GeezerCouple

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

To repeat, it really isn't particularly helpful to mention what your insurance covers if you don't name the insurer or policy. There are countless insurers and policies. Just listing some of the included aspects of any given trip helps... how? And were you trying to explain about naming "any amount" of coverage? Thank you. GC

I'd be *very* careful relying upon the above comment. Which insurer is this? Where are you located? And importantly, exactly what does the policy cover? We are in the USA. To get the type of coverage we want/need, we cannot simply select "any amount" of coverage, for starters. Or at least, we haven't found such a policy.... Is the "plan fare" coverage only for the cost of the plane costs? Could you provide the name of the insurer and the specific policy type? Naming travel insurers is *NOT* at all prohibited here on CC. (It's only "travel agents".) Thank you! GC

That's encouraging. Have you carefully read the policy terms and conditions that refer to pre-existing conditions, and any waivers of exclusions based upon that? Policies can differ on that. Some have a look-back period and others require that one start the insurance at least 10-20 days of the *first* trip payment (even if a refundable deposit). The timing differs because it is state-dependent (states regulate insurance companies). So the travel insurance may cover it, but perhaps you will be able to travel, which would be the best of all! Good luck with everything! GC

Did you start the insurance before you knew about the need for surgery at that time? That is, would a cancellation for medical reasons be covered? If so, then wait to see how you are after surgery, and what your surgeon says as the cruise date approaches. I've traveled (not only on cruises) after surgery. Once was when there was a family emergency across the country, and I was told I could go IF I promised that I would not even lift my own purse. It was difficult, but I went, and I was *very* careful. I had to travel alone, which made it extra difficult, but I had arranged wheelchair service and other help. I went on a cruise with a badly torn rotator cuff. In that case, our insurance would have fully covered a cancellation, but we figured... better to relax on the ship than at home, where meals aren't cooked and served, housecleaning isn't done twice daily, etc. DH had to help me dress, etc. I couldn't cut food, so he helped there, too, as did the wait-staff after a short time. He went on some excursions; I stayed back, except for one port day when we had chartered a small motor boat, and they took us to a gentle beach and then back. (Even that motion was painful, but again, I was glad we did that.) We were very glad we went. So see how you feel and make sure you follow the surgeon's directions. Hope it all goes smoothly! GC

As you say, those issues are *subjective*, so why are you looking for an objective issue? OP is reporting *their* experiences/perceptions. Why challenge OP about why they didn't partake? I could easily report when others mention that the escargots are wonderful. But I happen to hate them, so ... why should *I* need to try them, if all I'm doing is reporting what I've heard, to share that information? Likewise, why would OP need to explain why they didn't participate in something(s)? "If not, why not?" ??? And things like not getting ice despite requesting it for each day, several times... not okay. The description of the food brought by room service doesn't sound appealing, and certainly a disappointment, especially given Oceania's "food" reputation. I'm a bit perplexed by the response to OP. GC

I doubt there are any such documents that are "legal" worldwide. But keep in mind, a medical POA/proxy is likely to be needed (at least initially) in an emergency situation. In that case, most emergency medical providers will do whatever they thing is immediately necessary, with the one caveat being some places my require up front payment. Anytime a medical POA/proxy is actually used where there is time to start reading something, chances are probably pretty good [note waffly wording!] that the providers just want *something* to cover themselves. We would always travel with grands (if without parents) with both the custodial permission and a medical permission, both notarized, even if notarization isn't required. We want something as "official" as possible "just in case". It's not hard to arrange in advance, and one can keep it around (plus copies on devices and in the cloud). GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! How long (#pages) is the "ticket contract"? I'm not sure just which document that is referring to, as we have no cruises currently booked (so can't look). However, why not just bring it along "just in case"? And the "instructions" are to bring it... Our goal when traveling (and when not traveling!) is to try to keep stress to a minimum. So instead of worrying whether we "should have" brought a document along... we'd just bring it. We do that with the full policy for our travel insurance, too. (That way, in case we aren't sure about whether something that happens after we've left home would be coverd... we can check.) And yes, most of the docs we also keep on our laptops and in the cloud (this includes copies of charge cards, passports, tickets, etc.). "Better safe than sorry", and so we can just relax and enjoy. 🙂 Enjoy your cruise! GC

This was terrific! 😁 However, my first thought was: Do any of these organizations actually exist? [The post above from Cruisingagain2022 indicates that at least some do!] ChatGPT has that quirky (!?) tendency to hallucinate and just make things up. On another forum, several members have been asking it to "give sources", and the following is a real example of the type of reply that ChatGPT gave about "sources" that appears after an elaborate response about a person/location: "User: Please cite your sources for the above. "It does not refer to any specific factual sources." 😡 Ouch! (And every time, each biography - some real people, some from major novels - had some accurate information, and some totally... "not accurate" information!) GC

Thanks. I didn't know about the non-stop from JFK-SIN. I thought the JFK-SIN was only the flight that stopped in FRA, and that the only non-stop was from Newark. We never explored the JFK-SIN non-stop. Which plane is the Newark flight on? We'd love to do that again! (Yes, really. And the Book The Cook food was *amazing*!) GC

Doesn't the JFK-SIN stop in FRA? (And I think pax can even get off/on there?) The Newark-SIN is non-stop. I wonder how the routes (and times?) have changed. When we took that flight about 3+ years ago (just before Covid arrived), we also flew East (for some reason I had expected we'd go West), and flew over Moscow and spent a lot of time in Russian airspace. GC

Is the NY (Newark) to Singapore on Singapore Airlines still the longest non-stop passenger flight? GC

OP, you should also check the US State Dept website about a form when a minor is not traveling with both parents. Princess may separately also have their own form. This should be something where the parent not traveling with the minor (in this case, both of them) signs the form >> and has it notarized, to document that the minor has permission to travel with the other adult. This is partly to avoid trafficking, but in the US, it is important to help prevent non-custodial parents taking the child out of the country without the permission of the custodial parent. When a "friend", e.g., you, takes the child out of the country, your name wouldn't match either name on the minor's birth certificate; hence, the notarized statement. If legal guardianship is involved, then that document should be available. Will all of this be required? But IF it is and you don't have the proper documentation, the minor may not be allowed to leave the country/board the ship. And IF Princess has separate requirements about passports being *required*, then that would be necessary, too. From what donaldsc posted above, it seems that Princess does have this requirement. GC

This change has sounded interesting. We need to take a look at the itinerary. (We were on the Trollfjord, and have very fond memories of it.) On the other hand, we were fascinated by the beauty of all the little towns the ship stopped at. It was the towns themselves, the picturesque backgrounds (stunning scenery), plus the water... and the interesting routes the ship took to get to some of the ports. That all turned out to be a very special part of the trip. We did the RT, so we called at each port twice, albeit once during the day and the other direction at night (given the time of year we traveled). We weren't quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be one of our favorite trips ever. As for the question about the Oslo-Bergen train, yes that was incredible. The middle section of the route especially... that was an almost otherworldly experience, the scenery was so stunning and unusual. We had stayed in Oslo for a few days, and then a few days in Bergen, and we flew home from Bergen the day after the ship returned. GC

Having had what was probably Noro on a cruise about 20 years ago, and it might have been Noro at a hotel ~5-6 years ago, there is NO way I would have been able to "leave the ship" for half a day. I would definitely not have been able to leave the cabin for that amount of time. 😱 The thought of an absolute directive like that, with some passengers ill like that... is actually laughable. The second time, although we also don't know for sure what "it" was, I ended up with the hotel calling an ambulance, per instructions from a physician the hotel arranged to stop by to see me a couple of times. But I kept getting worse... Again, I was NOT going to be "out in town" for a few hours, to put it mildly. We weren't on a cruise, but we had stayed at a hotel the previous week at a hotel where there were a lot of after-cruise travelers. I'm sure that not everyone on the ship who "has it" is in the medical center, or has even told any HAL staff about it... I guess I'd have needed to go to the medical center for the "time out", if we really had to vacate for a while. (oooh... *no* pun intended! 🙄 ) GC

Wine that you carry on board and do not pay corkage... is for enjoyment in your cabin or suite only. The corkage fee is for wine that you drink elsewhere. Please don't abuse Oceania's liberal wine policy by sneaking a glass of your own wine into a public area. If that's done too much, they may change the policy, and that would be a real shame for many. Thank you. GC

That's a very good question. We have responded to many questions about travel insurance, but we have had quite a few policies and several claims (including a few large ones). So we can indeed speak to the process of selecting a policy (with the help of www.TripInsuranceStore.com) and of getting claims paid (from Travel Insured, the insurer that TIS helped us find). It is important to buy "the right policy", but that may not be known or appreciated until/unless one does file a claim. And one can't know if the policy someone helped you to purchase (or simply sold to you, perhaps only online) is indeed satisfactory for your needs unless....... I think the complaints about claims are also problemmatic. Many of those are because the policy never covered the reason for the claim in the first place. Yes, that's a serious problem, but many people seem happy with their online purchases, and so much of the critical "fine print" simply isn't included in the online policy summaries. TIS takes a lot of time to help someone find a policy that best fits *their* needs/interests, although they also have an online process that could bypass the interaction. And they will help with claims if requested. (We had them look over our first claim, which was a biggie, and that made us feel more comfortable when we submitted it, although I'm sure we'd have been fine anyway.) I wish we did not have all the experience with travel insurance claims, but we do. So we can indeed speak from experience, and with quite a few different types of claims. We "won't leave home without it" (or at least, not for foreign trips!). GC

Here is a link to the CC section on travel insurance. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ You might want to browse through some of the existing threads in addition to asking your question there. GC

Good one! 🤣 GC

THIS! Exactly! Oh, how wonderful that big closet is, for a multitude of sins, er, uses! 😁 So nice to push <whatever> in there quickly, and... shut the door. And voila! It's gone....! And the suite looks just wonderful, all nice and neat. And yes, the luggage, too. So convenient. We will *really* miss that closet, in it's old configuration. GC

Does this mean they no longer offer a choice from either Polo or Toscana at no additional cost, other than the Privee room charge? GC

We definitely prefer the Jacques menu. Some real favorites there! 🙂 We happen to enjoy a nice leisurely dinner. As for the timing, is Ember a set seating time? If not, who is making you "linger" if you don't want to? The way it used to be (in Jacques, or the MDR, etc.), one could linger or not, as one pleased, and also depending upon how much one wanted to eat. GC

Here is how we think about connections, timing, etc.: We think about what happens 'downstream' from any snafu. So for an awards ticket from Australia to the USA... how easy would it be to get on another flight? This may depend upon your class of service. For example, with F (or even business), there may not be a lot of open seats on that next flight. There often aren't a lot of those premium seats to begin with, of course, never mind needing availability at the last moment. For economy, there may be more availability, but these days... is that still true with the apparent travel surge? So in a case like this (and we've been in this situation several times, with awards tickets) we spend the night at/near the connecting airport. That allows a lot of time for a delay on that first flight. Once thus far, we were able to stay at an air-side hotel, which made it a lot easier... no need for customs and immigrations and then security again. Nice! And we will *not* take a "late flight" to the connecting long-haul. We'll try to allow at least 2 additional flights in case of delay, and always at least one... unless there is no way at all to do that. And it depends upon whether it is one ticket, two, or perhaps a family traveling together, etc. Most of our decision making about this depends upon "how difficult it is likely to be to get the next flight" should things go south (heh, instead of north! 😉 ) at the connection. GC

That is a trip I would *NOT* want to take! 😱 GC

You might want to ask your hotel for recommendations, too. GC