Pregnant Wife - Zika Virus

Hi All,

My wife and I had booked a Caribbean cruise stopping Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for a babymoon. Turns out this may have been a really bad decision as concerns about the Zika virus came to light right after we had booked.

We are supposed to leave from Miami on Feb 13th on the MSC Divina, but based off our doctors advice we really don't want to go at this point. We had contacted MSC as other cruise lines were refunding passengers. However it seems the best they will do is try to accommodate us on another itinerary in the same time period.

This seems pretty horrible customer service. The only reasonable alternative they suggested is to somehow try to find some last minute cheaper flights to Europe for the itinerary there. This would be stretching our budget a lot.

So our options it seems are to, eat the cost of the cruise, spend extra to get to Europe, or take the trip and worry the whole time about mosquitoes (probably just have to stay below deck while in port).

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to proceed, or if we end up just taking the trip how to have peace of mind?

Thanks!

I am sorry to hear of your dilemma. You sure have some bad choices. To me if all else fails, you need to write off the cruise. I hate to say that, but if you go and the worst happens, you will be miserable for the rest of your life.

I am guessing you do not have travel insurance. If you do, they may offer some reimbursement or a credit for a future cruise.

Good luck

Hi All,

 

 

 

My wife and I had booked a Caribbean cruise stopping Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for a babymoon. Turns out this may have been a really bad decision as concerns about the Zika virus came to light right after we had booked.

 

 

 

We are supposed to leave from Miami on Feb 13th on the MSC Divina, but based off our doctors advice we really don't want to go at this point. We had contacted MSC as other cruise lines were refunding passengers. However it seems the best they will do is try to accommodate us on another itinerary in the same time period.

 

 

 

This seems pretty horrible customer service. The only reasonable alternative they suggested is to somehow try to find some last minute cheaper flights to Europe for the itinerary there. This would be stretching our budget a lot.

 

 

 

So our options it seems are to, eat the cost of the cruise, spend extra to get to Europe, or take the trip and worry the whole time about mosquitoes (probably just have to stay below deck while in port).

 

 

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to proceed, or if we end up just taking the trip how to have peace of mind?

 

 

 

Thanks!

Time to dust off those long term plans to head to Asia or Oceania. Don't know if MSC goes to Australia, NZ or does routes that include Fiji or New Cakedonia. But, if there's no Zika reports in those areas, that's where I would go at this time of year.

Hi All,

 

My wife and I had booked a Caribbean cruise stopping Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for a babymoon. Turns out this may have been a really bad decision as concerns about the Zika virus came to light right after we had booked.

 

We are supposed to leave from Miami on Feb 13th on the MSC Divina, but based off our doctors advice we really don't want to go at this point. We had contacted MSC as other cruise lines were refunding passengers. However it seems the best they will do is try to accommodate us on another itinerary in the same time period.

 

This seems pretty horrible customer service. The only reasonable alternative they suggested is to somehow try to find some last minute cheaper flights to Europe for the itinerary there. This would be stretching our budget a lot.

 

So our options it seems are to, eat the cost of the cruise, spend extra to get to Europe, or take the trip and worry the whole time about mosquitoes (probably just have to stay below deck while in port).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to proceed, or if we end up just taking the trip how to have peace of mind?

 

Thanks!

you should have trip insurance. check to see if they will cover canceling in no way whatsoever should you risk taking the cruise no matter how much money you may end up losing.

will they let you book a new cruise at a later date and transfer all the funds you have paid to that new cruise?

When in doubt, dont. State of FL ordered a thousand Zika test kits for pregnant residents. And its in Caribbean. No cruise is worth that risk. MSC is an Italian line geared to Italians.You may try to get them to give you a future cruise voucher good for next year or two if all else fails. This is commonly done. Did you use a cruise agent? They have more power than individual.

Hi All,

 

My wife and I had booked a Caribbean cruise stopping Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for a babymoon. Turns out this may have been a really bad decision as concerns about the Zika virus came to light right after we had booked.

 

We are supposed to leave from Miami on Feb 13th on the MSC Divina, but based off our doctors advice we really don't want to go at this point. We had contacted MSC as other cruise lines were refunding passengers. However it seems the best they will do is try to accommodate us on another itinerary in the same time period.

 

This seems pretty horrible customer service. The only reasonable alternative they suggested is to somehow try to find some last minute cheaper flights to Europe for the itinerary there. This would be stretching our budget a lot.

 

So our options it seems are to, eat the cost of the cruise, spend extra to get to Europe, or take the trip and worry the whole time about mosquitoes (probably just have to stay below deck while in port).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to proceed, or if we end up just taking the trip how to have peace of mind?

 

Thanks!

If you cannot afford to go to Europe ,I would eat the cost of this cruise.

You can always make more money to go on another cruise at another time.

Wishing you well!

Congrats on the baby :)

Reader

Hi All,

 

My wife and I had booked a Caribbean cruise stopping Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas for a babymoon. Turns out this may have been a really bad decision as concerns about the Zika virus came to light right after we had booked.

 

We are supposed to leave from Miami on Feb 13th on the MSC Divina, but based off our doctors advice we really don't want to go at this point. We had contacted MSC as other cruise lines were refunding passengers. However it seems the best they will do is try to accommodate us on another itinerary in the same time period.

 

This seems pretty horrible customer service. The only reasonable alternative they suggested is to somehow try to find some last minute cheaper flights to Europe for the itinerary there. This would be stretching our budget a lot.

 

So our options it seems are to, eat the cost of the cruise, spend extra to get to Europe, or take the trip and worry the whole time about mosquitoes (probably just have to stay below deck while in port).

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on ways to proceed, or if we end up just taking the trip how to have peace of mind?

 

Thanks!

I would post this on the MSC board and tell the world about a company which doesn't care about its passengers.

I don't know if insurance would cover this.

To say the least, none of MSC's offers seem fair under the circumstances. Apparently MSC is more worried about its bottom line than it is about your child.

Contact a local consumer reporter and see if MSC can be shamed into doing the right thing.

After a quick search, it would seem that most cruise lines are not actually providing refunds, but are offering alternatives such as:

• offering a different itinerary for the same time period,
  
• offering to re-book for a later date (presumably post pregnancy),
  
• cancelling and offering future cruise credit.
  

Of course this shouldn't be that surprising to most experienced cruise travelers as cruise lines are very resistant to offering any refunds within the final payment window.

We sailed to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas this past December and I was eaten alive by mosquitoes. This was the very first time we had ever experienced being bitten by mosquitoes in the Caribbean. Based on my recent experience, I would definitely advise that all pregnant women stay out of these areas. There are definite risks for pregnant women right now in these areas.

If you booked with a Travel Agent see what they can do.

If not I would followup with MSC and give it another shot to see if they would do more for you than they are doing.

So sorry about your situation.

Keith

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately I din't choose travel insurance when booking and my credit card company says the Zika virus doesn't fall under their trip cancellation policy.

I didn't necessarily expect a full refund - a future credit would have sufficed. But I'm really annoyed at MSC's customer service, they were extremely unsympathetic to the point of being rude and not really willing to work with us. Don't think I'd ever look to travel with them again.

Initially, I'd urge them to allow you credit for a future cruise - and if turned down, request that you speak with someone senior. There is no way I would contemplate going on that cruise given the awful risk involved.

Unfortunately, MSC (and other lines sailing to the Caribbean) realize that they are losing a significant portion of their market: women who are pregnant or who expect they may become pregnant in the near future. True, that is only a small percentage of the total population, but even if it is only one or two percent - that would leave every ship with a 2,500 passenger load 25 to 50 cancellations for every sailing: they are more interested in maintaining revenue than in consideration for your rational concerns.

The whole zika virus looks like a hoax, with all the classic markings. There is already 25000 cases a year of microchephaly in the u.s. Alone (where's all the concern for that?)

The zika virus has been around since 1947, and patented in1952. I would be more concerned about being hood-winked again.

Quite frankly I never did dream of travel to the southern hemisphere while I was pregnant.

The whole zika virus looks like a hoax, with all the classic markings. There is already 25000 cases a year of microchephaly in the u.s. Alone (where's all the concern for that?)

The zika virus has been around since 1947, and patented in1952. I would be more concerned about being hood-winked again.

Quite frankly I never did dream of travel to the southern hemisphere while I was pregnant.

Are you saying that the zika virus warnings are a hoax? Seriously? That's not only wrong, it's dangerous. The number of very serious and/or life threatening effects of this virus around the world has ballooned in the last year, as has the number of locations where the problems have been seen. It's not a new virus - what's new is the spread and the unexpected consequences. It's gone from a couple hundred cases of congenital and neurological disease in a half dozen countries to (suddenly) several thousand cases in several dozen countries.

The whole zika virus looks like a hoax, with all the classic markings. There is already 25000 cases a year of microchephaly in the u.s. Alone (where's all the concern for that?)

The zika virus has been around since 1947, and patented in1952. I would be more concerned about being hood-winked again.

Quite frankly I never did dream of travel to the southern hemisphere while I was pregnant.

......and where did you get your public health degree with a minor in

transmissible disease in world health?

Ah yes and I believe the HIV virus was carried by monkeys for many years before human contact which went into major transmissible mode from human to human.

This was viewed as a hoax too back in the day.

I would rather not err on the side of my unborn child. Lots of other good advice to be had here.;)

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately I din't choose travel insurance when booking and my credit card company says the Zika virus doesn't fall under their trip cancellation policy.

 

I didn't necessarily expect a full refund - a future credit would have sufficed. But I'm really annoyed at MSC's customer service, they were extremely unsympathetic to the point of being rude and not really willing to work with us. Don't think I'd ever look to travel with them again.

You intentionally didn't buy insurance :eek:

I agree the the cruise line should work with you but that's their business decision.

You have to own up to some of the responsibility.

Cancel for Any Reason would have given you a future cruise credit.

It is a risk not worth taking--it could horribly impact your lives for the rest of your lives. Ignore the conspiracy theorists.

We had our first cruise booked the month after 9/11. I know now that it would have been fine. BUT we had small children at home. Everything was very uncertain in the world. We had to eat the cost of that cruise. No regrets.

If you can afford the European cruise, go for it. Otherwise just eat the cost.

Keep your head in the sand coincidence theorist and see what happens... Or not.

1) I purchase travel insurance

2) who puts their unborn child at risk by travelling to southern hemisphere while pregnant?

Thankyou KE:rolleyes:

I just cancelled a Windstar cruise that was going to Zika infested regions, as a family member going with us was advised by her doctor not to go.

Windstar offered nothing but a 65% refund, which anyone would have gotten if they cancelled the same number of days before the sailing. I am out a lot of money.

My travel insurance (Travelguard gold policy) will not cover any of this. I've already asked them.

We had booked award tickets for this trip on UA and Alaska for this trip. Both airlines waived their award miles redeposit fee.

Score: One for UA and AS, Zero for Windstar.

If I couldn't afford the alternative, I would eat the cost and stay home. Otherwise, this would be the biggest gamble of your life, with your child's brain as the stake. Not worth it IMO How much of the trip would you actually enjoy while worrying about your child's future every second?

Thanks for the suggestions, unfortunately I din't choose travel insurance when booking and my credit card company says the Zika virus doesn't fall under their trip cancellation policy.

 

I didn't necessarily expect a full refund - a future credit would have sufficed. But I'm really annoyed at MSC's customer service, they were extremely unsympathetic to the point of being rude and not really willing to work with us. Don't think I'd ever look to travel with them again.

I am truly sorry to hear your pickle. But this is EXACTLY why you should always make sure you are covered when purchasing a vacation. Why people still go without and then are not satisfied with the limitations they are presented, is beyond my comprehension.

Do not get me wrong, I feel your pain for the hard choice, but I'm pretty sure this will be the last time you will travel without proper travel insurance.

But please, let money not be a deciding factor for the high risk your wife and baby will be exposed to.

Stay safe at all times. A healthy life is much more valuable than any vacation.

Let this be a life lesson, albeit an expensive one.

I'd cancel that cruise in about 2 seconds flat

I am truly sorry to hear your pickle. But this is EXACTLY why you should always make sure you are covered when purchasing a vacation. Why people still go without and then are not satisfied with the limitations they are presented, is beyond my comprehension.

 

Do not get me wrong, I feel your pain for the hard choice, but I'm pretty sure this will be the last time you will travel without proper travel insurance.

I had good travel insurance (Travelguard Gold policy) and Travelguard has told me I can file a claim, but probably won't receive any reimbursement, as a cancellation, even with a doctor's recommendation because of Zika, is not covered.

So, OP could have had great travel insurance, and still not be covered for his cancellation.

I had good travel insurance (Travelguard Gold policy) and Travelguard has told me I can file a claim, but probably won't receive any reimbursement, as a cancellation, even with a doctor's recommendation because of Zika, is not covered.

 

So, OP could have had great travel insurance, and still not be covered for his cancellation.

Really?! Even with the written advice of a doctor? Well you could book at a later date.

I had good travel insurance (Travelguard Gold policy) and Travelguard has told me I can file a claim, but probably won't receive any reimbursement, as a cancellation, even with a doctor's recommendation because of Zika, is not covered.

 

So, OP could have had great travel insurance, and still not be covered for his cancellation.

Any insurance that does not let you cancel for what reason you want is not a good travel insurance.

I don't know the products in the US, but here in Europe there are some products that will allow you to cancel your travel plans up to a certain date and up to €10k covered. Of course, those are not the cheapest ones, but you have few limitations.

As always, an insurance only pays off when you need it. If you don't need it, it's money that's gone to waste a bit.