What to do if..

[mfs2k]

I’m cruising on Beyond in October so I’ll get a refund if my wife and I test positive for Covid before we sail. We don’t have travel insurance and we’re not flying to the ship. 
For the past 24 hours I’ve had a dry scratchy cough and I feel like something is coming but maybe not. I tested negative this morning on a home test. 
I wonder what I’m supposed to do if we test negative 2 days before our cruise but we wake the day of the sailing feeling like we may be coming down with something but still test negative. 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?

What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?

Edited August 9, 2022 by mfs2k

[Redtravel]

If you test positive, stay home.  Notify Celebrity.  Not having travel insurance is a mistake.

[mfs2k]

5 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

If you test positive, stay home.  Notify Celebrity.  Not having travel insurance is a mistake.

.

Edited August 9, 2022 by mfs2k

[Jeremiah1212]

You should still get a refund or FCC 

 

0. Denial of Embarkation or Reboarding; Quarantine and/or Disembarkation

   • If you, your family members, members of your Traveling Party or other close contacts are denied embarkation or reboarding, or quarantined or disembarked during the voyage, due to a positive COVID-19 test or being suspected of having COVID-19, you and they are entitled to a refund, or an optional FCC, for the cruise fare paid to Celebrity in the event of denial at embarkation, or a pro-rated refund or pro-rated FCC for the unused portion of your cruise fare in all other cases.

[asnaleah]

Travel insurance is important 

[LGW59]

12 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

Travel insurance is important 

Penny wise and pound foolish to not have it 

[WestLakeGirl]

40 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I wonder what I’m supposed to do if we test negative 2 days before our cruise but we wake the day of the sailing feeling like we may be coming down with something but still test negative. 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?

What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?

In the days before you cruise, you can “pretest” and assuming all are negative and you are negative two days before, go on the cruise.  Keep on top of it.

[Spif Barwunkel]

Obviously, driving to the port is key here. Testing negative for Covid two days prior to sailing assures you of being able to cruise. No regulations prohibiting you from boarding a ship while sick with a cold or flu, and people have always done that. Pump yourself full of medications and hope for the best. If I have symptoms but I am able to function, I am driving to the port and getting on the ship. Depending on the severity of the illness - if at all - I might even wear a KN95 mask to protect others. Should Covid cases develop onboard during the cruise, that KN95 will afford me protection for a weakened immune system. Of course, insurance would make things a whole lot easier.

Edited August 9, 2022 by Spif Barwunkel

[verizon]

26 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

Travel insurance is important 

I don't think so if you have Chase Sapphire Reserve. 

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

I’m cruising on Beyond in October so I’ll get a refund if my wife and I test positive for Covid before we sail. We don’t have travel insurance and we’re not flying to the ship. 
For the past 24 hours I’ve had a dry scratchy cough and I feel like something is coming but maybe not. I tested negative this morning on a home test. 
I wonder what I’m supposed to do if we test negative 2 days before our cruise but we wake the day of the sailing feeling like we may be coming down with something but still test negative. 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?

What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?

I’d wait until I actually had to take a test to test.  If even required for October sailings.  Word is changes are coming Aug 14 (an announcement regarding supposedly). 
 

I am scheduled to sail Sept 17, attending a big wedding Sept 10, I will test Sept 15 if it is still required..

[wrk2cruise]

If you had any symptoms even if testing negative and assuming you are honest on the health questionnaire you would be further screened by the ships medical staff.  They would determine if you are able to board or not.  If not you would be entitled to a refund with the current policy.  Assuming they test you and you test negative you would be allowed to board although maybe with some restrictions.

[wrk2cruise]

11 minutes ago, verizon said:

I don't think so if you have Chase Sapphire Reserve. 

 

In which case you do have travel insurance.   If it's coverage is adequate for you situation is up to you.  Just like any other travel insurance policy.

[mfs2k]

 

99%+ of people on a particular cruise don't use their travel insurance. 

 

Of course, in this group, many of you will tell stories of how you needed your travel insurance on one of your many many trips. But that's not statistically relevant.  Just because you've been to the site of a disaster doesn't mean you were at the site at the time of the disaster. 

 

If I bought travel insurance for every cruise I've taken, I probably would have spent over $10,000.  

If my cruise fare wasn't refunded if I was denied boarding due to Covid, or if I were flying to the ship, I'd buy travel insurance.  

 

 

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

99%+ of people on a particular cruise don't use their travel insurance. 

 

Of course, in this group, many of you will tell stories of how you needed your travel insurance on one of your many many trips. But that's not statistically relevant.  Just because you've been to the site of a disaster doesn't mean you were at the site at the time of the disaster. 

 

If I bought travel insurance for every cruise I've taken, I probably would have spent over $10,000.  

If my cruise fare wasn't refunded if I was denied boarding due to Covid, or if I were flying to the ship, I'd buy travel insurance.  

 

 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?  What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?   If you already know your answer then why bother asking the question.  

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

I’m cruising on Beyond in October so I’ll get a refund if my wife and I test positive for Covid before we sail. We don’t have travel insurance and we’re not flying to the ship. 
For the past 24 hours I’ve had a dry scratchy cough and I feel like something is coming but maybe not. I tested negative this morning on a home test. 
I wonder what I’m supposed to do if we test negative 2 days before our cruise but we wake the day of the sailing feeling like we may be coming down with something but still test negative. 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?

What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?

Have you experienced COVID symptoms from before?  Many people can tell the difference from a typical cough and scratchy throat - say due to allergies- and COVID symptoms.  Especially if they had it before.  If you test negative you can certainly board - but risk going into isolation if you test positive later and are one of the few that report to Medical.  Or bring COVID tests with you (plus your wife too) and if you do test positive then self-quarantine in your cabin.  Or report.

[mfs2k]

7 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Have you experienced COVID symptoms from before? 

 

Nope.  I've been sick about 3-4 times since March 2020 with colds/sore throat, coughing, sneezing, etc and tested repeatedly negative each time.

The only time I tested positive was on a PCR in December 2021 and was asymptomatic. Rapid tests were negative. 

[mfs2k]

13 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

If you already know your answer then why bother asking the question.  

 

Well, I just learned that my Chase Sapphire card will give me some protection, so there's that. 

 

I do not already know the answer. 

 

Why so snarky? 

[wrk2cruise]

I called about Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage and probably like you was told that Covid is treated as any other illness and if you test positive and are unable to travel Trip Cancellation is applicable.  I asked if only certified positive test results were required and they said yes.  I would probably also report it to my Dr so it would be in their records as well.

 

I also asked about testing positive during the cruise and the possibility of having to isolate after disembarkation before returning home.  I was told there is no coverage for these costs.  I know others have said that Trip Delay should cover but that's not what I was told.

 

This is my interpretation of what I was told by the agent on the phone so please don't take it as gospel.  If you have any questions you should call yourself, the wait wasn't very long and the agent very pleasant.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by wrk2cruise

[Jeremiah1212]

16 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I called about Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage and probably like you was told that Covid is treated as any other illness and if you test positive and are unable to travel Trip Cancellation is applicable.  I asked if only certified positive test results were required and they said yes.  I would probably also report it to my Dr so it would be in their records as well.

 

I also asked about testing positive during the cruise and the possibility of having to isolate after disembarkation before returning home.  I was told there is no coverage for these costs.  I know others have said that Trip Delay should cover but that's not what I was told.

 

This is my interpretation of what I was told by the agent on the phone so please don't take it as gospel.  If you have any questions you should call yourself, the wait wasn't very long and the agent very pleasant.

 

 

 

Quarantine is not part of your initial trip cost charged to your card and is not covered. If Celebrity were to reimburse for missed cruise days due to quarantine, that also would not be covered since there was no monetary loss. A lot of people seem to overestimate what some of these premium credit card benefits actually cover. The Chase site outlines actual coverage terms quite well. 

[jelayne]

In the original post the situation is day of boarding, you think you may be coming down with something but test negative unless you see a Doctor that day who says you are not able to travel I don’t think the Chase coverage would kick in. 
Post 11 has a likely scenario and that’s what I would do. 

[Miaminice]

STAY HOME! You would be a health risk to others who might not get away with "just a cold"!

[cangelmd]

 

2 hours ago, mfs2k said:

I’m cruising on Beyond in October so I’ll get a refund if my wife and I test positive for Covid before we sail. We don’t have travel insurance and we’re not flying to the ship. 
For the past 24 hours I’ve had a dry scratchy cough and I feel like something is coming but maybe not. I tested negative this morning on a home test. 
I wonder what I’m supposed to do if we test negative 2 days before our cruise but we wake the day of the sailing feeling like we may be coming down with something but still test negative. 

Do we stay home and sacrifice thousands of dollars and a long planned vacation because something MAY  be brewing or do we go to the ship as planned and hope we don’t get worse?

What would most of you say and what would you actually do in this scenario?

Not having to fly is a big part of this.

My answer is that it depends. I see it as a matter of what will make you feel that your trip was ruined and how can you protect other people.

If this was a Caribbean cruise where I wasn’t planning on leaving the ship very much, I would go and use Ag test every 24-36 hours and follow isolation precautions until I had 2 more negative tests. If this was a port intensive cruise or if I was a person who felt that the flu or a cold would ruin my trip - then  Covid will likely ruin your trip and perhaps you should try to get compensated, whether it’s by showing up and telling them you are feeling bad just this morning or touching it out and going later.

But what if med makes you quarantine? Well, I think by October there will be no testing for Caribbean cruises. I do think isolation and quarantine will still be a thing - just like for Noro - but you will likely stay in your cabin.

I’ll be totally honest, pre-Covid, if I had been absolutely honest, proactively honest, I would never have cruised, because I went for years with a runny nose and cough- kids and grandkids. I also came back from a lot of airplane flights with a stuffy head - blamed the dry recirculating air, now I’m not so sure!

[vwlmember]

My 2 cents on travel insurance.

 

Three times I have had to make a claim. One baggage delay claim, one lost bag claim, and one medical claim for treatment onboard the ship.  Three different companies. not a single one paid out the claim despite me sending paperwork multiple times and following every request to the letter.

 

Submitted the medical claim bills to our regular health insurance carrier and they reimbursed me 100% within 30-days.  Placed a claim with Chase visa for the baggage delay six months later, when I found out I had coverage, and they paid the claim. The lost bag showed up three months after we returned from the trip so we were not actually out any money. Except the $600 for insurance that did not pay a dime.

 

Since then I no longer buy standard trip insurance. I buy a policy that has high limits for emergency medical and political evacuation, repatriation, crisis response, terrorism, trip interruption, travel delay, AD&D, etc. $2 million in total coverage and no deductible for about 35% of the cost of the usual policies. It also covers Covid quarantine($50/day for ten days) and medical coverage (up to the $2 million limit).

 

I get the rest of the coverages from my Chase visa.

 

 

[Babr]

50 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I called about Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage and probably like you was told that Covid is treated as any other illness and if you test positive and are unable to travel Trip Cancellation is applicable.  I asked if only certified positive test results were required and they said yes.  I would probably also report it to my Dr so it would be in their records as well.

 

I also asked about testing positive during the cruise and the possibility of having to isolate after disembarkation before returning home.  I was told there is no coverage for these costs.  I know others have said that Trip Delay should cover but that's not what I was told.

 

This is my interpretation of what I was told by the agent on the phone so please don't take it as gospel.  If you have any questions you should call yourself, the wait wasn't very long and the agent very pleasant.

 

 

Anyone relying on credit card coverage needs to read the Benefits Guide carefully because it is just that - one of many perks provided for the cost of your annual fee, but it is not a comprehensive travel policy. 
 

It will cover COVID as you said because it is an acute illness, but it does not cover pre-existing conditions. Travel Delay is only $500 per person for things like mechanical breakdown or strike, not illness. A comprehensive policy would pay for hotel and meals if you were delayed for a covered reason such as COVID. Likewise, the Chase Trip Interruption provision would refund the unused part of your trip and change fees to get home, but it would not pay any increased cost for new tickets unlike a comprehensive policy.

 

In short, it is nice to have as a back-up, but be sure you understand the terms before you bet the farm on it.

[Denny01]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

 

99%+ of people on a particular cruise don't use their travel insurance….. 

 

 

No idea where you got that number, but doubt very much it’s even close but I dont know and dont care. 

 

the point is Your protection. had friends who got ill in Paris where we toured prior to flying to Istanbul to our cruise. She got Very ill; ended up in the American Hospital for 2+weeks which had to be paid by them; husband had to pay for hotel and all the stuff; special flight home…..And all of that cost a Great Deal. They had to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. Chargecards allowed them to exceed their limits….used a number of cards!

 

Good luck on rolling the dice. 

 

Den