klfrodo

A couple of things. 3rd party insurance prices are based on the age of the insured, so pricing could be an issue. 3rd party insurance is not going to cover pre-existing conditions probably since you are just now considering it. Cruise line insurance policies don't cover pre-existing conditions, they are NOT based on the age of the insured, but they are woefully inadequate on max medical coverage. Medicare, for the most part, doesn't not cover outside the US. Some add on policies do cover outside the US but are maxed at $50K lifetime. Either way, no travel insurance policies are direct pay to the provider. YOU pay out of pocket, then file for reimbursement. I recommend checking out www.tripinsurancestore.com . Steve is a broker and has been in business for many years. He also sells multiple policies and if you speak or call him he can help guide you to a policy that works for you. He also helps afterwards if there is an issue.

UNLESS, your friend actually calls Royal and cancels so they can file an insurance claim.

I've used DHL before. Pricey but it worked.

🤣🤣 Glad to see these boards returning to normal pre-pandemic conditions. It's a good day!

Your TA has culpability in this as much as Royal. In fact I put most of the responsibility on the TA. The TA is your advocate and should be the first line of defense and either knew or should have known that adding a 5th to the cabin would be an issue.

Not AON but I did file a claim for a Trip Delay issue with another travel insurance provider. My claim sat like yours for about 8 weeks. I then filed a complaint with my states Insurance Commissioner because in my State (Washington) the law clearly states that the provider has 30 days after they receive the claim to make a final decision. About a week later, I received my check. FWIW: I'm sure the insurance companies are struggling post pandemic just like every other company in the world with finding people. An insurance broker that I use said to expect the claims process to take longer than we were used to in the past. (Not that I care one way or the other. That's a THEM problem, not a ME/Customer problem)

Opinions? Okay 😇 I'm not making any decisions based on an offer of $200 OBC. Ship, itinerary, departure port, dates, travel costs, cash flow,,,, all these things go into my decision making whether or not there is any OBC let alone a measly $200.

CFAR insurance is one of those insurances that you have to purchase shortly after initial deposit. Otherwise, it would be too easy for the insurance company to be on the hook for last minute cancellations.

Traumatic experience, glad everyone is finally okay (as much as okay that they can be anyway) However, what are your take aways? What would be your recommendations to others to alleviate some of your challenges that you experienced.?

My take away? 1. Don't fly to port same day. 2. Doesn't matter how much money you save by flying a buget airline, if it can't get you where you want to go on time, you saved nothing. Pay a little more and fly non stop whenever possible. 3. Always try to maintain status with hotels, cruise lines, and airlines. 4. Go with the flow, sometimes things happen.

Carnival does Chef's Table every night of the cruise if enough people sign up. When buying the plan pre-cruise, it doesn't let you pick the night. At least that wasn't my experience on my recent April 2022 cruise. On the 1st day we went to the Chef's Table manage and inquired. The date they selected didn't work for us so they moved us. We did notice though that there were a group of people at the initial meeting place every night of the cruise.

You have no choice as to where you can or cannot use it. It's just a credit posted to your account. Whatever you charge to your account is subtracted from the credit until the credit is all gone.

I don't believe you can buy OBC from a TA. Most TA's will buy or give you OBC as a Thank You for giving them your business. With Carnival, YOU can go online and purchase "Cruise Cash" which acts like OBC but it's non-refundable.

No matter what happens, you're going to need a doctor's note along with their recommendation that you do not travel, if you are going to cancel for a "covered" reason and try to get a full refund. Otherwise, with just a positive test and you can't go but have no medical professionals written documentation, you're probably stuck with using the "Cancel For Any Reason" portion of the policy and will receive a 75% FCC.

My wife and daughter board next Wednesday the 29th. They have someone picking them up at the hotel in Galveston and dropping them off at the terminal.

Just curious what the current boarding experience is for the Grandeur in Galveston. Currently scheduled for the 11- 11:30 check in time. Jr. Suite Any heads up on traffic around the port and experience with the check in process would be appreciated. We've been on multiple cruises and each embarkation port is its own experience.

Yes. I have used both. Both times I had a "Valid" claim, followed the procedures they required, and were reimbursed up to the max amount set by limits of the policy.

Make sure this friend has Travel Insurance with good medical coverage. If this person is seen in the ships medical facility, they will bill the on board account. When traveling outside of the US (to include cruise ships) medical professionals do not bill your insurance directly (99.9% of the time). You are expected to pay upfront with cash or credit card. Then you get to file for reimbursement upon return.

Do you have any status or staying in a GS or above?

You say "Taking the whole family...". I don't know what that means but could be very important. Each State has it's own rules and regulations. Therefore, if you decide to go with 3rd party insurance, if any of this "whole" family live outside of NC, you'll have to purchase multiple policies. That's one reason why cruise line policies are so generic, they are written to satisfy all 50 States (except NY). Another reason to go with a broker, as suggested earlier.

Differences Ports will be historic rather than sunshine, sandy beaches with umbrella drinks. The passengers are going to be very diverse from multiple countries, speaking different languages, and bringing their varying cultural experiences on board. My experience was that everyone was friendly and welcoming. When groups of people were together, they spoke their native language. When groups found themselves in mixed company, English was the default language. Enjoy the differences. Try new foods. Download Google Translate. Try to learn some basic greetings in various languages. Have a great time.

Received 2 checks today for total amount claimed. They divided the checks equally between myself and my wife. We were both on the same policy. 2 for 2 on claims where I followed procedure and had valid claims. Thanks Steve at TripInsuranceStore

have you sought help from the New York State Department of Financial Services? Allianz has to be approved by them for their insurance to be sold to NY residents. If you are sure you have a valid claim and Allianz is just messing with you, file a complaint. File a Complaint | Department of Financial Services (ny.gov)

Whomever you purchased this from is or should assist in filing the claim. They earned a commission on the sale, they should be there for guidance.

Sorry you experienced this SNAFU. As an FYI, Unless you have addressed the issue specifically, this TA is still listed in Carnival's computer as your official booking agent. So, even if you were to book another Carnival cruise on line, the current TA would receive the commission and be listed as official contact. If this is not what you want, you need to have Carnival correct their database for this issue specifically. And I'm sure, if I am mistaken, the fine people on this board will say so. Either way, glad it has all worked itself out.