Insurance Strategies

I also read the story about the mom and her son who got stuck in Mexico, so began to question our strategy for insurance. We normally purchase the Cruise Care from RCCL for all our trips - our primary reason is for the cancel for any reason clause, as we have elderly parents who are in poor health and because we book our cruises so far our, we have no idea when they may become seriously ill. However, I have never really thought about medical emergencies for us, as we are in our mid-40s and our son is young (5). So, now I am questioning if I should explore more comprehensive insurance - one that includes cancel for any reason, and one with more robust medical coverage. I have seen many recommendations for third-party insurance; however, almost all of the recommendations are geared towards medical coverage. I spoke to one TA who uses Allianz, and she told me that I could not get cancel for any reason with them. Are there any that provide this clause - one that is equal to the cruise line? If not, should I buy two insurance packages - one for medical and one for cancel for any reason?

I also read the story about the mom and her son who got stuck in Mexico, so began to question our strategy for insurance. We normally purchase the Cruise Care from RCCL for all our trips - our primary reason is for the cancel for any reason clause, as we have elderly parents who are in poor health and because we book our cruises so far our, we have no idea when they may become seriously ill. However, I have never really thought about medical emergencies for us, as we are in our mid-40s and our son is young (5). So, now I am questioning if I should explore more comprehensive insurance - one that includes cancel for any reason, and one with more robust medical coverage. I have seen many recommendations for third-party insurance; however, almost all of the recommendations are geared towards medical coverage. I spoke to one TA who uses Allianz, and she told me that I could not get cancel for any reason with them. Are there any that provide this clause - one that is equal to the cruise line? If not, should I buy two insurance packages - one for medical and one for cancel for any reason?

Besides taking Cruise Care, we also have Good Sam Travel Assistance which covers us for med-evac anywhere all-year-round. According to the RCCL agent, Cruise Care also covers med-evac and will work with third-party policies. There are too many benefits to cover. Just "Google" the Good Sam insurance policies and see if this works for you. You do not have to be Good Sam members to purchase this.

Besides taking Cruise Care, we also have Good Sam Travel Assistance which covers us for med-evac anywhere all-year-round. According to the RCCL agent, Cruise Care also covers med-evac and will work with third-party policies. There are too many benefits to cover. Just "Google" the Good Sam insurance policies and see if this works for you. You do not have to be Good Sam members to purchase this.

Thanks. I will look at it. So, you buy both - I guess that was the first thing I was looking for - do people buy both, or can you buy one third-party that covers all options. I saw someone else mention USAA, and we are members there, so I may have my wife look into what they offer too.

I also read the story about the mom and her son who got stuck in Mexico, so began to question our strategy for insurance. We normally purchase the Cruise Care from RCCL for all our trips - our primary reason is for the cancel for any reason clause, as we have elderly parents who are in poor health and because we book our cruises so far our, we have no idea when they may become seriously ill. However, I have never really thought about medical emergencies for us, as we are in our mid-40s and our son is young (5). So, now I am questioning if I should explore more comprehensive insurance - one that includes cancel for any reason, and one with more robust medical coverage. I have seen many recommendations for third-party insurance; however, almost all of the recommendations are geared towards medical coverage. I spoke to one TA who uses Allianz, and she told me that I could not get cancel for any reason with them. Are there any that provide this clause - one that is equal to the cruise line? If not, should I buy two insurance packages - one for medical and one for cancel for any reason?

We always buy extra medical insurance (which also covers medivac) for all our cruises and land trips out of province.

You can get cancel for any reason with third party insurers, but it is often for an additional premium and usually covers only 75% of non-refundable costs. Also, you must cancel at least 48 hours before departure. So if anything happened at the very last moment, it would have to meet the criteria for a covered reason such as accident or sudden illness. Cancel for any reason is for things that are not clearly spelled out in standard coverage, such as an illness of your pet.

It is my understanding that many policies will cover cancellation for the illness of family members not traveling with you. Just be sure you know how the pre-existing conditions clause is applied. Talk to a professional at one of the many websites recommended on this board.

As far as medical, it depends on where you are travelling. If you are going to Europe or Asia, you'll need a lot more coverage - say $100,000 medical and $250,000 evacuation.

There are a lot of variables in buying insurance. Decide your most pressing needs, and talk to a professional before you buy to be sure that the policy meets your expectations.

So to answer your question briefly, yes you can buy third-party insurance to cover all your needs. It is not necessary to buy both. You can even cover the cost of air and non-refundable hotels, which is not covered by cruise line insurance. It takes a bit of time to research and find the policy that is right for you. Look at some websites like insuremytrip.com, compare some policies, make up a list of questions, then call.

Good points. We have two cruises booked - one we just booked a few days ago, and one we booked last November. This first is already paid off, so I may just try to get some additional medical insurance for while we are on the trip. But will price out both medical and cancel for any reason for the second.

I forgot to mention that the cancel for any reason and pre-existing condition riders require purchase within 14 days of paying the deposit on a cruise, so if you want it for the most recent booking, time is of the essence.

It is important to know that comprehensvie policies will cover all your needs. It is not necessary to price out separate coverages, unless it is an obvious add-on like cancel for any reason.

Also know that pre-existing conditions most often applies to the people going on the trip but can apply to others not travelling, so it is really important to understand how that works.

You can buy separate medical coverage or evacuatuion policies, but it is probably redundant. A good comprehensive covers it all at less expense.

I forgot to mention that the cancel for any reason and pre-existing condition riders require purchase within 14 days of paying the deposit on a cruise, so if you want it for the most recent booking, time is of the essence.

 

 

 

It is important to know that comprehensvie policies will cover all your needs. It is not necessary to price out separate coverages, unless it is an obvious add-on like cancel for any reason.

 

 

 

Also know that pre-existing conditions most often applies to the people going on the trip but can apply to others not travelling, so it is really important to understand how that works.

 

 

 

You can buy separate medical coverage or evacuatuion policies, but it is probably redundant. A good comprehensive covers it all at less expense.

Hmmm... Thanks for the clarification. For our first cruise, we are way outside the 14 day window, but not for the second (but that 14 days is coming up quick).

We only carry evacuation and medical coverage. The losses if I had to cancel a cruise I can afford. The potential cost of medical and evacuation I could not afford.

DON

We only carry evacuation and medical coverage. The losses if I had to cancel a cruise I can afford. The potential cost of medical and evacuation I could not afford.

 

DON

I never thought about it in those terms, but very true!

I forgot to mention that the cancel for any reason and pre-existing condition riders require purchase within 14 days of paying the deposit on a cruise, so if you want it for the most recent booking, time is of the essence.

 

It is important to know that comprehensvie policies will cover all your needs. It is not necessary to price out separate coverages, unless it is an obvious add-on like cancel for any reason.

 

Also know that pre-existing conditions most often applies to the people going on the trip but can apply to others not travelling, so it is really important to understand how that works.

 

You can buy separate medical coverage or evacuatuion policies, but it is probably redundant. A good comprehensive covers it all at less expense.

According to the RCCL rep when we made our final payment, she said that it was not too late to purchase the policy and that we could cancel for any reason. She said she was a "Lead Rep" so we took the insurance. Hopefully she wasn't lying, because we were charged for the insurance when we made the final payment. :confused:

NOTE to the OP: We take Good Sam for the med-evac and travel assistance, and took the Cruise Care insurance for "trip coverage".

According to the RCCL rep when we made our final payment, she said that it was not too late to purchase the policy and that we could cancel for any reason. She said she was a "Lead Rep" so we took the insurance. Hopefully she wasn't lying, because we were charged for the insurance when we made the final payment. :confused:

 

 

 

NOTE to the OP: We take Good Sam for the med-evac and travel assistance, and took the Cruise Care insurance for "trip coverage".

Yes. Our understanding is that Cruise Care can be purchased at final payment. Technically, you can order it and cancel it up to final payment.

I was talking about third-party policies - not those offered by cruise lines. Different animal.

Many times the cruise line offers credit, not cash back, in case of cancel for any reason, and it is typically 100% not 75% offered by third party. The difference is whether you get cash or cruise credit. The credit is fine if you are planning to cruise again anyway.

Third-party typically has higher limits for medical and evacuation and covers other expenses like air fares and hotels if you book them independently.

It just depends on where you are going, what you want to cover, and how much coverage you need.

I don't know without seeing the declarations page of your policies, but I'm guessing you are paying twice for overlapping coverage.

We carry an annual policy for Medical evacuation, Medjet Assist, and I buy medical covering the periods we will be out of the US, which is typically 2 to 3 months.

One place to check is Insure My Trip. http://www.insuremytrip.com/

I called the insurance company that Celebrity uses for their insurance. Their rep told me that the previous condition exception applied only within a short window of my downpayment OR with the condition that I had not had a condition diagnosed or a change in medications for the 90 days previous to the purchase.

So I'd call and talk to the company rep not the cruise line.

Add to that many companies require that ALL non-refundable costs be covered before the previous conditon exception applies.

Gets complicated!

Besides taking Cruise Care, we also have Good Sam Travel Assistance which covers us for med-evac anywhere all-year-round. According to the RCCL agent, Cruise Care also covers med-evac and will work with third-party policies. There are too many benefits to cover. Just "Google" the Good Sam insurance policies and see if this works for you. You do not have to be Good Sam members to purchase this.

I tried to get the "fine print" on the Good Sam policy, but failed. The key thing to look for in evacuation insurance is who has to agree to what for you to be flown home. Most policies require the doctor in the remote hospital to agree that it's medically necessary for you to be moved...and the insurance company has to agree. MedJet does it differently...and it's a very important difference. You request to be evacuated from the remote hospital to your home and the remote doctor only has to agree that you are medically stable enough to fly...not that you have to be evacuated for medical reasons. MedJet does NOT cover the cost of evacuating from the ship to the first hospital...that's something you have to cover some other way...either standard travel insurance or something like geoblue (or perhaps good sam).

That is why I specualted people with Good Sam or other evacuation insurance except MedJet Assit were paying for overlapping coverage that does not provide any advantage. As far as I could determine with a cursory search, the medical driector of Good Sam still has to review and approve any evacuation - just like the cruise line and most other policies. You do not get to request to go home as long as it is determined that care is adequate where you are.

MedJet Assist is different as you pointed out.

You might find the information offered on TripinsuranceStore.com helpful, as well as a conversation with Steve to discuss details. He was extremely helpful to me this morning.

1.888.407.3854

sorry ... wrong topic

I find that third party insurance (eg TravelGuard) is a better deal for us than the cruise line insurance, especially when traveling with kids. Several companies either don't charge anything for kids or a very low amount. So if you are in your 40s and traveling with young children, you should be able to find comprehensive coverage for a low price from a third party.