Good News in my cruise documents re cruise care insurance.

[flashdog_1]

I'd never noticed it before, but these documents say that independently booked air is covered, as well as the cruise, for cruise cancelation or interruption!

 

With Delta's pilots' decision still up in the air, and we don't know what to expect in January, it says unscheduled strikes are covered. But if they schedule one then maybe we're out of luck. Continency plan is to drive to the port 11 hours yuk.

[bob278]

That's really interesting. When I asked my TA about doing that, she said it could not be done. Her explanation was that the cruise line would only accept an amount equal to what was charged to them (cruise fare, pre/post-cruise hotel, air, etc.). If we did not get the air through them, then we could not simply add $700-800 to the amount purchased to get coverage.

 

What she did tell me was that, if we missed the ship, we did have some coverage for "catch-up". Could that be what is referred to in your documents or does it imply that if you cancelled (for a covered reason - it ALWAYS says that, doesn't it?) you would get reimbursed for the cruise fare AND air fare?

 

Does the amount of insurance you have equal the cruise plus air?

 

An alternative contingency plan is to buy a refundable ticket on another aitrline. The only downside is that you would have a balance on the credit card for a month or two. But if you have good service at your airport of choice, you could wait until about a month before to buy it and then cancel the day of flight and maybe avoid any interest charges.

[flashdog_1]

That's really interesting. When I asked my TA about doing that, she said it could not be done. Her explanation was that the cruise line would only accept an amount equal to what was charged to them (cruise fare, pre/post-cruise hotel, air, etc.). If we did not get the air through them, then we could not simply add $700-800 to the amount purchased to get coverage.

 

What she did tell me was that, if we missed the ship, we did have some coverage for "catch-up". Could that be what is referred to in your documents or does it imply that if you cancelled (for a covered reason - it ALWAYS says that, doesn't it?) you would get reimbursed for the cruise fare AND air fare?

 

Does the amount of insurance you have equal the cruise plus air?

 

An alternative contingency plan is to buy a refundable ticket on another aitrline. The only downside is that you would have a balance on the credit card for a month or two. But if you have good service at your airport of choice, you could wait until about a month before to buy it and then cancel the day of flight and maybe avoid any interest charges.

 

What you have said is exactly what my TA said, too. The whole document is much too long to type out here but here's what the opening page says:

 

CC cancellation penalty waiver program...cruise cedits if you cancel for any reason other than the usual sickness etc.

 

CC travel insur. program provides coverage for independently booked air, accident and sickness medical benefits, evacuation, baggage protection and much more.

 

CC world wide emergency asst. program=24 hr srvice provided by On call Inernational.

 

Then skipping over to the 4th page there is a table describing 3 different conditions for claims:

 

Description of Coverages

 

Part A Travel arrangement protection

Trip cancellation for Independently Booked Air Up to total original airfare cost

 

Trip interruption for independently booked air up to 150% of total original airfare cost

 

Trip delay $500

 

Like I said, i had never seen these benefits listed before. I'd have thought, like your TA, that the total you paid for the cruise was as much as your total coverage would be. But since it covers you from the time you leave your home on the day of departure until the time you arrive back at your home after the cruise, it makes sense. NO WHERE IN THE 7 PAGES DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE CRUISE BEING THE LIMIT OF COVERAGE. It just talks about insuring your independently booked air.

 

Cruise Care would probably have to duke it out with Delta in the event of a strike and I can see it taking forever to resolve, but there is something in print to go on, anyway.

[bob278]

Thanks, Phyllis.

 

That sure reads like complete coverage. Just curious, you had to list an amount in order to get a quote for the premium. Did you include your airfare? If not, is the the world's first case of getting something for nothing?

 

I would strongly prefer the cruiseline insurance if it covered the air because it is cheaper than outside insurance. At least it is when you get over 55 since most policies are age-based. I also like the 75% credit for canceling for no reason at all.

 

My credit card covers the real weakness in the cruiseline's policy of a low medical evacuation benefit so if this is the new wave, I'm a really happy camper.

[GoVolsTB]

Bob.....What credit card do you have that covers medical evacuation? I was not aware of any card that covers it.

[bob278]

Terri,

 

The standard American Express Platinum card has that benefit.

 

This link shows that the Platinum card comes with Premium Global Assist. https://www124.americanexpress.com/cards/platinum/benefits.jsp#travel

 

This link shows that Premium Global Assist pays the cost.

https://www124.americanexpress.com/cards/loyalty.do?page=globalassist.benefits

The card is a bit expensive, but my company pays a part of the cost and there are some extra benefits such as access to airport clubs for several airlines.

 

In my mind, the insurance has two major components. The cancellation and emergency medical. I can save about $100 a cruise for the two of us by getting insurance that covers the cancellation but has a pretty low emergency medical feature. Since we take 2 cruises a year, that pays for most of the cost of the card by itself.

 

The total of the benefits and company help made this an easy decision for me, but you need to consider the cost-benefits for yourself.

[flashdog_1]

I did not have to list any value for the insurance. It is what Celebrity offers, Cruise Care. I did independent air for $125 less than Celebrity was charging for air/cruise. Yet the cruise documents say, as in the above post, that independent air is included (since you are covered from the time you leave home until you return home if it is on the same day of the cruise). It was the first time I'd seen it listed. Anyone else just receive Celebrity documents and see this in theirs?

 

I don't think it had anything to do with using my Celebrity Rewards Amex card to purchase the cruise. It was just a part of Cruise Care.

[bob278]

Phyliss,

 

This is beginning to really intrigue me. Here is a link to the pdf file that is basically the contract. It is crystal clear that they provide some coverage for independent air. But I am wondering about the phrase "up to the amount in the schedule".

http://www.celebrity.com/pdf/insurance/cruise_care_060105.pdf

 

That is where I think they cover themselves. In my opinion (and I am NOT a lawyer), the schedule is the cruise value that was used to determine your premium. Here is the table from the Celebrity web site.

 

Cruise Cost..... CruiseCare

$ 0 - $500……….... $29

$ 501 - $1,000….…$59

$1,001 - $1,500…. $79

$1,501 - $2,000…. $109

$2,001 - $2,500…. $139

$2,501 - $3,000…. $179

$3,001 - $3,500…. $209

$3,501 - $4,000…. $259

$4,001 - $4,500…. $299

$4,501 - $5,000…. $329

 

For example, if your cruise cost was $400 per person, then your premium would be $29 p/p. If you had to cancel, I think the maximum they would pay for any cruise/air would be $400 since that is what you bought (although a case might be made for up to $400 - but if the cruise was $400, that wouldn't leave much for air).

 

When I talked to my TA, I wanted to declare a cost that included air. In my case, the cruise was $920 and the air was right at $350. The premium would have been $59 for just the cruise and $79 for everything and that's what I was willing to pay, but they wouldn't accept it.

 

Check out what you were charged for your insurance against the table and see how much coverage you have. I am still skeptical that it would cover air since this is looking too good to be true. But boy, the document is clear that it covers SOMETHING.

[cruiseco]

 

That is where I think they cover themselves. In my opinion (and I am NOT a lawyer), the schedule is the cruise value that was used to determine your premium. Here is the table from the Celebrity web site.

 

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Go to the plan information and scroll down to the policy's list of defined terms. You'll see that "Schedule" as used in the document refers to the schedule of benefits, not to the trip cost/premium table.

[bob278]

It says that schedule is the "benefit schedule shown on the certificate for each plan participant".

 

I don't have my last one, but I am pretty confident that it would be the amount that was used to base the premium on (in other words, the "declared" cost of cruise or cruise + cruise air). Otherwise, they could take a beating on the air.

 

As an extreme example, say I book an inside cabin for a Med cruise for $1,100 per person and fly over in first class at a cost of $4,000. If I am to believe what the document implies (and Oh how I'd like to believe it), I would pay $79 for the insurance and if I cancel (for a covered reason), would they pay me $5,100? After all, the description of coverage says that cancellation coverage for the airfare is "up to total original airfare cost". I just can't see how that is true.

 

I do not doubt a word flashdog and cruiseco are saying, but I am a real skeptic when it comes to insurance companies. And to tell the truth, I am enjoying the dialog here. Nobody's gotten mad at anyone and started flaming.

[flashdog_1]

That is the exact reason I initially posted. It sounded too good to be true, but there it was in my documents.

 

Why would they even MENTION the contract covering independent air if it were based merely on the cost of the cruise?

 

There were a few paragraphs concerning "enhanced" service, and this seemed to be one of the new things.

 

Are other people who are just now receiving documents reading these paragraphs? I know they didn't make a book for me exclusively!

[ocngypz]

The best thing to do is to call the insurance company.

 

It is pretty standard in the insurance industry to add all prepaid costs including air to determine your policy premium.