Fred and Deborah Marenna were looking forward to celebrating their 25th anniversary on the Carnival Miracle. It was the perfect itinerary for celebrating as it would visit exotic Panama and Costa Rica.

But the day before the Connecticut couple was to fly to Fort Lauderdale, things started to fall apart. Their travel agent called with bad news: The Miracle’s entire itinerary was being altered and the ship would no longer be visiting Panama or Costa Rica. The couple had the option to continue the cruise with the revised itinerary that would include a $50 onboard credit or they could opt to receive a full refund.
Read the rest of this entry »

It’s two months into 2009 hurricane season and the first tropical storms and major hurricane are impacting a number cruises in the Caribbean. Last weekend, Tropical Storm Ana doused much of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Hurricane Bill became the first hurricane of the season, and is currently a Category 4 storm.

So what happens to guests on cruises that are affected by storms?

In the rare instance a cruise is canceled, passengers are entitled to a full refund. Still, the majority of ships set sail regardless of weather. Cruise travel is unique in that you will usually have a vacation even with a hurricane since cruise ships are mobile and can sail away from the storm and avoid storm-affected ports. In most cases the cruise line will be able to substitute the canceled stop with an alternative port. Still, changes in itinerary can be upsetting for some guests since they aren’t getting the exact scheduled vacation they purchased.

In every cruise lines’ passenger contract is a clause stating that the cruise line has the right to skip or change ports during a cruise — a normal occurrence in hurricane season. Cruise lines aren’t required to compensate passengers in those instances, but some do offer partial refunds, shipboard credits or discounts on a future cruise. Carnival is the only cruise line that will notify guests of a pre-cruise itinerary change. The line offers booked guests the opportunity to cancel their cruise within 24 hours without penalty.

“Late summer and early fall are great times to travel, but they’re also the prime seasons for tropical weather conditions that can impact your travel plans,” said Dan McGinnity, Travel Guard Vice President.

A typical insurance plan from Travel Guard can provide coverage for trip cancellation or interruption if the insured’s travel is impacted by a hurricane or other severe weather. Travel Guard also offers a plan that provides emergency travel services for customers in transit to help rebook flights and escape harm’s way. Carnival recently enhanced its Cruise Vacation Protection Plan to include severe weather watch and warning protection. Should the watch or warning affect either the cruise departure city or the guest’s route to that city within 48 hours of a cruise departure, the plan will allow for cancellation and reimbursement up to the full amount of the cruise cost.

Most basic travel insurance policies do not cover passengers who cancel or delay a trip merely because the itinerary has changed. There are some insurers and cruise lines like Royal Caribbean that offer a ‘cancel for any reason’ add-on to a regular travel insurance Depending upon the insurer, cancel-for-any-reason policies provide a cash payout of a portion of a canceled trip’s cost or for a cruise line a voucher for use on a future trip.

For losses to be covered, travel insurance must be purchased before a hurricane is named, McGinnity said. Once a warning is issued, losses resulting from a named hurricane on, before or fewer than 14 days after the effective date of coverage are excluded.

Not all travel insurance companies offer protection for weather related interruptions, so it is necessary to read the fine print carefully. Understanding the components in travel insurance is essential for making sure that you are not caught off-guard, thinking you have protection when you actually don’t. Always read the fine print in all insurance policies. If you don’t understand something, ask. The more you know up front, the fewer problems you will face if you need to file a claim.

Sailing during hurricane season requires a level of flexibility. You’ll want to plan accordingly for the possibility that what you’ve booked might not happen as expected. If your heart is set on visiting a specific destination or sailing a certain itinerary, you may want to think twice about booking sailings during hurricane season.

Susan and Larry Smith were looking forward to their first-ever Cunard cruise across the Atlantic onboard the fabulous Queen Mary 2. But the fun stopped for the New York City couple the moment Larry had chest pains along with gastrointestinal malaise.

The Smiths immediately sought treatment at the ship’s infirmary, where the ship’s doctor ran an EKG and some tests. Fortunately Larry’s heart checked out okay, but he was dehydrated and was given intravenous fluids and was kept in the infirmary for an hour of observation. Larry’s tests ruled out any infection, but the doctor couldn’t figure out why Larry had become so dehydrated. Therefore, no definitive diagnosis was reached. The next morning Larry felt much better and the cruise continued. A few days after the visit to the infirmary, the Smiths got another unpleasant surprise: a bill for medical services totaling $1,200. The amount was immediately charged to their shipboard account.

The Smiths were shocked. “It didn’t seem like a lot of treatment for $1,200. It was as much as my cruise fare,” said Susan Smith. Even worse the couple foolishly believed that their health insurance would be accepted onboard the ship. It wasn’t. Fortunately they did have travel insurance (purchased through the cruise line) that covered medical issues.

Insurance doesn’t travel well
What many people don’t realize is that all cruise ships of foreign registry are considered to be entities operating outside the United States. And, as the Smiths discovered, domestic medical insurance coverage doesn’t travel the same way aboard ship as it does within the United States. Sometimes, coverage doesn’t extend to foreign travel at all; other times it just works differently. For example, co-payments may be higher than usual or your reimbursement may be limited.

Even with complete medical coverage, you can’t just hand the cruise line your insurance card. You will usually have to pay your treatment costs up front and file for reimbursement after you return home. That’s what the Smiths did. Their insurer accepted the claim but explained it could take up to three months to receive reimbursement. The Smiths were relieved to be covered at all.

Could the Smiths have avoided the $1,200 out-of-pocket expense? Maybe. If they had purchased third-party travel insurance, they could have received upfront financial assistance and they might have gotten their money back more quickly.

Third-party insurers usually provide primary coverage, i.e., the insurance company pays the traveler directly for any medical claim. Most cruise lines also sell insurance policies, but these usually provide secondary coverage, which means that you must file your claims through your regular medical insurance carrier, then seek reimbursement from the cruise line’s insurance company.

Cover the gaps
Medicare beneficiaries should always purchase travel insurance when they cruise, because they do not have Medicare coverage outside the country. Another very big gap is medical evacuation and transportation services, which are seldom covered by medical insurance policies. According to Medjet Assist, an Alabama-based evacuation operation, domestic air medical evacuation services average $10,000 to $20,000, while international transports can exceed $75,000. If you travel more than once a year, consider buying an annual policy; both MedjetAssist and Travel Guard offer this kind of policy, which can be purchased for as little as $185 a year.

Cruising is exciting, but it can turn into more of an adventure than you planned if you discover that you aren’t covered for the unexpected. So check your insurance policies and fill in the gaps with supplemental coverage.

Texas residents Shirley Campbell and Cynthia Jeffries had planned to spend several weeks cruising Europe’s most popular sites. The friends dubbed it the trip of a lifetime and booked two back-to-back cruises. The first cruise was on Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas from Venice that visited the Greek Isles and the other was on on Costa Cruises’ Costa Concordia for a week-long journey of the Western Mediterranean.

The Royal Caribbean cruise went without a hitch, so it came as a big disappointment when the pair boarded the Costa Concordia and smelled abundant cigarette smoke.

Up in smoke
The friends thought the smell might go away. But as the ship left port they noted the public areas had become noticeably smokier and the smell of cigarettes had unfortunately migrated to their stateroom. “In the lounges and corridors, passengers were smoking wherever the chose,” said Campbell. The pair went for pre-dinner cocktails and could not find a lounge that was non-smoking. “Clouds of smoke were hanging in the air,” added Campbell. They went to the dining room only to be accosted by smoking diners. When they returned to their stateroom the cigarette odor had increased.

Having had enough, Campbell and Jeffries visited the Purser’s Desk to complain of the smoking problems and asked to be moved to another stateroom. The crew at the desk apologized for the smoke problems and said there were no rooms left as the ship was full. When they complained about the smoke problems in public areas the crew member shrugged his shoulders and noted there were more smokers than usual on this particular sailing.

After a night of little sleep, Campbell awoke to find that she was having an allergic reaction to the cigarette smoke. She had broken out in hives, and had severe nasal and chest congestion. She went to the infirmary, and was examined by the ship’s doctor who confirmed that Campbell’s symptoms were due to the smoke. The doctor recommended that she disembark at the next port, Savona.

Campbell and Jeffries left the ship and headed to Rome where their return flight home was scheduled. Unfortunately, American Airlines was sold out and could not accommodate the pair before their scheduled flights. The friends ended up spending six nights in Rome at a cost of several thousand dollars.

When the pair returned home they wrote to Costa and demanded a refund on the cruise and for their incurred expenses. “Based on the fact that Costa did not adhere to company policy regarding smoking, which subsequently required us to disembark, we feel it only fair that Costa reimburse us the full cost of our cruise and for expenses incurred, a total of $4,067.31,” said Campbell.

Costa responds
I contacted Costa Cruises on Campbell and Jeffries’ behalf. I spoke with Dana Dominici, director of public relations for Costa Cruises North America. She noted that guest satisfaction is of the highest priority at Costa.

Dominici said in reviewing Ms. Campbell’s file it showed that various crew members tried to work to correct the problems. “Two housekeeping team members noted that traces of smoke were not apparent after visiting her stateroom twice. Moreover, there were no reports of smoking in non-designated areas by crew or guests as noted in Ms. Campbell’s letter. Smoking is explicitly prohibited in dining rooms and limited to only designated areas within public areas and lounges,” said Dominici.

In regards to Campbell’s visit to the infirmary Dominici notes that her reaction was due to a “pre-existing condition” that Campbell had not disclosed. The pre-existing medical condition is a severe reaction to cigarette smoke. What’s worse is that Campbell did not have any travel insurance. Dominici noted that if Campbell had Costa’s Guest Protection Plan it would have covered her trip interruption.

I was disappointed to hear that Campbell and Jeffries’ travel agent did not recommend the pair get travel insurance especially since they were senior citizens. The agent probably was not informed of Campbell’s allergy to cigarette smoke.

Smoky cultural differences
While many parts of Europe have enacted antismoking laws the region’s smoking culture lingers on despite the bans. Lighting up in Europe doesn’t carry the stigma as it does in the U.S. Smoking in Europe is seen as a way of life much like eating and drinking.

So what does this mean for North American cruisers used to strict smoking laws?

It means be prepared for a lot of rule-breaking on a European cruise line. While Costa and all cruise lines have smoking rules, I’ve watched those rules go up in smoke — literally — while cruising in Europe. A recent trip onboard MSC Cruises, which has much stricter smoking rules than Costa, left me gagging for air. I have cruised on Costa in both Europe and the Caribbean and did not have a problem. But I noted more smoke on the European cruise.

In the end, it’s important for cruise travelers to work closely with their travel agent to ensure the best possible cruise experience before they step onboard. This includes choosing the correct cruise line for their preferences as well as determining their special needs so that we as a cruise line may best accommodate them. It’s also important to cover your expensive trip with the right travel insurance policy.

Lastly, if you have a severe allergy to cigarette smoke you have no business being on any cruise ship. It’s simply too risky given there are hundreds if not even thousands of smokers on any one sailing.

Smoking onboard
The smoking rules vary by cruise line and can be downright confusing. One thing that is unanimous among all cruise lines is that cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco must be properly disposed of and never thrown overboard. Additionally, all cruise lines that ban smoking in staterooms will charge violators a penalty of $250 or more as a cleaning expense.

Here’s the rundown on what each line allows:

Azamara Cruises – Smoking is banned everywhere with the exception of two small areas — indoors, in the aft port-side section of the Looking Glass Lounge, outdoors, in the starboard forward section of the Pool Deck.

Carnival Cruise Lines – Smoking is prohibited in all dining areas as well as in a number of public rooms, including the show lounge, library, in some other lounges, and along the promenade deck. Smoking is permitted in staterooms, stateroom balconies, casinos, dance clubs, piano bars, cigar bars, and in designated areas on open decks. Spa staterooms and suites aboard Carnival Splendor are totally non-smoking.

Celebrity Cruises — Smoking is prohibited in staterooms, on stateroom balconies, in all dining venues, and in the casino, theater, corridors, and elevators. Cigarette smoking is permitted only in a few designated indoor and outdoor areas of each ship.

Costa Cruises — Smoking is permitted in staterooms and private balconies and in designated areas of most public rooms on board. It’s prohibited in the restaurants and show lounges.

Cruise West — Smoking is allowed only in designated areas of outside decks. Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside.

Crystal Cruises – Cigarette smoking is permitted in staterooms and at designated tables in most bars and lounges. Smoking is not permitted in most public areas, including the main dining room, the bistro, and the indoor portions of the buffet restaurant, the alternative restaurants, the show lounge, and all private balconies.

Cunard Line – Elevators and all restaurants are designated as totally non-smoking, while public rooms offer both smoking and non-smoking areas.

Disney Cruise Line — Smoking is permitted only in designated areas of the ship. Guests are allowed to smoke on designated areas on open decks, on their stateroom balcony, and in the designated adult-only lounges.

Holland America Line – Smoking is prohibited in all dining areas and in showrooms. Smoking is permitted in designated areas of most bars/lounges and open decks and in staterooms and on stateroom balconies.

Lindblad Expeditions — Smoking is permitted only in designated outdoor areas. No smoking is permitted anywhere inside.

MSC Cruises – On all MSC vessels, smoking is permitted only in the cigar lounge, the casino, in one dedicated lounge, and on one side of the sun deck. Smoking is prohibited in all staterooms and stateroom balconies.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) — Smoking is prohibited in almost all public areas aboard NCL’s ships, including restaurants, performance venues, and bars/lounges. Cigarette smoking is permitted only in staterooms, on stateroom balconies, in the casino, in the Cigar Bar, and on most open decks where permitted.

Oceania Cruises – – Cigarette smoking is prohibited with the exception of two designated areas – the aft port corner of Horizons observation lounge, and outdoors, in the forward starboard corner of the Pool Deck.

Princess Cruises –- Smoking is prohibited in the dining rooms and other food service areas and in the show lounges and theaters. Smoking is permitted in staterooms, on stateroom balconies, on the outside decks, and in designated areas of most public rooms.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises — Smoking is prohibited in all staterooms and stateroom balconies, in all enclosed dining areas, and in most public rooms. Cigarette smoking is permitted only in designated areas of the outdoor deck areas, and in the casino, the cigar lounge, and the pool bar, as well as in a designated area of the nightclub and an outside portion of the observation lounge.

Royal Caribbean International — Smoking is prohibited in staterooms and in all restaurants, corridors, entertainment venues, and most other public spaces. Cigarette smoking is permitted only in designated areas of the ships’ bars and lounges, on ocean-facing stateroom balconies and on outside decks on the starboard side of the ship. One lounge aboard each ship is designated totally non-smoking.

Seabourn Cruise Line –- Smoking is prohibited in most public areas, including all restaurants, the show lounge, the casino, the nightclub, the spa, the ships’ elevators, corridors, lobbies, and the port side of the Observation Lounge. Cigarette smoking is permitted in staterooms and on stateroom balconies.

SeaDream Yacht Club — Smoking is prohibited in all indoor areas, including staterooms. No staterooms aboard these ships have private balconies. Smoking is permitted outdoors only on specific decks.

Silversea Cruises – Most public areas are non-smoking. Cigarette smoking is permitted only at designated smoking tables in some bars and lounges and in certain areas on open decks, as well as staterooms and stateroom balconies.

Star Clippers — Star Clippers follows a nonsmoking policy in all staterooms and indoor public areas except a portion of the piano bar lounge. Smoking is permitted on outside decks.

Windstar Cruises – Smoking is prohibited in all staterooms and public spaces. Smoking is permitted only in designated areas of the outside decks.

If you’re wondering if there have been any non-smoking ships – there has been. In November 1998, Carnival Cruise Lines launched the Paradise, the world’s first completely nonsmoking ship. The ship was designed and built by nonsmokers and smoking on board was verboten; in fact, anyone caught smoking was given the heave-ho at the next port and was slapped with a $250 fine. Fast-forward seven years: Now the Paradise has been moved to the West coast, where it sails three- and four-day cruises to Mexico — smoking permitted.

“With only one ship operating this itinerary, we couldn’t limit the vessel to nonsmokers,” says Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen. While that may be true, cruise industry insiders say the decision to go smoking came down to money. Where there’s smoke, there’s revenue — specifically, gambling revenue. Turns out nonsmokers don’t drink or gamble as much as their nicotine-addicted shipmates.