Refused refund due to medical heart condition

[beerman2]

15 minutes ago, DrSea said:

Geez. Is that how much it is for insurance? 400 sounds like a lot for one or two ppl. 

 

I don't buy insurance. I like to roll the dice. 

I was a roll the dice type also until in-laws got older and Health came into play. Now that we are older ( Medicare age) and FIL is going to be 91 I always get it.

 

To the OP wishing you well , just can't agree NCL is soulless. There  is a reason for the policy (cancellation) even though many don't agree with it. Sure each individual case is different and one would think all cruiselines could come up with a "better way".

[BirdTravels]

18 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

I had to cancel a Celebrity cruise in late 2010.  It was because of the death of my Mom.  Fortunately, I had the Celebrity trip insurance, so my payments were refunded.  However, when I called Celebrity to cancel and I told them that I wanted to do the same cruise later (the same cruise was a year from the cancelled one), I was told that Celebrity's policy in similar cases, allowed me to cancel and book the cruise in a year, retaining a 75% credit that I had paid for the original cruise.

 

Since I had insurance, I didn't  need to use the credit option, but it was nice that it was there.  I wonder if Celebrity still has that option?   I doubt if NCL does.

Insurance and the credit are two completely separate things.

 

Insurance is offered by an insurance company with typical policy restrictions and limits. 
 

The cancel for any reason credit is offered by the cruise line in the event that the insurance company declines your claim. 
 

NCL offers a 75% or 90% future cruise credit if you buy insurance through them. And your insurance claim is denied. 
 

So, if I decide to cancel because we could not get a dog kennel arranged, we file a claim with the insurance company. If they turn us down for a non-covered loss, NCL would give is a 75% or 90% future cruise credit on the cruise fare penalty. (Port fees and taxes are automatically refunded in full for every cancellation). 

[erdoran]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Insurance and the credit are two completely separate things.

 

Insurance is offered by an insurance company with typical policy restrictions and limits. 
 

The cancel for any reason credit is offered by the cruise line in the event that the insurance company declines your claim. 
 

NCL offers a 75% or 90% future cruise credit if you buy insurance through them. And your insurance claim is denied. 
 

So, if I decide to cancel because we could not get a dog kennel arranged, we file a claim with the insurance company. If they turn us down for a non-covered loss, NCL would give is a 75% or 90% future cruise credit on the cruise fare penalty. (Port fees and taxes are automatically refunded in full for every cancellation). 

Hang on Bird—you don’t mean that if I buy non-CAR insurance from an insurance company of my choice, and I cancel because of illness—the company declines because they consider it pre-existing, I get a FCC?

[ray98]

Being sympathetic for the Op's medical condition doesn't negate personal responsibility.  Travel insurance, including policies sold by the cruise providers themselves, exist for a reason.

 

If you don't buy a policy then you self insure.

[FLAHAM]

In my 50's, I cruised twice a year and fortunately won my gambles on foregoing insurance.  Now in my 70's, I wouldn't consider booking a cruise without insurance.

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, erdoran said:

Hang on Bird—you don’t mean that if I buy non-CAR insurance from an insurance company of my choice, and I cancel because of illness—the company declines because they consider it pre-existing, I get a FCC?

Read the post. 

 

NCL offers a 75% or 90% future cruise credit if you buy insurance through them [NCL]. And your insurance claim is denied. 

[Cruiser_1977]

I'm amazed that OP planned a 3 week cruise with airfare for $3,500 ("3.5K USD")! Especially since it looks like these are Panama Canal and the taxes, etc are like $1,100....

Edited November 11, 2019 by JennyB1977

[JVilleGal]

9 hours ago, DrSea said:

Geez. Is that how much it is for insurance? 400 sounds like a lot for one or two ppl. 

 

I don't buy insurance. I like to roll the dice. 

This covers 4 people. Insurance covers many things I can afford to loose the cost of the cruise but I can’t afford Evacuation back to the US ($50,000+ and medical bills of 10’s of $1000) a heart attack or a broken bone or a burst appendix these are all the kinds of things I’m worried about. US medical insurance rarely covers medical in other countries. So I’m not concerned about a $10,000 cruise but I am concerned about Medical costs and evacuation.

i do not purchase TI from the cruise line. I have always used InsureMyTrip and I speak to Steve.

[njhorseman]

21 minutes ago, JVilleGal said:

I have always used InsureMyTrip and I speak to Steve.

Steve's company is tripinsurancestore.com . Insure My Trip is a different company.

[Peachypooh]

People have to make their own choices based on personal circumstances. For most people

in the United States on medicare (over 65 years old) there is no coverage out of

the country. For some, medigap policies (supplemental to medicare) there is a lifetime limit of $50,000. On the other hand

when we had health insurance when working we had coverage outside of the United States

including evacuation. Check your health insurance policy and plan accordingly.

[FitchburgWIFamily]

I routinely cruise with my mother, who will be 90 on our next cruise.   We do not buy insurance to cover us before the cruise:  My mom says if she can't go, I should still go and just remember her fondly as I sip my Mojito on deck.   She is pretty motivated to cruise, though.  She broke her hip last year two years ago in late January and sailed with us that year in late March.

 

Since I choose not to get insurance, I don't assume NCL will alter their policies in any way to make up for what ever financial challenges my lack of insurance brought up.

 

Insurance for her is expensive, because, you know, she is 90.  I quoted outside insurance for my husband, daughter, daughter's friend, and it was extremely affordable. I added my mom and it came out to better than 20% of the entire vacation cost.   NCL's insurance is based per person and doesn't vary by age, but with 5 of us, it is still pretty expensive too.

 

So, we roll the dice on events that happen before the cruise.  Where I am not willing to roll the dice is once we are on the cruise.  NCL has very affordable insurance that will cover us for some of the medical costs that could be incurred on board.  We do purchase that insurance.

 

I am very sympathetic about the OP and their health concerns.  But I don't feel the same for their concerns regarding NCL fairly and equally applying their cancellation policies.

 

[JVilleGal]

47 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Steve's company is tripinsurancestore.com . Insure My Trip is a different company.

Oops you are absolutely right. Steve is in speed dial sorry for the confusion!

[newmexicoNita]

On 11/11/2019 at 12:00 PM, FLAHAM said:

In my 50's, I cruised twice a year and fortunately won my gambles on foregoing insurance.  Now in my 70's, I wouldn't consider booking a cruise without insurance.

That was us for years. Then as my dad got older, like someone else said, I started to think about the What ifs?" We started to take insurance unless the cruise was so cheap we wouldn't be upset if we lost a few bucks. Now, in our 80s, for about the last 10 or so years we wouldn't think of not taking insurance. Not only losing the money we have paid, but the worry about the cost of getting back to our home location if we were to get sick on the ship and had to be air lifted for instance.

[rjmols]

On 11/10/2019 at 7:25 AM, stargard1 said:

Thanks for everyone’s feedback, Indeed, this was a difficult lesson to absorb.

 

Unlike US and European Credit Cards, it is not normal for the credit cards from the rest of the world to carry travel insurance. It just not a normal benefit with credit cards outside the west.

 

I bought the ticket directly thru the NCL Representative directly by phone, no insurance option was provided. Maybe I should have asked about it, that’s my fault.

 

This is the reason airlines (American Airlines) and booking companies like AirB&B provide medical reprieve when a trip is interrupted due to medical reasons. This is not uncommon outside the west.

 

I caught the medical problem early and informed NCL, yes, I am supposed to get a 25% refund. Did not get that either. I was simply told “ you travel insurance will take care of it” via email. They no longer respond to my emails. Hence my comment about them as soulless.

 

I was hoping to resolve this amicably before my operations in a few days, but it has dragged out for almost a month with no end in sight.

 

It was interesting to read the comments from the board “ sob story” and  “ “ People straight up die and don't get refunds for uninsured cruises. OP, you are not special”.  And “ You can't call them soulless for you not reading the contract you agreed to.  I am 150% certain you never thought you would need cruise insurance.  Unfortunately, without it, there's no reason they should give you anything.

So, to all the other 75% of the worlds population that live outside the west who read this, I begin to understand now why NCL does not respond with any compassion.

Advice,: simply, do not take your cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line unless you have your own private travel insurance and don't expect a refund even if legally you are supposed to get one.

I would NEVER take a cruise with any cruise line WITHOUT personal travel insurance - nor any vacation for that matter whether it be land or sea. 

[HuliHuli]

On 11/9/2019 at 11:26 AM, stargard1 said:

Norwegian is a soulless company that simply does not care about you. If there is a lesson here that I would advise anyone looking for a cruise, avoid vacationing with Norwegian, they are a company that has simply no character, loyalty or care for their customers.

Hello!  It is a clearly written contract.  If you did not take out insurance, that is on you, not NCL.

[April42749]

I'm 70; DH is 85.  We always get medical coverage and it's always under $100.  I don't care about "the cost of the trip"; I care about the medical and evacuation expenses.

[Trevor Fountain]

11 hours ago, April42749 said:

I'm 70; DH is 85.  We always get medical coverage and it's always under $100.  I don't care about "the cost of the trip"; I care about the medical and evacuation expenses.

The only way I could get insured as cheap as that, would be by failing to mention ANY pre-existing medical condition. Then I might as well not bother with taking out a policy.

[Budget Queen]

On 11/10/2019 at 11:26 PM, kollegekreed said:

100% your fault. Who spends 7000 without insurance?

 

For. This amount is insignificant. I self insure my cruise, hotel, transportation costs.     But you can bet I’m well insured for medical care and evacuation.    I do find some “recommendations “ for policies that are way too low with medical.  One popular company is a $20 000 limit as example.      A lot of people haven’t had significant medical claims.   The few thousand is usually paid by even the least desirable company.   You need to prepare for the big claim potential more.  

[tampadee]

There is a huge difference between "cancel for any reason" and medical insurance, which I get most of the time.  It is still taking a chance of something happening after final payment and before the cruise .

 

I have found the best rates are with Square Mouth.  You will find very reasonable quotes from many insurance companies. 

 

I have submitted claims twice.  Both for visiting the ship's doctor.  And both for colds.  I felt like it had to be more than that but wasn't.  Yes, I am a wimp.  But the insurance covered the claims. 

 

I heard someone had a claim from visiting the ship's dr that amounted to $7000 and it was covered. 

[vince_g]

Just off the Gem 10/25-11/8 14 day southern Caribbean.  There was a code alpha called to the basketball court one afternoon.  A man (supposedly in his 50s) had a heart attack while playing basketball.  Gem sped up from Tortola to Boston, getting in on Thursday evening at 5pm, instead of Friday morning.  I heard he was being kept in a medically induced coma.  Please keep this poor guy in your prayers.

 

I should have been on this same exact itinerary on March 29th this year.  On the evening of March 25th, I had an ST elevation MI, also know as a widow maker heart attack.  It means you have 100% blockage in one of more locations.  The first question I had for my doctor as I was leaving the catheterization lab was if I could go on my cruise Friday.  He said he wasn't sure that psychologically I would be ready for it.  I was discharged from the hospital on the evening of March 28th, and was happy to go home and rest.  My outcome was a good one, and I only was on blood thinner for 6 months.

 

As much as I hate having to buy insurance, I always do, and I am so glad I did for our March cruise.  The proceeds from Nationwide paid for our October cruise.  I never would expect NCL to refund my cruise because I had a heart attack.  They are not responsible for my personal issues, nor are they responsible for making the OP whole.

[graphicguy]

OP....hope your medical procedure goes well.  I think if you read your cruise contract, the policies for cancellation will be spelled out clearly.  As far as insurance is concerned, there are some pretty far fetched things that they cover, and they cover some of the more common ones (like illness) that they’ll cover.  Given the fickle nature of the weather, I always get cruise insurance.

 

For the record, ALL the major cruise lines have a similar “no refund” policy.  So, while you’re frustration is understandable, it would have been the same if you had booked a Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, MSC or any other major cruise line.

 

Expensive lesson to learn.  I’m surprised your Personal Cruise Consultant or Travel Agent hadn’t made you aware of cruise insurance.

 

Good health to you.

[erdoran]

In this vein, hello to all from my local hospital’s cardiac ICU, where hubby landed after a routine cath.  He’s in for tonight too, and I’ve just cancelled a land-based weekend getaway.  Thank goodness our cruise isn’t until January!  But...most likely not pre-existing because he’s had no problems or med changes for over a year until this past week, and meanwhile I’ve got 3 cruises booked and insured courtesy of Chase Sapphire Reserve - with 6 month look back.  You better believe I’m gonna have Geoblue medical insurance for all 3 trips, and of course will now have to buy trip cancellation coverage that covers pre-existing, unless I choose to self-insure.

 

Hubby should be fine, though, which is the most important thing of all.

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, vince_g said:

Just off the Gem 10/25-11/8 14 day southern Caribbean.  There was a code alpha called to the basketball court one afternoon.  A man (supposedly in his 50s) had a heart attack while playing basketball.  Gem sped up from Tortola to Boston, getting in on Thursday evening at 5pm, instead of Friday morning.  I heard he was being kept in a medically induced coma.  Please keep this poor guy in your prayers.

 

 

If this poor man was in this bad shape I'm surprised that he wasn't evacuated somewhere closer  before going all the way to Boston.

[All-ready2cruise]

2 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

 

If this poor man was in this bad shape I'm surprised that he wasn't evacuated somewhere closer  before going all the way to Boston.

He need not have been in that "bad" a shape.  I've lost 2 uncles, 1 49, 1 50 and a brother at 51 to sudden heart attacks. They were all in good physical condition. They suspect it's due to a genetic defect; unfortunately, they haven't found the gene causing it.  

They probably wanted to ensure the best possible medical care for the passenger and getting him to Boston is the best way to do that. 

Hope he recovers. 

[njhorseman]

5 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

He need not have been in that "bad" a shape. I've lost 2 uncles, 1 49, 1 50 and a brother at 51 to sudden heart attacks. They were all in good physical condition.

You misunderstood what the poster meant by "in this bad shape". It wasn't a reference to the person's physical fitness, it meant that the person's medical condition was grave.