Major Hurricane Ian forecast to hit Florida next week, may be Florida's biggest in years, state of emergency declared by Florida Governor

[malba2366]

I have the insurance through DCL, but as I've learned here, if my flight is cancelled and I didn't book it through Disney (which I didn't), then I'm out of luck, right? So even though I bought the insurance on my flight and can reschedule that, I'd have to buy a whole new cruise to use the credit for the flight. But please do go on being an apologist for crap policies.

Check if your credit card has travel insurance. Many of the better cards have travel insurance that covers trip cancellation due to weather related cancellations by common carriers.

 

[revdon64]

Check if your credit card has travel insurance. Many of the better cards have travel insurance that covers trip cancellation due to weather related cancellations by common carriers.

We don't use credit cards unless it's a dire situation. This was paid with a debit card that I covered with saved cash. Maybe my bank would have something to say, I don't know.

 

[Kindle Addict]

Between my work schedule, wife's work schedule, son's school, we really have no flexibility. Either we fly into Orlando Thursday, or we cannot get there. I'm guessing at this point that I'm going to be out four grand or so. And if that's the case it's also the very last straw with Disney. They've already lost most of my goodwill toward the company. If I'm out of luck due to circumstances beyond my control then Disney is dead to me. And yes, I'm very grumpy today.

I am sure this is really stressful for you and your family. I hope things work out for you.

 

[IamAnniM]

Hi, I am on that cruise. Your insurance should kick in if a "covered" event happens and you can not get to your destination. And hurricanes are typically covered. Read over your trip insurance and maybe even call them and ask. I know my Allianz trip insurance covers costs if I can not get to the cruise because of a hurricane. Hopefully things will have settled down by Thursday and you can get there.

Same here…can’t get too worried, it’s just so hard trying to plan the what ifs and no matter how old we are, we still would disappointed NOT getting to WDW and DCL!

 

[IamAnniM]

Between my work schedule, wife's work schedule, son's school, we really have no flexibility. Either we fly into Orlando Thursday, or we cannot get there. I'm guessing at this point that I'm going to be out four grand or so. And if that's the case it's also the very last straw with Disney. They've already lost most of my goodwill toward the company. If I'm out of luck due to circumstances beyond my control then Disney is dead to me. And yes, I'm very grumpy today.

I definitely understand and +an agree with you!

 

[IamAnniM]

You'll get at least 75% of your cruise fare back as a future cruise credit. If Disney's insurance denies your claim because a canceled flight isn't a covered reason, then you'll still qualify for that 75% credit.

Sometimes it’s just not worth getting a credit and starting all over again!

 

[IamAnniM]

We don't use credit cards unless it's a dire situation. This was paid with a debit card that I covered with saved cash. Maybe my bank would have something to say, I don't know.

I think DCL should evaluate the situation and forecast and make a call on this expected cruise in ample timethat people can make arrangements and plans. cancelling the cruise at the last minute is such poor judgement and very inconsiderate to its customers.

 

[Lilsia]

Between my work schedule, wife's work schedule, son's school, we really have no flexibility. Either we fly into Orlando Thursday, or we cannot get there. I'm guessing at this point that I'm going to be out four grand or so. And if that's the case it's also the very last straw with Disney. They've already lost most of my goodwill toward the company. If I'm out of luck due to circumstances beyond my control then Disney is dead to me. And yes, I'm very grumpy today.

Your trip insurance should cover if your flight is cancelled because of the hurricane. Look over your policy. It is too early for Disney to decide anything. I would not automatically assume the worst when it is too early to decide anything yet.

 

[AquaDame]

I think DCL should evaluate the situation and forecast and make a call on this expected cruise in ample timethat people can make arrangements and plans. cancelling the cruise at the last minute is such poor judgement and very inconsiderate to its customers.

Thing is if they make the call too early and the storm deviates or hits at a different time or day, then they've made people angry by trying to make changes also. The best thing really is to wait to call it when things are firm, and advise folks to cover themselves with insurance as much as possible.

 

[Lilsia]

Just clarifying for folks who are worried. If you have DCL's insurance, it's true that you wouldn't be able to get your money back if your flight is cancelled (assuming it wasn't booked through DCL). However, as long as you call DCL before ship departure, you will receive 75% of your cruise fare toward a future cruise...so you don't lose everything.

This is a good reminder for people to comparison shop their travel insurance. I use Allianz and my policy states that if my flight is cancelled due to a hurricane (lists hurricanes specifically in it's rules), then my policy kicks in.

 

[tinkattitude!]

Hi, I am on that cruise. Your insurance should kick in if a "covered" event happens and you can not get to your destination. And hurricanes are typically covered. Read over your trip insurance and maybe even call them and ask. I know my Allianz trip insurance covers costs if I can not get to the cruise because of a hurricane. Hopefully things will have settled down by Thursday and you can get there.

Did you get the Premier one? That one covers hurricane warnings. The Prime one it's not quite that simple. That's what we purchased and if you read the fine print, the carrier has 24 hours to get you to your destination before you can claim a trip cancelation ... our flights were supposed to arrive Friday at 7PM in Orlando. So if that flight happens to be canceled we would miss the cruise and insurance wouldn't have to pay out if they got us to Orlando any time prior to Saturday 7PM. That sure was a lesson for us on opting for the cheaper plan. To cover our butts we are now flying in tomorrow for Saturdays cruise and will ride out the hurricane in a hotel rather than chance the loss of the crusie and the $$ if Allianz would reject a claim.

 

[Lilsia]

Did you get the Premier one? That one covers hurricane warnings. The Prime one it's not quite that simple. That's what we purchased and if you read the fine print, the carrier has 24 hours to get you to your destination before you can claim a trip cancelation ... our flights were supposed to arrive Friday at 7PM in Orlando. So if that flight happens to be canceled we would miss the cruise and insurance wouldn't have to pay out if they got us to Orlando any time prior to Saturday 7PM. That sure was a lesson for us on opting for the cheaper plan. To cover our butts we are now flying in tomorrow for Saturdays cruise and will ride out the hurricane in a hotel rather than chance the loss of the crusie and the $$ if Allianz would reject a claim.

Yes, I see what you are saying. This would all be dependent on the timing of your original flight. Flying in the day before on an early morning flight would work best for this policy. Chances are not very good that if an airport shuts down for a hurricane that they will be able to get everyone to their destination in 24 hours.

 

[malba2366]

Gov. Desantis has declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida. I am not sure about the particulars of the Disney insurance, but a state of emergency should be suitable justification for a reasonable person to deem that it is unsafe to travel there which is the standard for cancellation for many travel insurance policies.

 

[DCLMP]

Thing is if they make the call too early and the storm deviates or hits at a different time or day, then they've made people angry by trying to make changes also. The best thing really is to wait to call it when things are firm, and advise folks to cover themselves with insurance as much as possible.

This happens every time there is a hurricane. People get mad. I can't wrap my brain around booking a cruise this time of year and not considering all the things that could go wrong. In the end though cruise lines do usually come through with some sort of compensation like a future cruise discount if a cruise gets shortened or cancelled. They are just not going to offer anything a minute before they have too.

 

[TFM1980]

We don't use credit cards unless it's a dire situation. This was paid with a debit card that I covered with saved cash. Maybe my bank would have something to say, I don't know.

Isnt using a credit card and immediately paying it off personal finance 101? You are way more protected (insurance, charge backs due to fraud) and get points. Using a debit card is risky.

 

[hrhdhd]

Gov. Desantis has declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida. I am not sure about the particulars of the Disney insurance, but a state of emergency should be suitable justification for a reasonable person to deem that it is unsafe to travel there which is the standard for cancellation for many travel insurance policies.

The declaration is about getting resources/money/FEMA activated, not necessarily that the entire state is in danger. Planes continue to fly today, for example, so the declaration itself doesn't stop flights.

 

[revdon64]

Isnt using a credit card and immediately paying it off personal finance 101? You are way more protected (insurance, charge backs due to fraud) and get points. Using a debit card is risky.

Isn't spending money you don't have irresponsible? Both cards have benefits and drawbacks. I tend to prefer not dealing with debt spending if I don't have to. Besides, we use a debit card that's separated from our main bank account. So if the number is compromised, they can only access what we've moved to that partitioned account.

 

[malba2366]

Isn't spending money you don't have irresponsible? Both cards have benefits and drawbacks. I tend to prefer not dealing with debt spending if I don't have to. Besides, we use a debit card that's separated from our main bank account. So if the number is compromised, they can only access what we've moved to that partitioned account.

I know where you are coming from, but the suggestion was actually a good one. If you use a credit card to pay for things and then immediately pay off the card as soon as the purchase hits you are not really going into debt, or spending money you don't have. Various credit cards offer protections such as travel insurance, baggage loss insurance, rental car insurance, extended warranties on top of the rewards points you can earn. Also with a credit card you are never responsible for any portion of fraudulent charges.

 

[revdon64]

I know where you are coming from, but the suggestion was actually a good one. If you use a credit card to pay for things and then immediately pay off the card as soon as the purchase hits you are not really going into debt, or spending money you don't have. Various credit cards offer protections such as travel insurance, baggage loss insurance, rental car insurance, extended warranties on top of the rewards points you can earn. Also with a credit card you are never responsible for any portion of fraudulent charges.

I get many of those things by using my Visa debit card through my bank, and I also get the bonus of people who know me by name when I walk into the local branch

 

[DCLMP]

Isn't spending money you don't have irresponsible? Both cards have benefits and drawbacks. I tend to prefer not dealing with debt spending if I don't have to. Besides, we use a debit card that's separated from our main bank account. So if the number is compromised, they can only access what we've moved to that partitioned account.

I use credit cards for everything and I do mean everything. Because I do this I haven't paid for a hotel outside of Disney resorts in years. I'm going to Disneyland for three nights hotel and tickets all paid for with CC points. I flew to Europe this Summer first class with miles, used points for my hotels, and cash back paid for my cruise excursions. Credit cards have great benefits if used correctly.