MSC Covid insurance compared to other cruiselines - question

[westcoasttech]

Having finally decided to take the plunge and go back to cruising, I've kind of gone "all in" and booked 4 cruises for the remainder of this year - each with a different cruiseline (all based in North America - Alaska route x2 and Caribbean route X2)

 

Most of the other lines seem to be saying that they will either credit (FCC) or refund the cruise fare if you test COVID positive in the pre-cruise required testing with both the 2 day prior testing and any port testing (where that may still be in place).  They also seem to say that they will treat for "free" if you contract COVID once on board.

 

With MSC requiring proof of personal insurance that specifically covers COVID before you board, I presume they are not offering to pay for any treatment if any pax contract COVID while onboard?  And I'm a little unclear if they are offering a similar credit/refund for pre-boarding COVID results?

 

For this amount of travelling in any one year, I would normally try to get a yearly insurance policy, which normally works out cheaper than separate policies for each trip (BTW, I'm based in Canada, so don't have to worry about medical coverage while not travelling).  However I presume that for the "other lines", I just need to ensure I have some coverage for luggage, travel interruption, and "other" medical issues (as I would have in the "Before Times").  For MSC I seem to need to ensure I have full coverage that includes cruise cancellation for COVID pre-cruise issues and COVID treatment onboard - do I have that right or have I misinterpreted MSC's requirements?

[cruiseguyinorl]

Per their FAQ's:

 

For non-US residents, purchase of travel insurance with coverage for COVID-19 is required through the country of residence of each guest. You must present documentation at the pier with sufficient coverage purchased that has a minimum of (a) $25,000 per person in medical expense coverage and (b) $50,000 coverage for emergency medical evacuation, both with no COVID-19 exclusions. The insurance policy must name the guest as the policyholder or beneficiary.  Guests must bring a printed version of the insurance policy, showing the name of each of the covered guest(s) and a description of the coverage in the policy. This documentation will be reviewed by our staff at the terminal prior to boarding.Without it, guests will be denied boarding.

 

Bret