Glitch in your cruise plans? Here’s what to do
A cruise on the Mediterranean, the Baltic, or the Caribbean sounds like a dream vacation! But if an unexpected hiccup threatens to ruin your plans, here’s what to do to keep an even keel and minimize the consequences.
You miss your flight and the ship leaves without you
When you miss your flight, the first thing you should do is contact your travel assistance help line if you have travel insurance. An agent will open a claim for you. Then contact your travel counsellor, who will help you figure out the best option to meet your ship at the next port of call.
Of course, this will all cost extra. If your travel insurance includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage, the expenses will be reimbursed. A number of situations are covered, including delayed or cancelled flight, passport not issued within the timeframe confirmed by Passport Canada, loss or accident at home, or sudden illness that affects you or your travel companions. CAA-Quebec Travel Insurance.
Not insured? You’ll have to pay those extra costs. If the airline is responsible for the delay, it will probably offer you some sort of compensation, but it may not be enough.
To make sure you don’t miss the boat, plan to arrive the day before it leaves and spend the night in a hotel. Consider it a chance to explore the city!
Even the best laid plans…
Real case: a group of Quebecers were on a plane that had to make an emergency landing in New Jersey due to a technical issue. The travellers spent the night in a hotel before boarding a new plane. Unfortunately some of them missed their cruise from Miami. The airline paid for their hotel and offered just $200 per person in compensation.
The passengers who had trip cancellation and interruption insurance were reimbursed for their additional costs—a flight to catch up with the cruise, meals, etc. Those who didn’t unfortunately had to pay out of pocket. Their vacation cost them a bit more than planned!
You get sick during the cruise
Oceanliners have doctors and nurses for first aid care. You can see them if needed. But a doctor is not guaranteed on river cruises. Since the route passes near towns and villages, it’s
If you need a consultation, care, or medicine, you’ll have to break out your wallet, and the bill may be steep. But travel insurance that covers emergency medical services may be your saving grace! Most policies reimburse for these services.
Are you in serious condition? You may need to stay at the port of call. Or you may be airlifted to the nearest port. That’s expensive, and it’s not covered by RAMQ. Another good reason to have travel insurance for emergency medical ca
At a port of call, you get back to the pier too late and miss the boat
Cruises hand out a newsletter every morning to all passengers. Not only does it give you information about the place you’ll be visiting that day, it also lists the port agent to contact in the event of a problem. Keep the newsletter with you or snap a picture of it. That way you won’t be caught unprepared and you’ll know who to call. But you’ll have to pay for the flight to your next stop and the hotel while you wait.
If you have travel insurance with trip interruption coverage, it’s easier. After you call the port agent, reach out to your travel insurance help line. An agent will assist you with finding a flight and a hotel. And the additional expenses will be reimbursed.
Don’t want to get stranded? Check the schedule on the newsletter to make sure you’re on time to board, and plan some wiggle room. Choosing excursions offered by the cruise line is also a good idea: if the bus breaks down, for example, and the group is late, the boat will wait. But if you organized your own excursion and the same thing happens, the boat will leave without you, unfortunately. Something to think about!
Your passport is stolen and you can’t get back on the ship
Cruise lines require every passenger to have a passport that is valid for six months after the end of the cruise. If your passport is lost or stolen at a port of call, your cruise ship can deny you entry to the ship. No reimbursement or compensation will be provided.
Interruption and baggage insurance are a huge help in this situation. Since your itinerary will have to be changed, your insurance may pay for nights at the hotel, meals, and other unexpected expenses. Plus if you have coverage for your luggage, your insurance may reimburse a portion of the cost of your new passport.
Without insurance, not only will you have to go through this entire process but you’ll also pay for everything yourself.
Your travel companion gets sick and you can’t go on the trip
Cruises have extremely restrictive cancellation terms. They are frequently non-refundable several weeks before the departure date. Even with a very good reason, if you don’t want to go or if the trip costs you more because you aren’t sharing the cabin, you won’t get a refund.
Trip cancellation or interruption insurance is strongly recommended. When the cancellation reason is covered, which is generally the case when a travel companion is ill, the insurance can reimburse you the cost of your cruise, excursions, flight, etc. Or, if you decide to go solo, you may also be able to get reimbursed for the additional expenses incurred by not sharing your cabin.
Get travel insurance for your cruise!
As you can see, in lots of situations having travel insurance can save you a lot of stress—and money. Just make sure you have all the coverage you need, especially emergency medical care and trip cancellation and interruption.