Disappointed with Norwegian

[mjkacmom]

Just now, CruncheyFrog said:

There are two problems with your reply. First of all, We had travel insurance, so it's not like we were trying to beat the system by not purchasing it. Secondly, we are asking for a credit based on something that is verifiable (doctor's report), and not simply because we don't want to go on the trip.

The problem is with your insurance company then, cruise lines don’t give a credit for things that are verifiable, toddler needs chemo, nope, house burns to the ground, nope, accident resulting in body cast, nope, nada, nothing. It’s pretty cut and dried.

[Arzeena]

OP,

Very sorry to hear this situation. I hope you do find some solution to your satisfaction. 

Check into the credit card you used.  Is there anyway they have/could cover this or part of it?

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, CruncheyFrog said:

The insurer is Allianz, but that is irrelevant, as all insurers exclude pre-existing conditions. We live in Canada, but I'm not sure how that is relevant.

 

Sorry, but in the USA, one has a CHOICE to get a policy that excludes pre-existing conditions  OR ONE THAT DOES NOT EXCLUDE THEM.  Getting policies that do NOT exclude pre-existing conditions may take more care and perhaps cost more (or not; not sure about that), but it definitely is possible *IF* one selects the coverage with appropriate care.

 

Don't continue saying that all policies (in the USA) exclude pre-existing conditions.  THAT IS FALSE.

GC

[pe4all]

12 minutes ago, CruncheyFrog said:

All travel insurance companies exclude pre-existing conditions, so it doesn't matter which company it is.

Definitely not true.  3 family members have pre-existing conditions.  We use Travelguard, which covers this as long as we purchase the insurance within 14 days of booking the cruise.  After I book my cruise my next call - literally within 5 minutes of booking - is to buy my travel insurance.  

[CruncheyFrog]

Just now, mjkacmom said:

The problem is with your insurance company then, cruise lines don’t give a credit for things that are verifiable, toddler needs chemo, nope, house burns to the ground, nope, accident resulting in body cast, nope, nada, nothing. It’s pretty cut and dried.

There are no insurance companies that would cover this, so we thought we would ask NCL  to help us out. A little goodwill can go a long way. And it's not like these things happen to a high percentage of travellers prior to their trips.

[GeezerCouple]

Just now, CruncheyFrog said:

There are no insurance companies that would cover this, so we thought we would ask NCL  to help us out. A little goodwill can go a long way. And it's not like these things happen to a high percentage of travellers prior to their trips.

 

What is the "this" that no company would cover.

IF you got the right insurance - meaning you had a pre-existing condition AND purchased a policy  that did not exclude those AND did this in the proper time frame (and weren't already too sick to travel), then there are quite a few policies to choose from.

 

It's not even difficult!

 

GC

[Homosassa]

And many of the travel insurance covers preexisting conditions if there has been no change in the status if the disease or treatment changes in the previous six months before the purchase of the insurance.

 

Once again, your problem is with your insurance company, not NCL. 

[MJSailors]

To the OP

Do you have cancel for any reason with your insurance policy ?

My DH and I had to cancel an NCL cruise after final payment.The reason for cancellation was not a medical issue but a family problem where we were not comfortable to leave home and go on vacation at the time.

If I recall correctly, we were reimbursed the port fees and taxes and given a credit for a future NCL cruise.

We purchased the insurance through NCL at the time of booking.

 

[GeezerCouple]

Just now, Homosassa said:

And many of the travel insurance covers preexisting conditions if there has been no change in the status if the disease or treatment changes in the previous six months before the purchase of the insurance.

 

Once again, your problem is with your insurance company, not NCL. 

 

It sounds like crunchyfrog just didn't do proper care in selecting the right policy.

That's not NCL's fault, and it's not anyone else's fault...

And it wouldn't even be the insurer's fault, if crunchyfrog didn't get the right policy.

 

GC

[CruncheyFrog]

2 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Sorry, but in the USA, one has a CHOICE to get a policy that excludes pre-existing conditions  OR ONE THAT DOES NOT EXCLUDE THEM.  Getting policies that do NOT exclude pre-existing conditions may take more care and perhaps cost more (or not; not sure about that), but it definitely is possible *IF* one selects the coverage with appropriate care.

 

Don't continue saying that all policies (in the USA) exclude pre-existing conditions.  THAT IS FALSE.

GC

The health care system in the USA is quite different than in Canada. Americans have to buy their own health care, or get it through their employers, and they then choose if they want coverage for pre-existing conditions. Our health care system automatically covers pre-existing conditions if you get treated in your home province. When you travel out of province you have to purchase travel insurance, which excludes pre-existing conditions. If it sounded like I was commenting on the system in the USA, I apologize.

[Homosassa]

3 minutes ago, CruncheyFrog said:

There are no insurance companies that would cover this, so we thought we would ask NCL  to help us out. A little goodwill can go a long way. And it's not like these things happen to a high percentage of travellers prior to their trips.

 

You would be surprised at the number of threads on Cruise Critic where someone feels that (Fill in Blank) cruise line is heartless because they will not give a refund because of (fill in very special circumstance that has not happened to anyone else in the whole world).

 

That "goodwill" would costed a lot of money to the bottom line.

 

[Zippeedee]

The definition below is from Nationwide Luxury Cruise coverage, sold in MA.   I am posting this only in hope that others will not fall for your dramatic misstatements and fail to purchase insurance.

 

Pre-Existing Condition means an illness, disease, or other condition during the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the Effective Date (Effective Date means 12:01 A.M. local time, at Your location, on the day after the required premium for such coverage is received by the Company or its authorized representative. ) for which You, a Traveling Companion, a Family Member booked to travel with You: 1) exhibited symptoms that would have caused one to seek care or treatment; or 2) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or medical treatment; or 3) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine. Item (3) of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the sixty (60) day period before the Effective Date. 
 
The Pre-Existing Conditions exclusion is waived if You (a) enroll in this certificate within final Trip payment; (b) purchase this certificate for the full cost of Your Trip; and (c) are medically able to travel at the time the premium is paid. 

[CruncheyFrog]

4 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

What is the "this" that no company would cover.

IF you got the right insurance - meaning you had a pre-existing condition AND purchased a policy  that did not exclude those AND did this in the proper time frame (and weren't already too sick to travel), then there are quite a few policies to choose from.

 

It's not even difficult!

 

GC

Maybe in the USA, but in Canada travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions. The "this" is pre-existing condition(s).

[Budget Queen]

7 minutes ago, CruncheyFrog said:

There are no insurance companies that would cover this, so we thought we would ask NCL  to help us out. A little goodwill can go a long way. And it's not like these things happen to a high percentage of travellers prior to their trips.

Your  "thought"  and again,  entitlement thinking  is not unique.    IF this were a possibility,  NCL would have requests every day.     YOU are making the decision not to travel,   no matter what the reason is,  and by your own post-   you are medically cleared to do so.     The ONLY insurance-  at this point is a cancel for any reason.    

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, CruncheyFrog said:

The health care system in the USA is quite different than in Canada. Americans have to buy their own health care, or get it through their employers, and they then choose if they want coverage for pre-existing conditions. Our health care system automatically covers pre-existing conditions if you get treated in your home province. When you travel out of province you have to purchase travel insurance, which excludes pre-existing conditions. If it sounded like I was commenting on the system in the USA, I apologize.

 

SHEESH ... *WHY* do you think I KEPT asking if you had USA or non-USA based coverage?

And you continued to ignore that.

You are just causing more trouble for all of us, including you.

If you deal with any insurer like this (e.g., withholding relevant information), then no surprise if there are problems along the way.

 

And IN the USA, most of us who get "travel insurance" do NOT get it through "employers".  We purchase it through "travel insurance companies", including Allianz.

Travel insurance is specific, and is DIFFERENT from most regular policies... which is why we buy it!

GC

[CruncheyFrog]

4 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

It sounds like crunchyfrog just didn't do proper care in selecting the right policy.

That's not NCL's fault, and it's not anyone else's fault...

And it wouldn't even be the insurer's fault, if crunchyfrog didn't get the right policy.

 

GC

You have to be stable six months prior to travel, and this problem arose and stabilized within three months of the travel date, so there wasn't a policy I could have purchased that would have solved my problem.

[GeezerCouple]

3 minutes ago, CruncheyFrog said:

Maybe in the USA, but in Canada travel insurance excludes pre-existing conditions. The "this" is pre-existing condition(s).

 

Again, WHY were you so coy about having Canadian coverage, including when directly asked?

You just want to stir up a can of worms.  And it worked.  Congratulations.

GC

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, CruncheyFrog said:

You have to be stable six months prior to travel, and this problem arose and stabilized within three months of the travel date, so there wasn't a policy I could have purchased that would have solved my problem.

 

AGAIN, WHICH COUNTRY?  In the USA you do NOT need this, *IF* you choose the PROPER policy.

 

But why in the world did you refuse to  disclose it was Canadian coverage (if indeed, that IS what you have)?

 

Just causing trouble...

Won't help you now or in the future, to get helpful information.

GC

[Homosassa]

So are you saying you took out insurance knowing that you had pre-existing conditions that would not be covered and still booked knowing that you would be liable for any cancellation fees imposed by the cruise line?

 

Many of us call that "self insuring" where one gambles that one will not have to eat the cost of a cruise because of cancellation.

[GeezerCouple]

Anyone from Canada here who can confirm IF one can start a travel insurance policy for a trip in, say 10 months, and *then* get sick, say 3 months before travel, and then are okay to travel but will NOT be covered due to the illness 3 months earlier, after the coverage was in place?

 

Thanks.

GC

[fabnfortysomething]

so OP is based in Canada not USA and if anything like UK travel insurance policies don't include pre existing conditions no matter how soon after booking cruise you took out

in fact in my experience the insurance companies have everything in place to not pay out so the answer is not "you should have taken out insurance"

 

a couple of years ago my husband was given a date for hip surgery too soon for him to be able to fly post op to join cruise

 

travel insurance wouldn't pay out on basis of him being on waiting list for surgery[a UK based problem referring to our NHS

system 

 

our NCL PCC came to the rescue by rebooking us on a cruise later in year under same reservation despite his supervisors trying to say wasn't NCL problem

 

so a  good PCC is worth their weight in gold

[Homosassa]

6 minutes ago, CruncheyFrog said:

You have to be stable six months prior to travel, and this problem arose and stabilized within three months of the travel date, so there wasn't a policy I could have purchased that would have solved my problem.

 

Then your insurance plan that you decided to purchase is a little hinky compared to most.

 

As noted by another poster, the six month stability clause  usually refers to the six months prior to the effective date of the insurance (i.e.; the date the premium is paid, not the date of travel.). If a problem with a pre-existing condition arose after that date and the doctor's advice was it was not medically safe to travel on the cruise, then the insurance does cover the cancellation.

 

However, just deciding that one does not want to travel because of a condition that has been stabilized is not covered.

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, fabnfortysomething said:

so OP is based in Canada not USA and if anything like UK travel insurance policies don't include pre existing conditions no matter how soon after booking cruise you took out

in fact in my experience the insurance companies have everything in place to not pay out so the answer is not "you should have taken out insurance"

 

a couple of years ago my husband was given a date for hip surgery too soon for him to be able to fly post op to join cruise

 

travel insurance wouldn't pay out on basis of him being on waiting list for surgery[a UK based problem referring to our NHS

system 

 

our NCL PCC came to the rescue by rebooking us on a cruise later in year under same reservation despite his supervisors trying to say wasn't NCL problem

 

so a  good PCC is worth their weight in gold

 

This is precisely why I *kept* asking if they were in the USA or not, yet they refused to answer that question for way too long, just drawing out the controversy, for whatever personal reason.  

(I didn't know for sure what you've stated, but I DID know "for sure" that the terms outside the USA can be VERY different, and usually in a "not good" - for the traveler - way, unfortunately.)

 

"Whatever..."

 

GC

[CruncheyFrog]

11 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

So are you saying you took out insurance knowing that you had pre-existing conditions that would not be covered and still booked knowing that you would be liable for any cancellation fees imposed by the cruise line?

 

Many of us call that "self insuring" where one gambles that one will not have to eat the cost of a cruise because of cancellation.

The insurance was in place well before the conditions arose. And travel insurance in Canada excludes pre-existing conditions.

[Homosassa]

1 hour ago, CruncheyFrog said:

We had travel insurance prior to booking. And even when an illness occurs after travel insurance is in place, but prior to the trip, the pre-existing condition applies. If you end up in a European hospital because of your pre-existing condition, you are paying out of your own pocket, which can run into tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. This is why we are cancelling, as it is a big chance to take. Apparently many people aren't sympathetic to this problem. NCL could easily rebook a balcony room within a month. Any money they lost would be made up in future bookings that I, my friends and family would have booked with NCL in the future.

Then you are confused about the type of insurance you need.

 

You need medical insurance that will specifically cover you out of the country for the duration of your trip.

 

Many US citizens on Medicare need this type of insurance as Medicare does not cover medical costs outside the USA. (Medicare, unfortunately, lowers the quality of our medical care to that of the quality of care offered by other nationalized medical care systems).

Edited July 10, 2019 by Homosassa