jclinard

You've missed the point. I've pulled up the last policy I bought. The first item is regarding losing baggage. Everything I really need (medical equipment / prescriptions, electronics) is in my carry on. The cash value of my clothing isn't very high. The bigger problem would be replacing the items, but they don't offer a personal shopper to do so. The second item is baggage delay. Same issues. The third and fourth items relate to medical and medical transport. I've repeatedly stated that medical insurance should be purchased. The fifth and sixth item is trip delay coverage / trip interruption. Most of the qualifying events are not applicable, such as being called to military duty. Delays aren't really a concern as I always travel a few days in advance of sailing. Certain disasters / terrorism / war from the port of embarkation is likely to have the cruise canceled, in which case I can collect a refund (for both air and sea travel) from the cruise line (I learned to use their air services to cove this) Death is unimportant as I don't need the money if I'm dead. Sickness / injury, unhabitable house, or theft of passports are the remaining items that are would be covered. The latter is unlikely as I keep my passport in a secure place. I live in an area that has a low risk of natural disasters. This pretty much leaves sickness / injury, or getting in a car wreck on my way to the airport. My next planned trip has total cost of around $8,000, including airfare, cruise cost, and pre-booked hotel. That would be the limit of my loss in the event I'm too sick or injured to travel. I can afford that. If I'm too sick or injured to travel, I wouldn't relish the thought of trying to file an insurance claim when I'm in that condition either.

I would prefer to not insure the costs of items with limits on the losses. Losses from air transport, hotel rooms, and cruises are limited to the amount I paid (or, generally, prepaid). Given the difficulty in collecting (I read the policies and came to the conclusion that they'd pay if I died, but in that case I would not need the money, and my heirs would not know to collect), but there are almost no other ways to collect. Medical is different.

My parents ran into this with a Canadian hospital that did not want to provide itemized bills for insurance. They disputed the charges with their credit card company. It was funny how not getting paid spurred them into getting an itemized bill. I suspect that is your best course of action.

I was on this tour, and it's actually one of the few ship tours I've been extremely disappointed with in my 25 years plus of cruising. It was poorly organized, the tour guide wasn't all that great, and the bus seats made airline coach seems seem roomy. The film was good. Almost everything else wasn't. I wish I had seen this beforehand and I'd have gone on a different excursion.

I just got off Radiance yesterday and loved Samba Grill.

After a bad experience, I fully read the policies and found there are few ways to actually collect. Death is one of the easiest ways, but I won't need the money if that happens, and my heirs will not know to collect. I prefer to not insure any part of a trip that has a fixed amount of loss (air and cruise tickets, prepaid expenses, etc.). I doubt if I could collect anyway, and I can afford the losses. Medical issues are a different matter. I want health coverage, as those expenses can be major. As always, I urge people to only listen to people who know what color the insurance company prints their checks on. Only a fool takes a recommendation from people who are basing it on nothing more than how quickly the insurance company cashed the check for the coverage.

I think I'm reading it perfectly. The fact remains, intentions aside, they are doing it, and that point isn't up for debate. If it's inevitable they yank the perks once too many people get them, then that's really a point in favor of my argument, not yours. Posted 5 hours ago You're reading to much into it. And FWIW, I really don't think they set it up with intentions to change it. Just trying to tame the monster. Also, as I recall Delta used to offer lounge access to upper medallion members, and had to eventually drop it. It's inevitable

"There are other cruise lines out there. Perhaps they would be a better fit for you?" I'm not married to RCI. I'm Elite on Princess, though I haven't sailed with them since 2020 (on one of the last cruises before the shutdown). I prefer Royal Caribbean, but as I've penciled in Australia for January 2024, I may very well select a Princess cruise. I haven't decided on summer 2024 yet, but I'm willing to be more flexible with the cruise lines. I'm more open to NCL as my biggest issue was them was with their dining. They have no idea how to handle solo passengers, but the concept of shared tables seems to have vanished and I've eaten alone on all the RCI cruises since it returned, I'm not holding that against NCL anymore.

Simple. A bone-fide loyalty program has perks they intend to honor as people hit those levels. A marketing ploy has perks they intended to pull once people start reaching that level. As RCI has pulled back on or eliminated perks as people have started hitting loyalty levels, I'm reconsidering the value of defaulting to a Royal Caribbean cruise. What would be the point of chasing the 340 point level to get reduced single supplement fees (which is of far more interest to me than most off the other perks) only to hit that level and having RCI discontinue that perk due to the increased ranks of the 340 level.

Except that it appears RCI is going to yank benefits when too many people hit levels. Waving a perk chart at you to show what you can get for being loyal then cutting them when enough people hit the milestone makes me question if it is a bona-fide loyalty program or just a marketing ploy.

I'm also a solo, and the 340-level supplement discount is one of the best perks out there for me, especially as I don't drink alcohol. That's why RCI dropping perks as the numbers climb concerns me. Working towards 340 and then having the single supplement benefit pulled because too many people are hitting this unofficial level would feel like a severe slap to the face.

That doesn't make it better. I can't see chasing 340 or Pinnacle if their policy is to remove the perks as more people become eligible for them.

I just made Diamond Plus last year, with an extra effort to sail with them. I'm not so much concerned about the impact of this perk being dropped as much as what it implies for the future. If they are moving the goalposts like this once they have too many passengers in a category, I'm not going to be making RCI my brand of choice to get to 340 points. My gut tells me that they'll pull back on the single supplement benefit and cheers / meal with officers as I approach that mark, and kick them to Pinnacle. Same with Pinnacle. I expect them to drop benefits as more people hit that mark. I'm not going to be Charlie Brown trying to kick the football if RCI is going to be Lucy yanking it away. I'll look into doing more sailings on other lines.

Open a case with the Better Business Bureau. I had to drag Expedia through them to get a refund for flights. Twice. The first time they agreed I was entitled to a refund and said they would issue one. The second one a few months later, when they hadn't issued it, and I told the BBB they had operated in bad faith in the resolution. They didn't want to explain why they lied to the BBB, so they issued the refund.

Why would I need medical coverage on a trip cancelation? If I have to cancel a trip due to medical reasons, I'd get treatment on my health insurance and only be limited to losses from prepaid expenses (including airfare and cruise costs). I only would require medical insurance if I get ill or injured in a foreign country. In which case, I any pre-certification is unlikely to happen as I travel alone.

My experience is bad, and afterwards I read the policies very carefully and decided there was no way to collect, especially with airline tickets. Unless I die. Death is a surefire way to have a case to collect, but I wouldn't need the money, and my heirs would not know to file. Given that the insurance advocates urge you to read the policies and understand the conditions under which you can collect, I'm uncertain why people are shocked that I actually read the conditions for collecting and came to the conclusion there is no way to do so (again, death is the big exception). When I've asked if I'm incapacitated and unable to call the insurance people before medical treatment in order for them to pay (many people have noted they didn't follow that and were denied claims), I get silence on what I'm supposed to do. Do I need to create a medical alert bracelet for each trip, telling first responders to not treat me until they contact my insurance?

I didn't say that at all. I said that reimbursements for lost luggage would be a pittance. That was based on posts from people who tried to collect. Reimbursements for air or cruise fares are likely to be in the form of ship credits, not cash. If you got a refund in ship credits and the insurance company was willing to take the credits and give you a cash refund, I'd love to hear about it.

The major takeaway is to not insure anything on a trip that has a fixed dollar amount. Don't insure the flight; don't insure the cruise fare, don't insure the luggage. The maximum you are out of pocket is the cost of those items, but given that it's unlikely you can collect (air / cruise / hotel) or they'll only pay a pittance (lost luggage), it seems unwise to buy coverage for those items. After learning more, I'm increasingly thinking I'll never be able to collect on a medical claim either. As I travel alone, I would have no way to get pre-authorization for procedures if I'm incapacitated as I'd be unable to make the calls.

Did you get a credit with the airline, or was the claim paid in cash?

If you go the refundable ticket route, do not use Expedia. I booked fully refundable tickets, but they decided to actually sell me a fully refundable ticket from Panama City to San Francisco, and a non-refundable ticket from San Francisco to Las Vegas. They refused to refund it. I waited it out, and the flight times changed, and I refused to accept that, and requested a refund. Instead, they gave me credits on Copa Airlines. I had to open a case with the BBB for them to agree I was owed a cash refund. A few months later I filed a second case with the BBB, this time against Expedia for bad faith, as they ignored me and their first case with the BBB, hoping I'd go away and they could pocket the money. However, faced with having to explain to the BBB why they did not deliver on their promise for a refund, they finally relented. They did get to keep the interest on the money for several months.

I've read several policies, and my conclusion is the only way they'll pay is if I die. I also only accept recommendations from people who know what color the insurance company writes their checks on. Only a fool takes a recommendation based on how promptly the insurance company processes the payment.

People get on my case for telling people to only take insurance recommendations from people who know what color the checks are written on, rather than on how quickly they can deposit your premium. I've stopped getting insurance for flights or cruises. There is almost no way for me to collect, unless I die. If that is the case, I don't need the money, nor would my heirs know there is a policy.

You might want to look at their cases with the Better Business Bureau.

I recommend you only get recommendations from people who know what color they write their checks on.

Be sure to get recommendations only from people who know what color the insurance companies write their checks on. I doubt many people have issues getting the company to accept payment for the premiums.