GeezerCouple

This ^^ The insurers have the right to take care to avoid fraud. In addition to that, chances are that the terms and conditions of the policy include how to submit a claim, and that likely requires all receipts plus any relevant forms like from a physician. Does the insurer have a specific form for the physician to fill out? If you don't submit the claim that includes *everything* the insurer requires, then... chances are good you won't get paid, or won't get paid for anything that involves the missing documentation. In the case of the very basis of the claim, an injury, probably nothing would be paid without that required physician's form. The faster you get them the complete claims documentation, the faster you'll get paid. GC

Correct. It's not just "NCL". That linked article shows a file photo of "U.S. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings cruise ship Marina arrives at the Havana bay, Cuba March 9, 2017", although they don't mention "Oceania". GC

CC does not allow TA recommendations, unfortunately. For future use, perhaps ask once on board from others on your Roll Call or any other passengers. GC

Yes, "His bag is still at the port, and the local port team is holding it hostage. They told him to take care of my bag first, and then they'll discuss how to reunite him with his bag " is pretty impressive. As for us, we are among those with the bedraggled ribbons (REALLY ugly and tacky - as they break or fall off, we just add a few more) - and we added some duct tape that is clearly meant for something like a 10 year old's birthday party, incredibly sparkly. Some of those strips have fallen off, so we'll be on the lookout for something else obnoxious. (Yes, we just LOVE checking in at something like the Four Seasons with luggage that looks like that, ahem...!) But what we finally feel (no pun intended) is going to help most is: the handles, what someone would grab first without really looking, is wrapped in something with a very odd texture to it. I really have trouble imagining someone starting to pick it up without doing some sort of doubletake, "What the &$%# am I FEELING on this!?" Yes, it could be removed (very strong velcro, but not gorilla glue... but hmmmm...!) but this is for the UNplanned snatch the wrong bag, not for the bag thief types. Those latter are a different category entirely. GC

I just wish they (any "they" such as NCL in cases like this) wouldn't try to hide behind faux rationales. At this point in our lives, we almost always get suites. (Some trip involve facilities that don't have that, or don't even have room service, and we still have a wonderful time. A part of this depends upon what the clients expect from the advertising, etc., no surprise.) We sometimes tell our steward not to bother to tend to our suite a second time, or perhaps "could you just leave a bunch of extra bath linens" or such. But I'm trying to think about how much that second "turn down service" involves much water or chemicals. I suppose if things *need* to be cleaned up that way...? And if there is some sort of unexpected "real mess", presumably there would be a steward available to help (even if for no other reason than to avoid more serious mess or even damage). Obviously that could vary considerably. In our case, and probably many others, mostly it's re-making the bed, and straightening up things so it all just "looks nicer", and often fresh bath linens or re-folding the old ones. If we have a couple of grands with us, a bit more help from housekeeping might be more useful...! 😉 More generally, there have been new customs about this in many places: If one wants new bath linens, put them on the floor or in the tub; any left hanging are not replaced. A few hotels will offer something like $5 off per night if one wishes to skip housekeeping the next day, but they need to know the evening before, so they can adjust staffing. At least they are straightforward about trying to save on staff costs, rather than claiming the benefit is from using fewer chemicals when they straighten the bed linens in the evening. (heh) I do "get it" that the cruise industry has been really hard hit (as have many other areas of hospitality). What's wrong with acknowledging that? Or do they really think their passengers believe it's the savings in bleach that's important? 😠 Did NCL anywhere suggest that this is "for our convenience", by any chance? 😀 Even in top 5 star hotels, that second service usually doesn't involve much like the main housekeeping service, unless there's a specific incident or need. GC

Also ask on the CC Travel Insurance section, plus just generally browse through some of the threads that might seem to cover a topic of interest to you. There is such variability in travel insurance coverages, and likewise in what "private insurance" would cover, that it's not a simple answer. And... it depends upon what your own specific concerns are. Some people have pre-existing conditions that some policies will cover but some won't. Some want coverage in case a non-traveling family member gets sick... We strongly recommend you CALL www.TripInsuranceStore.com In addition to answering your questions, they are likely to ask you some questions, to try to find the best match of a policy for your particular needs. They are a broker (no extta charge for using them) and work with several vetted insurers. There are also other brokers whose name will come up on the insurance section. We've had several claims, unfortunately, including a few large ones, and all have been paid with no nonsense. Check the "do they pay or make claims a real pain" comments, too. GC

FlyerTalker, The names of the flight attendants are terrific! Blast from the past, etc. 😄 GC

The flights cannot be refunded, but usually one can pay a modest fee to change the dates or get a credit to use later. And sometimes one can get reimbursed for the change fees. Sometimes... I'd be more than slightly ticked off. We always get third party travel insurance. I should check how this situation would be covered, or not. Good luck! GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! There are quite a few issues like this discussed on various places here on CC. Please keep in mind that the traveler needs to abide by whatever "rules" or laws/regulations are applicable. Not every group/company/country will have identical rules. If you cruiseline states one thing, and it is longer than some other related entity states, then the cruiseline will rule. You are contracting with *them*, and they set the terms, even if you could have flown directly to the foreign location with your current passport. As long as the terms and conditions are not discriminatory or otherwise illegal (and this certainly doesn't sounf like it is), then you have no valid argument. You could try to find a difference cruise line that has different requirements. And note that there does seem to be some variation in the rules about this, from one cruise line to another. (And that may or may not be possible.) I'd suggest expediting a passport renewal. They've got a month. Good luck! (And this could be used as a good lesson to all of your travel companions, and perhaps you if you are helping to organize this and future travel) to be sure everyone *reads* the "terms and conditions" when you first make the decision to travel, rather than waiting until the travel date approaches. Unfortunately, this particular problem, like some others, isn't obvious unless someone has already encountered it... by reading about it, for example, or encountering it...) GC

Yes, do reserve Privee as soon as possiple once can. That may be the amenity with the fewest available "slots", given it's just one room. And note: Having your Butler serve you in your suite does not count as one of the "available" Specialty reservations. That applies to the seating *in* each restaurant. We happen to love eating in a couple of the Specialties, so if there is any difficulty getting extra reservations, we'll first ask our Butler if they can arrange additional reservations. Often that is possible. If not, then we just "eat in" our suite! We will also "eat in" if we are tired after an excursion or such. But we also double check the MDR menu, as there can be something there that is especially appealing, in which case, we'll try to adjust our reservation date. For anything like this, when we know in advance (even slightly in advance), we always tell our Butler as soon as possible, so they can arrange their schedules. And we tell them that if they are busy at that particular time, let us know as we can almost always adjust our timing if that makes a difference. Another treat is to have a nice big breakfast served when we wake up. We do request that in advance, at a certain time. What we do is tell the Butler that the "Privacy" signage is for every else, not for them. If we truly want privacy, we'll bolt the door. So they can quietly come in with breakfast. If we are awake, we'll greet them and talk (obviously!), but if we are not, they can be very unobtrusive. And what's better than waking up to the smell of bacon and coffee, and perhaps a few gentle clinks of the china being set out? If we open our eyes and mumble "Good morning!", we'll get a gentle greeting in response. Otherwise, they are in, set everything up, and they leave. They are professionals. Yes, we do this even when a "suite" is really only one large room. We *really* appreciate Butler service on cruises. 🙂 Enjoy! GC

We always have an annual MJA plan (well, when we are traveling, pre-COVID, and hopefully again in the not too distant future). We would almost definitely want to be taken to our regular medical center, which is a top teaching hospital/medical school, etc. We'd want to go there, as they have our medical records and they "understand" us and our health care, etc. It would have to be really extraordinary that our physicians couldn't arrange for us to be admitted, although something like the early days of COVID, when there weren't hospital beds available anywhere... in which case there are no doubt more serious "issues". About the after age 75 health screening, we were quite concerned about that when DH was turning 75 just before our most recent trip. We were figuring (hoping?) that IF MJA excluded seniors if they have relatively common things like high blood pressure or cholesterol, etc., conditions that are controlled with meds, they probably wouldn't be covering many over 75's at all, so why go to the expense of screening applications, etc. And similarly, if other relatively frequent vagaries of aging would be excluded... So we weren't sure what to expect... more screening questions? Copies of medical records? Much more detailed forms to be completed by the physician beyond the initial form? As it turned out, we sent the regular forms in, including a short form from his physician, and in just a few days, without any additional comment or inquiries, DH was approved for coverage. I don't know at what point they wouldn't accept someone over 75, but they certainly aren't requiring that someone be a senior tri-athlete or such! 🙂 GC

Oh right... I remember when first traveling overseas (maybe I had overlooked it previously in the USA?), but the question of "Is superior 'better' than deluxe or is it the other way around?" drove me nuts. And I don't think there was any consistent usage among various providers! Yes, GRRRRR! Apologies! GC

This "inappropriate" use of the term "suite" isn't restricted to HAL, unfortunately. "Suite" shouldn't be used anywhere if the "suite category" includes anything special at all. To find out that, "Oh, *that* suite - *your* suite* - does NOT include the "suite benefits" is, at best, unfortunate. Yes, one could/should read the fine print, but especially for newbies some of this can be overwhelming... plus, WHY should someone need to double check if "THIS suite" includes "suite perks"? Shouldn't the category make that obvious? Alas, not always. I have never understood why, on ships, they use "suite" when it... isn't, but there *are* special "suite perks". Why not call it a "Deluxe Balcony cabin" or a "Special Super Deluxe Jumbo Balcony cabin" or whatever? To later claim that a "[Name] Suite" isn't a "real suite" is... <insert preferred term>... 😠 We fortunately never got stung by this, so our attitude certainly isn't sour grapes. It only makes sense. Would they call a cabin an "ocean view cabin" if there were no view of the ocean? "Oh, that's just what we call that cabin!" I haven't found that anywhere (yet!??). </rant> RM

Obviously not Jazzbeau, but our policies also let us increase the amount of coverage as one goes along. We [used to, in the before days 😞 ] tend to make reservations very far in advance (1-2+ years), so we can get a cabin/suite that we want, *and* we sometimes change our plans, we don't want to pay far in advance for insurance for the entire cost of what may be a pricey cruise. And we'd rather not pay all of that upfront anyway, if it can be avoided. We get Travel Insured coverage through www.TripInsuranceStore.com - if you call them you can get all the exact details for any of these policies that they offer. So we pay the premium for just the deposit (refundable or not) when we make that, and then, as we up the non-refundable payments for other parts of the trip, we notify TIS and they bill us for the additional. Rinse and repeat. Note: Some of this is because we want to start the coverage within 10-20 days (depends upon state of residence; this is for USA residents) so that there are *no* exclusions for pre-existing conditions. Aside from that being a benefit of its own, we suspect it speeds up the claims process for any claim with a medical basis, be it medical costs or trip cancellation. There's no need for the insurer to "double check" that the condition generating the need for a claim was/was not "pre-existing". Also note: We also want to get the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. This pays 75% cash back without the need to prove that the reason for the claim was a "covered reason". This does cost extra, and although we've had quite a few travel insurance claims (alas!), including some high claims, we've never yet made a CFAR claim. However, we have several times "almost" made a CFAR claim (and this now includes travel "Interruption", not just full cancellation) and during those times, *knowing* we had that option was a considerable help. It's definitely an additional SWAN thing (Sleep Well At Night)! 🙂 Some policies will let you start the coverage closer to the travel date and still include any pre-existing conditions, but one must always be "fit to travel" on the day the policy is started. Thus, if we are in penalty phase of reservation and get sick, we may not be able to start the coverage. But I don't think any policy will allow one to include CFAR coverage after that 10-20 day window after the first trip payment is made. Again, call Steve or others at TIS. They are incredibly patient with newbies (or oldies, too 😉) and they'll sometimes ask extra questions of you so they can better understand which policies might work best for you, or which may not work at all for your needs. GC

Also take a look at the Travel Insurance section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ GC

I think it was this promo that led someone else to complain that with the "promo", the base fare and all was much higher, so there wasn't really any savings. Always look at and compare the final *total* costs. GC

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, and first things first, I hope your father is okay! Travel insurance policies can vary in their coverage. The type we get absolutely does cover this situation; we had a very similar claim, but it was very elderly MIL with a sudden heart problem. She wanted us to go, but the doctors told us, "Uh, no, you probably shouldn't leave town just now". She was mid/late 90s, and she did make it through (though she passed about a year or two ago, five weeks short of her 100th (fully alert until the last few days). I'll second the suggestion that you contact Steve at www.TripInsuranceStore.com - but CALL him/them, don't rely only on the short onling policy summaries. There's no way they can capture all of the possible situations you might be likely to want insured. They'll ask you questions about things like pre-existing conditions, and if there are any non-traveling family members that might be a concern, etc. We get insurance from Travel Insured, through TIS. They can also help with claims, or any unusual or difficult situations (probably for insurance from any of the vetted insurers they work with). We had a check for the full amount within about two weeks of submitting the complete claims forms. GC

Thanks very much. I'm really glad this topic of the seabass for two at Jacques cropped up here. I don't think we really even considered it in the past. DH has taken quite a liking to fish on our last few trips (not cruises), and although I'm less enthusiastic about "fish", it's healthier than the "red meat" I often enjoy when dining out. And I *love* the sea bass at Red Ginger. 🙂 (Yes, I'll be getting that, too, of course!) GC

richardabc: You've got about 2 weeks to go, or a bit less now. Because you mentioned a visa, this probably is *not* some sort "very short/not terribly expensive" cruise... probably something you've been arranging for while? In your situation, I'd be planning to head to a State Department/Federal Office building, with all travel documents in hand (and perhaps the messages to/from NCL), to get an emergency-basis passport that can be issued really quickly. Then, would you have time to get confirmation of that visa? Hard to know, without knowing which country it is (or get a new visa?). This is something I've heard much less about than with than emergency USA passports. It's certainly "possible" that youll get your passport from NCL in time, but is it "probable"? As pointed out already, it's probably cutting it awfully close under the best of circumstances. And unfortunately... this isn't anywhere close to "best of circumstances", with holiday travel and weather snafus. I wouldn't want to take that risk, not if I really did want to take that cruise and the rest of that planned trip... At least you found out somewhat in advance like this, and not the evening before you were leaving home, or even that very morning! Good luck, and hopefully a very Happy Holiday season to you! GC

That's all we see. But hey, that's okay. We'll just print them out, and then have some extra blank paper to use! 🤣 GC

This ^^ Ask once on board, right at the start, and make sure you explain that this is *not* an "extra" dining request but rather you are trying to get "your one guaranteed" reservation at whichever restaurant. You may not get the evening or the time you most prefer, but you will have an opportunity to eat there. (Include that you want just a table for two; give a reason if you wish, or not. I'm sure they have heard all kinds of special requests.) Don't start off with a negative attitude such as "being locked out" before the cruise has even started. Many difficulties can be remedied, and some/most of them without any difficulties. GC

Maybe it was just a kitchen mistake, and they were served a scallop instead! 😉 I also love the foie gras, a real treat. But we've never tried the Seabass in puff pastry for two. We've enjoyed other foods (not on Oceania) in delicate puff pastry. We both are crazy about the glazed sea bass in Red Ginger. How does the seabass compare between the Jacques and Red Ginger? Ah, how we miss our traveling... GC

Something to consider if you do have insurance that includes foreign travel is what amount of reimbursement it will cover. There are usually some regular limits that relate to customary fees/etc., and perhaps different criteria for emergencies... or coverage may be *only* for emergencies if overseas (or away from regular health care system). I'm not sure if travel insurance tends to have "customary fee" restrictions. We haven't seen any indication of "maximum amounts", but we also haven't submitted any "very high" medical bills. I suspect they'd investigate if costs seemed exceptionally high (?). In many cases medical care seems to be less expensive outside the USA than within, but this certainly isn't guaranteed. GC

You have something in writing from NCL, correct? Why not file a chargeback to the charge card you DID use to pay the NCL fare? That is where any credit should be posted. GC

Cruise line perhaps, and also cabin category/cost. There are often higher "service charges" for suites or such, but it's typically not a lot more. But it's the same, as far as I know, for all or most of the "regular" cabins. And those price points can vary dramatically, from the ultra-cheap insides to some of the nicer "just barely under suite" category. That service charge will be a much higher percentage for those lower cost cabins, and might "make a real difference" for someone who is barely able to afford the trip. I wouldn't expect those who can barely afford to cruise (this is different from those who can easily afford it but just want to be frugal and an "inside" is quite fine, etc.) IF they remove the service fee to then tip separately. Or not most of that group anyway. Perhaps some of them wouldn't take the cruise if the service fee was bundled into the cruise fare, but I wish they would do the bundling. I suspect many of them would still take the cruise. The stewards also work hard to change linens and clean bathrooms, etc, in the inside cabins, not just in the higher priced-accommodations. I remember way back, mid-70s, when the "tips" were handled by the steward arriving the final evening/night, to the cabin, to collect the "tip envelope" that had already been provided, complete with cabin number pre-printed. It was a very unpleasant "in your face" coercion-like experience, and it eliminated any good feelings about giving a tip for good service. GC