TravelGuard not covering for financial default

[Guest nhrich]

I just saw where TravelGuard is no longer (as of 4/16) covering financial default for Oceania. I hope this is not a sign of things to come (although usually they're pretty accurate), as Oceania has a good product from everything I've read and heard.

 

Rich

 

12/94 Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam - W. Carib

01/96 Norwegian Dreamward - Carib

01/97 Carnival Inspiration - E. Carib

09/98 Celebrity Mercury - Alaska

02/99 Carnival Fascination - S. Carib

09/00 Celebrity Galaxy - Alaska

11/02 Norwegian Sun - W. Carib

03/03 Norwegian Dawn - W. Carib

09/03 Norwegian Majesty - Bermuda

11/03 Carnival Spirit - Panama Canal

 

 

Coming Up Next:

05/04 Voyager of the Seas - Canada

10/04 Pride of Aloha - Hawaii

 

[raffeer]

................but then again this is the same outfit that hasn't covered United Airlines or Air Canada for years.

Beatrice

[Guest nhrich]

Yes, and United Airlines and Air Canada are both in bankruptcy.

 

Rich

[Elyilona]

It usually means that the underwriters after careful consideration feel that due to financial signs in their possession indicate bankruptcy alert.It does not mean immediately but protection of the shareholders of Travel Guard is of primary concern at this time. EMax

[Guest nhrich]

Exactly my point, EMax. I wouldn't be surprise to see a bankruptcy filing. I'm not saying Oceania is going out of business (and I hope it doesn't), but knowing their management's track record, anything's possible down the road.

 

Rich

[Windrunner I]

Having worked in the industry for many years, my assessment is that Travel Guard is working on assumption by dropping coverage of small, independent lines due to the recent falure of Royal Olympic and Festival.

 

I just returned from the Insignia inaugural and have booked another cruise. FWIW, I always buy through Access America and they're still giving full coverage.

 

And I don't know whay you'd make such a sharp comment about Oceania's management, most of them are from Crystal, Orient and Silversea.

[Guest nhrich]

Maybe so, but it's still got Renaissance written all over it. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.....

 

Enough said on my part.

[Windrunner I]

Then I guess Princess and Swan Hellenic have Renaiassance written all over them as well wouldn't you say?

 

To me, Ocenaia is more akin to the original Celebrity back in the early 90's or Orient Lines. I've sailed Ren and this isn't Ren.

[goeurope]

>>Maybe so, but it's still got Renaissance written all over it. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.....<<

 

That's just silly. Sorry to be so blunt, but unless you have inside information that you'd like to share with us, I think it might be a good idea to have your ducks in a row before you start blasting away. :-)

 

--

Durant Imboden

Europeforvisitors.com

[Andee]

We've had experience with financial default. We were booked on a Renaissance cruise scheduled to leave four days after they declared bankruptcy. We had charged the cruise eight months prior to the trip. We wrote to Visa, and our money was refunded within three weeks. We never had to deal with the insurance company at all.

[Leonid]

TravelGuard Is ONE insurer! Seems like a Chicken Little syndrome. If one is afraid of default, then pick an insurer that will cover Oceania. Also, pay with a credit card. Smartest way to pay.

My wife & I just booked a 16 day cruise on the Regatta in January through the Canal. Looking forward to it.

If one worries about default, stick with Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, etc. UGH!!!

[MortgageChick]

I agree with Andee > Any travel is charged to my Visa card. If the product is not delivered you are refunded your money.

[Jancruz]

I found, the only way you have to deal with the insurance company in case of default..is having them give the money you paid them back to you..!! You do get a refund from the credit card company..NO ONE should ever pay for a cruise with check or cash!!

 

Jan

*****

[duncanmc]

You may want to read Cruise Critic's own take on the issue -- there's a news item posted and I think it's pretty clear about what happened and what's happening re Oceania and Travel Guard...

 

Duncan

[goeurope]

Yes, it's described as an "administrative issue" (a mailed request for financial info that got lost somewhere along the way). The Cruise Critic story is at:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1097

 

--

Durant Imboden

Europeforvisitors.com

[Guest nhrich]

Just saw the same thing on another site. Glad that's all it was.

 

Rich

[Guest nhrich]

TravelGuard is now covering for default. I've posted a separate thread announcing this so that the headline gets equal footing. I'm glad Oceania resolved this so quickly.

 

Based on the way they reacted, and some other customer service issues that I've been reading over during the last couple of days, I'll now humbly admit that Oceania seems to be a class act, and run nothing like Ren.

 

I'm looking forward some day to having the opportunity to try out this line.

 

Rich

[srb]

I think Oceania officials deserve a great deal of credit for addressing this PR nightmare with such speed and professionalism. My wife and I am on the June 1,2004 cruise and our entire family is booked for the Dec. 21, 2004 holiday cruise both on Regatta. The last few days have been weird and a little unsettling, especially if you are following the message boards.

 

Cudos also to my TA who kept me informed from the minute Travel Guard sent it's notice. She also informed me when it was resolved. I always use Travelex and I always pay with a credit card. After reading all the emails posted here and elsewhere I truly believe in my favorite saying..."I'd rather be lucky than smart."

[frank26]

Hi, this is Frank Del Rio. I know the last 72 hours has been unsettling for some of you, I know it was for me!

As you know by now, the situation that arose this week was, to borrow a quote, "much a do about nothing". Neverheless, I am glad that the good folks at Travel Guard corrected the situation as quickly as they did.

 

For those of you on this board that supported Oceania Cruises during this brief bump in the road, I extend to you my sincere thanks and appreciation.

 

For those of you that jumped to the wrong conclusion, assumed the worst, linked this unfounded situation to others in the past and I think, were generally happy to see Oceania Cruises in some sort of stressful situation, I think you owe the entire Oceania Cruises community and apology.

 

Furthermore, I invite you to discontinue participation with anything and everything having to do with Oceania Cruises and strongly urge you never to cruise with us again.

 

Frank Del Rio

The Proud President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceania Cruises

of Oceania Cruises

[Rickey 88]

To Frank Del Rio -

You deserve our appreciation for turning a potentially bad situation into a good one - and in only four days!

 

Congratulations for a truly class act! We are looking forward to June 14th and 26th on the Insignia.....

[spindrift]

And WE are looking forward to our South America/Antartic cruise on 12/17. With the Watters/Del Rio act, this has to be one great upcoming line, and I am happy to be a part of it.

[CharlesB]

In a post on CruiseCritic, Frank Del Rio, CEO and

President of Oceania Cruises, in response

to the questionable decision by Travel Guard

Insurance to no longer cover Oceania for financial

default, said, in part:

 

"For those of you that jumped to the wrong

conclusion, assumed the worst, linked this

unfounded situation to others in the past and

I think, were generally happy to see Oceania

Cruises in some sort of stressful situation,

I think you owe the entire Oceania Cruises

community and apology."

 

"Furthermore, I invite you to discontinue

participation with anything and everything

having to do with Oceania Cruises and

strongly urge you never to cruise with us

again."

=================================================

 

I was one of the people who may have "jumped to

the wrong conclusion and assumed the worst" when

Oceania failed to quickly resolve the matter and

clarify why they were placed under suspicion of

finanancial instability by a major travel insurer.

 

In my heart I felt that Oceania was OK and making

money, but the dead silence, and the subsequent

predictable finger-pointing, had all the earmarks

of Big Trouble. And then, finally, we heard that it was

all a matter of a letter never received, or maybe,

never sent.

 

Is there really a major cruise line that does not

actively monitor their ratings by each of the

major travel insurers? Wouldn't you assume that

they establish personal relationships and contacts at

each major agency to guard against just this sort

of thing, and to avoid the embarrassment and shame of

being blindsided, and to add insult to injury, to

have to be alterted to it all by their customers who

read about it on an Internet message board?

 

If Mr. Del Rio is unhappy about the situation, he should

look within his organization, and make the changes

that are required to prevent similar P.R. disasters.

 

It's not his customers who he should be scolding and

banishing from all contact with his cruise line, that's

just plain Public Relations Self Immolation. No matter

what kind of spin is put on this unfortunate event,

it is the delayed, and then inappropriate and insulting

reaction by Oceania management that perpetuates the bad press, and caused the confusion within Oceania's loyal customer base.

 

If the CEO of Oceania really wanted to summarily disrespect

and dismiss *any* segment of his market, however small, just

because they failed to show the proper loyalty,

or "jumped to the wrong conclusion, (and) assumed the worst", then I think that he might be biting off his nose to

spite his face.

 

And the early results seem to bear me out: so far I

haven't seen anyone who was confused, or had doubts,

ask for forgiveness in response to his demand

that "(they) owe the entire Oceania Cruises

community and apology".

 

I have always been a strong supporter of Oceania, from

the very beginning, and I refuse to be repentant, chastised,

or banished because I interpreted their delayed response,

and their amateurish, fragmented efforts at spin control,

as a signal that something actually might be wrong.

 

History has shown that when a cruise line gets in trouble,

or has an image problem, it's almost never the fault of the

dedicated staff and crews on the ships, or cruise customers,

but in most cases because of inept, lethargic, or insensitive management at landbased corporate headquarters.

 

Is it any wonder that some Oceania believers might have had a doubt or two when they heard unrefuted reports that a major underwriter had taken the serious step of refusing to cover Oceania for financial default?

 

I think that Mr. Del Rio's demand that doubtful

or confused Oceania customers should apologize, and that they

henceforth should go elsewhere, is placing the blame where

it doesn't belong.

 

One could even expect Mr. Del Rio to be the one who should

apologize for this embarrassing, uncontained imbroglio,

and to recant his inappropriate dismissal of any segment of

the overwhelmingly loyal Oceania Cruises customer base.

 

So far, the silence has been deafening.

 

Charles B.

[gr8aunt]

I agree with Charles B. Mr. DelRio's response was, at the very least, very unprofessional. As a businessman, he would be ill advised to dismiss any segment of his customer base. Like it or not, justified or not, at least for the moment, he is still identified with Renaissance and people become a little nervous when they hear any unsettling reports. Hopefully this will change and Mr. DelRio will make his own mark with Oceania. I am booked on my first Oceania cruise in June and can't wait. I loved the size of the Ren ships and at least that hasn't changed.

[ClaudiaF]

Thank you for your post. FRANK (ly) I was amazed, shocked and

totally floored ( in that order) to read that post yesterday.

And I was not alone in being embarrased for him. To think that the

CEO of a young and flourishing company would do that.

Certainly there are "trolls' on these boards who thrill in making a bad

situation worse, and IMHO you can chastise them till the cows come

home..they are usually disgruntled travel agents or even disgruntled

ex- passengers of ( god forbid I write the name) "R" who may have

been in the situation discussed, a few years ago.

But, to do that to people, most who are true OCEANIA LOYALISTS, who

have been there from before there was a ship even named, who are and

have been, practically cheerleaders for Frank and crew, who were only

expressing their true concerns when they learned that Travel Guard

had stopped insuring the line, or that the travel insurance they had

already purchased might not be good is just wrong. These are people

who have booked cruises and many of us, without expressing our

concerns in writing agreed with what we were reading. Many of us

have booked cruises ( plural) on Oceania way into next year .. and

only want assurances.

Frank said he was taken by surprise, blindsighted to learn this on

the internet? Why shouldn't the cruise passenger be able to express

their fears when they were taken by surprise, blindsighted,that a company who has

their money may not, possibly be taking care of business?

Why should the traveling public learn on the internet that someone

forgot to send in papers or didn't get the letter of request? Who

needs to hear excuses?

You know if it was Donald Trumps company what would have happened to

that person.....they would have heard the ill fated....

You're fired!

Well, I hope that since I agree with the other posts, I am not

banished from the "kingdom".. and Frank I have to disagree with you,

those people do not owe me an apology.

 

Barcelona to Venice on Oceania - "Insignia"

Buenos Aires to Rio Oceania - "Insignia"

 

[BossRay2003]

Excuse me Mr. Del Rio,

My mistake for waiting patiently and not requesting permission to come onboard the Regatta. There was a 2 hour wait just to arrive in suite 8067. My appologies for getting upset the following day when it was time for the muster and there were no life jackets in the suite. We were told to ask for spares when we got to the muster station. I admit I did foolishly ask; "what if an emergency had occured the night before." How would they have identified us? There was a special party for those who had cruised with "R" but we were not invited which upset one couple who had cruised with "R" but were not invited either. I guess only FOF (friends of Frank) are concidered invited.

When we docked in Costa Rico the officials refused to allow the Regatta to load or unload because the agreement was for docking only. They claimed those arraignments must be made 6 months in advance.When we spend $14,000 for a cruise we do expect real orange juice and not Tang! I could list the other items that were not available but there is no point as our banishment has made it all redundant anyway.

We wrote to you to express these concerns. I guess you never got that letter either as we received a reply from Mr. Victor Gonzales with a $200 cruise credit certificate good only on a suite for a future cruise. I'm sorry we will not be welcome to ever use it. I am also sorry for all your loyal passengers who deserve better than we got.

Sandy Chylds

 

Grandeur 1998

Voyager 2000

Radiance 2001

Brilliance 2002

Regatta 2003