XP: Royal Caribbean "vacation protection?"

JCbride2015 · February 2015

Hi Knotties, honeymoon question here! FILs are gifting us a cruise for our honeymoon! Commence squee-ing and happy dance!!! We are going to the Caribbean for 9 days (Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico). ETA: and Haiti, too.

Now to the actual question. As you all have definitely noticed, my job is pretty demanding and can be unpredictable. I am concerned that there is a very small, but real, chance something will come up and I will need to reschedule. Royal Caribbean offers "vacation protection" for something like $220, or else I might look into separate vacation insurance. Has anybody used one or the other and has any thoughts? Has anybody actually had to cancel your vacation and use the insurance, and what was that experience like? Thanks ladies!

WinstonsGirl · February 2015

I've bought insurance before (travelling to Russia, in case Visas were cancelled). But I've never had to use it. I believe that you have to submit everything and get your money back after. And read the fine print as often you get a credit back instead of your money.

But if there's a chance you might have to cancel I'd get it. Especially if the trip is a gift, you're not having as much come out of pocket.

mlg78 · February 2015

I responded on your XP...but check out www.insuremytrip.com

You can shop various insurance policies so you can find one that covers exactly what you need.

CMGragain · February 2015

I have always used Travel Guard on my 18 cruises. We have never had to use it, but we have come close. Be sure that your air flights are covered, too!

NavyBlue143 · February 2015

Look for insurance protection plans outside of RC first, Our Ireland protection plan was 150 ish, while what the travel agency quoted was 300. I'm pretty sure you can add trip protection after booking a trip.

kat1114 · February 2015

I looked into travel insurance for our honeymoon. My company did layoffs in September, and I was nervous about paying for a December honeymoon if I lost my job.

Anyways, I looked at maybe 3-4 different plans. All of them covered job loss, but only if you'd been employed in that job at least two years. And of course that caveat was hidden in tiny print a few pages later.

I would just be careful reading the fine print with travel insurance plans (which I'm sure as a lawyer you'll do anyways). I found the advertised benefits often came with lots of asterisks that limited coverage.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

Any time I looked at travel insurance it only covered major catastrophes... and the "insure my trip" website specifically says that work obligations fall under the exclusions they won't cover.

LadyMillil · February 2015

lolo883 said:

Any time I looked at travel insurance it only covered major catastrophes... and the "insure my trip" website specifically says that work obligations fall under the exclusions they won't cover.

This. Some insurance i looked at would only allow the affected person to cancel. So if I was unable to go I could get my money refunded but if DH wasn't affected by my issues (ex I had an accident and he wasn't involved) then he was still able to go in the eyes of the insurance people, so the cancellation insurance wouldn't refund his trip.

blabla89 · February 2015

FILs insisted that we get insurance through Travel Guard, and they travel a lot. Not sure if they've ever had to file a claim, though. We upgraded it to include "cancel for any reason" coverage since FI's job is kind of unpredictable. It may be worth looking at to see if it applies for your situation.

AprilH81 · February 2015

Ditto www.insuremytrip.com.

Different policies will cover different things and you will pay a premium for "cancel for any reason" or "cancel for work" policies but if you need it, then it does exist.

Insuremytrip.com is nice because you can tell it what coverage you need and it will only compare policies that fit your needs.

DO NOT purchase the insurance via the cruise line. Even though it is third party they have a vested interest in not paying out claims.

AprilH81 · February 2015

lolo883 said:

Any time I looked at travel insurance it only covered major catastrophes... and the "insure my trip" website specifically says that work obligations fall under the exclusions they won't cover.

Different policies cover differ different things.

I have had policies that cover illness or death of not only those travelling, but immediate family members. I've had policies that covered "cancel for any reason"... They exist, they just aren't the cheapest option.

pinkcow13 · February 2015

Yay!!!!! That is sooo awesome, what an amazing gift! Are you leaving right after the wedding? I LOVED St. Maarten. Depending on how long you will be there, if you can make it, go to Maho beach. We didn't get to go, but I really wanted to. You can watch the airplanes land right over you, so awesome.

In regards to the travel insurance, we got it for our honeymoon (through Liberty Travel), because it is such a major trip. I would say look at the policies and see if any will cover in the event of work forcing you to change your plans. For a trip like this, I think it is a worthy investment.

jenna8984 · February 2015

My mom's a travel agent for AAA so she insures all of my trips (and clients) through Allianz. I know my policies are only for medical emergencies. Like @aprilh81 said they do have cancel for any reason policies but they cost about 4 times more so it's often not worth it. However, my policies also cover medical in another country and airlift home if necessary since most US health insurance won't cover anything outside US.

I was involved in my dog bite accident 3 days before my scheduled cruise. My hand was completely fucked, my calf was torn up. There was no way. So my doctors signed the insurance paper saying I could not go. I was very pleased with Allianz, they sent me a check for every cent for DH and myself within about 2 weeks (they originally told me it would take 2 months).

After that, I would never NOT insure a trip.

pinkcow13 · February 2015

How cool is that?!?!!?

.

AprilH81 · February 2015

Maho beach in St. Martin is amazing... Not a lot of room for "beach" depending on the tide, but it was a lot of fun to stand in the water while the planes came in overhead.

mlg78 · February 2015

Maho beach is awesome. Which ship are you on? Where do you sail out of?

teddygirl9 · February 2015

Depending on your credit card, they may cover you as well (if you paid with it on that card).

simcal18 · February 2015

JCBride, you way want to purchase travel insurance anyway to cover things like illness, weather/natural disaster, etc. etc., but I would definitely talk to your law firm if your primary concern is work related. You're at a relatively large firm, right? When I was in Biglaw, it was well known at my firm that if you had to cancel a vacation for work, the firm would reimburse your travel expenses. I believe that was and still is a relatively standard benefit offered by large firms, even if it's not "officially" on the books. Definitely look into it before spending money on an "all-in," cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

bostonbride2015 said:

JCBride, you way want to purchase travel insurance anyway to cover things like illness, weather/natural disaster, etc. etc., but I would definitely talk to your law firm if your primary concern is work related. You're at a relatively large firm, right? When I was in Biglaw, it was well known at my firm that if you had to cancel a vacation for work, the firm would reimburse your travel expenses. I believe that was and still is a relatively standard benefit offered by large firms, even if it's not "officially" on the books. Definitely look into it before spending money on an "all-in," cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy.

ORRRRRRRRRR get paid back twice and take a doubly awesome vacation! ;-)

JCbride2015 · February 2015

Thanks for the tips everyone! I will look into insuremytrip.com.

I guess it's possible that my Biglaw firm would pay for lost vacation expenses. But I'm not totally sure and I think I would have more peace of mind with insurance rather than just relying on company policy.

Moho Beach looks terrifying to me.

MairePoppy · February 2015

That's wonderful! Have you ever been to St. Maarten? No need to book an excursion, here.Take the water taxi ($6 for an all day pass) to shopping district in Philipsburg. Lots and lots of shops of varying prices. Leave room in your suitcase for your bargains. Look for Beatrix, the Belgian Chocolatier. OMG, her shop smells heavenly. From shopping walk to the beach, where you can see your ship in port.You can rent 2 loungers and an umbrella for about $10. There a beach bars and food concessions right there on the boardwalk.

Before you buy insurance through RCC, verify that they will reimburse for work related cancelations. Some travel plant exclude pre-existing medical conditions.

AprilH81 · February 2015

MairePoppy said:

That's wonderful! Have you ever been to St. Maarten? No need to book an excursion, here.Take the water taxi ($6 for an all day pass) to shopping district in Philipsburg. Lots and lots of shops of varying prices. Leave room in your suitcase for your bargains. Look for Beatrix, the Belgian Chocolatier. OMG, her shop smells heavenly. From shopping walk to the beach, where you can see your ship in port.You can rent 2 loungers and an umbrella for about $10. There a beach bars and food concessions right there on the boardwalk.
Before you buy insurance through RCC, verify that they will reimburse for work related cancelations. Some travel plant exclude pre-existing medical conditions.

You can get insurance that covers pre-existing conditions (for yourself or family members) as long as you purchase the insurance with a certain amount of days of the first booking related to the trip. The specific number of days varies according to each policy, but 2 weeks is fairly standard.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

OH. If you go to the French side of St Martin, and smell amazing creole barbecued chicken that leads your nose like one of those cartoon scent waves with the little coaxing finger at the end, DO NOT follow it to the little cafe with yellow awnings. The waitress will NOT let you order chicken and will force you to get red snapper instead, which costs 3x more and comes after an hour wait with its fangs bared at you and eyes glaring through the crispy breading. You will then see a local sit down with a giant plate of delicious chicken and you will be VERY UPSET.

jenna8984 · February 2015

lolo883 said:

OH. If you go to the French side of St Martin, and smell amazing creole barbecued chicken that leads your nose like one of those cartoon scent waves with the little coaxing finger at the end, DO NOT follow it to the little cafe with yellow awnings. The waitress will NOT let you order chicken and will force you to get red snapper instead, which costs 3x more and comes after an hour wait with its fangs bared at you and eyes glaring through the crispy breading. You will then see a local sit down with a giant plate of delicious chicken and you will be VERY UPSET.

This is oddly specific LOL. Sorry that bitch wouldn't let you have chicken.

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

jenna8984 said:

lolo883 said:

OH. If you go to the French side of St Martin, and smell amazing creole barbecued chicken that leads your nose like one of those cartoon scent waves with the little coaxing finger at the end, DO NOT follow it to the little cafe with yellow awnings. The waitress will NOT let you order chicken and will force you to get red snapper instead, which costs 3x more and comes after an hour wait with its fangs bared at you and eyes glaring through the crispy breading. You will then see a local sit down with a giant plate of delicious chicken and you will be VERY UPSET.

This is oddly specific LOL. Sorry that bitch wouldn't let you have chicken.

It was a very traumatic experience. I even did the polite thing and spoke in all my best French but every time we tried to order ANYTHING ELSE on the menu she'd shake her head and say "no sheeken. red snapper? no burger. red snapper?"

hellosweetie1015 · February 2015

lolo883 said:

jenna8984 said:

lolo883 said:

OH. If you go to the French side of St Martin, and smell amazing creole barbecued chicken that leads your nose like one of those cartoon scent waves with the little coaxing finger at the end, DO NOT follow it to the little cafe with yellow awnings. The waitress will NOT let you order chicken and will force you to get red snapper instead, which costs 3x more and comes after an hour wait with its fangs bared at you and eyes glaring through the crispy breading. You will then see a local sit down with a giant plate of delicious chicken and you will be VERY UPSET.

This is oddly specific LOL. Sorry that bitch wouldn't let you have chicken.

It was a very traumatic experience. I even did the polite thing and spoke in all my best French but every time we tried to order ANYTHING ELSE on the menu she'd shake her head and say "no sheeken. red snapper? no burger. red snapper?"

...I might have left. (Read: I might have gotten thrown out for punching a waitress.)

amelisha · February 2015

You've already got all the necessary advice, I just wanted to say thanks for posting this and reminding me to buy travel medical insurance for our wedding, lol. If FI has an asthma attack in Vegas you've just saved us a scary American medical bill because I think it would have completely slipped my mind to buy it...so thanks!

theartistformerlyknownas · February 2015

hellosweetie1015 said:
...I might have left. (Read: I might have gotten thrown out for punching a waitress.)

Seriously. If we hadn't already ordered drinks we would have peaced out after she gave us a hard time. But we were committed at that point. And starving. And she was a LITTLE BIT scary.

JCbride2015 · February 2015

lolo883 said:

hellosweetie1015 said:
...I might have left. (Read: I might have gotten thrown out for punching a waitress.)

Seriously. If we hadn't already ordered drinks we would have peaced out after she gave us a hard time. But we were committed at that point. And starving. And she was a LITTLE BIT scary.

I definitely ate a few meals in France for these same reasons. I think it's something about being outside your native language. I became a pushover because I didn't feel comfortable arguing!

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