Login | Register | Subscribe to the GG RSS Feed

No Passport + No Travel Insurance = Lots of Worries

1
2
3
4
5
Julia Rosien | 04/30/2008 - 08:58 | 1 comment

Are you prepared for life threatening situations when you travel?

A sick child is scary enough when you have access to your family doctor and health insurance. It's down-right terrifying when your child falls ill in a foreign country. The Cortes family traveling aboard Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas found out just how challenging it can be this past weekend.

Got Travel Insurance?Got Travel Insurance?The family's 7-month old daughter fell ill on the second night of the cruise. The ship's doctor diagnosed the child with norovirus and said the family needed to get her to the hospital.

The whole family disembarked in Bahamas near midnight and saw a doctor who diagnosed her with a head cold, but nothing more serious. Trouble is, the ship had already set sail, leaving the family stranded in a foreign country without passports or travel insurance. They spent almost $2,000 in accommodation and travel expenses getting home.

Whether the cruise line, the ship's doctor or the family was at fault is still up for debate. Royal Caribbean says the family waited to long between phoning the ship's doctor and actually bringing the child to him. The parents say they were given 10 minutes to get off the ship - the mom disembarked in her pajamas.

What's clear is that the family didn't plan ahead for the worst possible scenario. No one wants to consider the "what ifs," but keeping your family safe means thinking ahead. Covering the basics of insurance and passports lets you focus on more important issues in an emergency - like your child's health.

The disgruntled Cortes family went public with their story this week, demanding compensation from the cruise line. Royal Caribbean maintains that a Guest Care Specialist accompanied the family to help with on-island arrangements and has offered to refund the cruise and the cost of the family's flights home, "despite the company's strong disagreement with the manner in which the Cortes family's situation has been recounted in the media."

Bottom line? You're responsible for yourself and your family. Not the cruise line, airline or resort you visit. And traveling with kids but no insurance and no passport is just plain stupid.

Would you travel outside the US without a passport? Travel insurance?

Related Stories

Healthy Dining Finder - The Best Places to Eat in North America
Looking Like Your Passport Isn't a Good Thing
Passport Card - Cheaper Cruise Travel
5 Favorite Spring Break Beaches
Caribbean Island Vacations
Helicopter Ride Over an Active Volcano
Reno Earthquakes Raises the Alarm for Travelers

Rate This Post

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Bookmark This Post

  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Magnoliacom
  • Newsvine
  • Furl
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • Technorati

Comments

Nobody deserves that kind of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 16:20.
Nobody deserves that kind of treatment, but honestly those people were just plain stupid. Honestly - who leaves home without a passport. And with kids! What were they thinking????????

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.
Register

Membership is free and with it you can set up a profile, vote on stories and post your opinions.

Already a member?
Login
Not a member? Join!
Register

Most Recent Comments

  • On Flying the Online Skies for the Best Travel Advice, Hotel Santa Barbara said "Thanks for giving us such great information constantly. It is awesome to have such a great travel resource like you!"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, HSB said "I am a little concerned about this situation, as we are traveling to Florida in October and boarding a cruise to the Bahamas. I'll be bookmarking this page!"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, Julia Rosien said "Thanks for visiting Lisa and for such great advice! Hope that Earl doesn't linger and cause any trouble. Good luck! Julia"

  • On Surviving a Hurricane While Traveling, Lisa S. said "Growing up in good ole NC, I have survived my share of storms. Actually, where I sit currently (on a barrier island) has been under water many times. Staying on an island is scary. We leave if it is over a CAT 1. The most important thing for us is to fill our gas tanks at the first inkling that there may be a storm. Water, medicines, non perishable food, they're all really important. Honestly, if it is a big storm, alcohol later serves as pay for work. We stock up on EVERYTHING. We start eating out of the freezer days before (like we did tonight, getting ready for Earl). You don't want much to go bad. Then we tie up all the trash cans, secure grills, and hold on for dear life :)"

  • On American Tourist Kidnappings on the Rise in Mexico, Roger said "Better not to drive if you can travel by bus. Buses are not apt to be targets like cars with US plates that also can be stolen. The buses in Mexico are very comfortable like flying in a plane they often have movies and it is safer.Plan your trip and don't travel alone especially if you are female.Women traveling alone are a target Good luck and stay alert."