Cancellation Insurance - 1 Person Cancels and the other person doesn’t?

I have several friends who are taking care of ailing parents. They are sharing rooms with other friends. What happens if one person cancels in a shared cabin and the other ones still wants to go? They haven’t bought trip cancellation insurance yet, is there one you’d recommend that you can cancel for any reason? Does is matter if you cancel before or after final payment?

Thank you!

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I use tripinsurancestore.com

They can find you a policy to meet your needs as they use various different companies.

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I have several friends who are taking care of ailing parents. They are sharing rooms with other friends. What happens if one person cancels in a shared cabin and the other ones still wants to go? They haven’t bought trip cancellation insurance yet, is there one you’d recommend that you can cancel for any reason? Does is matter if you cancel before or after final payment?

 

Thank you!

 

 

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This can be rather touchy. Sometimes if one cancels and the other doesn't the insurance will cover the non-refundable expenses of the person cancelling, but to get that they have to notify and cancel with the cruise line. At that point the remaining person becomes a solo and often gets hit for a solo supplement by the cruise line. Then it depends upon their travel insurance if it will cover that additional expense if the person wants to continue or if it forces them to also cancel to collect.

The travel policies on some of the cruise lines (Princess for example) will cover that situation as long as both have their insurance. Do not know about if HAL's policy does or not. But in Princess's case their cancel for any reason results in a credit for a future cruise, not an actual cash refund.

There was a topic on the Princess board a few months ago dealing with the situation where one had travel insurance and one did not.

You can cancel any cruise up until final payment and if you have refundable deposits -- you will get that back.

HAL's Platinum insurance can be bought 1 day before final payment. It is expensive but you can cancel for any reason -- you don't even need to give HAL a reason why you are canceling -- and you 90% of your cruise fare back.

I have several friends who are taking care of ailing parents. They are sharing rooms with other friends. What happens if one person cancels in a shared cabin and the other ones still wants to go? They haven’t bought trip cancellation insurance yet, is there one you’d recommend that you can cancel for any reason? Does is matter if you cancel before or after final payment?

 

Thank you!

 

 

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The cancelation for any reason (cruise protection) offered by HAL does not protect the second passenger. Otherwise people would book two people with the intention of canceling one to get a better rate for a solo passenger.

But other insurance will protect for medical type cancelations.

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Thanks. So, it sounds like if one person cancels in the cabin after final payment, the remaining cruiser would have to pay the single supplement?

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Thanks. So, it sounds like if one person cancels in the cabin after final payment, the remaining cruiser would have to pay the single supplement?

 

 

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Likely. Or cancel also.

Last time I bought HALs Platinum it specifically excluded covering a Single Supplement if a cabin mate canceled. It didn’t matter to me then as I was booked solo.

There are non HAL insurances that cover the SS should one person in the party cancel. Try insuremytrip dot com or the insurance store dot com. Your party members may find a policy that meets their needs is still available (I’m assuming they have already made a deposit. There MAY be restrictions on when you can purchase based on when you make initial payment.)

Over the years there have been several threads about a member of a cabin having to forgo the trip and 1) not cancelling, the other just going and saying the other is meeting them on the ship and NOT getting charged a SS, or 2) cancelling, and the remaining traveler pays the SS ( because the reservation is cancelled and rebooked at the single fare rate). Assuming there is some type of insurance available, the cancelling member would have to cancel in order to collect on the insurance, so #1 isn’t likely to happen. #2 can be prevented by having a policy that covers SS.

It’s good for your friends to be aware of this up front and decide how they want to handle this possibility.

I just reread your post and it is sounding like you are past final payment. If so, HALs insurance isn’t available. You might still have some options via privately purchased insurance.

You can cancel any cruise up until final payment and if you have refundable deposits -- you will get that back.

 

 

 

HAL's Platinum insurance can be bought 1 day before final payment. It is expensive but you can cancel for any reason -- you don't even need to give HAL a reason why you are canceling -- and you 90% of your cruise fare back.

Thank you. For HAL’s Plat insurance, if you buy and then cancel after final payment, I’m assuming the cruiser who cancels gets 90% back. But, how about their cabin mate who still wants to go? Do they have to pay the single supplement?

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Thank you. For HAL’s Plat insurance, if you buy and then cancel after final payment, I’m assuming the cruiser who cancels gets 90% back. But, how about their cabin mate who still wants to go? Do they have to pay the single supplement?

 

 

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Yes. My Platinum contract excluded coverage for the Single Supplement that gets added for the now-solo when the other cabin mate cancels, because it is treated as a new booking.

There was a thread several years back about a group of senior ladies who went as a group. One cancelled, leaving the other to go alone. That lady who went was hit with a SS. The one who cancelled got the refund per the contract.

FRom HAL’s website:

“Please note: The CPP Standard Plan is not insurance – this is an optional purchase offered by and administered by Holland America Line. It may be added to your reservation to provide you with trip cancellation protection for up to 24 hours prior to the start of your scheduled travel. It provides no rights other than those explained above. For example, it does not protect double-triple-quad occupancy rates should one or more members of your party cancel, nor does it cover expenses for unused services due to trip interruption.”

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html

For information, most travel insurers, if you go that route, will also want to know if there is anyone who may or may not be travelling with health problems that may prevent travel / lead to cancellation of booked travel. Since you mention that some of the travellers are looking after ailing parents, I therefore assume travel is dependent on them, if these are not declared when arranging insurance then cancellation if their health fails etc will not be covered. Some insurers may also refuse cover in the first place,

Bottom line, if arranging insurance make sure all these things are declared to avoid the insurance being declared null and void.

Since you are traveling as a group you may arrange that if a person must cancel they assume some of the solo supplement of the remaining passenger. Otherwise it is pretty easy for someone to bail leaving the other person high and dry so to speak. A shared risk arrangement to cover at least a portion of the solo supplement would mean that even with insurance someone would have to be pretty certain that they are going to go.

I would have thought that is someone pays for trip insurance and cancels (using a 3rd party), HAL would still be paid out for their cruiser, why punish the remaining cruiser in the room. HAL is getting paid.

It looks like my friends with dicey situations will need to try to join our cruise at the last minute when they feel comfortable leaving their parents [emoji24]

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One would assume that if one travels shouldn’t matter if both fares are paid, but that’s not necessarily how it works.

Another possible solution your friends might consider but no guarantees HAL would accept:

1) a back up person to replace a cancelled, if HAL would accept substitution, with extra fees split by all who might need the substitute (so if 5 people are in this situation, all agree to split if 1 needs it) 2) 1 cabin agreeing to triple up if someone has to drop, and HAL agrees, with any expenses shared by those in the “self insurance pool”. This is a variation of what the previous poster suggested, and might be more economical for the purpose.

Their best bet is likely buying a Cancel Any Reason policy that covers SS if it isn’t too late. one has to be able to travel on the dates the cruise and insurance are purchased.

I totally feel for your friends. Been there, done and doing that, so to speak. It can go on for years and you really do need a break at times. I believe you said in a previous thread it was Alaska you are planning. To me that is a lower risk cruise from the standpoint of only 2 sea days and ports that mostly have transportation connections (Alaska Airlines) should one need to come home early.