RB9643

Man, they are bouncing off the walls over there.  Royal is really sticking it to them, especially for the Icon. We'll see where NCL falls on this one.

20 minutes ago, Babr said:

But your credit card does not cover pre-existing conditions. There is a look-back of probably 60 days depending on which card you have. They will examine your medical records for that period prior to booking to see if there is anything related to your reason for cancellation.

Geez. Now you got me having to double check that one too!  I'll do it tomorrow.  😆

If I recall, that one waives conditions that are controlled or have been medicated; like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc.  But now I have to verify all that again....

10 minutes ago, Babr said:

It appears you chose the $2,000 coverage limit.
 

Conditions apply? What are the others?

 

Yes, cancellation and interruption are minor issues.  Our credit card provides $20,000.  We buy it for the medical and transportation coverage that the card doesn't provide.

The only conditions are what you've already stated: purchase 14-days after booking or book after purchase.

1 hour ago, Babr said:

To be clear, pre-existing conditions are not covered unless the policy is purchased in a timely manner. That includes medical as well. You’d still get emergency care - and baggage delay.

Now you have me perplexed.  I see no distinction in the policy between emergency medical or other medical. I also see no pre-existing condition exclusion for any medical, regardless of when purchased.

Notice the wording difference in the declarations.  Only cancellation or interruption make any mention of pre-existing conditions (which are covered if timely purchased):

Trip Cancellation Coverage -  You have to cancel your trip before you depart. $2,000.00 Pre-existing Medical Condition Limit: Claims for Trip Cancellation due to a pre-existing medical condition can be covered up to the maximum trip cancellation benefit limit, not to exceed $2,000.00. Conditions apply.

Trip Interruption Coverage -  Your travel plans are interrupted while you are on your trip. $2,000.00 Pre-existing Medical Condition Limit: Claims for Trip Interruption due to a pre-existing medical condition can be covered up to the maximum trip interruption benefit limit, not to exceed $2,000.00. Conditions apply.

Emergency Transportation Coverage -  Transportation is needed following a medical emergency while on your trip. $500,000.00

Emergency Medical/Dental Coverage -  You have to pay for emergency medical or dental while on your trip. $50,000.00

13 minutes ago, Babr said:

The dollar amount is not the issue. The question is whether pre-existing conditions are covered at all. If you purchased the policy within 14 days of the initial deposit on a trip or at any time during the coverage period, you are covered. 
 

If you already had several trips booked before you bought the policy, pre-existing conditions are not covered for cancellation, interruption, or medical.

True, except for medical in my policy. In any case, pre-existing conditions are covered in the Premier Plan if timely purchased.

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

oh, gosh, no… “better than average” has a very specific meaning.
 

Yes, it does. There is also a result/reaction in using it, whether intended or not.

All good. Love your stuff. We'll just disagree on this one.

I'm noticing quite a bit of talk about annual Allianz policies.  I have Allianz AllTrips Premier, and the maximum benefit amount for pre-existing conditions is exactly the same as the maximum benefit for ANY conditions.

Correct me if I'm mistaken?

39 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

There are multiple tables in the room (more than the one in the picture). 

I have never, ever seen that room empty, or that clean.  When did you take that?  4:00 am in Alaska?

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

the phrase “better than average chance” is used when one wants to indicate that something is occurring at a rate greater than what is “normal” or “standard.” ... we have already established that this happens on the prima far more than on any other ship in the fleet. the frequency of occurrence of this problem on other NCL ships appears to be next to zero.

 

Got it. So, I guess in this case "better than average" is any number greater than zero. Whatever works to make your point.

5 minutes ago, teddie said:

Are you sure?  If you have a serious injury with a potentially prolonged hospital stay, would you want you and your family stuck in a state faraway from home?

 

I guess you would have to define "prolonged", combined with the odds that such a traumatic event would happen on a random cruise. My point is simply that it would have to be very, very prolonged for us not to be perfectly happy being at any hospital in the US.

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Have you tried to charter an air ambulance with a medical team to do a round trip from the States to Honduras? I guess the cheapest would be to drop you somewhere just inside the Mexican boarder, but I assume that you would want to get to hospital in Omaha. 

We're talking about being brought to the nearest US hospital, and then paying $20k to get from there to your "home" hospital. Read better.

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Here's what is in your shipboard water system...

 

Completely bogus. You should know better.

7 hours ago, teddie said:

I've worked with families who've had to pay $20,000 or more for air ambulance services to get back to their home hospital.

 

What possible benefit would there be to pay $20k to get back to their home hospital?  Just get me out of Honduras, I'm good.

33 minutes ago, darkhorizon said:

 I understand that the sail away category doesnt allow room selection and it will be assigned by NCL.

 

It also does not include any Free at Sea perks.

3 hours ago, bluecruisin said:

Can someone please tell me what the"enclosed smoking area" on the Encore is like? Are there any chairs or any exhaust system? Can you also smoke in the Encore's casino?  Thanks!

It has chairs and tables but is a tight fit. No exhaust (at least not that works). For me it's get in get out. There seems to be others who live in that little box. The casino has a separate smoking room with slots and a couple table games. Again, little exhaust, and I don't spend much time there.

Last time on the Encore there was a smoking area by the pool bar, which is nice to be in the open air, but no tables or chairs.

2 hours ago, JCDCA said:

Encore’s lack of Spice H2O is already a pretty big negative.  

SpiceH2O is nice, for sure, but I only used it for the smoking area, and Mrs. RB only used it once. Encore has a couple other convenient areas so it's not that big of a deal.  We'll take the larger OL over Spice any day.

1 hour ago, kitkat343 said:

Even if you personally prefer ship tours, I'm sure you would be happier if families utilized other forms of transportation.  Because a toddler plus waiting for a large tour bus to load is not always a great combination.

 

I certainly won't argue that private tours help your family, and many others, and are much cheaper. I think that's great. We've gone our own way quite often.

But that has nothing to do with my point that NCL couldn't care less how a change by them affects our private excursions. And I'm not sure they should care. They have no skin in the game. It's our bed and we sleep in it.

This is unfortunate, but not surprising.  Guess we'll stick with Encore until they screw that ship up too.

4 hours ago, WYB! said:

You should try and label the stuff that you want to keep with your name and email.

Don't forget to tip your cabin steward which may increase the chances of you getting the stuff you leave behind back.

 

Right. "On the off chance I lose it, I'm going to put a label on my underwear".

As for your last sentence, really? Do you really believe that?

17 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Well, guess what.....

 

Oh boy.  When I read your first post I thought, "This is not going to end well."  Her best hope is that she used a credit card with generous trip cancellation coverage. Otherwise, if the PCC did upsell her to buy insurance, that's great, but she's going to have to take a cruise eventually.  At least that would give her time to get her ducks in a row.

Worst case, she learned an expensive lesson.  Just don't allow yourself to feel any guilt over it. She made her bed. I hope it works out for her.

15 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

How do you get this information? I'm on the Escape a different week, but if someone booked a tour/resort/car rental etc in a port, they would need to know in advance!

NCL couldn't care less about a privately booked excursion, and I'm torn in deciding whether they should.

No problems today on either the website or app. Have you tried clearing cookies and cache?

31 minutes ago, di T said:

Going on The Dawn in November, free at sea no idea about which restaurants are good

If you've never been on NCL, Le Bistro and Cagney's for sure.  And you should book them right now if you are at 120 days or less.

6 hours ago, firstimer2009 said:

I would splurge for Plus but my hubby loves his Maker's Mark Manhattan and it's not part of it. We found one bar on Star in 2019 that had it. Hopefully Escape has Maker's on board somewhere.  

Unlikely. Once it's gone it's gone, and I doubt Makers lasted long once it was dropped. It happened to my beloved Seagram's VO in February. Found a bar with the last bottle, nowhere to be found after that.

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Prima has that odd hallway in front of the bar with basket chairs which is their "extended dining room". Wierd. 

Yes, and if that's the sunny side of the Waterfront, that whole area becomes one mass of humanity. Just something on Prima that you learn quickly and adjust to.