GeezerCouple

In many cases, the country will have online instructions about their own controlled or prohibited substances, as well as online forms to complete/submit or contact information about how to handle the request. We *always* do whatever is required, even though we doubt we'd ever "get in trouble". All it takes is a) a sniffer dog and enthusiastic agent or b) an agent who got up on the wrong side of the bed, and "you're it!" for whatever possibly arbitrary reason... Probabilities are very low, but especially in some places, the consequences can be very severe. It's just not worth the risk. It's also not worth the worry. It's quite simple to "do it their way" if one is going to their country. The few times someone has signaled us over, or there was a sign to "declare" something, we headed over. As we walked over, I was opening the carry on and gettin ready to show what we had and perhaps our documentation. We are GeezerCouple and don't look much younger. Perhaps for that reason (?) every time, the agent has smiled and waved us along. In countries where there were strict issues, I'd start to say that we had some medications with us. That generated another smile and a slightly more vigorous wave to continue on our way. 🙂 There have been a few times when we were in a luggage area sort of between airside and the immigrations/customs area, and we saw agents with dogs patiently sitting next to them. We also watched them take the dogs around the various baggage. One time, the dog was sniffing and suddenly SAT DOWN. That's the signal, not to call too much attention (no barking or such). We watched to see if the agent was going to "do something", but the dog got a treat and they went on their way. We figured that was part of the training. (We also wondered what was actually in that luggage!) GC

Our Alaska cruise was pre-Covid, so I have no idea if things are the same or not. As far as "day rooms", this was the situation at our hotel, and note that we were already "guests" there, not strangers walking in the door. MANY flights leave late in the evening, due to the length of many flights combined with the time zone changes. (Otherwise, a lot of flights would be arriving on the East Coast in the wee hours. Some people might not mind that, but most probably would, plus for those needing a connection to smaller airports from major East Coast hubs... probably not a lot of connections during the wee hours.) So... there were people and luggage, LOTS of people and LOTS of luggage, sprawled just about everywhere in the lobby and *any* seating area. And the hotel had what we thought was a lot more than usual "seating and seating areas". We vacated our room at the last possible moment, after requesting a late checkout (a minimally "later" check out was granted; I suspect many of their guests were making the same request), and then we became part of the "general public" spread around the hotel. We did decide to have a nice meal, a "proper dinner" in their dining room, so that gave us something to do, and a somewhat nicer place to sit for a couple of hours. Anyway, one method to guarantee a "day room" would be to make a regular reservation, and just not spend the night! Depending upon how long you'd be waiting and how late your flight departs, that may/may not make sense. OTOH, it never hurts to *ask*! Or perhaps have a regular travel agent call around on your behalf to try to find one. (Some of those may have a bit of "pull" at some hotels... maybe?) Is it possible to enjoy a short excursion in Whittier, and head to Anchorage later in the day? Enjoy your cruise. We absolutely loved our Alaska cruise; it was one of our favorites. 🙂 GC

Have not been on these ships, but on others... These days, they are all accustomed to special diets. However, they may need ADVANCE notice, and the more unusual the dietary restriction, the more advance notice. The way I put it: "Help them to help you!" 🙂 And if it's some really tricky thing, then soon after boarding, ask to speak with someone from food services/etc., "to discuss VERY IMPORTANT FOOD ALLERGIES". That will get their attention! Then keep in touch with your contact person(s). They can help you know where you'll find foods that are suitable, or, also, they can arrange for suitable foods to be available where you are/where you will be. Also, we ALWAYS repeat the special requirement EVERY single time we order any food. Then we AGAIN ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK when it is served: "This IS the <special food type>, correct!?" Although we prefer open dining, meaning we don't have an assigned time, assigned table, and assigned servers, we tend usually quickly tend to find a waitperson who seems especially alert and pleasant, etc. We ask for their name, and then we tend to arrive at the restaurant front desk and ask to be seated where "X" is. We may need to wait briefly for a table to clear in that specific section, but it's never long. By the 2nd or 3rd time, the maître d' usually recogizes us, and starts to ask, "... at X's table?" with a smile? We usually explain it's because of a serious food allergy and "X understands" or such. After that... we don't need to ask, unless someone else is on duty (and they don't tend to change often, mid-cruise). And... we also always bring along some pre-packaged snacks just in case. These can be especially helpful the first day of a trip, or on an off-ship excursion, etc. Again, they are used to this type of thing these days. Enjoy your cruise! GC

Right! An airport has lots of waiting areas, and lots of permanent seating (even if "not quite enough" when flights are getting ready to board). There are going to be delays of various sorts, sometimes affecting full flights. And people are "in transit"; they may be making connections, so they can't really time their arrivals or departures the way they might have (and even when it's not a connection, timing is... difficult!!). With cruise ports, for "arrivals" and "departures", the goal is to have people arrive, get them processed, moved along, and back out the other side as quickly as possible. And a lot of the "waiting" in some cases (ship and port dependent) is... first simply to get into the terminal, and especially when the cruise is starting. 😡 At ports of call, probably except for when first arriving, most passengers are wandering on and off on their own schedules... which means they aren't likely to be needing to spend much time IN the terminal. They want to get going with their adventures, or get going right back to their cabins or to restaurants... ON the ship. I doubt too many passengers want to pay to eat some mediocre food in a terminal when they can have all the food they want if they just walk a bit further onto the ship. Yes, THIS was a real problem at one place! And especially when there was a major crowd just waiting/trying to get into the terminal. We had trouble even finding anyone to ask about this. Part of all of this does depend upon the numbers. The largest ship we've been on had just over 2,000 pax. The others maxed out at about 1,000 or fewer. I cannot even begin to imagine the boarding process when the ship holds 5k or 6k pax (or more!?). It's got to be quite a task to get all of those people processed and moved along! 😲 GC

THe "extras" that *might* be considered "class-based" are minimal and mostly what one would expect: size of cabin or suite. I doubt there's any surprise there. And there aren't passenger uniforms with designated colors indicating cabin size. (That is A JOKE in case there is *any* thought otherwise!!) Point is, almost all of any such "differences" are happening inside the accommodations. Extra bottles of free liquor at the top suites, just waiting inside, not something that a butler carries around on a tray following the escorted, privileged passenger as they wander around the ship. (Another JOKE!) No... things like the Butler are also mostly "in the suite", especially that room service with full meals including from the specialties. (I admit, we do like those meals, but no one else watches us have those served, nor do they know it's happening.) When you are sitting around a lounge area or at dinner, everyone is treated the same. Perhaps some very frequent cruisers are recognized by past crew members and greeted, but that's also not anything "class based". The "Frequent Cruiser" could be staying in any level, and some may change around from cruise to cruise. And it's not like, say, NCL, where there is a "Haven" with restricted access, something that is noticeable at almost any elevator, plus locked doors if one is able to get off at the "wrong" deck/area. Or a restaurant that is available ONLY to those staying in certain sections. There are a few specialty restraurants, but everyone has a chance to enjoy those. Reservations are limited by size/space, and that is an issue for everyone. (Top suites may get extra reservations, but again, that's not "noticeable" on board.) On Oceania, IIRC, there is one small spa area that was restricted, a deck at the very front. (Someone had mentioned recently that when they were on one of the O ships, there was no functioning locking mechanism; I don't know it that was temporary or a longer-term change.). But there are plenty of other outdoor spaces, and one has to be in a very specific location (one end of the spa) to even notice that door. Oceania isn't completely "equal for everyone" (not much is, after all), but there is not a sense of "some haves and some have-nots" while you are on board. I would *not* worry about this issue, not at all. Enjoy! GC

Yes, "it varies" are definitely the appropriate code words here! In addition to all of the "variables" already mentioned (cruise line, time of day, etc.), the "class of service/cabin-or-suite category" also makes a difference on some ships/cruiselines. Despite some general understandings such as "the class system on the Titanic no longer exists"... well, it probably doesn't exist in the *same* way. But there are definitely, er, "categories" for passengers, usually based upon type of accommodation (and usually related to cost of cruise). Thinking now of only "room service", on some ships, those staying in suites, for example, may have no charge for room service, or may have that available for a wider selection of items or times, while those not in suites may be more limited. Making this even more, er, interesting, there are sometimes other "categories" that are based upon, say, number of cruises or cruise-nights, each with differing privileges/perks. On the luxury lines, there may be no such differences in "service", but perhaps only in the size/etc., of the cabins/suites. But knowing which cruise line would be a huge help in understanding various services and any related charges. GC

Was the broker TripInsuranceStore? We are among those who buy policies from them. And... we've had claims, including some large ones. ALL got paid promptly. We also used Travel Insured (the actual insurance company), but our plan had a different name, so probably different terms (that have worked very well for us). Note: You can mention names of insurers or insurance brokers here. It's just "travel agents" whose names are not allowed here on CC. GC

In the future, you might want to use a Title/Header that helps the reader know a bit about what your question involves. Something like, "Comped cruise, medical insurance only??" or such. That way, you are likely to get more of the knowledgeable eyes to read your query. GC

There may be some confusion here between "being automatically excused" and "having a request not to serve be automatically granted". The latter does require some sort of contact with the court system. The former would not; it would be automatic based upon age. GC

No need to worry. [And as an aside, it's the PVSA (Passenger Vessel Services Act) that covers transport of people/passengers. The Jones act is similar, but for cargo.] It only involves direct transportation between two USA ports without first calling at a distant foreign port (specifically defined). If I've simplified that too much, another CC member will soon stop by to correct me! So if you are getting off one cruise and not getting back on the *same* ship until the next day, there's nothing to worry about. Getting off/on two different ships on the same day also isn't a problem. Staying on the same ship could be a problem if they would end up making you start in one USA port and disembark in another without that distant foreign port. (Consecutive but separate cruises on the *same* ship is what can cause unexpected trouble. One is still on the same ship for sequential nights, so it doesn't matter if the combined trip is "called" a single cruise or more than one; it would be a violation.) It seems that Canada may have something similar, but I'm not familiar with that. But in both of your cruises, you are traveling between two different countries, so this doesn't apply. And you have a day between the cruises, so it also doesn't apply. You might want to browse more about PVSA here on CC, where there are several threads, including a current one: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3006258-passenger-vessel-services-actjones-act/ Enjoy both cruises. Sounds like a wonderful combination! 🙂 GC

Always have a Plan B, but in this case, it's especially important, as a missed connection isn't all that improbable, unfortunately. IF the flight is on time, you should be fine! GC

Yes, in case of any claim based upon a medical situation, you should get a signed letter from a physician (or other healthcare provider), one preferably whom you have just *seen* (unless impossible, I suppose??). I think many (most? all?) insurance policies state something like this. [A Zoom call these days may suffice... things have changed in the past few years!] It would not work to "self declare" that there was some medical emergency or other "need" requiring that you not travel, for obvious reasons. GC

However you handle it, don't double dip! IF you get credit from the cruise company, then do NOT claim that amount from insurance. But it's likely to be better to get the cash from the insurance rather than a "credit" from the cruise company, which is limited in use and possibly in time duration. GC

Welcome to cruising! In addition to browsing a bit on this CC section, we'd strongly suggest that you CALL: https://tripinsurancestore.com Call them so they can discuss things with you, and in addition to any questions you have for them (starting with ALL of your questions above!), they'll probably ask you some questions, too, to help find the best coverage available for your needs. Note that in the future, for any travel insurance, the best choice of policies will be available if you start the coverage when you make the *first* payment, even if that's only the deposit. You can discuss that with TIS also, for the future. They are a broker and offer policies from several vetted insurers. No extra cost to the travelers. And they can help with a claim, should that be needed. We learned about them here on CC, and have had several claims, including some large ones. All we paid promptly. By the way, I'm assuming you are a resident of the USA. If not, much of the above may not be relevant. (Try to at least add the country in your posts, under your UserID for reasons like this.) GC

We've never had any problem at all with rebanking miles either, with any of the programs we use. But the programs/airlines we use have very modest "rebanking fees" to do it. It's not enough to fret about at all, but since that IS included in the travel insurance, we do add it to the claim each time we've had to do that. GC

We travel a lot with the air being using awards. Fortunately, although that part of the trip - the "regular cash price of the air trip" - is not insuranble, for a very modest cost, we can re-bank the points (almost always, IIRC). And we can insure that modest cost, which we only do because our insurance type requires that we insure ALL non-refundable costs. Even though we didn't pre-pay that fee, we include it. It's small enough that it's never kicked us into a higher tier of coverage (it goes by increments of the total cost), so it was always a non-issue. Better to include anything that MIGHT be in the "everything"...! And yes, we've recovered that "rebanking fee" a few times, although that was never a real concern, obviously. But if we were filing a claim, we'll include everything there, too. GC

Do you mean, like leave the ship while there are still passengers on board!?? 😱 Do you really think that the Costa Concordia captain "FELL" into that lifeboat? If so, I have this bridge for sale... 😉 GC

What cruise line/ship are you thinking about? Because, yes, "It depends", 😉 but in part that "depends" upon where you are. Some of the premium/luxury lines are able to accommodate special requests (including occasionally something that is not on the regular menu at all, if they have the ingredients, etc.). That's part of what the extra costs might include (among many other niceties, of course). GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! You probably should also post this on the NCL section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/ And you might want to browse through other sections of CC for assorted general information. 🙂 https://boards.cruisecritic.com GC

The weather can be *very* unpredictable. We went in late May/early June. The weather was predicted to be rainy the entire way, so we brought rain gear, etc. It was sunny *every* day! We obviously had no complaints, but much of what we brought? Never touched. GC

This doesn't directly answer your question, but are you sure you want an annual policy? Have you checked the various restrictions and limitations, in terms of total $$ limits and also how pre-existing conditions are handled (or not)? As long as you fully understand the complete Terms and Conditions, then you should also be able to compare the policies. Or is your question about the two insurers more generally, and not regarding the specific type of policy? GC

I suggest you call a travel insurance agent or broker. There are quite a few different types of "medical evacuation" services, and they can be for different situations. Many (most?) travel insurance already includes "medical evacuation", but that may only be "if necessary". MedJetAssist leaves the choice to the patient ==> once they are already an INpatient at a hospital. I'm not familiar with Airmed or other similar services. A travel insurance professional can discuss with you what your concerns and possible needs are/would be and help you decide what type of policy would be the best fit. GC

Apparently the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is very good, but regarding travel insurance... When using *any* charge card linked insurance, please make certain that you understand all of the Terms & Conditions (T&Cs). These can be quite different from outside/3rd party travel insurance. The main thing to watch for (for most claims) concern "pre-existing conditions", with a second concern being the maximum coverage per trip (or perhaps per year). Some of the card-linked travel insurance does NOT cover claims relating to pre-existing conditions. Also make note of how the specific policy defines "pre-existing condition". There are several definitions, and the travel insurance usage can be VERY different from what we think of in everyday life. In some cases, this could be a negative or a positive, but it's critical to know what is or is not covered for *your* policy. GC

I should also have emphasized that travel insurance may be especially important for you. We feel that way in general (and have had several claims ourselves), but especially if there is something like this that could easily make someone sick enough to need to leave the ship for a hospital! Here is the section on CC about travel insurance: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ You may want to browse there or also ask questions. Note that as klfrodo wrote, you should be looking for a policy that *does* cover any pre-existing condtions. This usually means that you MUST start the insurance within about 10-20 days of making your very FIRST payment (timing depends upon state of residence). Then you up the coverage promptly as more non-refundable payments are made. (There may be other ways to get coverage that doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions, but starting the insurance right away gives you the best choice of policies.) You should definitely contact a travel insurance agent or broker so they can help you make sure that you get this right. We are among those here on CC who use and recommend: https://tripinsurancestore.com But CALL them; don't just rely upon the short policy summaries on the website. Those cannot capture all of the "fine print", which is especially important with insurance. TIS is a broker, and they work with a few vetted insurers. They can also help if there is a claim. They are wonderfully patient with those who have lots of questions; that included us just over 10 years ago, when we learned about travel insurance here on CC. And we had a large claim the very first time we purchased travel insurance, and we were reimbursed for all of our non-refundable payments within about 2 weeks of submitting the documentation! (And we've since had several more claims. Now... we don't go far from home without that coverage!) There is no extra charge to purchase insurance through them. GC

Note: We ALWAYS bring a bunch of pre-packaged diet-appropriate snacks (e.g., protein bars...) "just in case". These can also be very handy for any excursions where either there is no diet-appropriate food, or the organizers didn't understand the needs and "thought" they were able to do it. These are always in our hand luggage when traveling, too. For example, what if we have an unexpected overnight between flights, maybe due to weather. We always know DH will have something safe to eat. GC