New Protocols for August Symphony with Insurance Requirement if Unvaccinated

[not-enough-cruising]

15 minutes ago, The Scurvy Pirate said:

Any idea what this insurance is going to cost the unvaccinated?  It seems like a drip...drip....drip of higher expenses for them....

around $275-$350 per person based on a very quick internet search through a brokerage site i use often

 

[orville99]

Given the cost of RCL’s insurance and the cost of testing, it comes out to an added ~$400/pp to the cost of a cruise.

[orville99]

2 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

around $275-$350 per person based on a very quick internet search through a brokerage site i use often

 

Looked at a few of our booked cruises, and RCL charges ~$400 -$700 per cabin (two people) for its insurance

Edited June 29, 2021 by orville99

[not-enough-cruising]

Just now, orville99 said:

Looked at a few of our booked cruises, and RCL charges ~$400 -$700 per cabin for its insurance

although I never buy Royal's insurance, those prices are consistent with the third party dealers I checked.

[jrapps]

21 minutes ago, The Scurvy Pirate said:

Any idea what this insurance is going to cost the unvaccinated?  It seems like a drip...drip....drip of higher expenses for them....

When we get the insurance from Royal, it is usually about 10% of the cruise fare

[RFerrington]

We only pay $700 for an annual policy.  I sure hope people aren't paying $700 for 1 cruise !  Our medical evacuation coverage is $500K.

[not-enough-cruising]

8 minutes ago, jrapps said:

When we get the insurance from Royal, it is usually about 10% of the cruise fare

 

1 minute ago, RFerrington said:

We only pay $700 for an annual policy.  I sure hope people aren't paying $700 for 1 cruise !  Our medical evacuation coverage is $500K.

These prices may have gone up since the advent of Covid Quarantine and repatriation coverages (which Royal is requiring)

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

We only pay $700 for an annual policy.  I sure hope people aren't paying $700 for 1 cruise !  Our medical evacuation coverage is $500K.

Does it cover quarantine expenses? If not, it won’t meet Royal’s specifications.

[suizas]

ok, so I am somewhat now confused.  I did receive the email yesterday from Royal.  We booked February 23, 2021 and are both fully vaccinated ...  Do we have to buy insurance?  The way I read the email was that unvaxed pax needed to buy insurance.  

 

If we show up at the pier and we were supposed to have purchased it, is it something we can do onsite? help! Cruising Aug 29th...   thx. Susan

[bourbon52]

2 minutes ago, suizas said:

ok, so I am somewhat now confused.  I did receive the email yesterday from Royal.  We booked February 23, 2021 and are both fully vaccinated ...  Do we have to buy insurance?  The way I read the email was that unvaxed pax needed to buy insurance.  

 

If we show up at the pier and we were supposed to have purchased it, is it something we can do onsite? help! Cruising Aug 29th...   thx. Susan

My understanding is if you are vaccinated you do not have to buy the insurance or get tested, but have to show proof you are vaccinated with your CDC card.

[jrapps]

37 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 

These prices may have gone up since the advent of Covid Quarantine and repatriation coverages (which Royal is requiring)

For what it is worth, I just called to add insurance to a cruise I have later this year (we are vaccinated but we always do insurance anyway, this just reminded me that I forgot to add it)

 

It came to about 15% of the base cruise fare...my 10% # earlier was probably closer to calculating it off the total cruise fare that included taxes/fees.

 

[RFerrington]

42 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 

These prices may have gone up since the advent of Covid Quarantine and repatriation coverages (which Royal is requiring)

Guess it's a good thing I renewed my policy 2 weeks ago !!

[RFerrington]

41 minutes ago, Babr said:

Does it cover quarantine expenses? If not, it won’t meet Royal’s specifications.

Not sure.  The agent I just spoke to said that quarantine is covered under trip interruption, so yes...if that is the case, we are good.  An agent is calling me back to discuss the details.

[not-enough-cruising]

5 minutes ago, jrapps said:

For what it is worth, I just called to add insurance to a cruise I have later this year (we are vaccinated but we always do insurance anyway, this just reminded me that I forgot to add it)

 

It came to about 15% of the base cruise fare...my 10% # earlier was probably closer to calculating it off the total cruise fare that included taxes/fees.

 

Quick question, does that policy include Covid Quarantine coverage?

 

Not that it matters, I am vaxed and my annual policy suits me fine (although it specifically excludes Covid related quarantine expenses), but some of the prices I am seeing out there are unbelievable

Edited June 29, 2021 by not-enough-cruising

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Not sure.  The agent I just spoke to said that quarantine is covered under trip interruption, so yes...if that is the case, we are good.  An agent is calling me back to discuss the details.

Thanks. I’d like to know what he says, if you don’t mind telling us. I’d especially be curious to know if it pays for an extended hotel stay while you wait to test negative,

especially if you are asymptomatic.

[jrapps]

5 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Quick question, does that policy include Covid Quarantine coverage?

 

Not that it matters, I am vaxed and my annual policy suits me fine (although it specifically excludes Covid related quarantine expenses), but some of the prices I am seeing out there are unbelievable

No idea. I assume so since I bought Royal's insurance straight from them. If they don't include that on the insurance that they themselves sell, then they have some serious issues to work thru.

 

I did look thru some older cruise fares where I had already added the insurance and the percentages were a bit lower (closer to 8%) of cruise fare. I will add that the cruise I just added the insurance to was insanely cheap, like RCL is losing money on me cheap. I got a wicked good pandemic deal that we L&S so it's a week for 4 Oceanview balcony Thanksgiving Week on the Symphony for $1700. I assume that with their insurance there is some minimum cost, it's not just a flat percentage which is why this cruise the insurance came to closer to 15%

[orville99]

25 minutes ago, jrapps said:

For what it is worth, I just called to add insurance to a cruise I have later this year (we are vaccinated but we always do insurance anyway, this just reminded me that I forgot to add it)

 

It came to about 15% of the base cruise fare...my 10% # earlier was probably closer to calculating it off the total cruise fare that included taxes/fees.

 

Royal changed the way that they calculate insurance a few months back (March, 2021). It used to be on the fare after any C&A/resident/military/LEO discounts were applied, and was structured in $$ tiers. I believe it is now calculated on the actual fare paid, and the tiers were replaced buy a fixed $$cost/$$ of fare.

 

Dear Guest,

We hope you are healthy and well.

We have an update to share with you, as we see that you may be interested in or are already enrolled in our Royal Caribbean Travel Protection program.

A new system update has created an opportunity to upgrade your Royal Caribbean Travel Protection.

Our Royal Caribbean Travel Protection program plan costs and coverage are now calculated based on the amount paid for your cruise fare to ensure you are fully covered. Previously when a Future Cruise Certificate was applied to a booking, this value was discounted from the cruise fare, not charged as part of your travel protection premium, and not accounted for in your coverage. We are pleased to advise we are updating our systems to properly recognize the value of your Future Cruise Certificate as payment toward your cruise fare and a coverable expense. This change will give you the benefit of protection on the full value of your cruise (and not just the cruise fare) should you need to cancel or interrupt your trip for an unforeseen covered reason. But, it will also increase the cost of your insurance to cover the additional value. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by orville99

[Babr]

11 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Quick question, does that policy include Covid Quarantine coverage?

 

Not that it matters, I am vaxed and my annual policy suits me fine (although it specifically excludes Covid related quarantine expenses), but some of the prices I am seeing out there are unbelievable

If he is adding it, I take it to mean it is the Royal policy added to his booking.

In that case yes. Apparently the policy has been redesigned to meet Royal’s specifications, but they are not requiring you to buy their product. You can buy a travel policy of your choice as long as it provides the required coverage.

[smplybcause]

31 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Not sure.  The agent I just spoke to said that quarantine is covered under trip interruption, so yes...if that is the case, we are good.  An agent is calling me back to discuss the details.

 

Most trip interruptions I've seen are for amounts that wouldn't be enough to cover 14 days of hotel and food expenses. Interesting to see what they say. 

[RFerrington]

36 minutes ago, Babr said:

Thanks. I’d like to know what he says, if you don’t mind telling us. I’d especially be curious to know if it pays for an extended hotel stay while you wait to test negative,

especially if you are asymptomatic.

Sure, no problem.  Happy to share once I get that information.

[Babr]

12 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Most trip interruptions I've seen are for amounts that wouldn't be enough to cover 14 days of hotel and food expenses. Interesting to see what they say. 

That is what I was thinking, too. Trip interruption usually is a set amount and does not involve extended stays. It might pay for flight changes, but what about hotels, food, etc.

[RFerrington]

15 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Most trip interruptions I've seen are for amounts that wouldn't be enough to cover 14 days of hotel and food expenses. Interesting to see what they say. 

Ours is $5K per person per trip.  But again, I'm not sure if this is considered quarantine coverage.  The first agent I spoke with said it is....but I am getting confirmation from another agent and I need to make sure we meet the $25K requirement.  Since it seems that quarantine and medical evacuation are 2 completely separate things, it's odd that Royal combined them into 1 requirement.

 

Whatever it is, we will get it....

[Babr]

15 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Ours is $5K per person per trip.  But again, I'm not sure if this is considered quarantine coverage.  The first agent I spoke with said it is....but I am getting confirmation from another agent and I need to make sure we meet the $25K requirement.  Since it seems that quarantine and medical evacuation are 2 completely separate things, it's odd that Royal combined them into 1 requirement.

 

Whatever it is, we will get it....

Evacuation coverage separate - perhaps because some hospitals in the Caribbean or Mexico would not be able to handle patients seriously ill. Capacity? Equipment?

 Quarantine would probably be asymptomatic or mild symptoms outside of hospital setting.

 

By the way, it is $25,000 for medical and $50,000 for quarantine and evacuation.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Babr

[orville99]

And yet, getting vaccination costs nothing, and eliminates the need for both added insurance and costs of testing on board. It would seem a lot simpler to just get the jab.

Edited June 29, 2021 by orville99

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

although I never buy Royal's insurance, those prices are consistent with the third party dealers I checked.

I just looked at some of my cruise invoices and I the highest royal insurance we had was $69 pp.    Most were $39, but that was pre-covid.    I have not purchased any royal insurance for my future bookings.

Does anyone know what the actual current rate Royal is charging for their enhanced coverage?

@Ourusualbeachdo you know?