Cruise insurance for Canadians

(Ray*Goldenberg) wrote:
I am sure. I booked one this morning and the
client has a week to decide.

Travel agents in the US still get options with
plenty of time to book. Many cruise lines have
given direct bookers no options or very short
options. Next time I suggest you use a travel
professional. As one association likes to say,
"Without a travel agent, you are on your own."
;+)

Well such a booking system doesn't bother me. ...If I'm going to book a
cruise, I decide; and then I book. ...I don't need the week to hold.
...I booked my last cruise directly through HAL last time, and
everything worked out fine...

As I was told before... You book with a TA, and if anything happens (IE
bankruptcy of their company etc), then you're stuck, 'cause your
contract was with them. ..Jon

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005 13:02:52 -0800, wrote:

..I booked my last cruise directly through HAL last time, and
everything worked out fine...

Hi Johnny,

Glad to hear it. You were lucky. If anything had gone wrong you
would not have had a travel agent to advocate for you.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

Thus spake :

(Ray*Goldenberg) wrote:
I am sure. I booked one this morning and the
client has a week to decide.

Travel agents in the US still get options with
plenty of time to book. Many cruise lines have
given direct bookers no options or very short
options. Next time I suggest you use a travel
professional. As one association likes to say,
"Without a travel agent, you are on your own."
;+)

Well such a booking system doesn't bother me. ...If I'm going to book a
cruise, I decide; and then I book. ...I don't need the week to hold.
..I booked my last cruise directly through HAL last time, and
everything worked out fine...

As I was told before... You book with a TA, and if anything happens (IE
bankruptcy of their company etc), then you're stuck, 'cause your
contract was with them. ..Jon

Nope, your contract is still with the cruise line. You don't pay a
penny to the TA. Or at least you shouldn't.
--
dillon

Science is when a beautiful theory is killed by
an ugly fact.

(Dillon*Pyron) wrote:
Nope, your contract is still with the cruise line.
You don't pay a penny to the TA. Or at least
you shouldn't.

Not according to HAL. ...AAR, when I used to deal with the TA, they
insisted the cheques etc., be made payable to them. ...Jon

wrote:
(Dillon Pyron) wrote:

Nope, your contract is still with the cruise line.
You don't pay a penny to the TA. Or at least
you shouldn't.


Not according to HAL. ...AAR, when I used to deal with the TA, they
insisted the cheques etc., be made payable to them. ...Jon

I don't know if it is the TA you were using or if things are different
in Canada. We have always paid for our cruises with our credit card
and our TA gives the charge information to the cruise line. Bottom
line is that our payment goes to the cruise line, not to the TA. I
would not use a TA that insisted the money go to them, instead of the
cruise line.

sue

"Stephan in Burlington" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 19:14:34 -0800, while the Captain of the mv
Perfecto was guiding her to her next port, wrote:

Not according to HAL. ...AAR, when I used to deal with the TA, they
insisted the cheques etc., be made payable to them. ...Jon

Which should raise warning bells. Hell, it's more like " Shields Up,
Red Alert".
Stephan in Burlington


Got that right! Never ever pay your TA with a cheque or with a CC charged
directly to the TA. All charges should be to the cruiseline itself. The TA
gets paid from the cruise line after you do the cruise. There is never any
need for them to have control over any of your money. If the TA insists, go
to another TA that is reputable.
Jim

Stephan in Burlington wrote:
On Mon, 21 Nov 2005 23:14:53 -0500, while the Captain of the mv
Perfecto was guiding her to her next port, Sue and Kevin Mullen
wrote:


I don't know if it is the TA you were using or if things are different
in Canada. We have always paid for our cruises with our credit card
and our TA gives the charge information to the cruise line. Bottom


That is not a Canada policy. Every trip I've ever booked the charge
went to the cruise line or tour operator, NEVER to the TA.

Thanks Stephan! Now I can say for sure, it is a bad TA!!

sue

"Sue and Kevin Mullen" wrote
I don't know if it is the TA you were using or if things are different in
Canada. We have always paid for our cruises with our credit card and our
TA gives the charge information to the cruise line. Bottom line is that
our payment goes to the cruise line, not to the TA. I would not use a TA
that insisted the money go to them, instead of the cruise line.

I might be able to clarify this.

You should ALWAYS pay for a cruise with a credit card and make sure that the
charge was processed by the cruise line and not by the travel agent. Run
like hell from any travel agent who processes your charge on their agency
account... you have no way of knowing that the cruise line has received any
money.

If for some reason you feel you MUST pay with a check, most of the time, you
will have to make it out to the travel agency. For the most part, cruise
lines will NOT accept personal checks made out to them directly from
customers. The money has to go through the travel agency. I DO NOT
RECOMMEND PAYING FOR A CRUISE WITH A CHECK and I have been posting that
advice here for years.

When you use a credit card and the fare is processed by the cruise line,
they have their money immediately. Should your travel agent leave town, get
hit by a bus or abducted by aliens... your cruise is safe.

If you have a good relationship with a TA and trust him/her... then pay by
check if you want..... but keep watching the news for alien abductions and
hope that your TA isn't one of those taken back to the Mother Ship.


--
George Leppla http://www.countryside-travel.com

The Mother of All Group Cruises 2 - http://www.moagc2.com/
May 20, 2006, Caribbean Princess - http://cruisemaster.com/caribprin.htm
October 29, 2006 - SLEAZY 4! http://cruisemaster.com/sleazy4.htm

(George*Leppla) wrote:
If you have a good relationship with a TA and
trust him/her... then pay by check if you
want..... but keep watching the news for alien
abductions and hope that your TA isn't one of
those taken back to the Mother Ship.

I've booked 9 cruises through this particular TA by paying with a
cheque. ...The man I dealt with (for years) was subsequetly injured in a
car accident, and had to leave. I then learned that the agency was
actually owned by a German, who nobody knew. ..I contacted HAL, who
recommended I deal directly with them. If I had given the TA the
downpayment, I could be trying to hunt down the owner to get my money
back, if for any reason he decided to close his business.

The thing is... There should be some protection for the traveller.
...The cruise lines should state in their brochures: "If you deal with a
TA, make sure your Visa or MC for payment is made directly to us, and
debited by our company." ...Most people go to a TA because A) They
aren't sure how to go about making the reservations and obtaining the
necessary Travel insurance etc. ...Or B) They can't be bothered to do
everything themselves. ...If the TA says... I'll look after
everything, then you just give me a cheque for the total -- That's what
the majority of people would do ...Thinking that to be the standard
procedure at every TA. ...Incidentally, aren't registered TA in B.C.,
required to be covered by some insurance. IE: protection for their
clients? ..Seems to me I read something like that. ..Jon

wrote in message
...
(George Leppla) wrote:
If you have a good relationship with a TA and
trust him/her... then pay by check if you
want..... but keep watching the news for alien
abductions and hope that your TA isn't one of
those taken back to the Mother Ship.

I've booked 9 cruises through this particular TA by paying with a
cheque. ...The man I dealt with (for years) was subsequetly injured in a
car accident, and had to leave. I then learned that the agency was
actually owned by a German, who nobody knew. ..I contacted HAL, who
recommended I deal directly with them. If I had given the TA the
downpayment, I could be trying to hunt down the owner to get my money
back, if for any reason he decided to close his business.

The thing is... There should be some protection for the traveller.
...The cruise lines should state in their brochures: "If you deal with a
TA, make sure your Visa or MC for payment is made directly to us, and
debited by our company." ...Most people go to a TA because A) They
aren't sure how to go about making the reservations and obtaining the
necessary Travel insurance etc. ...Or B) They can't be bothered to do
everything themselves. ...If the TA says... I'll look after
everything, then you just give me a cheque for the total -- That's what
the majority of people would do ...Thinking that to be the standard
procedure at every TA. ...Incidentally, aren't registered TA in B.C.,
required to be covered by some insurance. IE: protection for their
clients? ..Seems to me I read something like that. ..Jon

Here in Ontario (Canada), if you book a trip or package through a licenced
TA, you are insured up to a modest amount... I think it's $3,500. It came
in handy in 1990 when, as neophytes, we paid our TA directly for our HAL
package... our 1st HAL cruise...(7 days Caribbean + 7 nights in FL with
hotels and car). About 25 days before the cruise, we saw on the evening
news that the TA had closed its doors! The Ontario government instantly
appointed another TA to straighten out the mess. Sure enough, we discovered
that our final payment had not been made to HAL! The TA was able to salvage
our booking, but we had to pay a 2nd time (!) and then claim back our losses
from the Government compensation fund afterward. Good thing we had the $$
available to do that. Eventually we were refunded all of the $$ we had lost
except the cancellation insurance, which was not covered by the compensation
fund.
Needless to say, we have never paid a TA directly since!!