Quark Expeditions

[val223552val]

Hello all,

 

Anyone has a booking with Quark Expeditions for the 2020/21 Antarctica season, or even 2021/22 Arctic season? Do you feel confident about your booking and the financial standing of Quark? What do you feel of booking now for the following season if a really good promotion turns up?

 

Thank you

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here's a chance to take your questions right to the "horse's mouth" as it were:

Q&A with the Quark Expeditions Team!

 

[PaulMCO]

On 6/21/2020 at 6:04 PM, val223552val said:

Hello all,

 

Anyone has a booking with Quark Expeditions for the 2020/21 Antarctica season, or even 2021/22 Arctic season? Do you feel confident about your booking and the financial standing of Quark? What do you feel of booking now for the following season if a really good promotion turns up?

 

Thank you

Just did a booking for 2021/22 season -- Actually specifically on the Ocean Diamond for their Solar Eclipse cruise that includes South Georgia and Falklands.  Nov 2021.  Financial concern are always a COVID issue.   But insurance through a non-cruise line affiliated plan includes financial default coverage.  We looked at Silversea, Linblad, Poseidon, and Hurtigruten for similar cruises.  They were competitively priced with the 10% discount they are offering now.  The ship is smaller than Hurtigruten 189 versus 400 passengers making 2 landings per day possible compared to 1.

 

This would be our second Antarctic trip == first was on Silversea Explorer.   Would have chose Silversea but they did not have an appropriate itinerary.

[iamtrustworthy]

53 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Just did a booking for 2021/22 season -- Actually specifically on the Ocean Diamond for their Solar Eclipse cruise that includes South Georgia and Falklands.  Nov 2021.  Financial concern are always a COVID issue.   But insurance through a non-cruise line affiliated plan includes financial default coverage.  We looked at Silversea, Linblad, Poseidon, and Hurtigruten for similar cruises.  They were competitively priced with the 10% discount they are offering now.  The ship is smaller than Hurtigruten 189 versus 400 passengers making 2 landings per day possible compared to 1.

 

This would be our second Antarctic trip == first was on Silversea Explorer.   Would have chose Silversea but they did not have an appropriate itinerary.

Hi PaulMCO,

 

It's true that many non-cruise line affiliated travel insurance plans include financial default coverage, but those same plans are also Third Party Travel Supplier Financial Default coverages.

 

This means that you are not covered for Supplier Financial Default if you book directly with the Travel Supplier.

 

Most people don’t know or understand that the Financial Default coverage is for the 3rd party. If you book a cruise directly with the cruise line, you are not covered for Supplier Financial Default because there is no intermediary to be the 2nd party. If you booked with a travel agent who, in turn, made your cruise’s travel arrangements, the travel agent is the 2nd party and the cruise line is the 3rd party.

 

In other words, Supplier Financial Default does not cover where you arrange / book your travel. For example, if you use a travel agency and it goes out of business. Ideally, the travel agency uses an escrow account to store its clients’ funds while the money’s in their possession. You are not covered for Financial Default for money the travel agency hadn’t paid to the travel suppliers.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

 

 

[PaulMCO]

9 minutes ago, iamtrustworthy said:

Hi PaulMCO,

 

It's true that many non-cruise line affiliated travel insurance plans include financial default coverage, but those same plans are also Third Party Travel Supplier Financial Default coverages.

 

This means that you are not covered for Supplier Financial Default if you book directly with the Travel Supplier.

 

Most people don’t know or understand that the Financial Default coverage is for the 3rd party. If you book a cruise directly with the cruise line, you are not covered for Supplier Financial Default because there is no intermediary to be the 2nd party. If you booked with a travel agent who, in turn, made your cruise’s travel arrangements, the travel agent is the 2nd party and the cruise line is the 3rd party.

 

In other words, Supplier Financial Default does not cover where you arrange / book your travel. For example, if you use a travel agency and it goes out of business. Ideally, the travel agency uses an escrow account to store its clients’ funds while the money’s in their possession. You are not covered for Financial Default for money the travel agency hadn’t paid to the travel suppliers.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

 

 

You mean -- from Travelex plan

 

"The Company will not cover Losses resulting from a Financial Default of any person, organization, agency, or firm that solicited Your travel arrangements to you."

 

So if booking with the Cruise line directly -- not covered.   Going through a TA - covered.

 

 

 

[iamtrustworthy]

2 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

You mean -- from Travelex plan

 

"The Company will not cover Losses resulting from a Financial Default of any person, organization, agency, or firm that solicited Your travel arrangements to you."

 

So if booking with the Cruise line directly -- not covered.   Going through a TA - covered.

 

 

 

Hi PaulMCO,

 

Not just Travelex. This is true for any plan that includes the Third Party Travel Supplier Financial Default coverage.

 

Steve Dasseos

[PaulMCO]

1 minute ago, iamtrustworthy said:

Hi PaulMCO,

 

Not just Travelex. This is true for any plan that includes the Third Party Travel Supplier Financial Default coverage.

 

Steve Dasseos

Do you point this out on your site??   Good to know and thanks from a regular customer 🙂

[iamtrustworthy]

2 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Do you point this out on your site??   Good to know and thanks from a regular customer 🙂

Thanks for your business!

 

I wrote about this on my Blog:

https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/third-party-travel-supplier-financial-default/