Question about possibly having to cancel our cruise

[clerky96]

Last Monday I booked a cruise for DH & I that sails on Oct 11. Monday evening DH became ill with a blood issue. Although he has just recuperated from a cardiac 6 vessel bypass, 9 weeks ago, this is totally unrelated. He has a condition called ITP, and his blood platelets are extremely low. We are trying transfusions and medication to get them back up, but so far the treatment is not going well. We do know that it is not cancer (had a bone marrow biopsy), but he does have an enlarged spleen (most likely the cause of this). The Drs, however, want to remove the spleen only as a "last resort". Although our cruise is 5 weeks away, I am having doubts whether or not we are going to be able to go. If I call the cruiseline, does anyone know if they might possibly hold the money in reserve on a future cruise? Same problem with the airline. We did buy insurance, and can probably collect when the time comes, but since we plan to cruise in the future, maybe we could postpone instead of cancel.

[mbisson]

Wow! I hope everything works for the best.

 

In regards to the cruise---I'd call right away and see if they'll work with you on changing. Maybe they will, but at least you have the insurance to fall back on if need be.

 

With the airline--I know that we had intended to bring my SIL on our Hawaii cruise a few months ago and she backed out after everything was paid. When I contacted the airline (Alaska) they willingly placed the $ for her ticket in a credit account for me and gave me a year to use it. Hopefully, you can work out something like this as well.

 

Good luck

-Monte

[boobooboyee]

Clerky - God be with you and DH. First things first, please take care. Then start planning for the (even better) cruise to come, celebrating his great recovery.

[clerky96]

Thanks to both of you. I would like to call and talk to them right now, but DH wants me to wait. He has high hopes that things will turn around and we will be able to go. At first I too was optimistic, but my optimism is waning. He has always been in great health. Seriously, he has only missed work once in the last 40 years, and that was because an injury, not illness. Our family and friends were "blown away" by the heart bypass surgery. Need less to say, this new problem coming on the heals of the first has made for a very stressful summer/fall. He was scheduled to return to work yesterday. Of course our first priority is to get him well, then we will deal with this stuff. I just wondered what others thought about it.

[travelmatron]

My husband has also had some health issues. Sometimes we’ve been able to take planned trips, and other times we’ve needed to cancel. When you purchase insurance at the time of booking, you can get a policy that covers pre-existing conditions IF the person is ok to travel at the time of booking. On the cruise that we canceled, we kept hoping until about 10 days before the cruise that we'd be able to make it. The nice thing about insurance is that you don't have to make up your mind early.

To collect on the insurance it's important that you've done every thing you can to avoid additional charges. For example, cancel with the cruise line, cancel with the airlines, and cancel any hotel rooms that you might have also booked. Keep copies of everything. The insurance companies that we’ve used have paid quickly, but they do require documentation.

Best wishes for your husband’s speeding recovery, you don't need to add to your concerns by trying to make a speedy decision.

[weloverunning]

clerk: Since you do have insurance, I agree with your husband and I would wait a little longer before cancelling. My DS had ITP for a couple of years. He doesn't have it anymore but his platelet count is always on the low end of normal. He had it when he was 14 and we didn't even know it until he had blood work done for some minor surgery. If I remember correctly, his platelet count was about 48,000 compare to the "normal" 150,000-400,000. No symptoms, no bruising, etc. We then spent the next couple of years monitoring it. First it was the bone marrow biopsy to rule out cancer and I believe HIV. Then he was on steriods for quite a while while going to the hematologist every couple of weeks to check his platelet count. Of course they mentioned removing his spleen which is always a last resort especially at 14. His platelet count very slowly increased over time. Never found out the cause (that's why it is called idiopathic). They speculated it was a long term side effect of a virus. Be patient and don't panic. Hopefully, DH count will slowly go up in the next couple of weeks. God Bless.

[boobooboyee]

While we're on the subject, my mom (she was about 75 at the time) was on a cruise when she had a heart attack the very first day and had to be taken off the boat and sent to a hospital to recover. She was just blessed to have been on a Scandinavian cruise with my dad - and the hospital in Sweden was the absolute BEST...altho she initially had a stroke almost immediately following the heart attack there, the Swedish doctors immediately responded with therapy and she had no lasting effects. They then allowed her to fully recover and the cruiseline (forgive me, the name I do not know) arranged for her to fly home with dad. They did have insurance and, altho she had to get on the phone a couple of times with the company, they were fully reimbursed. And of course, they didn't tell me or my brothers about any of this until well after returning home ! :(

 

CLERKY - Fear not. Play it day-to-day and see what happens. Your hubby may be so looking forward to this that it would be a good thing to keep it "dangling" in front of him so he has even more motivation to get better and go. Prayers and thoughts are with you.

[*Wink*]

Clerky ~ I sincerely hope your DH is on the mend very soon. I know this must be a very trying time for you both. Have faith.

If I were in your shoes, and if hubby approves, I'd go ahead and call NCL just to get the information you're looking for. No decision has to be made today, but the "not knowing" would be stressing me out!

As an old friend of mine would say, "keep your chins up!"

Keep us posted.

A.

[clerky96]

Thanks again. You have all been very helpful.

 

Travelmatron, I bought the insurance the same morning that I booked the cruise. He started having problems that very evening. I have to admit that I am a little concerned that may end up being an issue. They surely can't believe that someone would go to the trouble to book a cruise and buy airline tickets, planning to cancel out.:(

 

rpbcouple, guess you can understand our concern when we went to the ER and DH had a platelet count of 4,000. That's right 4,000. Has had 4 transfusions and is now on steroids. After 5 days in the hospital, they did finally get his count up to 43,000, only to have it drop to 35,000 yesterday. We are home, but go back tomorrow for another count. If it has dropped again, they may try a different medicine. After having the bypass the end of June and not being able to do much for the last couple of months, I think he just wishes they would take out the spleen and be done with it. He is 61.

BTW, He always had low cholesterol (without taking meds), so don't let that fool you into a false sense of security where the heart is concerned.

Thanks again. Guess I will call and at least talk to both the cruiseline and the airline to see what our options might be.

[JerseyGem]

Clerky- I hope your DH makes a speedy recovery, and you both can celebrate his good health on this cruise.

 

But just in case you must cancel, I recommend documenting every doctor's visit (and testing) and every phone call (or other contact) with the cruise line and your insurance company. Write down the date, time, persons involved, what was said, etc for every contact. If you do need to cancel and file an insurance claim, you may need to provide all of this info. We have had to cancel two cruises. The insurance forms are quite detailed, and you may need to prove that this is a new condition. Depending on your insurance, each doctor that has been involved in his care may need to complete a form (sometimes they accept documentation just from a primary doctor). So as you visit doctors, ask for a contact person (and phone number) for arranging for the completion of these forms (frequently this will be the nurse in charge of that doctor's staff). Also, when you receive the insurance forms, photocopy them (in case the doctor's office loses them) and also photocopy them when they are completed (in case the insurance company loses them).

 

Hopefully, you won't need any of these suggestions!

[mylesf]

I agree with other posts and would contact both NCL and the airlines to get your options. As somone else posted, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, all calls with date, time, who you spoke with and what they advised you. In addition, if NCL allows you to transfer your cruise credit to another date and/or ship, call your insurance company. The insurance policy may not transfer with the new date, some do some do not I would check it out and given the health issues your family is dealing with make sure you are covered.

[AFT_LOVER]

so if anything did go wrong, you do not lose out. This way if you cannot cruise, just let them (insurance co) know. They will want the air, cruise, excursions invoices to refund you. They may also want a doctor's letter stating why he can't go unless he is admitted then you have that & they can call the hospital to get the facts.

 

He comes first, the cruise is always there to do again when he is better so you both enjoy it... Give him a big hug & a kiss for all of us.

 

 

Thanks again. You have all been very helpful.

 

Travelmatron, I bought the insurance the same morning that I booked the cruise. He started having problems that very evening. I have to admit that I am a little concerned that may end up being an issue. They surely can't believe that someone would go to the trouble to book a cruise and buy airline tickets, planning to cancel out.:(

 

rpbcouple, guess you can understand our concern when we went to the ER and DH had a platelet count of 4,000. That's right 4,000. Has had 4 transfusions and is now on steroids. After 5 days in the hospital, they did finally get his count up to 43,000, only to have it drop to 35,000 yesterday. We are home, but go back tomorrow for another count. If it has dropped again, they may try a different medicine. After having the bypass the end of June and not being able to do much for the last couple of months, I think he just wishes they would take out the spleen and be done with it. He is 61.

BTW, He always had low cholesterol (without taking meds), so don't let that fool you into a false sense of security where the heart is concerned.

Thanks again. Guess I will call and at least talk to both the cruiseline and the airline to see what our options might be.

[*Wink*]

.. Give him a big hug & a kiss for all of us.

 

This is inappropriate. Please do not speak for me.

 

No offense to the others in this thread, or especially to Clerky. I personally find this statement to be offensive.

[bklynangel]

Last Monday I booked a cruise for DH & I that sails on Oct 11. Monday evening DH became ill with a blood issue. Although he has just recuperated from a cardiac 6 vessel bypass, 9 weeks ago, this is totally unrelated. He has a condition called ITP, and his blood platelets are extremely low. We are trying transfusions and medication to get them back up, but so far the treatment is not going well. We do know that it is not cancer (had a bone marrow biopsy), but he does have an enlarged spleen (most likely the cause of this). The Drs, however, want to remove the spleen only as a "last resort". Although our cruise is 5 weeks away, I am having doubts whether or not we are going to be able to go. If I call the cruiseline, does anyone know if they might possibly hold the money in reserve on a future cruise? Same problem with the airline. We did buy insurance, and can probably collect when the time comes, but since we plan to cruise in the future, maybe we could postpone instead of cancel.

Did you get insurance? If so, you should have no problem getting your money back or just book another time....If I were you, I would wait a while to see he gets better and i would cancel...I just cancelled a cruise and booked another at a later date cause i almost broke my ankel and have to wait or it to heal.

[clerky96]

I spoke to both the airline and the cruiseline today. Airline is no problem. They will let me cancel with no penalty and issue a flight credit which can be used anytime within the next 12 months.

Not so lucky with the cruiseline. In the first place, I booked with an online agency, so had to contact them. We are in the final payment period, so the cruiseline penalty will be 75-100%. The online agency will receive $100 if we cancel. Looks like we won't get any satisfaction there. The online agency will let us re-book for $35 instead of the $100, but that must be done within 30 days of cancelling the original cruise. Still lose all the money for the cruise.

Of course we are waiting until the last minute to see if things turn around, but so far it is not looking very promising. Platelets are down yet again. Important thing is not this cruise, but his health. Got to get him well, then will deal with the insurance.

For anyone who knows, will online invoices work? I did everything online and don't have any other receipts. Maybe those along with my credit card statement?

Thanks again.

[mom2agr8boy]

My thoughts and prayers are with you. My DH, 38, is also recovering from a quad bypass 6 weeks ago. I hope the blood issue resolves soon.

[oz cleopatra]

My mother got a full refund from the airline when she had a heart attack and was supposed to go to Hawaii. And they were non-refundable tickets!Just needed the proof from the hospital. But that was in Australia. Alas, things are very different here...:(

[didan]

Clerky,

So sorry to hear about DH - we will keep you both in our prayers. Last month my MIL was hospitalized the day before we were to leave on our cruise.

 

We did have insurance and like you, booked with an on-line agency. I printed the on-line invoices and those were fine.

 

The insurance company sent a form for the doctor to fill out - one of the questions asked if she was one of the insured was she able to travel on the day the cruise was booked. As she was not the passenger, this was moot for us. We also had to list all of the doctors she had seen up to 6 months before the insurance was purchased. We got copies of the medical records from the ER and a letter from the case worker at the hospital on hospital stationary stating that this was a serious illness and a new one. We received our check within 4 weeks. Luckily, she recovered quickly and is doing great now and we were able to rebook. Hopefully, it will be the same for you.

[clerky96]

Thanks to everyone here for their prayers, hugs, etc. We are scheduled to talk to the hematologist/onocologist on Monday about possibly removing DH's enlarged spleen. This used to be the first thing they did for ITP. Nowdays it is the last. There is another medicine that Dr wanted to try first, but coming so soon after cardiac bypass surgery, DH just wants them to get the spleen out and hopefully that will solve the platelet problems. Depending upon the size of the spleen, they may be able to remove it laproscopicly and his recovery will be much quicker. If everything goes well, he may be recovered enough to cruise in Oct. Still in that "wait and see" mode. Should know more about what we are going to do on Monday. Thanks again.

[bklynangel]

I spoke to both the airline and the cruiseline today. Airline is no problem. They will let me cancel with no penalty and issue a flight credit which can be used anytime within the next 12 months.

Not so lucky with the cruiseline. In the first place, I booked with an online agency, so had to contact them. We are in the final payment period, so the cruiseline penalty will be 75-100%. The online agency will receive $100 if we cancel. Looks like we won't get any satisfaction there. The online agency will let us re-book for $35 instead of the $100, but that must be done within 30 days of cancelling the original cruise. Still lose all the money for the cruise.

Of course we are waiting until the last minute to see if things turn around, but so far it is not looking very promising. Platelets are down yet again. Important thing is not this cruise, but his health. Got to get him well, then will deal with the insurance.

For anyone who knows, will online invoices work? I did everything online and don't have any other receipts. Maybe those along with my credit card statement?

Thanks again.

Thats awful, I can't believe you can't get your money back...i would notify your credit card co and dispute the charges...tell them your situation. Online bookings are terrible. I had the problem just recently and i called my credit card co.also don't pay final payment..... Hope things get better for you...............diane

[clerky96]

diane, at least we do have insurance. I was just hoping that we would be able to do something so that we wouldn't have to file all the paperwork. I am sure that we will lose some money before all is said and done, but DH's health is much more important than the monetary loss. I just want him to be well. We just booked last week, and had to make the full payment at that time. I don't think the credit card company can help in this kind of a situation.

[oz cleopatra]

What did I tell you? God Bless America.:mad:

[Queen_Of_Natick]

Clerky, bless you and your hubby. I don't have any words of wisdom but hope things turn around for both of you.

 

-Q