. (His choice of USAA was because of his military service 60 years ago.)

I just looked up the travel insurance product sold by USAA.  It is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, NOT USAA.  So, I'm happy you and your husband is happy with USAA for your banking services, but when you take out this plan, you are not dealing with USAA anymore.  And United States Fires Insurance Company is a subsidiary of a giant profit-driven financial services company.  I have no experience with them, but I would be surprised if their claims processor is any different from their competition.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Can you expand upon that please?

Chris Elliott - world renown syndicated Travel Columnist who also runs a non-profit consumer advocacy group. One of its services is to provide direct contact info for top execs of various companies if they find your situation warrants it.

[clo]

43 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I just looked up the travel insurance product sold by USAA.  It is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, NOT USAA.  So, I'm happy you and your husband is happy with USAA for your banking services, but when you take out this plan, you are not dealing with USAA anymore.  And United States Fires Insurance Company is a subsidiary of a giant profit-driven financial services company.  I have no experience with them, but I would be surprised if their claims processor is any different from their competition.

Oh, I believe nowadays anyone can use their banking services. We have a small account that we use when traveling. Any ATM fees are reimbursed up to a certain amount every month. We've used that for maybe ten year (after our daughter told us!). But for sixty years we've used their insurance company for everything we've ever insured. Houses, cars, you name it. Only available to military, former military, wives and children are eligible. I won't bore you with details but when we've had a claim we've never even seen an adjuster. 

[Bongomauka]

19 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sorry to hear about your grief.

But your post raises a bunch of questions.

Are you saying that the Portuguese Air Force performed a “field rescue” of your partner from the deck of an Oceania ship? And where did the helicopter take your partner? 

 

Were YOU sent a bill directly by the Portuguese Air Force for the “field rescue” to the land facility that provided first emergency treatment and/or were you billed by that Air Force for “medical evacuation” from the land site of emergency treatment to a hospital for inpatient treatment/care?

 

If YOU made any payment of that nature, that bill and your payment proof should satisfy the insurance company (along with the various medical documentation you have demonstrating the MD(s) diagnosis and orders for field rescue and/or medical evacuation.

 

However, it sounds like you’re saying that Oceania Cruises or it’s NCLH consortium or a specific Portugese Port Authority or Oceania’s Port Agent may have been billed by the Portugese Air Force and cannot produce possibly the bill and definitely not any proof that the paid it. If this is true, are you then saying that one of those non-Air Force entities has  now billed YOU for reimbursement?
 

If that’s the case, any entity(s) claiming that they paid anyone should be able to demonstrate with documentation that 
A) it/they were billed AND

B) it/they paid it/them AND

C) it/they have provided you with copies of A and B AND 

D) it/they are billing you for reimbursement.

 

As for your insurance company, it makes sense that they want proof of necessary treatment incl. emergency transport of any particular type AND proof of billing and payment. AND, likewise so should you.

 

I want to ask if you have talked with your insurer about this - particularly if the none of the entities above can demonstrate that they were billed by and/or paid the Air Force.

 

And, yes, I understand that you may be under the gun with time allowance to make a claim. But, do you even have a basis for a field  rescue reimbursement claim if it wasn’t you who paid or you who was billed by the Air Force? 
 

So we’re back to many unanswered questions related to your post. And I’ll add one suggestion/question. Have you spoken with your insurer and/or insurance broker regarding what can be done to direct whoever may want payment from you (now or in the future) directly to your insurer? (Just like what would happen with an auto insurance claim). I’m no attorney. But I’m guessing that the insurer’s or your own attorney could inform whoever from the above group that bill and payment proof is required before XX/XX/XXXX date to be considered and decided.

Thank you for your response and we appreciate your sympathy. I will attempt to answer your questions:

My partner was medivaced off the Marina in April by Portuguese Air Force helicopter to Ponta Delgada in the Portugese Azores to a hospital there.

We received a copy of the invoice from NCL for which we are ultimately responsible financially

We were told by the third party insurance processors for NCL (The Claims Center) and the third party insurance processor for Kaiser (our primary health insurance carrier) (Relation Insurance Company) that we were not to pay until they because in the event that we did, NCL would not provide documentation that we did pay.

You are correct. NCL was billed directly and they have not produced any documentation that the bill was paid to the Portuguese Air Force, which is exactly what our health insurance (Kaiser's third party processor) has requested. We have not been directly billed but the fear is the billing will come after our one year window in which to file a claim for both our primary health insurance AND our trip insurance company AND our credit card company (which also has insurance for such situations).

Totally agree that if NCL was billed, and if NCL paid, they must provide copies of both the bill and the proof of payment. The issue is by the time they send us a bill for reimbursement, we will have passed our one year window to make a claim to our various insurance carriers and therefore will not be reimbursed.

We have indeed talked to all parties and our primary health care provider's third party representative has told us that all we need is NCL to document payment or declare that it was not paid. NCL has not been forthcoming on documentation on either of these.

We have in our possession a bill from Portuguese Air Force identifying us as the recipients of the service and ultimately responsible for the bill.

We have contacted all the insurance companies involved as referenced in the original post and finally have come to the point that NCL can resolve this issue. They have been consistently misleading and not forthcoming regarding how they have handled this process. They have demonstrated a total lack of cooperation and initiative and our previously positive experience with Oceania has been poisoned.

 

[Bongomauka]

14 hours ago, babysteps said:

Have not (yet) had a similar experience. Agree with advice to involve your insurance agent.

 

Have you contacted any travel-related advocacy group? Elliott Advocacy or Consumer Rescue are the first 2 that come to my mind. 

 

Hope you get this resolved - keep us posted! 

Thank you for your support, I pray that you are spared the stress, trials and sleepless nights we've had to endure during this process. The importance of choosing the right cruise line seems to be the key.

[Bongomauka]

13 hours ago, ORV said:

I have no personal experience with this and hope not to, but from things I've read on Cruise Critic I was under the impression that evacuation from a ship was generally a (free?)service of the respective countries Coast Guard or whatever they call them in each country. Is this not always correct? 

 

Sorry for the nightmare you're going through. Was this trip insurance you bought through Oceania?

If only that were true. Perhaps Oceania gave you that impression but please be disabused of that fallacy. May our trip through hell be a warning to you and you choose your cruise company wisely.

[Bongomauka]

12 hours ago, Psoque said:

I am not reinforcing or refuting what is being said here, but it is somewhat tricky to work with travel insurance and and typically, their third party claims companies (since they essentially are being paid by the insurance company to deny as much claims as possible).

 

We recently had our claims approved by a travel insurance company (their claims processing company, really), but I had to call them three times to remind them of the actual policy details.  The claims processing company (their employees, namely) are apparently instructed to do everything (including mis-reading of the actual policy) to deny any payout.  I had to e-mail the insurance company to send me a reply in writing that our policy provides primary medical coverage, and I had to send that information back to the same company to remind them that their policy covers our claim.  I had to do this three times.

 

We have received our check about a week ago.

Firstly, so sorry you also had bad experiences with travel insurance in ode to get your due compensation.  In our case, the hard part to believe is that it is the cruise line NOT the insurance company that has been the roadblock.  Our insurance company  is willing to pay, it's  the Oceania that had been unwilling or unable to produce the documentation necessary to close our claim.

[GeezerCouple]

7 minutes ago, Bongomauka said:

If only that were true. Perhaps Oceania gave you that impression but please be disabused of that fallacy. May our trip through hell be a warning to you and you choose your cruise company wisely.

Who *is* your insurance from, the actual insurer?

 

And from what you are reporting, especially with the time limit looming, I'd strongly suggest that you contact your state Insurance Commissioner's Office.  Insurance is regulated by the states.

And even if your insurer doesn't yet have all the info they need (??), they should know how to handle this type of claim.  So let the state Office help them, too.  They may well know how to handle a snafu like this.  [I hope so!]

 

I'm glad it was possible to do the medevac.

(One thing that has worried us as we get older is... how long will the "longest time to serious medical" going to be for any trup.)

 

GC

[Bongomauka]

15 hours ago, babysteps said:

Have not (yet) had a similar experience. Agree with advice to involve your insurance agent.

 

Have you contacted any travel-related advocacy group? Elliott Advocacy or Consumer Rescue are the first 2 that come to my mind. 

 

Hope you get this resolved - keep us posted! 

 

11 hours ago, mnocket said:

A bit confusing to me.  If O made the payment did they then invoice you to reimburse them?

No, in fact they have not invoiced us directly. The problem is that when they do (which they undoubtedly will) they will need to do so in less than 2 months, the window left for us to make a claim to any of our insurance carriers. So far they CLAIM to have made the payment but have yet to produce any proof.  Their stalling, redirection, and outright lies have dragged the process out so that we have precious little time to use the insurance coverage we have already bought and paid for.  In fact, our insurance company has agreed to pay Oceania directly if they would only produce proof of payment to the Portuguese Air Force, which O has been either unwilling or unable to do.  

[Bongomauka]

15 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

Who *is* your insurance from, the actual insurer?

 

And from what you are reporting, especially with the time limit looming, I'd strongly suggest that you contact your state Insurance Commissioner's Office.  Insurance is regulated by the states.

And even if your insurer doesn't yet have all the info they need (??), they should know how to handle this type of claim.  So let the state Office help them, too.  They may well know how to handle a snafu like this.  [I hope so!]

 

I'm glad it was possible to do the medevac.

(One thing that has worried us as we get older is... how long will the "longest time to serious medical" going to be for any trup.)

 

GC

We live in California, and our primary insurer is Kaiser.  We have contacted the California dept. of Insurance and learned that for seniors who are on Medicare you are actually not covered by your states insurance regulations, but by Federal regulations or those regulations  covered in the "Evidence of Coverage" portion of your Medicare Advantage Plan.  Also, important to reiterate, the issue in this case is not  the insurance company but  the inability of  Oceania to  produce needed documents to  close the claim.   

[Bongomauka]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

Who *is* your insurance from, the actual insurer?

 

And from what you are reporting, especially with the time limit looming, I'd strongly suggest that you contact your state Insurance Commissioner's Office.  Insurance is regulated by the states.

And even if your insurer doesn't yet have all the info they need (??), they should know how to handle this type of claim.  So let the state Office help them, too.  They may well know how to handle a snafu like this.  [I hope so!]

 

I'm glad it was possible to do the medevac.

(One thing that has worried us as we get older is... how long will the "longest time to serious medical" going to be for any trup.)

 

GC

Our health insurance is through Kaiser Medicare. We are happy with them so far. We have contacted the California insurance commissioner office and according to them, in spite of being in California, as we are part of a federal program, we are therefore subject to federal regulations and not state regulations and therefore cannot depend or benefit from California rules and regulations. 

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, Bongomauka said:

 

No, in fact they have not invoiced us directly. The problem is that when they do (which they undoubtedly will) they will need to do so in less than 2 months, the window left for us to make a claim to any of our insurance carriers. So far they CLAIM to have made the payment but have yet to produce any proof.  Their stalling, redirection, and outright lies have dragged the process out so that we have precious little time to use the insurance coverage we have already bought and paid for.  In fact, our insurance company has agreed to pay Oceania directly if they would only produce proof of payment to the Portuguese Air Force, which O has been either unwilling or unable to do.  

Got it.  So the fundamental issue is really that you can't produce any documentation to prove you incurred a cost.  I'm no lawyer, but I question whether even documentation that O paid the Air Force would establish that you have incurred cost.   What if O never invoices you? It seems to me that an invoice for the cost of evacuation really establish your claim.  Your concern is if they don't do it before your insurance window closes in 2 months, you will be stuck with the bill.  Have you asked for the invoice instead of proof that they paid the Portuguese Air Force?  Since they acknowledge that they paid the Air Force, but haven't been able to produce the documentation, they should still be able to invoice you for evacuation cost.  That invoice should be adequate to establish your claim with the insurance company.  Given the time window is closing, it may be wise to get a lawyer involved - if for no other reason than to establish the validity of the insurance company's claim of a time window for completing the claim (I've seen time windows for FILING a claim, but not one for COMPLETING a claim). You've already filed your claim.  A lawyer may also be able to pressure O to either invoice you or relieve you of responsibility before the insurance window runs out.  I'm assuming we're talking about a sizeable bill here that justifies paying a lawyer to get involved.  As I've said, I'm no lawyer so my advice is worth what you've paid for it, but given that you've been running into a brick wall for months, that's what I would do.  I sincerely wish you luck.

Edited January 13 by mnocket

[Bongomauka]

6 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Got it.  So the fundamental issue is really that you can't produce any documentation to prove you incurred a cost.  O hasn't invoiced you for the cost of evacuation.  If they don't do it before your insurance window closes in 2 months, you will be stuck with the bill when they finally invoice you.  Have you asked for the invoice instead of proof that they paid the Portuguese Air Force?  Since they acknowledge that they paid the Air Force, but haven't been able to produce the documentation, they should be able to invoice you for reimbursement.  That invoice should be adequate to establish your claim with the insurance company.  I'm no lawyer, but I question whether even documentation having that O paid the Air Force would establish that you have incurred cost.  What if O never invoices you?  Given the time window is closing, it may be wise to get a lawyer involved - if for no other reason than to establish the validity of the insurance company's claim of a time window for completing the claim.  A lawyer may also be able to pressure O to either invoice you or relieve you of responsibility before the insurance window runs out.  I'm assuming we're talking about a sizeable bill here that justifies paying a lawyer to get involved.  As I've said, I'm no lawyer so my advice is worth what you've paid for it, but given that you've been running into a brick wall for months, that's what I would do.

We in fact received the invoice from NCL shortly after getting home.  We spent endless hours negotiating with our medical insurance company, Kaiser, who finally agreed to reimburse whoever paid the initial invoice. NCL claims to have paid the invoice but has so far failed to provide documentation that they paid it. Without that documentation, our medical insurance will not honor their financial obligation, leaving us with the final bill in spite of having medical coverage, travel insurance coverage, and credit card insurance coverage. It all hinges on Oceania/NCL holding company following through with their promises to provide documentation which at this point has not been honored. We have talked to three different attorneys all of which declined taking our case as there is no malpractice and no injury caused by the cruise line and therefore no financial incentive to take on our case. 

[Bongomauka]

6 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Got it.  So the fundamental issue is really that you can't produce any documentation to prove you incurred a cost.  O hasn't invoiced you for the cost of evacuation.  If they don't do it before your insurance window closes in 2 months, you will be stuck with the bill when they finally invoice you.  Have you asked for the invoice instead of proof that they paid the Portuguese Air Force?  Since they acknowledge that they paid the Air Force, but haven't been able to produce the documentation, they should be able to invoice you for reimbursement.  That invoice should be adequate to establish your claim with the insurance company.  I'm no lawyer, but I question whether even documentation having that O paid the Air Force would establish that you have incurred cost.  What if O never invoices you?  Given the time window is closing, it may be wise to get a lawyer involved - if for no other reason than to establish the validity of the insurance company's claim of a time window for completing the claim.  A lawyer may also be able to pressure O to either invoice you or relieve you of responsibility before the insurance window runs out.  I'm assuming we're talking about a sizeable bill here that justifies paying a lawyer to get involved.  As I've said, I'm no lawyer so my advice is worth what you've paid for it, but given that you've been running into a brick wall for months, that's what I would do.

We in fact received the invoice from NCL shortly after getting home.  We spent endless hours negotiating with our medical insurance company, Kaiser, who finally agreed to reimburse whoever paid the initial invoice. NCL claims to have paid the invoice but has so far failed to provide documentation that they paid it. Without that documentation, our medical insurance will not honor their financial obligation, leaving us with the final bill in spite of having medical coverage, travel insurance coverage, and credit card insurance coverage. It all hinges on Oceania/NCL holding company following through with their promises to provide documentation which at this point has not been honored. We have talked to three different attorneys all of which declined taking our case as there is no malpractice and no injury caused by the cruise line and therefore no financial incentive to take on our case. 

[Bongomauka]

14 hours ago, mnocket said:

A bit confusing to me.  If O made the payment did they then invoice you to reimburse them?

 

30 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Got it.  So the fundamental issue is really that you can't produce any documentation to prove you incurred a cost.  I'm no lawyer, but I question whether even documentation that O paid the Air Force would establish that you have incurred cost.   What if O never invoices you? It seems to me that an invoice for the cost of evacuation really establish your claim.  Your concern is if they don't do it before your insurance window closes in 2 months, you will be stuck with the bill.  Have you asked for the invoice instead of proof that they paid the Portuguese Air Force?  Since they acknowledge that they paid the Air Force, but haven't been able to produce the documentation, they should still be able to invoice you for evacuation cost.  That invoice should be adequate to establish your claim with the insurance company.  Given the time window is closing, it may be wise to get a lawyer involved - if for no other reason than to establish the validity of the insurance company's claim of a time window for completing the claim (I've seen time windows for FILING a claim, but not one for COMPLETING a claim). You've already filed your claim.  A lawyer may also be able to pressure O to either invoice you or relieve you of responsibility before the insurance window runs out.  I'm assuming we're talking about a sizeable bill here that justifies paying a lawyer to get involved.  As I've said, I'm no lawyer so my advice is worth what you've paid for it, but given that you've been running into a brick wall for months, that's what I would do.  I sincerely wish you luck.