cwms

I finally spoke with someone in the claims dept the other day. Despite sending in LOTS of paperwork 2 months ago, everything they asked for, they still want more.

I don't have a good feeling about this.

My wife and I cancelled our early Oct cruise due to increasingly poor health with my mother. We cancelled early enough to get partial credit from the cruise line and submitted our claim with the ins. company early Oct for the balance.

We are still trying to get this resolved. We sent in LOTS of paperwork, everything they asked for and they still want more.

I just don't have a good feeling about this.

Question....we paid everything, cruise and insurance with our American Express card. Any chance AE will go to bat for us and help in this situation?

Yes, I have talked to customer service but getting thru to the claims dept is a different story. CS tells me the claim has been received but the claims dept has not looked at it yet or assigned a claim number to it. They tell me to call back after a week.

Old thread, but since several people mentioned how good CSA is, I thought I would ask.

Wife and I cancelled our Oct 5, New England cruise on RCI out of Baltimore, due to health issues with my mom that got considerably worse after we booked our cruise. Taking a 10 day cruise to New England/Canada is just out of the question at this time.

We cancelled in time to get a partial refund from RCI, now waiting on CSA and they are incredibly slow as in taking a week just to respond to an email.

Are all the travel insurance companies just slammed taking care of all the cruise issues due to Sept and Oct major hurricanes?

we're supposed to be on the ship right now, but we had to cancel a couple weeks ago...mom's health is not good.

Anyway, what are they saying about any effect hurricane Nate might have on you guys? Lots of rain? Maybe some rough seas?

I hate to say this, but the poverty of most Caribbean islands is depressing to be around. If there is any poverty on Bermuda, it is well hidden.

People are very nice and you feel safe anywhere on the island. Busses and ferries are the way to get around. DO NOT rent motor bikes. Traffic is horrible.

As everyone else has said...Bermuda, hands down.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss public transportation. If I recall, you can buy a daily pass that you can use all day long on busses and ferries. No question, if you want to get into Hamilton, ferry is the way to go.

We ferried into Hamilton, bussed to St. George from Hamilton and ferried back to the ship from St. George.

Whatever you do, don't rent a motorbike unless you are an experienced biker. Traffic in Bermuda is horrible. We did, but after riding 3-4 miles, turned around and took it back. Even riding on busses is scary.

 

Another bonus - Baltimore cruise Terminal is the most efficient organized port!

Only been there once and going again in Oct. but the one time we did GOS out of Baltimore, my wife and I had passport issues. Our fault, not RCI. Anyway, the people working the terminal were very attentive to our plight and we solved the problem very quickly. When we got back, we wrote a nice letter to RCI/terminal thanking everyone for their help.

We didn't do those, but we did do the kayak excursion and I don't recommend it. All we did was kayak 1/3-1/2 mile down the beach and taken ashore so we could buy local trinkets at a hut on the beach. If I recall, no one in our group bought anything...nothing worth having. RC made money renting out the kayaks and I'm sure they get a kick back for taking passengers into local shops.

Do yourself a favor, stay in the compound, hang out on the beach, so some swimming and eat a good lunch.

If you want a lounge chair or beach umbrella, it's going to cost you.

It's been some years since we were there, but I recall that section of the island belonged to RC and it was completely fenced off, with a very high fence, to keep the locals away from the ship's passengers. Maybe it has changed, but I doubt it.

Others are right, the ship provides a buffet lunch.

We were on a RC cruise some years ago, forget which ship, and I can't remember what it was called, but one night we had flourless chocolate cake. It was one of the best things I ever put in my mouth.

This was our guarantee ocean view on the Grandeur last year........

 

 

 

I was a little disappointed at first, but kind of got used to it. Reminded me of binoculars.

 

 

Gwen :)

Yes, I know they have a handfull of rooms with the 2 portholes and I'm ok with that. As long as my wife can look out the window and see sunlight, all is good.

Just signed up for the Oct 5 trip to New England and booked an ocean view room. We opted for the cheap CAT Y room, which means they can put us in any ocean view room anywhere on the ship - their choice. Are we going to regret not picking a room? I guess its the roll of the dice. A primo room might open up at the last minute they put us into or we could end up in the bilge.

Any thoughts on this?

(y) (y) for www.insuremytrip.com

 

It's quite easy to filter all the policies to find those that cover pre-exiting conditions and fit any of your other requirements such as budget.

OK, 2 questions...

Better to go through insuremytrip.com or let my TA handle it? I'm sure when I go to book my October cruise to New England/Canada in the next day or so, my TA is going to offer it. Am I better off to say "no thanks" and handle it on my own?

2nd question...I did take a look at insuremytrip and they offered insurance from several companies. Any I should avoid?

Final payment for a cruise in September is in June. It's only mid-April.

This thread is about a July cruise, not Sept.

According to the travel agent we have been in touch with, suites are now available and I did get an email from the agent and he tells me that a few inside staterooms are now available even though the web site doesn't show the inside rooms.

We were planning on going to New England/Canada on Grandeur in late July, but I see where it is already sold out. Honestly, I'm shocked that this cruise is sold out 3-1/2 months away. Must be a very popular cruise, but the one in late June is still open. Works for me, but the wife doesn't want to be at sea over the 4th as we spend the holiday with our entire family.

Any thoughts as to why this cruise is so popular to be sold out this far in advance?

It's been a couple years since we were on GOS, but I do recall the piano bar guy to be very good.. Good, not great singer, but an excellent pianist. Interacted well with his audience.

OK, regarding carrying on bottled water....I assume no one gives you a hard time about carrying a brand of water the ship doesn't sell?

I went to another cruise only travel web site (that we're not supposed to mention), punched in Hawaii cruising from any CA port (round trip) and got a number of hits. Princess, Holland, Carnival, Crystal, Seaborn and Regent.

All cruising from LA, SD and SF.

Do the tour boats really get that close that they pose a danger to the passengers?How close do they get to the lava and what would be a safer, more reasonable distance?

For me, if I was running a tour boat, yes, I'd want my passengers to get their money's worth, but I certainly would not put them (and me) in a dangerous situation by getting too close.

Never been there but hope to in the next 3-4 years.

It's been 2-1/2 years since we were on Grandeur, but I don't recall any problems either getting on or off the ship. As others have said, Baltimore is a great port to cruise from.

We're planning on taking this cruise in July.

Looking at the cruise details, for the MDR, they list 2 formal nights and 2 semi-formal nights. Isn't that a bit much?

My last cruise on Grandeur was a 7 night to Bermuda with just 1 formal night.

On a cruise, formal for me is a blue blazer, khakis and tie. Packing a suit for me ain't happening.

Do I have to skip the MDR for formal night?

After passing the mouth of the Potomac on the way down, it should be Virginia on both sides.

Rick

The state line runs from Smith Point (VA side of the Potomac) straight across the bay to the Eastern Shore. Tangier Island is in VA.