NCL Trip Insurance?.?.

I told my PCC that I did not want it, but he added anyway. I am going to call and cancel, but before I do...any reasons why I should/shouldn't cancel?

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No. If you want to insure, you're pretty much always much better off with a third party insurance.

Also I'd inform the supervisor that the PCC added the insurance when you specifically refused it already.

I second what Demonyte said. Go to http://www.insuremytrip.com and see what sort of coverage you can get there and at what cost. Then compare it to what NCL's policy offers at what cost. If NCL is the better deal then you can keep it, but chances are very good that won't be the case and several of the policies on insuremytrip will beat NCL's cost and coverage.

I wish I had researched this before.....Is the NCL coverage cancellable? I booked awhile ago and we are 15 days out now....but I could definitely get coverage cheaper elsewhere.

The only problem with booking different insurance later is that if you buy insurance more than 15 days after initially booking your trip, the insurance often won't cover "pre-existing medical conditions." What falls in to that definition depends on the company, but it can be very broad.

I wish I had researched this before.....Is the NCL coverage cancellable? I booked awhile ago and we are 15 days out now....but I could definitely get coverage cheaper elsewhere.

I'm not sure if you can have it taken off after final payment so I would recommend you call and ask.

I'm a little confused. I thought that with most 3rd party coverage, you have to pay for the coverage when you make your initial deposit. And once you've paid that premium -- it's paid. If you decide to cancel the trip even if you're still in the cruise line period to cancel without penalty, you're out the $$ you paid for the trip insurance. Whereas if you use the cruiseline coverage, you don't have the same issue, because you don't have to pay for the insurance until final payment.

Is there independent travel insurance you can buy and get your $$ back if you cancel the trip without making a claim? That would probably be worth it for us. Thanks.

In most cases, no. You can, and I have cancelled a cruise but asked that my new cruise be covered instead. We booked a 14 day transatlantic in the fall, cancelled it and booked a spring TA. Insure my trip (can't recall which company) allowed us to transfer the insurance contract to the spring cruise with no cost. You can alter the contract too. Add days, etc.

Know that they only let you do this ONE time though. You can't keep changing trips.

Is there independent travel insurance you can buy and get your $$ back if you cancel the trip without making a claim? That would probably be worth it for us. Thanks.

That's kind of like having your cake and eating it too;). If you end up cancelling the trip and rebooking you might be able to get the insurance transferred but that depends upon the company.

One reason for getting private coverage is to protect the non-NCL aspects of your cruise.

Examples are pre/post cruise hotel, flights booked independently, private excursions, etc...

The reason I asked the question was because a lot of people keep saying that it's "always" best to get 3rd party insurance.

If you booked a trip because there were good perks and fare available, but aren't 100% sure you're going to take the trip -- your insurance payment is sunk money if you decide to cancel prior to the final payment date.

I booked a trip for next October earlier this month. I'm not sure we're going to take it. No flights involved, hotel reservation would be something we could cancel with 24 hours notice and it's Bermuda, so no excursions booked this far in advance. So paying the several hundred dollars for insurance now (since I've made a payment) would be lost money. We have no pre-existing conditions to worry about. So we'll probably just add the cruiseline insurance when we make final payment ... if we take the trip. If we decide not to go, we've lost $0, since we'll get back the deposit.

I think whether to buy the cruiseline insurance really depends on your personal circumstances and the specific trip you're taking. I've got insurance for trip to Norway next year, but will have to add to it when I book the airfare.

Might be worth remembering that most airlines will give you a credit for the value of your ticket, minus their change fees, if you cancel a trip after booking. If you plan to fly that airline within a year, it might be cheaper to pay the change fee than to pay to insure the airfare.

The reason I asked the question was because a lot of people keep saying that it's "always" best to get 3rd party insurance.

 

If you booked a trip because there were good perks and fare available, but aren't 100% sure you're going to take the trip -- your insurance payment is sunk money if you decide to cancel prior to the final payment date.

 

I booked a trip for next October earlier this month. I'm not sure we're going to take it. No flights involved, hotel reservation would be something we could cancel with 24 hours notice and it's Bermuda, so no excursions booked this far in advance. So paying the several hundred dollars for insurance now (since I've made a payment) would be lost money. We have no pre-existing conditions to worry about. So we'll probably just add the cruiseline insurance when we make final payment ... if we take the trip. If we decide not to go, we've lost $0, since we'll get back the deposit.

 

I think whether to buy the cruiseline insurance really depends on your personal circumstances and the specific trip you're taking. I've got insurance for trip to Norway next year, but will have to add to it when I book the airfare.

 

Might be worth remembering that most airlines will give you a credit for the value of your ticket, minus their change fees, if you cancel a trip after booking. If you plan to fly that airline within a year, it might be cheaper to pay the change fee than to pay to insure the airfare.

While a lot of people may say that it's always better that obviously doesn't make it so. There are many factors to consider and sometimes the cruise line insurance is the best option. I know that there are policies out there that cost several hundred dollars but the most we've ever paid was $130 for 4 people. Should we end up having to cancel for some reason before the penalty period we can absorb that.

The reason I asked the question was because a lot of people keep saying that it's "always" best to get 3rd party insurance.

 

If you booked a trip because there were good perks and fare available, but aren't 100% sure you're going to take the trip -- your insurance payment is sunk money if you decide to cancel prior to the final payment date.

 

I booked a trip for next October earlier this month. I'm not sure we're going to take it. No flights involved, hotel reservation would be something we could cancel with 24 hours notice and it's Bermuda, so no excursions booked this far in advance. So paying the several hundred dollars for insurance now (since I've made a payment) would be lost money. We have no pre-existing conditions to worry about. So we'll probably just add the cruiseline insurance when we make final payment ... if we take the trip. If we decide not to go, we've lost $0, since we'll get back the deposit.

 

I think whether to buy the cruiseline insurance really depends on your personal circumstances and the specific trip you're taking. I've got insurance for trip to Norway next year, but will have to add to it when I book the airfare.

 

Might be worth remembering that most airlines will give you a credit for the value of your ticket, minus their change fees, if you cancel a trip after booking. If you plan to fly that airline within a year, it might be cheaper to pay the change fee than to pay to insure the airfare.

You can also wait till final payment to get third party insurance. That's not a Cruise insurance specific thing. Think the benefit to third party insurance is that you can get it when you need to (ie, when u purchase a non-refundable expense like airfare, or at final payment, or upfront to cover pre-existing conditions), and you get to pick and choose what coverage and deductibles you want.

Over time, the best move is not to get insurance at all.

This week, I booked next November. My daughter has asthma and nut allergies so I definitely need to have pre-existing conditions covered.

On our last cruise, we had the NCL insurance. My husband never wants to have trip insurance because he says we're going no mater what! lol he's not thinking about the unthinkable events that could occur!!! And of course I understand that's why we buy any form of insurance.

So we're going with third party but I am having trouble deciding what we need. I'd hate to over pay because we'd never need everything that's covered, and I'd also hate to take coverage that doesn't cover something we could need. We live an hour and a half from the port so we don't need flights or hotel stays covered. (unless of course the trip is interruped and we need to wait over night before a flight home. I was just saying we don't need flights/hotels before after the planned cruise) we'll be paying for port parking and about $20 in tolls. We are on the Breakaway 11/5/17 from NYC to FL, Nassau, and GSC. It's me, my husband, and daughters 37, 43, 10 & 12 at the time of sailing.

I appreciate any advice!! Thanks in advance!

This week, I booked next November. My daughter has asthma and nut allergies so I definitely need to have pre-existing conditions covered.

 

On our last cruise, we had the NCL insurance. My husband never wants to have trip insurance because he says we're going no mater what! lol he's not thinking about the unthinkable events that could occur!!! And of course I understand that's why we buy any form of insurance.

 

So we're going with third party but I am having trouble deciding what we need. I'd hate to over pay because we'd never need everything that's covered, and I'd also hate to take coverage that doesn't cover something we could need. We live an hour and a half from the port so we don't need flights or hotel stays covered. (unless of course the trip is interruped and we need to wait over night before a flight home. I was just saying we don't need flights/hotels before after the planned cruise) we'll be paying for port parking and about $20 in tolls. We are on the Breakaway 11/5/17 from NYC to FL, Nassau, and GSC. It's me, my husband, and daughters 37, 43, 10 & 12 at the time of sailing.

 

I appreciate any advice!! Thanks in advance!

You can try allianz travel insurance, they don't charge for kids under 17 and very reasonable. I have used them before and was able to transfer the insurance to another cruise that I have cancelled before final payment. It took a few phone calls and persistence to transfer, and for peace of mind I had insurance.

Good luck.

This week, I booked next November. My daughter has asthma and nut allergies so I definitely need to have pre-existing conditions covered.

 

On our last cruise, we had the NCL insurance. My husband never wants to have trip insurance because he says we're going no mater what! lol he's not thinking about the unthinkable events that could occur!!! And of course I understand that's why we buy any form of insurance.

 

So we're going with third party but I am having trouble deciding what we need. I'd hate to over pay because we'd never need everything that's covered, and I'd also hate to take coverage that doesn't cover something we could need. We live an hour and a half from the port so we don't need flights or hotel stays covered. (unless of course the trip is interruped and we need to wait over night before a flight home. I was just saying we don't need flights/hotels before after the planned cruise) we'll be paying for port parking and about $20 in tolls. We are on the Breakaway 11/5/17 from NYC to FL, Nassau, and GSC. It's me, my husband, and daughters 37, 43, 10 & 12 at the time of sailing.

 

I appreciate any advice!! Thanks in advance!

Most people can afford to skip the cruise and lose the cruise money, but coverage for that portion of what we all call "trip insurance" is the inexpensive part. What really matters is the medical coverage.

If you are within flying distance of the US the Coast Guard will evacuate you without a charge to you. If you are not, and your daughter needs medical evacuation to the Bahamas because the clinic on board cannot handle the situation, it can cost $25,000 for transportation alone (the on-board clinic will have charges too, probably in the $5,000 range). Very few medical plans in the US cover costs while on the "high seas" even if they do cover medical costs in specific countries. If your insurance does not cover you in the country you are evacuated to the cost of healthcare for a life threatening illness or something like a heart attack can climb to well over $50,000, and you must pay before they release you.

If someone dies, it can cost $10,000 to get the body off the ship at the end of the cruise. "Repatriation of remains" is usually included in what we call "trip insurance".

Most of us with children wouldn't think of going without health insurance, but that is exactly what we do when we cruise to the Caribbean without what we call "trip insurance".

I would recommend a policy that does NOT exclude pre-existing conditions (if you book the insurance within a few days this comes at no extra cost on many policies). Also, make sure it has medical insurance coverage for $200,000 to $250,000 per person, PLUS $50,000 each in medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. You can play around with those numbers for your comfort level for price vs. protection.

Most of the people who claim "travel insurance" is a rip off never consider the risk of medical costs out of the country. With a family you have to consider it.

We have a friend who was booked to cruise with us last spring, and was badly injured on his way to the ship. Of course he and his wife had to cancel, the day before the cruise. They had the NCL insurance, which refunded the entire cruise fare minus the insurance payment. You never know what might happen, so keeping the insurance might be a good idea. Just saying.

The benefit of the cruise line insurance is that you can cancel for any reason and get a percentage of your final payment back. My job sometimes has sort notice requirements. With the cruise line insurance, I can cancel up to the day of sailing and get a large chunk of my money back.

We never travel without trip insurance. We have a friend who was tragically injured in a catamaran accident in the Bahamas a few years back. He is now a paraplegic. He did not have trip insurance, and it was a NIGHTMARE for him and his family. Not only getting taken care of abroad, but getting back to the U.S. and then from Miami back to Ohio. He was lucky he had resources to wire the money needed, but most of us don't have that luxury. We will NEVER be without trip insurance because of knowing what happened with Joe.

Over time, the best move is not to get insurance at all.

That couldn't be possible.

Every single poster on CC who has bought trip insurance has ended up coming out ahead.

I thought you knew that NCL and all other trip insurance providers do so out of the goodness of their hearts, and never make a profit.

Over time, the best move is not to get insurance at all.

For the cost of the trip itself this may be so and if that were the only factor I probably wouldn't bother. However I don't have an extra $25k to $50k laying around in the event anyone in my party had to be medevac'd home and I don't want to have to worry about finding a preferred provider under my medical plan in a foreign port. For $100 to $200 it's worth it not having to worry about that.

Over time, the best move is not to get insurance at all.

True!

Never did before this year. However sailing in hurricane season, retiring and not having the extra income, parents health, anyone's health are some very good reasons for people to get the insurance.

That couldn't be possible.

 

Every single poster on CC who has bought trip insurance has ended up coming out ahead.

 

I thought you knew that NCL and all other trip insurance providers do so out of the goodness of their hearts, and never make a profit.

I stand corrected.

Thanks for that.

one benefit of buying the insurance through NCL is that if you claim is denied for any reason by the insurance company NCL will provide 75% of the cost as a credit for a future cruise. I just had to cancel a cruise in April, but a least my claim wasn't denied.

Also, for the non-cruise items, flights, hotels, etc check your credit card terms, many provide insurance for trip cancellation