Babr

Probably not because it takes a while for the vaccine to be fully effective. When cruising resumed, people had to have received the vaccine at least 14 days prior to boarding.

I don’t think any travel insurance covers the failure to provide required documentation.

I can only refer you to a professional. Most people here rely on Trip Insurance Store for advice on choosing the right coverage.

Are those 90 days consecutive? Most annual policies limit the number of days per trip.

There is no use getting into the weeds about the definition of Trip Interruption and Trip Delay, but there are third-party comprehensive policies that allow the application of both provisions to the same event when it occurs for covered reasons. No policy allows for items beyond actual losses, but it does cover additional expenses. There is a lot of variation in policy wording, but generally Trip Interruption reimburses unused prepaid non-refundable costs (New York hotel) and additional costs to catch up to the trip (rental car). Trip Delay pays for meals and lodging when a trip is delayed - most often by Common Carrier (Dulles hotel). Chase coverage does not work that way because it is not a comprehensive policy nor is it intended to replace one. It merely provides some limited benefits in exchange for the annual fee. Nice when it works.

The evacuation coverage in a comprehensive travel policy provides for hospital-to-hospital transfer if you need a higher level of care. Most often it is in the country where you became ill. You are not necessarily returned directly home by air ambulance. The transfer to another facility must be medically necessary, and the decision is made by the attending doctors and the insurance company. As you can imagine the insurance company will favor the most cost-effective alternative while still providing appropriate care. You will be flown home by commercial air when you are able to travel. Evacuation coverage does not mean air/sea rescue from the ship. That service is performed by the specially trained branch of the military from the nearest country capable of providing it. There is no charge. Your transportation cost begins once the helicopter lands. Medical expenses include those on the ship as well as land-based treatment. Nevertheless, medical expenses and repatriation can be costly. Just know what your insurance covers and what to expect if you have to use it.

Interesting question but not one in the scope of travel insurance. Workers comp is regulated in the states, and generally employees are covered when traveling as part of the job. I think a call to your state’s Department of Insurance is in order.

While I agree that the current situation is not the result of poor customer service - they are merely following established guidelines - I do think Viking has a hand in the design of the plan. They contract with Generali and can negotiate the terms they want included in the policy. It is intentional that FCC is not insurable. That is not necessarily a criticism of Viking. It costs more, and it was only after COVID that some insurers changed their policies to recognize FCC’s, vouchers, or gift cards as forms of payment. The stipulation is that the policyholder must have paid cash for them. Bonus FCC or credit is not covered.

The doctor’s note idea won’t work. Princess does not grant refunds or FCC on that basis. There is insurance that will cover FCC’s as long as you paid cash for them originally, but you can’t insure pre-existing conditions if you are not able to travel on the day the insurance is purchased. Since your wife is not able to travel, that option is out.

There are any number of policies that offer coverage equal to or better than the Viking policy. If there is a difference in cost it will be because third-party policies consider age, amount insured, length of trip, and levels of coverage; however, insurance is regulated by the states so the price of the third-party policy will be the same wherever you buy it. A call to Steve is a good idea. It is always better to consult a professional. Have a list of your questions and concerns. He may ask additional questions of his own to help find the right policy. You can weigh the information before deciding. A second advantage of buying from TIS is that they can advise you if you have questions or difficulty with filing a claim. They work with a limited number of companies with whom they have long-standing association so they are quite familiar with policies and procedures. If you book well in advance, there are companies that will allow you to insure the deposit and add coverage as you pay additional costs. That way you can lock in time-sensitive elements like CFAR, pre-existing conditions waiver, or financial default coverage. There are also policies that allow a pre-existing waiver if purchased at final payment, but CFAR is available only if purchased at initial deposit (within 14-21 days, depending on policy.) Many people like to wait to buy insurance until they have nonrefundable money at risk because the policy itself is nonrefundable. Most companies will extend the dates of coverage so that you can apply it to another trip; but if you don’t use it, the policy will expire.

Unless the Carnival card offers something more than other World Mastercards, it appears you’ll have $1,500 per trip in cancellation benefits. As with most credit card travel benefits, cancellations caused by pre-existing conditions are not covered. There are other restrictions as well listed in all those pages you downloaded. Scan through until you find the section for travel. I think you’ll find it is not adequate to serve as your only coverage, especially since there is no medical.

You are not filing a claim against Carnival. They do not underwrite the policy or process the claims. They sell you a policy with their name on it, but Nationwide is the insurer. AON processes the claims. Carnival - or any other cruise line - has noting to do with it once you buy the policy.

First, evacuation coverage means hospital-to hospital transfer if you need a higher level of care. It does not necessarily mean that it returns you home directly. Most often you are treated in country and are flown home by commercial air when you are able to travel. It does not mean air/sea rescue. That service is provided by coast guard/navy/ appropriate branch of the military from the nearest country capable of providing it. There is no charge. Your cost begins (and insurance coverage) when the helicopter lands. Many policies offer $50,000 in evacuation coverage, but there are just as many with higher levels. It depends on cost and what makes you comfortable. If you are worried about air cancellations, make sure your policy has a Missed Connections clause with language that says it will reimburse for unused portion of the trip if you are delayed beyond departure. The surest bet is to call Steve or one of his associates at Trip Insurance Store. Many on CC recommend him. Express your concerns and let them help you find the right policy for your needs. Don’t worry that it costs more to buy it from them. In third-party insurance, cost is determined by age, amount insured, length of trip, and levels of coverage. It would cost the same anywhere because it is regulated by the states.

I don’t have enough information to give you a definitive answer. First, getting a refund for air fare is tricky because airlines typically give a voucher when you cancel. Your insurance carrier may require you to work with the airline first. If they issue a voucher, then insurance won’t pay because you have been compensated. Second, I’m not familiar with a cruise line postponement as opposed to cancellation. With such a drastic change, I’d expect them to offer you a refund. Do you have that option? Do you intend to go next year or are you trying to file a claim for the entire trip? I don’t know of any insurance that reimburses for postponement; however, many will change the dates of coverage.

That is true of all cruise line insurance. It is a source of profit, but none of the cruise lines underwrite the policy or process the claims.

See Post # 20, Paragraph 1. What an airline requires for reimbursement is an entirely separate issue.

You have to show proof of a homeowner’s claim because your travel insurance is secondary. It is one of the details in a policy that is easy to overlook. Secondary means that you first have to file with other applicable insurance then present the explanation of benefits. Secondary pays what primary does not. The picture of the bag is not sufficient because it does not establish a value for the item. It is not a question of if you indeed owned it rather how much it cost. It is tedious and time consuming. I can understand your frustration, but it is part of the process. I don’t know what assistance Trip Insurance Store can offer if you don’t have the required documentation. This is a cautionary tale that reminds everyone to read and understand the terms of their policy so they know what to expect if it becomes necessary to file a claim.

If I may - The Risk Free Guarantee Voucher was a temporary amendment to the Viking cancellation policy separate from the Viking sponsored insurance policy. That offer has expired for new bookings. Just about all the cruise lines offered similar programs to encourage guests to return to cruising with some assurance that COVID would not put them at financial risk. The the cruise-line branded policy sold by Viking is insurance underwritten by Generali and administered by TripMate. The insurance policy reimburses in cash for covered reasons. The policy also includes a CFAR provision with FCC from Viking if the cancellation is rejected by the insurance portion of the policy because it was not for a covered reason. You are exactly correct to call it an incentive by the cruise line. They sell the policy with their name on it and include CFAR at little cost to them because it offers another source of profit. They don’t even have to underwrite the cost or process the claims. All cruise-line insurance offering CFAR (except HAL) works this way. If you want CFAR with cash reimbursement, you have to buy a third-party policy within a defined period after your initial cruise payment and pay an additional premium. Otherwise, the standard cancellation penalties apply.

Evacuation in travel insurance provides for hospital-to-hospital transfer if you require a higher level of care. It must be medically necessary and involves approval of the participating doctors, the receiving hospital, and the insurance provider. Typically, you are treated in-country and returned home by commercial air once you are able to travel. That is why many recommend MedJet. It is a membership service that allows you to make the decision about being transferred. Evacuation does not mean air/sea rescue. That maneuver is performed by specially trained military units of the nearest country capable of providing the service. If you are out of range, it does not happen. As another post describes, the captain diverts to the nearest port, and the patient is disembarked. In the meantime, the ship’s doctors provide the best care they are equipped to deliver. In any event, travel insurance does not pay for air/sea rescue. It is provided at no cost as part of the mission to aid ships at sea. Your cost (and travel insurance coverage) begins when the helicopter touches land.

That’s it. Good reason (defined in policy) = cash reimbursement. Arbitrary reason (anything else) = FCC. Apparently Viking offers another option with the risk-free voucher; but, in general, CFAR covers cancellation for any reason other than those defined in the policy. These days COVID is treated as any other illness. With proper documentation such as test results and a doctor’s advice not to travel, it qualifies as a covered reason. Holland America is the only cruise line policy that is truly CFAR. All cancellations are treated the same regardless of the reason. Reimbursement is 90% cash for the Platinum, 80% for Standard. Third-party policies offer it for an additional premium but reimburse at a much lower level - 50% to 75%.

Insurance that allows for cancellation due to inclement weather requires that public roadways be closed by official order. If you just don’t want to make the drive because of treacherous road conditions even though they remain open, you will not be covered. In that case, CFAR is the only option. Cruise line insurance usually offers this with FCC reimbursement rather than cash. It may be a cost- effective choice if all other provisions and coverage are acceptable to you. Consider comparing the cruise line policy and third-party insurance. You’ll pay extra for CFAR, and it is a time sensitive purchase, but you’ll be reimbursed in cash albeit at a reduced rate. Talk to the folks at Trip Insurance Store. They may have a better suggestion.

I’m pretty sure they are processing it as Trip Delay because it happened after you disembarked. You were delayed en route to returning home. That is why you are eligible only for the $500 reimbursement. Covered Hazard for delay includes quarantine, but that is not the same thing as being required to produce documentation to fly. Even though it is related, there is no black letter provision for it in the policy. As a side note, AON is the administrator who processes the claim. They do that for a number of cruise line policies. If you want to avoid them, be sure to check for who processes the claims regardless of the underwriter or cruise line.

I took a look at the NCL Platinum Plan, then reread your post. I see that you tested positive two days after leaving the ship. The crux of the matter seems to be how you tested and what documentation you have to support your claim. In order to qualify for Trip Interruption, you must be restricted from travel by doctor’s orders or be quarantined by a government official or doctor. Do you have any paperwork to substantiate either? Are you getting Trip Interruption or Trip Delay? They are not the same thing. The dollar limit for Trip Delay is $500, and it covers quarantine as a hazard but not illness. Maybe that is why they are asking for a quarantine order. I’m not sure the CDC statement by itself will be much help. You first have to show that you tested positive and received official orders not to travel in order to satisfy the terms of the policy. At the very least, you’d need documented test results. If you do not have anything else, send the proof of each test result along with the CDC document. I don’t have enough information about your circumstances to offer any other recommendation.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/28/2021-01977/requirement-for-negative-pre-departure-covid-19-test-result-or-documentation-of-recovery-from How about this? It is a link to the CDC order for a pre-departure negative test. It does not mention quarantine; nevertheless, you could not fly without a negative test. That should still qualify for Trip Delay, though I have not read the NCL policy. Did you test positive on the ship? Did they give you any documentation?

I was thinking of medical coverage for doctors, treatments, medication or hospitalization. The medical evacuation covers hospital-to-hospital transfer if you need a higher level of care. It involves the approval of the participating doctors, the receiving hospital, and the insurance company. You’ll be treated in country and returned home by commercial air once able to travel. Your supplemental medical policy likely offers the same kind of coverage for evacuation. If you want the option to make the decision for yourself to return home for treatment, look into a membership in MedJet Assist.