The best one-word summary for our first transatlantic cruise (TC1) is “disaster.” Of the 16 ports on the itinerary, I saw 4 and Jett saw 2. I saw none of the ports that were the real attractions of the trip: Livorno (Florence), Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Dubrovnik and Venice. And while the transatlantic portion was mostly smooth and enjoyable, Jett’s low energy levels kept us away from the evening shows. The big on-board activities for us were watching TV (yes, we binge-watched the entire Downton Abbey series again) and, for me, jigsaw puzzling. Fun activities, but not what I had in mind for a transatlantic cruise.
We did meet some interesting people. I have no expectation that they will see this as I neglected to give them any kind of contact information when I left the ship, but I want to thank our dinner tablemates for providing some of the best times we had on board. And the people we met in the smoking area were all interesting in their own ways.
The ports I visited – Funchal, Madeira (with Jett), Lisbon, Malaga and Cartagena (with Jett) – were all very nice. I would say that they all exceeded my expectations, largely because I had none. As I said before, these were not the expected highlights of the trip so I did not research them much. All were clean, colorful and full of beautiful old buildings or ruins. I learned quite a bit about each and wouldn’t mind returning to them all.
One of the positive aspects of Jett’s hospitalization (stay with me folks, I am grasping here) was an extended stay in Cartagena, Spain. I don’t know what I would have done with the planned short day there (the ship left at 1 pm), but it probably would have been just a quick walk up to the castle at the top of the hill near the cruise terminal. Maybe a visit to the Roman Theater. But because we stayed 5 days I was able to see much more. And learn much more. This is a great city for learning about ancient history.
Other positives? The flight home and the surprising benefits of trip insurance. The flight home – described in my previous post – was an unexpected (and much-needed) joy and the trip insurance provided benefits that I had not anticipated, most notably our intrepid travel nurse Tish. Her presence made the last day of the journey so much easier and for that we are grateful.
The negative? Illness. Jett is seriously ill and while the treatment she got in Spain was effective it was not a cure. We will need to do further tests and, hopefully, arrive at a long-term solution. But while departing the cruise when we did was deeply disappointing (Jett shed a lot of tears), it may have saved her life. The doctors both on the ship and in Cartagena could not understand how she could still be standing and functioning with her hemoglobin so low.
If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this (besides to check your hemoglobin level regularly) it is this: buy the best trip insurance available. Two levels – gold and platinum – were offered and the difference in price was not huge – a few hundred dollars. I remember, when choosing between the two, focusing on the relative benefits of cancellation prior to embarking – gold provided about 50% reimbursement and platinum 80%. For a trip as pricey as this one, that difference alone made platinum worthwhile. And, at the time, with Jett not feeling very well, I figured that the real risk was not going at all. I thought that once we embarked we would complete the journey.
Well, our trip was interrupted and I can tell you that from the moment we got off the ship to the time we got safely back home, I thanked my lucky stars many times for choosing the platinum plan. Consider that the medical costs – about $5,000 – were covered in full. The airline fares home – business class for Jett, which were over $11,000 for her ticket alone – were also covered in full. So far the benefits of the travel insurance are probably pushing $20,000 for us and Tish probably added another $20,000 to the costs for the insurance company. I haven’t filed the claim yet for all of the other expenses – hotel, meals, taxis – and the cost of the unused portion of the cruise itself. The total cost to the insurance company may exceed $50,000.
The decision to take the platinum trip insurance proved to be one of my best ever.
As American Express would say… don’t leave home without it.