Advice as can’t travel due to accident and cruise company unwilling to amend date

nicolasimps

Does anyone have any advice...my parents are booked into a cruise for the final two weeks in March. On Sunday mum has an accident and has had an operation and in plaster. Their annual travel insurance ran out day before. Cruise was booked on debit card as credit card wouldn’t go through. They have taken at least 10 cruises with this company in last 5 years. They only want to amend date not cancel. Cruise company saying as it’s only 5 weeks away only a name change can happen. Any advice is greatly appreciated thanks

Westin

Check if the insurance policy auto renewed. Some do.

Please keep in mind that this is not the fault of the cruise operator. Good to work with them to see if a solution can be offered up but outside of the agreed t&c’s you are relying on their good will. Keep it polite.

Your payment method has little or no baring unless the credit card had some form of travel insurance element attached.  Forget a S75 claim if that thought had come to mind. A debit card charge back is also not appropriate.

Really sorry that your mum had this accident and it is good that you are trying to help sort out the problem. Travel insurance was however what these sorts of incidents is for and to have it expire was a very, very unfortunate oversight.

NoodleDoodleMan

Is there any possibility that your Mum might be fit to travel by the time the cruise starts ?

What have the medical people said ?

DCFC79

Why was travel insurance not sorted out when the cruise was booked ?

Pollycat

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Is there any possibility that your Mum might be fit to travel by the time the cruise starts ?

What have the medical people said ?

This is a reasonable suggestion.
The OP doesn't mention flights so there might not be a need for a 'fit to fly' certificate.
I think if I had the choice of losing all the money I'd paid for a cruise for 2 people and still going with limited capability, I'd choose to go.
Of course it depends how serious the accident was and how incapacitated the OP's Mum is likely to be in 5 weeks time and what the chances are of complications relating to the accident as they are unlikely to get travel insurance that includes it.

heatherw_01

Tbh they don't have to do anything, this is a travel insurance thing but obviously it lapsed without being renewed.

Maybe she will be better by then?

katejo

DCFC79 said:

Why was travel insurance not sorted out when the cruise was booked ?

Surely it depends on how long ago they booked the trip? If it was several months ago, they wouldn't have been able to renew their annual policy until very recently. Personally I refuse to book any trip beyond the expiry date of my current policy and rely on the ability to renew the policy. Various factors could stop me renewing.

Ganga

katejo said:

DCFC79 said:

Why was travel insurance not sorted out when the cruise was booked ?

Surely it depends on how long ago they booked the trip? If it was several months ago, they wouldn't have been able to renew their annual policy until very recently. Personally I refuse to book any trip beyond the expiry date of my current policy and rely on the ability to renew the policy. Various factors could stop me renewing.

The original post states that their mother had her accident the day after her travel insurance ran out so cannot claim off that and cannot take out new insurance without disclosing the accident.

katejo

Ganga said:

katejo said:

DCFC79 said:

Why was travel insurance not sorted out when the cruise was booked ?

Surely it depends on how long ago they booked the trip? If it was several months ago, they wouldn't have been able to renew their annual policy until very recently. Personally I refuse to book any trip beyond the expiry date of my current policy and rely on the ability to renew the policy. Various factors could stop me renewing.

The original post states that their mother had her accident the day after her travel insurance ran out so cannot claim off that and cannot take out new insurance without disclosing the accident.

Yes I know that. i was just replying to a previous question about why they hadn't purchased insurance at the time of booking.

Nick_C

The offer of a name change is generous.  Possibly your parents could sell the cruise to a friend?  They would probably take a loss, but they might recover some of the money.

Alternatively, as others have said, go on the cruise anyway.

NoodleDoodleMan

Westin said:

Check if the insurance policy auto renewed. Some do.

Wouldn't the accident have to be declared for any automatic renewal to become valid ?

At which point the insurance company could decline a repeat policy, based on the new circumstances  - leaving the unfortunate lady without insurance on the day the accident occurred, which is the central issue.