Guest nhrich Posted April 20, 2004 #1 Share Posted April 20, 2004 I just saw where TravelGuard is no longer (as of 4/16) covering financial default for Oceania. I hope this is not a sign of things to come (although usually they're pretty accurate), as Oceania has a good product from everything I've read and heard. Rich 12/94 Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam - W. Carib 01/96 Norwegian Dreamward - Carib 01/97 Carnival Inspiration - E. Carib 09/98 Celebrity Mercury - Alaska 02/99 Carnival Fascination - S. Carib 09/00 Celebrity Galaxy - Alaska 11/02 Norwegian Sun - W. Carib 03/03 Norwegian Dawn - W. Carib 09/03 Norwegian Majesty - Bermuda 11/03 Carnival Spirit - Panama Canal Coming Up Next: 05/04 Voyager of the Seas - Canada 10/04 Pride of Aloha - Hawaii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raffeer Posted April 20, 2004 #2 Share Posted April 20, 2004 ................but then again this is the same outfit that hasn't covered United Airlines or Air Canada for years. Beatrice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nhrich Posted April 20, 2004 #3 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Yes, and United Airlines and Air Canada are both in bankruptcy. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyilona Posted April 20, 2004 #4 Share Posted April 20, 2004 It usually means that the underwriters after careful consideration feel that due to financial signs in their possession indicate bankruptcy alert.It does not mean immediately but protection of the shareholders of Travel Guard is of primary concern at this time. EMax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nhrich Posted April 20, 2004 #5 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Exactly my point, EMax. I wouldn't be surprise to see a bankruptcy filing. I'm not saying Oceania is going out of business (and I hope it doesn't), but knowing their management's track record, anything's possible down the road. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windrunner I Posted April 20, 2004 #6 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Having worked in the industry for many years, my assessment is that Travel Guard is working on assumption by dropping coverage of small, independent lines due to the recent falure of Royal Olympic and Festival. I just returned from the Insignia inaugural and have booked another cruise. FWIW, I always buy through Access America and they're still giving full coverage. And I don't know whay you'd make such a sharp comment about Oceania's management, most of them are from Crystal, Orient and Silversea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nhrich Posted April 20, 2004 #7 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Maybe so, but it's still got Renaissance written all over it. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck..... Enough said on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windrunner I Posted April 20, 2004 #8 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Then I guess Princess and Swan Hellenic have Renaiassance written all over them as well wouldn't you say? To me, Ocenaia is more akin to the original Celebrity back in the early 90's or Orient Lines. I've sailed Ren and this isn't Ren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goeurope Posted April 20, 2004 #9 Share Posted April 20, 2004 >>Maybe so, but it's still got Renaissance written all over it. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.....<< That's just silly. Sorry to be so blunt, but unless you have inside information that you'd like to share with us, I think it might be a good idea to have your ducks in a row before you start blasting away. :-) -- Durant Imboden Europeforvisitors.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andee Posted April 20, 2004 #10 Share Posted April 20, 2004 We've had experience with financial default. We were booked on a Renaissance cruise scheduled to leave four days after they declared bankruptcy. We had charged the cruise eight months prior to the trip. We wrote to Visa, and our money was refunded within three weeks. We never had to deal with the insurance company at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonid Posted April 20, 2004 #11 Share Posted April 20, 2004 TravelGuard Is ONE insurer! Seems like a Chicken Little syndrome. If one is afraid of default, then pick an insurer that will cover Oceania. Also, pay with a credit card. Smartest way to pay. My wife & I just booked a 16 day cruise on the Regatta in January through the Canal. Looking forward to it. If one worries about default, stick with Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, etc. UGH!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortgageChick Posted April 21, 2004 #12 Share Posted April 21, 2004 I agree with Andee > Any travel is charged to my Visa card. If the product is not delivered you are refunded your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jancruz Posted April 21, 2004 #13 Share Posted April 21, 2004 I found, the only way you have to deal with the insurance company in case of default..is having them give the money you paid them back to you..!! You do get a refund from the credit card company..NO ONE should ever pay for a cruise with check or cash!! Jan ***** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncanmc Posted April 21, 2004 #14 Share Posted April 21, 2004 You may want to read Cruise Critic's own take on the issue -- there's a news item posted and I think it's pretty clear about what happened and what's happening re Oceania and Travel Guard... Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goeurope Posted April 22, 2004 #15 Share Posted April 22, 2004 Yes, it's described as an "administrative issue" (a mailed request for financial info that got lost somewhere along the way). The Cruise Critic story is at: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1097 -- Durant Imboden Europeforvisitors.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nhrich Posted April 22, 2004 #16 Share Posted April 22, 2004 Just saw the same thing on another site. Glad that's all it was. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nhrich Posted April 22, 2004 #17 Share Posted April 22, 2004 TravelGuard is now covering for default. I've posted a separate thread announcing this so that the headline gets equal footing. I'm glad Oceania resolved this so quickly. Based on the way they reacted, and some other customer service issues that I've been reading over during the last couple of days, I'll now humbly admit that Oceania seems to be a class act, and run nothing like Ren. I'm looking forward some day to having the opportunity to try out this line. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srb Posted April 23, 2004 #18 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I think Oceania officials deserve a great deal of credit for addressing this PR nightmare with such speed and professionalism. My wife and I am on the June 1,2004 cruise and our entire family is booked for the Dec. 21, 2004 holiday cruise both on Regatta. The last few days have been weird and a little unsettling, especially if you are following the message boards. Cudos also to my TA who kept me informed from the minute Travel Guard sent it's notice. She also informed me when it was resolved. I always use Travelex and I always pay with a credit card. After reading all the emails posted here and elsewhere I truly believe in my favorite saying..."I'd rather be lucky than smart." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank26 Posted April 23, 2004 #19 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Hi, this is Frank Del Rio. I know the last 72 hours has been unsettling for some of you, I know it was for me! As you know by now, the situation that arose this week was, to borrow a quote, "much a do about nothing". Neverheless, I am glad that the good folks at Travel Guard corrected the situation as quickly as they did. For those of you on this board that supported Oceania Cruises during this brief bump in the road, I extend to you my sincere thanks and appreciation. For those of you that jumped to the wrong conclusion, assumed the worst, linked this unfounded situation to others in the past and I think, were generally happy to see Oceania Cruises in some sort of stressful situation, I think you owe the entire Oceania Cruises community and apology. Furthermore, I invite you to discontinue participation with anything and everything having to do with Oceania Cruises and strongly urge you never to cruise with us again. Frank Del Rio The Proud President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceania Cruises of Oceania Cruises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickey 88 Posted April 23, 2004 #20 Share Posted April 23, 2004 To Frank Del Rio - You deserve our appreciation for turning a potentially bad situation into a good one - and in only four days! Congratulations for a truly class act! We are looking forward to June 14th and 26th on the Insignia..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted April 23, 2004 #21 Share Posted April 23, 2004 And WE are looking forward to our South America/Antartic cruise on 12/17. With the Watters/Del Rio act, this has to be one great upcoming line, and I am happy to be a part of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesB Posted April 24, 2004 #22 Share Posted April 24, 2004 In a post on CruiseCritic, Frank Del Rio, CEO and President of Oceania Cruises, in response to the questionable decision by Travel Guard Insurance to no longer cover Oceania for financial default, said, in part: "For those of you that jumped to the wrong conclusion, assumed the worst, linked this unfounded situation to others in the past and I think, were generally happy to see Oceania Cruises in some sort of stressful situation, I think you owe the entire Oceania Cruises community and apology." "Furthermore, I invite you to discontinue participation with anything and everything having to do with Oceania Cruises and strongly urge you never to cruise with us again." ================================================= I was one of the people who may have "jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed the worst" when Oceania failed to quickly resolve the matter and clarify why they were placed under suspicion of finanancial instability by a major travel insurer. In my heart I felt that Oceania was OK and making money, but the dead silence, and the subsequent predictable finger-pointing, had all the earmarks of Big Trouble. And then, finally, we heard that it was all a matter of a letter never received, or maybe, never sent. Is there really a major cruise line that does not actively monitor their ratings by each of the major travel insurers? Wouldn't you assume that they establish personal relationships and contacts at each major agency to guard against just this sort of thing, and to avoid the embarrassment and shame of being blindsided, and to add insult to injury, to have to be alterted to it all by their customers who read about it on an Internet message board? If Mr. Del Rio is unhappy about the situation, he should look within his organization, and make the changes that are required to prevent similar P.R. disasters. It's not his customers who he should be scolding and banishing from all contact with his cruise line, that's just plain Public Relations Self Immolation. No matter what kind of spin is put on this unfortunate event, it is the delayed, and then inappropriate and insulting reaction by Oceania management that perpetuates the bad press, and caused the confusion within Oceania's loyal customer base. If the CEO of Oceania really wanted to summarily disrespect and dismiss *any* segment of his market, however small, just because they failed to show the proper loyalty, or "jumped to the wrong conclusion, (and) assumed the worst", then I think that he might be biting off his nose to spite his face. And the early results seem to bear me out: so far I haven't seen anyone who was confused, or had doubts, ask for forgiveness in response to his demand that "(they) owe the entire Oceania Cruises community and apology". I have always been a strong supporter of Oceania, from the very beginning, and I refuse to be repentant, chastised, or banished because I interpreted their delayed response, and their amateurish, fragmented efforts at spin control, as a signal that something actually might be wrong. History has shown that when a cruise line gets in trouble, or has an image problem, it's almost never the fault of the dedicated staff and crews on the ships, or cruise customers, but in most cases because of inept, lethargic, or insensitive management at landbased corporate headquarters. Is it any wonder that some Oceania believers might have had a doubt or two when they heard unrefuted reports that a major underwriter had taken the serious step of refusing to cover Oceania for financial default? I think that Mr. Del Rio's demand that doubtful or confused Oceania customers should apologize, and that they henceforth should go elsewhere, is placing the blame where it doesn't belong. One could even expect Mr. Del Rio to be the one who should apologize for this embarrassing, uncontained imbroglio, and to recant his inappropriate dismissal of any segment of the overwhelmingly loyal Oceania Cruises customer base. So far, the silence has been deafening. Charles B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gr8aunt Posted April 24, 2004 #23 Share Posted April 24, 2004 I agree with Charles B. Mr. DelRio's response was, at the very least, very unprofessional. As a businessman, he would be ill advised to dismiss any segment of his customer base. Like it or not, justified or not, at least for the moment, he is still identified with Renaissance and people become a little nervous when they hear any unsettling reports. Hopefully this will change and Mr. DelRio will make his own mark with Oceania. I am booked on my first Oceania cruise in June and can't wait. I loved the size of the Ren ships and at least that hasn't changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudiaF Posted April 24, 2004 #24 Share Posted April 24, 2004 Thank you for your post. FRANK (ly) I was amazed, shocked and totally floored ( in that order) to read that post yesterday. And I was not alone in being embarrased for him. To think that the CEO of a young and flourishing company would do that. Certainly there are "trolls' on these boards who thrill in making a bad situation worse, and IMHO you can chastise them till the cows come home..they are usually disgruntled travel agents or even disgruntled ex- passengers of ( god forbid I write the name) "R" who may have been in the situation discussed, a few years ago. But, to do that to people, most who are true OCEANIA LOYALISTS, who have been there from before there was a ship even named, who are and have been, practically cheerleaders for Frank and crew, who were only expressing their true concerns when they learned that Travel Guard had stopped insuring the line, or that the travel insurance they had already purchased might not be good is just wrong. These are people who have booked cruises and many of us, without expressing our concerns in writing agreed with what we were reading. Many of us have booked cruises ( plural) on Oceania way into next year .. and only want assurances. Frank said he was taken by surprise, blindsighted to learn this on the internet? Why shouldn't the cruise passenger be able to express their fears when they were taken by surprise, blindsighted,that a company who has their money may not, possibly be taking care of business? Why should the traveling public learn on the internet that someone forgot to send in papers or didn't get the letter of request? Who needs to hear excuses? You know if it was Donald Trumps company what would have happened to that person.....they would have heard the ill fated.... You're fired! Well, I hope that since I agree with the other posts, I am not banished from the "kingdom".. and Frank I have to disagree with you, those people do not owe me an apology. Barcelona to Venice on Oceania - "Insignia" Buenos Aires to Rio Oceania - "Insignia" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BossRay2003 Posted April 24, 2004 #25 Share Posted April 24, 2004 Excuse me Mr. Del Rio, My mistake for waiting patiently and not requesting permission to come onboard the Regatta. There was a 2 hour wait just to arrive in suite 8067. My appologies for getting upset the following day when it was time for the muster and there were no life jackets in the suite. We were told to ask for spares when we got to the muster station. I admit I did foolishly ask; "what if an emergency had occured the night before." How would they have identified us? There was a special party for those who had cruised with "R" but we were not invited which upset one couple who had cruised with "R" but were not invited either. I guess only FOF (friends of Frank) are concidered invited. When we docked in Costa Rico the officials refused to allow the Regatta to load or unload because the agreement was for docking only. They claimed those arraignments must be made 6 months in advance.When we spend $14,000 for a cruise we do expect real orange juice and not Tang! I could list the other items that were not available but there is no point as our banishment has made it all redundant anyway. We wrote to you to express these concerns. I guess you never got that letter either as we received a reply from Mr. Victor Gonzales with a $200 cruise credit certificate good only on a suite for a future cruise. I'm sorry we will not be welcome to ever use it. I am also sorry for all your loyal passengers who deserve better than we got. Sandy Chylds Grandeur 1998 Voyager 2000 Radiance 2001 Brilliance 2002 Regatta 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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