Royal's "Vacation Protection" plan for $29 p/p??? Help!

[ramby]

I was told by a Royal Caribbean representative that purchasing this plan allows for cancellation for at ANY TIME prior to the cruise for ANY REASON. And that if we cancel due to documented unexpected illness, we get back 100% of the cost of the trip. If we cancel for any other reason, we get back 75%. This sounds too good to be true. Is it? Haven't gotten my hands on the fine print yet...

[bplazo]

First time I have heard of ths!

[EVALUATOR]

I was told by a Royal Caribbean representative that purchasing this plan allows for cancellation for at ANY TIME prior to the cruise for ANY REASON. And that if we cancel due to documented unexpected illness, we get back 100% of the cost of the trip. If we cancel for any other reason, we get back 75%. This sounds too good to be true. Is it? Haven't gotten my hands on the fine print yet...

 

First time I have heard of ths!

 

On RCI's website click on the all about cruising tab, then on the vacation protection program link for more details.

[Merion_Mom]

Cruise Care

Cruise Vacation Protection

With the CruiseCare Cancellation Penalty Waiver, if your plans go awry and you cancel - or interrupt - your cruise vacation (for specified reasons), Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises will waive the non-refundable cancellation provision of your cruise ticket contract and pay you IN CASH the value of the unused portion of your prepaid cruise vacation.

 

In addition, should you or your traveling companion need to cancel for "any other reason", you may be eligible for CRUISE CREDITS - up to 75% of the non-refundable, prepaid cruise vacation cost.

 

For additional details, please click here.

 

Guests must cancel their cruise prior to departure and must request a refund through the program administrator to be eligible for cash reimbursement or future cruise credits, as applicable. Credits expire one year after the issue date, are nontransferable, and are not applicable to holiday or inaugural sailings. Credits have no cash value and, if applied to a reservation of lesser value, will not result a cash refund of any difference. Credits may not be used for deposits, only final payment, and can be used only on the cruise brand originally reserved. Only original copies of credit letters will be accepted; copies or altered letters may not be used.

 

Brought to you by Royal Caribbean International.

 

*For NY residents, the CruiseCare Cancellation Penalty Waiver program is underwritten by Stonebridge Casualty Insurance Company.

 

NEW!! SIMPLIFIED PRICING - SAME GREAT COVERAGE!!

 

Cruise Cost Cruise Care

$0 USD - $500 USD $29 USD

$501 USD - $1000 USD $59 USD

$1001 USD - $1500 USD $89 USD

$1501 USD - $2000 USD $119 USD

$2001 USD - $2500 USD $159 USD

$2501 USD - $3000 USD $189 USD

$3001 USD - $3500 USD $229 USD

$3501 USD - $4000 USD $259 USD

$4001 USD - $4500 USD $299 USD

$4501 USD - $5000 USD $329 USD

 

Prices subject to change.

For cruise costs greater than $5000 per person, CruiseCare prices begin at $369 per person.

 

Note: The plan cost is fully refundable if you are canceling outside of Royal Caribbean International's published penalty period. Prices are subject to change without notice. The plan cost may be paid at any time from deposit up to and including final payment; however, the CruiseCare Cancellation and Interruption Penalty Waiver takes effect only upon payment of the plan cost in addition to any required cruise deposit. Payment of your cruise fare deposit amount without the plan cost will not activate this program.

 

 

CruiseCare Travel Insurance provides cancellation and interruption protection for independently reserved air, as well as coverages to protect you during your covered Trip, as follows:

 

Trip Cancellation for Independently Booked Air up to Total Original Airfare Cost.

Trip Interruption for Independently Booked Airup to 150% of Total Original Airfare Cost.

Trip Delay up to $500: If you miss the departure of your trip due to carrier-caused delays or other covered reasons, the plan reimburses you for additional accommodations, meals and "catch-up" transportation expenses.

Baggage Protection: If your baggage or personal property is lost, stolen, or damaged, the plan will cover up to $1,500. If your bags are delayed or misdirected for more than 24 hours, the plan will reimburse you up to $500 for the purchase of necessary personal items.

Medical Expenses up to $10,000: Should you become injured or sick during your vacation, the plan will reimburse you for necessary medical expenses for up to one year from the date of your accident or illness. This coverage is especially important, as Medicare and many private insurance policies generally do not cover you outside of the U.S. or Canada, and many HMOs do not cover you outside their provider area.

Emergency Evacuation up to $25,000: In the event that a covered illness or injury requires air or ground transportation to a specialized facility or to return home, the plan provides for covered medical services and supplies (coordinated by our 24-hour Assistance provider, to help ensure your safe transport).

 

For additional details, please click here

 

Underwritten by Stonebridge Casualty Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio under policy number(s): MZ0911036H0000A or MZ0911008H0000A.

 

CruiseCare Worldwide Emergency Assistance provides 24-hour assistance services, including; pre-trip health, safety and weather information; assistance with travel changes; lost luggage assistance; emergency cash transfer assistance; medical consultation and monitoring; emergency legal assistance; emergency medical and dental assistance; lost travel document assistance; and emergency medical payment assistance.

 

For additional details, please click here.

 

 

 

Provided by On Call International.

 

While this is not a complete description - a full plan description detailing the terms, conditions and exclusions will be sent to you - we have highlighted just a few of the plan benefits. If you have any questions, or would like to request a copy of the plan description, please call our plan administrator, BerkelyCare, at 1-800-453-4022 or 516-342-2720. (Please use this number for CruiseCare inquiries only. Reservation details are not available via this phone number.) The CruiseCare Travel Insurance Program is provided in addition to other applicable indemnity or insurance programs, where permitted by law and shall apply only after benefits have been paid.

 

This program was designed for Royal Caribbean International guests by BerkelyCareSM. IN CALIFORNIA: BerkelyCareSM is a service mark of Aon Direct Insurance Administrators, CA Insurance License # 0795465. IN ALL OTHER STATES: BerkelyCareSM is a division of Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. in all states other than CA, except: AIS Affinity Insurance Agency, Inc. in MN and OK and AIS Affinity Insurance Agency in NH and NY.

 

Carrier and Form Number Information: The CruiseCare Travel Insurance Program is underwritten by Stonebridge Casualty Insurance Company, Columbus, Ohio; NAIC # 10952 (all states except as otherwise noted) under Policy/Certificate Form series TAHC5000. In CA, CT, HI, NE, NH, PA, TN, and TX ,Policy/Certificate Form series TAHC5100 and TAHC5200. In IL, IN, KS, LA, OR, OH, VT, WA, and WY, Policy Form #’s TAHC5100IPS and TAHC5200IPS.

 

If you are a resident of one of the following states (IL, IN, KS, LA, OH, OR, VT, WA, or WY), your plan is provided on an individual form. You can request a copy of your policy by calling BerkelyCare at 1-800-453-4090

[elfie]

For us it worked better to buy Trip Insurance from a private company. It included medical/medical evacuation, missed ports, lost/late luggage etc.

[ryano]

It included medical/medical evacuation, missed ports, lost/late luggage etc.

 

So does Cruise Care? :confused:

 

I purchased insurance through RC for the last cruise I was on and also for the upcoming cruise I have in February. I find it fits my needs and is reasonable.

 

The one downside to Cruise Care I have heard people mention is the medi evac coverage is kinda low. My guess is it would cost more than 25 grand to be taken off a ship in a helicopter

[PhoenixCruiser]

Well I was going to ask the OP the total cost and now my question has been answered. :p

 

Thanks Carol!

 

###

[Arizona Laura]

When I had to cancel our Mariner Cruise in May due to illness I had a check in my hands within 3 weeks minus the cost of the travel insurance for DH and myself.

Laura

[dirtgirl]

I was told by a Royal Caribbean representative that purchasing this plan allows for cancellation for at ANY TIME prior to the cruise for ANY REASON. And that if we cancel due to documented unexpected illness, we get back 100% of the cost of the trip. If we cancel for any other reason, we get back 75%. This sounds too good to be true. Is it? Haven't gotten my hands on the fine print yet...

 

 

Yes, that is true, as Carol posted, if your cruise cost (less taxes) is under $500.

 

However, the medical portion of their coverage is extremely low, as it is with all cruise line insurance policies. I recommend getting additional out of country medical from elsewhere. $10,000 would get you a kleenex and a bandaid.:rolleyes:

 

My insurance policy has unlimited medical, but I live in Canada. The US policies always have a limit on them.

[johnrich]

It states it covers airline trip interruption. Does anyone know, if your cruise is delayed getting back into port due to weather (or other acts of God) which causes you to miss your flight, would it cover the 150% then?

[dirtgirl]

It states it covers airline trip interruption. Does anyone know, if your cruise is delayed getting back into port due to weather (or other acts of God) which causes you to miss your flight, would it cover the 150% then?

 

 

Should do - that would be covered by Trip Interruption. Best thing to do would be to go to RCI's website and read exactly what the policy actually covers.

[elfie]

So does Cruise Care? :confused:

 

I purchased insurance through RC for the last cruise I was on and also for the upcoming cruise I have in February. I find it fits my needs and is reasonable.

 

The one downside to Cruise Care I have heard people mention is the medi evac coverage is kinda low. My guess is it would cost more than 25 grand to be taken off a ship in a helicopter

 

Private Trip Insurance for us covers the flights we booked ourselves (not RCI), $100,000 medical evacuation (remember it's to get you back to your home state/provence etc. not just off the ship), $50,000 medical AND most important if while using a private tour operator we miss the ship they will get us to the next port. For a $4,000 cruise (3 people)and independant air/hotel we paid $220 USD.

 

You may want to investigate other options.

[ryano]

 

You may want to investigate other options.

 

It is probably a little late to be doing that for my upcoming cruise but I will certainly keep that in mind for future cruises and hope and pray none of that happens on my upcoming cruise :)

 

Do you mind sharing where you were able to find such good coverage at that price?

 

I paid 59.00 per person through Cruise Care for a cruise that is 1025.00 total.......Your plan seems to only be about 73.00 per person for a much more expensive cruise. I would gladly pay the difference for the better coverage :)

[Jimbo]

It is probably a little late to be doing that for my upcoming cruise but I will certainly keep that in mind for future cruises and hope and pray none of that happens on my upcoming cruise :)

 

Do you mind sharing where you were able to find such good coverage at that price?

 

I paid 59.00 per person through Cruise Care for a cruise that is 1025.00 total.......Your plan seems to only be about 73.00 per person for a much more expensive cruise. I would gladly pay the difference for the better coverage :)

 

May not last long but here it is.

 

insuremytrip.com ..................and compare

 

Jimbo:)

[cruisinfanatic]

Private Trip Insurance for us covers the flights we booked ourselves (not RCI),

RCL Cruise care does too.

[elfie]

It is probably a little late to be doing that for my upcoming cruise but I will certainly keep that in mind for future cruises and hope and pray none of that happens on my upcoming cruise :)

 

Do you mind sharing where you were able to find such good coverage at that price?

 

I paid 59.00 per person through Cruise Care for a cruise that is 1025.00 total.......Your plan seems to only be about 73.00 per person for a much more expensive cruise. I would gladly pay the difference for the better coverage :)

 

Used Travelex Insurance Services

[aggie1]

Check into getting a platium American Express card. Awesome!!

[dirtgirl]

For Canadians, you can get yearly policies that cover unlimited medical, $1500 cancellation, unlimited interruption, baggage loss/delay, flight/travel accident for an unlimited amount of 10-16 day holidays for $209 per person if you're under 60. That is what I have. I love the unlimited medical (which includes emergency evacuation from a ship).

 

Hell of a deal.