Is Covid specific insurance required for fully vaccinated passengers

[MotownVoice]

18 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Pretty sure I'd be covered if I got covid or was quarantined due to covid. 

 

 

[drsel]

On 7/31/2021 at 2:45 PM, soloadventurer said:

Our cruise is in Oct from Barcelona and booked in the UK.

 

This is part of the regulations MSC sent us. Luckily many UK insurance companies are including Covid cover on their policies.

But you also need to buy the MSC Covid Reassurance plan for Europe cruises, even if you are fully vaccinated and already have your own travel insurance with specific covid coverage

[drsel]

On 7/31/2021 at 9:36 PM, Até said:

I've cancelled my European bookings so can no longer test whether on older bookings MSC links to an insurance requirement and purchase page.  So I have to go by what you are stating and MSC has not provided that option/link during your Web Check-In process.  Have you tried going through the process again, even if you've already checked in?  I have seen other's post here where they had EU cruises which were past final payment and they called MSC to have the insurance added.

I have not yet cancelled my October 2021 Europe sailings, and we managed to check in without having any insurance at all!

There was no mention of buying any insurance in the entire check-in process.

 

We had booked our Europe Cruises in September 2020 and December 2020.

But I am wondering whether or not to reschedule to next year (using MSc Cruise flex),  because of the risk of being denied boarding.

 

We have made final payment, we don't have any insurance and we were allowed to do web check in without any mention of insurance aanywher!

Edited August 2, 2021 by drsel

[soloadventurer]

5 hours ago, drsel said:

But you also need to buy the MSC Covid Reassurance plan for Europe cruises, even if you are fully vaccinated and already have your own travel insurance with specific covid coverage

 

Nope all you have to do is present the policy to show you have covid cover insurance.

 

It may be different for other countries

[DCGuy64]

I hate to sound like the proverbial broken record, but GET A TRAVEL AGENT. I can sympathize with a lot of the frustration some people have had with MSC regarding its website and some of the agents on the phone, but my wife and I have experienced none of these problems because we always have a travel agent (who sails with MSC himself) do our calling for us. We are sailing on the Splendida on 28 August (assuming all goes to plan regarding Covid and Italy, of course), and we haven't had any hiccups. I did ask our agent to get us insurance through MSC after reading about it here, and were WERE able to purchase it despite being past final payment. Again, do yourself a favor and get a travel agent; the peace of mind alone is worth it.

[alyssamma]

18 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I hate to sound like the proverbial broken record, but GET A TRAVEL AGENT. I can sympathize with a lot of the frustration some people have had with MSC regarding its website and some of the agents on the phone, but my wife and I have experienced none of these problems because we always have a travel agent (who sails with MSC himself) do our calling for us. We are sailing on the Splendida on 28 August (assuming all goes to plan regarding Covid and Italy, of course), and we haven't had any hiccups. I did ask our agent to get us insurance through MSC after reading about it here, and were WERE able to purchase it despite being past final payment. Again, do yourself a favor and get a travel agent; the peace of mind alone is worth it.

While I think you can make pros and cons for TA for *other* cruise lines, I agree that you pretty much 100% want one for MSC. They are such a nightmare to deal with in the best of circumstances and if anything goes wrong, forget it...you'll spend forever trying to get it fixed.

 

Get a TA for MSC.

[NCTribeFan]

Except my TA won't deal with them.  She's a "Million-Dollar" sales agent for Carnival and she politely requested that I just book myself, which I did online for my past December B2B.  She said she doesn't book many with MSC and has found their CS very difficult to deal with.  With all the cancellations and rebookings she's had to deal with the past 18 months, she doesn't need the aggravation.

 

I now want to rebook but have been reading the horror stories about not even being able to get through to a sales agent to do that.

 

If I want to book online, will my FCC pop up to apply to the payment? 

 

Or I may see if there are online agencies that can book, get my FCC applied, and get the 5+15% discount currently showing for that sailing.

[alyssamma]

5 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

Except my TA won't deal with them.  She's a "Million-Dollar" sales agent for Carnival and she politely requested that I just book myself, which I did online for my past December B2B.  She said she doesn't book many with MSC and has found their CS very difficult to deal with.  With all the cancellations and rebookings she's had to deal with the past 18 months, she doesn't need the aggravation.

 

I now want to rebook but have been reading the horror stories about not even being able to get through to a sales agent to do that.

 

If I want to book online, will my FCC pop up to apply to the payment? 

 

Or I may see if there are online agencies that can book, get my FCC applied, and get the 5+15% discount currently showing for that sailing.

Simply get another TA for MSC...there are plenty that will work with them.

 

No harm in having multiple TAs...

[drsel]

34 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

if there are any that can book, get my FCC applied, and get the 5+15% discount currently showing for that sailing.

You can get one to offer you 6-8% discount on the basic fare (for low price cabins/Cruises) and 10 to 12% discount on the basic fare (for high priced cabins/cruises.).

 

They will also apply your FCC and get you the MSC onboard credit plus MSC 5 + 15% discount, in addition to their discount.

 

The prices quoted by them include all port fees and taxes, but exclude gratuities.

there are no change fees, no cancellation fees and only the cruise line fee is applicable

 

Just put your chosen cabin and Cruise on the bidding site, and you will get many offers.

Check their ratings and reviews, which are genuine.

Simply choose the best one

Edited August 4, 2021 by drsel

[Joken35]

Info on the website was contradicted by the phone rep. Surprise , surprise. The MSC Covid ins was $105 pp not $150 as advertised. He also said that without this insurance we would be charged $100 for the rapid test both before and a fter the cruise. another piece of info that is left out of the explanations for vaccinated and unvaxed . The insurance company they use is CSA. The insurance was a lot of having our own insurance and the MSC ins. On top of it.

[doublebzz]

So far on this thread, I've heard $68, $100, $150 and $175 for insurance plus other contradictory views on whether you can use your own insurance company, whether purchasing from MSC is mandatory and the type of insurance that may be required .  I really don't think anyone knows for sure until the first European cruisers report what the real situation is.

[Stockjock]

18 minutes ago, Joken35 said:

Info on the website was contradicted by the phone rep. Surprise , surprise. The MSC Covid ins was $105 pp not $150 as advertised. He also said that without this insurance we would be charged $100 for the rapid test both before and a fter the cruise. another piece of info that is left out of the explanations for vaccinated and unvaxed . The insurance company they use is CSA. The insurance was a lot of having our own insurance and the MSC ins. On top of it.

I think it's impossible to get good accurate information from MSC agents or their website.  Then, when something goes wrong, they will blame it on the customer.

[scotia_girl]

On 7/19/2021 at 11:10 PM, doublebzz said:

May I ask, how and where did you purchase this at $28?  Other posters are saying the MSC Travel Protection Plan is $150 per person for U.S. citizens.

I didnt see it listed/posted.  I called MSC (would have been the american call center) but they said for my departure (out of europe) this was the only option for insurance, she said it was optionally not required but told me the price - 82$ so I said YES i would buy it.    

[DCGuy64]

17 hours ago, doublebzz said:

So far on this thread, I've heard $68, $100, $150 and $175 for insurance plus other contradictory views on whether you can use your own insurance company, whether purchasing from MSC is mandatory and the type of insurance that may be required .  I really don't think anyone knows for sure until the first European cruisers report what the real situation is.

Yes, this thread (like so many, frankly) is filled with different advice and opinions, sometimes contradictory. Best to have your travel agent contact MSC to get the real story. And if you don't have a TA, get one! The wording on the MSC USA website is pretty clear, though: you HAVE to purchase insurance through MSC whether or not you choose to get insurance on your own. The cost differs based on whether you're sailing from the US or Europe. The policy we got, which was mandatory, cost us $175 per person. I believe it's usually $150, but we added it after final payment date, so it's possible they charged us an extra $25 because of that.

As far as European cruisers reporting, yes, I agree. I'll see if I can make contact with any people currently sailing and ask them about their experience.

 

[MotownVoice]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Best to have your travel agent contact MSC to get the real story. And if you don't have a TA, get one!

 

 

Yes, because only travel agents have cellphones.

🙄

[NCTribeFan]

I may book this weekend.  I typically purchase an annual Allianz policy but haven't even checked to see what that costs now and whether COVID is covered.  I'll research that tomorrow when I'm off work. 

 

I resume sailing (hopefully) in November and December on HAL, then January on Carnival, then MSC would be February.  Would be nice if that annual Allianz policy would actually be accepted by MSC!  

[drsel]

3 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

Yes, because only travel agents have cellphones.
🙄

DC guy has given some very good advice,  because not only do you save your time (waiting to speak to MSC on the phone ), but you ALSO get a discount of 6 to 12% on the basic fare of your Cruise; which you cannot/ will not get if you book directly with MSC.

 

This 6 to 12% discount is in addition to the MSC $50 or $100 onboard credit and MSC 5+ 15% discount

Edited August 5, 2021 by drsel

[drsel]

21 hours ago, doublebzz said:

So far on this thread, I've heard $68, $100, $150 and $175 for insurance plus other contradictory views on whether you can use your own insurance company, whether purchasing from MSC is mandatory and the type of insurance that may be required .  I really don't think anyone knows for sure until the first European cruisers report what the real situation is.

Different rates for the full MSC Travel Protection are based on the basic price and length of your Cruise.

 

Those staying in suites or with Yacht club bookings and those on longer Cruises will have to pay more

[Stockjock]

Let's say one might consider moving a booking to a TA that was already booked directly with the cruise line.  What's the best way to determine which TA would provide the best offer?  Can they offer a reduced price without booking?  OBC?  Does it matter if before or after final payment?

Would it be improper or unethical to request bids even though one has booked directly and then contact those w/the best offer about potentially moving the booking to them?

[drsel]

3 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Let's say one might consider moving a booking to a TA that was already booked directly with the cruise line.  What's the best way to determine which TA would provide the best offer?  Can they offer a reduced price without booking?  OBC?  Does it matter if before or after final payment?

Would it be improper or unethical to request bids even though one has booked directly and then contact those w/the best offer about potentially moving the booking to them?

I have never tried it, but I guess you have nothing to lose

[MotownVoice]

9 minutes ago, drsel said:

DC guy has given some very good advice,  because not only do you save your time (waiting to speak to MSC on the phone ), but you ALSO get a discount of 6 to 12% on the basic fare of your Cruise; which you cannot/ will not get if you book directly with MSC.

 

This 6 to 12% discount is in addition to the MSC $50 or $100 onboard credit and MSC 5+ 15% discount

I'll pay the extra just to keep some third party person out of my business and not screwing up something as important as a cruise.

No thanks.

[drsel]

4 hours ago, scotia_girl said:

I didnt see it listed/posted.  I called MSC (would have been the american call center) but they said for my departure (out of europe) this was the only option for insurance, she said it was optionally not required but told me the price - 82$ so I said YES i would buy it.    

How could she say it was optional or not required/ not mandatory, when the MSC US website clearly states that ALL passengers need to buy the MSc full Travel Protection for ALL European cruises, even if they have their own private travel insurance AND are fully vaccinated.

[Stockjock]

Just now, drsel said:

How could she say it was optional or not required/ not mandatory, when the MSC US website clearly states that ALL passengers need to buy the MSc full Travel Protection for ALL European cruises, even if they have their own private travel insurance AND are fully vaccinated.

I have had multiple MSC agents tell me that it is optional. I do feel that my American Express platinum card would probably provide a similar, or maybe even better, level of insurance if something goes wrong. My strategy is to wait until the date approaches and see how things look and if it looks like it is required then I’ll probably buy it. But I don’t want to spend $300 or so to buy it now and then later find out that I didn’t need to do that.

[Stockjock]

20 minutes ago, drsel said:

I have never tried it, but I guess you have nothing to lose

Based on your suggestion, I put my cruise up for bid on one of the cruise competition sites.  Since I'm outside of final payment, I suppose I could even do a rebook if the price was right.

Thus far, I have one quote which is about $100 more than I could book directly and $235 in OBC.  Not enticing enough to consider a rebook, although I could contact them about moving the existing reservation over for $200 or more OBC.  We'll see.

Generally though, while I hate to waste my own time, I do prefer being able to speak with the cruise line directly.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Stockjock

[Stockjock]

Duplicate.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Stockjock