Avalon Waterways

We purchased the Avalon Galapagos tour and arrived in Quito, Ecuador March 29. My wife contracted the Rota Virus at the hotel at the beginning of the tour. She was bedridden for four days, with four doctors' visits plus a lab tech. She even had to receive an IV right in the room. We were completely abandoned by Avalon. When the tour left town to fly to the Galapagos Islands, the only telephone call we received was from "Diego, who informed us that the tour's rooming responsibility had expired. He told us we had to make our arrangements for a room until the tour returned the following week. Even after my travel agent contacted Avalon Home Office, no one cared. At that point, Diego did call again, I imagine at the behest of Avalon. He told me that if I had a concern, I should have called him. The problem is, I did not have his telephone number. As a visitor in a foreign land, I was left to my own resources to navigate doctors' visits, pharmacy prescription fills, and arranging for my own translators. Even at the end it did not get any better. Diego drove us to the airport for our return flight. He told us that we had to use the domestic departure terminal because that was the only one there was. Even though I do not speak or read Spanish, I saw the sign for the International Departures and made him drop us off there. The worst tour ever.

Then, in order to rub salt in the wound, your insurance company, AON, told me that in order to process our claim for trip interruption, we need to provide Attending Physicians' Statements. I am sure that I will not have any problem obtaining them from Ecuador (said sarcastically). It would have been more honest of the insurance company to have just said "We are not going to reimburse you one thin dime." I want someone to discuss this matter with me. I paid a small fortune for what turned out to be a plane flight and a ride to and from the hotel. I find that outrageous, but I find that no one cared infuriating. Joseph Cerroni