GeezerCouple

CDNPolar has the correct answer. It isn't going to do you any good to get assorted opinions here on CC. The ONLY thing that will matter is >> what your travel insurance POLICY explicitly includes. And the covered events, and even the "definition" of the events can vary. A lot! We'd strongly suggest that you contact a travel insurance BROKER, one who can help you select among the policies from several different insurers. We are among those here on CC (and elsewhere, of course!) who use www.TripInsuranceStore.com (There is no extra cost to use an agent or broker.) But CALL them; don't rely upon the brief online summaries. Your situation is an excellent example of why CALLING is important. You want to know how "pre-existing conditions" are covered. And what "pre-existing conditions" even covers to begin with. And "pre-existing conditions" in whom? Travelers? Non-traveling family members? Or? Note that "pre-existing conditions" can be defined *VERY* differently by different insurers. What will matter is what the definition is in the specific policy that you get. OR... get a policy that does NOT exclude pre-existing conditions in the first place. There are important restrictions on when one must start this type of policy, so don't delay. It could be as early as within 10-20 days of making the very first trip payment, such as the deposit. We've had several insurance claims, including some large ones. And some of those were due to medical issues before we even left: once, DH; another time, MIL. These were cancellations at the last minute, when there was a 100% penalty. Because we started the policy within a few days of making the very first payment, pre-existing condtions were NOT excluded. But that was OUR policy. Not all policies are like that. We've also had 100% refunds for costs of travel interruptions once we were on a trip (both cruise and land vacations). One very important thing is to get RECEIPTS for *all* expenses. That's much easier at the time, and perhaps very difficult (or impossible) to try to get "later". Our claims were paid within about 2 weeks of our submitting the necessary documents, and without any quarrel. And we never felt that the "necessary documents" were inappropriate. (The insurer has the right to do their best to deter or detect fraud, after all. They never challenged a receipt that we submitted.) GC

I'm not sure just what point you are making, or referring to from posts above. Is it about your pre-existing conditions and thus a need to buy "a cheap, bare bones cruise policy ... with a low medical"? If so, if you start the insurance coverage within 10-20 days of your *first* payment (e.g., the initial deposit, and the timing depends upon your state of residence), then there are many policies available that will waive any "pre-existing condition exclusions" so you don't need to worry about that at all. You do need to be "fit to travel" on the day you start the coverage. [What we do is to make a deposit when all is well, and then the next call we make is to start the travel insurance, before there's any chance to have some medical issue interfere, etc.] Also, about the Medicare Advantage plan and out of country coverage, I obviously can't speak about your specific policy, but my understanding is that these MA plans usually have a $50k *lifetime* cap on the out of country medical coverage. So if you have other coverage, try to make sure it is *primary*, so the MA coverage is not involved while you do have other coverage. If the other coverage is "secondary", then they'll only pay after the "other" coverage has paid... thus using up some - or all? - of that limited MA coverage. We also have had the MedJetAssist annual plan. We've never needed it, but there was one time when I was in hospital overseas, and we actually started considering... should we call MJA?? That was just about when I started to improve, thank goodness. But it was VERY comforting to know that possibility was "there" if we had decided to use it. GC

There is no restriction on CC about discussing travel insurance companies, agents, or brokers. (Travel agents are different, of course!) We STRONGLY suggest that you contact a specialist, an agent or broker who can help you select the best policy/coverage for your needs. We recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com - as do many others here on CC. There is no extra cost to use them, and they can also help if needed should there be a claim. But please *CALL* them so they can explain a lot of details and also ask you questions to help them to select the most appropriate choices for you. We've used them (TIS) to purchase policies from Travel Insured. We've had several claims, including some large ones, and all were paid without quarrel, and that's what matters in the end... GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! This suggestion won't help much for this trip, given that you've already purchased the coverage (correct?), but for next time... You'll note as you browse through this section of CC that many of us recommend purchasing travel insurance through an agent or even a broker who can handle policies from several insurers. This can help one get the type of policy and coverage that is best suited to the traveler's specific situation and travel plans AND the agent or broker can answer questions (often before one had decided "which" policy) and also help with claims should that be needed. They can also help one work through one's specific needs, such as any pre-existing medicak conditions; any frail family members who are not traveling; etc. There is no extra cost for using an agent or broker. Enjoy your cruise! GC

Quite a few people here specifically do NOT insure the trip costs, so they would not be upset to get back "NOTHING". 😉 For them, it is usually a decision that they know the costs of the trip, it's already been all/mostly paid, and they are able to financially absorb the costs. However, MEDICAL costs aren't known in advance, and could end up sky high (or higher!). So they want to insure against catastrophic losses. There is (or used to be; we haven't checked recently) at least one travel insurer who would provide coverage for pre-existing conditions if the insurance was paid at the latest of something like "within 24 hours of final payment". However, that policy (when we were looking at it) had lesser coverages than the policy type we prefer from a different insurer. We *want* those other policy features, so we simply start the coverage within the time period of our first payment. That's very easy to do... no problem! As Mary229 just wrote, it's important (VERY!) to make sure that the policy you purchase meets your insurance needs. And that's why we always use an insurance broker; They can ask questions, make suggestions, etc., to help us get the right policy. (There is no extra charge for these services.) GC

"Surely".... what? If the people who are eating and sleeping on the ship as it floats around are not "passengers", what would *you* call them? The only other thing I can think of is that some of us arrive ON the ship as "passengers", but after indulging in the unlimited food for days or weeks, when we disembark, we might need to be rolled off as "cargo". Or as was mention previously, "cargo that complains"! 😁 But seriously, what do YOU think they/we should be called?? GC

I think you'd need to look at each ship, and not "which cruise line has sofa beds". Which exact cabins have which bed types will vary a lot, and possibly on a single ship. It's not likely to be "cruise-line specific". The Deck Plans should indicate which specific beds are in each cabin or suite. And then CONFIRM when you make reservations, as there may have been changes, especially if there was a major dry dock recently. GC

One can often use the hangers that one finds in the closet. Those "pant" hangers, with the two "clips"? Put the hanger "vertically", and clamp the errant curtains closed, either in the middle or one at top/one lower, as needed. Duct tape works well if the problem is at the ends, where the curtain meets (er, doesn't meet!) the wall. GC

Yes, and good to be planning ahead, rather than at the last moment, There are a couple of things to keep in mind, and places to check. First, keep in mind one of the reasons that some of the permissions and precautions will be necessary. These are to try to avoid problems with children being trafficked or with a non-custodial parent taking a child out of the country, where the custodial parent may not be able to recover the child. (That's why "one parent's signature" is not necessarily sufficient.) The cruise line will probably have a form to be filled out and signed by both parents (probably notarized, but that depends) that gives permission for you to be taking them out of the country. Do NOT forget to get written permission to make medical decisions for them "just in case". ETA: Double check about medical insurance! If they don't have coverage for out of the country, then consider travel insurance. The US State Department will also have guidelines, and we'd always at least include all that they recommend, even if the cruiseline does not. And YES... Passports! 🙂 You may or may not be required to show these documents when boarding, but you should definitely have them with you rather than risk being turned away. Did you happen to be able to get interior-connecting cabins? If so, then if you and the girls wished, you could still have them share one cabin, keeping the connecting door open. (This is especially useful with younger children.) And then enjoy your celebration cruise with the nieces/grands! GC

Sorry. I guess I misunderstood, and thought that being "surprised" indicated that something else was expected. However, your post raises a very important reminder to some who might indeed have some incorrect expectations about how travel insurance, and especially medical/health care insurance, actually works in many cases. We started our first major trip (cruise plus land) by printing out ALL of the pages (!!) of our travel insurance policy to include in our "travel documents". That includes emergency numbers in case one needs help with translation at a foreign medical facility, or to try to get money wired in case that were to become necessary. Different insurers may have very different ways to handle these issues (or not...!). ==>> Especially KEEP those emergency phone numbers with you! We also upload copies of these documents (and passports, charge card fronts and backs, etc.) into the cloud so IF our docs happen to walk away, we can still retrieve the information. These are likely to be very stressful times, so having everything easily accessible can be really helpful. Likewise, we include the contact information for the travel insurance agent or broker one used to purchase the policy along with the emergency number for the insurer. They all can (and should!) be incredibly helpful when "bad things happen to good people who are traveling". 😧 And to repeat, we always have charge cards with a hefty total credit available "just in case" money, perhaps more than a small amount, is needed "now!" GC

Yes, as klfrodo already answered. However, be aware that to get the best coverage types, it may be necessary to START the coverage within 10-20 days of the FIRST payment, refundable OR NOT. (The range of time is because insurance is regulated by the states, so coverage terms can differ from state to state.) Many policies allow one to start by covering only the initial payments, and then increasing coverage as additional payments are made. We suggest that you CALL www.TripInsuranceStore.com to discuss the various choices. (The only summaries cannot possibly capture all of the specific circumstances of every traveler, etc. There is no extra charge to use them.) We have had quite a few claims, including some large ones, and all have been paid without any quarrels. GC

At least some third party travel insurers provide reimbursement for any such extra costs. One would need to double check the terms of the specific policy one has or is considering getting. Our travel insurance policy definitely would cover this, assuming the underlying reason is not excluded (and this case would almost definitely *not* be excluded). It would be covered, in our case, as "travel INTERRUPTION", not "travel CANCELLATiON". And out policies include coverage of 150% of the regular trip cancellation coverage, at least in part because often these last minute airline tickets can be much more expensive than what one paid months earlier. Also, this type of interruption may include a few (or many?) days of hotel and meal expenses that were never planned or included in original trip estimates (and certainly not it "pre-paid, non-refundable" payments). It this type of case, some of the original costs may not be recoverable, and then there are yet additional expenses being added... Yes, we have had claims for this type of situation. In our case, no change in flights were needed (but that almost did happen), but we needed almost a full week at a 5* hotel in a major foreign city. We had only planned to stay there one night. but I got sick, and the hotel called for an ambulance, at the direction of the physician that the hotel had previously called to come see me... twice, before he decided hospital care was needed. We also then got private transportation to the final part of our trip, which we were VERY fortunately able to recover! All of our claims were paid promptly, without any quarrel. [We get travel insurance through www.TripInsuranceStore.com - and it has been the vendor Travel Insured who has had the best coverage for our particular needs. We would NEVER rely upon travel insurance sold by the travel vendor, be it cruiseline, hotel, or tour group. Our coverage starts the moment we step out our front door, and does not stop until we walk back inside at the end of the trip.] Also browse through the Travel Insurance section of CC, or ask other questions there: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ GC

This is not at all uncommon, to request (er, demand) payment promptly, and occasionally... BEFORE starting treatment! These foreign hospitals usually do not have contracts with what are for them "foreign medical insurance companies". Almost all travel insurance, medical or otherwise, is a "pay upfront, GET RECEIPTS, submit receipts, get reimbursed". For some insurers, if it is a "serious sum", the insurer may be willing - and able - to work with the medical provider to either guarantee payment (getting agreement for a guarantee is, um, not guaranteed) or to wire the money. Wiring the money could take some time... We ALWAYS travel with several credit cards with a nice tidy sum total credit available, "just in case". I remember in one island ER, as DH was being wheeled off for treatment, I was escorted to the payment Office. There were signs on the walls about how they ONLY accept payment guarantees from the following travel insurance companies... and then there was a list of a few names many of us might be familiar with. I did not want anything to delay getting DH's emergency medical care, so I just handed over a charge card. Why would someone assume that hospitals (or any vendors) in some countries would just "accept" some "medical insurance" from some company in some foreign, distant country? They can, but why in the world would it be required for them to do so, especially if they've never signed any agreement with them about payments? For all the hospital/medical provider knows, there may not be any plan for that insurer to pay for ANY "foreign care" (er., think of USA's Medicare!). Or "that insurer" may not really exist at all! Why should the provider be expected to provide care, including possibly expensive care, and then have to try contacting some company they may have never heard of/from (and a company that they may have no way to compel payment!) for money? GC

A CC (Ooops, "CruiseCritic") member recently (only 2-3 weeks ago) started this very mysterious thread: "MDR"? Typing the words out "will only take a couple of extra seconds." 😉 GC

When we travelled and had tiny vials of special eye drops (each little vial was for one application only), we asked the hotel to give us two ice buckets. We kept one filled with water and ice, and had the little vials in a double ziploc baggie. I put a few coins in with them to keep it fully submerged. The extra bucket was to request more ice as needed. It worked very well. (Using icepacks/etc., and getting that package through airport security took a lot of extra time, but we were prepared for that.) GC

I was always very curious. My first call to duty arrived about a month before the scheduled Court date. Unfortunately, I was moving in 2 weeks, not far away, but a different county. When I called (no email/etc., back then), I offered to be there anyway, but the clerk's office said that wouldn't be legal if I no longer owned a house there. Next time, I had been ill, and there was too much chance I'd be unable to serve even if postponed a short time. We just couldn't know. And then I guess I aged out? However, DH was called when he was a bit older. He showed up, and surprise... he was selected. He was also voted Foreperson. It was a heavy responsibility, because depending upon the outcome, the person might end up in prison for several-to-many years, and it was apparently a questionable situation. Huge responsibility! GC

Ages ago, this was "orienteering", on foot with a real compass, etc., through assorted forests, etc. I miss those days! (But notice our UserID name...! 🙄 ) GC

This is what I just posted on that other thread: ----------- Here is what our travel insurance policy states, explicitly, about jury duty: "... “Other Covered Reasons” means: a. You or Your Traveling Companion being hijacked, quarantined, required to serve on a jury (notice of jury duty must be received after Your Effective Date), served with a court order to appear as a witness in a legal action in which You or Your Traveling Companion is not a party (except law enforcement officers); ..." [emphasis added] Needless to say, other insurers may handle this differently, and perhaps our insurer handles it differently with other types of travel insurance coverages. This is but one example of why it is *SO* important to read the full terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the specific policy that one is considering! Many (most? all?) travel insurers give a short period of time (e.g., several days) for one to read in more depth or perhaps ask questions of others, during which one could request the policy be cancelled and money refunded. GC -----------

Here is what our travel insurance policy states, explicitly, about jury duty: "... “Other Covered Reasons” means: a. You or Your Traveling Companion being hijacked, quarantined, required to serve on a jury (notice of jury duty must be received after Your Effective Date), served with a court order to appear as a witness in a legal action in which You or Your Traveling Companion is not a party (except law enforcement officers); ..." [emphasis added] Needless to say, other insurers may handle this differently, and perhaps our insurer handles it differently with other types of travel insurance coverages. This is but one example of why it is *SO* important to read the full terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the specific policy that one is considering! Many (most? all?) travel insurers give a short period of time (e.g., several days) for one to read in more depth or perhaps ask questions of others, during which one could request the policy be cancelled and money refunded. GC

I guess if you don't like the civic responsibility that goes along with, well, civilization, you could try to find an island someplace and live like "Lord of the Flies" with some other similarly-minded people. GC

Uh, right. ... just like the Police and Fire Departments are "forced' and we have been "conditioned to just accept" these things. Also, ambulance service, roads, coast guard. Yep, "forced on us". And YES, we've been "conditioned" to "accept" the police, fire, etc.... when needed... 😡 GC

That can get tricky. Make *sure* that the coverages are equivalent, unless it's for part that one doesn't care about. For example, "pre-existing conditions" can cause problems (as in, "denials of claims") for some. But different insurers/policies can define "pre-existing condition" quite differently... or offer a policy where there are no restrictions about pre-existing conditions to start with. GC

Not a chance with that budget. GC

I sometimes wonder about the "pool" of prospective jurors who would/could be available for such an extended time period, and some are even longer. They may not meet every day (but perhaps some do?), but one can't plan regular work around something like that. Who are they likely to be?' Okay, retirees who would/could postpone those cruises and other vacations, but younger folks...? ?? GC

To those posting recently (most of this thread is about a year old), in case you haven't read all of the previous posts... Please consider calling a travel insurance agent or a broker (who deals with several insurance companies and would therefore have a nice variety of policies to discuss). TALK with them. Not only would you get to ask questions, but they can then ask questions of you... to help them decide which policies might be of most use for your specific needs. We are among those here on CC who recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com They are VERY patient, answer questions (and more questions!), and they do not try to "upsell". And IF it were necessary, they can help with a claim. (We had them review our first claim form, "just in case", as we'd never done anything like that before. After that, we just fill it all out, include receipts/documentation, and send it off. But it's nice to know there is "back up" IF there were to be a problem.) It can be *very* difficult to read/understand ALL of the assorted "fine print" of an insurance policy, all of the Terms & Conditions (T&Cs). It's too late AFTER the fact to find out that something you thought was covered... wasn't... As I've mentioned elsewhere, we've had quite a few claims, including some large claims, and they were paid without nonsense, and *promptly*. Our ONLY "complaint", if that word could be used in this context, is that we needed to file any travel insurance claims, and especially that we needed to file several. 😞 GC