May need to cancel -- insurance question -- just sick about it

[MrsPete]

Our family of four was all set to cruise in about two weeks. We're paid in full and have our documents ready; we have cars reserved for our port stops; we've packed our evening wear, reading materials, and toiletries; we've collected one dollar bills. We have the highly-coveted room 1688, and we're really looking forward to that. I have only two things left on my to-do list: get my hair colored, and pack shorts/tees for daily wear.

 

And now our youngest daughter is sick. It's pretty nasty and highly contagious, and she's going to miss a whole week of school -- probably part of next week too. We planned the cruise for a week that included fall break so that she'd only miss two days. Missing 5-8 days now, then another two days right away is just not acceptable to us. Essentially she'd be missing three weeks straight. Plus, my husband and I will be taking turns taking days off work to stay home with her, and while we both have plenty of vacation days, it'll be difficult for us -- especially him.

 

I'm crying about it, but we may have to cancel our cruise. Going without our daughter is not an option for us. We'll make the go-or-stay decision next week, once we see how she does. IF she gets well faster than expected, MAYBE we can still go . . . if things are worse than predicted . . . well, we'll reschedule, but we'll be very disappointed.

 

Anyway, having whined enough, I'd appreciate any advice from people who may have been in similar situations:

 

1. We bought insurance through RC, and the documents say that we can get a refund for illness that prevents a member of the party from traveling. I assume our doctor will have to write something proving that the illness is genuine? Technically she should be well by that point, but the doctor would write that she's being treated for something highly contagious, is under doctor's care, etc. If we don't go, it will be because of the illness. Is this likely to be a difficult thing, or just an, "Oh, here's your note, let me write the check" deal?

 

Just for the record, we live close enough to drive, so airfare is not an issue -- JUST the price of the cruise.

 

2. What's the cut-off point to cancel and get a refund? A week before we sail, or something like that? We sail October 29th.

 

3. We have $200 shipboard credit, which came from the MBNA Visa card. If we're forced to cancel, do we lose this, or can we tranfer it to a later cruise?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Dockman123]

Sorry to hear about your dd illness. The insurance should cover you in the event that you have to cancel. As far as the MBNA certificates for obc there is an expiration date on those of about 6 months. If you don't use them in the 6 month period you will lose them. If you made a copy of the certificate you will see the expiration date on the front.

[wrp96]

Here's the cancellation policy from RCCL's website:

 

7-Night

70 or more No Charge

69-30 Deposit amount

29-8 50% of total price

7 or less No refund

 

 

8-Night or longer

 

70 or more No Charge

69-30 Deposit amount

29-15 50% of total price

14 or less No refund

 

 

As to how easy will your insurance be to get money back from, who knows. My recommendation to you is to document everything and keep backup copies.

[uksimonusa]

We had to cancel our May cruise on Mariner, for a non covered reason, my wifes citizenship interview that she had waited a year for, ame thru on the last day of the cruise.

 

As this was a non covered reason, we did not get a cash refund but did get 75% credit towards another cruise, just filled out a claim form and about 2 weeks later the certificates were in the mail. Very easy.

 

As your reason is covered, you should get a full refund and based on my expereince it should be easy and painless.

 

Lets hope you dd gets better sson and you can still take the cruise anyway

[ACCagent]

As said before, you should get the 75% cruise credit but I'm not sure on the full refund. They may very well say that you aren't actually cancelling for illness that prevents you from going unless she is STILL sick at the time of travel. They may feel that the reason for cancellation is because you can't miss more work or her miss more school and those would not be covered. I realize that those two things are a direct result of the illness but just want you to be aware that a refund is not a sure thing.

 

Hope your daughter gets well quickly and you're able to make the trip.

[sj25]

I know how you feel I am still not know what I am doing on our cruise in Dec 3 on the Mariner...my dad was told he has colan cancer 3 weeks ago and has spread to the liver and lungs already...they give him 4mths..so it is really hard to know what to do.....I quit to take care of him a week ago...but I did get insurance through insuremytrip...and said if I cancile within 72 hrs...so yes it is very hard to know you might have to cancile..when you book so far ahead and get all excited about the trip...

[49holding]

I don't know how old your youngest daughter is but missing school especially at the elementary level is definitely do-able. You can get important missed work from the teacher and do it on the cruise...an hour or two a day. Years ago my daughter was sick with flu( saw her MD)..missed a week of school went back to school the following week. After a few days the teacher called to tell me that my daughter was extremely tired..sleeping at her desk, etc...Took her back to the MD and as it turned out she had pnuemonia, and missed 7 more school days. She didn't suffer at all academically from all those missed school days....

[webteach]

I taught elem school for 30 years, and my first thought upon reading your post was that if you are able and willing you can most certainly home school (ship school??) her for the time missed. Just be sure that you explain fully and nicely to the teacher involved. Where I taught, teachers were not required to give missed work for family vacations, but most did it if the family was humble like you are. It seems too horrible to miss something that your family has looked forward to. Of course, most readers on this board will always take the "go on the cruise" pov!!!

[piercetc4]

is your dd too sick to try to keep up with the daily work she is missing now and up to and including the cruise...? i know sometimes my kids had a fever or pink eye or something that kept them from school but were "well" enough to do some reading or classwork so they would not be totally out of the loop when they were well enough to get back to school- i had mono as a high school student- missed 2 weeks of school- teachers were so nice and sent home class assignments for the 2 weeks so i could keep up with what we were studying- i did homework and class work on and off during the day and was able to turn it all in and not be so far behind.......is this an option for you?

so sorry to hear of your dd illness- i hope it all works out in a positive way for you illness, cruise, insurance and all......

[REGINA]

We had to cancel a trip on Carnival last fall well after final payment was made. We got every penny back. Carnival credited us back what their policy stated immediately (same as the post on here with days and $amount.).

 

Once we had the forms filled out by the doctor (we got the insurance through the cruise line also) and the insurance company approved it they too credited us back for the remaining amount. We never lost one penny.

 

My husband had surgery and it was too soon to travel (the surgery was unexpected).

 

Good Luck!

[MrsPete]

Sorry to hear about your dd illness. The insurance should cover you in the event that you have to cancel. As far as the MBNA certificates for obc there is an expiration date on those of about 6 months. If you don't use them in the 6 month period you will lose them. If you made a copy of the certificate you will see the expiration date on the front.

The expiration date is 2/15/07; however, I've already mailed them in to RCCI. You're saying that if I reschedule between now and that date, my $200 shipboard credit will transfer?

[MrsPete]

They may very well say that you aren't actually cancelling for illness that prevents you from going unless she is STILL sick at the time of travel. They may feel that the reason for cancellation is because you can't miss more work or her miss more school and those would not be covered. I realize that those two things are a direct result of the illness but just want you to be aware that a refund is not a sure thing.

And that would be the truth. I expect her to be well by 10/29 when we sail, but if she's missed the two weeks of school prior to the cruise, I just can't see allowing her to miss another three days. However -- long story, short -- the doctor will write something for us saying that she became sick just before the cruise. The doctor mis-diagnosed my daughter a full month ago, and we treated her for the wrong thing. In that time, the condition worsened significantly, and the doctor is bending over backwards to apologize. She's even providing my daughter's follow-up treatment for free. She knows she was wrong-wrong-wrong, and she's trying to get me back in her good graces.

 

If we don't cruise, it WILL BE a direct result of this illness, so I wouldn't feel a bit bad about fudging the actual dates. I bought the insurance in case something bad happened -- something bad IS happening.

Hope your daughter gets well quickly and you're able to make the trip.

That would be the best possibility -- but I just don't know yet! Thanks.

[MrsPete]

I don't know how old your youngest daughter is but missing school especially at the elementary level is definitely do-able.

Thanks, but I disagree. I was iffy on taking her out for three days for the cruise. Now that she's missing at least a week, it's looking more and more questionable. She could potentially go past ten days!

 

I'm a teacher, and I've seen what absences do to kids' grades -- even to the grades of good students. When she's sick, it simply can't be avoided. But I just can't see furthering the problem. IF we can manage to have her miss only a couple days this week, we'll still be able to go, but that's up in the air right now.

[MrsPete]

is your dd too sick to try to keep up with the daily work she is missing now and up to and including the cruise...?

Absolutely! She's doing some work every day, but that's still not the same as being in class. This is a big testing year for her, and she NEEDS to be present, especially for writing instruction. I'm working with her at home, but I don't necessarily know what she needs to learn for this particular test.

[piercetc4]

i think i read on the mbna cert. that once applied to a cruise......that is it- if you cancel you loose it- maybe someone at rci can help you out and put it towards another cruise- i hope so anyway...

[Dive boy]

Our family of four was all set to cruise in about two weeks. We're paid in full and have our documents ready; we have cars reserved for our port stops; we've packed our evening wear, reading materials, and toiletries; we've collected one dollar bills. We have the highly-coveted room 1688, and we're really looking forward to that. I have only two things left on my to-do list: get my hair colored, and pack shorts/tees for daily wear.

 

And now our youngest daughter is sick. It's pretty nasty and highly contagious, and she's going to miss a whole week of school -- probably part of next week too. We planned the cruise for a week that included fall break so that she'd only miss two days. Missing 5-8 days now, then another two days right away is just not acceptable to us. Essentially she'd be missing three weeks straight. Plus, my husband and I will be taking turns taking days off work to stay home with her, and while we both have plenty of vacation days, it'll be difficult for us -- especially him.

 

I'm crying about it, but we may have to cancel our cruise. Going without our daughter is not an option for us. We'll make the go-or-stay decision next week, once we see how she does. IF she gets well faster than expected, MAYBE we can still go . . . if things are worse than predicted . . . well, we'll reschedule, but we'll be very disappointed.

 

Anyway, having whined enough, I'd appreciate any advice from people who may have been in similar situations:

 

1. We bought insurance through RC, and the documents say that we can get a refund for illness that prevents a member of the party from traveling. I assume our doctor will have to write something proving that the illness is genuine? Technically she should be well by that point, but the doctor would write that she's being treated for something highly contagious, is under doctor's care, etc. If we don't go, it will be because of the illness. Is this likely to be a difficult thing, or just an, "Oh, here's your note, let me write the check" deal?

 

Just for the record, we live close enough to drive, so airfare is not an issue -- JUST the price of the cruise.

 

2. What's the cut-off point to cancel and get a refund? A week before we sail, or something like that? We sail October 29th.

 

3. We have $200 shipboard credit, which came from the MBNA Visa card. If we're forced to cancel, do we lose this, or can we tranfer it to a later cruise?

 

Thanks in advance.

I'm sorry to hear that you have to cancel. At this point if you didn't

have the insurance you'd lose everything. Contact Royal Carribbean

asap and explain the situation. Find out from them how to proceed.

They will most likey refer you to the insurance company. Good luck!

[BobBeaSea]

I know how you feel I am still not know what I am doing on our cruise in Dec 3 on the Mariner...my dad was told he has colan cancer 3 weeks ago and has spread to the liver and lungs already...they give him 4mths..so it is really hard to know what to do.....I quit to take care of him a week ago...but I did get insurance through insuremytrip...and said if I cancile within 72 hrs...so yes it is very hard to know you might have to cancile..when you book so far ahead and get all excited about the trip...

 

So very sorry about your father. I just lost my Dad 2 months ago, I miss him. All the best to you...

 

Mrs. Pete, I don't know about all the whereofs and whytofores of the legal world but my guess is IF, and that's a big if, it was found out your daughter was fine to travel but you voluntarily cancelled due to missing classes she was going to miss anyway you might have a problem if claiming on the insurance. Your Dr. is going to help you out with the timeline on this so my guess is you will be OK. I hate like heck to ask this but if you claim the insurance, are you going to be OK with that decision?

 

I hope your daughter fully recovers quickly.

[Dive boy]

I'm sorry to hear about having to cance. At least you took the

insurance. I knew of many people who didn't take it saying

"I'm going". Call Royal Caribbean asap and explain the situation.

They will most likey refer you to the insurance company. Be patient

and take careful notes of who you spoke with. Good luck!

[Iamthesea]

It's pretty nasty and highly contagious, and she's

You really have my curiosity up about what is wrong with your daughter and how it could have been misdiagnosed.:(

 

Has your DD already missed days of school because of this illness? If it is so contagious, chances are that your other child (or either of you parents) could get this illness. if so, you would be sick during the time of the cruise and would need to cancel anyway...without fudging the illness dates.

 

I know it's your choice, none of my business and I don't want to start a debate, but I personally would not worry one little bit that my elementary or even a junior high or high school student missed a week or more of classes. We have taken all of our kids out of school for vacation and it did not hurt their grades or testing. One has graduated from college (is a teacher,) one is a Senior in college (going to be a teacher) and my son is a Freshman in college (pre-pharmacy.) When we all get together, they do not talk about their past school days or what they learned, they talk about all the great vacations we have had as a family and all the new places they have seen and studied. A vacation can be an education, also! :)

 

I do hope your daughter recovers quickly and will not be disappointed if the family vacation has to be cancelled because of her illness.;)

[MrsPete]

I hate like heck to ask this but if you claim the insurance, are you going to be OK with that decision?

Yep. The insurance takes care of us if we can't cruise because of sickness. If things don't go well -- and we still have this week to see how that goes -- it WILL BE because of her sickness.

[MrsPete]

You really have my curiosity up about what is wrong with your daughter and how it could have been misdiagnosed.:(

I'd rather not talk about the details, but it was plain incompetence on the doctor's part that caused the misdiagnosis -- that's why she's being so helpful to us now. Yes, she's missed a couple days of school already, but now that it's diagnosed she's not allowed to return until the doctor okays her. She's not officially quarantined, but she's not allowed to go to school.

 

I'm actually surprised that the rest of the family didn't get sick as well, but now that we're all involved in aggressive prevention methods, it's unlikely that we'll get sick. Two other children in her class are also sick with the same illness, and my family is probably to blame; well, actually, the doctor is to blame -- if my daughter'd been diagnosed correctly in the first place, I'd have kept her out of school earlier.

 

I know it's your choice, none of my business and I don't want to start a debate, but I personally would not worry one little bit that my elementary or even a junior high or high school student missed a week or more of classes.

Thank you, but I've been teaching a long time and have seen this scenerio turn ugly too many times. My daughter will probably miss more school days this year than she has in the previous five years combined. If she were to become sick again later this year, the number could go higher.

 

At this point I'm hoping that she'll overcome this very, very quickly and we'll have no problem; however, if it drags on longer than expected, my mind's made up.

[joy cruiser]

We were set to go on the Freedom on 9/24 and my Mom passed on 9/18. We had booked over a year ago and we always carry ins. because you never know. I recieved my port charges and taxes from RCCL yesterday and I just mailed my ins. claim yesterday. I used the ins. one time before due to needing surgery about 6 yrs. ago so if claims are legit there doesn't seem to be a problem. Hope all works out for you.

[MavisMarie]

I know how you feel I am still not know what I am doing on our cruise in Dec 3 on the Mariner...my dad was told he has colan cancer 3 weeks ago and has spread to the liver and lungs already...they give him 4mths..so it is really hard to know what to do.....I quit to take care of him a week ago...but I did get insurance through insuremytrip...and said if I cancile within 72 hrs...so yes it is very hard to know you might have to cancile..when you book so far ahead and get all excited about the trip...

 

Bless your heart. Your post brought great emotion to me. Many of us have been in your position. The only thing you can do is go with the flow now and tend to the needs (physical and emotional) of your dear father. Taking care of him will be the hardest thing you've ever done and also the most rewarding. I prayed daily for two things: "God, please give me a kind voice and a gentle touch." That worked beautifully for me. My mother lived only 30 days after diagnosis.

 

Whatever you do, do not leave him for a cruise you can take later. My prayers go with you.

[forpaws]

I know how you feel I am still not know what I am doing on our cruise in Dec 3 on the Mariner...my dad was told he has colan cancer 3 weeks ago and has spread to the liver and lungs already...they give him 4mths..so it is really hard to know what to do.....I quit to take care of him a week ago...but I did get insurance through insuremytrip...and said if I cancile within 72 hrs...so yes it is very hard to know you might have to cancile..when you book so far ahead and get all excited about the trip...

Sorry-off topic--but I too know how you feel. We took care of my 57 year old mother at home until her time ended after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer three years ago. I don't think you will ever regret the time you spend taking care of your dad. I know I haven't regretted a minute of keeping my mom at home, as that is what she wanted. The thing you must remember, however, is to take care of the caretaker--and sometimes that involves a quick break here and there. That recharges your batteries and gives you the endurance to keep going--and as MM posted above, being the caretaker is the toughest but most rewarding job you will ever undertake. The doctors may have given your dad 4 months, but in reality, it could be more than that, or less than that...they are only giving you their best educated guess. Please take care of yourself through this process too. :)

[honeymoon4life]

Julie,

 

I know what you are going threw. My Grandfather had prostate cancer and had it surgically removed years ago, then out of the blue he started losing ridiculous amounts of weight and then his abdomen began to swell to about the size of an 8 month preganant woman's belly. They found a lung mass and it had spread to other parts of his body. It's awful because I work at a cancer center and I was under the impression that their had to be some new treatments that would work for him. But when I talked to our doc's they said that they could treat it, but it would only be a matter of time and it would reappear. They too gave my grandfather a short amount of time. But he's still hanging in there, so just make his life as wonderful as you can while he's here and don't focus on the sickness...he will love you for it. All the doctors in his life are doing enough to remind him he's sick, it is a breath of fresh air when someone reminds him he's still living...