Minnesota residents Kristen and Joe Wegleitner just wanted to start their October honeymoon off in grand style with a romantic 7-day Mediterranean voyage on Celebrity Cruises. Unfortunately things began to unravel when bad weather and a hodgepodge of missed airline flight connections forced the newlyweds to scuttle their cruise plans. Thankfully the couple had the foresight to purchase travel insurance and thought the claims process with Travel Guard would be hassle free. Or so the Wegleitners thought.
Does your insurance cover military if they have to deploy? Surprisingly, the answer from Carnival was, “It is NOT covered.” And this was confirmed by talking to two people at Carnival and two at the insurance agency. One person I spoke to said that it would be covered if and only if he was deployed for a natural disaster, so presumably something like Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti might qualify. But not for a war or act of war.
With the outbreak of the swine flu virus dominating headlines many are putting cruise travel on the backburner. Still there is a way to cruise and safely protect your vacation investment.
Susan and Larry Smith just wanted to enjoy their first-ever trans-Atlantic voyage aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. But when Larry Smith experienced chest pains that landed him in the ship’s infirmary, they were headed for a shock: a medical bill for $1,200.
Why are some cruise travelers smarter than others? Simply put, they’ve been there, done that, and through trial and error have concocted strategies that avoid travel mishaps. Here are some tips that guarantee smooth sailing from cruisers in the know.
Like many Americans, I have no problem being outraged at the outrageous AIG bonuses. As a travel agent, the harder issue is whether or not to sell Travel Guard Insurance, an AIG subsidiary.
The travel industry became involved in the Wall Street meltdown last week when AIG faced financial catastrophe and ended up on the government bailout list. But the crisis is far from over — especially if you’re a travel agent.
