Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[Sea Dog]

4 minutes ago, Keksie said:

That has happened to us the last 2 cruises.  The first one in Tampa we arrived around 11:30 and were ushered upstairs to wait. I think we got onboard around 12ish.

 

The second one in Boston was very delayed.  We arrived around 11:30 and after a few minutes in line they came along asking for Suites and Keys.  We were escorted upstairs to wait.  The people with 12pm check in times were also allowed in.  The others were in line outside (some until 3pm).  We got to go onboard at 1:45.  I am very glad we didn't have anything booked that night. At our 7:15 reservation for MTD I didn't eat that much.

 

The email said the terminal in San Pedro will be closed at that time which is ridiculous as the coast guard does the inspection on the ship not the terminal. All those people who are going to come early are going to have to stand outside for hours. I hope they will let some of us in like us who have the Key.

[HBE4]

I've been following the discussion about Travel Insurance with interest.  I've never bought it before but with a few upcoming trips in next year, I'm think about.

 

I will definitely checkout the link to the CC travel insurance forums that was posted above as well as the Trip Insurance Store ( I Think that's what it was called) but before I spend many hours going down that rabbit hole, a couple quick questions so I know what to look for & ask.

 

Is the annual policy calendar year or does it start when you purchase it, i.e if I bought it today Oct 15th would it be from 10/15/2024 - 10/14/2025?

 

The reason I'm buying it is if I have to cancel a trip due to bad weather or personal reasons. A few family members have health issues and while they will not be traveling with me, in case they go downhill quickly, I may need to cancel spur-of-the-moment. I think that's called CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason). I don't need Medi-vac or coverage for hospitalization in foreign country so can that be exuded? I guess I'm asking if it can be customized for my exact needs?

 

[George C]

20 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

And to make matters worse, I just got an email from Royal that there will be a coast guard inspection in the morning and the terminal will be closed. My 10:30 arrival time is now 12pm which makes our Key lunch late and then we have the Chef's Table that evening. UGHHHHH!

have a great cruise, hopefully no more hiccups . we do nothing but specialty restaurants but never did a Chefs Table, about a decade ago we did get invited to captains table which was fantastic . 

[HBE4]

31 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Remember the children's book "The Little Engine That Can?" The line "I think I can....I think I can...I think I can..." is the story of my life right now. Still waiting on problems to get resolved.

 

And if I recall, the Little Engine succeeded in the end. As will you. 👍

[Keksie]

6 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

The email said the terminal in San Pedro will be closed at that time which is ridiculous as the coast guard does the inspection on the ship not the terminal. All those people who are going to come early are going to have to stand outside for hours. I hope they will let some of us in like us who have the Key.

That is what they said in our email in Boston but they opened it for certain groups.

[HBE4]

37 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

The weekend and beginning of next week look really nice. It gives me more incentive to not turn the heat on now.

 

I already turned off the heat that I had on for the past 2 days. Took the  chill out of the house, now the rest is up to the sunshine. I have a lot of windows that face south & west that let in plenty of sunshine. That's my idea of solar heating.

[HBE4]

@lenquixote66

 

Good to see you posting again. Hope your new medical issues are resoled quickly.

[lenquixote66]

38 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks Lenny. I hope you are feeling better.

Thanks,Gregg.My Occupational Therapist is fantastic and helps me a lot.She comes Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and “pushes” me to exercise which helps.The same for my PT who also comes here twice a week.They both challenge me to do things that I tell them I cannot do and they do not accept me saying I cannot do things .Each session is supposed to be 45 minutes but I have yet to have one less than an hour because of their dedication .

[Ken at the beach]

10 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I've been following the discussion about Travel Insurance with interest.  I've never bought it before but with a few upcoming trips in next year, I'm think about.

 

I will definitely checkout the link to the CC travel insurance forums that was posted above as well as the Trip Insurance Store ( I Think that's what it was called) but before I spend many hours going down that rabbit hole, a couple quick questions so I know what to look for & ask.

 

Is the annual policy calendar year or does it start when you purchase it, i.e if I bought it today Oct 15th would it be from 10/15/2024 - 10/14/2025?

 

The reason I'm buying it is if I have to cancel a trip due to bad weather or personal reasons. A few family members have health issues and while they will not be traveling with me, in case they go downhill quickly, I may need to cancel spur-of-the-moment. I think that's called CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason). I don't need Medi-vac or coverage for hospitalization in foreign country so can that be exuded? I guess I'm asking if it can be customized for my exact needs?

 

CFAR is the expensive part of insurance policies and I am not even sure if it is offered on annual plans.  If that is all you are looking for ny all means check out the trip insurance store but you can also get Royals policy at any time up until final payment.  Royals policy, while generally poor compared to other does have 2 very good reasons to book it...the CFAR coverage which is a 90% FCC valid for one year and the other is that it does not base it's premiums based on age.

[Sea Dog]

32 minutes ago, George C said:

have a great cruise, hopefully no more hiccups . we do nothing but specialty restaurants but never did a Chefs Table, about a decade ago we did get invited to captains table which was fantastic . 

 

I would love to do the Captain's Table I am sure the food was fantastic.

 

30 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

And if I recall, the Little Engine succeeded in the end. As will you. 👍

 

Laura S emailed me back saying that the problems uploaded pics and attachments should be fixed but it's still not working. I try every couple of minutes to test it to no avail. Very frustrated as I want to get my review started.

 

29 minutes ago, Keksie said:

That is what they said in our email in Boston but they opened it for certain groups.

 

I sure hope that will be our case. We are still going early. Last time there was CG inspection we were only delayed by about 20 minutes.

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:34 PM by Sea Dog

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks I had not seen that section. Good place to do my research.

The forum has Steve’s company banner and he sometimes does Q&A.
 

Remember there are several brokers. 

 

Are you wanting to change from an annual policy?

 

 

[Sea Dog]

No we already bought the annual policy and we are good with the price. I just want to do more research and make sure for future cruises we get the best policy and best coverage for the price. So far (knock on wood) we have not had to make a claim. I hope that streak continues.

[Arzeena]

56 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I've been following the discussion about Travel Insurance with interest.  I've never bought it before but with a few upcoming trips in next year, I'm think about.

 

I will definitely checkout the link to the CC travel insurance forums that was posted above as well as the Trip Insurance Store ( I Think that's what it was called) but before I spend many hours going down that rabbit hole, a couple quick questions so I know what to look for & ask.

 

Is the annual policy calendar year or does it start when you purchase it, i.e if I bought it today Oct 15th would it be from 10/15/2024 - 10/14/2025?

 

The reason I'm buying it is if I have to cancel a trip due to bad weather or personal reasons. A few family members have health issues and while they will not be traveling with me, in case they go downhill quickly, I may need to cancel spur-of-the-moment. I think that's called CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason). I don't need Medi-vac or coverage for hospitalization in foreign country so can that be exuded? I guess I'm asking if it can be customized for my exact needs?

 

We called a little while ago and spoke with Steve. Ken had also posted his link (and I found it).
He will explain you everything. You just tell him what you need. Annual starts a day before your travel start date you give him (The Oct example you gave above is correct). And I believe CFAR is not covered in annual policies, but ask him if it can be added on for a particular trip.

Steve is very nice to talk to. And thank you Ken. We told him how we found him.
 

Edited Tuesday at 05:57 PM by Arzeena

[cruiselvr04]

31 minutes ago, Ken at the beach said:

CFAR is the expensive part of insurance policies and I am not even sure if it is offered on annual plans.  If that is all you are looking for ny all means check out the trip insurance store but you can also get Royals policy at any time up until final payment.  Royals policy, while generally poor compared to other does have 2 very good reasons to book it...the CFAR coverage which is a 90% FCC valid for one year and the other is that it does not base it's premiums based on age.

Ken is right. CFAR is not available on any annual policy I’ve looked at.  It can be added to several individual policies if done at time of purchase but it does add to the cost.  Again the trip insurance store has an easy to navigate website to plug your numbers and desires in and look at prices. 
 

Another thing to consider is if the medical is primary or secondary. I prefer primary so I wouldn’t have to go through my personal insurance first and then file with travel insurance but that doesn’t mean I always choose primary.
 

Travel insurance is a pain to figure out.  I don’t insure SW airfare as I can get credit. I don’t insure more than one night hotel because I can cancel. I don’t insure pre paid gratuities or ship excursions because those will be refunded. Some policies insist you insure everything.  Others you insure for a certain amount and that’s what you’d get back.  It can be soooo complicated. 
 

Which reminds me I need to insure our January trip yet. 

[h20skibum]

41 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Laura S emailed me back saying that the problems uploaded pics and attachments should be fixed but it's still not working. I try every couple of minutes to test it to no avail. Very frustrated as I want to get my review started.

On one I am following on the Princess boards, they were able to upload some photos an hour ago.   The same photo upload problems hit them too.

 

Maybe that means they are getting closer. 

[Sea Dog]

3 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

On one I am following on the Princess boards, they were able to upload some photos an hour ago.   The same photo upload problems hit them too.

 

Maybe that means they are getting closer. 

 

I sure hope so. I have been trying to upload a pic every 5 minutes or so with no luck. I wanted to get the review going the day before we leave as I have fast internet speed and can get the first few posts all uploaded. I would rather not have to do it while in the air with a planes slow wi-fi.

[Lionesss]

3 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yes Linda had already purchased a yearly policy through Allianz which we have used in the past. I do want to look at the other companies mentioned here for our Bella 2.0 and Bella 2.5 in February.

Do you know what the difference in cost is from a one time to a year fee?

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

I've been following the discussion about Travel Insurance with interest.  I've never bought it before but with a few upcoming trips in next year, I'm think about.

 

I will definitely checkout the link to the CC travel insurance forums that was posted above as well as the Trip Insurance Store ( I Think that's what it was called) but before I spend many hours going down that rabbit hole, a couple quick questions so I know what to look for & ask.

 

Is the annual policy calendar year or does it start when you purchase it, i.e if I bought it today Oct 15th would it be from 10/15/2024 - 10/14/2025?

 

The reason I'm buying it is if I have to cancel a trip due to bad weather or personal reasons. A few family members have health issues and while they will not be traveling with me, in case they go downhill quickly, I may need to cancel spur-of-the-moment. I think that's called CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason). I don't need Medi-vac or coverage for hospitalization in foreign country so can that be exuded? I guess I'm asking if it can be customized for my exact needs?

 

The annual policy is for a year from when you purchase.  I bought ours before our Utopia cruise in August, so it covered that one, plus the next five we have booked.

 

Ours we get mainly for medical and med evac.   When my father was still alive and cruising, he had to be med evac from Granada to Florida.  Those are the times when you are glad you had it.

[bobmacliberty]

7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

I sure hope so. I have been trying to upload a pic every 5 minutes or so with no luck. I wanted to get the review going the day before we leave as I have fast internet speed and can get the first few posts all uploaded. I would rather not have to do it while in the air with a planes slow wi-fi.

 

Still a problem for me also.  I'm trying to upload a picture of the comet that I took last night.  No matter when you start your review, I'll be there!

Edited Tuesday at 06:12 PM by bobmacliberty

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

I already turned off the heat that I had on for the past 2 days. Took the  chill out of the house, now the rest is up to the sunshine. I have a lot of windows that face south & west that let in plenty of sunshine. That's my idea of solar heating.

I have big west facing windows. They better do their job!

[c-leg5]

34 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

No we already bought the annual policy and we are good with the price. I just want to do more research and make sure for future cruises we get the best policy and best coverage for the price. So far (knock on wood) we have not had to make a claim. I hope that streak continues.

We had to cancel multiple cruises a couple of years ago. Fortunately most were only at deposit stage with a couple of short, fully-funded. All were refunded by Allianz. I think the biggest problem with annual is if you have high ticket trips because they have a limited maximum payout. So long as you understand that you will save on all you don’t claim on and you would have to purchase individual insurance for the remainder of the year just as you would have done otherwise. This may be a problem if you need to cover pre-existing conditions. 
 

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:21 PM by c-leg5

[c-leg5]

9 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

Do you know what the difference in cost is from a one time to a year fee?

You would need to do a personal quote.

[Sea Dog]

6 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

Do you know what the difference in cost is from a one time to a year fee?

 

For a single trip it was $502 for both of us.

For a annual policy it was actually cheaper. It was $485 for both of us.

That included

$2,000 Trip Cancellation

$2,000 Trip Interruption

$50,000 Emergency Medical

$500,000 Ermgency Transportation

[Sea Dog]

9 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Still a problem for me also.  I'm trying to upload a picture of the comet that I took last night.  No matter when you start your review, I'll be there!

 

I am getting annoyed unfortunately.

[bobmacliberty]

We had dinner at our downtown area last night and then went to the marina to look for the comet.  It was a little faint in the sky since there's some light pollution near us, but it was visible.  It shows up better in the photo that I took, which I'll need to upload later. 🤬

 

The marina was packed with yachts...several that would probably be considered super yachts.  I thought that was unusual, but I talked with a guy today who is a captain for a local boat.  He said that our marina is very busy this time of year with yachts headed south and staying here overnight or for a few days.  The 3 biggies were the 40-meter Onika, the 50m Aurora, and the 60m Bella Vita.  There were about a dozen other yachts in the 20m +/- range, several with people just hanging out on deck enjoying a cocktail.  Must be a nice life.