At 5 a.m. this morning, I was supposed to be on a plane heading to beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I had a free night booked at the lovely Conrad Ft. Lauderdale Beach hotel (see this post). And tomorrow, I was scheduled to board Holland America’s Rotterdam ship for a 7-night cruise (free thanks to a status match).
So what is keeping me from this magnificent (almost) free trip? I’m sick. I caught some germs from subbing at school just before Christmas. And, despite some medication and two medical appointments, I’m still not 100% well. In fact, I’d say I’m only about 30% well.
Technically, since I’ve been fever-free a few days, I believe I could have still boarded the ship in my current condition. But, I’m still coughing a lot, and I’m sure I’d receive a lot of side-eyes from other passengers. Plus, when I don’t feel well, I really just want to be home in my own bed. I don’t want to be schlepping around airports or even laying in the sun when I’ve got to have tissues and medicine by my side.
So, it was an easy decision for me to cancel this cruise that me and my son were scheduled to sail.
Cancelling the Trip
I actually came to the realization a few days ago that this trip probably wasn’t a good idea. The first thing I canceled was my hotel reservation. It could not be canceled online, and I couldn’t find the cancellation policy. However, when I called the hotel directly, I was able to cancel it with no issues. Since I booked it with a credit card free night certificate, the certificate was put back in my account.
Next, I canceled our flights. We were flying on American Airlines one way using miles. That was super easy to cancel, and my miles were refunded instantly. Our other flights were booked with Spirit using cash. My refund is in the form of a flight credit that I need to use for a booking within 90 days.
Lastly, I called Holland America to cancel the cruise. Since this was a “free” casino cruise, I only had to pay port taxes and fees. Thankfully, those are going to be refunded to me.
In total, my only loss from this cancellation is about $200 of flights on Spirit Airlines if I’m unable to use the credit for a future flight. All said, that’s really not too bad.
Final Thoughts
Cancelling a trip sucks. But, I’d rather stay home and get better. Thankfully, I was able to recoup most my miles, points and cash I paid for this trip. I do have an annual trip insurance policy that would have covered more of my losses if I could not get my refunds so easily. I recommend that all travelers get a travel insurance policy before any big cruise or international trip.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Sorry to hear tat you had to cancel your trip. Would you be willing to share what annual travel insurance you’ve picked for 2024?
@Ali Last year, I had Allianz Global. I haven’t renewed yet but will probably wait until closer to my next big trip.
Sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well and had to cancel your cruise. Because of you and following your blog I was able to status match to Holland America and had my free cruise on the Rotterdam last week. It is a beautiful ship and cruise was great. Hopefully you will have another chance to try it out. I know you like to cruise. Feel better.
@Sharon I’m so glad you were able to get a match and go on the Rotterdam! Yay! It’s so nice to hear a reader success story.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. I’m glad you were able to get it sorted out with minimal loss, but cancelling a trip last minute is a huge bummer.
Thanks, projectx. I hope your family is remaining healthy over winter break.
That was easy. But I almost had to cancel my trip for the same reason but I booked nonrefundable flights and tours. I paid by my amex green and venture x, so I was not sure if the insurance from the cards would cover it. I was too sick to find and read the requirements so it would be great if you actually posted something helpful
Thank you
That’s my fear of booking with Spirit is if something happens and 90 days isn’t much time to book another flight!
Feel better!
@Boonie I agree, but the good news is I just have to book within 90 days and the flight can be as far out as the flight schedule goes. I’m bummed that Spirit is no longer flying to Denver, as that would have been my first choice for the flight credit.
oh no, feel better!
@Harmony Thanks. This sickness is making its way through my family now.