Can shore excursions be cancelled with refund on day of?

[crunchberry]

We have been on numerous cruises but this is a new one for us. Our 11 yr old son has come down this past 7 months with what some doctors think is juvenile fibromyalgia which basically means he is in chronic pain. 60% to 70% of the time, he can do everything almost normally, but there are a couple days a week that he has pain flare ups that he can hardly move.

 

We would love to take the kids to Europe on Hal or another cruise line (any ideas on family friendly??) but my fear is that booking shore excursions and having to cancel them on the same day if he has a flare up. My husband and I will take turns staying on the ship with him if it happens.

 

Anyone know if we would get a full refund if we explain the situation to them?

 

My daughter is graduating HS this year and this was her graduation present and we don't want to leave him behind due to his condition.

 

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

[kyriecat]

Here's a link to HAL's policy. http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/BookShoreExcursions.action

 

Basically, they say you cannot cancel and get a refund after the cancellation deadline. I don't know if the deadline is different for Europe cruises than Caribbean. Our deadline was 48 hours before arrival at the port. They might make an exception due to your circumstances, but I don't want to speculate on it. Shore Excursions phone number is 1-888-425-9376. Hopefully they can help you.

 

Royal Caribbean is more family friendly than HAL, but RC has a similar cancellation policy for excursions. I don't remember if their deadline was also 48 hours or if it was longer before docking.

 

If you don't care what excursions you take, I know HAL lets people book excursions that haven't sold out on the port day. I can't remember if RC allowed that or if you had to book at least 24 hours in advance. If you are interested in HAL, you can always not book excursions in advance and see how your son feels each day. If he feels like doing something, you can go to the excursion desk first thing in the morning and see what is left.

 

Depending on your ports, you might not need an excursion. There are taxis, trains, and buses around that can take you to the sightseeing areas. The larger cities, like Rome, Athens, and Florence are not near the ports and require transportation. However, Ephesus, Naples, and the Greek Islands have things to do within walking distance of the dock/tender areas. I don't know what area of Europe you are considering. I've only been to the Mediterranean.

[Toto2Kansas]

We have been on numerous cruises but this is a new one for us. Our 11 yr old son has come down this past 7 months with what some doctors think is juvenile fibromyalgia which basically means he is in chronic pain. 60% to 70% of the time, he can do everything almost normally, but there are a couple days a week that he has pain flare ups that he can hardly move.

 

We would love to take the kids to Europe on Hal or another cruise line (any ideas on family friendly??) but my fear is that booking shore excursions and having to cancel them on the same day if he has a flare up. My husband and I will take turns staying on the ship with him if it happens.

 

Anyone know if we would get a full refund if we explain the situation to them?

 

My daughter is graduating HS this year and this was her graduation present and we don't want to leave him behind due to his condition.

 

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

Most cruise lines have a cut off time for cancellations to receive a refund. They are normally 'at least' 24 hours before the time of the excursion, many times more like 36-48 hours prior. If you cancel the day of the excursion and explain the problem, there is a chance your sons excursion fare could be refunded, but afraid they we have only seen the one who is actually ill. Anyone else booked with them will have to forfeit the deposit. Best of luck!

Good luck, I hope you are able to book a few without having to cancel.

[wrp96]

Royal Caribbean is more family friendly than HAL, but RC has a similar cancellation policy for excursions. I don't remember if their deadline was also 48 hours or if it was longer before docking.

 

RCCL's cancellation deadline is 24 hours before the shore excursion departs.

 

You may want to look into independent excursions that don't require a deposit or check into their cancellation policies. This may give you greater leeway in cruiselines AND excursions.

[GRBlizz]

I agree with the suggestion to look into independent excursions. If you do Northern Europe/Baltics, the only place you really need a pre-booked tour is St. Petersburg. And some of the independent tours do not require pre-payment or a credit card, which effectively allows you to cancel on the spot.

 

With a family group of 4, you can take a taxi or HOHO bus to whatever sights you want to see in the other ports.

 

Please post if you want to know more.

[crunchberry]

Thanks for the info.

 

Looking at the Mediterranian - July 28, leaving out of Rome, doing Greece and a stop in Tunisia. 10 day one. I will call the shore excursion line - thank you for the number!

 

 

 

Shore excursions will want something from the doctors and we havent been able to get any of his doctors to write down anything for even the schools! They are all afraid of lawsuits and maybe the wrong diagnosis. Very frustrating year for us.

 

Any info on independent tours that you guys would recommend then?

 

Thanks!