Watch out for "automatically added" insurance charge on Norwegian

[mjkacmom]

Book online and you are always given the option to turn down the insurance charge. See how easy it is to avoid this 'auto insurance charge' problem.

 

We are a family of 7, therefore never have the option of booking online, unfortunately.

[Moby0215]

Why are some people saying insurance from NCL is $350 or $556 etc when mine was only $58? I would just like to understand. Is it a percentage of your total fare? And if so, the person who had $556, was your total fare like $6000? Cause that would make sense.

 

 

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Edited November 16, 2016 by Moby0215

[mking8288]

NCL sells its own travel insurance - the full name in this link, and prices shown is p/p based on the fares, and it can get pretty pricey:eek: - for a family of 4 on a longer sailing, yada yada. There is also the "standard" coverage and the deluxe "platinum" protection >>> always do your own price comparison shopping & due diligence on what you are buying into. One should note "some" of the coverage is secondary to other primary insurance coverage you might already have.

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/booksafe

 

We just did a booking this week and NCL rep quoted the price and included it in the whole set of numbers - we declined cruiseline coverage & she took it off, with the cautionary comment that, once removed AND cannot be added or purchased later on.

 

Read the PDF document for the details, what is covered & reimbursable and what is NOT, as you might only be entitled to payment of claims in the form of NCL voucher for Future Cruise Credits only.

 

As for the traveler's assistance included & available 24/7 globally - check your credit card coverage as some of us have similar, if not better "protections and assistance" when it is charged on the card.

[Nola26]

That wasn't a sneaky extra. You didn't tell them not to include the travel insurance. Read the invoice next time.

 

Actually, it is a sneaky tactic in that they put it on there and you're given an option to have it removed or opt out. I booked using a CAS offer so I had to call to reserve and the same thing happened to me. It was a $29 charge and I decided to let it stand though I usually pass on the offer. I have an inside on a 7 day Caribbean cruise at a pretty low rate.

 

I booked by phone but managed my partial payments on ncl.com. It is easy to see when you look at the charges online; you can even opt out there too.

 

As for $556 the price depends on cost of the cruise that would be impacted by duration, cabin selection, etc.

[ncklhaus]

Why are some people saying insurance from NCL is $350 or $556 etc when mine was only $58? I would just like to understand. Is it a percentage of your total fare? And if so, the person who had $556, was your total fare like $6000? Cause that would make sense.

 

 

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Cruise insurance prices vary depending on the price paid. On our last cruise which we paid $6,000 our insurance was $500. Our upcoming cruise was almost $13,000 and insurance is $1200.

[sanger727]

It's funny I should come across this. I just called today for a price adjustment. I didn't notice before but they added it to mine also. (I called and booked I Sept.) when I asked the rep about it she gave me the sale speech on how great it is. So I kept it for now but we will cancel it. Ours was 350. It's a gamble if you get it or not. We have never bought insurance.

 

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If you purchased airfare independently I would not use NCL insurance. I don't know that your airfare would be covered if there was a medical or weather emergency. Third party would allow you to insure the entire trip.

 

People keep going on and on about medical without realize that many Americans are covered internationally with their every day medical insurance. If you are healthy and 99% sure you will not need to cancel for work or medical reasons and have medical insurance that covers you out of the country (yes I've checked and my policy specifically says it does), then $558 is a lot of money for a minimal gamble to go without insurance IMHO.

[NMLady]

No problem with trip and/or health insurance, what I'd find annoying is having a default on the booking process where insurance is added and it's left up to me to 'opt out' rather than 'opt in'. Next it will be the cruise line adding a fancy hotel to my travel plans the night before the cruise solely for my convenience!

 

 

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We book through PCC and have always been asked if we want insurance. Since I prefer third party insurance I've always declined the NCL insurance. No problem.

[NMLady]

Why are some people saying insurance from NCL is $350 or $556 etc when mine was only $58? I would just like to understand. Is it a percentage of your total fare? And if so, the person who had $556, was your total fare like $6000? Cause that would make sense.

 

 

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Yes, it is based on total cruise fare.

[iamaqt2]

Why are some people saying insurance from NCL is $350 or $556 etc when mine was only $58? I would just like to understand. Is it a percentage of your total fare? And if so, the person who had $556, was your total fare like $6000? Cause that would make sense.

 

 

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Did you book your room through CAS? Because my insurance was also the same, based off the cost of the comped room. 29 dollars per person. my "free" cruise for the 2 of us was 899.00. and 400.00 in airfare and 275 in travel costs LOL

But still a bargain.

[dawgdawg]

It was added at some point to my reservation as well. It was not on my original confirmation, but when I called to make a change, it was added on without my knowledge. I called NCL and they removed since I was not within 90 days of sailing

[mamasylvia]

> Book online and you are always given the option to turn down the insurance charge. See how easy it is to avoid this 'auto insurance charge' ?

 

Not easy at all if you cannot book online for some reason. In my case, I had to have an accessible room and wanted to select it from whatever rooms were available. RCI I could have done both online but not on NCL.

 

> you can even opt out there too

 

I made all payments except the deposit online and never saw an option to remove that insurance.

 

> And if so, the person who had $556, was your total fare like $6000?

 

Closer to $7k, with 2 adults fares in an aft balcony cabin, and service charges for our two children although they travelled "free." (still a great deal) I originally purchased insurance through insuremytrip.com (which someone on here recommended before our first cruise 3 years ago), and the cost for cruise AND airfare AND medical care/evac AND lost baggage AND interrupted trip AND cancel-for-any-reason was less than NCI's cost. (My health is iffy enough that there is a very real possibility I won't be around for a trip next May.) DH decided he'd rather take the trip without me than pay for the insurance, so I cancelled it; since it's an Alaska cruise my regular health insurance should cover me if necessary. If it had been a TA or Caribbean, where most of the travel would have been outside the U.S., I would have argued more with him, ;)

[AndyT3]

This also just happened to me!

 

Placed a hold without insurance, then a PCC called and we placed the deposit with him. Somehow, the insurance was added. I called him right back, and he told me that as of May 1st, the policy had changed and therefore NCL automatically added the insurance to each and every new reservation with the option to opt out before final payment date. I told him I wanted it removed, he said no problem. Turns out, it was never removed. So, I called back tonight and got a different PCC. She said it would be removed, I was sent an updated confirmation without the charge. I thought I was all set. Before bed tonight, I checked MyNCL again just to make sure, and look at that, the $381 charge was back on my account.

 

I'm at a loss. When I call the general NCL number, as soon as they get my reservation number, they want to transfer me back to my PCC. Who can I call to have this removed once and for all?

 

 

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[mamasylvia]

I'd give the PCC one more chance (screwups do happen) and if it didn't get removed, I'd call and ask for a supervisor. I think NCL makes refunds as difficult as possible in the hope you will give up trying. If that doesn't work, try contacting your credit card company (although the only time I started a dispute with mine, years ago, they decided in favor of the merchant without even talking to me).

[sfaaa]

.........Old thread. Never mind.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

If you're paying NCL for trip insurance, you probably need a better credit card.

[hawkeyetlse]

If two different PCCs have been unable to do this, it's possible after all that there have been recent system changes that keep adding it back in. Or they have all received instructions to do whatever it takes to sell insurance and this is the best they can come up with…

 

Unless your final payment is coming up soon, I would leave it alone for a few days/weeks and then try again. Keep an eye on this thread and your other thread to see if other people have been having the same issue since May 1, 2017.

[NMLady]

If you're paying NCL for trip insurance, you probably need a better credit card.

 

Credit card might cover trip interruption or even a cancelled trip. But what about medical and most important, medical evacuation.

 

We don't buy insurance through a cruise company but we DO buy travel insurance, especially for medical coverage.

[AndyT3]

Well, I tried to call and have the PCC removed from my reservation. As you can imagine, this has been a struggle.

 

A customer service rep tried to transfer me to the PCC "supervisor" but she of course did not answer the phone. I left a voicemail and have yet to hear back. I left the message around 11am Eastern Time.

[gingersvp]

As it was explained to me by my PCC when I booked, the quote for the trip insurance was on my invoice, but the insurance is not actually "purchased" until final payment is made. So I can see how it adds back on - because once you make final payment and decline it, you can't go back and add it. They're essentially giving you many options to make the decision. When I made final payment there were confirmations on the trip insurance including an extra screen linking me to the separate terms and conditions. I bought the NCL insurance because I just didn't want to do all the research and was already overwhelmed at the other things I needed to finish deciding. Since we're a family of 5 in the Haven, it was not inexpensive and I acknowledge that in this instance I was paying for the convenience.

 

It was all very clearly stated on each invoice and update that NCL sent me. I feel like they did an adequate job of presenting the insurance and making it clear what the charge was for. Since it's not a binding policy until you've made final payment, I totally understand why the leave it on there until that moment when you are able to actively decline or purchase.

[AndyT3]

I understand what your saying, however, I requested that it be removed several times and each time I've been told that it has been removed. Upon further investigation, the confirmations that I have been sent after these conversations still show the insurance rolled into the total and included.

 

I'm not saying that they are not doing a good job of making it clear that it is still linked, but they don't seem to be understanding that I no longer want it. I figured this would be pretty cut and dry; I make the call, they remove it and send me an updated invoice. Done deal.

 

I'm not sure why it isn't just that easy.

[mamasylvia]

My experience was totally different from yours, ginger. The NCL rep who booked the cruise never mentioned insurance at all and there was nothing when I made final payment about insurance terms/conditions, no extra screen, simply a line in the invoice (that admittedly I should have read better before paying). My experience was last November, maybe they have shaped up since then if your experience was more recent.

[meh56]

For the person who said they were traveling to Alaska and their insurance should cover them...We were on an Alaska cruise and I got a skin infection and had to seek medical help on board the ship. I needed antibiotics and they had to monitor the infection every day and apply new dressings. The charges for 5 days was almost 2,000. Luckily we had purchased insurance. The travel insurance company had us apply to medicare and then to our supplement policy which did not cover any of the cost as the Medical Clinic on board is operated thru a foreign concern. The travel insurance covered the cost of the treatment. We never travel with out it. The staff on the Golden Princess was wonderful as it could have been a very serious situation. It took another 8 weeks to heal after we were home.

[BDevilCruiser]

I just booked this weekend for a cruise at the end of May. I received an email (one of many now that I'm on their mail list!) offering the following:

-------------

We are happy to announce that Norwegian has introduced a travel protection policy, Essentials Travel Protection Plan, that you can purchase after making your final payment.

 

Essentials Travel Protection Plan is the ideal plan for our guests who are looking for just the essentials.

This streamlined option gives you the opportunity to purchase valuable travel arrangement, medical and -baggage protection at $25 per person.

 

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I couldn't find anything during a search of this forum, could somebody advise me if this is "trip insurance" (other than not getting to cancel with a full refund, which I'm OK with). This would seem to cover any onboard medical expense. The trip insurance when I booked was $129 for the basics.

[uneamie]

I just booked this weekend for a cruise at the end of May. I received an email (one of many now that I'm on their mail list!) offering the following:

-------------

We are happy to announce that Norwegian has introduced a travel protection policy, Essentials Travel Protection Plan, that you can purchase after making your final payment.

 

Essentials Travel Protection Plan is the ideal plan for our guests who are looking for just the essentials.

This streamlined option gives you the opportunity to purchase valuable travel arrangement, medical and -baggage protection at $25 per person.

 

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I couldn't find anything during a search of this forum, could somebody advise me if this is "trip insurance" (other than not getting to cancel with a full refund, which I'm OK with). This would seem to cover any onboard medical expense. The trip insurance when I booked was $129 for the basics.

 

Before I buy outside insurance ( $200 per person ) I would like to also know about this new NCL insurance for $25 per person. Wondering if it covers "EVERYTHING" that could happen? $25 per person sounds a bit too good to be true.

[Ask4Jay]

I booked our 2-week TA for Oct 17, including insurance, almost a year ago. The original quote was somewhere between $200 and $250 for basic coverage. That was considerably lower than what we had previously paid via other insurance carriers. The difference? It did not include med-evac coverage. We are both in our 80s in good condition. However, we are just not that sure-footed anymore. So I quickly asked NCL to add med-evac coverage. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.