Sorry that you came down the the GI illness and do hope you are feeling better now. There is nothing worse than being ill when you are away from home. I know.!

Just a suggestion - Why not book directly with Captain Marvin when you are in Grand Cayman in September.

http://www.captainmarvins.com/

[ 08-11-2004: Message edited by: sympatico ]

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Originally posted by Dotty:
I said I would send them proof from the doctor's office that I could not leave the ship...but they said "NO". We are sailing to the Caymans again in Sept. and asked if we could just reschedule our excursion for that time. Again, the answer was "NO".

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I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. However, if you miss anything (train, plane, bus or shore tour etc.) through illness you cannot expect a refund - unless you are insured against it!

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune. However, if you miss anything (train, plane, bus or shore tour etc.) through illness you cannot expect a refund - unless you are insured against it!

Would you holiday insurance not cover this? Did you try making a claim?

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We agreed, for the benefit of these folks who depended upon those bookings for their income, that we would not allow cancellations during the last 10 days before the date of the tour. We do refund for anything that is beyond the control of the traveler, like weather or ship itinerary changes.

We suggest several times during the booking process that travel insurance companies will cover the cost of our tours and we highly recommend it.

We certainly understand the problem this couple had - I actually was the one to respond to her - but we did pay Captain Marvin for her seats as they were unable to sell them at the last minute.

In this instance, the illness sounds legitimate, but what about the fellow who parties too much one night and cannot dive the next day. We just don't feel that the dive shop should suffer the consequences. And who can differentiate between those who are really sick and those who decide to sleep in?

Because of the research we do beforehand, anyone can book our tours and know that they are going to have the best, most memorable day(s) of their vacation, all preplanned. We know that because we get fabulous feedback.

One of the reasons is that we are the only company researching for the traveler as well as protecting the operator and both sides are appreciative of this. Our operators have done the most amazing things to fulfill the dreams of the visitor.

We really don't have many issues with this policy so we have no plans to make a change. We have simplified and insured your port experience and it is a shame that these people were unable to enjoy the experience. At some point, we plan to offer our own insurance, and then this will not be an issue at all.

I hope you all understand that this is a policy to benefit those who truly need that help.

"Full refunds will be made to any excursion cancelled due to weather or ship missing ports, however no refunds can be made for failure to be at the designated departure location."

So it does not sound like Julie's policy is out of line with industry standards.

Having said that, the cruise lines themselves seem to have the best overall cancellation policy. Most cruise lines give you 24 hours to cancel for any reason. From NCL's webstie:

"All tours cancelled within 24 hours prior to arrival in the port where the tour is scheduled to operate are non-refundable. "

Just something to consider when selecting an excursion.

[ 09-16-2004: Message edited by: Another Cruise Addict ]

I agree that the cruiseships have the most lenient policy but also they must entertain large numbers of cruisers. The growing group of independent travelers are the ones who find value as well as quality on our tours.

Again I suggest travel insurance for all travel. Today TravelGuard is including terrorism in its coverage. If you purchase this kind of protection, which will cover flight delays, etc.. your tours with Shoretrips are also refundable if necessary.

Our best hope is that everyone has a safe and healthy trip, therefore having only good memories to bring back home.

Living in a condo, our Recreation Committee frequently arranges (totally non-profit) daylong outings - Matinee theatre performances followed by dinner or dinner followed by evening performance - casino visits, Day at The Races etc. Whenever possible, some shopping, walk-about and coffee break time is also included.

Usually a 47-seat luxury coach is arranged, together with dining reservations, admissions, etc. etc. Participants must pay in full by a certain date, (set by coach and catering suppliers). It is clearly stated that refunds will not be made for last minute cancellations or 'no shows'. Participants are strongly advised to buy Cancellation Insurance.

The fact that 4 or five people decide to cancel for one reason or another does not alter the fact that the coach and all other arrangements have to be paid for. Our Recreation Committee does not have extra funds available and it would be unreasonably to expect the other participants to pay extra at the last minute to cover the shortfall.

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Originally posted by julieansfield:
I agree that the cruiseships have the most lenient policy but also they must entertain large numbers of cruisers. The growing group of independent travelers are the ones who find value as well as quality on our tours.

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For me, though, that's usually not enough. The cruise ship price is only worth paying if it's the only way of doing something I want to do.