NCL insurance

[macfam5]

Do you get the insurance offered through NCL or get your own or double up and get both? 

[GeezerCouple]

27 minutes ago, macfam5 said:

Do you get the insurance offered through NCL or get your own or double up and get both? 

 

Many of us get third party insurance *instead* of paying for any extra NCL coverage.

 

You might want to browse through 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

or ask additional questions there.

 

GC

[roger001]

I only get third party and get it through my TA when she books the cruise.  The premium is about 8% of whatever part of the trip/cruise you wish to insure.  

[sbaker]

We've normally done third party insurance in the past, but there are a few factors that made us choose NCL's coverage for our upcoming cruise.  One is that it also includes a "cancel for any reason" provision, which isn't the case with third party coverage.  In addition to the normal coverage which provides for a refund in case of illness, etc., it also allows you to cancel for any reason and get future crusie credit.  Also, if you buy the NCL coverage and NCL cancels the cruise, you get the cost of the coverage refunded along with the refund of your cruise fare.  This would not be the case with third party insurnace.

[itsnotjustme]

FCC with cancel for any reason is nothing more than NCL is PRESENTLY offering automatically.

[Babr]

6 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

FCC with cancel for any reason is nothing more than NCL is PRESENTLY offering automatically.

But insurance covers other travel and medical risks. 

[GeezerCouple]

38 minutes ago, sbaker said:

We've normally done third party insurance in the past, but there are a few factors that made us choose NCL's coverage for our upcoming cruise.  One is that it also includes a "cancel for any reason" provision, which isn't the case with third party coverage.  In addition to the normal coverage which provides for a refund in case of illness, etc., it also allows you to cancel for any reason and get future crusie credit.  Also, if you buy the NCL coverage and NCL cancels the cruise, you get the cost of the coverage refunded along with the refund of your cruise fare.  This would not be the case with third party insurnace.

[emphasis added]

 

At least some third party insurers do offer CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason).  We always get that type of coverage.  It costs extra, but it also gives back 75% in *cash*.  There's no need to worry about timing or an itinerary on NCL before some deadline runs out, to use credits.  Or one could use it for a non-cruise trip instead if that worked better.

GC

[itsnotjustme]

50 minutes ago, Babr said:

But insurance covers other travel and medical risks. 

I understand that.  But the poster was citing that as a specific benefit of NCL coverage.  I am making the point - under the enhanced Peace of Mind policy - this is available already (for qualifying cruises etc.)

 

 

[swmichigan cruiser]

Our situation is probably different than most. We have a 21 night Encore cruise this coming October and we are using around $6,800 of FCC that will expire by the end of the year and if we would end up canceling this cruise we would lose it so we are doing the NCL insurance with CFAR that would give us 90% in a new FCC that would be good for one year from the date we cancel if past final payment and we planned to get insurance anyhow. We hope to make this cruise as we really like the Encore but this is a good safety valve if we need to cancel. 

[sanger727]

I would not double up. Some people like the essentials insurance because it’s cheap. If I was insurance shopping I would use third party.

[Lottosal65]

2 hours ago, itsnotjustme said:

FCC with cancel for any reason is nothing more than NCL is PRESENTLY offering automatically.

Agreed. We canceled our cruise under Peace of Mind in late December, and received credit for all costs except the insurance. We've rebooked for late March, and won't buy their insurance, at least for this year.

[GeezerCouple]

51 minutes ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

Our situation is probably different than most. We have a 21 night Encore cruise this coming October and we are using around $6,800 of FCC that will expire by the end of the year and if we would end up canceling this cruise we would lose it so we are doing the NCL insurance with CFAR that would give us 90% in a new FCC that would be good for one year from the date we cancel if past final payment and we planned to get insurance anyhow. We hope to make this cruise as we really like the Encore but this is a good safety valve if we need to cancel. 

 

I would ordinarily not even consider NCL insurance for several reasons, but in your situation, it makes very good sense.  WIth 3rd party insurance, the value of the FCC would just go "poof".

 

I don't know why they don't allow it, IF it had been a previously insured cost that they did NOT pay out, so ... the next "use" would/should be covered and if it still isn't used, then it belatedly gets covered... but they didn't ask me!

But then, I somehow thought that if vouchers were not used and then expired, then the insurance would cover the value at that point because you never did get a refund from the vendor. (??). I thought I read about this for airline vouchers...  maybe it was wishful dreaming?

 

GC

[Earthworm Jim]

19 hours ago, itsnotjustme said:

FCC with cancel for any reason is nothing more than NCL is PRESENTLY offering automatically.

 

Yeah, but that "PRESENTLY" you emphasized is a big catch. If I'm understanding the NCL Peace of Mind policy, you can only cancel for any reason through January 31st, 2022. So in 8 days that offering goes away, unless extended.

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, Lottosal65 said:

Agreed. We canceled our cruise under Peace of Mind in late December, and received credit for all costs except the insurance. We've rebooked for late March, and won't buy their insurance, at least for this year.

As long as folks remember the Peace of Mind cancellation end next week for cruises through May. 

[macfam5]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

As long as folks remember the Peace of Mind cancellation end next week for cruises through May.

With the Peace of Mind policy in place, can you cancel anytime up to the sail date on any cruise departing before May if booked before Jan 31st?

[susique]

19 hours ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

Our situation is probably different than most. We have a 21 night Encore cruise this coming October and we are using around $6,800 of FCC that will expire by the end of the year and if we would end up canceling this cruise we would lose it so we are doing the NCL insurance with CFAR that would give us 90% in a new FCC that would be good for one year from the date we cancel if past final payment and we planned to get insurance anyhow. We hope to make this cruise as we really like the Encore but this is a good safety valve if we need to cancel. 

We have the same issue.  Did you verify this someone at NCL?  We cancelled with POM and have rebooked for April.  I have been going back and forth with this issue and could not find anything about this until your post.  Thanks, in advance.

[sbaker]

33 minutes ago, macfam5 said:

With the Peace of Mind policy in place, can you cancel anytime up to the sail date on any cruise departing before May if booked before Jan 31st?

Actually, this is not correct.  Under the NCL's current "Peace of Mind" policy, you can cancel any cruise scheduled through May, but only if canelled by January 31st.  We confirmed this through both NCL and our travel agent.

[swmichigan cruiser]

12 minutes ago, susique said:

We have the same issue.  Did you verify this someone at NCL?  We cancelled with POM and have rebooked for April.  I have been going back and forth with this issue and could not find anything about this until your post.  Thanks, in advance.

Our FCC was from  a cruise we canceled in 2020. I have not talked with anyone at NCL but I did have my TA email what she said so I would have it in writing. You might still want to find someone at NCL that will confirm to you in writing. You can never be to safe.

[macfam5]

15 minutes ago, sbaker said:

Actually, this is not correct.  Under the NCL's current "Peace of Mind" policy, you can cancel any cruise scheduled through May, but only if canelled by January 31st.  We confirmed this through both NCL and our travel agent.

This is why I was asking, our PCC told me something different. I was told as long as we booked before Jan 31st we could cancel our cruise in March a few days before … I guess I’ll be asking again or calling NCL 

[palpieha]

23 minutes ago, macfam5 said:

This is why I was asking, our PCC told me something different. I was told as long as we booked before Jan 31st we could cancel our cruise in March a few days before … I guess I’ll be asking again or calling NCL 

 

I would not call, or believe anything told over the phone. The only thing that you can count on is what is written on NCL's website or the terms they send you with the booking. Here is the current policy:

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/book-with-confidence

 

Under "Enjoy our Flexible Cancellation Policy" (under the picture of a person who appears very happy to be calling NCL to cancel her cruise):

 

"For new and existing bookings made by January 31, 2022, for any voyage with an embarkation date through and including May 31, 2022, guests are free to cancel up to and including January 31, 2022 and get a full refund in the form of a Future Cruise Credit to be used for sailings that embark through December 31, 2022. Additionally, for all cruises departing through April 30, 2022, cancel up to 61 days prior for a full refund. "

 

The conditions are:

- Book by January 31st, 2022

- Cancel by January 31st, 2022

- Get FCC that expires at the end of 2022

 

You do NOT get to cancel on February 1st or after (unless 61 or more days from embarkation, but that's not your case). 

 

Whether they will extend the policy or not at the end of January is anybody's guess, and I wouldn't believe anybody who told me that they will, until I see it in writing.

 

[cruisingrandy]

Found my answer

Edited January 24, 2022 by cruisingrandy

[DaisyGoldberg]

I always mean to shop around for outside insurance, then shrug and get the NCL.

 

I will say that we needed to use it once and it went very smoothly.

 

My mom was going on a cruise with her friend and a week out from the cruise my sister suddenly required emergency surgery, as well as someone to care for her for several weeks at home. My mom was the logical person to do this. We were concerned that since SHE wasn't the sick one the insurance would have a loophole, but they were very good about it - we had to provide my sister's medical paperwork as proof, but I would say the entire amounts were refunded within a month.  And they refunded her friend's share of the cruise as well! (She decided to cancel rather than go alone.) 

 

So we feel that we were well treated and the process was very straightforward and conducted entirely through email in a few exchanges. She had the platinum coverage, which may differ from other levels, of course.

[ClevelandCruisin]

Through the ship is sufficient enough for us.

 

I wouldn't cruise without insurance,  it'll get pricey if anything were to happen.