You may remember our story from TJ and Sherry, Stuck in Budapest. A quick recap: TJ tested positive for Covid shortly before he was to board a Viking river cruise in Budapest. His only symptoms: sniffles and a slight cough. Nonetheless, because of the positive test result, TJ and Sherry watched the ship leave without them. Sherry flew home, while TJ quarantined for more than a week before he produced a negative test and was allowed to fly home.
Though disappointed that he didn’t get to sail, TJ said he was satisfied with Viking’s response:
Viking gave us a full cruise credit for the complete value of all monies paid including the pre-cruise extension that we actually did (which included a few days in Prague). I thought that was fair. But, I’m still on the hook for the extra days in Budapest and the extra flights to get my wife home, not to mention the airfare to/from Europe for a vacation that didn’t happen. I do have outside travel insurance and I have filed a claim. We’ll see what they cover.
Turns out, the story has a happy ending. TJ wrote us last week to follow up.
I carry an annual Allianz AllTrips Premier plan with $15,000 of cancellation/interruption coverage. My total expenses for my interrupted trip were approximately $17,700. That was comprised of $9,100 directly related to the interruption of my trip to include my quarantine hotel and my wife’s flights/hotels/car for her early trip home. I also had $8,600 worth of round trip Business Class airfare for two, that while used, was certainly not for the trip expected.
I am very pleased to report that Allianz has reimbursed me for the entire $15,000 of coverage I had purchased. Essentially they covered the complete $9,100 of my quarantine and extra travel related expenses, and $6,000 of my $8,600 airfare. That leaves me on the hook for only $2,600. I could not be happier with this outcome. I have also just filed a claim with AIG via American Express for the $2,600 since I had purchased the tickets (results to follow).
We’re glad to hear that both Viking and Allianz made good with TJ and Sherry. There’s an obvious lesson in all of this: Don’t leave home without travel insurance unless you’re prepared to shoulder the financial burden of the unexpected.
Did this sour TJ and Sherry toward future travel? Not at all. We’ll end this piece with an email TJ sent to me earlier this week.
We still have lots of travel planned. I have a ski trip to Canada next month, another ski trip to Iceland in April, and our next cruise is Silversea to Europe in May. I would say the way it is affecting me is I am a little more cautious. For example, for the May cruise I am planning everything through Silversea – air, pre-hotel, and cruise. That way if there is an issue, I have Silversea to help. Since I had not planned my air with Viking on that cruise, I was left on my own to get back home. Fortunately, it all worked out,
I am also a little more cautious about where I go right now. My COVID case was in Budapest and I was at the InterContinental. What if I had tested positive five days down the river in middle of nowhere Romania? That could have made for a much less enjoyable 10 days.
We are going to have to live with this, probably for longer than we all want to. My advice to people who are afraid to travel, is to stay with a quality company that will help when you have a problem. I have looked at Silversea’s COVID policy and I am comfortable with what they will do. And as I wrote in my original note to you, have a plan if something goes wrong. Life it too short to spend too many years not doing what you love to do.
Katherine Ledbetter says
The other side of the Allianz coin is not pretty. Under no circumstances would I suggest doing business with them. In 2019, we booked an Avalon Christmas markets cruise for four. On 3 January 2020, my travel agent forwarded our Allianz policies. When Avalon canceled the cruise in November 2021, I contacted Allianz seeking a refund. After multiple emails back and forth requesting first one bit of documentation then another (really, Allianz could not look at the Avalon website and see the cruises canceled?), it’s now been more than four weeks since I’ve had any response from them.
Any suggestions anyone?
Ledbetter Katherine Q. says
I had a very different experience with Allianz and would not recommend them under any circumstances. We purchased the Christmas Market cruise for four from Avalon. Avalon was amazing in refunding every cent when the German government canceled Christmas markets in Bavaria. As we had no cruise to insure, I contacted Allianz regarding a refund of our policies. I’ve received, oh, five or six emails from them, each one asking for one more bit of documentation, I asked the travel agency to contact them, and it’s been four weeks, not one word.
I’m open for ideas. Suggestions, anyone? Thank you.
Daniel Durazo says
I’m so glad that we could help TJ and Sherry. May all their future trips be trouble free, but if not, we’ll be here.
T Michael Henderson says
Wow, this is a eye-opener. I’m going on my next Viking trip in Holland next October 22. Having had to delay my last grand European cruise almost 2 months because I got Covid, luckily before the cruise, I’m really thinking about getting this insurance now. I already paid Viking up my money and you have to get their insurance right at the start. How much was the Alliance policy?
Ralph Grizzle says
Just search for the policy he mentioned. That’s what I did.