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Travel Protection Prorgram from RCL and other Insurance


leesam82

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Hello Cruisers! 

I wanted to get your thoughts and advice on insurance. I am planning on sailing in June and I have asked RCL many times to clarify what the extension for the CWC program means. I have talked to many agents and received many different answers.  Some said my sailing would be covered as I am booking prior to the January 2022 deadline. Others stated that I would not be covered as there is the May 31 2022 deadline and that the sailing must occur prior to that date. Others have given me a hybrid answer and stated that I would get a future cruise credit to use prior to the May 31 2022 deadline if I canceled my june sailing prior to that date. Finally others have said something similar and stated that I would get a future cruise credit and I would need to use it for a sailing prior to December 2022. 

Due to the fact that I am getting so many different answers I decided to seriously consider the travel insurance offered by either RCL or a third party provider. I was wondering what the experience has been for the cruisers in our community. Does the community think its worth purchasing especially since I am going with the non refundable fare? Aslo with the Travel Protection program it looks like I can cancel for any reason and get a 90% future cruise credit. I wanted to ask if anyone in the community has utilized this feature. I also wanted to ask about allianz insurance which is what MEI recommends. Upon reading some of their brochure it looks you get cancelation coverage only for covered reasons while the RCL plan has a rider which allows for cancelation for any reason for a 90% future cruise credit. 

What are the thoughts on insurance of the community and what are the experiences that everyone has had as cruisers. Any advice that could be given would be greatly appreciated.

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I think you're missing the point of travel insurance. 

If you have a health issue or have an accident while on your cruise, your medical insurance probably doesn't cover it. You  need travel insurance both for the medical bills and for a possible evacuation.  These bills can run in the  100s of thousands of dollars. CWC won't help with these bills. 

The cost of the trip is minor in comparison. 

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Absolutely you need travel insurance. This has nothing to do with CWC. Hopefully you will never need to make a claim, but if something does happen, the cost can be huge. Even a simple visit to the medical centre will cost $$$. I have needed to claim when I slipped and fell off a small water fall and broke my nose, fingers and alike. Also I have read recently where a Canadian lady fell ill on a Caribbean cruise with another line, taken to a hospital on an one of the islands and had to have the family back home raise enough funds to have her admitted and as the hospital was small, ultimately had to have her airlifted home. The amount of money which was required to raised was huge and the delays for treatment cost her, her life. If she had travel insurance, she most likely would have been repatriated State side quickly and possibly had the required treatment and survived. Buy travel insurance simply for the peace of mind.    

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CWC policy can be found here at the source:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence

  • Cancel any sailing booked by January 31, 2022 up to 48 hours before your sail date and get the full value in a Future Cruise Credit that’s good to redeem until May 31, 2022. And you have endless options to redeem your credit — just pick any cruise you like that sails between now and December 31, 2022.

Getting into the FAQ clarifies CWC

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence#faq

 

Q : Do all sailings qualify for “Cruise with Confidence”?
A :  Cruise with Confidence covers cruises booked on or before January 31, 2022, that set sail on or before May 31, 2022.

Emphasis is mine - the cruise has to sail on or before May 31, 2022 to be eligible

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Royal's policy does have the 90% CFAR coverage (Cancel For Any Reason) but I have never tried to add that after booking a cruise and then invoking that coverage.  There may be country, region or state restrictions on that coverage or time limits from when the cruise was booked.  

Insurance is regulated in the US by each state.  There is no one answer because it depends what state you live in.  Other countries may have similar variances.  You'll need to research what coverage and restrictions apply for where you live.  

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As others have posted…insurance is a must for medical reasons alone. Emergency treatment, hospitalization and evacuation cost big bucks. Most health care policies will not cover out of country costs…or severely limit coverage. Just to have that peace of mind is well worth the cost. Do a little research and pick the best option for you. Riders include luggage loss or delay, rental vehicle accidents, trip cancellation or delay for covered reasons, itinerary changes, computer loss or damage…and you can increase limits on each. Most now have specific Covid-related coverages.
Also…as time goes on…we’ve seen CWC policies get extended. Although that may not happen anymore as cruising ramps back towards full capacity…but we never know what the future brings.

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The travel insurance also covers lost or delayed baggage, trip interruption, etc., and these are the claims that we have submitted (twice in l7 years).  Without trip insurance, you are left with the occasional credit card coverage you might have and Royal's $350 or so for a lost suitcase (after you submit receipts).  Thus, for both medical and non-medical reasons, travel insurance is important.

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Can anyone out there give a bit of guidance on getting the correct quote through Allianz?

What should I enter for the "Country of Destination"? Is it still the US (Florida) because our flights are domestic and the cruise is a closed loop from the USA?

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42 minutes ago, SPS said:

Can anyone out there give a bit of guidance on getting the correct quote through Allianz?

What should I enter for the "Country of Destination"? Is it still the US (Florida) because our flights are domestic and the cruise is a closed loop from the USA?

Consider the cruise ship the same as you would consider a plane, they take you to the destination..so your destination will be wherever the cruise ports are.  In a travel insurance policy the airline and cruise line are both considered common carriers. When you estimate the total amount to ensure, you include the cruise fare, hotels and flights in that total.

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52 minutes ago, SPS said:

Can anyone out there give a bit of guidance on getting the correct quote through Allianz?

What should I enter for the "Country of Destination"? Is it still the US (Florida) because our flights are domestic and the cruise is a closed loop from the USA?

I always just asked my travel agent to get it for me.

6 hours ago, CruisingOz said:

Absolutely you need travel insurance. This has nothing to do with CWC. Hopefully you will never need to make a claim, but if something does happen, the cost can be huge. Even a simple visit to the medical centre will cost $$$. I have needed to claim when I slipped and fell off a small water fall and broke my nose, fingers and alike. Also I have read recently where a Canadian lady fell ill on a Caribbean cruise with another line, taken to a hospital on an one of the islands and had to have the family back home raise enough funds to have her admitted and as the hospital was small, ultimately had to have her airlifted home. The amount of money which was required to raised was huge and the delays for treatment cost her, her life. If she had travel insurance, she most likely would have been repatriated State side quickly and possibly had the required treatment and survived. Buy travel insurance simply for the peace of mind.    

As an example, I had a business associate completing some work in Beijing.  He decided to tour around the city before flying home and was mugged.  The hospital wouldn't treat him until paid in advance in cash.  The medical evacuation from Beijing was $180,000 US. 

The story ended happily, but still stands out as a cautionary tale.

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Thank you all for you input. 

An additional question. 

A fellow cruiser stated that insurance is regulated by state. Is it the state that I live in or the state the cruise leaves from? The other question that I have is if its the state that one resides in, then what happens to those who live outside of the United States. Would they have to get their country of origin's insurance? I ask this because for my upcoming trip I am considering purchasing insurance. My grandmother lives in South Korea but will be visiting family here in the states. 

Any insight would be helpful. THanks!

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6 minutes ago, leesam82 said:

Thank you all for you input. 

An additional question. 

A fellow cruiser stated that insurance is regulated by state. Is it the state that I live in or the state the cruise leaves from? The other question that I have is if its the state that one resides in, then what happens to those who live outside of the United States. Would they have to get their country of origin's insurance? I ask this because for my upcoming trip I am considering purchasing insurance. My grandmother lives in South Korea but will be visiting family here in the states. 

Any insight would be helpful. THanks!

Place of residence.  

Royal's insurance is not offered everywhere or in the same form.

https://www.archinsurancesolutions.com/coverage/Royal has a drop down near the bottom to select state of residence so you can see the terms and conditions applicable to you.  

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1 hour ago, skittermagoo said:

I have a tag-on question about insurance . . . (first time cruiser here). I purchased the RCL protection when I booked; do I also need additional insurance, or is the one offered by RCL sufficient/comparable? 

The best I can say is look closely at the coverage limits and see if you are comfortable with them.

Nobody will feel comfortable giving direct advice. If things don't work out as expected,  it would be awkward. 

That said, I purchase Allianz insurance through my travel agent. The price is comparable to Royal but the coverage appears better 

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