Help with Travel Claim Insurance and royal Caribbean

[superbeetle9]

We were suppose to leave on the Freedom of the Seas on 8/5/12. Our airplane was delayed almost two and a half hours. Needless to say, when we arrived at Orlando International, I called the royal Caribbean emergency number. They told me that we would not make it to Port Canaveral in time. They told me to wait and call the insurance company when my sailing was due back in port. Well, I called yesterday, and told them the situation. I told them that the emergency team told me I would get 75% back for each room. The insurance company told me that I would not get 75% back, but rather up to $500.00 per person. They said it was not a cancellation, but a delay, that when i left my home airport, that my cruise vacation had started. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?

[6rugrats]

We were suppose to leave on the Freedom of the Seas on 8/5/12. Our airplane was delayed almost two and a half hours. Needless to say, when we arrived at Orlando International, I called the royal Caribbean emergency number. They told me that we would not make it to Port Canaveral in time. They told me to wait and call the insurance company when my sailing was due back in port. Well, I called yesterday, and told them the situation. I told them that the emergency team told me I would get 75% back for each room. The insurance company told me that I would not get 75% back, but rather up to $500.00 per person. They said it was not a cancellation, but a delay, that when i left my home airport, that my cruise vacation had started. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?

Did you have RCI Cruisecare? Have you read carefully through this policy? Your post is yet another illustration of why people should not travel to their cruise the day of departure. You were cutting this really close if a 2.5 hour delay caused you to miss your ship.

 

The insurance company was correct. Your cruise was not cancelled, you just didn't make your sailing. And yes, once you left your home your vacation had started. It appears this policy has Post-Departure Trip Interruption insurance for air (you don't say if you booked independently or if this was cruise air), but this requires you to try to catch up to the ship. Looks like you just turned around and went home

 

I am not that familiar with RCI's insurance, but it does not appear that you are entitled to receive back 75% for each room. RCI's policy does contain a "Any Reason" cruise credit section, which will give you up to 75% of the nonrefundable prepaid cruise vacation cost back in the form of a cruise credit, but it looks like once the ship departs, you are not eligible for this coverage. Did you notify RCI before the ship left?

 

Perhaps someone more familiar with this policy can provide more information.

[cruiseco]

We were suppose to leave on the Freedom of the Seas on 8/5/12. Our airplane was delayed almost two and a half hours. Needless to say, when we arrived at Orlando International, I called the royal Caribbean emergency number. They told me that we would not make it to Port Canaveral in time. They told me to wait and call the insurance company when my sailing was due back in port. Well, I called yesterday, and told them the situation. I told them that the emergency team told me I would get 75% back for each room. The insurance company told me that I would not get 75% back, but rather up to $500.00 per person. They said it was not a cancellation, but a delay, that when i left my home airport, that my cruise vacation had started. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?

 

Did RCI make your air arrangements? And this is assuming that you did not attempt to catch up with the ship.

 

The RCI plan does include a trip interruption benefit in cases of travel delays:

 

"Post-Departure Trip Interruption For Independently Booked Air

We will pay a Post-Departure Trip Interruption Benefit, up to the amount in the Schedule, if: 1) your arrival on your Covered Cruise Vacation is delayed; or . . . . "

 

The benefit limit is 150% of the trip cost insured for cancellation (insure $1000 for cancellation, get $1500 for interruption).

 

Here's what it pays for:

 

"Post-Departure Trip Interruption Benefits For Independently Booked Air

We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for the following: 1) the additional

transportation expenses by the most direct route from the point you interrupted your Covered Cruise Vacation: (a) to the next scheduled destination where you can catch up to your Covered Cruise Vacation; or (b) to the final destination of your Covered Cruise Vacation; 2) the additional transportation expenses incurred by you by the most direct route to reach your original Covered Cruise Vacation destination if you are delayed and leave after the Scheduled Departure Date."

 

Again, assuming you did not attempt to catch up with the ship, neither 1) nor 1a) nor 2) nor 2a) apply to you. So there's nothing for you to collect under the trip interruption benefit.

 

So now you're stuck with the Trip Delay coverage:

 

"Trip Delay

If your Covered Cruise Vacation is delayed, we will reimburse you, up to the amount shown in the Schedule [$500 p/p], for unused land or water travel arrangements, less any refund paid or payable, and reasonable additional expenses incurred by you for hotel accommodations, meals, telephone calls, and economy transportation to catch up to your Cruise Vacation or to return Home. We will not pay benefits for expenses incurred after travel becomes possible."

 

So that's it. If you had attempted to catch up with the ship the trip interruption coverage would have covered the additional transportation expenses needed to meet the ship and a separate travel delay claim would have covered up to $500 p/p to reimburse you for the value of the missed day(s) of the cruise plus the additional expenses listed above.

 

And, yes, your cancellation coverage (a pre-departure only benefit) ended the minute you stepped on that plane, even if the air was booked independently:

 

"“Cruise Vacation” means a trip for which coverage has been elected and the plan payment paid, and

all travel arrangements are arranged by Royal Caribbean International prior to the Scheduled Departure

Date of the trip. Also covered by this definition are any direct round trip air flights booked by others to

and from the scheduled Cruise Vacation departure and return cities, provided the dates of travel are

within 14 total days of the scheduled land tour or cruise dates."

[cruiseco]

Also, in my opinion, if a 2 1/2 hour flight delay will cause you to miss the ship you're cutting it was too close. Insurance or not.

[6rugrats]

Also, in my opinion, if a 2 1/2 hour flight delay will cause you to miss the ship you're cutting it was too close. Insurance or not.

Agree.

 

I looked up this cruise itinerary:

8/5 depart Cape Canaveral

8/6 At sea

8/7 Labadee

8/8 Falmouth

8/9 Grand Cayman

8/10 Cozumel

8/11 At Sea

8/12 Cape Canaveral

 

OP would have needed a passport to fly into Grand Cayman, Mexico, Haiti and Jamaica to try and meet the ship. I wish other people who constantly post that flying in the same day as the ship's departure is fine, would read this thread.

[superbeetle9]

Yes, we did book our air independently. Our original flight was to leave DFW at 7:45am. We didn't make it through security in time, as soon as we got to the gate they shut the door on us, knowing that we were on our way. The main ticket counter called the gate to let them know. The second flight they put us on was to leave at 9:15am, we were on stand-by and did not make that one. The next flight was to leave at 10:20am and arrive at 1:30pm. It was delayed after we had boarded at the gate for over two hours. As soon as I got to Orlando, I called Royal Caribbean's emergency hotline. They are the ones who told me I would get up to 75% credit. So such we were already in Orlando, we went to Disney World.

[cruiseco]

As soon as I got to Orlando, I called Royal Caribbean's emergency hotline. They are the ones who told me I would get up to 75% credit. So such we were already in Orlando, we went to Disney World.

 

The hard lesson here for everyone to learn is that if you want an accurate answer to an insurance question call the insurer. The folks at the cruise line help desk may be able to do a lot of things but if you rely on their advice regarding your insurance you do so at your at your own risk. It shouldn't be that way but it is.

[6rugrats]

Yes, we did book our air independently. Our original flight was to leave DFW at 7:45am. We didn't make it through security in time, as soon as we got to the gate they shut the door on us, knowing that we were on our way. The main ticket counter called the gate to let them know. The second flight they put us on was to leave at 9:15am, we were on stand-by and did not make that one. The next flight was to leave at 10:20am and arrive at 1:30pm. It was delayed after we had boarded at the gate for over two hours. As soon as I got to Orlando, I called Royal Caribbean's emergency hotline. They are the ones who told me I would get up to 75% credit. So such we were already in Orlando, we went to Disney World.

Your first post makes it seem as if the sole reason you missed your sailing was that the airline had a "two and a half hour delay".

 

This additional information states your failure to make your cruise on time was due to you not arriving at DFW with enough time to make your flight. I don't know any insurance policy that will cover failure to allow enough time to get through security lines.

 

Airlines don't hold doors open for late arriving passengers; if you aren't in the gate area ready to board at the stated time, they give your seats away and close the doors. They didn't "shut the door" on you; they have a schedule to keep and other passengers to think about. You were lucky the airline placed you on another flight at no charge.

 

It really doesn't matter what the agent at RCI told you; you weren't covered for this anyway. I am not sure what difference it would have made if you'd spoken directly with the insurance company. Did you have passports with you that would have allowed you to try and catch up with your ship? If not, it changed nothing. You still couldn't have made this cruise. Sorry you will get no payout but the "up to $500 per person". It's better than nothing.

[sirwired]

Hmmm... since the original flight you were scheduled on was not delayed, (only the one you ended up taking) you may not even get the Delayed Trip payout.

[SuzanneSLO]

Hmmm... since the original flight you were scheduled on was not delayed, (only the one you ended up taking) you may not even get the Delayed Trip payout.

 

I would think that if the flight they took would have allowed them to board had it not been delayed, they will be covered for "common carrier delays." If they had not been able to get on any other flight that day, they would not have even been eligible for this benefit. The only exception made in the RCI trip delay coverage for missing a flight is if there is a documented traffic accident on-route to the airport. I have noticed that some insurance policies are not even this lenient and will only cover if you miss a flight due to your own traffic accident.

 

Likeiwse, the RCI policy does not appear to provide any trip interruption benefits, including the costs of meeting the cruise at the next stop, for a missed flight unless you are directly involved a traffic accident on the way to the airport or cruise ship terminal. Airline delays are not covered.

The RCI policy, however, does appear to include “ANY REASON” cruise credits……which provide up to 75% of the non-refundable pre-paid Cruise Vacation Cost, as long as you notify RCI of cancellation prior to the ship's departure. It may be that the OP is entitled to this credit, but not a refund, as the OP said when she called RCI they were told that they "would not make it to Port Canaveral in time," which suggest the ship had not yet departed.

 

Best of luck to the OP -- Suzanne

[cherylandtk]

Suzanne, the any reason coverage time limit for cancellation is based upon on the trip departure, not the ship departure as noted by Cruiseco in post #3 above. The differences are spelled out in the DOC contract.

 

You are probably correct that they are covered for the delay of the flight they did take, but again, because they did not or could not catch up to the ship this is only the $500 trip delay coverage.

 

Sadly, this will be a costly lesson for the OP, but an opportunity for anyone else reading this thread. Everyone needs to read and understand their coverage documents BEFORE something like this occurs to them so you will know your options in advance as well as what financial impact your choices may have.

[pms4104]

If the OP bought their air independently and separate from RCI, then technically the vacation coverage started with the sailing and not with the air departure, delayed, missed, or whatever.

 

Would that have a bearing on how the RCI insurance handles this?

[SuzanneSLO]

Suzanne, the any reason coverage time limit for cancellation is based upon on the trip departure, not the ship departure as noted by Cruiseco in post #3 above. The differences are spelled out in the DOC contract.[snip]

 

You may be right, but the policy is only described in a box on page 2 of the detailed explanation. It says it is provided by RCI. Pages 3-8 of the description detail the coverage provided by Stonebridge.

 

The cancel for any reason credit description specifically provides that notice must be given before the ship departs and is good up until "departure." One could reasonably argue that as long as the notice is timely (before ship's departure), cancellation between the time of departure from your home City and departure of the ship is a non-covered cancellation and thus, eligble for the cruise credit. -- Suzanne

[happy cruzer]

Did RCI make your air arrangements? And this is assuming that you did not attempt to catch up with the ship.

 

The RCI plan does include a trip interruption benefit in cases of travel delays:

 

"Post-Departure Trip Interruption For Independently Booked Air

We will pay a Post-Departure Trip Interruption Benefit, up to the amount in the Schedule, if: 1) your arrival on your Covered Cruise Vacation is delayed; or . . . . "

 

The benefit limit is 150% of the trip cost insured for cancellation (insure $1000 for cancellation, get $1500 for interruption).

 

Here's what it pays for:

 

"Post-Departure Trip Interruption Benefits For Independently Booked Air

We will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule, for the following: 1) the additional

transportation expenses by the most direct route from the point you interrupted your Covered Cruise Vacation: (a) to the next scheduled destination where you can catch up to your Covered Cruise Vacation; or (b) to the final destination of your Covered Cruise Vacation; 2) the additional transportation expenses incurred by you by the most direct route to reach your original Covered Cruise Vacation destination if you are delayed and leave after the Scheduled Departure Date."

 

Again, assuming you did not attempt to catch up with the ship, neither 1) nor 1a) nor 2) nor 2a) apply to you. So there's nothing for you to collect under the trip interruption benefit.

 

So now you're stuck with the Trip Delay coverage:

 

"Trip Delay

If your Covered Cruise Vacation is delayed, we will reimburse you, up to the amount shown in the Schedule [$500 p/p], for unused land or water travel arrangements, less any refund paid or payable, and reasonable additional expenses incurred by you for hotel accommodations, meals, telephone calls, and economy transportation to catch up to your Cruise Vacation or to return Home. We will not pay benefits for expenses incurred after travel becomes possible."

 

So that's it. If you had attempted to catch up with the ship the trip interruption coverage would have covered the additional transportation expenses needed to meet the ship and a separate travel delay claim would have covered up to $500 p/p to reimburse you for the value of the missed day(s) of the cruise plus the additional expenses listed above.

 

And, yes, your cancellation coverage (a pre-departure only benefit) ended the minute you stepped on that plane, even if the air was booked independently:

 

"“Cruise Vacation” means a trip for which coverage has been elected and the plan payment paid, and

all travel arrangements are arranged by Royal Caribbean International prior to the Scheduled Departure

Date of the trip. Also covered by this definition are any direct round trip air flights booked by others to

and from the scheduled Cruise Vacation departure and return cities, provided the dates of travel are

within 14 total days of the scheduled land tour or cruise dates."

 

so what if the Op called and was told that she could not or should not catch up with cruise? Is it still a delay?

 

Also was this delay long enough to meet the plan's requirements?

 

I'm thinking that I would just take the 500 each because I would be afraid of getting nothing since I missed the first flight. I hope the OP comes back with the resolution.

[6rugrats]

so what if the Op called and was told that she could not or should not catch up with cruise? Is it still a delay?

I am not sure an ins. Company would advise you to not try to catch up with your cruise, and OP apparently didn't speak with the carrier. OP could have flown and caught up to the ship at almost every one of these ports. Failure to have a passport (and OP has never said if they had one or not) is not the responsibility of the ins. company.

[Jade13]

If this is the same as the Celebrity Policy I have looked into this exact scenario as we have flown in the same day as our cruise two times and I knew it was a risk we could miss the ship. I specifically took the policy on these Caribbean cruises because of the 75% back in cruise credit. (And yes, I don't think it's the best idea, but these were a 3 night and a 4 night and only way we could fit it into our schedule).

 

You would receive 75% back in cruise credit if you canceled the trip before departure. I'm almost certain you were suppose to contact Berkley Care that day as they are the administrator.

 

With any trip delay there a specific limit and if you missed your ship because of a 2.5 hour delay that is cutting it way too close. Most have at least a 6 hour delay requirement. It makes sense so the insurance company isn't paying out on people who schedule a flight to arrive at 1:00PM with a 4:00PM departure.

 

I need to look at the policy again because I thought you had until the time the ship departed to make that cancelation. That is what I was told when I asked previously. Otherwise people who live by the port have an advantage if their coverage does not start until a couple of hours before departure if they drive to the port verses someone who left that morning (or the day before).

 

Did you get the name of the person that you spoke to at RCCL?