CANCELLATIONS, HURRICANES,
LOSING YOUR JOB,
& TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE ©
• Do you know what the consequences of cancelling your cruise or vacation, without travel protection insurance, are?
• Some people are concerned about adding additional costs, like travel insurance, to their vacations...BUT:
• What if a hurricane starts up?
• What if one of your kids at home gets sick or injured?
• What if one of your elderly parents suddenly gets sick?
• What if you have to cut your cruise short, due to an emergency?
• What if you get called for Jury Duty?
• What if you miss a connection on the way to the ship?
• What if your boss tells you that you can't have the time off you were promised?
• What if you should lose your job?
• All cruise lines, tour companies, resorts and airlines, charge hefty penalties for cancellation or trip interruption.
• Cruise Lines and other travel suppliers do not issue refunds if a passenger cancels under penalty. PERIOD.
In my professional opinion, ALL vacationers should purchase Travel Insurance to protect their investment!
I've personally seen too many people fall ill and be taken off the ship in port or even evacuated at sea by helicopter.
While I have always hoped for their speedy recovery, I also wondered if they had purchased travel insurance.
It's certainly tempting not to. How many times have you returned from a trip safe and sound and kicked yourself for spending some extra money, to insure against some calamity that never transpired? (Plenty, God willing!)
But it only takes once, and it doesn't have to be much of a calamity to deep-six your sizable cruise investment.
DO YOU KNOW . . .
• Americans have little or no health care coverage outside the USA.
Most health care policies will not cover you when travelling outside of the country
• Health care facilities abroad may be limited or inadequate, and while cruise ships do have medical facilities onboard,
they may not be adequate if you have a major health crisis
• Cruise lines and airlines assume little responsibility for baggage delays and lost baggage
CANCELLATION UNDER PENALTY
• Typically, the cruise lines cancellation penalty period goes into effect approximately 75 days prior to the actual sail date.
• Depending on how far out you cancel, will determine how much of a penalty you'll be charged.
• It could be just the amount of your deposit, or it might be a percentage of your total fare.
• Here's a typical cancellation penalty schedule:
Days Prior to departure Charge per guest
75-30 days Deposit amt
29- 8 days 50% of total fare
7 days or less 100% of total fare
{actual cancellation penalty schedule vary by cruise line, tour operator}
• In addition, there will most likely be cancellation penalties from the airline or hotel you're using, as well.
• Most airline tickets are non-refundable and also have fees for any changes made to your flights.
And with the ever increasing unreliability of the airlines, travel protection insurance has become even more important!
DO YOU KNOW THAT YOUR CANCELLATION ALSO AFFECTS THE OTHERS SHARING YOUR STATEROOM?
The options for the remaining person(s) in the stateroom are:
• Find someone else to replace you in the stateroom, and that person would be required to pay the full fare at the time
they were added to the reservation, which would protect the original remaining person's fare from changing.
• If they cannot find anyone to replace you, and they choose to travel as a single in the stateroom, since cruise rates are
always based on double occupancy, they'd be required by the cruise line, to pay an additional "single supplement" to
bring the fare back up to the double occupancy rate.
• If they can't or don't want to find someone else to replace you, and decide to cancel as well, they are also under the same
cancellation penalty that you're under!
• The closer to the actual cruise date, that you cancel, the steeper the cancellation penalty you'll be charged.
• If three people are sharing a stateroom together, and one person cancels, the remaining two people will need to pay an
additional amount, in order to bring the rate back up to the double occupancy fare.
HURRICANES
The period from June through November is commonly referred to as "Hurricane Season" as several named tropical storms and hurricanes have historically occurred during this time.
Cruise ships are not only SAFE but can also provide advantages over land-based resorts in instances of extreme weather!
• Today's cruise ships feature the most technologically advanced weather forecasting systems and equipment available, allowing officers and company officials to forecast weather-related disturbances in advance.
• Today's cruise ships are completely mobile and able to alter, cancel, shorten or extend ship itineraries to keep guests safe in instances of threatening weather.
• Ships are able to work around port closures caused by severe weather conditions. In the event that ports of embarkation and debarkation are closed, cruise lines can use nearby alternative ports. In these cases, cruise lines coordinate provisioning of the ship as well as transporting guests to and from the original port.
• Cruise lines will notify guests of all itinerary changes right up until the ships' sailing date. Travelers should monitor cruise-line web sites for itinerary changes prior to finalizing travel arrangements.
• While cruise companies are in the business of selling vacations, the safety and security of their guests, their crew-members, and their ship itself, is their primary concern. In all circumstances, cruise lines take extraordinary efforts to provide a safe and fulfilling vacation experience.
â–º In the rare instance that a cruise is completely cancelled due to weather-related circumstances, cruise lines, on a company-by-company basis, traditionally offer various solutions that extend to guests the opportunity to enjoy a future cruise vacation within a reasonable time period and with the guest's convenience in mind. If a cruise is going to sail as scheduled, regardless of bad weather circumstances, and regardless of whether or not the cruise line needs to change the itinerary in some way, because of the weather conditions, you are still expected to be on the ship. If you don't show up, you forfeit the total cost of your cruise, and will not be compensated at all.
• Official Hurricane Warnings: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
LOSING YOUR JOB
In today's very challenging economic situation, a lot of people are worried about their job situation. And rightfully so.
Some of the questions that are being asked are....
• My company's hurting right now and what if I lose my job?
• What if I've paid for our cruise vacation and then get laid-off?
• What if my boss decides not to give me the vacation time of that I was promised, and have already paid for my cruise?
Great News! All of these circumstances can be covered with our Travel Protection Insurance!
Our insurance supplier, Access America, offers a "BizPack" option, that covers guests for their loss, when they have to cancel or interrupt their trip due to business reasons.
• Covered reasons are:
• Loss Of Job *
• Required to work
• Business/Company Merger
• Business Unsuitable Due To Fire, Natural Disaster or Burglary.
Coverage may be purchased up until final trip payment, however, we suggest you purchase this at the time of your initial deposit.
* You or a traveling companion, after having been with the same employer for at least 1-year, are terminated or laid-off,
through no fault of your own, after your effective date of coverage.
TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE
Cruise Planners strongly recommends the purchase of this very important coverage, whenever you travel.
Knowing that you're covered will give you piece of mind! Just ask anyone who's had it, when they needed it!
You can be reimbursed for:
• Cancellation penalties - depending on how far out that you cancel, will determine the actual amount of the penalty.
• Out of pocket expenses to return home early - this could include full price air tickets, etc.
• Medical bills - the cost of medical treatment on the ships and in foreign ports of call can be staggering!
Most US Health Care providers don't reimburse you for these costs.
Check with your insurance company before deciding not to purchase travel insurance.
• Medical Evacuation (or repatriation of remains, in the event of death) - you can't even imagine how costly this can be!
Consider that most insurance companies reimburse up to $1,000,000 for this, and you can imagine how much it costs!
I've personally seen two people being evacuated off a cruise ship, by helicopter.
Minimum cost: $100,000, but usually much more expensive than that!
• Missed days on your vacation
• Travel Delays - usually due to weather conditions.
Without Travel Insurance, you will assume full financial responsibility and be required to pay up front for all of these expenses.
You won't have any assistance while traveling, and you'll have no recourse to recoup any of your lost money.
Our preferred supplier is ACCESS AMERICA INSURANCE.
• ACCESS AMERICA created a custom travel protection insurance plan, specifically for Cruise Planners!
• It offers better coverages and lower premiums, for our travellers.
• The name of this plan is: Worldwide Travel Protection for Cruise Planners.
• It is not available through any other agency.
• The benefits of this plan, far outweigh those offered by any of the cruise line's insurance plans.
• The premiums are considerably less expensive than the cruise line's policy.
• This plan allows you to add-on other components, such as airfare, and hotel stays, at a later date.
• You have 14 days from the time of purchase, to add these additional components to your policy, for them to be covered.
• You'll need to pay whatever the additional premium would be, based on the cost of those components.
• You can also add the Biz Pack Upgrade option, which would cover you, if for any reason you needed to cancel your vacation,
due to work related issues...Including Losing your job!
Rates for the Worldwide Travel Protection Plan are as follows:
Age 1-17................. 4.0 % of trip cost
Age 18-59.............. 5.0 % of trip cost
Age 60-70.............. 5.5 % of trip cost
Age 71+..................9.0 % of trip cost
-plus a $6.00 per policy enrollment fee
Rates with the BIZ PACK
Age 1-17.................4.5 % of trip cost
Age 18-59..............5.5 % of trip cost
Age 60-70..............6.0 % of trip cost
Age 71+................. 9.5% of trip cost
BIZ PACK FEATURES:
Clients who have to cancel or interrupt their trip due to business reasons, are covered for their loss, when they purchase this optional coverage. Covered reasons are: LOSS OF JOB*, Required To work, Business/Company Merger, Business Unsuitable Due To Fire, Natural Disaster or Burglary. Coverage may be purchased up until final trip payment.
* If you or a traveling companion, after having been employed by the same employer for a minimum of 1-year, are terminated or laid-off, through no fault of your own, after your effective date of coverage."
â–º IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR YOU:
• For all cruises & vacations that are scheduled to depart for the Bahamas or the Caribbean,
between the months of June and November, Cruise Planners, for the protection of our guest's
vacation investment, will automatically include Travel Protection Insurance to those bookings.
• You will be advised of the premium cost, at the time of your booking, and you'll have 10-days
from that date, to notify us in writing, if you would like us to remove the travel insurance from
your booking.
AN IMPORTANT WORD OF ADVICE:
â–º If travellers wait until a hurricane has already started, and has been named, before deciding to protect their vacation investment, the hurricane is no longer "unforeseen" and they will not be covered. You want to make sure that you're protected, should you need to cancel, interrupt your trip, or if you become stranded due to a tropical storm or hurricane.
• You need to purchase your insurance at the time of making your cruise/vacation deposit.
TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE DOESN'T COST.....IT PAYS!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Don't Leave Home Without It!
Leila Dada CTC, MCC, CruisePlanners , (480) 656-6796 1-866-380-1020
