Couldn't make my cruise, what to do?

[uconnbill]

We were scheduled on Celebrity Millenium leaving Miami on Oct 31st. We were flying out the day before but we had a "Major" snow storm here in CT and we couldn't even get off our street for 3 days. I "neglected" to get the travel Ins as we never used it in the past and CC say's were out of luck getting anything back. All we'd like to do is reschedule the cruise. We are still without power (now 9 days). any suggestions???

[6rugrats]

Suggestions? Our power goes out so often, we finally gave up and purchased a generator. You should also reconsider purchasing travel insurance for your next trip. It may have saved you this time. Instead, you've now lost all your money.

 

The only way to reschedule is to pay all over again.

 

From Celebrity's webpage:

 

Note: No refunds will be made if you do not show up for your cruise or if you interrupt or cancel your vacation once it has begun.

[sirwired]

If Celebrity won't issue a courtesy credit, (and it appears they will not), then it looks like you are simply out of luck... sorry. :(

 

That said, a standard policy without an "Any Reason" rider may not have covered this instance unless your flight was cancelled, so keep that in mind when purchasing insurance in the future. (Most (though not all) 1st-party policies have such a rider, most 3rd-party policies only offer it as an added-cost option.)

[cherylandtk]

I don't think there is any more to be said except I am sorry you are suffering both from the storm and this financial loss. That is a severe double blow.

 

Eta-if you paid for the cruise with a gold or platinum credit card, check to see if you have any sort of travel insurance coverage through that. It may be only a very small amount, but it is better than nothing.

[D4]

Sorry, but I believe you learned an expensive lesson. If the cruise lines allowed people to reschedule or get refunds/credits, then why would people bother purchasing trip cancellation insurance?

 

Even if your flight hadn't been cancelled or if you were driving to the port, a regular trip insurance policy might have reimbursed you. Many policies have cancellation terms such as this: "Your or Your Traveling Companion’s principal place of residence or destination being rendered uninhabitable by fire, flood, burglary or other natural disaster within 10 days of departure." I don't know for sure, but being without electricity and heat for 9 days due to a winter storm may qualify as being uninhabitable.

 

I hope your power comes on soon and I wish you the best.

[Keith1010]

Unfortunately there is really nothing that can be done.

 

I am sorry this happened to you and it is a reminder of the risk of not getting the travel insurance.

 

Keith

[CruisinGerman]

I would explore seeking recourse against the electric company for damages caused to you as a result of failing to provide a public service in what, in the end, was really not a major snowstorm but rather the surprise of being hit with snow in October.

 

We were in the air en route from Europe to New York JFK on Saturday, October 29. The flight had to stay in the air for an hour before landing because of congestion at the airport, but once we landed, other than seeing a very thin blanket of white, which was indeed surprising to see in October, it really was no big deal.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[6rugrats]

I would explore seeking recourse against the electric company for damages caused to you as a result of failing to provide a public service in what, in the end, was really not a major snowstorm but rather the surprise of being hit with snow in October.

 

Is this a serious suggestion?

 

Good luck with that one. OP lives in Connecticut, not at JFK, and his cruise was 31 Oct, not 29 Oct. Connecticut was hit the hardest; some places in their area were had up to two feet of snow. Maybe they should try suing Mother Nature?

 

The fact that OP's power was off had nothing to do with them not making their cruise. I never understand why people just don't purchase a good travel insurance policy to protect their investment.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

Yes I'm serious. What kind of power facilities do you have in the most advanced country in the world so that power goes out for days when just a few inches of snow fall?

 

The problem with the U.S. being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country from the onset is that many of its power facilities are old and outdated (especially on the Eastern Seaboard) because they were installed a long time ago when they were indeed a novelty and new technology.

 

This was no major snowstorm with two feet of snow. It was a few inches at most. Power facilities should be expected to handle a few inches.

 

You folks across the pond are quick to seek out insurance for everything which makes it tempting to not seek recourse from the party causing the damage.

 

Insurance should be a life saver in a situation in which there is no party to blame, so that the consumer himself does not suffer a loss. But I do feel there is a party to blame because an electric company's power shouldn't go out with a few inches of snow .......

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Keith1010]

Dear friends:

 

Yes I'm serious. What kind of power facilities do you have in the most advanced country in the world so that power goes out for days when just a few inches of snow fall?

 

The problem with the U.S. being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country from the onset is that many of its power facilities are old and outdated (especially on the Eastern Seaboard) because they were installed a long time ago when they were indeed a novelty and new technology.

 

This was no major snowstorm with two feet of snow. It was a few inches at most. Power facilities should be expected to handle a few inches.

 

You folks across the pond are quick to seek out insurance for everything which makes it tempting to not seek recourse from the party causing the damage.

 

Insurance should be a life saver in a situation in which there is no party to blame, so that the consumer himself does not suffer a loss. But I do feel there is a party to blame because an electric company's power shouldn't go out with a few inches of snow .......

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

Very unusual storm.

 

It normally does not snow/ice up that time of year (October) in east coast.

 

As such there were lots of leaves on trees.

 

Because of the extra weight on the trees many fell down and knocked down electrical polls which was one of the major contributors to the power outages.

 

It was a freak of nature.

 

Keith

[6rugrats]

Dear friends:

 

Yes I'm serious. What kind of power facilities do you have in the most advanced country in the world so that power goes out for days when just a few inches of snow fall?

 

The problem with the U.S. being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country from the onset is that many of its power facilities are old and outdated (especially on the Eastern Seaboard) because they were installed a long time ago when they were indeed a novelty and new technology.

 

This was no major snowstorm with two feet of snow. It was a few inches at most. Power facilities should be expected to handle a few inches.

 

You folks across the pond are quick to seek out insurance for everything which makes it tempting to not seek recourse from the party causing the damage.

 

Insurance should be a life saver in a situation in which there is no party to blame, so that the consumer himself does not suffer a loss. But I do feel there is a party to blame because an electric company's power shouldn't go out with a few inches of snow .......

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

I am not sure what storm you are talking about. You mention seeing a little snow at JFK on 29 Oct. This storm dropped 2+ feet of snow in much of Connecticut, where OP lives.

 

Your suggestion of suing the power company is absolutely ridiculous. On what grounds would they file a lawsuit? You need a reason better than, "my power was out." Also, in the US it is very difficult to sue a regulated utility company.

 

OP did not miss the cruise because the power was out anyway. They state they missed the cruise basically because they couldn't get off their street. Maybe they should sue their local government for not plowing the road quickly enough. Or their neighbors, for not loaing them a snowmobile so they could get to the airport. It's all as silly as saying sue the utility company.

[grandma*knows*best]

I would explore seeking recourse against the electric company for damages caused to you as a result of failing to provide a public service in what, in the end, was really not a major snowstorm but rather the surprise of being hit with snow in October.

 

We were in the air en route from Europe to New York JFK on Saturday, October 29. The flight had to stay in the air for an hour before landing because of congestion at the airport, but once we landed, other than seeing a very thin blanket of white, which was indeed surprising to see in October, it really was no big deal.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

I agree with other posters that your suggestion to sue the power company is absolutely ridiculous.

 

I live in Maryland and we had about 5 inches of very heavy, wet snow. Our power was out for two days, due to tree limbs falling on the power lines. Your suggestion that this was "no big deal" may be true for you, but it wasn't for us, nor apparently for the OP and those very unfortunate Connecticut residents who lost power for more than a week.

 

OP - next time be more proactive. We were warned that this storm was coming. You could possibly have rescheduled to an earlier flight. If it had been me, I'd have moved heaven and earth to get someone in to plow my street or would have dragged my suitcases over the snow to get to a plowed road and a taxi before I'd forfeit so much money.

 

The problem with the U.S. being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country from the onset is that many of its power facilities are old and outdated (especially on the Eastern Seaboard) because they were installed a long time ago when they were indeed a novelty and new technology.

 

Irrelevant! The problem wasn't the power facilities themselves; the outages I am aware of were caused by downed power lines. Old or new, they still are damaged when hit by trees.

[uconnbill]

Update: Just got word from Celebrity. There going to give me back all but $142.00 of my refund and i'll take it! Must have got lucky. Pay's to complain and try to get to the right people at Celebrity. Thanks for all the reply's, next time, yes I will grab the travel ins. thanks again for everyone's help.

and by the way. The reason we couldn't make the trip is because we had trees & poles down not only on our street but on every street, there was no way anyone could have gotten to the airport from my neck of the woods. If I had to do it over again I probably would have left the day before if possible. as it was we spent the week alone together, huddled next to a fire, very romantic! but I'd take a cruise over that any day but we made due with what we had. After all we are true New Englanders!

[Keith1010]

I am glad to hear that this worked out for you.

 

Keith

[klfrodo]

Note to self:

Stop paying all that money to insurance company. Cruiseline will give money back anyway. :confused:

[6rugrats]

Note to self:

Stop paying all that money to insurance company. Cruiseline will give money back anyway. :confused:

 

Yes, OP, how were you able to get a refund? And what was the $142 for that you didn't get back?

[uconnbill]

I just went up the ladder until I got to someone who would finally listen to my story. Just wouldn't take NO for a answer, it's not like I just blew this cruise off, I called the day before we were going to ship out and just about every day after until I could get to someplace and get a email address and started to bombard them that way. As far as the $142.00 I'm still waiting for a answer on what that is for.

[6rugrats]

I just went up the ladder until I got to someone who would finally listen to my story. Just wouldn't take NO for a answer, it's not like I just blew this cruise off, I called the day before we were going to ship out and just about every day after until I could get to someplace and get a email address and started to bombard them that way. As far as the $142.00 I'm still waiting for a answer on what that is for.

I am just surprised because cruise lines do not care if you call a day before the cruise. If you don't show up, you lose your money, no matter what the reason, and this is clearly outlined in your cruise contract. That's why people purchase travel insurance; to protect themselves in such a circumstance.

[sirwired]

I just went up the ladder until I got to someone who would finally listen to my story. Just wouldn't take NO for a answer, it's not like I just blew this cruise off, I called the day before we were going to ship out and just about every day after until I could get to someplace and get a email address and started to bombard them that way. As far as the $142.00 I'm still waiting for a answer on what that is for.

 

I'd let the $142 go. You are lucky to get anything at all for the cancellation; even a credit would have been an extraordinarily generous gesture. The fact that you got nearly a full refund is spectacular results.

[cruiseco]

Update: Just got word from Celebrity. There going to give me back all but $142.00 of my refund and i'll take it! Must have got lucky. Pay's to complain and try to get to the right people at Celebrity. Thanks for all the reply's, next time, yes I will grab the travel ins. thanks again for everyone's help.

 

 

One question -- are they actually refunding your money to you or are they giving you a credit toward a future cruise? A credit would in this type of situation would not be unheard of but an actual refund is incredible.

[happy cruzer]

wow if it is cash back, why get cancellation insurance???

 

A future credit depending on how it is issued might be to the cruise lines advantage, i.e. if it so much off of the brochure rate or something...

[uconnbill]

I'm going to let the 142$ go as far as I'm concerned thats fair enough. They are crediting my credit card. I would have been happy with a cruise credit but I'll take the money and run.

[Hlitner]

Dear friends:

 

Yes I'm serious. What kind of power facilities do you have in the most advanced country in the world so that power goes out for days when just a few inches of snow fall?

 

The problem with the U.S. being the wealthiest and most technologically advanced country from the onset is that many of its power facilities are old and outdated (especially on the Eastern Seaboard) because they were installed a long time ago when they were indeed a novelty and new technology.

 

This was no major snowstorm with two feet of snow. It was a few inches at most. Power facilities should be expected to handle a few inches.

 

You folks across the pond are quick to seek out insurance for everything which makes it tempting to not seek recourse from the party causing the damage.

 

Insurance should be a life saver in a situation in which there is no party to blame, so that the consumer himself does not suffer a loss. But I do feel there is a party to blame because an electric company's power shouldn't go out with a few inches of snow .......

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

If only what you say was true you might have a point. The reality is that it was a huge unusual early snow storm with very heavy wet snow that covered many states (probably more land then the entire country of Germany). The heavy snow fell onto trees that still had their leaves (a very rare occurance) and the trees could not take all the weight (we ourselves lost many branches and some trees). The trees fell onto powerlines (this part of the country has lots of trees) which brought down many power lines and also a lot of poles. In legal terms it certainly was a "Force Majeure" and there is nothing the power companies can do to prevent such a situation. On the other hand we could look at the fiasco at Heathrow a couple of years ago when a simple snow storm shut down that airport and most of European aviation for many days. Over here that kind of storm would have closed an airport for perhaps 1 day. Blaming the power companies for this storm would be like blaming the airlines (and the EU) for shutting down much of Europes aviation because of a volcano.

 

Hank

[uconnbill]

They actually credited my credit card. very surprised and happy. might just have to re-book with Celebrity seeing they were sooo nice.

[Treven]

I've cruised many times over the past 15 years or so and I've never felt I needed the additional expense on travel insurance.

I had a reservation to go to Alaska this past September. Three weeks before I was supposed to leave I fell, broke my lower leg in 3 places & tore 3 ligaments around my ankle. SO!, $4k down the drain!!!

I now have another Alaska cruise in the works for next June. This time I have insurance, which does cover pre-existing conditions; I have existing heart problems, but currently don't have any problems.