Jim_Iain – Silhouette Live Post April 8, 21, 30 - B3B - TransAtlantic, Portugal Spain, France and the Norwegian Fjords

[venicecruiser]

You could always book another cruise in the very near future!  August seems like a long time to wait!

 

Claudia

[snowballs mom]

Jim, I would like to thank you for the tip regarding Chase Sapphire cards and travel insurance coverage. Their card fee was far less than the cost of the premium for the amount of trip cancelation insurance I would have otherwise purchased for our upcoming cruises (we cover our medical/evacuation with a yearly plan).

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, venicecruiser said:

You could always book another cruise in the very near future!  August seems like a long time to wait!

 

Claudia

 

I have to say it is nice being home but always up for an adventure.     We have friends coming from Australia for a visit next week  so guess we have to stick around.   Incredible how fast the new cruises are coming on.   I've made final payment on two of them and just got a good reduction on the third before final payment  

 

Only 76 days before we fly to the East Coast -

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, snowballs mom said:

Jim, I would like to thank you for the tip regarding Chase Sapphire cards and travel insurance coverage. Their card fee was far less than the cost of the premium for the amount of trip cancelation insurance I would have otherwise purchased for our upcoming cruises (we cover our medical/evacuation with a yearly plan).

Curious as to which Medial/Evacuation coverage you have.    My policies are up for renewal.   I've been using MediJet and GeoBlue for Medical.

 

By the way -- make sure you get Global Entry which they pay for.  When we arrived San Francisco  the had a lane for Diplomats and Global Entry took less than 5 minutes to clear. 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[snowballs mom]

10 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Curious as to which Medial/Evacuation coverage you have.    My policies are up for renewal.   I've been using MediJet and GeoBlue for Medical.

 

By the way -- make sure you get Global Entry which they pay for.  When we arrived San Francisco  the had a lane for Diplomats and Global Entry took less than 5 minutes to clear. 

 

 

This past year I used C&F Travel Insured multi-trip protector. Their basic plan covers up to $100,000 in evacuation, but there is an option to increase it to $400,000. They also have an option to add on 14 days of quarantine coverage, which I took for our fall and winter cruises. We have our medical coverage through Kaiser, and they will reimburse for urgent/emergency care overseas, but I do like having some extra coverage on a travel-specific policy.

[terrydtx]

49 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

By the way -- make sure you get Global Entry which they pay for.  When we arrived San Francisco  they had a lane for Diplomats and Global Entry took less than 5 minutes to clear

I second the Global entry, only $15 more than TSA precheck for 5 years. Worth every penny.

[NBliving]

@Jim_IainI may have missed you posting about this (or maybe it hasn't happened yet), but would you comment when you receive any compensation from Celebrity?  I imagine it will take a while, but would like to have an idea.  My DH is waiting on it from our May 6th Equinox cruise and he doesn't usually deal with our travel arrangements so he is wondering why it's taking so long to hear back...

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, NBliving said:

@Jim_IainI may have missed you posting about this (or maybe it hasn't happened yet), but would you comment when you receive any compensation from Celebrity?  I imagine it will take a while, but would like to have an idea.  My DH is waiting on it from our May 6th Equinox cruise and he doesn't usually deal with our travel arrangements so he is wondering why it's taking so long to hear back...

I didn't get around to filing until Monday.    I was able to get through in about 5 minutes and forwarded my claim.   The agent was very efficient.   He said the Port and Taxes had already been refunded to the original credit cards (he had 3 listed I don't know why but will have to check to see  when they show up).

 

The also executed a credit for the 1 day I was in quarantine on the ship.   They even prorated the Bid I had for the upgrade.    He also processed my full refund of the cancelled cruise.

 

Next he went through my receipts -   He covered our Car Rental and AirBnB for 5 days.   Explained that they only covered 5 days regardless of the number of days you continue to test positive.   I'm ok with that.   They also covered up to actual expenses of food and drink for 5 days.  

 

All in all I think they handled it quickly and efficiently.    For those that don't know the rules on what Celebrity Cover changed on May 1 so my experience may be different from others.

[Babr]

On 5/21/2022 at 1:52 PM, snowballs mom said:

Jim, I would like to thank you for the tip regarding Chase Sapphire cards and travel insurance coverage. Their card fee was far less than the cost of the premium for the amount of trip cancelation insurance I would have otherwise purchased for our upcoming cruises (we cover our medical/evacuation with a yearly plan).

Be aware of the pre-existing conditions provision and whether it applies to you. Also know that the trip interruption and trip delay provisions would have been of little use in this situation. If Celebrity had not reimbursed for the five days of expenses, there would have been no other coverage.

[Jim_Iain]

17 minutes ago, Babr said:

Be aware of the pre-existing conditions provision and whether it applies to you. Also know that the trip interruption and trip delay provisions would have been of little use in this situation. If Celebrity had not reimbursed for the five days of expenses, there would have been no other coverage.

You are correct.   I have other coverage but I really don't think I'm out much if any.   We basically got a free vacation for 5 days.    We were already planning on 10 days in Scotland at the end of the cruise so all of our flights remained the same.    We did pay for a place in Scotland for 5 days but that was our choice to make sure we didn't infect any of our uninitiated young relatives.

 

Not sure if Pre-Existing Conditions would apply becuse we had neither one been infected in the past.   On many policies a Covid Exemption might be an issue for some.

 

I honestly fee we are whole and were given an opportunity to find an area of England we had never even hear of.   I did feel guilty filing food receipts from Stonehenge and Osborne House but it fell under the 5 days they covered.    Maybe we should have eaten better.   LOL

[Babr]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

You are correct.   I have other coverage but I really don't think I'm out much if any.   We basically got a free vacation for 5 days.    We were already planning on 10 days in Scotland at the end of the cruise so all of our flights remained the same.    We did pay for a place in Scotland for 5 days but that was our choice to make sure we didn't infect any of our uninitiated young relatives.

 

Not sure if Pre-Existing Conditions would apply becuse we had neither one been infected in the past.   On many policies a Covid Exemption might be an issue for some.

 

I honestly fee we are whole and were given an opportunity to find an area of England we had never even hear of.   I did feel guilty filing food receipts from Stonehenge and Osborne House but it fell under the 5 days they covered.    Maybe we should have eaten better.   LOL

Yes, you were fortunate that your positive test came when it did. Glad you were able to enjoy your trip with little disruption. I always enjoy reading about your adventures and seeing your pictures.

 

My comment was intended for people who may not have looked very closely at the Chase benefits and think that they will replace a comprehensive travel policy. While they probably are the most generous offered by a credit card, they do have significant limitations.

 

For example, the pre-existing conditions provision refers to anything already in your medical history. Even if something is controlled by a prescription taken regularly,  a change in that prescription that causes the condition to become unstable and results in trip cancellation would result in claim denial. The same is true of any other symptom for which you received treatment, any previous diagnosis, just about anything pre-existing - meaning before the first deposit on the trip.

 

It does not have anything to do with Covid. It applies to your medical history as it impacts cancellation, or in the case of a comprehensive policy, medical treatment for that condition during the trip. That is why most people disregard the term. They don’t realize it may actually refer to them and could have a significant impact.

 

As for other features of the card, trip interruption will pay for unused portions of the trip, but there is no provision for return transportation unlike standard travel policies. The trip delay provision is only $500 for common carrier delay. Again, it would not apply to delay caused by a Covid test nor would it be nearly enough to make any difference.

 

There are some odds and ends like rental car coverage or baggage delay. Even the evacuation coverage is questionable because it is secondary to any other insurance you may have, but Chase must make the arrangements if you want them to pay any part. Awkward.

 

Chase coverage may be satisfactory for some people, but my concern is that people understand what it is before they rely on it. You were made whole because you did not have to look to Chase to reimburse the expenses covered by Celebrity.

 

[Jim_Iain]

5 minutes ago, Babr said:

Yes, you were fortunate that your positive test came when it did. Glad you were able to enjoy your trip with little disruption. I always enjoy reading about your adventures and seeing your pictures.

 

My comment was intended for people who may not have looked very closely at the Chase benefits and think that they will replace a comprehensive travel policy. While they probably are the most generous offered by a credit card, they do have significant limitations.

 

For example, the pre-existing conditions provision refers to anything already in your medical history. Even if something is controlled by a prescription taken regularly,  a change in that prescription that causes the condition to become unstable and results in trip cancellation would result in claim denial. The same is true of any other symptom for which you received treatment, any previous diagnosis, just about anything pre-existing - meaning before the first deposit on the trip.

 

It does not have anything to do with Covid. It applies to your medical history as it impacts cancellation, or in the case of a comprehensive policy, medical treatment for that condition during the trip. That is why most people disregard the term. They don’t realize it may actually refer to them and could have a significant impact.

 

As for other features of the card, trip interruption will pay for unused portions of the trip, but there is no provision for return transportation unlike standard travel policies. The trip delay provision is only $500 for common carrier delay. Again, it would not apply to delay caused by a Covid test nor would it be nearly enough to make any difference.

 

There are some odds and ends like rental car coverage or baggage delay. Even the evacuation coverage is questionable because it is secondary to any other insurance you may have, but Chase must make the arrangements if you want them to pay any part. Awkward.

 

Chase coverage may be satisfactory for some people, but my concern is that people understand what it is before they rely on it. You were made whole because you did not have to look to Chase to reimburse the expenses covered by Celebrity.

 

I really don't depend on Chase Sapphire much.   Most of our cruises lately have been far above their current protection levels.

 

We are lucky that we don't have any per-existing conditions except high cholesterol.    

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I really don't depend on Chase Sapphire much.   Most of our cruises lately have been far above their current protection levels.

 

We are lucky that we don't have any per-existing conditions except high cholesterol.    

True. Even the cancellation provision is inadequate for the kind of trips you take. The travel benefits of the card provide a few perks, but it is just that - one of many incentives included in the cost of the annual fee.

 

I just did not want others to get the impression that it is a viable replacement for a comprehensive travel policy. It is not nor was it designed to be.

[snowballs mom]

2 minutes ago, Babr said:

True. Even the cancellation provision is inadequate for the kind of trips you take. The travel benefits of the card provide a few perks, but it is just that - one of many incentives included in the cost of the annual fee.

 

I just did not want others to get the impression that it is a viable replacement for a comprehensive travel policy. It is not nor was it designed to be.

Personally, I purchase an annual multi-trip policy for the medical/quarantine/evacuation coverage. It is inexpensive and covers trip interruption as well. However, the trip cancellation add-on is quite expensive for the same coverage included by Chase with their entry-level fee card. It all depends on people's individual needs - for some of us it is a logical alternative.

[Babr]

1 minute ago, snowballs mom said:

Personally, I purchase an annual multi-trip policy for the medical/quarantine/evacuation coverage. It is inexpensive and covers trip interruption as well. However, the trip cancellation add-on is quite expensive for the same coverage included by Chase with their entry-level fee card. It all depends on people's individual needs - for some of us it is a logical alternative.

Indeed - as long as the pre-existing condition provision does not apply to you.

[snowballs mom]

1 minute ago, Babr said:

Indeed - as long as the pre-existing condition provision does not apply to you.

Hopefully people realize that, if they do have a pre-existing condition, the timing of their insurance purchase is key. Not all "comprehensive" policies have pre-existing condition waivers, and those that do usually have to be purchased within a certain timeframe from booking.

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, snowballs mom said:

Hopefully people realize that, if they do have a pre-existing condition, the timing of their insurance purchase is key. Not all "comprehensive" policies have pre-existing condition waivers, and those that do usually have to be purchased within a certain timeframe from booking.

Yes, but at least it is available. At that point, credit card coverage may be too big a gamble. The key is to understand what constitutes a pre-existing condition. Those who may be less familiar with travel insurance than you are tend to dismiss the idea that it could apply to them.

[Jim_Iain]

On the positive side.   All the cruise we have remaining this year are all covered by the Cruise With Confidence cancellation provisions.  

 

At this point testing positive when we did we are feeling pretty good about  our health and are now at the recommendation of our doctors are going to get our Booster 3 weeks prior to out Aug 8 Cruises..   I'll still be bringing along a number of self tests as well as my point and shoot thermometer and oximeter.    Will Celebrity probably won't be testing for B2B I think we will still self test at least weekly. 

[Alushar]

On 5/19/2022 at 9:46 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We initially tested negative around 5.   Just before heading to Scotland we tested again and both of us started testing positive again and  I tested positive until day 12.   Was really strange the second line as not a bright Positive but a pink line that  was definitely a positive.  I tested with Navica and the line was full positive.    I spoke with doctor and he said that under UK protocol after 5 days you are considered not infectious but could get the COR at 11 days after first positive test.  

 

We just thought it would be safer not not deal with a potential positive test and got them.   They can be used to enter the U.S. for the next 90 days without having to be tested again.

 

 

Glad to hear that you are both back safely and, of course planning again.

 

So good you found Lymington there are gems all over Britain slightly off the beaten track but lovely none the less.

 

What was really interesting was your description of your test progression. I tested positive and 5 days later tested negative and stayed so. Sharon tested positive and 6 days later negative for days 6,7 and 8 but then positive with a faint line from later day 8 to 12 which included our testing date for joining you on the Silhouette for the France/Spain leg! Very strange and she was very happy to hear that she wasn't alone in this strange progression!

[Jim_Iain]

17 minutes ago, Alushar said:

Glad to hear that you are both back safely and, of course planning again.

 

So good you found Lymington there are gems all over Britain slightly off the beaten track but lovely none the less.

 

What was really interesting was your description of your test progression. I tested positive and 5 days later tested negative and stayed so. Sharon tested positive and 6 days later negative for days 6,7 and 8 but then positive with a faint line from later day 8 to 12 which included our testing date for joining you on the Silhouette for the France/Spain leg! Very strange and she was very happy to hear that she wasn't alone in this strange progression!

It was really weird to test positive again after testing negative.   We continued to test positive through day 12 but the line was really light pink and each day got a little lighter. 

 

I've also read recently that a common factor from those that take Paxlovid they are testing positive again at about day 5-6

[GottaKnowWhen]

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

It was really weird to test positive again after testing negative.   We continued to test positive through day 12 but the line was really light pink and each day got a little lighter. 

 

I've also read recently that a common factor from those that take Paxlovid they are testing positive again at about day 5-6

It has been happening with me! I was still a faint pink 15 days after starting Paxlovid. Which led to cruise cancellation. Haven’t checked again since then.

Stan

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

It has been happening with me! I was still a faint pink 15 days after starting Paxlovid. Which led to cruise cancellation. Haven’t checked again since then.

Stan

Sorry to hear Stan.

 

In retrospect. I wish we had paid a bit more and gotten a PCR test while we were testing positive and then using the COR acceptable by Celebrity for 9 months from positive.   The antigen COR is only good for 3 months for entry into the U.S.

[GottaKnowWhen]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

Sorry to hear Stan.

 

In retrospect. I wish we had paid a bit more and gotten a PCR test while we were testing positive and then using the COR acceptable by Celebrity for 9 months from positive.   The antigen COR is only good for 3 months for entry into the U.S.

I cannot be certain of the timing, but I believe I have you to thank. Your discussions (and probably others’) alerted me to the whole COR process. Our sequence was: she was exposed, Saturday, started heavy coughing Tuesday, I had a sore throat Thursday. Ah ha! We are sick! Home test, we were definitely positive. Friday, off to local Urgent Care. Two requests. - Paxlovid prescription please, and a PCR test to verify/document our condition. Done and done. So we have a COR good for 90 days? Nine months?

Stan

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

I cannot be certain of the timing, but I believe I have you to thank. Your discussions (and probably others’) alerted me to the whole COR process. Our sequence was: she was exposed, Saturday, started heavy coughing Tuesday, I had a sore throat Thursday. Ah ha! We are sick! Home test, we were definitely positive. Friday, off to local Urgent Care. Two requests. - Paxlovid prescription please, and a PCR test to verify/document our condition. Done and done. So we have a COR good for 90 days? Nine months?

Stan

If you had a PCR my understanding is you are good for both 90 Days and 9 Months.

 

90 Days from PCR DATE to enter the US  and 9 Months to be used for pre-testing on Celebrity.

 

It was funny -  When we tested positive they sent us a link to pick up a prescription at either a CVS or Walgreens.    Kinda difficult when your not in the U.S.   Luckily we didn't need it as we were very mild.

[Lastdance]

On 5/26/2022 at 9:35 AM, Jim_Iain said:

It was really weird to test positive again after testing negative.   We continued to test positive through day 12 but the line was really light pink and each day got a little lighter. 

 

I've also read recently that a common factor from those that take Paxlovid they are testing positive again at about day 5-6

I read that it was 1-2%.  Would love the research on those individuals to see if there was a correlation as to why this happened.  It certainly matters if you are the one testing positive again!

Edited May 27, 2022 by Lastdance