amsps Posted August 11, 2004 #1 Share Posted August 11, 2004 We are leaving to go to the bahamas in a few weeks. If there are hurricanes and tropical storms and the ship decides to change iteneraries, can we back out of the crusie if we don't like where they go? We purchased trip insurance. Do we have the right to cancel? (without paying to cancel)? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeyer418 Posted August 11, 2004 #2 Share Posted August 11, 2004 generally no unless you bought insurance that covers this(and not all insurance does). the cruise line is promising you a trip on a ship. They reserve the right to change ports for any or no reason and changing ports becuase of weather is a good reason. Sometimes they do allow people to cancel but not very often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normaxs Posted August 11, 2004 #3 Share Posted August 11, 2004 We are leaving to go to the bahamas in a few weeks. If there are hurricanes and tropical storms and the ship decides to change iteneraries, can we back out of the crusie if we don't like where they go? We purchased trip insurance. Do we have the right to cancel? (without paying to cancel)? Thanks! Very few insurances will cover a canellation because weather caused an itinerary change. When a cruise is booked during storm season, that's a chance you take. The cruise brochurees state very clearly they have the right to change itineraries. Norma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinfanatic Posted August 11, 2004 #4 Share Posted August 11, 2004 The fine print of your cruise contract stipulates that the cruiseline can change just about anything they feel like for any reason. No insurance that I know of will compensate you if you decide to not go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xpcdoojk Posted August 11, 2004 #5 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Very few cruises change the itinerary, and you will have virtually no warning if this happens. It is not like they know more than a day or two in advance where the storm is going to hit exactly, and even then until you get about 6 hours out it may change course. Plus what are the chances of the storm hitting your original port? Pretty small. jc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted August 11, 2004 #6 Share Posted August 11, 2004 All passenger contracts state that the cruise line has the right to miss completely or substitue a port if one is missed for any reason. This includes reversing itinerary or a comlete itinerary change. I have never seen a cruise insurance policy that would let you back out if this happened. Read the fine print, that should fill you in on both your insurance and your cruise contract! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen_cpa Posted August 11, 2004 #7 Share Posted August 11, 2004 I believe with most itinerary changes you do not know until you step foot on board the ship, so there would be no opportunity for you to cancel even if you wanted to. I can't see a cruise line having enough time to "advertise" a port change - storms usually blow through in a day or less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D4 Posted August 11, 2004 #8 Share Posted August 11, 2004 I agree with the other posters. However, if you purchase RCCL's vacation protection plan, it allows you to cancel for ANY reason and get 75% of your purchase amount as a credit toward a future cruise. It has to be used by the same passengers within one year subject to blackout dates. I purchase travel insurance from a different company, so I don't have that benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smeyer418 Posted August 11, 2004 #9 Share Posted August 11, 2004 some cruise line insurance will give up to a 90 percent credit. You pay additional for that insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarlenna Posted August 11, 2004 #10 Share Posted August 11, 2004 Nobody is ever forced to get on a ship. The question is probably: "Will the cruise line refund my fare if I decide not to go because the weather is bad?" The answer to that question is no. Insurance doesn't cover a change of heart due to the weather either. Now, if the storm is very very bad the ship may postpone the sailing - and you may get a refund in that case. I have gone through 2 hurricanes at sea. They were both quite an adventure. They certainly gave a new meaning to the term rock and roll. The infirmary has good drugs for sea sickness if that becomes a problem for you. Or, if you don't like paying for the doctor here, you can pick up some medication at home. As many have said before me, cruising is somewhat of an adventure. You can book expecting certain ports and actually go to completely different ports - or have the ports cancelled and end up at sea. The ship may even change itinerary AFTER it sails. The captain and the corporation have the right to make any changes to the itinerary that they feel need to be made. Sometimes there is civil unrest (like Labadee). Sometimes there are storms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coralc Posted August 12, 2004 #11 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Well, not quite the same thing, but Carnival has or had a 100% vacation enjoyment guaranty. If you for any reason you weren't enjoying your cruise vacation you could disembark at the first foreign port and Carnival would return you to the embarkation port. Hurricane Nora changed our itinerary from the Mexican Riviera to Ensenada and San Francisco in 1998. Close to 500 people disembarked in Ensenada and were bussed back to the port at San Pedro. They apparently received a pro-rated refund for their cruise. Probably mostly folks from So. Cal., we stayed on board because of the logistics, no air reservations, vacation already from work, and so on. It is highly unlikely that you could cancel because of a storm prior to sailing, even with insurance. We won't sail on Carnival again anyway, and I think that RCI does not provide any sort of similar plan. You can't sail into a hurricane, there is really no other option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piginmud Posted August 12, 2004 #12 Share Posted August 12, 2004 my home port when I'm coming back :D That way I get to stay on the ship another couple days... :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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