NCL Support if you test positive?

[Lou33]

Royal Caribbean is very clear that if you test positive on the ship, that they will take care of you.  The will pay any potential medical costs, they will fly you or drive you home, or they will pay for your quarantine expenses and then fly you home at no cost.  

 

What does NCL do if you test positive during the cruise?  I have seen a news excerpt that positive NOLA Breakaway passengers will quarantine at accommodations "provided" by the cruise line.  So does NCL pay for your hotel?  Do they pay your meal expenses?  Will they fly you home after quarantine?  Will they pay your medical bills?  On RCI, the answer to each question is yes, but I can't find written policy for NCL.  Our final payment is due in 2 weeks, so that is something to consider.

[Babr]

Norwegian does not have much to to say about this. I did find a mention in the FAQ that onboard consultation for respiratory symptoms is complimentary. I’m sure that is to encourage people to report any suspicious illness.

 

The only thing I found in the Refund and Cancellation Policy for Covid 19 is that they will help you with quarantine expenses not covered by insurance if you test positive at embarkation. You have to provide proof of a negative PCR test.

 

So it seems Norwegian expects you to have insurance to cover expenses such as medical, lodging, meals, and transportation if you test positive along the way. Assistance is limited to embarkation. For the most part, the answer to all your questions is No.

 

Apparently the situation in New Orleans prompted them to provide

accommodations, but there are no details about what that means. Maybe someone  involved will report.

[BermudaBound2014]

54 minutes ago, Babr said:

Apparently the situation in New Orleans prompted them to provide

accommodations, but there are no details about what that means. Maybe someone  involved will report.

 

The CDC requires all ships to have a plan in place at each port for the hotel they will use in the event of a quarantine. The hotel they used in New Orleans was pre-determined.  Recent guests of the Jade were put in a hotel I would consider inhabitable (there are photos online showing the condition). I saw photos of the quarantine hotel NCL uses in Seattle and it seemed fine for a short stay, but it was a typical small hotel room.  Looked to be about 300 square feet with 2 double beds overlooking the highway. Bigger than a cabin onboard but not a place I'd want to spend 10 days. Based on all accounts, NCL will pay your hotel quarantine and give a daily allowance for food, but things are still so fluid with NCL protocols it's hard to know what the policy will be tomorrow. 

[Babr]

I’m aware of the port agreements that call for contracted hotels to house people who test positive, but it seems cruise lines have varying policies about how much assistance they will provide.

 

People who tested positive on Carnival ships earlier this year reported that they got nothing except a ride to the hotel. They had to pay up front and file a claim for reimbursement from their travel insurance.

 

The representative from Windstar told me that if either of us tests positive at embarkation that we are on our own. Their agent will direct us to the local authorities, but any required quarantine is on our dime - his word exactly.

 

So, yes there are plans in place for housing; but Norwegian’s written policy says only that they will provide for expenses not covered by your insurance if you can provide proof of a negative PCR test after you have been denied boarding. 
 

Anything they are doing for the people in New Orleans seems to be an exception from their written policy.

[BermudaBound2014]

@Babr sorry, I misunderstood your reply :(. It is interesting how different each line really is. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Lou33 said:

Royal Caribbean is very clear that if you test positive on the ship, that they will take care of you.  The will pay any potential medical costs, they will fly you or drive you home, or they will pay for your quarantine expenses and then fly you home at no cost.  

 

What does NCL do if you test positive during the cruise?  I have seen a news excerpt that positive NOLA Breakaway passengers will quarantine at accommodations "provided" by the cruise line.  So does NCL pay for your hotel?  Do they pay your meal expenses?  Will they fly you home after quarantine?  Will they pay your medical bills?  On RCI, the answer to each question is yes, but I can't find written policy for NCL.  Our final payment is due in 2 weeks, so that is something to consider.

 

NCL has an documented process for supporting those who are denied boarding. In the past, NCL has covered hotel and food costs above and beyond what your insurance pays. There have been isolated instances at Alaskan ports with limited quarantine capability where NCL has arranged for a medical charter to evacuate passengers testing positive onboard. 

 

https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe

 

If a guest receives a positive COVID test at the pier testing at arrival, they will be denied boarding and will likely be required to quarantine by local officials. Norwegian Cruise Line will assist with expenses related to any mandatory quarantine that are not covered by their travel insurance only if the guest provides proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of their travel date. Guests who are unable to provide proof of a negative test taken within 96-hours of their travel date will not qualify for reimbursement should the applicable expenses not be covered by their travel insurance.

• Proof of negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken within 96-hours of travel date must show guest name, date of birth and date the test was taken in order to be eligible.

 

wrt the contract every passenger signs:

 

(f) Guest Testing Positive for COVID-19 During Cruise. Guest understands and agrees that if, after boarding, and even if Guest has fully complied with all COVID-19 Policies and Procedures, Guest tests positive for COVID-19 or exhibits signs or symptoms of COVID-19, Carrier may disembark, refuse reboarding after a shore excursion, or quarantine Guest as well as members of Guest’s travelling party, or take other steps which Carrier determines, in its sole discretion, are necessary under the circumstances to protect the health and well-being of others. Under these circumstances, any such Guest with a known or suspected case of infection with COVID-19 who is disembarked, refused re-boarding, or quarantined shall be entitled to a prorated refund, or an optional prorated future cruise credit for the unused portion of the Cruise Fare. For further details, refer to Carrier’s refund and cancellation policy at 04/2021 https://www.ncl.com/refund-and-cancellation-policy-covid-19. Each such Guest is responsible for all other related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expense. Under no circumstances shall Carrier be liable to any such Guest for any costs, damages or expenses whatsoever incurred by any Passenger.

 

[Babr]

According to this, the people who tested positive at disembarkation in New Orleans are not entitled to any assistance. The cruise was over so no refund for unused days, and  “Each guest is responsible for all other related costs…”

[Lou33]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

(f) Guest Testing Positive for COVID-19 During Cruise........ Carrier may disembark, refuse reboarding after a shore excursion....each such Guest is responsible for all other related costs and fines, including without limitation travel expense. Under no circumstances shall Carrier be liable to any such Guest for any costs, damages or expenses whatsoever incurred by any Passenger.

 

Wow.   I'm not so much worried about testing positive at the pier because we will do a self test before we get there.   But what if you feel a little sick after the cruise starts?  What incentive do you have to go down to the clinic?  So the doctor says , "yep, you tested positive, now get off my ship!  And good luck getting home".  Seriously, so you have a little cough and feel a little achy.  How could you risk the equivalent of the doctor making you "walk the plank"?   Instead this policy gives passengers every incentive to say, "my cough is probably nothing, I feel tired, but I'm jet lagged, I'm achy, but we did a long hike on that excursion, my stomach is funny, it must have been a bad burrito?"

 

NCL, we know that you're reading this.  Is it in your best interest to risk an outbreak on your ships because you won't promise to take care of your passengers?

Edited December 7, 2021 by Lou33

[BirdTravels]

So there is a difference between what NCL is contractually able to do (i.e., the cruise contract that every passenger signs to get their eDocs) and what they do in practice. Every cruise line contract is about the same. 

 

Folks talk about the comfort of hotel rooms, going on a driving trip, etc., but it all depends on how sick you get. The Carnival Vista had a COVID-positive passenger who was disembarked in Belize, treated, medivac'ed to the US and died a few days later. That same cruise had a total of 27 COVID cases onboard. 

[LGW59]

3 hours ago, Babr said:

According to this, the people who tested positive at disembarkation in New Orleans are not entitled to any assistance. The cruise was over so no refund for unused days, and  “Each guest is responsible for all other related costs…”

As it should be.  Good on lines that go further but they definitely don’t have to.  I travel with private insurance.  If it’s to expensive for some, perhaps rethink your travel plan during this time.

[Lou33]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Every cruise line contract is about the same. 

But you do understand that Royal Caribbean, for example, very explicitly states "we'll take care of things", and they are very specific about how they will do that.  I don't see NCL doing that.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

[Lou33]

56 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

As it should be.  Good on lines that go further but they definitely don’t have to.

As it should be?  Yes, legally a cruise line can just throw the COVID positive passengers off the ship to fend for themselves.   But is that in their best interests?

 

As my example, if the passenger's know that the cruise lines official policy is to not take care of people with COVID, I expect that many symptomatic people would avoid seeking medical help or testing while on the ship.  And could lead to many more infections, possibly ending the cruise early, or worse.  

[floatn]

I am constantly astounded that folks will travel outside the US without adequate travel insurance that covers even basic out of pocket expenses for unforeseen circumstances. And never more astounded that folks would do so in this era of global pandemic and greater possibility of needing that insurance than now. Many policies now cover those isolation and/or quarantine expenses and additional travel expenses such as airfare adjustments. Don't leave home without it!

[classy_cruiser]

6 hours ago, Lou33 said:

But you do understand that Royal Caribbean, for example, very explicitly states "we'll take care of things", and they are very specific about how they will do that.  I don't see NCL doing that.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

NCL also had a similar statement when they restarted earlier this year but it was quickly changed to put more burden on the passengers 

[Babr]

It is a double-edged sword for the cruise lines. They need to make passengers feel comfortable so that they will return to cruising; but the cruise lines have lost a lot of money over the last year or so, and these Covid Assistance plans are expensive to maintain.

 

 

[phillygwm]

9 hours ago, Lou33 said:

NCL, we know that you're reading this.  Is it in your best interest to risk an outbreak on your ships because you won't promise to take care of your passengers?

Personally, I wouldn't dream of traveling anywhere without trip insurance nowadays, even if it's just what's covered by my credit card and the NCL policy.  From what I've read, NCL provides support for those who pre-test negative but turn up positive at the port.  But they first rely on any insurance coverage the traveler may have.

 

I'm not sure the cruise lines can mandate that travelers have insurance (and how much) but they could make travelers sign something stating that they're aware of the risks and choose to proceed without insurance anyway.  

[Lou33]

4 hours ago, floatn said:

I am constantly astounded that folks will travel outside the US without adequate travel insurance

 

3 hours ago, phillygwm said:

Personally, I wouldn't dream of traveling anywhere without trip insurance

I don't see this as an issue about insurance.  For a long time we have always bought insurance.  We are already covered by our health insurance for medical while out of the country.  But we get insurance mostly to cover the cost of our trip.  That works fine in normal times.  These are "not" normal times.   

 

I doubt that the insurance that we usually buy has a clause that says:  "don't worry! If you get quarantined, we will pay all of your expenses upfront and get you home regardless of the cost."  But that is exactly what Royal Caribbean is doing.  

 

Again, my whole point is that it is not in NCL's best interests to not take care of passengers with COVID, because when they are feeling ill, they will not report it.  That doesn't make me feel comfortable being on a ship when "others" are not reporting symptoms, even if I have insurance.  

[tafawke]

As someone living in Canada, I purchased COVID specific insurance - the possibility of having to spend up to 2 weeks in New Orleans (yes I am booked on the Breakaway in less than 2 weeks) was a bit scary without some kind of insurance... beyond what NCL can / will do... 

[BirdTravels]

11 hours ago, Lou33 said:

But you do understand that Royal Caribbean, for example, very explicitly states "we'll take care of things", and they are very specific about how they will do that.  I don't see NCL doing that.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center

This is an NCL forum. What "the other guy does" is not relevant. 

[Babr]

18 minutes ago, Lou33 said:

 

I don't see this as an issue about insurance.  For a long time we have always bought insurance.  We are already covered by our health insurance for medical while out of the country.  But we get insurance mostly to cover the cost of our trip.  That works fine in normal times.  These are "not" normal times.   

 

I doubt that the insurance that we usually buy has a clause that says:  "don't worry! If you get quarantined, we will pay all of your expenses upfront and get you home regardless of the cost."  But that is exactly what Royal Caribbean is doing.  

 

Again, my whole point is that it is not in NCL's best interests to not take care of passengers with COVID, because when they are feeling ill, they will not report it.  That doesn't make me feel comfortable being on a ship when "others" are not reporting symptoms, even if I have insurance.  

Actually, insurance does pay extra expenses and get you home if you are delayed.  It is provided for in the aptly named Trip Delay section of your policy. Most people don’t realize it even exists.

 

If you read the policy, you’ll see that Trip Delay pays for lodging, meals, and other expenses if you are delayed returning from your trip. The problem is that many pay only a few hundred dollars - enough for a night or two so I don’t know if the policy you usually buy would be adequate.

 

You have to shop for a policy with the most generous Trip Delay benefits or at least an amount you are comfortable with. I have found several that pay out $2,000 to $2,500 per person with a $200 to $250 per person cap per day. That should cover a 10 day quarantine fairly well. Such policies are easy to find with searches at sites like tripinsurancestore, insuremytrip, or squaremouth.

 

The Trip Interruption provision will reimburse you for unused days of your trip and pay for costs to get home. That benefit ranges from 100% to 200% of the cost of your trip.

[Lou33]

41 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

This is an NCL forum. What "the other guy does" is not relevant. 

I started the thread to discuss what NCL does to handle a certain issue.  To "compare" what a different company does to handle that "exact" issue is absolutely relevant.  Readers may not know and they may find that helpful.  I don't know of a rule that we must never mention another cruise line on this forum.  

 

If you were a sales manager and you held a meeting to find ideas to increase sales.  Would you say: I don't want to know about a strategy that X company used to out sell us.  What the other guy does is not relevant?

 

This is a metaphor.  Please don't respond by saying that this isn't a discussion about sales.  I know that. 🙂

[luvcruzing]

14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Folks talk about the comfort of hotel rooms, going on a driving trip, etc., but it all depends on how sick you get. The Carnival Vista had a COVID-positive passenger who was disembarked in Belize, treated, medivac'ed to the US and died a few days later. That same cruise had a total of 27 COVID cases onboard.

 

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

This is an NCL forum. What "the other guy does" is not relevant. 

Really?

[Babr]

1 hour ago, Lou33 said:

I started the thread to discuss what NCL does to handle a certain issue.  To "compare" what a different company does to handle that "exact" issue is absolutely relevant.  Readers may not know and they may find that helpful.  I don't know of a rule that we must never mention another cruise line on this forum.  

 

If you were a sales manager and you held a meeting to find ideas to increase sales.  Would you say: I don't want to know about a strategy that X company used to out sell us.  What the other guy does is not relevant?

 

This is a metaphor.  Please don't respond by saying that this isn't a discussion about sales.  I know that. 🙂

 

Yes, it is useful to know what other companies are doing in order to make an informed choice, but Norwegian has already made a decision for what is in their best interest.

 

They chose to take on the state of Florida so they could sail at 100% vaccinated. They provided an incentive for passengers to purchase insurance and to do optional testing pre-cruise. In return, they will reimburse expenses not covered by insurance. See post #6. They do offer complimentary care on board for respiratory symptoms to encourage people to seek treatment. See post #2. They will take care of passengers who help themselves.

 

Seems to embody two highly touted American values - free enterprise and self-reliance.  If we really believe that, we should applaud Norwegian’s success and buy some good insurance.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Babr

[BermudaBound2014]

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

This is an NCL forum. What "the other guy does" is not relevant. 

 

I call BS. The purpose of the CC forums is to gather information so that passengers can make the best decision possible for how they wish to spend their travel dollars. That is impossible to do without comparing what the 'other guy' does. 

[Lou33]

6 hours ago, Babr said:

They provided an incentive for passengers to purchase insurance and to do optional testing pre-cruise. In return, they will reimburse expenses not covered by insurance. See post #6. They do offer complimentary care on board for respiratory symptoms to encourage people to seek treatment. See post #2.

These so called incentives wouldn't apply to us.  They reimburse expenses not covered by insurance, only if you test positive at the pier.  But starting Jan 17 they stop testing at the pier, you have to test at home.

 

The complimentary care for respiratory symptoms, I suspect, consists of a free COVID test.  I feel people are discouraged to seek treatment because if you are positive, they could disembark you at any port, and you're on your own from there.   So NCL is basically doing nothing to help. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by Lou33