Not the cruise line you want to cruise with

[sparks1093]

51 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

And you can play roulette in the casino and win $2000 for another trip, too! 

Yep, I spend about what I pay for travel insurance in the casino. 

[Newleno]

You gotta know how to work the system, I even got a credit back from allegiant airlines, yeah try that one.  I have taken over 1000 flights with no insurance, over 35 cruises with no insurance, numerous vacations to every continent (yes every) with no insurance  (of course I do have a medical evacuation annual policy).  A good letter with documentation will get your money back.  I have saved thousands by not buying vacation/airline insurance.  You know what I do with all that money?  I CRUISE

[fshagan]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I get travel insurance to cover the big ticket things like medical care and evacuation. Since it's less expensive to buy a comprehensive plan that covers everything that is what I buy. No, insurance won't make up for the trip I lose if I have to cancel but it can give me the money back to take another trip.

 

This is generally what we have found for our occasional trips ... once a year or less ... out of the country. The medical only plans are as much as a trip insurance plan that includes medical. 

 

There are annual medical evac and coverage plans that make more sense if you have two or more covered trips a year, and when we retire we'll take advantage of those. But until then we'll buy the cheapest insurance that covers medical, evac and repatriation of remains for our trip.

[BNBR]

1 minute ago, fshagan said:

 

This is generally what we have found for our occasional trips ... once a year or less ... out of the country. The medical only plans are as much as a trip insurance plan that includes medical. 

 

There are annual medical evac and coverage plans that make more sense if you have two or more covered trips a year, and when we retire we'll take advantage of those. But until then we'll buy the cheapest insurance that covers medical, evac and repatriation of remains for our trip.

 

I'm curious where you are comparing?  When I check travel insurance it tends to be around $40 - $50 for 2 people for medical/evac/repatriation on a cruise.  For comprehensive, $200 - $300.  Or 4X the cost.   Which plans are $50 for comprehensive?  I'd buy that. 

[sparks1093]

8 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

I'm curious where you are comparing?  When I check travel insurance it tends to be around $40 - $50 for 2 people for medical/evac/repatriation on a cruise.  For comprehensive, $200 - $300.  Or 4X the cost.   Which plans are $50 for comprehensive?  I'd buy that. 

The only place I've seen rates that low are with USAA if you input zero as your travel cost (I think it came up with a rate of $60 for a comprehensive plan). I bought insurance for my upcoming trip through www.insuremytrip.com and it was $100 for comprehensive. When I checked medevac only it was between $200 and $300.

Edited November 14, 2018 by sparks1093

[BNBR]

11 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

The only place I've seen rates that low are with USAA if you input zero as your travel cost (I think it came up with a rate of $60 for a comprehensive plan). I bought insurance for my upcoming trip through www.insuremytrip.com and it was $100 for comprehensive. When I checked medevac only it was between $200 and $300.

 

$100 for comprehensive isn't too bad.  My medical covers "medical" outside of the US.  So I just need evac/transport/repatriation which is $79 annually.  The medical (which covers medevac) on that site has plans around $35 without trip cancellation.

 

I would say that for people rarely traveling, maybe one or two international (cruises) per year, spending $80 - $100 for comprehensive coverage is probably not a bad idea.  It only covers half for trip cancellation but it's more for the medical coverage.  So I see that as being decent.  Though still, it seems more than double the price to add trip cancellation...   But people spending $500+ to cover trip cancellation seems crazy to me.

Edited November 14, 2018 by BNBR

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

$100 for comprehensive isn't too bad.  My medical covers "medical" outside of the US.  So I just need evac/transport/repatriation which is $79 annually.

 

I would say that for people rarely traveling, maybe one or two international (cruises) per year, spending $80 - $100 for comprehensive coverage is probably not a bad idea.  It only covers half for trip cancellation but it's more for the medical coverage.  So I see that as being decent.  Though still, it seems more than double the price to add trip cancellation...   But people spending $500+ to cover trip cancellation seems crazy to me.

The $100 includes cancellation for covered reasons (but not cancel for any reason). My medical plan also covers care outside of the US but only from participating providers but the last thing I want to worry about is finding one. I figure if I do receive care from a participating provider the travel insurance will pick up the deductible (but they also pick up food and lodging for the travel companion). What club do you need to belong to in order to get $79 a year coverage (and where can I sign up😁)?

[BNBR]

15 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

The $100 includes cancellation for covered reasons (but not cancel for any reason). My medical plan also covers care outside of the US but only from participating providers but the last thing I want to worry about is finding one. I figure if I do receive care from a participating provider the travel insurance will pick up the deductible (but they also pick up food and lodging for the travel companion). What club do you need to belong to in order to get $79 a year coverage (and where can I sign up😁)?

 

GoodSam TravelAssist is $59/individual, $69/Couple, $79 family annually.  But does not cover trip interruption, cancellation, and I'm pretty certain it does not cover medical expenses outside of transportation/medevec.  It's good if you have medical covered by health insurance.  If not, then a medical travel insurance is a good idea to have when traveling overseas.  I do believe most health insurance does cover overseas care, but everyone traveling should be well aware of their coverages and plan accordingly.  I would not travel without evac/medical, that's for sure.

 

By the way, it should also be noted that many credit cards include evac.  They may not fly you all the way home, but they'll cover the most expensive part which is getting you to a nearest medical facility.  My AMEX covers it.  I have the GoodSam policy mostly because it has a few extra options, it's really inexpensive, and we do have an RV so the extra RV coverage is nice to have.

 

Many people may already have evac and medical covered through their credit card and health insurance and not even know it 🙂

Edited November 14, 2018 by BNBR

[sverigecruiser]

3 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

Evacuation and trip cancelation are totally different insurance products.  Everyone should have evac when traveling. It can be purchased for under $100 for an entire family for a year of coverage.  Evac would be a catastrophic loss and makes sense.

 

Maybe they are totally different insurence products for you but not for me. For me they are both parts in a travel insurence.

 

I have never seen an insurence I can buy which include everything I want and not the cost of the cruise.

 

When I buy travelinsurence I'm not asked about any costs for the trip. I'm asked where and when I'm going, nothing else.

 

I guess the reson for that is that the medical cover, including evacuation from a cruiseship, is what may cost the insurence company A LOT of money.

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

30 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

GoodSam TravelAssist is $59/individual, $69/Couple, $79 family annually.  But does not cover trip interruption, cancellation, and I'm pretty certain it does not cover medical expenses outside of transportation/medevec.  It's good if you have medical covered by health insurance.  If not, then a medical travel insurance is a good idea to have when traveling overseas.  I do believe most health insurance does cover overseas care, but everyone traveling should be well aware of their coverages and plan accordingly.  I would not travel without evac/medical, that's for sure.

 

By the way, it should also be noted that many credit cards include evac.  They may not fly you all the way home, but they'll cover the most expensive part which is getting you to a nearest medical facility.  My AMEX covers it.  I have the GoodSam policy mostly because it has a few extra options, it's really inexpensive, and we do have an RV so the extra RV coverage is nice to have.

 

Many people may already have evac and medical covered through their credit card and health insurance and not even know it 🙂

 

Many (most?) credit card coverages do NOT include anything related to any pre-existing condition.

That rules it all out for some of us.

 

GC

[Homosassa]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Not sure if it was discussed in the thread but if the OP cancelled in August for a cruise in December wouldn't that put them outside of final payment date? 

 

If you had read the thread, you would have found out this was discussed and that the OP has been asked exactly what the fare restrictions were under which he booked the cabin?

 

This information has not been given and we just get the "I am special, my wife has cancer" response.

 

And, no, I am not being harsh. I was diagnosed in 2006 with a very aggressive form of breast cancer and I managed to cruise the following week and eleven months later (there were several land based vacations in between).

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

 

If you had read the thread, you would have found out this was discussed and that the OP has been asked exactly what the fare restrictions were under which he booked the cabin?

 

This information has not been given and we just get the "I am special, my wife has cancer" response.

 

And, no, I am not being harsh. I was diagnosed in 2006 with a very aggressive form of breast cancer and I managed to cruise the following week and eleven months later (there were several land based vacations in between).

If I had read the thread indeed, no way I'm slogging through 200+ posts of "you should have had insurance". 

[richstowe]

15 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

If I had read the thread indeed, no way I'm slogging through 200+ posts of "you should have had insurance". 

What about 200+ "How can they be so mean" . 

[pokerpro5]

I think we all agree that the OP is in the wrong here, and that they took a calculated risk by purchasing no insurance, and ended up taking the loss for it.

 

I actually agree with their decision to purchase no insurance, but you can't complain when you do that and lose.

 

I think the OP was surprised at the "heartlessness" of NCL refusing to refund despite a cancer diagnosis.  Since cancer is such a serious and deadly disease, you naturally think that companies will understand your cancellations of previously made reservations, provided you can prove your diagnosis.

 

When the company doesn't "understand", then it's easy to get angry.

 

But people have to think deeper about the matter, and realize that NCL is a company dealing largely with older people, and that they would be constantly refunding cruise fare at the last minute if "unforeseen medical problem" was a valid excuse to get a full refund near cruise time.

 

Companies are willing to make exceptions for goodwill purposes.  They can't make "exceptions" which would largely harm their business and apply to a healthy percentage of their customers' situations.

 

Can you imagine if NCL let every elderly cruiser cancel at the last minute if they were diagnosed with a serious illness?  Half the ship would sail empty!  (Well, not really, but you get my point...)

 

Deciding whether to purchase travel insurance is a personal decision.  Will the loss of the money simply be annoying, or will it ruin your chance to take a vacation for several years to come?  If you had to save for 5 years in order to take this trip, I understand taking the insurance, even if it's a bad deal.  If it's something like, "$10,000 is a lot of money, so even though I can take the hit and travel again next year, I still want to insure I don't lose it", then you aren't making a very smart purchase.

 

Be aware that the travel insurance industry has a HUGE profit margin, so most people end up losing money on it in their lifetime.  If you take enough insured trips, you will eventually have lost more money to insurance than you would have if you simply had to cancel an expensive trip without insurance.  But many don't realize it because it doesn't "feel" like you're losing a lot of money at once when you're paying insurance premiums.

Edited November 14, 2018 by pokerpro5

[Newleno]

7 minutes ago, pokerpro5 said:

I think we all agree that the OP is in the wrong here, and that they took a calculated risk by purchasing no insurance, and ended up taking the loss for it.

 

 

Not all of us agree that the OP was in the wrong

Edited November 14, 2018 by Newleno

[pokerpro5]

8 minutes ago, Newleno said:

Not all of us agree that the OP was in the wrong

 

How was the OP not wrong?

 

Do you think NCL should refund the cruise fare for every elderly cruiser who can demonstrate a health problem?

[sparks1093]

14 minutes ago, pokerpro5 said:

Be aware that the travel insurance industry has a HUGE profit margin, so most people end up losing money on it in their lifetime.  

So, what? They are a business and they aren't the only business with huge profit margins. I don't pay attention to that, I decide if the business has something to offer me and if they do then I do business with them.

[pokerpro5]

6 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

So, what? They are a business and they aren't the only business with huge profit margins. I don't pay attention to that, I decide if the business has something to offer me and if they do then I do business with them.

 

You can spend your money how you want.  I have no objection to that.

 

I just want people to be honest with themselves.  When I go to Disneyland, the ticket is quite expensive, as is their parking and food.  I know they are making a huge profit off of me.  But I say, "I enjoy going here sometimes, so it's still worth the money."

 

However,  insurance isn't money spent for pleasure.  You're making a small investment to protect a bigger (but not large overall) investment.  It's a financial decision.

 

You should always make financial decisions when fully informed, and based upon the right thing to do for your current situation.

 

Examples:

 

Travel insurance when your health has been questionable lately:  GOOD DECISION

 

Travel insurance when you had to save for five years to afford this trip:  GOOD DECISION

 

Travel insurance because it simply bothers you to lose $10,000 you spent on your trip:  BAD DECISION

Edited November 14, 2018 by pokerpro5

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 hours ago, beerman2 said:

As would a 12,000. 00 loss. Some people just aren't in the financial situation to take that hit, if they couldn't make that cruise.

 

 

But haven't they already taken the hit either way?  The hit is not being able to go on the trip...not the loss of money.  If you go on the trip, the money is gone.  If you don't go on the trip the money is gone.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Georgia_Peaches

[beerman2]

38 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

But haven't they already taken the hit either way?  The hit is not being able to go on the trip...not the loss of money.  If you go on the trip, the money is gone.  If you don't go on the trip the money is gone.

It goes back to insurance, if you have it you can/might recoup some 💰💰 and the "hit" won't be nearly as bad.

 

The poster who said the trip cost her 12,000.00 for their family and IF something happened they would get most of that back.

 

Without insurance yes the money is gone either was. That's why to most insurance is essential.

 

Get reimbursement you can use it for another cruise.

Edited November 15, 2018 by beerman2

[purpletequila]

On 11/13/2018 at 6:44 PM, cathi007 said:

OMG it's like banning your head against the wall!!!! It has nothing to do with compassion!!! The cruise line cannot give every person with a tragic story back their money!!!!! That's why people buy insurance!!!!!! If other companies made exceptions he should be thankful for that, but it doesn't mean other companies should, that's what INSURANCE is for.

 

And that is fine. Like I said, I'm sure OP is aware he should have bought insurance. What's like banging a head against a wall is getting corporations to understand the important of building long term customer relationships especially when it comes at no cost to them. It is NCL's decision. I have no issue with it. I'm simply understanding where the OP is coming from.

[bonvoyagie]

21 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

 

You did not abide by the terms of the contract by asking for a refund because the cost of your cabin dropped. Shame on you!

The difference was substantial  somewhere around 1500.00 - I just asked my TA to inquire about some sort of compensation. NCL came back with $350.00 credit towards a future cruise that expired in a year. My point was that in that case there was no real paper trail -  just their word that if I booked a cruise in the next year I would have a credit on the books. Perhaps the OP actually does have credit.

[Warm Breezes]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

But haven't they already taken the hit either way?  The hit is not being able to go on the trip...not the loss of money.  If you go on the trip, the money is gone.  If you don't go on the trip the money is gone.

I can tell you from our experience that it was a relief to know when my Grandmother passed away the day before our cruise, that we could cancel that cruise to go home and grieve with our family, and use our insurance to rebook that same cruise the following year.  We took the hit purchasing a cruise.  We paid 5% more to insure 1) we were covered in case of a medical emergency and 2) if we did have to cancel we could still take our vacation at a later date.  As you stated it was not really the loss of money, it was already gone.  It was being able to take that trip that we had saved and paid for...if not at that scheduled time then at a later date.  It was and still is a small price for us to pay for that peace of mind.

 

OP is a prime example of how distressing it can be to have something happen that causes you to cancel without insurance.  He is extremely upset because his funds are gone with nothing to show for it.  I insured that once my funds were gone, I would have something to show for it.  I went home to concentrate on grieving.   He is on cruise critic blaming NCL for not giving him that peace of mind I paid for.  Again I and I believe everyone on here as well as NCL, have empathy for the OP and his wife....but that doesn’t make NCL responsible for the OPs financial decisions.

[Phaedrus78]

Whew, this thread though...

 

I'm not one to side with corporations, but NCL is right on this one.  If you violate policies for one, then you have to violate policies for everyone, and then you kind of lose the point of having policies.  Or insurance for that matter.

 

I get that it sucks, but the rules often do.  

[fshagan]

13 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I'm curious where you are comparing?  When I check travel insurance it tends to be around $40 - $50 for 2 people for medical/evac/repatriation on a cruise.  For comprehensive, $200 - $300.  Or 4X the cost.   Which plans are $50 for comprehensive?  I'd buy that. 

 

Where are you finding that? I can plug in my information and see what the charges are. All of the ones I looked at on our last cruise were within $20 of the full trip insurance policies. For $20, I'll take the extra insurance.

 

Medical rates are the ones that rise quickly with age. The rest of the insurance is fixed. Anyway, post a link and I'll do another comparison with my info.