Better off if I Did have covid?

[D. B.]

Last Tuesday (Nov. 22nd.) about 6 hours before boarding my flight from SFO to Sydney Aus. for a 12 night Cruise on Eclipse Wy Phone started ringing wit calls and text messages from my Credit Cards and Banks.

   My accounts and cards were Hacked and huge withdrawals and credit card charges were causing alerts from them.

   Seems some hackers had found a way into my finances.

       I Stopped all my credit cards and bank accounts, but I knew there was no way I could deal with this on a 15 hour flight and doing it from Sydney?

  Going to a cruise and being in another country with no credit cards or bank accounts was not going to work.

 I cancelled the flight (Got 90% of it back with flights by Celebrity) and called Celebrity to see what my options were?

 Long story short by Canceling the Cruise I lost $5000 and probably all the Excursions and Perks I had paid for.

  My TA said if I claimed Covid the result may have been a Refund. Financial disaster is Not grounds for a refund.

[Lastdance]

Be careful what you wish for, but I certainly understand.  My DH and I both had Covid on a recent TA.  After being home for a week and 1/2, my DH got rebound Covid and pneumonia.  Presently, he is in the hospital with spiking fevers, ache, pains, awful cough etc.  This has been such an awful situation for us, especially since we have always been so healthy.  It just is what it is and there is no way we can go on our next cruise, as pneumonia + Covid takes a long time to get over.  

I hope you are able to resolve your credit issues, as I can only imagine how upset you must be over this.

[Georgia_Peaches]

You’ve described a terrible scenario with regard to your finances. I’m sure if you had claimed Covid you would have been asked for some sort of proof.  And then there’s the whole karma thing as it relates to lying. Bad on your TA for saying such a thing. It’s a shame you get punished for telling the truth but from the cruise line’s perspective, your loss should not in turn become their loss. I pray you had insurance to cover your loss. And no, I’m not one of those insurance preachers as I rarely get it myself but your unfortunate circumstance reminds me that anything can happen. I’m so sorry. 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Georgia_Peaches

[jelayne]

I’m so sorry this happened to you.  You will get a refund for any excursions or perks you paid out of pocket.
 Apparently your TA isn’t familiar with how cancelling due to Covid works; you need to provide results from a test from a health professional or a proctored test. 
 

I hope you get the financial mess resolved with no or little loss.

[jelayne]

20 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

Be careful what you wish for, but I certainly understand.  My DH and I both had Covid on a recent TA.  After being home for a week and 1/2, my DH got rebound Covid and pneumonia.  Presently, he is in the hospital with spiking fevers, ache, pains, awful cough etc.  This has been such an awful situation for us, especially since we have always been so healthy.  It just is what it is and there is no way we can go on our next cruise, as pneumonia + Covid takes a long time to get over.  

I hope you are able to resolve your credit issues, as I can only imagine how upset you must be over this.

I hope your DH recovers quickly and completely.  

[retird]

22 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

Be careful what you wish for, but I certainly understand.  My DH and I both had Covid on a recent TA.  After being home for a week and 1/2, my DH got rebound Covid and pneumonia.  Presently, he is in the hospital with spiking fevers, ache, pains, awful cough etc.  This has been such an awful situation for us, especially since we have always been so healthy.  It just is what it is and there is no way we can go on our next cruise, as pneumonia + Covid takes a long time to get over.  

I hope you are able to resolve your credit issues, as I can only imagine how upset you must be over this.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for your husband, it is such an awful virus

[dlh015]

Just horrible news all around.

 

Best wishes to the OP and Lastdance's DH!

[cdn_tbird]

OP, what about insurance through your CCs? Is there a chance you might be able to recoup at least part of the $5k through them? What about through other insurance policies? Perhaps there is a rider attached to them that might help. The only reason that I mention this one is because when we went to print out a new copy of the travel insurance coverage provided by my wife's employer ahead of our first cruise this year, they had actually updated the policy and included unlimited coverage for Covid and also trip cancellation/interruption.

 

Lastdance, best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for your DH. 

[D. B.]

Well I do have insurance but it will probably have some exclusion for my possible claim.

 Most of my Shore excursions were booked through an outside source and even though I paid for Their Insurance it denied my cancelation because it was less that 14 days before the excursion and Not medical.  I attempted to cancel the ones I booked through Celebrity but so far I have not seen any refunds.

 Looks like my Specialty Dining Package and WiFi upgrade package money  will probably be lost. 

    I just had a MoveUp cabin upgrade approved for $1000 days ago so that's gone also.

 I guess I was Lucky this didn't happen While I was on my 15 Hour Flight or after sailing?

   I booked this a Year ago and was looking forward to it like a kid looks forward to Christmas!

   I had Covid last April (from my Granddaughter) and it was very mild almost asymptomatic but testing positive days before a cruise with Royal so They said Don't come (no test result proof required) and I had a full refund in 2 weeks. Thats why I said maybe I would have been better off if I did get Covid IF it was as mild as that time. I have had all the shots and even the booster a month ago.

  To those who have had Covid with worse results than I have I didn't mean to make lite of how bad it Can be.

[LB_NJ]

You might look at your homeowner's insurance.  Also, any other insurance policies you might have.

 

The answer will probably be no, but it does not hurt to look.  Unfortunately, there is almost no insurance that would cover these particular circumstances except possibly "cancel for any reason" travel insurance.

[D. B.]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

I’m so sorry this happened to you.  You will get a refund for any excursions or perks you paid out of pocket.
 Apparently your TA isn’t familiar with how cancelling due to Covid works; you need to provide results from a test from a health professional or a proctored test. 
 

I hope you get the financial mess resolved with no or little loss.

The Banks and Credit Cards have been great to work with but it's so Involved I could have never been able to do it from half a world away on a ship.

    They sent me replacement cards but would Not have sent them to Australia.  The Banks had to freeze all my accounts and change the account numbers.  Another problem related to this is that because I cruise a Lot I have set up most of my bills to have them  Automatically paid from my Bank accounts and credit cards. With all the new account numbers I had to contact each one and change the billing account or credit card. Many of them can be done Online but some could only be done on the Phone. I have retirement payment  sent every month and Veterans (partial disabled) payment as well as Social Security payment directly deposited that all had to be redirected.

  All this Modern financial arrangement are a blessing until something bad happens.

  My TA only mentioned the Covid excuse in passing. I did have a cruise cancelled earlier this year when I did Test at home the day before and even though I was almost Asymptomatic when I called the cruise line (Royal) at that time they just told me don't come and gave me a total refund.

[Honolulu Blue]

4 hours ago, D. B. said:

Last Tuesday (Nov. 22nd.) about 6 hours before boarding my flight from SFO to Sydney Aus. for a 12 night Cruise on Eclipse Wy Phone started ringing wit calls and text messages from my Credit Cards and Banks.

   My accounts and cards were Hacked and huge withdrawals and credit card charges were causing alerts from them.

   Seems some hackers had found a way into my finances.

       I Stopped all my credit cards and bank accounts, but I knew there was no way I could deal with this on a 15 hour flight and doing it from Sydney?

  Going to a cruise and being in another country with no credit cards or bank accounts was not going to work.

 I cancelled the flight (Got 90% of it back with flights by Celebrity) and called Celebrity to see what my options were?

 Long story short by Canceling the Cruise I lost $5000 and probably all the Excursions and Perks I had paid for.

  My TA said if I claimed Covid the result may have been a Refund. Financial disaster is Not grounds for a refund.

Thanks for sharing and continuing to share. I haven't had anything like this happen to me personally. I'm trying to empathize with how bad it can be. Good luck getting through this. 🙏

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Be careful what you wish for, but I certainly understand.  My DH and I both had Covid on a recent TA.  After being home for a week and 1/2, my DH got rebound Covid and pneumonia.  Presently, he is in the hospital with spiking fevers, ache, pains, awful cough etc.  This has been such an awful situation for us, especially since we have always been so healthy.  It just is what it is and there is no way we can go on our next cruise, as pneumonia + Covid takes a long time to get over.  

I hope you are able to resolve your credit issues, as I can only imagine how upset you must be over this.

I'm sorry both you and your DH caught this virus and that his recovery isn't going so well. I hope for better days. 🙏

1 hour ago, D. B. said:

I got Covid last April (from my Granddaughter) and it was very mild almost asymptomatic but testing positive days before a cruise with Royal so They said Don't come (no test result proof required) and I had a full refund in 2 weeks.

Thank you for doing the right thing. And thanks to Royal for also doing the right thing with little hesitation. Certainly at that time, the risk to everyone else was too high. Have things changed now? Eventually they're going to have to. 

1 hour ago, D. B. said:

All this Modern financial arrangement are a blessing until something bad happens.

Message received and acknowledged. I find this is also true of technology in general. 🙃

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, D. B. said:

Last Tuesday (Nov. 22nd.) about 6 hours before boarding my flight from SFO to Sydney Aus. for a 12 night Cruise on Eclipse Wy Phone started ringing wit calls and text messages from my Credit Cards and Banks.

   My accounts and cards were Hacked and huge withdrawals and credit card charges were causing alerts from them.

   Seems some hackers had found a way into my finances.

       I Stopped all my credit cards and bank accounts, but I knew there was no way I could deal with this on a 15 hour flight and doing it from Sydney?

  Going to a cruise and being in another country with no credit cards or bank accounts was not going to work.

 I cancelled the flight (Got 90% of it back with flights by Celebrity) and called Celebrity to see what my options were?

 Long story short by Canceling the Cruise I lost $5000 and probably all the Excursions and Perks I had paid for.

  My TA said if I claimed Covid the result may have been a Refund. Financial disaster is Not grounds for a refund.

You have my sympathy but regrettably, from the cruise lines and all travel insurance companies viewpoints, you voluntarily chose to cancel and therefore no refunds are due.

Any extras booked through the cruise will be refundable along with the taxes/fees.

A cheaper option might have been to catch up with the cruise/trip a few days late which is what we opted for when faced with a situation last month that prevented us boarding on the day the ship sailed.

 

[QueensChick]

To OP: D.B. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I hope you get your finances resolved quickly. A pox on all the hackers and fraudsters.

 

To Lastdance: I wish your DH a full and speedy recovery.

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Be careful what you wish for, but I certainly understand.  My DH and I both had Covid on a recent TA.  After being home for a week and 1/2, my DH got rebound Covid and pneumonia.  Presently, he is in the hospital with spiking fevers, ache, pains, awful cough etc.  This has been such an awful situation for us, especially since we have always been so healthy.  It just is what it is and there is no way we can go on our next cruise, as pneumonia + Covid takes a long time to get over.  

I hope you are able to resolve your credit issues, as I can only imagine how upset you must be over this.

I’m so sorry your DH is suffering from this nasty virus. Same thing happened to my DH as a result of a land vacay in Belize. He spent several days in a foreign hospital before coming home. I pray for your DH’s speedy recovery. 

[Covepointcruiser]

Did the folks with rebound COVID happen to take Paxlovid?    It’s common to get another round of COVID.

[Lastdance]

5 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Did the folks with rebound COVID happen to take Paxlovid?    It’s common to get another round of COVID.

Yes, my DH did take Plaxlovid, but had to stop after days three, as he had a severe reaction that made most of the muscles in his body cramp all at once.  Since we were onboard, at the time, the medical team arrived immediately.  He had an IV with electrolytes and tw other meds.  They were wonderful!  Yes, it is common that up to 30% of people who take Plaxlovid get rebound Covid, but not Covid pneumonia with very high temps and severely low bloodpressure...very scary stuff!

Edited November 26, 2022 by Lastdance

[Lastdance]

To the OP, I totally understand that you are not in any way diminshing the effects of Covid, so no worries at all.  Just so many weird and stressful things happening.  I totally understand where you are coming from and hope, as you work through this, your situation improves.  My DH is getting very good care, but it is just a struggle for now.

[D. B.]

17 hours ago, the penguins said:

You have my sympathy but regrettably, from the cruise lines and all travel insurance companies viewpoints, you voluntarily chose to cancel and therefore no refunds are due.

Any extras booked through the cruise will be refundable along with the taxes/fees.

A cheaper option might have been to catch up with the cruise/trip a few days late which is what we opted for when faced with a situation last month that prevented us boarding on the day the ship sailed.

 

Joining the ship later was not going to work as it started with 5 sea days around New Zealand's South Island and I may have been able to join the cruise in Christchurch on the 7th. day but I had no Idea how long it was going to take to fix everything. Turns out with the Thanksgiving weekend and some things closed till the 28.th. I  still have things that will require more time.  My Cruise was the 1st. of a B2B so Now I will  fly to Sydney leaving SFO on December 6th. (you lose 2 days) and sail on the Eclipse to some Soth Pacific Islands Dec. 9-20th.

    I guess the Cancel for any reason Insurance would cover this but with all the cruises I do the added price for that option  would end up costing more than I'm losing.

 I will check to see if Any of the options to recover some of the money I lost through ways people have suggested but That will open another can of worms from my experience.

 

[Bo1953]

1 hour ago, D. B. said:

Joining the ship later was not going to work as it started with 5 sea days around New Zealand's South Island and I may have been able to join the cruise in Christchurch on the 7th. day but I had no Idea how long it was going to take to fix everything. Turns out with the Thanksgiving weekend and some things closed till the 28.th. I  still have things that will require more time.  My Cruise was the 1st. of a B2B so Now I will  fly to Sydney leaving SFO on December 6th. (you lose 2 days) and sail on the Eclipse to some Soth Pacific Islands Dec. 9-20th.

    I guess the Cancel for any reason Insurance would cover this but with all the cruises I do the added price for that option  would end up costing more than I'm losing.

 I will check to see if Any of the options to recover some of the money I lost through ways people have suggested but That will open another can of worms from my experience.

 

Just think, a can of worms can bring a great catch, in the long run... then one never knows for sure until the lines are cast into the waters...

 

Good luck and bon voyage (B2B in Dec)

[the penguins]

6 hours ago, D. B. said:

Joining the ship later was not going to work as it started with 5 sea days around New Zealand's South Island and I may have been able to join the cruise in Christchurch on the 7th. day but I had no Idea how long it was going to take to fix everything. Turns out with the Thanksgiving weekend and some things closed till the 28.th. I  still have things that will require more time.  My Cruise was the 1st. of a B2B so Now I will  fly to Sydney leaving SFO on December 6th. (you lose 2 days) and sail on the Eclipse to some Soth Pacific Islands Dec. 9-20th.

    I guess the Cancel for any reason Insurance would cover this but with all the cruises I do the added price for that option  would end up costing more than I'm losing.

 I will check to see if Any of the options to recover some of the money I lost through ways people have suggested but That will open another can of worms from my experience.

 

The advice I got from Royal when I was taken ill 4 hours before sailing was not to cancel but to keep the booking in case we could join the ship later. I appreciate that in your case it might not have helped but the option may help others faced with a similar situation. "Cancel for any reason" is not an option in the UK.

The tax, excursions money will come back but as each cruise is a cost center in its own right they probably won't  start processing cancellations until the cruise has ended. The cruise we cancelled ended on 28 October and we got our taxes back last Monday.

[Georgia_Peaches]

I was discussing the OP’s terrible situation with my DH to brainstorm what we would do if something similar occurred to us. We both agreed that we wouldn’t cancel. We would have kept open at least one credit card that wasn’t compromised and taken cash from the bank to buy prepaid cards and/or currency exchange upon arrival to our destination. 

 

And this is not to call out the OP for their course of action but rather, possibly help those who find themselves in a similar situation. Lord knows it’s hard to think straight when faced with such a stressful set of circumstances. 

[D. B.]

On 11/27/2022 at 4:23 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

I was discussing the OP’s terrible situation with my DH to brainstorm what we would do if something similar occurred to us. We both agreed that we wouldn’t cancel. We would have kept open at least one credit card that wasn’t compromised and taken cash from the bank to buy prepaid cards and/or currency exchange upon arrival to our destination. 

 

And this is not to call out the OP for their course of action but rather, possibly help those who find themselves in a similar situation. Lord knows it’s hard to think straight when faced with such a stressful set of circumstances. 

I wish it was That simple.😄 this happened 6 hours before I was leaving Home (and the USA) for 30 days.

My problem was that from half a world away I could not make the changes to all my  automatic deposits and monthly payments because my Checking Account and Credit Card numbers had to be changed. +My bills would Not have been paid and my outstanding checks would have bounced.

   I found that some of these automatic bills could be changed Online but some could only be done on the phone or in person.

   

I have had no luck with my Travel Insurance (Only good if I had Cancel for Any Reason-crazy expensive- and canceled the Entire Trip)but  I plan to do the Second of my B2B.

     Nothing on my Credit Cards or Personal Insurance covers my losses and they all say "We never heard of this type of Claim before"

    

 

[PTC DAWG]

Re bank accounts, cards, etc, I have always been very hesitant to put all my eggs in one basket…

 

Good luck working this out. 

[cyntil8ing]

Sorry, but this question has been nagging me for days. Do you use the same password on all of your accounts? Because I cannot imagine how multiple banks and multiple credit cards were all hit at the same time. Did you recently install any software based on a call from Microsoft? Did a household employee suddenly disappear? Did a family member recently seem to come into some money? Are the police involved? 

 

I am sorry this happened to you and sorry you had to cancel. I'm really interested in how it occurred, because the usual ways wouldn't involve multiple banks and credit card issuers.