Jersey42

28 minutes ago, broberts said:

Since submissions are very quick, were I asked for a QR at cruise check-in I'd be tempted to have the counter person guide me in falsifying ... umm ... completing a new submission.

That works.  Let them figure it out.  I am completely convinced there is no way I can fill out the second ArriveCAN with accurate info.

@drowelf after reading your last post I think the best solution for you is to skip the annual medical policy and purchase a good comprehensive policy for each trip. Work with someone who understands your personal details, especially your existing medical coverage, so you get a good policy for you. If you find a better option than trip specific plans, please share.  

I found this thread because I hoped it would offer some clarity for an upcoming cruise.  In our situation we will be flying from the USA to Canada (ArriveCAN submission is required). After spending two nights in a Canadian hotel at the port, we board a cruise with a final destination of Florida.  The cruise stops in several Canadian ports, but once it departs Canadian waters, it never reenters Canada.  My take is no second ArriveCAN is required.  Several good posts from @broberts support this and @Bobbiegentry shows official information from travel.gc.ca to support this as well. 

Does anyone disagree with this and why?  If you do, how would I even fill out the second ArriveCAN with accurate information?

1. How are you entering Canada?  I'm am already in Canada and I already filled out an ArriveCAN to enter.  If I select Air or Land, the next questions make no sense.  So Marine is the only option left. Then . . .
2. Country of original departure: Is this the USA or Canada?
3. Port of entry. Note: This is the first port of arrival in Canada: Is this my embarkation port or my second port in Canada?  (My first port in Canada is not even on the dropdown list, so that's not an option)
4. Date and Time of Arrival: To where?  Embarkation port, 2nd port, final destination in Florida?  If I try to make the embarkation and arrival date/time the same, will it even let me do that?

I have been told by several well meaning people that there is no harm in filling out a second AriveCAN, just in case I am wrong.  But I can't figure out how to do this without providing bogus, or at the least, misleading information to the Canadian government. 

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I am covered overseas with Tricare for Life - I pay 20% of whatever up to a $3K cap.    They will cover evacuation but you have to pay up front and seek reimbursement.    While shopping around I came across a policy by Travelex called Flight Insure Plus -  Details attached - which provides $10 K of medical and $100 K of evacuation.     Price $78 

 

I don't need trip cancel insurance - but these guys say they would pay for the evacuation up front - which would be nice. 

 

Am I missing something?

I looked quickly at the policy and I cannot find anything that says they will pay up front for evacuation.  Can you point out the page and section you are referring to?

Here are the only things I see, that might give you that impression:

There is an Advance Payment section (page 3 of 13 and again on page 2 of 5).  This applies to Medical Expenses, not Emergency Evacuation.

I also saw the following on page 9 of 12 and page 11 of 13:

Medical Expense and Emergency Evacuation benefits may be payable directly to the provider. However, the provider: (a) must comply with the statutory provision for direct payment; and (b) must not have been paid from any other sources.

This does not talk about advance payment.  So if the provider complies with (a), and the provider is willing to send a bill, than you won't have to file for reimbursement. That said, you always hear stories about situations where the provider demands up front payment.  Might the provider work with the insurance company and accept their promise to pay?  Maybe.  Might the insurance company wire the money up front?  Maybe?  But I would not count on either of these happening.

Was there another section that I overlooked?

All of the advice you have been given has been spot on.  You will not find a Cancellation/Interruption policy only.  We also have an annual GeoBlue policy so we have faced the same dilemma. Here are a few more thoughts.  Your best solution really depends on the types of cruises you take, the costs of these trips and your risk tolerance.

• Take a look at the Chase Sapphire (Preferred or Reserve cards) if you normally would not be traveling with pre-existing conditions.  Make sure you fully understand the pre-existing conditions language.  Babr has pointed out many of the disadvantages.  But if pre-existing conditions are not an issue, the money you are saving in trip specific insurance premiums may more than offset some of the non covered items.
• Your signature makes me think you might do a lot of HAL cruises.  HAL's platinum plan is fantastic for trip cancellation.  You get 90% back in cash for any reason, and there are no covered reason issues nor any pre-existing condition exclusions for cancelation.  It is very weak for medical, but you don't need that.  Trip interruption is ok, but that excludes pre-existing conditions. HAL's plan also may be an issue if you have a lot of pre or post cruise travel.  Other cruise line policies are also worth looking at, but all that I am aware of have a pre-existing exclusion for cancelation.  Most offer CFAR, but it is in the form of a 75-100% future cruise credit.

Our approach is to use the Chase card and then occasionally purchase a trip specific policy when the situation warrants it.  These are usually for our more expensive cruises when pre-existing conditions could be an issue. Over time, we are way ahead with that strategy.

39 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

I dont think giving up the on pre existing waiver would have any bearing on the use of Visa travel credits.  If we had to cancel the trip and were in the 100% penalty phase the insurer would deny the claim for the cruise refund based on our using the credits and not having any OOP expense.

My bad - your previous post was very clear on that point.  At least you know the proper way to use the credits for insurance coverage purposes.

41 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

In summary, very disappointing news.

Sorry that most of this is not working out the way you hoped.  It is still better to find this out before making some of your payments.  It is also much better to find out the gory details now, rather than when a claim is denied.

If you don't have any pre-existing conditions and your medical history for the lookback period can document this, is it worth the risk to go without a pre-existing conditions waiver?  Benefits:

• It is simpler
• You could use the Visa and credits now
• You would not have to insure the airfare
• You don't have to hold on to airline credits for a future trip with the same insurance issues
• You save a few bucks on the insurance and finance charges

Of course, if you still have a high level of concern with the insurance company and pre-existing conditions, the approach you discussed with Steve solves all of that and you may sleep better at night 🙂.

Thanks for filling us in.

9 hours ago, Tolkmit said:

If it's something that is 1 to 1 and doesn't have any sort of surge protector, it's allowed. If it turns one euro plug into multiple plugs, it's considered a power board, and technically not allowed; although there is a wide variance in enforcement.

I'm not sure that is correct.  Royal Caribbean (and Celebrity) have the most restrictive rules of any of the cruise lines that I have seen.  They ban all "Electrical Extension Cords".  We always travel with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SY5O5K.  I don't consider it an extension cord - as it has no cord.

It has no surge protection, but it turns one European plug into two (euro or US).  I don't think this causes safety concerns nor does it violate the letter or the spirit of the rules.  By the way, I have had a grounded 14 gauge extension cord without multiple outlets confiscated.  One of these adapters was visible right next to the cord, and they did not say a word.

43 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

I will call the tripinsurancestore people and see what they say.  I did logon to their site and got some quotes but the number of insurers was limited compared to other sites.

Definitely a good idea.  They only offer a subset of available policies, but they know their policies very well and can provide you with the correct info for those policies.  Some of the other big insurance sites are very good to help you filter out policies you don't want. But to figure out which ones work for you, you still need to read the policies as the high level summaries often miss important details.  The last time I tried calling one of the others when I had two specific questions they gave me bad advice.  When I called Steve at TIS about that policy, he was able to give me accurate advice, even though it was for a policy he did not sell.  He did look at his policies, but agreed that the other one I was looking at was a better choice for my unique situation.  He lost a sale, but gained a lifetime fan and customer.

46 minutes ago, twentyknots said:

Babr, thanks for the airline tip.  I called and they did say if we cancel for any reason they would issue E credits for future travel, so no need to insure that prepaid expense.

Be careful with this one.  Some policies that require you to insure all pre-paid non-refundable costs in order to qualify for a pre-existing conditions waiver will require you insure the airfare.  If the airfare is fully refundable in cash, there is never a requirement to insure it.  If it is refundable in an airline credit then the airfare is often considered a "pre-paid non-refundable cost".

You may want to look at https://tripinsurancestore.com/what-is-your-trip-cost/ before calling TIS. It addresses two of your initial questions (although with most cruise lines "taxes, fees, and port expenses" are fully refundable).  It also has a link to an old blog post that touches upon your hotel question.  A phone call to discuss your situation and ask what-if questions is still extremely beneficial.  Please let us know what you find out.

8 hours ago, Dar & Bob said:

So the person . . . telling me to google the highlighted words was being helpful.

Yes they were being helpful to you by giving you a way to get a good deal on your cruise. The post flaunted the cruise critic guidelines, so one of the monitors deleted it. (You can not delete your own posts, you can only edit them within 20 minutes of posting.)  The monitors are very good at finding and deleting these kinds of posts.  The poster also risks permanent suspension if happens again.  If I am being too cryptic, take a look at the CC guidelines.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/#guides_agentrecommendations

If you search the boards you will find threads about booking with a TA vs booking directly with the cruise line.  People swear by both approaches.  But, getting the best deal is never the reason to book directly with the cruise line.

1 hour ago, Dar & Bob said:

What?  I know the cruise I want, just trying to get the price.  Have no idea what your comment means. 

Several people are trying to be helpful to you while staying within the CC rules. If that is not what you want, you have already been given your answer. Princess will not match the deal you found with a TA. If you want the deal, book with the TA. If you want to book with Princess, then do so. And to repeat, any TA can apply your FCDs/FCCs.

17 hours ago, WYB! said:

Are there any available options for an annual travel insurance policy for people that live in NY?

I believe all of the Allianz plans and the Travel Guard plan is available in NY, although some of the terms and conditions may be different for NY residents. Most annual plans exclude NY and WA residents.  Some have other state exclusions as well. 

That said, I always caution people about the annual comprehensive travel insurance policies.  Be sure to read the policy details. Unless you already have good medical insurance that covers you outside of the USA pay particular attention to:

• Maximum annual and maximum per trip medical coverage
• Pre existing condition coverage.  Definition, lookback period and waivers.  Also, what coverages (medical, cancelation interruption etc.) have pre-existing condition exclusions.
• Primary or secondary medical coverage.

There are holes in all of the annual policies.  Unless none of the critical holes affect you, be aware of the risks.  The one annual plan I like is GeoBlue Trekker.  It is primarily medical and medical evacuation with no trip cancelation/interruption coverage.  But it is excellent for what it covers.  Unfortunately, as you probably know, it is not available in NY.

3 hours ago, RusticSeagull said:

@Jersey42  Thanks for all of the good info you provided on Annual Insurance.  Just wondering if you carry any other insurance for cruising (besides primary and GeoBlue)?  Just thinking about whether I should worry about losing the trip cost or just letting it go...

In addition to GeoBlue Trekker, we have one of the Chase Sapphire cards that provides travel insurance.  While it is a little more restrictive than comprehensive travel insurance, it saves a lot of insurance premiums.  The biggest downside for us with the Chase card is it has a 60 day lookback on pre-existing conditions for both travelers and non-traveling family members. Most of the Chase coverage (including trip cancellation) excludes any reasons due to a pre-existing condition.

Most of the time we purchase no other insurance as we often take relative inexpensive last-minute cruises where we can drive to the port.  If the Chase card did not cover us, it would not be the worst thing.

Occasionally we purchase a trip specific travel insurance policy.  This is usually for more expensive trips when we know we have a pre-existing condition (such as a medication change) in the 60 days before making a trip deposit.

TO UPDATE THIS LIST:

• DO NOT push the "Quote" button. It creates a copy that the next person cannot properly update.
• DO select and copy ALL of the text (including the instructions and the list) up to COPY TO THIS LINE . . . from the most up-to-date list (the most recent reply with the list). 
• Go to the bottom of the latest post, to the "Reply to this Topic..." box to create a new post.
• Paste your copied text into that box.
• Make your modifications to the list.
• Add change notes at the bottom.
• Click the "Submit Reply" button just below the list you are modifying.
• Confirm that everything is correct! You can edit for up to 20 minutes.

<COPY TO THIS LINE SO THERE IS SPACE TO TYPE CHANGE NOTES AFTER THE CHART>

Martyn Moss - ED on Emerald

Thanks to @BlerkOne who is currently on the Emerald Princess.

Thanks @BlerkOneOn most ships there is a similar screen off of the piazza on the starboard side on deck 6 or 7.  This one is a month old.

Chrome on windows. 

Is this still accurate?

Please provide any updates when you get a chance.

13 hours ago, Ashland said:

It's especially good for people over 70 as well...Very happy with our GeoBlue Trekker plan. 

I totally agree that it is an excellent plan and the best one that I have seen for those that qualify.  Once you reach 70, the medical coverage is 1/5 or 1/10 of what you get if you are under age 70.  So the value is better if you are under 70.  That said, $100K of coverage (ages 70 and above) should be more than adequate for any trip.  

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

I am looking at GeoBlue and the info I have say a Primary Health Plan is required.  That would lead me to believe that GeoBlue is secondary.

From GeoBlue: "The GeoBlue Trekker plans are secondary insurance. However, GeoBlue will process and pay overseas claims as a primary payor and reserves the right, where applicable, to contact your primary insurance company to coordinate benefits." 

While GeoBlue could contact your primary plan for coordination of benefits, Steve at TripInsuranceStore (highly recommended) confirmed to me recently that he has never seen this happen with any of his customers. He has never given me bad information, and I trust his advice.

We have had only one claim and they did not go back to the primary insurance.  Others, including a frequent poster with a large medical claim have had the same experience.

27 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thanks, we're only keeping the Celebrity coverage in case we have to cancel for a covered reason after final payment. 

In this case, if you have a medical claim you must first file with your Medicare Advantage plan.  If it does not pay everything, then you can file with Celebrity.  Celebrity's plan pays a maximum of $25K for medical.  If your MA plan offers some foreign travel coverage with an out-of-pocket maximum of less than $25K, a GeoBlue plan would not have provided you with any significant benefit.   

1 hour ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

I'm assuming if it is a medical issue GeoBlue would be the 1st company we would file with. If we cancel prior to the cruise for a covered reason then Celebrity's insurance would be our go to to recover the cost of the cruise.

Yes, you are correct on both accounts. 

@Hlitner's advice is all spot on.  I will add the following for a medical claim:

• If you have GeoBlue, Medicare Advantage and Celebrity Cruise Care you file with GeoBlue and they will take care of all (covered) expenses - less the deductible if applicable.  Celebrity is secondary coverage, so the best you could reasonably expect from them is the GeoBlue deductible.  I guess if GeoBlue denies coverage for a portion of the claim or they pay a reduced amount, you could file with Celebrity for the balance. But I would not expect anything more than the deductible.
• Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are all different.  I assume if you are purchasing a GeoBlue plan, your MA plan does not give you complete or good foreign travel coverage.  So you will probably never need to file anything with them.
• From GeoBlue: "The GeoBlue Trekker plans are secondary insurance. However, GeoBlue will process and pay overseas claims as a primary payor and reserves the right, where applicable, to contact your primary insurance company to coordinate benefits."  While GoBlue could contact your MA plan for coordination of benefits, Steve at TripInsuranceStore (highly recommended) confirmed recently that he has never seen this happen with any of his customers.  

On 7/16/2022 at 6:19 PM, kb4683 said:

Could someone please tell me how to see the complete table/chart?  Here’s a screenshot of what I see on my iPad.

 

 

Thank you.

Try the latest chart.  The formatting changes I made should show the full table on an iPad or iPhone.  On a phone in portrait mode, some of the long words may break in the middle, but it should still be readable.  At least the last column should no longer be chopped off.  YMMV, but it worked for me when I tested on Chrome and Safari on both an iPhone and an iPad. 

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

For starters, HAL's itinerary creates confusion by showing check-in commencing at 12:00am. What they really mean is that check-in begins at 12:00pm (noon). Remember, the ship isn't even scheduled to arrive in Quebec City until 7:00am.

What makes you think they really mean 12:00 PM when they use 12:00 AM in multiple places?  My thought was HAL might be trying to make it easier for people to meet the 72 hour requirement. This would make it equivalent to the three day requirement that HAL currently requires (until Sept 5) in the US.  Obviously no one can be boarding at anywhere close to midnight, so Canadian officials might have a problem with HAL declaring an impossible "scheduled boarding time" if it is to circumvent the 72 hour rule.

Do you know who checks the COVID test results?  Is it HAL employees like in the US, or is it Canadian officials?   Have you heard any rumors (or facts) that Canada might eliminate the negative COVID test requirement like they have in the US and most other countries?

For other reasons, we may end up changing our flight to Canada from Wed afternoon to Thursday, so non of this may matter for us.