Viking Travel and Cancellation Insurance

Hello all,

 

I'm just wondering if this is worth it or is it best to go with a third party. Your experience is most appreciated!

 

Thanks.

Since everyone's needs are different, best to compare...

 

https://www.insuremytrip.com

 

http://www.csatravelprotection.com/plan-details

I asked my travel agent his opinion of Viking's and also third party policies for our upcoming cruise. We have never purchased such a plan in the past (but we are going to be gone two months). He gave me several plans and told me his opinion (which was one of the third party plans). Then I had my personal insurance agent review everything. He also recommended one of the third party policies, which we did purchase.

 

Just my experience.

 

MT

I usually buy my insurance thru InsureMyTrip. Compare all coverage to see what company best suits your needs. Cost is less than cruise lines as they are not getting commission.

We purchased the Viking Insurance on a cruise in December and they didn't pay what I thought they should. Viking cancelled our cruise on the 3rd day of a 12 day cruise. We left the ship early, as did a lot of passengers, however we had purchased our own air. Because of that the Viking insurance didn't reimburse us for the change fees that Delta charged us ($1,000). The insurance company's reason was that since we didn't purchase Viking air they were only responsible for getting us to the port of disembarkation, not all of the way home. I appealed saying that if Viking hadn't cancelled the cruise we wouldn't have had to pay the change fee for our air. They still denied the claim. In the future if we purchase our own air, I will purchase third party insurance. If we use Viking air, I would consider using their insurance. Something else to consider...if you are over 65 and out of the US you may want to purchase medical insurance. The third party insurance usually includes some medical, but if Viking does, (I don't remember) it is very limited.

Hello all,

 

I'm just wondering if this is worth it or is it best to go with a third party. Your experience is most appreciated!

 

Thanks.

 

Personally I go with a third party and I always buy within 14 days of booking for the added benefits.

 

There are websites that help you compare policies and premiums.

Steve at @thetripinsurancestore is wonderful. His website is full of fabulous info too!

 

 

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Peregrina651: Whar added benefits do you get when signing up for trip insurance 14 days prior?

 

 

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Oops, I mean within 14 days of booking?

 

 

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Peregrina651: Whar added benefits do you get when signing up for trip insurance 14 days prior?

 

 

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With most Third Party Travel Insurance policies you are covered for "pre existing" medical conditions. So for instance if you had heart issues or conditions related to High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, cancer..... and you have a medical issue prior to the cruise and need to cancel you will get your money back.

This is really really important when it comes to Travel Insurance.

I'm sure someone can explain better but you need this type of coverage once you get to a certain age! ;)

Another great and informative board is the Travel Insurance board on Cruise Critic. Very knowledgeable people over there.

The pre-existing medical condition waiver is very important - while I like the Viking 100% cancel credit of their insurance, third party coverage is cheaper and more comprehensive - especially for medical evacuation and pre-existing med condition waiver

 

 

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This is what we do...

We purchase an annual medical policy that is good outside the US. The cost is relatively low considering it is per year not per trip. The coverage is comparable to what Viking and third party insurers provide. We pay for the trip using credit cards that have limited travel coverage, some times multiple cards to increase the limits. These do not provide "cancel for any reason coverage". We probably would not get 100% back but it is worth the risk for us. One of the things that is not covered is frequent flyer tickets, not sure how other insurers handle them.

We insure our travel these days for a number of reasons.

 

 

 

 

• We can't afford to "self-insure" a two-week cruise vacation and don't want to play the odds that nothing will happen.
  
• The added benefits of medical coverage, emergency evacuation, trip delay, etc. that are part of most travel insurance policies
  
• We have ageing parents with pre-existing conditions. Travel insurance has us covered if we have to cancel at the very last minute or even worse, cut our trip short.
  
• We insure so that we don't spend the trip hoping that nothing happens that we can't afford to pay for.
  
• We pay for peace of mind--because I am married to the world's biggest worry-wort!
  

We usually do not purchase travel insurance, but did prior to our New Year's cruise as we were concerned about a pre-existing medical condition. When the cruise was cancelled on the third day, I started putting together all the documents I would need to file a claim. We had booked private tours in many ports, so cancelled those- some gave refunds, some did not. We had paid for seat upgrades and had to pay again for the new flight home. Once home I filled out the forms, copied all the emails, receipts, and such and sent it in. We were reimbursed for everything, which was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Have I purchased travel insurance for our next trips? No. I found that our credit card companies have very similar travel insurance coverage and so I decided we would just use the cards. My greatest hope is I don't need to test this decision, but I'm comfortable with the decision.

Strictly for what it is worth ... we have always purchased trip insurance through Viking. In 2015 we were scheduled to take the Viking Homelands cruise on the Star in July. On April 30th both my husband and I had medical emergencies (it's a "funny" story now!). By the end of May it was clear that we would have to cancel the trip. Viking paid us back 50% of the the total cost ... including air and pre-extension and the insurance company paid us the rest. The only money we were out at the end of the process was what we paid for the insurance. It was a relatively painless process and as I recall everything was settled in a couple of months. We happily paid for the insurance again when we (finally) took our cruise in the summer of 2016.

Steve at @thetripinsurancestore is wonderful. His website is full of fabulous info too!

 

 

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We've used tripinsurancestore too. Like them a lot.

 

We always buy from a third party company, mostly because it's cheaper to do that. However, I think some cruise line insurance policies include the pre-existing condition waiver, regardless of when you purchase. If this applies to Viking's insurance, that's a good reason to buy theirs if the price and coverage is good.

Oops, I mean within 14 days of booking?

 

 

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To add to the discussion of outside travel insurance, if you purchase insurance within 14 days of your deposit (booking), you are covered for financial default of your tour company. This may differ, depending on which insurance policy you take (and financial default of Viking is quite unlikely!!!), but it is another level of comfort - especially for a worry-wart like me.

Thank you for your feedback everyone. We have decided to go with a 3rd party. My father's health hasn't been the best and both he and my mother in law are quite older in age hence the main reason why we would require cancellation insurance.

 

 

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