Cruise Holiday - having to cancel due to ill health

young-and-broke

Firstly, I hope this post is allowed and in the appropriate place. If not, please delete or advise where to post. Thanks.

I am writing this post on behalf of my parents to try and seek some advice on what to do.

My parents, and I are due to go on a cruise on 21st November for 16 nights. Very sadly we are no longer able to make it due to my fathers progressive illness - dementia. Since booking until now his illness has gone down hill quite fast and on advice we have decided the best option would be to cancel the cruise.

The cruise is fully paid up with no money outstanding. Right now the cruise is still booked. We have phoned the travel company to ask for their advice and to see if they would be willing to give us a refund/partial refund but they said that they wouldn't give any refund what so ever. They did mention that the holiday could be given away to family/friends but that would incur an admin charge of some description.

The cost of the cruise is over £4k so it would be nice to try and get some money back if possible. I did consider ebay but apparently you are not allowed to sell package holidays unless a nusiness.

One last thing, if we can't sell the holiday I thought about not cancelling with the travel company as I guess all they will do is re sell the tickets and make even more money from our misfortune. The travel comapny really have not been helpful what so ever and my parents have booked many times before as a loyal customers.

Any advice much appreciated.

Jackieboy

Couldn't you find a couple of friends to take your parents' places?

jackieblack

Can you claim on your Travel Insurance?

young-and-broke

The target audience for this cruise ship is retired people and I was going to help my mother attend to my father. I have asked my friends about going with me but all are working now up to Christmas.

RE claiming on travel insurance, I don't book it until last minute, my mother has her's included with her bank account, we have a bit of a job getting my father covered becuase of his illness and we don't usually book until a few weeks before.

Jackieboy

young-and-broke wrote: »

The target audience for this cruise ship is retired people and I was going to help my mother attend to my father. I have asked my friends about going with me but all are working now up to Christmas.

RE claiming on travel insurance, I don't book it until last minute, my mother has her's included with her bank account, we have a bit of a job getting my father covered becuase of his illness and we don't usually book until a few weeks before.

Are you saying that, apart from your mother, you don't have any?

young-and-broke

Myself - no insurance
Mother - Yes - with bank
Father - no insurance

Thanks

Grumpelstiltskin

young-and-broke wrote: »

Myself - no insurance
Mother - Yes - with bank
Father - no insurance

Thanks

An expensive mistake. Why on earth didn't you book the insurance earlier?

Ganga

I was going to suggest that you might be able to claim off your mothers insurance but as it looks like your fathers illness is pre known that is probably an avenue that you will not be able to take.You should allways take out insurance the moment you book any holiday but in this case again as your father has a pre-condition they would not pay out.
The only thought is to tout the cruise around elderly freinds of your parents and try to recoup some of the cost,someone must want a cheap cruise even if you only get 50% of the money back.Best of luck .

Ganga

Grumpelstiltskin wrote: »

An expensive mistake. Why on earth didn't you book the insurance earlier?

As the dementia is a pre known condition i doubt if the poster would have got insurance to cover this reason for curtailment.:eek:

Grumpelstiltskin

Well they obviously knew the risk of spending £4000 when the father had a condition that could only go one way, worse and having no insurance. It was a gamble and unfortunately it hasn't come off.

young-and-broke

Certainly a lesson learned regarding insurance but like Ganga said even if we had holiday insurance for my father they would not pay out as my father's illness is a pre known condition.

Maybe we can try and sell to family/friends. Can't sell on fleabay and other sell sites might not be worth a try either. Gumtree, spoch etc