New Cancellation Policies

[JimandStan]

But we do have cc coverage and private out of country health coverage. Besides I've told DH if I am that bad off just to shoot me.

 

Mo

 

 

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Kidding aside, what you want to be sure of when buying these policies is that they will get you back into the United States for treatment at the policy holders' discretion.

A rogue wave once broke my leg in St. Martin (on a very fancy beach, right next to the Ritz Carlton), and the insurance company wanted me treated at a Hospital there, even though they had no soap or bed linens, and despite the fact that I was sharing the Ward with (are you sitting down?) Voodoo torture victims.

 

I had insurance that covered medical evacuation, but according to the Insurance Company, "A hospital is a hospital, is a hospital".

 

Getting home was a ten thousand dollar lesson in reading the fine print.

[avalong]

Kidding aside, what you want to be sure of when buying these policies is that they will get you back into the United States for treatment at the policy holders' discretion.

A rogue wave once broke my leg in St. Martin (on a very fancy beach, right next to the Ritz Carlton), and the insurance company wanted me treated at a Hospital there, even though they had no soap or bed linens, and despite the fact that I was sharing the Ward with (are you sitting down?) Voodoo torture victims.

 

I had insurance that covered medical evacuation, but according to the Insurance Company, "A hospital is a hospital, is a hospital".

 

Getting home was a ten thousand dollar lesson in reading the fine print.

 

You are probably familiar with MedjetAssist. If not, you might want to look into it.

[Paulchili]

You are probably familiar with MedjetAssist. If not, you might want to look into it.

 

I "use" them all the time although I have not yet needed them (I hope I never do :))

They are very reasonable as well.

[Hawaiidan]

It's not that we can afford to self insure, it's that we can't afford TO insure.

 

If you buy insurance for every trip you take, you have soon spent much more than $15,000 with nothing to show for it. We use our credit cards insurance. We have out of country health coverage through work and on cc. over the years we are way ahead and would still be with a $20,000 claim. But since we have never spent that much on a single trip, at this point we will stay ahead.

 

I can only think of one instance where we had to collect for a cancelled flight due to sudden onset of a kidney stone in DD. Credit card reimbursed in full.

 

I hate insurance. As long as you pay up and nothing happens they are happy. The minute you make a claim, they cancel your policy with almost no notice. ( this was house insurance) We had to sue them. It is a racket. Did I say that I hate insurance??? Lol!

 

Many people spend a lot on insurance for peace of mind. So be it.

 

Mo

 

 

 

 

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Decades ago I fugured this out and now self insure having deposited the insurance premimum I would have paid in a stock account, just like the insurance companies do.

Over the years it has become substantial... very. And it is ours.

We would thus never buy insurance as we are with HawaiiDan mutual of Hawaii. ;:D

[burm]

If you buy insurance for every trip you take, you have soon spent much more than $15,000 with nothing to show for it. We use our credit cards insurance. We have out of country health coverage through work and on cc. over the years we are way ahead and would still be with a $20,000 claim. But since we have never spent that much on a single trip, at this point we will stay ahead.

 

I can only think of one instance where we had to collect for a cancelled flight due to sudden onset of a kidney stone in DD. Credit card reimbursed in full.

 

I

 

Sounds like you are adequately covered for the cruises you take. Our basic credit card insurance gives us adequate coverage for a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean, but not for our Feb. Marina, Tahiti to Sydney. I called the cc company and asked how much to increase our coverage for this particular trip - $300. Oceania wanted to charge us over $1000.

 

Our work policy covers us for out of country health insurance to an amount that, as I Canadian, I cannot imagine possible. Yes, it does include med evac and to my thinking should cover a couple of months in the Royal Suite of the Burj Al Arab, Dubai. More than adequate for any emergency.

 

I have often wondered how many people pay for double coverage, without realizing what they already have.

 

On a final note, a friend of DB was hospitalized while in Cuba, where hospitalization at that time was free. His excellent insurance company flew him home as soon as they considered it safe for him to travel, and he then spent a month in an Ottawa hospital watching the snow fall on the parking lot outside his window. Every single day of that month he wondered why the heck he left his Cuban hospital room with the lovely view from his bed of a beautiful garden courtyard and the smiling nurses who seemed to have all the time in the world to pamper him.

 

A voodoo victim? Really? Our hospitals are just not that interesting. :D

[RJB]

I think we are well off the topic. Should start a new thread if you want to talk about trip insurance !!! :D

[potterhill]

It all started with the suggestion one should buy insurance to cover the $250 cancellation fee. I said I didn't buy insurance, that the premium would be more than the fee.

 

That's what started the hijack and it took on a life of its own. BUT it was all related. Sort of. ;-)

 

Mo

 

 

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[RJB]

Are we about done with this? Sounds like we should be. Seems like everything that needs to be said was. And more. :)

[VIRGINIA ARTIE]

We have been loyal cruisers on Regent and Oceania since inception.

My DH and I now feel that this new cancellation policy reflects an emerging Oceania attitude that wants to squeeze passengers for every cent they can. Bottom line profit takes precedence.:(

[CAG]

It seems that the fact that the Administrative Fee may be converted to a future cruise credit redeemable on bookings made up to 12 months after cancellation and for travel any time, has been lost in the discussions on this thread.

 

If for some reason you must cancel in that time period (120-91 days or 180-151 days for a longer cruise) you really haven't lost the $250 per person if you book another cruise within 12 months that leaves at any time. To me, this is reasonable.

 

I would assume that the majority of us, book a cruise with all intentions of taking it. We should know 4 to 6 months before the cruise whether or not we still plan on going and if not, we can cancel with no Administrative Fee. Essentially, what this is doing is giving Oceania the ability to better predict a month earlier how many passengers will make final payment and give them more time to sell those cabins that will become available.

 

The only cruise that I am aware of that imposes the Administrative Fee immediately upon booking is the the "Around the World Cruise" and of course that cruise is very different from Oceania's other itineraries.

[LHT28]

It seems that the fact that the Administrative Fee may be converted to a future cruise credit redeemable on bookings made up to 12 months after cancellation and for travel any time, has been lost in the discussions on this thread.

 

If for some reason you must cancel in that time period (120-91 days or 180-151 days for a longer cruise) you really haven't lost the $250 per person if you book another cruise within 12 months that leaves at any time. To me, this is reasonable.

 

I would assume that the majority of us, book a cruise with all intentions of taking it. We should know 4 to 6 months before the cruise whether or not we still plan on going and if not, we can cancel with no Administrative Fee. Essentially, what this is doing is giving Oceania the ability to better predict a month earlier how many passengers will make final payment and give them more time to sell those cabins that will become available.

 

The only cruise that I am aware of that imposes the Administrative Fee immediately upon booking is the the "Around the World Cruise" and of course that cruise is very different from Oceania's other itineraries.

 

 

+1

Agree if you have not really committed to the cruise at 120 days out then you should just cancel at that point & not wait until the old 90 final payment day

 

As for insurance for those that do buy it then just buy it at the point where you are in penalty phase ...I buy just before FP so now I will buy a month earlier ..NBD

 

For those that do not buy insurance it is a moot point

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

Agree with Lyn and CAG - it is a reasonable policy.

I have no problem with it.

[rallydave]

We have been loyal cruisers on Regent and Oceania since inception.

My DH and I now feel that this new cancellation policy reflects an emerging Oceania attitude that wants to squeeze passengers for every cent they can. Bottom line profit takes precedence.:(

 

While I firmly feel that PCH (Oceania and Regent) have moved toward squeezing the passengers for every cent they can to the extreme lately, isn't that the job of the company to make a profit??

 

If a company "gives away the farm" such that there is not sufficient profit for the stakeholders, the company will cease to exist and nobody will be enjoying the cruises. It's the old story, charge as much as the customer will pay and once it gets out of hand, the customer will dictate the future pricing by either paying what the cruise line charges or move to another cruise or other vacation type and the cruise line will be forced to lower prices or go out of business.

[orchestrapal]

Agree with Lyn and CAG - it is a reasonable policy.

I have no problem with it.

 

So be it, fine with us and for those who don't like the policy there are many other cruise lines to choose from.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The reason for this policy may be to stop people like cruisemuch from "playing the system":

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1943001

[JimandStan]

The reason for this policy may be to stop people like cruisemuch from "playing the system":

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1943001

 

Exactly!

And that (as my mother used to say) is why WE can't have nice things...

[Cancun01]

Me thinks your mother was right

[pacheco18]

Exactly!

And that (as my mother used to say) is why WE can't have nice things...

 

Without a doubt

 

And I thought it was because of some folks booking two cruises because they couldn't decide which one they wanted to take. Who knew there were major scammers out there tying up hundred of cabins.

 

I applaud the new policy.

[ronrick1943]

I'm happy about the reservation policy--I think it should be more. I don't like seeing a cabin sold out or wait listed, just to find out 3 months before sailing the cabin has opened up for sale again---just because someone booked it to hold until they really make plans. People shouldn't book until they are ready, so let them pay a fee if they cancel.

Rick

[TERRIER1]

I'm happy about the reservation policy--I think it should be more. I don't like seeing a cabin sold out or wait listed, just to find out 3 months before sailing the cabin has opened up for sale again---just because someone booked it to hold until they really make plans. People shouldn't book until they are ready, so let them pay a fee if they cancel.

Rick

 

I agree but there are a lot of people out there where this cancellation fee is an incidental amount. We book to sail and so far haven't had the need to cancel for any reason. We also take insurance out which cost an arm and a leg.

[ronrick1943]

Yes I agree with you, but that's what a person does when they want to cruise.

Rick

[Hawaiidan]

I'm happy about the reservation policy--I think it should be more. I don't like seeing a cabin sold out or wait listed, just to find out 3 months before sailing the cabin has opened up for sale again---just because someone booked it to hold until they really make plans. People shouldn't book until they are ready, so let them pay a fee if they cancel.

Rick

 

I agree, I am not wealthy ..just an average retired guy... I too was blown-away by the con-syndicate that preyed on the generous nature of Oceana..

 

I would be happy with a cancelation fee equal to 25% of the cruise !!! or $1000 pp which ever is more. If you cancelled you could rebook, like the airlines allow for another trip within a year with only a $400 administrative fee ( airlines charge $200 ).

 

However, to prevent abuse you would have to register your self and Agent and could only get one such roll over in a 36 month period !!

 

That would preclude syndicates of cooked agents and con-cruisers from setting up a year after year.:mad:

 

You could always buy insurance if you had to cover a loss. and I only book the cruises I want to do... its not hard with a little planning.:cool:

[Pet Nit Noy]

I'm happy about the reservation policy--I think it should be more. I don't like seeing a cabin sold out or wait listed, just to find out 3 months before sailing the cabin has opened up for sale again---just because someone booked it to hold until they really make plans. People shouldn't book until they are ready, so let them pay a fee if they cancel.

Rick

 

 

My husband and I had an experience on Azamara that makes us wonder how we'd be affected if we had a similar experience on Oceania. In 2007 or 2008, when Azamara announced its first season in Asia, my husband and I were captivated by an Azamara itinerary. We liked the destinations and the overnight stay in many of the ports. We booked the cruise and, separately, booked our plane tickets.

 

About six or more months went by and a new cruise catalog came out. Checking the information about our cruise -- in part to learn which ports were tender ports -- we were really disappointed to see that the in-port times had all been changed. There wasn't a single full day in any port. Even the overnights consisted of two half days. Since many of those overnight ports were some distance away from the destination (e.g. Bangkok) if we kept our booking, we'd have inadequate time in every port.

 

We called Azamara and asked what had happened. We were told that the logistics department had recalculated the information about ship speed and tides and realized the ship could not keep the original itinerary. I have no idea whether that was true or not, but the result was that we cancelled our booking.

 

Somewhere between 18 and 15 months before March 2010, Oceania publicized a Beijing to Hong Kong cruise that was everything we had hoped the original Azamara itinerary would be. We jumped at the opportunity and monitored Oceania's web site and mailings. (After all, the Azamara and Oceania ships are the same Renaissance equipment.) Happily, there were no changes in the in-port time and we went ahead with our cruise on Nautica.

 

Does the new policy allow for folks to cancel without penalty if the cruise line makes changes that result in a fundamentally different cruise? I'm not talking about changes that are as the result of war or natural disaster. I'm not talking about ports that get skipped as the result real-time sea conditions/weather. I'm talking about fundamental changes in the nature of the itinerary made well in advance.

[pacheco18]

My husband and I had an experience on Azamara that makes us wonder how we'd be affected if we had a similar experience on Oceania. In 2007 or 2008, when Azamara announced its first season in Asia, my husband and I were captivated by an Azamara itinerary. We liked the destinations and the overnight stay in many of the ports. We booked the cruise and, separately, booked our plane tickets.

 

About six or more months went by and a new cruise catalog came out. Checking the information about our cruise -- in part to learn which ports were tender ports -- we were really disappointed to see that the in-port times had all been changed. There wasn't a single full day in any port. Even the overnights consisted of two half days. Since many of those overnight ports were some distance away from the destination (e.g. Bangkok) if we kept our booking, we'd have inadequate time in every port.

 

We called Azamara and asked what had happened. We were told that the logistics department had recalculated the information about ship speed and tides and realized the ship could not keep the original itinerary. I have no idea whether that was true or not, but the result was that we cancelled our booking.

 

Somewhere between 18 and 15 months before March 2010, Oceania publicized a Beijing to Hong Kong cruise that was everything we had hoped the original Azamara itinerary would be. We jumped at the opportunity and monitored Oceania's web site and mailings. (After all, the Azamara and Oceania ships are the same Renaissance equipment.) Happily, there were no changes in the in-port time and we went ahead with our cruise on Nautica.

 

Does the new policy allow for folks to cancel without penalty if the cruise line makes changes that result in a fundamentally different cruise? I'm not talking about changes that are as the result of war or natural disaster. I'm not talking about ports that get skipped as the result real-time sea conditions/weather. I'm talking about fundamental changes in the nature of the itinerary made well in advance.

 

NOT giving legal advice BUT

I cancelled a Regent cruise and got the fee back when they "materially" changed the terms of the contract --ie -- added Concierge privileges that would disadvantage those sailing in lower cabins. If the cruise line does not live up to its end of the bargain, your money should be refunded.

 

Defining the "bargain" is not that easy.

 

I believe the fine print in all the cruise contracts speaks of the cruise line reserving the right to change ports, port times etc. It is hard to view a change in a single port of adjustment of port times as a "material" change. "Material" is generally defined and something that induced you to do the deal. An hour or two in a port does not qualify IMO. Elimination of a single port is not a strong argument either. In contrast, if you booked a cruise to the Middle East because you want to go to Israel and the cruise had 3 days in Israel and those ports were cancelled, you would have a better argument. But again, the "reservation of rights" language is very broad.

 

I believe O allows you to transfer your deposit to a future cruise within a year. That's the next best thing.

[Hawaiidan]

I know that if there is a change of schedule and times many times the airlines will let you cancel. I would say that if there is more than a 20%change in times-ports then a no penality. However, I think a $200-250administrative fee would ,like the airlines apply.

 

Consider the other side of the coin from the ships and other passengers point of view. Your booking may have precluded others from booking and denied them the cruise. The line may not be able to fill those cabins and loose money. While these adjustments were important to you, they were not to many others.

 

So consider it is a 2 way street Part of travel is being flexible . The more rigid your schedule the more it is prone to disappointment.