Babr

I think you are confusing the American Express Platinum card travel benefits with the travel insurance policy AmEx sells separately. The card gives you cancellation and interruption but not medical. The cancellation will cover you for sudden illness like COVID or flu but not for anything arising from a pre-existing condition. The interruption will reimburse prepaid unused expenses if your trip is cut short, but it does not pay for hotels or meals. That comes under trip delay, but it appears to be only for common carrier delays not illness. The card benefits offer limited, specific coverage for travel risks but no medical, which is a significant shortcoming if you have no other coverage. It will not replace a good comprehensive policy.

I should clarify that the cancellation coverage is limited to $10,000 per trip for the Platinum card, but there is no medical coverage. The Platinum insurance plan is purchased separately. It provides up to 100% cancellation and up to $100,000 in medical.

If you are talking about buying the Platinum policy from American Express Travel Insurance to go with the travel benefits offered by your Platinum card, you’ll probably have to log into your account to get the full description of the policy. Apparently the insurance covers cancellation for illness so if you or a family member is diagnosed with COVID or flu, you are covered. The Platinum policy has a maximum of $1000,000 so that is plenty. The card alone has no medical. You are wasting your money to buy a Travelex policy and an American Express policy. A single, good comprehensive policy will cover cancellation, interruption, delay and medical/evacuation. You are trying too hard to buy an American Express policy that you don’t know anything about and may not be best suited for you. Find one that meets your needs, regardless of the company. You need help sorting this out. Read your Guide to Benefits for the card, call American Express for clarification, then call the folks at Trip Insurance store to explore other options. Tell them what risks you are concerned about, and let them help you.

https://coverage.archinsurancesolutions.com/description-of-coverage/EKCJe8iaZ6aHu3cTFIBUK1Uw0uoMftK77ka3NcXykkUZ7cW3e81189rlXdDBTjqw3Q44 Here is a link to the policy. Note that in the first section describing the cancellation fee waiver for cash reimbursement there is language concerning pre-existing conditions. In the second section describing the cancellation enhancement for 90% FCC, the stipulations are that the plan must be purchased prior to final payment, and you must notify them of cancellation prior to the ship’s departure. I don’t see any language about being able to travel on the day of purchase, only the 60 look-back disclaimer for the cash reimbursement.

Yes, however, there are policies such as IMG LX that allow the pre-existing waiver if purchased at final payment. If you’d rather have a traditional travel policy with higher levels of coverage and cash reimbursement for cancellation, call Steve at Trip Insurance Store to see if your circumstances are eligible.

You may be right, but I don’t know. The language in most policies says something like “rejoin your trip from the point where you were interrupted or transportation to rejoin.” Being isolated in one’s cabin might be interpreted to mean your participation in the trip has been interrupted, but you have not actually left the ship. Some cruise lines describe those days as “unused” in their COVID assistance plans, but I’m not sure insurance does because you are still receiving services of the ship. I will leave it to Steve to explain it to us.

Many comprehensive travel policies cover COVID as any other illness, in fact, most. The claim requires a confirmation of diagnosis. The Travel Delay provision pays for hotel and meals if you are delayed by quarantine returning from your trip. Look for a policy with generous benefits in this part of the policy. It is usually expressed as a limit per person per day with a maximum limit. The Trip Interruption provision will reimburse prepaid nonrefundable costs if you have to leave the trip early. It also pays for return transportation if you can’t make your scheduled return flight. The medical provision will cover any costs related to medical care if it is necessary such as doctor visits or prescriptions. Be prepared to pay out of pocket and file for reimbursement. That is the way travel insurance works. Your question makes me think you are not familiar with travel insurance. In that case, the simplest thing to do is to work with a professional who can help you find the right policy for your needs. It does not cost any extra to do this so call Trip Insurance Store, and let them advise you.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/covid-19-cancellations-and-refunds-policy.pdf I think I misread the policy. It is effective as of August 8 and applies to all sailings from then until April 2023. The difference is that RCI was providing onboard medical care and shoreside quarantine assistance that ended Sept. 30. The prorated refund for unused days remains.

The effective date of the policy you quoted is August 8. It applies to cruise booked on or after August 8, but the OP booked before that in June. I think the policy governing prior bookings expired September 30 as indicated in the link to the FAQ in post #2. It addresses a refund for cancellation prior to the cruise, but that is the only form of assistance I see after September 30.

Just in case anybody needs to know - there are many third-party travel policies that cover work-related cancellation at 100% on the condition that the policyholder was granted vacation which was later rescinded by the employer. The claim process requires proof in the form of a notarized letter from the employer.

The NCL Essentials Plan provides post-departure benefits only and just the bare minimum of that. It covers trip delay, baggage, and some medical/evacuation. That is all. In plain language, you have no coverage for cancellation - zero. https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/NCL_Travel_Protection_Essentials.pdf

Your choices may be limited if any. Unless your policy has agreements in place and your directory of participating facilities lists hospitals in the Caribbean, expect to pay out of pocket and file for reimbursement later. Take a credit card with a high limit available. Get more details. If it partners with GeoBlue, you’ll need to find the list of participating doctors and facilities. That information should be available in your plan documents or call to find out.

Medical evacuation in a travel insurance policy refers to transportation from one hospital to another if you need a higher level of care. First you are transported to the nearest appropriate facility, but if the attending doctors determine that they do not have the training, equipment, or facilities to treat your case, the insurance company will arrange for you to be transported to another hospital. Some policies allow for the hospital of choice. In any case, if you require medical transport in an air ambulance with attending medical personnel, it can be quite expensive. Most often, the patient is treated locally and is flown home by commercial air when recovered.

To my knowledge, it is a service provided by any country capable of providing it. If it is not a available, then you are disembarked at the first opportunity.

There are policies that will advance payment in order to secure treatment. It requires careful reading of the policy to find one. The surest method is to work with a professional who represents reputable companies. Call the folks at Trip Insurance Store to discuss your needs.

You don’t need insurance to pay for air/sea rescue because that service is provided by the Coast Guard or military equivalent from the nearest country capable of providing it. They are the ones with the equipment and skilled personnel to perform such a maneuver. There is no cost. It is part of their mission to aid ships at sea. Your cost begins when the helicopter touches down. Travel insurance covers transportation and care from that point. If air/sea rescue is not available, the ship diverts to the nearest port to disembark the patient.

The Chase card benefits are among the best offered by a credit card, but remember its coverage does not replace a comprehensive travel policy. The list of covered reasons is somewhat limited, and it does not cover pre-existing conditions.

If you are asking this question, it means you have not considered or are not concerned about any other risk that could cause you to cancel or any other hazard that could impact your trip. A comprehensive policy will cover a wide array of reasons for cancellation as well as trip delay, trip interruption, or medical emergencies during travel. If you are comfortable accepting the financial consequences for anything beyond what the cruise line is offering - such as flight delays and other unplanned events - don’t buy additional insurance.

https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/CCL_Landing.html Here is a link to the summary of Carnival Cruise Protection if you want to take a look. You can find a link to the policy for your specific state by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The Carnival insurance does have a Cancel For Any Reason provision in the form of Future Cruise Credit. If you are new to insurance, you’ll be better off following the advice of GeezerCouple and getting professional help to be sure you are getting what you need.

I don’t know what you are putting in the search parameters. Maybe age is running up the cost, but I found several policies for less than $50 to insure a $300 cruise. If the cruise is free, do you have any nonrefundable costs to insure? Try plugging in 0. Or check the box for Medical Only.

https://coverage.archinsurancesolutions.com/description-of-coverage/EKCJe8iaZ6aHu3cTFIBUK1Uw0uoMftK77ka3NcXykkUZ7cW3e81189rlXdDBTjqw3Q44 Here is a link to the policy. You’ll see that medical is $25,000, and evacuation is $50,000. Those limits may be adequate if you are just going to the Caribbean. The $50,000 evacuation will get you back to the states, but remember that evacuation coverage in any policy means hospital to hospital transfer after you have been treated locally and only if you need a higher level of care as determined by participating doctors and the insurance company. The $25,000 medical might be enough if you have other insurance, depending on how it works. With good coverage, the $25,000 could be used for deductibles and co-pay. You can get a third-party policy with much higher limits since you are insuring a minimum cruise cost. Most policies have a break point at $500 or $1,000 increments. Use one of the websites to see what it would cost to insure the least amount. You’ll still get full benefits of the policy.

Once insurance policies were amended to cover COVID as any other illness because of the availability of vaccines and treatments, it really isn’t Apples/Oranges. But it is moot at this point. Assistance is ending for new bookings.

The cost of your future cruises will likely go up anyway because somebody has to pay for all those private jets that flew people home when cruising resumed and since then, all those nights in quarantine hotels, all those meals. Insurance would have paid quarantine expenses and return transportation upon recovery, but RCI wanted to make it easy for people to sail again.

It was my understanding that they could help you find the resources even if they did not cover the cost. At least he should be able to give you the name of a local doctor or a facility where you could get a replacement. Not a good way to find out that the worldwide assistance is of limited use.

Does your travel insurance have an emergency assistance provision? Many policies offer non-insurance worldwide assistance for things like this. The number will be listed on the cover page of your insurance documents.