Always have a Plan B, travel advisors say. Pack your patience—and when you’re sailing the Atlantic in December, bring along some Dramamine too. But no amount of planning would have been enough to make my ill-fated cruise on MSC Meraviglia work last week. In the end, it was travel insurance that saved the day for me.
Perhaps you read about our trip, which ended up sailing to Boston and Canada instead of Florida and the Caribbean, just one of many ships affected by a nor’easter that tore up the East Coast. “Man plans and God laughs,” they say, and He sure was laughing last week, scattering cruise ships from the islands to the Gulf, closing the Port of Miami, creating a cruise to nowhere for one ship that never did dock at all.
For me, it was a combination of travel insurance and luck that turned my disaster into a full refund.
I haven’t sailed MSC in many years, and I’ve heard quite a few presentations by its executives about how the Italian line has beefed up its customer service team in the United States, and now understands what the American customer wants. So I felt it was time to give the line another try.
I was encouraged, I’ll admit, by an email that said something like, “Sail MSC for $299 for seven nights.” That was an inside cabin, of course, but even at $799 a person for a balcony, I thought, it would be an inexpensive getaway to the Caribbean sunshine in the middle of a bleak New York December. So I talked a friend into joining us and we signed up. We read lots of mixed reviews about MSC; many travel advisors posted on my Facebook page that the Yacht Club is amazing, the shows are great and the ship is beautiful—but the food on the main decks is not up to par and the service is iffy. Our friends changed their minds and canceled. But I was determined to see for myself.
When I read the ship had run out of ketchup on two consecutive previous sailings, I bought a bottle to bring along. I paid for the dinner package in case the food really wasn’t good in the main dining room. We considered an upgrade to Yacht Club, but the whole point was to have an inexpensive trip, and I wanted the experience of a regular guest. I dug out some antinausea patches I had left over from the Drake Passage in Antarctica and was all set to go.
I hadn’t been feeling well for a couple of weeks, though, so on Friday morning I ran over to the doctor to see if she could help. In five minutes, she had a diagnosis I wasn’t expecting: an ulcer. And until it is under control, I really should not be sailing, she said.
Is there anything sadder than having to cancel a trip the day before departure?
As it turns out, there is. Six hours after we canceled, MSC sent an email saying our itinerary was being changed. Instead of a week in the Caribbean and a visit to Ocean Cay, which I had really wanted to see, we’d be spending three days in Boston, one in New Hampshire and one in Canada. We could cancel and take a future cruise credit, but no cash refunds were being offered.
So having travel insurance turned out to be quite a blessing. I have an annual travel insurance policy with Allianz; at $499 for me and my husband, it was more expensive than the one I had previously—but it took weeks for me to get my money when I filed a small claim with the other company, so I switched. I called Allianz; they said my husband and I are fully covered and wished me a speedy recovery.
As Ever, Travel Advisors Know Just What To Say
While we lucked out as far as getting a refund, the experience got me to question whether winter cruising out of New York is worth the risk. So I asked travel advisors how they deal with the possibility of customers ending up with a vacation that’s nothing like what they booked.
Bad weather and rough seas are always an option when you sail, many said, especially in this, the craziest year for weather ever. But frank communication with customers always is key.
“I’ve done it plenty of times; rocky seas don’t bother me at all,” says Tiffany Kruer-Fehribach in Louisville, KY. “But I would definitely ask clients about seasickness, port flexibility, etc., and qualify them for these things before selling it.”
But Ria Maratheftis at The Travel Nook has it down to a science.
“An Atlantic winter sailing is the perfect way to make a rookie cruiser write off cruising forever,” she says (and indeed, I am hardly a rookie but that’s just what I’m thinking). “I am very frank with my guests on this topic. Many insist on these sailings without this knowledge. And if they are first timers and are not advised properly, this can EASILY tarnish their perception of cruising… Especially to the novice cruiser. Which is why it’s SO IMPORTANT to prepare guests.”
Her advice:
- There is a good chance that Mother Nature might be angry that week. These itineraries always have movement, and during the winter, it’s much worse.
- The elderly or anyone with mobility issues should take every precaution for stability including walkers and rolators, and your agent should request dining tables near the MDR entrance. It’s also a good idea to leave those stilettos home and opt for ballet flats. You will be stumbling all over the place, even when sober.
- There is a good chance your itinerary might have a deviation, whether one port or a completely different itinerary. If you are not willing to adapt and accept this reality calmly, then it’s NOT the proper itinerary choice for you.
- If you are sailing from the Northeast, there is a 100% chance that you will spend a minimum of four days indoors. That means the ship is the destination, so choose your ship and cruise line wisely.
- Just because you’re not flying doesn’t mean you’re really saving. Port taxes for the Northeast tend to be more expensive than the Southeast. And so is the parking!
- If you are looking for a tropical vacation, and all you have are seven days, rethink it. Florida and the Bahamas might not be warm enough during the winter. A longer itinerary will get you to warmer islands further south.
- If choosing to sail the Atlantic for a Holiday sailing (and it is your FIRST cruise ever), not only will it be a doozy of a ride, but also a very rude awakening. It might not be the relaxed cruising atmosphere you deserve from a cruise.
- On the flip side, specific Atlantic repositioning cruises offer a delightful opportunity for snowbirds to get South or cross the Atlantic without having to fly. These are extended sailings, usually in October before the heavy weather, and often come at a good value.
Philip Archer of Roaming Richly Travel has sailed from New York three times and always had “spectacular weather,” he says. But travel advisor Linnie Jay says that December in New York “is a very delicate time and region to sail. I would seldom if at all recommend that route.”
“With changing climate, there may never be any one ‘perfect time’ to cruise,” agrees Gunes Hopson of Luxe Travel by Gunes. “I advise all my clients to purchase travel insurance in case anything goes wrong. Also, I set expectations with clients that the cruise line may change the itinerary at any time (before or during the sailing) to account for weather issues.” But still, “If a client is dead set on a certain itinerary, they may want to consider a land-based vacation (although there still can be weather issues in this scenario as well).”
Based in Pennsylvania, Rose Dragwa of Rosella Dragwa and Margo Pulling Dream Vacations has sailed from New York in winter many times—“some were very smooth, some very rocky. So really like any other time in my personal experience,” she says. “There really isn’t one month that you are guaranteed not to have a storm.”
In the end, my cruise plans did work out for the best. We filed a claim with Allianz and have faith we will get a full refund. My ulcer seems to be under control. And I actually still am curious about cruising out of New York in cold weather; I survived The Drake Passage, after all. Perhaps I’ll book something for next year.
But only if I’m prepared to visit my grandkids in Boston.
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.
