GeezerCouple

In the case of travel insurance (or *any* insurance!), if there is any "clarification" necessary, we always ask the rep to point us to the EXACT wording in the policy that demonstrates what the rep is "claiming"... They may be confused (or even just making something up 😡 ) or it may not actually be relevant to the situation you are facing, etc. Point is, we want it in writing! We'd then make a pdf and save it. And we always try to get the name/extension number of the person we are speaking with, and write that down with the date. Pro Hint: Instead of saying (or, um, implying), "we want your name because if you screw it up we'll report you!" (always a terrific strategy - not!), we say something like, "Oh, could please I have your name or rep number and phone extension so if we get disconnected, I won't have to start all over again explaining my question to someone else...!?" (It often works. 😉 ) When we read insurance complaints, here or elsewhere, it's often (but not always) a situation where the policy never covered this particular situation in the first place. That could be because the traveler didn't fully understand the terms, or just never thought about "this" particular problem occurring. The second situation is harder to plan for/protect against. However, we've found that *calling* a broker like TripInsuranceStore can help, because they'll sometimes ask, "do you need coverage for X?" or "does your situation at home include Y?" - and those may indeed be relevant, but we wouldn't have thought about it in advance. And even with them, if I'm concerned about a specific type of coverage, I'll ask, "Please show me where in the policy terms this specific situation is covered..." GC

For anyone reading this thread, please ALWAYS double check anything you read here (or anywhere!). For example, in post #34, the following is written: "Cancel For Any Reason - ... it is Cancel for any reason, not Interrupt for any reason. It is valid (as a credit for a future trip) up until the day your program begins." For at least some (many?) policies, CFAR coverage is valid >> until 48 hours before your planned trip start, NOT "until the day your program begins". Road Scholar's CFAR coverage may work that way ('til day program begins), but many other policies do not. So IF you wait until the "day of" travel, or even the "day before", it might be too late to invoke that CFAR coverage. That's a rough time to find out, when perhaps you could have canceled a day or two earlier... And many 3rd party CFAR policies give cash back (often 75%) that can be used whenever and for whatever one wishes... it's not a credit, one that may have a time limit. As always, one should make sure one reads - and understands - the terms of the specific policy that *you* purchase. There can be considerable variability among the policies' coverages. GC

Why not contact www.TripInsuranceStore.com They are a broker and deal with several vetted travel insurers (including Travel Insured, which is what we've used). But CALL them; don't rely upon short policy summaries. The "fine print" can *really* matter... You'll be able to compare choices and prices, and they'll help you figure out what types of coverage might be useful (the questions they sometimes ask can be as important as the questions you ask them). And they can help with claims if that ever becomes a problem. We've purchased quite a few policies, and had several claims, including a few large ones, all of which were paid promptly. GC

You should probably browse through some of the threads here, to get a sense of the experiences others have had with various vendors (although none of those are guarantees about what *your* experience would be, of course). We are among quite a few here who use www.TripInsuranceStore.com But CALL them, don't rely upon the short online summaries of the various policy choices. The owner, Steve, posts here sometimes to answer questions. They'll also ask you some questions to try to help you find the policy that best suits your needs. (Any frail family members not traveling with you? Do you want Cancel For Any Reason? Any pre-existing conditions? Note: "Pre-existing conditions" has a VERY different definition for travel insurance than in our everyday life.) And they can help with claims if you need that. We've purchased quite a few policies from them after reading about them here on CC, and yup, we've had several claims, including a few large ones. To get the best choice of policies, one should start the coverage within 10-20 days of the FIRST deposit (refundable or not). It varies by state. There are still good choices if one misses that deadline... GC

What we do is ask the pharmacist for an extra label for every med, and we ask about 2-3 weeks before we actually need them. Then we get tiny ziploc-style baggies, slap a label on each one, and count out however many pills/tablets/etc., we'll be taking. (We always take an extra week, or two if it's a longer trip. That's in case of any serious delay getting home, for any of a variety of possible reasons.) We also have printed copies of the original scripts and a letter from the physician for any controlled substance or injectable, stating it is required for medical reasons. And we also have copies on our laptops, and thus in the cloud as backup. We only change all of this, including the little baggies, every few years for meds that stay the same, so it's not at all burdensome once we've got it all in place the first time. These little ziplocs can have most of the air just pressed out as one closes each, and then they lie nice and flat and take up very little space. [About the small Rx bottles? Our pharmacies here have discontinued the smallest size bottles, and *always* dispense in large/medium or jumbo size. It's crazy. Often a 90 day supply of small pills won't even get to 1/4 of the height - and the rest is all wasted. For occasional tiny pills, or a smaller quantity, they barely cover the bottom of the container! And the containers are round, so there's lots of wasted space between them.] We keep this "stuff" in a little travel pouch just about all the time, ready to go, and just fill up the little ziplocs when needed. We also ALWAYS double check the drug laws of foreign countries. (It's not obvious. For example, Japan absolutely FORBIDS any quantity of original formulation Sudafed. NO exceptions, full stop.There's a newer formulation that is allowed.) We do Google searches to find the official governmental website pages for bringing meds into the country (not for commercial purposes; that's different). Anyway, unless we have a new Rx, we are just about always ready to go. To make up these little bags/labels and copies/etc., each time would be.... annoying, to say the least! 😠 And nope, we've never been "inspected", but that might be because of our appearance and age (?). A few times when we've been asked about what we are bringing, I'll mention "Yes, some prescription medicine", and reach for the little pouch. By the time I have my hand on it, we are typically given a smile and waved away (or waved away without the smile). Usually, there aren't any questions at all. Because of what we do carry with us, we don't want to be found to *not* have the proper documentation, especially in *some* countries! One "unpleasant" experience is more than we want... GC

There are many discussions about this on this subsection of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/ I'll try to find one of my posts, with detail about how we handle this for *all* international travel, much of which is to countries with stronger "issues". There is a wide variety of opinions about how careful one should be. Our feeling is that when crossing international borders, "better safe than sorry", and a bit of prep for one trip is what we then keep handy for other trips, so it's rather easy. (I don't know if you can search to find some of the other discussions; the CC search function isn't always particularly user friendly...) GC

Oh dear. Is white chocolate *really* chocolate!? 😕 Shouldn't it have a slightly different name? Or, I suppose I should refer to myself as "addicted to cocoa", not "addicted to chocolate"? GC

I always thought that Oceania's previous policy of "cold breakfast for steerage" was... beneath a line of this caliber. That restriction just didn't fit, in my mind, so I'm very glad to see it disappear. (And note: this did not affect us personally, so it wasn't sour grapes.) GC

What are you looking for in this trip? For us, a trip to Bermuda would definitely include *warm* water, and that's not going to happen at that time of year. On the other hand, the Bahamas would very likely have warm water (been there, done that, at that time of year, albeit quite some time ago). But not everyone heads to Bermuda simply for the warm ocean water. It depends upon what you want. And some people care more about "being on a cruise" than the actual destination. GC

It's better than that! 😉 We always tell our Butler that any "Privacy" sign is *not* for them, but for everyone else. That is, they should knock, pause, and then just come in. IF we do want privacy, the door will be bolted, and of course, we wouldn't do that when we are expecting something. So the breakfast table is quietly rolled in, and sometimes we are already awake. But other times, that aroma of coffee and bacon does wake us, perhaps along with a few very gentle clinks of the china. THAT is the way to wake up! If we say "good morning" or anything at all, we'll always get a very cheerful reply, but the Butler has never said anything to us in the morning unless one of us spoke first, or they see us sitting up, etc. And likewise, dinners are just wheeled in as well. 🙂 (If we are changing or such, that door will, of course, be bolted.) Yes, we are very spoiled when we cruise (when there are Butlers; some cruises we've taken don't even have room service, but we enjoy them all!). GC

It doesn't matter how "loud" or whatever a person or group is, what the venue is, or whatever else is happening there... To have someone make a threat to "take my face off" is so far beyond any possible understanding of appropriate behavior...!?? 😡 GC

We've make all requests through our Butler. And one thing we stress during our first meeting is that we are almost always flexible on timing, so if we happen to request something for a busy time, just let us know, and we'll be happy to change the time... and on the off chance we can't, we'll say so (thus... "really, do ask!"). We tend to use our Butlers quite a bit, with almost all breakfasts served, so we wake to the pleasant aroma of coffee and bacon (or have that not too long after we awake). We love a couple of the Specialty restaurants, with some real favorites. So if we can't get extra reservations, we might ask to have some favorite dinners served in our suite. On all ships (and in all hotels), we request menus from each restaurant and a copy of all wine lists. It's nicer to browse through them, rather than scroll on a screen. And yes, we do tip generously. The Butlers make a huge difference in our enjoyment. I also have some mobility problems, so we tend to spend more time in our suite than we otherwise would. GC

We have had excellent experiences starting with plain Google, with something like, "private tour of the Vatican" or such. Then we look at what shows up. Some are clearly not for us... they are explicitly large groups (of strangers, put together by the vendor). We want something for just us (or in some cases, a few others, arranged by us). Then we email a few likely possibilities, and if they don't have email contact, that's a disqualifier for us anyway. We want a way to contact them! We'll ask if they could arrange a tour that includes, say, art history, or whatever (and also anything we do *not* want to spend time on, etc.). And then we end with a question something like, "given what we've mentioned, is there anything else you think we'd enjoy including?' The responses (or lack thereof!) tell us a *LOT*. We've found some terrific guides, usually directly with the guide him/herself. Our guide for the Vatican and a prior day in more general "Rome", had done a Ph.D. thesis mostly using the Vatican library, so he was familiar with a lot of background there (and some back routes and corridors!). We also use CC, as suggested. We found a terrific small excursion company in the Caribbean, because something about a CC report piqued our interest. We wrote asking about some specifics, and they put together an amazing day for us. We then used them again on a return visit. It's the ability to communicate directly, and make *your* interests known, etc., that can make all the difference. GC

On some *other* decks, there are cabins between the Vista Suites, so I read your post as you wrote it. We absolutely love forward-facing... to see where we are going (yes, even if what is seen sometimes is just more water 😉 ). GC

We don't use annual travel insurance policies (too many restrictions, low limits). We get a policy for each trip, and those can be purchased at the time the first payment is made, regardless of date of trip. Indeed, starting the coverage by insuring the deposit offers the best choice of types of coverages in most cases. Then one can up the coverage each time additional payments are made. Usually one has 10-20 days for that window for all coverage options (state dependent); one must be fit to travel on the day the insurance is started. GC

What I am seeing on the Deck 12 plans of Oceania's Riviera is that there are no cabins between the two forward Vista Suites. (There seems to be nothing accessible for passengers there, just white space indicating crew/etc., areas.) https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2022-03/O-CLASS-RIVIERA-deck-plan-level-12.pdf The four cabins you a listing by number seem to be split 2 on each side, with each pair being between a Vista Suite and an Oceania Suite. Those cabins are not forward facing. Where did you see plans showing the 4 cabins between the Vista Suites? GC

Perhaps a letter, on letterhead/etc., from his physician stating that he is disabled? Note that overseas, the Americans with Disabilities Act/etc., is not binding. With that, it was not necessary to state the specific disability. However, for overseas, it might be helpful to be at least somewhat specific, such as "cannot stand for more than 5 minutes [which can feel like 5 hours for someone who has trouble standing!], or cannot walk more than 3 yards, or must use a wheelchair or scooter/etc... and perhaps give something about the diagnosis. Under regular [other!] circumstances, I'd ask the trip organizer what type of detail is useful, but it doesn't sound like they are being particularly helpful. Note: Is this likely to mean that his needs won't be properly taken into account? Is there someone else at the tour company that you could ask? Please make sure that *they* are aware of the specific needs (e.g., wheelchair) and that the trip will be suitable. Otherwise, there might be a hotel where there is no lift or such. GC

That 3-year cruise we were all commenting on recently? It might be cancelled... or changed to a different ship. It sounds to me that a "cancellation" is more likely, but that's just from one news report. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/three-year-cruise-crisis/index.html Sounds like a bit of a mess, unfortunately. GC

Oh, do I empathize! I tore a rotator cuff a few weeks before a cruise. Our insurance would have refunded everything, but... I wanted to go and "recover at sea", where all the cooking, cleaning, etc., would be taken care of anyway. It was a bad tear, and at times *very* painful. And it was my dominant arm. (Is your wife's broken wrist on her dominant hand? That does make a bit of a difference.) Anyway, DH had to help me dress and cut food for me, etc. The wait staff were also very helpful with this once they realized there was a problem and recognized me. (Nice!) I didn't have a cast on, so there was major signal to others, alas. However, I was always keeping my arm at an odd angle, right next to my body. (I had tried a sling, but it was more trouble than it was worth.) And the hair salon got to know me pretty well, too. I also took some major pain killers with me, and yes, I had copies of all scripts and a letter from the physician - with copies on our laptops and in the cloud. NOTE: We checked and these were not prohibited in any country we were going to. The only mistake we made was that although we cancelled/changed a lot of excursions, we kept the one with a chartered motorboat to take us to a sheltered cove we like. I could NOT get back into the boat! 😱 It took DH and another person to literally shove me up and into the boat after I'd splashed around in relatively shallow warm water. (Yes, *embarrassing* 😳 ) We were both very glad we went, although it wasn't quite the vacation we were hoping for. Good luck! I hope you both have a great time. And yes, I think they do make some waterproofing, but I don't know about soaking underwater for an extended time, vs. for a quick shower. Ask your orthopedics group. Yours won't be the first time it's been asked. 😉 GC

Yup, looks like we should check if we see something like this when we are likely to be traveling! Thanks. GC

Thanks. I figured that wouldn't be possible. However, I would have hated to find out much later that perhaps we *could* have done that. Thanks. GC

When they have this type of sale, can one choose one's cabin/suite, or is it like hoping for an upgrade, one gets whatever might be available without knowing what the specific cabin will be? And is there ever a way to use a sale like this to get from, say, a concierge cabin to a PH suite? Or is there no jumping between categories like that? Thanks! GC

If you do not want to be "put on... United", the make your own reservations. Then you can arrange the airline, the flights, the times, the seats, etc., as you prefer them. And you can make any changes, should you want/need to do so, directly with the airline yourself. GC

But it *should* be required reading, and sooner rather than later. Reading those details when one wants to file a claim is not the best time to find out that the requirements for a claim are not met for your particular needs, something wasn't covered, or something should have been handled differently, etc. Many of the complaints about travel insurance involve claims for events/issues that were never covered or that violated some term(s) of the policy in the first place. The rest of it, "filling out the paperwork", isn't difficult; just include *all* receipts. One may need a form to be completed by a treating physician. Best to know that while one is still there, or get the forms. (I simply sent in a copy of the hospital records once, and other times just asked the treating physician for a handwritten letter at the time of care overseas. Those were sufficient. There was no push-back to get the "proper form" completed by a foreign physician or such, but that could vary, obviously.) Worst case in that situation, usually, would be that the insurer would request additional information; in that case, just send it along (before considering it a "denial"). And not knowing to save receipts, etc... not good to find that out "later", after receipts haven't been saved. GC