Babr

MedJet won’t do you any good unless you have been admitted to the hospital somewhere away from home. It is for hospital-to-hospital transfer. I don’t think that is the main concern of people here. They are thinking about the consequences of a positive test that delays their return.

Thanks for the clarification. May 17 gives you five more days for US sailings. The policy took effect May 1 for Europe - assistance with arrangements but no reimbursement.

The biggest change is that Celebrity is no longer providing financial assistance once you disembark. You can remain on the ship to finish required quarantine at no additional cost, but Celebrity will not arrange or pay for shoreside delays but will assist with air if you booked through them. It becomes a problem if you test positive at disembarkation and can’t fly home right away.

Again, I don’t know if I have the right answer for you. I do know that each state regulates insurance so that could have an impact on the type of coverage available and the cost even with the same company/policy. If they already have a home there and will be permanent residents at the end of this month, it may be OK to list Georgia as the state of residence to cover travel in July when they will be living there permanently. If you have any second thoughts, call the company to be sure. They may just amend the policy once the move is accomplished.

Best wishes for a good trip!

The testing requirement seems to be causing a lot of problems already for people trying to return from Europe. Several threads on the Celebrity board. Let’s see what happens when the Alaska season gets in full swing with people testing positive in Canada. It will be interesting to see what Windstar does since the government of Canada requires the cruise line to arrange and pay for quarantine for passengers who test positive during the cruise regardless of the cruise line’s policy for assistance. They are likely to have fewer who are willing to stay on board to recover even at $100 per person per day that was offered to people on the Mexico cruise.

Good choices for medical and additional evacuation coverage; but, as you say, they have no provision for trip interruption or trip delay that would be required for quarantine or delay to get documentation for onward travel.

One thing is for sure. Now is not the time to be relying on credit card benefits for travel insurance. Even the premium ones do not pay for a situation like this. The Trip Interruption provision would pay for prepaid unused nonrefundable expenses - not likely to be an issue once you have disembarked. It would pay for air line change fees. The Trip Delay provision pays only$500 and only for common carrier delay. If anyone is shopping for insurance, look for the most generous benefits you can find in Trip Delay. Also look for a policy that allows for an extension so that your coverage does not end on the day of your scheduled return. Be prepared to pay all expenses up front and file for reimbursement once you have returned home.

Interesting. I thought airlines flying into the US were required to verify a negative test. No one seems to know what happened to the passenger who tested positive on the ship.

The LX policy automatically extends for ten days if you are delayed for a covered reason. That does not mean it will pay more than the scheduled amount, but all coverage will remain in effect. So if you found yourself delayed on the day your policy was scheduled to end, it would extend to a maximum of ten days. I don’t know that you can arbitrarily cover days beyond a scheduled return flight just in case. That is why it is important to get a policy that provides for an extension in its terms if that possibility is a concern.

I don’t know what you are looking at, but I see it on the insuremytrip website under Trip Protection when I select the LX policy. It is listed in the summary of benefits. After 6 hours, you get $250 per person per day up to $2,500 each. As a couple you’d qualify for $500 a day capped at $5,000. The language of the policy lists quarantine as a covered reason. A catch might be that some countries no longer mandate quarantine but recommend isolation for a period of days, like the UK. Ask if you’d still be covered if a positive test prevents you from flying home.

On the other hand, final payment could be determined by the day you pay for the largest element (most expensive). It keeps going back to the air fare which is outside the window for any kind of waiver. You can still insure - just perhaps not pre-existing. Time to call in the pros.

The only condition I saw for the LX plan was that the premium be received in the time-sensitive period. I don’t want to give you the wrong information so confirm with a professional; but If you are not talking about going on a cruise with a clearly defined final payment date, rather a trip you are putting together yourself, then the final payment would be the day you pay for the last element of nonrefundable expense because you are not insuring the refundable amounts. Ask if that is right before you buy. In case you had not noticed, another benefit of the LX plan is that it has very generous benefits for travel delay. That is important if you should test positive somewhere along the way. It will pay for hotel, meals, and miscellaneous travel expenses while you wait to be cleared for onward travel.

Just a note about your MedJet coverage - It would not help you in this case. It is for hospital-to-hospital transfer. You both have to be admitted as patients before MedJet would apply, but even then -as you stated- if the Italian authorities refused to release you, MedJet can’t violate that order.

When you are screening policies, pay particular attention to the language that specifies the requirements to qualify for the pre-existing conditions waiver. Usually you can click on pre-existing, and it will take you to a screen with more details. It will say something like must purchase within X number of days from initial payment ( or by final), must be able to travel at the time of purchase, and must insure all prepaid nonrefundable costs. If it does not include that third stipulation, you should be OK to leave out air and still be covered.

I think it has to do with long lines to get through screenings/ security. Staff shortages?

YVR is advising passengers to arrive three hours prior to boarding. That does not include time for testing,

1. Short answer, no. The requirement to insure all prepaid nonrefundable costs applies to pre-existing conditions. Even so, there are some policies, such as IMG SE, that do not require you to insure all costs in order to qualify for the waiver, but you must buy any of them within the defined time period, usually in relation to initial payment. The key term is “initial payment.” Your situation is complicated because you made initial payment on your trip when you bought air a month ago, which is outside the time window to qualify. The question for a professional is whether that still counts as initial if you are not including it in coverage. Setting that aside, you can buy insurance at any time without including the air, and you are covered for injuries or illness that occur once the policy is in effect, usually the day after the insurance company receives your payment. Just be sure pre-existing does not apply to you. 2. If you are not trying to qualify for pre-existing, you can include any costs regardless of when you paid for them prior to buying the policy. 3. There are policies that allow the pre-existing waiver at final payment. You could include any prepaid nonrefundable cost you want to cover at that time and be completely covered. IMG LX comes to mind. CSA offers one. There are others. Insuring air fare is tricky because it can be difficult to get reimbursed since the air line offers a voucher. Including it can increase your premium significantly. It depends on whether you want to insure air, you want to insure pre-existing, or you want to insure both.

I think so, too, but people are scrambling to avoid the consequences of a last minute positive test that keeps them from flying home.

I’m not in a mad rush anymore because I’m not going anywhere. I’m just mad. The idea that the captain has to order people to mask up strikes me as odd. While it does carry the weight of authority, it suggests people don’t have the sense to do it in the face of an active, ongoing infection. The results speak for themselves. The Breeze shot to CDC Orange status right away - one cruise to get to Orange, one cruise aborted, and one cruise cancelled. Not a propitious start to US cruising.

Please do. It will be valuable information. The requirements for Canada specify those who test positive during the cruise and need to finish quarantine. The Princess policy seems to say they will provide you with a list of hotels and internet access so you can make your own arrangements with excess costs not covered by travel insurance to be reimbursed by Princess. At least that is better than a cold start on your own.

For what it is worth, the government of Canada requires cruise lines to arrange and pay for quarantine for passengers who test positive during the cruise regardless of the cruise line’s policy of quarantine assistance. I don’t know how that applies to people who test positive at disembarkation, but I bet we find out soon enough because it is bound to happen.

I can’t say what the cruise line will do for you, but I do know that travel insurance benefits for trip interruption and trip delay are capped. Depending on the policy you have, you may get as little as $500 total or as much as $250 per person per day up to the schedule maximum of $2,500 each. Usually the trip interruption provision pays for prepaid nonrefundable unused expenses and return transportation up to 150% of the cost of the trip while the trip delay provision pays for hotel, meals, and miscellaneous expenses up to the schedule maximum. Once again it depends on the policy. Medical will be covered in any event as long as you can provide the proper documentation. Usually that means confirmation of the diagnosis by a health care professional or local health authority. People who are depending on credit card insurance will find they have little protection in the event of delay caused by a positive test.

This was discussed earlier in the thread. I still contend that travel insurance would not cover isolation or quarantine on the ship because there is no financial loss to reimburse. The passenger still receives housing, food, and medical care; and the trip continues to progress. Inconvenience, disappointment, or frustration are the elements of a law suit, not insurance. There was an instance of people being offered the opportunity to remain on board to complete quarantine during the following cruise for $100 per person per day on a Windstar cruise recently. Now that might qualify a travel insurance claim.

Well, there is travel insurance for the expense. Nevertheless, there is inconvenience and stress involved.