Earthquake near Santiago Chile -- Princess Sailings and Passengers

[greatam]

Why do you say the Princess Insurance is almost worthless?

 

BerkelyCare writes policies SPECIFICALLY for their clients (cruise lines, tour operators, travel agents). Coverages vary greatly, depending on who the policy was written for. Berkely works for THEIR clients, not for the passengers. It is also a TRAVEL PROTECTION PLAN, which is far different from INSURANCE. On one of these many "earthquake" threads, there was an elegant explanation of the differences. http://www.berkely.net/

 

For one thing, the Princess policy does not cover natural disasters on the cruise route. It also does not cover terrorism acts. In the case of the Star Princess, passengers will get a CREDIT, not a refund. And the credit is variable-75-100%.

 

Also, depending on the level of policy, the medical provisions are pretty small. Also the cruise lines/tour operator policies DO NOT cover financial default-cruise line goes belly up, you are SOL. The one benefit to taking cruise line is the lack of pre existing condition requirements.

 

All in all, IMHO, pretty worthless insurance.

[jrblach]

we got on star feb 2 and get off apr 3.

we have been very impressed with the help provided by the ship to passengers udring these trying times

gave free phone and internet time

let pax stay on board for free until they could figure out whatto do

let pax stay on for $50-75 per day until ushuaia, buenos aires or montevideo

some pax got off on mar 2 and came back mar 4

everyone stayed in same cabin - no one moved

ship processed new pax into empty cabins

cruise is normal

we are all having fun

we are sad for people who did not make it

we are dad for the people in chile

[cherylandtk]

Why do you say the Princess Insurance is almost worthless?

billet, I don't know what Greatam's reasons are, (eta- posting at the same time, she answered above) but in comparing policies I have found the dollar limits on Princess's coverage to be much lower than third-party policies available at the same price or less. The only (subjective) advantages to the Princess plan are that Princess does not raise the price based on age and they do have the "any reason" cancellation.

 

BUT, you have to pay 12% of your cruise price to get the 100% credit Platinum plan (or be a Platinum+ cruiser) and that any-reason cancellation clause only applies before the trip date. Once you start your trip, you are covered by trip interruption and/or trip delay, and those limits are too small in $$ and too limited in scope.

[greatam]

"held meet and greet on march 6. many people made it to the ship in Valpariso due to their determination and creative rescheduling by flying to alternative cities and then taking buses and taxis. ship is quiet due to few people on board - they have not told us any numbers."

 

I have posted repeatedly in all forums for quite a few years about the downsides of cruise air. The people on the Star Princess with a cruise/air package were simply STUCK with the originating airline, as their tickets were no good on other carriers and were generally non-reroutable. A sad situation to be sure. Hopefully, in the future, TA's particularly and passengers will REALIZE the tremendous downsides to cruise air.

[cherylandtk]

The one benefit to taking cruise line is the lack of pre existing condition requirements.

I think you misspoke, Princess plan has a 60 day pre-existing condition lookback. Perhaps you meant no age bracket?

[billet]

BerkelyCare writes policies SPECIFICALLY for their clients (cruise lines, tour operators, travel agents). Coverages vary greatly, depending on who the policy was written for. Berkely works for THEIR clients, not for the passengers. It is also a TRAVEL PROTECTION PLAN, which is far different from INSURANCE. On one of these many "earthquake" threads, there was an elegant explanation of the differences. http://www.berkely.net/

 

For one thing, the Princess policy does not cover natural disasters on the cruise route. It also does not cover terrorism acts. In the case of the Star Princess, passengers will get a CREDIT, not a refund. And the credit is variable-75-100%.

 

Also, depending on the level of policy, the medical provisions are pretty small. Also the cruise lines/tour operator policies DO NOT cover financial default-cruise line goes belly up, you are SOL. The one benefit to taking cruise line is the lack of pre existing condition requirements.

 

All in all, IMHO, pretty worthless insurance.

Thank you for the advertisement for Berkely I am sure they will appreciate the business!

 

I agree that the Princess Insurance is limiting but if the person purchasing the insurance understands there is a credit not a refund I do not see why that would make the insurance worthless. Also depending on age and country the price of any other insurance may be prohibitive. For my mother the Princess insurance was $200 and Travelguard insurance was $600 and the benefits were virtually identical.

 

I would recommend using an insurance specialist to provide the best quotation and figure out what is the best worth given your personal circumstances from there.

[greatam]

I think you misspoke, Princess plan has a 60 day pre-existing condition lookback. Perhaps you meant no age bracket?

 

You are correct-still poor insurance, IMHO

 

I haven't read the Princess policy recently. But I know when I did read it word for word, I was shocked at how poor it was. I have had other dealings with Berkely with horrible results. OT They were writing a lot of policies for one of our large customers-a catering company in NY who offered insurance in case of wedding/event cancellations. I fought with Berkely for over a year to get our freight money/storage charges paid-wedding canceled, our customers client filed a claim. We wanted our freight/storage money as did our customer. Berkely was going to pay the client and neglect to pay us for shipping and our customer for the cost of food, wine, etc. We finally got our money, our customer got their money and they immediatey QUIT writing Berkely policies to cover cancellations.

[Colo Cruiser]

Pescado - I presume it was because of the fluctuating situation; older news releases were no longer accurate ("ship still leaving on March 2", for example) and were removed to prevent confusion with more recently issued and up-to-date information. The daily history and item-by-item updates are well-documented here on CC. Which, as all regular visitors know, is a tremendous resource.

 

That is exactly why, I have noticed this with several of the last major incidents with Princess ships.

[Colo Cruiser]

we got on star feb 2 and get off apr 3.

we have been very impressed with the help provided by the ship to passengers udring these trying times

gave free phone and internet time

let pax stay on board for free until they could figure out whatto do

let pax stay on for $50-75 per day until ushuaia, buenos aires or montevideo

some pax got off on mar 2 and came back mar 4

everyone stayed in same cabin - no one moved

ship processed new pax into empty cabins

cruise is normal

we are all having fun

we are sad for people who did not make it

we are dad for the people in chile

 

Thank you very much for posting this.

[Salty Dawg]

we got on star feb 2 and get off apr 3.

we have been very impressed with the help provided by the ship to passengers udring these trying times

gave free phone and internet time

let pax stay on board for free until they could figure out whatto do

let pax stay on for $50-75 per day until ushuaia, buenos aires or montevideo

some pax got off on mar 2 and came back mar 4

everyone stayed in same cabin - no one moved

ship processed new pax into empty cabins

cruise is normal

we are all having fun

we are sad for people who did not make it

we are dad for the people in chile

 

We certainly hope that those arriving passengers that managed to fight their way to Santiago in time for the delayed departure that were scheduled for the March 2 cruise all got an upgraded cabin if their booked cabin was occupied by previous passenger(s). (Unless they booked a guarantee).

 

We always book very early because we want a specific cabin and if we can not get that cabin (or a location on the ship to our liking), we won't book that cruise and look for a different date where our selection is available.

 

There is probably some fine print in the contract that allows them to move you especially if your selected cabin in non-functional (ie. plumbing problems, etc), but we would bring the wrath of god down on the hotel staff if we did not get the cabin we paid for in this instance.

 

Not trying to be insensitive, but what is so wrong with the "hitch hikers" (those passengers from the 2/18 voyage who elected to stay at a bargain rate) having to move to a vacant cabin and let those who had the cabin reserved for them become the victim again.

 

Princess just keeps amazing us with their handling of this tragic situation.

[Colo Cruiser]

You are correct-still poor insurance, IMHO

 

I haven't read the Princess policy recently. But I know when I did read it word for word, I was shocked at how poor it was. I have had other dealings with Berkely with horrible results. OT They were writing a lot of policies for one of our large customers-a catering company in NY who offered insurance in case of wedding/event cancellations. I fought with Berkely for over a year to get our freight money/storage charges paid-wedding canceled, our customers client filed a claim. We wanted our freight/storage money as did our customer. Berkely was going to pay the client and neglect to pay us for shipping and our customer for the cost of food, wine, etc. We finally got our money, our customer got their money and they immediatey QUIT writing Berkely policies to cover cancellations.

 

So you are PO'd at Berkley and its not even a Princess issue?

 

We have had great service from Berkley on Princess related claims.

[billet]

we got on star feb 2 and get off apr 3.

we have been very impressed with the help provided by the ship to passengers udring these trying times

gave free phone and internet time

let pax stay on board for free until they could figure out whatto do

let pax stay on for $50-75 per day until ushuaia, buenos aires or montevideo

some pax got off on mar 2 and came back mar 4

everyone stayed in same cabin - no one moved

ship processed new pax into empty cabins

cruise is normal

we are all having fun

we are sad for people who did not make it

we are dad for the people in chile

 

I am glad to hear you are having fun and that the ship had been helpful. Thank you for taking the time to post.

[greatam]

So you are PO'd at Berkley and its not even a Princess issue?

 

We have had great service from Berkley on Princess related claims.

 

Berkely writes custom insurance PER the wishes of THEIR customer, not the passenger. I stand by my post-pretty poor insurance.

[billet]

We certainly hope that those arriving passengers that managed to fight their way to Santiago in time for the delayed departure that were scheduled for the March 2 cruise all got an upgraded cabin if their booked cabin was occupied by previous passenger(s). (Unless they booked a guarantee).

 

We always book very early because we want a specific cabin and if we can not get that cabin (or a location on the ship to our liking), we won't book that cruise and look for a different date where our selection is available.

 

There is probably some fine print in the contract that allows them to move you especially if your selected cabin in non-functional (ie. plumbing problems, etc), but we would bring the wrath of god down on the hotel staff if we did not get the cabin we paid for in this instance.

 

Not trying to be insensitive, but what is so wrong with the "hitch hikers" (those passengers from the 2/18 voyage who elected to stay at a bargain rate) having to move to a vacant cabin and let those who had the cabin reserved for them become the victim again.

 

Princess just keeps amazing us with their handling of this tragic situation.

 

Without jumping to conclusions I think there were such a small number embarking they probably were able to discuss the choice of cabin. I am not sure what it is about Princess handling of the cabins that keeps amazing you since there is such limited information about the situation onboard.

[Salty Dawg]

Without jumping to conclusions I think there were such a small number embarking they probably were able to discuss the choice of cabin...

since there is such limited information about the situation onboard.

 

:rolleyes: Sounds like you jumped to a conclusion anyway! :rolleyes:

[billet]

:rolleyes: Sounds like you jumped to a conclusion anyway! :rolleyes:

 

:rolleyes:Not a conclusion just a thought which is why I started with "Without jumping to conclusions" :rolleyes:

[canalfront]

I'm in Ushuaia today with the Celebrity Infinity, and the Star Princess is in port here. As we got off our ship, there were people on the cruise who said there were only 900 pax onboard now. A really interesting thing is there was a couple at the dock with their suitcases EMBARKING on the cruise!!!!!!!!!! Said they couldn't get to the ship before today in Ushuaia! And they looked happy. Amazing!

[canuckcruiser00]

LOL

 

I think there's more grumpy people in this thread than there are on that boat!

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm in Ushuaia today with the Celebrity Infinity, and the Star Princess is in port here. As we got off our ship, there were people on the cruise who said there were only 900 pax onboard now. A really interesting thing is there was a couple at the dock with their suitcases EMBARKING on the cruise!!!!!!!!!! Said they couldn't get to the ship before today in Ushuaia! And they looked happy. Amazing!

 

Princess permited them to get off at several upcoming ports.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Once you start your trip, you are covered by trip interruption and/or trip delay, and those limits are too small in $$ and too limited in scope.

 

For those people with Princess Air and Berkely insurance that started on their trip (and made it to Miami or wherever) but had to turn back, I wonder where this claim falls...cancel for any reason or trip interruption? What portion of their airfare will be returned, and is it returned by cruise credit or refund?

 

Like most things in life, these contracts are written to the advantage of whoever has the best lawyers. But in a three-way between Princess, Berkely and passengers, I fear it might be the passengers who come out the losers. As has been stated, Berkely Care doesn't cover natural disasters at the vacation location.

 

This whole thing is very sad. Unlike some others, I do feel for people who didn't buy insurance. I feel more for those who bought it, only to find that it isn't going to help much, or at all. We see all the time examples of companies who go beyond what is contractually required to help customers in times of need. It's too bad Princess isn't in that category.

[greatam]

What portion of their airfare will be returned, and is it returned by cruise credit or refund?

 

Per the Princess cruise contract, Princess has an obligation to return the airfare IN FULL. How that plays into passengers who bought Princess insurance in conjunction with a cruise/air package and only a cruise credit, I have no idea. From the Princess cruise contract, paragraph 15, subsection F.

 

"Carrier’s liability for non-performance of any independent contractor providing such facilities or services shall be limited to a refund of the amounts received by Carrier on the Passenger's behalf, if any."

 

 

This whole thing is very sad. Unlike some others, I do feel for people who didn't buy insurance. I feel more for those who bought it, only to find that it isn't going to help much, or at all. We see all the time examples of companies who go beyond what is contractually required to help customers in times of need. It's too bad Princess isn't in that category.

 

The whole thing is sad. But I do question why anyone would go 5-6000 miles to a foreign country WITHOUT insurance? The possibilities of a problem are just too immense. You NEED the help of the international travel insurance experts if you have a major problem. Even if you had a policy that would cover you medically out of the USA, how much expertise does your USA based insurance company have dealing in foreign countries? I know I sure wouldn't want to subject myself to the BC/BS people that handle our company policy for an overseas problem. It's hard enough to get answers for the local doctor and hospital.

[RaySR in NH]

For those people with Princess Air and Berkely insurance that started on their trip (and made it to Miami or wherever) but had to turn back, I wonder where this claim falls...cancel for any reason or trip interruption? What portion of their airfare will be returned, and is it returned by cruise credit or refund?

 

Like most things in life, these contracts are written to the advantage of whoever has the best lawyers. But in a three-way between Princess, Berkely and passengers, I fear it might be the passengers who come out the losers. As has been stated, Berkely Care doesn't cover natural disasters at the vacation location.

 

This whole thing is very sad. Unlike some others, I do feel for people who didn't buy insurance. I feel more for those who bought it, only to find that it isn't going to help much, or at all. We see all the time examples of companies who go beyond what is contractually required to help customers in times of need. It's too bad Princess isn't in that category.

 

When I spoke to the Berkely representative she said that Berkely simply administers the insurance for Princess Cruise Lines. The implication being that Princess is self insured and dictates the terms, cost, and coverage. Anyone angry or disappointed with Berkely should know that it's Princess calling the shots.

[jfv379]

When I spoke to the Berkely representative she said that Berkely simply administers the insurance for Princess Cruise Lines. The implication being that Princess is self insured and dictates the terms, cost, and coverage. Anyone angry or disappointed with Berkely should know that it's Princess calling the shots.

 

 

 

You might be correct.

 

That's the same with employer provided insurance with BC/BS. BC/BS will tell you that they are just the administrators. But the contract is still negotiated between the employer and BC/BS. So the employer is really calling the shots.

[juventus]

why did/would princess remove news updates from their website?

 

true why is that?

That is what i am talking about?

[billet]

true why is that?

That is what i am talking about?

 

See post 550