Postings on another board prompted me to post this response here --

The criticism of RSSC not to make pax "whole" for independently arranged hotel, air, etc. on the Diamond cancellations has brought out the only conservative streak, narrow as it is, I have.

Think about it. It's not that passengers are choosing to TAKE insurance, they are choosing to SELF INSURE. They have calculated that the risks of cruise cancellation, in this case by the cruise line, is so small as not to justify paying the bucks for insurance. They CHOSE to SELF INSURE, not to take insurance and there is a world of difference in mind set.

After CHOOSING to self insure to save money, affected Diamond passengers who are disgruntled because they are out incidental costs (air,hotel. etc., deposits) should have no beef with RSSC for non-reimbursement for these out of pocket expenses.

None of this means that people shouldn't feel disappointed, perhaps even angry, over the cancellations. Nor does it mean that people should be content with RSSC's compensation (excluding incidentals) for the affected cruisers. Some will be happy and some won't be.

But when people who CHOOSE to self insure to save money and AFTER THE FACT want reimbursement from RSSC for incidental costs, my advice is to take responsibility for your own decision: you chose to self insure.

Where is the personal responsibility for people's decisions/actions? Passengers CHOOSE to self insure. Some people want the best of all worlds. They want the benefits of self insurance (lower cost) but expect when things go bad to have the benefits as if they paid for insurance. Go figure.

Bill