Disappointed victim of Hurricane Sandy

[MKRuns 26]

In an old segment of the podcast didnt the host (cant remember who) tried to cancel a DCL cruise because a hurricane was hitting Florida and they couldnt fly out to the other state where the ship was? If I recall DCL said that because the hurricane wasnt affecting the port or the ship that the insurance wouldnt cover a refund and they lost out on the money paid. Correct me if im wrong or missing something.

OP if you utilize the Search function on the boards you will find many many threads regarding the Fantasy sailing that encountered hurricane Sandy and ways to contact DCL.

 

[bumbershoot]

Don't worry about the kids having missed two weeks of school.... EVERYONE in the district did, so they are not, in any way, behind, nor penalized.

And if the OP takes the November cruise in '13 it will be a new school year, where the 2 weeks from Sandy won't matter one little bit.

To tell you the truth, I wish our insurance had settled the claim and were willing to pay us our settlement. I would have used that money to book on Royal Caribbean. They have a sailing on the Freedom of the Seas that leaves the day after the Fantasy, also from Port Canaveral, same exact itinerary (except for RCCL's private island in the Bahamas instead of Castaway Cay). That cruise with the same type of cabin was around the same price as what we paid for the DCL cruise in November! But unfortunately, I am lead to believe that the insurance company will deny our claim.

Ooh the RCCL sounds awesome! I love RCCL, and if I'd been the one to choose the cruise we're taking in Feb, it would have been with them.

But why do you anticipate they will deny the claim? And if that's what you anticipate, just give them a little more time as they have told you (5-7 days more?).

 

[ACDSNY]

I agree with others that said that EVERYONE missed school, so I wouldn't let that keep you from booking another cruise during the off-season for the same price you paid.

Again, I'm very sorry for your situation, but I really do think that even asking them for $100 in on-board credit is unreasonable. You stated that the person you spoke with was sympathetic and nice. That's great! That's exactly how they should have reacted. I think if you contact them with your "sob story" (not saying it's not valid, just calling a spade a spade) then you'll probably just be more frustrated when you don't get anything. Millions of people were affected by this storm. I'm no stranger to hurricanes. My family and I have dealt with many living in the Gulf. I don't think that you're entitled to anything other than Disney's polite sympathy, which you received.

Would it be possible for you to cruise next November?

You have so many price factors against you in the summer--high season, holiday week, Magic in Europe, etc. DCL owes you courtesy on the phone and the cost of the cruise that you paid for. That isn't intended to be harsh, but I don't think your complaints will go anywhere in this situation. I'm not aware of any time limitation on the rebooking.

I'm sorry for all you've been through, but I agree with the posts above. I don't think you can expect to use a credit from a low season Nov cruise and move it to a high season Jun cruise for the same amount or receive any discount. It basically comes down to rebooking for the same time of year as your original reservation or paying to the difference to change seasons.

 

[AnnaS]

OP - I am sorry for all you have gone through - I am also in agreement with the previous posters. Just think how many people in the northeast had travel plans........

We are in Zone A and also got hit - my vacation is in two weeks - we lost power for two weeks - finally bought a generator after 5 nights (bil brought it down from Upstate - none to be found here then). We had no idea when we would get power and it looked like it could take even more time than it did. Some areas within walking distance were the hardest hit and still have no power - I have air, Parade tickets, etc. and was ready to cancel if I had to. I knew it would have been my loss - I would not except Disney to reimburse me for my Parade tickets or points and hoping I could have rescheduled flight. This would have been the last thing (and it was) on my mind. I still can't get too excited about it.

I know you are disappointed and I hope you can change some scheduled activities and rebook. I do like the November 2013 dates - which is when you were cruising originally. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

 

[CeCeGarrett]

We are no strangers to hurricanes, and as one PP said (since for some reason my quote option is not working this morning) the pain and grief of such storms does lessen and healing will happen.

That being said, I wonder if you should book the cruise for '13 that falls within the week that Sandy hit. The one year mark kind of stings... when you look around and there is still so much damage, to homes, the general landscape and in the eyes of your community members who weathered the disaster with you. I know this sounds odd, foreign and possibly stupid... but, people here still mark timelines when speaking as "before Katrina and after Katrina."

I am so sorry that your vacation.. and I am sure so many other things you care about were in the path of Sandy. But, I think you should seriously consider marking the anniversary of the storm with something to celebrate. And what better way than to reclaim your Disney cruise?

 

[Happy99]

I am sorry you had to miss your cruise due to the storm. I understand your fustration but I also do not think that Disney owes you anything as there are many other dates that you can travel that are less expensive than the summer. Basically insurance is for unforseen events and thankfully you had it some people don't purchase insurance for cruises

In addition to what everyone already listed the prices have increased dramatically for the summer since they were released. If you get a cruise credit you can also hold onto it and sail in 2014 once those prices are available if you cannot travel in Nov 2013 or decide you don't want to pay the prices for June 2013. Traveling in 2014 will allow you to take the Royal Caribbean cruise in June that you wanted

Just another option

 

[tinkerbell 766]

I am so sorry for your situation and the terrible time you have experienced.
However, I have to agree with other posters and say that DCL can not be expected to provide help (albeit just the OBC you are hoping for) for every guest who finds themselves with these dilemmas.
You say that due to school and other family and kid's commitments, that expensively priced cruise is the only one you can take. If it were me, I would jiggle some of these commitments around (even postpone some), in order to take a more affordable cruise. That said, this is just me and I do not know the full extent of your situation. I just don't think it is DCL's responsibility to provide you with the help you seem to seek - I am sorry.
I hope you get it all sorted and end up having a great cruise - you and your family really deserve a break.

 

[Summerl30]

Can't you clear your schedule and see if you can go sometime in December? Its seems you had your heart set on cruising now, and July is SUCH a long time away. If you can wait that long, why not just wait until November next year or a cheaper time next year?

 

[CruizinTigers]

Everyone,

Sincere thanks to everyone for your honest feedback and opinions. You have helped me to see our situation in a somewhat different light. Believe me when I tell you that we absolutely looked for other dates to reschedule our trip. The conflicts we have next July, August and November are not frivolous, and can not be changed or canceled. We did not arrive at the June 29th sailing without a LOT of searching and consideration. While many of you suggested it, my wife and I agree that we will not take our children out of school for an entire week. The week we had scheduled earlier this month they were to be off from school any way. We would have taken them out only one or two days the week before.

I do not expect anything from Disney, but still feel compelled to write them and let them know of my disappointment. I understand and agree with you all... Disney doesn't owe me anything. The decision to sail on that date is ours, and is not Disney's fault. Still, I feel I need to get this out of my system (writing and sharing this with all of you has helped too... thanks!). It is likely that no one there will ever read my letter, but it is something I feel I need to do.

In the grand scheme of things, I realize we are so much more fortunate than many of my fellow Jerseyans. We lost power for a week and our vacation, and were greatly inconvenienced. Others, many who are personal friends of mine, lost their homes, some their lives, or all their personal belongings. I pray for them, that they find peace and strength as they begin to rebuild their lives.

I wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.

 

[ACDSNY]

In the grand scheme of things, I realize we are so much more fortunate than many of my fellow Jerseyans. We lost power for a week and our vacation, and were greatly inconvenienced. Others, many who are personal friends of mine, lost their homes, some their lives, or all their personal belongings. I pray for them, that they find peace and strength as they begin to rebuild their lives.

I wish you all a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.

I agree we all need to be thankful for the blessings we do have as there are always others that are dealing with situations much worst. I'm old enough now to know not to sweat the small stuff in life.

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving too! I sincerely hope your area recovers soon.

 

[Mackie Mouse]

OP--

I'm so sorry for everything this storm has wrought on you. To be honest, if you called DCL and didn't get the desired result...I would write your letter, have it in hand, and call one last time before sending it. So often I have found with Disney recently that getting what you want/need is a matter of who you talk to, especially where the cruise line is concerned. Some people are more knowledgeable than others, it seems, or more accommodating. You take your cruise when your family can - and hope for at least a show of sympathy from Disney, who supposedly is great with this sort of situation.

I have absolutely seen from this board that the higher ups in the company do pay attention to hand-written, snail-mailed notes from concerned cruisers....best of luck as you continued to recover from the storm, and best of luck hearing back from Karl and his team.

Happy Thanksgiving...those of us in the Northeast know just how much we have to be thankful for this year.

 

[Juney]

I'm so confused. You had to cancel a November cruise and you are disappointed with Disney because they wouldn't book you a June cruise for the same price? Am I missing something?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[createdtoworship]

For every reply I have seen OF every person asking for DCL to pick up some part of there bill or an give them an onboard credit DCL would of been broke already. Def the ins will be declined as acts of nature are not cover under any ins. So you will probably end up with a cruise credit from DCL for 100% for a future cruise filing a claim with any ins is a lengthy process. Once your claim is denied by DCL the have to get a letter official of denial in house, once they get the letter then they can offer you a cruise credit.

DCL does not have to offer anything to any guest even if you take it to any one higher policies are policies once written, That your dissapointed that they could not help more, even offer you a 100 onboard credit stuff nuggies. They don't technically have to do anything.

 

[sissy_ib]

For every reply I have seen OF every person asking for DCL to pick up some part of there bill or an give them an onboard credit DCL would of been broke already. Def the ins will be declined as acts of nature are not cover under any ins. So you will probably end up with a cruise credit from DCL for 100% for a future cruise filing a claim with any ins is a lengthy process. Once your claim is denied by DCL the have to get a letter official of denial in house, once they get the letter then they can offer you a cruise credit.

DCL does not have to offer anything to any guest even if you take it to any one higher policies are policies once written, That your dissapointed that they could not help more, even offer you a 100 onboard credit stuff nuggies. They don't technically have to do anything.

The bolded above is not correct at all. In fact I pulled my my travel insurance from my last trip.

The Company will pay a benefit, up to the maximum shown
on Your Confirmation of Benefits, if You are prevented from
taking Your Trip due to the following Unforeseen events:

Weather which causes complete cessation of
services of Your Common Carrier for at least 24
consecutive hours.

Natural Disaster at the site of Your destination which
renders Your destination accommodations
uninhabitable.

Mandatory evacuation ordered by local authorities at
Your final destination due to hurricane or other
Natural Disaster. You must have 50% of Your total
Trip length or less remaining on the Trip, at the time
the mandatory evacuation ends, in order to cancel
the Trip.

Note: this is not DCL insurance, but proves that weather/acts of nature are covered if you have the right policy. My maximum for cancellation was trip cost, so I would have gotten 100% back.

 

[SleepyDeb]

Do not assume your claim will be denied unless the insurance company has told you that. It is not true that acts of nature are never covered. Read your policy and the marketing literature that came with it to get a better idea of what may come of your claim. And, if the decision of the insurance company does not agree with what the language in the policy and marketing literature say, you can dispute it by going up the chain and then, as a last resort, filing a complaint with the state insurance department. Note that the insurance department cannot/will not do anything if the company follows the terms of the policy and literature, only if they violate them. No matter what I or anyone else on this board thinks SHOULD be covered, the policy dictates.

I am an insurance company executive. I do not and never have worked for Allianz, but they are a well known and respected company. They will follow the terms of the policy and literature, unless someone makes a mistake. Mistakes happen in any business. But, they will fix it if drawn to their attention. That's why you need to read your policy (not anyone else's) because you won't know if a mistake is made until you know what should happen.

 

[CruizinTigers]

Note: this is not DCL insurance, but proves that weather/acts of nature are covered if you have the right policy. My maximum for cancellation was trip cost, so I would have gotten 100% back.

Can you share with me who you had your insurance for in this case. I would definitely want to consider that for the future.

I appreciate the brutal honesty in many on your replies. In some regards, I am feeling selfish thinking that Disney should have helped in our situation. So as not to seem like a completely selfish bum, let me point out, we did make our original plans a year and a half in advance. There were several factors in our decision, the schools being out was a big factor, but price was the other. In addition to my family (of four), two sets of (retired) grandparents were going as well. All of us made plans to drive down to save money from air fare. We would not have originally, and probably never would have booked this trip in June. Fast forward to Sandy. Had it not been for this storm, we would have already sailed. And while neither the storm or our limitation for when we could reschedule this trip are NOT Disney's fault, I thought that MAYBE, being a family oriented, caring company, just maybe they would sympathize with our plight and would help us out in some way. I realize that the majority of those who responded feel that this is too much to ask of Disney, but frankly, I see this as an extreme circumstance and not unrealistic for a company of the size and type of Disney to help a family like ours, in some way. We are all Castaway Cay club members with about 7 Disney cruises between us.

Because Alianz screwed up in the processing of our claim, we now have to wait till mid to end of next week to learn of the insurance claim verdict. The one examiner I spoke with asked me if my home was "uninhabitable". We had no heat or electricity, but technically, it was habitable. We did stay here. He did suggest then that because of this the claim would likely be denied, but this was just his opinion.

 

[sissy_ib]

Can you share with me who you had your insurance for in this case. I would definitely want to consider that for the future.

I appreciate the brutal honesty in many on your replies. In some regards, I am feeling selfish thinking that Disney should have helped in our situation. So as not to seem like a completely selfish bum, let me point out, we did make our original plans a year and a half in advance. There were several factors in our decision, the schools being out was a big factor, but price was the other. In addition to my family (of four), two sets of (retired) grandparents were going as well. All of us made plans to drive down to save money from air fare. We would not have originally, and probably never would have booked this trip in June. Fast forward to Sandy. Had it not been for this storm, we would have already sailed. And while neither the storm or our limitation for when we could reschedule this trip are NOT Disney's fault, I thought that MAYBE, being a family oriented, caring company, just maybe they would sympathize with our plight and would help us out in some way. I realize that the majority of those who responded feel that this is too much to ask of Disney, but frankly, I see this as an extreme circumstance and not unrealistic for a company of the size and type of Disney to help a family like ours, in some way. We are all Castaway Cay club members with about 7 Disney cruises between us.

Because Alianz screwed up in the processing of our claim, we now have to wait till mid to end of next week to learn of the insurance claim verdict. The one examiner I spoke with asked me if my home was "uninhabitable". We had no heat or electricity, but technically, it was habitable. We did stay here. He did suggest then that because of this the claim would likely be denied, but this was just his opinion.

I used Travel Insured and purchased through USAA.

I have to agree with others. All you are entitled to is a credit for what you paid. If they decide to refund your money you will only get back what you paid, if you chose to use that for a cruise in June you would be responsible for the difference. If they deny the claim and give you a credit why should it be for more than you paid? It has nothing to do with being a "a family oriented, caring company" and everything to do with being a business. Honestly I think the fact that they will give a credit when the insurance is denied is a very nice policy, they don't have to do that, it is something they have chosen to offer.

 

[TDC Nala]

And my point in writing is not to complain that they are not willing to discount this June sailing for us, but rather to express my disappointment in Disney that they seem unwilling to assist us in any way.

It appears they are not assisting you by refusing your request to give you the June sailing, which is a great deal more expensive because you are switching from low season to high season, at the same price you paid for the cruise you had to cancel.

I don't think they're obligated to offer you that discount. While it would be nice, I am pretty sure I wouldn't be angry at Disney for saying "no" to this one.

If you got the DCL insurance and your claim is denied you can use the cost of the cancelled cruise toward a new cruise, but I don't think they will make up the difference because the cruise you want to switch to is more expensive.

 

[Joan1]

The bolded above is not correct at all. In fact I pulled my my travel insurance from my last trip.





Note: this is not DCL insurance, but proves that weather/acts of nature are covered if you have the right policy. My maximum for cancellation was trip cost, so I would have gotten 100% back.

What you listed all said "at destination" the issue is that the weather issues were at the OP home state and the airports were open but they were driving so that wouldn't have been an issue

 

[sissy_ib]

What you listed all said "at destination" the issue is that the weather issues were at the OP home state and the airports were open but they were driving so that wouldn't have been an issue

The first clause is not "At Destination". And I'm pretty sure the airports were closed for at least 24 hours. Were there road closures? I'm not sure as I don't live up there.
Regardless, I was just trying to illustrate that weather is covered, in at least some capacity buy travel insurance.
Also there may have been other clauses that would have covered the OP's situation. I just picked the first few I saw regarding weather.