Had to cancel

[ClemmyIndyBambi]

I'm really disappointed right now. I'm supposed to be sailing on the Disney Dream tomorrow on my first cruise, but I ended up with mild internal head trauma (I think that's what the doctor called it) two days ago. I've had symptoms of dizziness, tiredness, nausea and slowness so the doctor did not think I should drive 20+ hours to FL until 24 hrs after my symptoms subsided. I'm still a little slow, but most of the other symptoms have gone away. Unfortunately, this does not leave us enough time to drive to FL from Iowa.

Questions about canceling:

When I booked the man who I booked with told me that managers at DCL have the ability to refund your cruise on a case by case basis. However, when I called the cancel the first thing out of the man I spoke with's mouth was, "You are in the penalty phase, you forfeit your fare by cancelling". Has anyone spoken with managers and had luck? I'm just curious how accurate the first man I spoke with was.

When I booked the cruise I did get insurance, and the man I spoke with made it sound like with the insurance I would get a refund (maybe not full but something of the $2200 I've spend) if there was any reason I could not make the trip. I never would've booked if I did not think I would get a refund, I mean we're driving from Iowa to Florida in the middle of winter getting stuck along the way is not uncommon. Especially because we have awful luck (as demonstrated by the fact a television fell on my head one day before we were to leave). We've had to cancel trips in the past because of getting stuck in snow in TN and ice in MO. The man I spoke with today made it sound like I may not get a refund from the insurance. He said they will make the decision if they refund me or not. How hard is it to get a refund from the insurance?

This whole experience has soured my desire to do another Disney Cruise. I was so looking forward to this experience. Now, I feel like I have hoops to jump through just to get back what was presented to me as something simple.

ETA: I just called and spoke with another person at DCL, she was so much more helpful in explaining this to me what I need to do, and what happens in various outcomes.

 

[cruisehopeful]

With most trip insurance, you have specific forms that need to be filled out by your doctor. Your doctor doesn't want you to travel. That will get a refund. The refund amount will depend on your particular insurance policy. It can take a few weeks for the whole thing to be processed.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I know nothing about the insurance part but with doctors orders I can't imagine the insurance company would deny it.

I just wanted to express my condolences and wish you a speedy recovery. Try not to let this sour your thoughts about DCL though and do book another cruise, they are so worth it.

 

[lanejudy]

So sorry you were injured and subsequently are not well enough to travel. Canceling your cruise is quite disappointing!

To answer the question about DCL managers -- there may be some higher-level managers at DCL who have some authority to work with guests on an individual basis depending on circumstances. However, I do believe these are rare occurrences, relatively few and far between, and for all intents and purposes an unexpected illness or injury is the very reason to purchase travel insurance.

Since you did purchase insurance, you need to contact the insurance carrier to find out specifics of how to file a claim. The insurance company will determine if/how much refund you will receive. This payment comes through the insurance carrier, not DCL even if you purchased the insurance DCL offers. There is an added benefit of the insurance offered through DCL (as opposed to one of the many options available through a third party), if the insurance carrier denies your claim DCL will give a credit of 75% for a future cruise. That credit is handled through DCL but you must first follow the standard procedures to file a claim with the insurance carrier.

Good luck with your recovery and I hope you do reschedule your cruise!

 

[dclpluto]

So sorry.

 

[kiford]

You'll more than likely get money back through insurance. My father was cruising (not on DCL but he bought similar insurance through the other cruise line) and had to miss the first two nights of his hotel in Santiago, Chile due to weather. He was sure he wouldn't get any compensation but filed anyway and did get that refunded. Since those two nights were relatively expensive, he was quite happy about it. It takes a bit of time and effort to fill out the paperwork but can pay off. It's something that was out of your control, not a pre-existing condition and isn't just you making the decision but your doctor.

Sucks that you can't go on this cruise but even if your doctor didn't tell you that you shouldn't go you likely wouldn't enjoy it given your condition and then you'd be soured on cruising for reasons not to do with the cruise. Get fully better and then contemplate it again. You'll probably feel differently once you're feeling up to par.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Just wanted to pass on good wishes for a speedy recovery and I hope you get it all worked out quickly and you have another countdown to look forward to - SOON!

Take care,
Heather

 

[Jenscruise]

Im really sorry you had to cancel..we had a cruise for out 20th anni. Scheduled feb.2015.. My dad was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer Dec.22, 2014.
I called disney with days before the final payment date..got a full refund..and they went above and beyond to refund my "non refundable" deposit.
I was so grateful as i needed every penny to miss work for my dad.
I hope it all works out for you also..

 

[Sytrace]

I am so sorry you had to cancel and I wish you a speedy recovery.

 

[lbgraves]

...

When I booked the man who I booked with told me that managers at DCL have the ability to refund your cruise on a case by case basis. However, when I called the cancel the first thing out of the man I spoke with's mouth was, "You are in the penalty phase, you forfeit your fare by cancelling". Has anyone spoken with managers and had luck? I'm just curious how accurate the first man I spoke with was.

...

The person you spoke with when you booked unfortunately gave you inaccurate information. That is what trip insurance is for. Thankfully you did purchase it, and DCL has nothing to do with the decision the insurance company makes. Contact the company and find out exactly what information you need to submit so your claim can be processed as quickly as possible.

I hope that you are able to recover quickly. Being cautious is definitely a good decision, even though it is going to require some work on your part to file the claim.

 

[seashell82]

So sorry you had to cancel! Hope it works out for you getting a refund!

 

[ClemmyIndyBambi]

Thanks everyone for the support. It was a big disappointment. I feel a lot better about it all after talking with the second person today. She walked me through what I need to do, and told me if I get push back from the insurance to ask to talk to a manager at the insurance.

On the bright side, I think me and my cousin are going to take her 10 year old son on a DCL trip sometime in the next year. My boyfriend has been a huge pain over all this, so I'll go with someone else. When I told him about my injury his response was, "why are you doing this to me! you've ruined my vacation!I'm extremely hurt by this." he's a 31 year old man who went on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean two months ago. I paid for the entire trip, he had to pay for nothing. If he's going to be more concerned about his trip than his girlfriend of 10 years I'm glad he didn't get to go. He didn't deserve this trip.

 

[bumbershoot]

I ended up with mild internal head trauma (I think that's what the doctor called it) two days ago. I've had symptoms of dizziness, tiredness, nausea and slowness

Concussion? I believe prevailing thought is that brain injury calls for full relaxation of the brain. Which means you should not be reading. So I hope you can have another adult do all fo this, including reading this.

When I booked the cruise I did get insurance

Then you just deal with the insurance people, not DCL anymore.

The man I spoke with today made it sound like I may not get a refund from the insurance. He said they will make the decision if they refund me or not.

DCL won't be giving you a refund; you will get a settlement from the insurance. (I think that DCL gives a percentage if you get their insurance and the claim is denied, but I doubt this one will be)

My boyfriend has been a huge pain over all this, so I'll go with someone else. When I told him about my injury his response was, "why are you doing this to me! you've ruined my vacation!I'm extremely hurt by this." he's a 31 year old man who went on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean two months ago. I paid for the entire trip, he had to pay for nothing. If he's going to be more concerned about his trip than his girlfriend of 10 years I'm glad he didn't get to go. He didn't deserve this trip.

Wow. That's awful.

If he feels that way, he could have paid you for his portion and just gone on his own. (of course that would have messed up the insurance) Maybe some clarity will come from all of this.

 

[Danni75]

Feel better soon. I am actually shocked at your bf attitude! Unless he was using the trip to recover himself from something very upsetting I also think he needs to rethink his attitude!

After that some people are very bad at first reactions but really are sorry after...

 

[bethy]

Thanks everyone for the support. It was a big disappointment. I feel a lot better about it all after talking with the second person today. She walked me through what I need to do, and told me if I get push back from the insurance to ask to talk to a manager at the insurance.

On the bright side, I think me and my cousin are going to take her 10 year old son on a DCL trip sometime in the next year. My boyfriend has been a huge pain over all this, so I'll go with someone else. When I told him about my injury his response was, "why are you doing this to me! you've ruined my vacation!I'm extremely hurt by this." he's a 31 year old man who went on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean two months ago. I paid for the entire trip, he had to pay for nothing. If he's going to be more concerned about his trip than his girlfriend of 10 years I'm glad he didn't get to go. He didn't deserve this trip.

Oh my goodness, bless your heart. I can only imagine how disappointed you must be. I pray for pixie dust for you to get to go on a magical Disney cruise in the near future.

As for the boyfriend run away as fast and as far as you can. I am dead serious. It is a million times better to be alone then to have a man like that in your life. When someone shows you who they are, BELIEVE them. Oh my goodness I am soooooo angry for you.

 

[Trera]

Good luck with everything!

 

[ClemmyIndyBambi]

Concussion? I believe prevailing thought is that brain injury calls for full relaxation of the brain. Which means you should not be reading. So I hope you can have another adult do all fo this, including reading this.

The doctor didn't mention reading, but I've noticed using the computer, watching T.V. or using my phone makes me nauseous. I'm feeling a lot better today, I've pretty much just been sleeping beyond getting on to check emails in the morning and at night. This is the first time I've been on the computer today.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. My boyfriend is autistic, so I make a lot of excuses for his bad behavior, but I wonder how much of it is because he's autistic and how much is because he's a spoiled brat. He throws tantrums like a child when things don't go his way. I was surprised though by his reaction to this, as was most everyone who knows him and me. Oh well, it just reinforced that everything happens for a reason and fate felt that he did not deserve this trip. I talked again with my cousin today about her going with me sometime in the near future and she's really interested in going. She's a single mom (was 15 when she had her son) with a 10 year old boy with cerebral palsy, so I think they much more deserve a nice trip. We went to WDW together this past September, and when her son met Mickey for the first time he said, "You're the best and you know why? You're on my T.V. and you make me laugh" He's such a sweet kid.