captainsail

ducklite: in response to your "PG felt mass market to us, while Windstar felt like a private yacht. We were less than impressed by our time on the PG in terms of food and service. We never felt like we were in each other's way on the Surf, and felt like we were constantly tripping over each other in the PG,"

I think we might be describing 2 different ships. The PG holds 320. We were 270. The place felt empty in many places and never felt crowded expect when the theater was filled during the educational lectures/at the pool which was never crowded (seating in the shade was even adequate) /at the bar before dinner.

Food and service were 5 star everyday/all day. The staff could not do enough for us -- from remembering what we liked for breakfast each day to where we preferred to sit at breakfast.

Yes, we will plan to sail on a Windstar when the time and place are right for our schedule. And will plan to return to the French Polynesia islands. The next time we return, before or after cruising, we will plan to stay on two islands for 4 nights each and experience their culture more in depth as well as experience the section of glass floor in the living/sleeping quarters on stilts over the water. Awesome!

Happy travels all.

I appreciate your information and inside knowledge. I am a good researcher, plan every item of our adventures. I won't book this adventure until I know the hotels and research them. We know Singapore; so that helps.

I won't book this until I know the hotels. Chris Elliot is a travel ombudsman whose column appears every Sunday on page 3 or 4 of major news papers. Any travel problems you need to resolve, or to just to read his advice to others can be viewed at his website at http://elliott.org/

A pleasure to "chat" with you. If you have anything else to share, I will appreciate it. Gail

An addition: We just returned from a 2 week journey to paradise, aka the Paul Gauguin's 2 week journey throughout French Polynesia. The Marquesa chain is must see and PG visits there only 3 times each year. Jean Michel Cousteau, son of Jacque Cousteau, was one of 3 guest lecturers. He is an international treasure. Have photos of us hugging in the blue water of PG's private island (aka "motu"). Also, there was an historian and Paul Gauguin's biographer/ researcher-names not handy right now. The Paul Gaugain is elegant, the food and service excellent. The ship holds 320. Our ship had only 270 that week. Also, being aboard is a unique experience because some of the professional staff/all the entertainers/greeters are of pure French/Polynesian descent. A unique heritage. Look forward to repeating it in a few years by adding some days in Bora Bora or other island where we can choose an over water accommodation (bedroom/living room/bathroom) with a glass floor beneath a glass cocktail table--fishies, fishies and more..............Retirement is wonderful..............

sb44: Thanks for the quick reply. How long ago/the year/did you use their linked to your package hotel? Were they in remote locations and/or not 5 star? My travel agent informed me the hotels would be 5 star. Our priority is a centrally located hotel that is at least 4 stars.

We do not drink enough to use the credit for something like that.

With all of that info, any additional thoughts?

Much thanks.

Hi all,

We are contemplating booking this cruise: Singapore to Hong Kong. Here is the verbiage used on their website:

"Offer includes the choice between the following amenities (Windstar’s Premium Beverage Package, OR up to 2 complimentary hotel nights at a Windstar selected hotel property, OR up to $1000 shipboard credit per stateroom or suite , OR complimentary Internet for 2 devices). Cruises up to 10 days receive ONE free hotel night OR $200 shipboard credit per guest (max $400 per stateroom or suite). Cruises of 11 days or more receive TWO complimentary hotel nights OR $500 shipboard credit per guest (max $1,000 per stateroom or suite). The complimentary hotel offer is available per booked stateroom or suite, is for a Windstar selected hotel or similar property selected by Windstar, is applicable on select cruises, is based on availability at time of booking ............................."

I suspect this is the first time they are offering this itinerary, but I could be incorrect. My issue is the location of the hotels they will offer. My travel agent does not yet know because the information is not yet available.

I would feel more comfortable knowing that the hotel choices offered are centrally located. We visited Singapore a few years ago and loved it. So much more remaining to see/enjoy. We used public transportation/taxis as needed and stayed in a centrally located hotel.

Does anyone on this forum have any past experience with this type of thing with Windstar company?

Hi busybean, the company is called indo global tours. Its actually a buddy of mine who is on the same cruise that has organised this trip.

 

The plan is be off the ship by 8am (possibly sooner), 2 hour drive with police escort, Borobudur visit, lunch at local restaurant, drive 1 hour to prambanan with visit, return to ship @2.5 - 3hrs. Total round trip around 11 hours, and we should be back around 7pm for a 10pm embark.

 

I appreciate that this type of "risk" isn't for everyone, but given the time we have onshore, we believe its doable and worth it. i believe we have 8 or 9 folks on this tour which is the max.

 

David

Hi David,

Hope you are still subscribed to this thread.

We arrive on Azamara Quest in February 2015 at 6 am and depart at 10 a.m. I need some feedback about Indo Global and their tour to Borodudur. Send your reply directly to my e mail: gailhraznov@gmai.com

Thanks, Gail

Excuse me, but I happen to be a retired insurance agent. Medicare supplement plans g,n and f, to name a few, all provide international coverage. I would suggest you look this up on the internet.

Thank you for that information. I really do appreciate it. I did google it and I am happy to be corrected and learn more. However, what I learned is those plans cover only 80% of the medical costs, Trip insurance still needs to cover the rest, the amount of which one cannot predict. In addition, there is a lifetime limit in those plans. Given the cost of healthcare, even in places outside the U.S, the amount might be exceeded eventually.

My husband has one of those federally set up medigap plans you allude to and that are available in all states. But, not everyone would choose one of those plans for individual reasons. Some travelers who worked in state government or a public school district are offered excellent and even better rates provided by the state pension plan. I pay much less than my husband does and I get more benefits.

Also, if one of a couple doesn't choose the federal medigap plan, it may not be cost effective to buy two different trip insurance policies.

There is still the issue of the astronomical cost of private medical evacuation, if required, by helicopter and/or plane combined with the cost of accommodations and transportation for the family to stay near their sick family member, and if necessary, flying other family members to the town/city. In addition, in case of death, sending the body home. Very very expensive.

This happened to a cousin who was air lifted into a helicopter, her husband brought up in long basket. . They were flown from the ship to a hospital in Texas, fortunately not far from the ship. He pulled through but was hospitalized for a month and his adult children were flown to the hospital and had rooms in a hotel close to their mother. A good trip Insurance policy covered it all.

My only point is---it's better to know before one goes. Better to be safe by doing ones own due diligence by reading the fine print than being socked with a huge bill after because one relied on listening to someone who wants to sell a policy. Just a suggestion from someone who is always interested in learning more.

Here is the info from the Medigap website and the URL:

Medigap & travel

"Your Medigap policy may offer additional coverage for health care services or supplies that you get outside the U.S.

Standard Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S.

Plans E, H, I, and J are no longer for sale, but if you bought one before June 1, 2010 you may keep it. All of these plans also provide foreign travel emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S.

Medigap Plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N pay 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 deductible for the year. These Medigap policies cover foreign travel emergency care if it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover the care.

Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime limit of $50,000."

http://www.medicare.gov/supplement-other-insurance/medigap-and-travel/medigap-and-travel.html

“Many people overlook the fact that MANY Medicare supplement plans provide international coverage at the same level as the US coverage.”

Yes, there are supplements to Medicare, but they cover only 20% of what Medicare covers and doesn’t cover what medicare won’t cover, which is care outside of the U.S.

I find it safer to read what my plan covers. Any travel supplier will e mail a copy. You would be surprised at what some plans won’t cover. Also, 90% of the plans offered by travel suppliers, airlines, cruiselines, tour companies are from Berkely, a company with a terrible track record for coverage and claims--- according to reviews. I have read the plans offered by various companies. My travel agent offers a better plan but it is twice the cost of anything I find on insuremytrip.

“I was told it would be covered under the same circumstances as if you needed an ambulance. Many people are covered when "life-lifted" by helicopter here in the US.” Covered at what price? Cruise ship evac or private plane to a first world hospital where doctors speak English is very expensive. It’s not an ambulance. Experts I’ve read in AAARP and other travel articles say one needs at least $200,000 worth of medical evac insurance. Buyer beware. Not a problem until one has a problem.

Hello again. I am happy to report that we successfully negotiated what we believe we were due from Azamara for the cancelled cruise. We were already in Shanghai on Feb 26 and only learned of the cruise cancellation on Feb 27 in the evening from a cruisecritic friend who had arrived much earlier and contacted me by phone. We needed to do some planning. How to make lemonade from lemons?

We had planned to visit Xian, then return to Shanghai and board the ship on March 3. When we returned from Xian on March 3, we returned to our original hotel and called the Hyatt. We spoke to a representative who provided her cell phone number. We talked about our individual circumstances. I told her that we arrived in Shanghai on Feb. 26 and on Feb 27, how we learned of the cruise cancellation and how our friend had received a direct e mail from Azamara on Feb 27 about the cancellation The Azamara rep had no answer for why we did not receive an e mail. And, our travel agent did not receive notice until February 28.

I told the Azamara rep about the ordeal of having to be up all night Feb 27-28 in order to be in touch many times with our U.S. travel agent to rebook our air and extend our hotel stay in Shanghai. I told her that I hoped Azamara was not expecting one to just turn around in a short period of time and fly back to the U.S. In our case only 6 days, which would be a physical hardship what with the time changes and the toll it can take on the body. She said that she understood.

We told her we were booked to depart from Shanghai four days later on March 7 and had to pay an extra $3220 for both tickets and give up our first class return obtained with purchased miles. She said to submit receipts for the mileage purchase.

She also offered us compensation for 3 extra nights/4 days in Shanghai at the same rates all of us were offered, up to $250 per night for the room and a per diem of $100 a person for food and transportation.

We willingly paid out of pocket for the 4th day and had a fabulous extended visit in Shanghai, spending quality time at all the sites still on my list we would not have ordinarily had time to visit. The weather was good.

When we returned home, my husband was unsatisfied with the further negotiations with that rep. He was able to find the telephone number of Azamara’s president. A young lady answered the phone. She became our contact from that point on, about 3 weeks. We also re-contacted an internationally recognized travel ombudsman, Chris Elliot. Chris has an excellent, informative column in the larger Sunday newspapers. I have read it for many years. His advice is fabulous. I used it twice in the past to successfully obtain redress from U.S. Air

If you ever need it, go to his website (http://www.elliott.org) for info such as e mail addresses for the executives at all travel organizations and advice on how to get redress for your complaint. E mail the company with your complaint before you contact Chris for additional help. Only contact him/his organization if you are not satisfied with the company’s response to your problem. elliottc@gmail.com

As for our private trip insurance, we learned we would not be reimbursed for trip cancellation because we had already traveled; however an ombudsman from insuremytrip.com reviewed the policy and realized trip delay could be used. Thus, trip insurance reimbursed us enough to cover the cost of the insurance plus some additional monies.

Azamara offered all of us $500 per person for a flight change fee. However, we were not charged a fee to redeposit our 150,000 miles into our American Air account because they had changed the time of one of our return connecting flights, which I knew about before we departed. I was surprised to learn one can cancel a flight with no monetary penalty if a time change is made. In our case it was only five minutes.

Azamara also reimbursed us for the cost of buying the extra miles needed for our flights. But, not at first. Negotiations had stalled. That’s when we needed to contact Chris Elliot. We explained the problem, he contacted the lady we had been working with, he e mailed us to say he had contacted Azamara, and she called us within two days to reopen negotiations. We were satisfied with what was negotiated. And we believe Chris’s intervention was a key factor! No, I don’t work for his organization. And I have read that his staff is all volunteer.

While we did not recoup all the $3220 we paid for the return air, we were satisfied because the monies Azamara provided for a change or redeposit fee, combined with the amount my husband negotiated with the Azamara rep in the president’s office, provided enough reimbursement to satisfy us. We had enjoyed an additional 4 day stay in Shanghai, stayed at the same elegant, centrally located hotel, a ½ block from the pedestrian promenade that leads to the Bund and had a wonderful time.

Future Plans for our almost free Cruise Certificate: We have already applied our certificate towards the February 3, 2015 sailing from Singapore to Bali. We plan to arrive in Singapore and spend 4 nights before boarding the ship. We will also stay in Bali an extra four nights after the cruise. Let me know if you are going to be on that cruise. gailhraznov@gmail.com

The reason we do not purchase the agents (travel agent, cruise ship, or tour operator) trip insurance is because the coverage is terrible. It doesn’t provide adequate monies to cover the most important things and usually costs more than going to insuremytrip.com, where there is a marketplace of companies offering insurance. If you use this insurance website, make sure to choose “package” unless you want only medical or other.

I have read in numerous travel articles from AAA and AARP that one needs at least $200.000 coverage for emergency medical evacuation, preferably more. Imagine being on a ship and having to be airlifted into a helicopter, something we have seen. Or, iImagine you are in a remote area in a third world country or even in a second world country with hospitals you don’t trust to treat a serious medical condition. The cost to fly you and your family to the closest first world hospital, and the cost of lodgings for all---is verrrrrrrrrrrrrry expensive.

Then there is the medical cost. If you are on Medicare, did you know that it covers nothing outside of the U.S.? One needs at least $25,000 in medical coverage. Even if you are not on Medicare, and have health insurance, you may have a high deductible for hospitalization. The plans offered by travel organizations covers $25,000 or less for emergency medical evacuation and $10.000 for medical.

The plan offered by Azamara is Berkeley Company. Their plans are grossly inferior and cost much more than the plans offered through an insuremytrip.com marketplace. (No I don’t represent insuremytrip.com) Read the policy’s details before purchasing any insurance. Read Google reviews of the policy and be prepared to be in shock. Some travel agents provide plans that do meet good standards but are exorbitant in price. Read all carefully. With any insurance you don’t have to pay upfront for the entire trip if you have only made deposits. After all is paid, increase the amount of coverage to the same plan.

When I choose insurance I select the 5 or 6 least expensive comprehensive plans and compare the coverage side by side on the computer screen. I look at the 5 most important areas: emergency medical evacuation, medical, trip delay, and how long it takes until one can be reimbursed for baggage delay and how much. You have seen people on cruise ships dressed in t shirts for days because some luggage was lost. At the suggestion of another traveler, my husband and I split our clothing, putting half of his and half of mine in our suitcase, the clothes color coordinated, of course

So, while what we experienced was trying, we have always tried to make the best of a bad situation, making lemonade out of lemons!

Now I am off to book insurance for this next cruise. Happy Safe Travels to All. And no more cruises cancelled. Thank goodness, in a million years of traveling, nothing that even approaches this kind of thing has ever happened. The saying is “If you live long enough………………,” which we hope to do more of!!! Happy travels to all from Gail and her best and only spouse of 51 years, Jerry Raznov.

With Avios you lose the miles in the UK

Sorry, I did not scroll back far enough and missed this. Azamara should still reimburse you for the cost of the miles. You have credit card records and if you lost any you earned by flying, they should reimburse you for those also.

Just wondering, I have yet to file everything as I am still not back from my business trip (China is horrendous just now with the smog, it's at hazardous to health level).

We had in part used frequent flyer miles and as we had to cancel less than 24 hours before the trip, we lost the miles. We can purchase replacement miles, has anyone done this and had reimbursement from Azamara?

Hi utog

We did not lose our miles; they were redeposited automatically to our account with American Air. They might charge you a fee to redeposit, but you are due from Azamara $500 per person for fees to cancel your flights. Also check to see if your airline ever changed the time of any of your flights. You can call and ask also. If, in fact the miles were lost, Azamara should reimburse you the cost of your miles to purchase them. Also, With American and others, a schedule change allows one to cancel with no fee. Because I don't get immediate notice of a new posting on cruise critic, you can e mail me for more info: gailhraznov@gmail.com

At a certain point, I will share what we claimed, how we did it, and how satisfied we are. So far, things are very positive. Note that we were already in Shanghai when we learned of the cancellation. We had bought trip insurance through insuremytrip.com and used miles both ways to travel. No Choice air. I strongly urge any of you having problems with claims to consult the website http://www.elliott.org and check the items on the top right.

Just wondering, I have yet to file everything as I am still not back from my business trip (China is horrendous just now with the smog, it's at hazardous to health level).

We had in part used frequent flyer miles and as we had to cancel less than 24 hours before the trip, we lost the miles. We can purchase replacement miles, has anyone done this and had reimbursement from Azamara?

HI,

I believe you don't lose the miles. Instead one pays a redeposit fee. Azamara will cover this up to $500 per person. That is my experience. We did not even need to make this claim because we were not charged this fee only because the airline had made a time schedule change of an hour. The rule is you can then cancel with no fee.

The only advice that I have is in regard to the travel insurance through insuremytrip. We were able to transfer our insurance, which was purchased thru insuremytrip (since we didn't use it) to another cruise in the future. You should try that ASAP, since I believe that they had a time limit for doing this.

I had read what you did awhile ago and we did call a rep from insuremytrip and we called Trav Con travel assist, the writers of the policy. It wasn't possible because we had traveled already.

Azamara/Royal Caribbean bean counters are being unreasonable. I had this problem 2x with U.S. Air and won--with the help of having the e mail addresses of their top executives. The process took a few months, but I did get satisfactory redress. I am awaiting R.C excutive contact info from the Chris Elliot organization. I also filed a complaint against Azamara with them and provided all supporting documentation. They will also work on the problem at their end. The object is to by pass the bean counters.

I am curious if anyone else out there is in the same situation.

Hi,

If any of you had already arrived in Shanghai before the cruise started on March 3---and had not bought Azamara's Choice Air for a return from Hong Kong on or after March 17, please respond to this information below. We appreciate any responses which could be helpful.

1. We used miles round trip for this vacation. We were originally scheduled to return home from Hong Kong on March 17. We could not use miles to return home from Shanghai in the immediate future; no seats available. And we were not interested in finding/creating/organizing a new trip that would get us to Hong Kong on March 17.

Instead we paid an outrageous amount of $1600 per person to depart from Shanghai to Philadelphia on March 7. Azamara rep insists we should have rescheduled our original return to the the date and place of our new return, which was obviously impossible. If we could have done this, they would have paid us up to $500 per person for the change fee. They say they will not reimburse us the $3200 air fare. We originally had first class seats for the return. Good thing we did not choose first class paid seats on this return:D Of course, we realized Az would never cover that, but did not anticipate their rejecting what was our only option.

In addition, they refuse to reimburse us for the useless travel insurance we bought through insuremytrip.com but will reimburse those who bought Berkeley insurance from them. This company has a very bad reputation, is notorious for duping/making it impossible to collect anything for a legitimate claim. Berkeley does not cover an adequate amount of money for emergency medical evacuation and medical costs for those on Medicare, which does not pay for any care outside of the United States. Websites are full of complaints about Berkeley.

I have referred our two major problems with Azamara (Royal Caribbean) to Chris Elliot, a travel ombudsman who has successfully helped us twice in the past with U.S. air.

Any other helpful ideas from any of you?

Hi,

we arrived in shanghai on 2/26 from Philadelphia. On 2/27 a friend already in shanghai called our hotel to inform us about the cancellation. why he was contacted by azamara and not us or others is a mystery. our travel agent did not even know when we called them via skype!

we could not reach azamara, not on a sunday on their toll free number. their telephone message said to press one if you are flying today. I pressed one and the message said to call back monday!!! we left for a planned trip to xian on 3/1, where we are now on 3/2. will return to shanghai on 3/3. our t.a. got us 4 nights at same hotel because we could not get a return flight home that did not make us fly with many stops and nightmare flights on an airline i did not trust. We don't plan to go to the cruise terminal and waste our time waiting forever for service on 3/3.

If anyone wants to contact us to talk, my e mail is gailhraznov@gmail.com.

Many of us who were already in shanghai have a different set of issues and added expenses that will need to be resolved. let's work together and share info and strategy if azamara is not fair to us.

(forgive lack of capitalization ==typing on difficult keyboard). Gail and Jerry

Yes, you did a great job of explaining using the metro to get to Athens/and the other directions as well. Loved the pics.

I had researched taking the HOHO bus. The price is 22 euros.

How long did it take on the metro to get to where you got off in Athens?