Trip Insurance through Regent?

I'm wondering if many cruisers have used Regent Insurance. We've always gone through Steve (TripInsuranceStore). But I'm 74 and my husband is 87, and insurance is now extremely costly. Since Regent does not factor in age of passenger, it'd be significantly less expensive for us to go that route.

So: I'm interested to get feedback on this. (I know that Regent-bought insurance has less extensive coverage, but just wondering how others up-in-age handle this.)

Thanks.

Poss, do they include pre-existing condition coverage? If so, that would be a goldmine. BTW, did you go on your fall cruise or not?

When I last considered Regent insurance I discovered it had a look back period of 6 months for pre existing conditions. For us it is rare to not have some wrinkle show up in a six month period. Steve sell us insurance with a two month look back. If the cruise is in the very near future we purchase it close to deposit and it covers pre existing conditions.

Recently we did a Seabourne cruise and did take their insurance because it was very reasonable and we had no significant problems in the look back period.

One good feature for Regent's insurance it that I think you can wait to purchase it when penalties start.

Poss - When my Dad was still alive and traveling with us, he was in his 90's. He was in "good health" but still, he was in his 90's. Regent's insurance was the best deal for us. Premiums for Dad, through other sources, would have been prohibitive. We felt that Regent's policy and premium was a "good buy", under the circumstances.

I'm wondering if many cruisers have used Regent Insurance. We've always gone through Steve (TripInsuranceStore). But I'm 74 and my husband is 87, and insurance is now extremely costly. Since Regent does not factor in age of passenger, it'd be significantly less expensive for us to go that route.

 

So: I'm interested to get feedback on this. (I know that Regent-bought insurance has less extensive coverage, but just wondering how others up-in-age handle this.)

 

Thanks.

We used Regent for our first 3 cruises with them; about 4 years ago on a long TA, DW had a bad fall on board the Mariner. Regent insurance paid the $5200 medical bill to the penny. We have been shopping around since we reached our 70s but I will give Regent a look again.

Here is a couple of paragraph regarding pre-existing conditions:

What does Travel Protection cover and not cover?

In general, the insurance portion of a travel protection plan covers medical emergencies, such as a death, illness or injury to you, your traveling companions and any immediate family members.

Business and personal obligations are not covered for trip cancellation under the insurance portion of a travel protection policy, unless additional coverage is purchased and explicitly listed on your policy confirmation details.

It is important to know that the RegentCare Guest Protection travel insurance policy offered by Regent does not cover pre-existing medical conditions under the trip cancellation clause. A pre-existing medical condition is usually defined as one for which you have been treated within 120-60 days of purchasing the insurance. Please note that terminal illness and mental illness are not covered as pre-existing medical conditions. RegentCruises.com recommends that you contact the insurance company directly for specific information about your personal situation.

In situations when only one member of the party is unable to travel contact RegentCruises.com to learn what options are available without having to cancel the cruise altogether.

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What is considered a "pre-existing" condition?

A pre-existing medical condition is one that existed during the 120-60 days preceding and including the policy effective date. A condition is pre-existing if you:

1. Received a recommendation for a diagnostic test, examination or medical treatment; or

2. Took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine.

Item( 2) of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the designated period before coverage is effective under the policy.

Here are more details https://www.regentcruises.com/cruises/travel-insurance.html#ti01

Anyone know the cost of Regent's policy? I've looked on line and can't seem to find it.

Papa - As I recall, the Regent insurance premium for any particular trip was about 10% of whatever the fare price was. Regards

Anyone know the cost of Regent's policy? I've looked on line and can't seem to find it.

Here is one sentence from the link above: "Regent Seven Seas Cruises prices its RegentCare Guest Protection Plan premiums based on the length of the cruise and a calculated percentage, approximately 20 percent, of the total vacation cost".

Regent offers two policies. The above link doesn't work when you click it but if you copy it and put it in your search bar, it will come up.

I greatly appreciate the feedback. I clearly have no head for this kind of thing, none whatsoever. I go over and over the policies, especially the kind of detail that Tc has kindly posted here, and I just get dizzy. (Btw, Tc, I spoke with the rep about the Regent policy and was told that they don't offer two policies, just one, so I'm confused about that too.)

I read the entire "Regent" policy (they're connected with Nationwide now), and it makes my head spin. I mean who doesn't have some sort of "pre-existing condition"? Aren't most people "of a certain age" on one sort of med or another? Regent does not have a pre-existing waiver: It seems that they look back 60 days from the time one buys the policy, and if there'd been any surgeries or tests or whatever, and then during the cruise there's a problem related to such-- not covered. But if I'd had cataract surgery, say, 62 days before I bought the policy (i.e. more than 60 days), and something happened to my vision while on the cruise or before it, Regent would cover it? Or, e.g., if a person is taking medication of whatever sort, and something goes amiss with that part of the body, she's not covered because she had a pre-existing condition? (as demonstrated by the fact that she was taking medicine?)

I am mystified (and suspect I'll never understand the ins and outs of all this). Only thing I know is that the cost of insurance through CSA or TravelGuard or whatever is breath-taking. (Not that the cost of the cruise itself isn't....)

Wendy: We were so wiped out from the Irma mess that we had to cancel. A big loss (and oh, how I could use a vacation!) Just so many expenses here, so much to take care of, and so exhausted and "down." The idea of a cruise seemed utterly un-doable. I'm trying to look forward to the Norway Explorer cruise in June, but I still mostly feel like going to bed and pulling the covers up over my head. (And yes, I know that Regent beds are mighty comfortable.) Did you love your Paul Gauguin cruise as much as always? Did you do a report?

Thanks, everyone!

I am sorry Poss to hear what a struggle life is right now. Jut try to hold on to that image of Norway on the Explorer.

I agree that the insurance issue is a pain especially at this stage of life. We just consider it part of the cost of the cruise staggering as it is.

We often wait until just before the penalty period starts before purchasing. Or if we have a healthy 60 days and are sure we are taking the cruise we buy the insurance. Once we cancelled a cruise prior to penalities and were able to move the insurance to the new cruise. Steve helped us with this.

I think it is good that Regent now uses Nationwide because their last company looked back a full 6 months.

Hopefully life looks up. How nice that you have a loving partner to hang onto.

Ann

poss, also sorry that you have so much going on in your life right now. Trying to decipher insurance policies is just one more thing to think about.

The way I read the policy (and I'm not great at deciphering it either), if you had cataract surgery and had to cancel your cruise specifically due to that surgery, it would not be covered. However, the scenario you used, having cataract surgery 62 days prior to cancelling, it should be covered covered. Over the years, we have seen many passengers airlifted from the ship or taken off in port. The majority of the issues seem to have been heart attacks. So, my question is pretty much the same as yours....... if, for instance, you take blood pressure medicine and have never had a heart attack or heart issue, would this mean that you wouldn't be covered? I believe it would be because of the sentence describing pre-existing conditions - #2.

Sorry that I misread the website and thought that they offered insurance through two companies. It was a bit confusing.

Hope that you are able to find the right insurance at the right price.

Poss,

We live in SW Florida as well and understand how difficult it has been to recover from IRMA. The link that TC provided above is not to the actual Regent Seven Seas site, www.rssc.com. The site she quotes is from a third party cruise travel agency that sells Regent cruises, which is why its confusing. We have used Steve at Trip Insurance Store and are disappointed that he hasn't spent the time with you to find the most cost effective policy in your situation. I am not an expert in insurance matters, but my understanding is that the policy sold by Regent does not cover financial default by Regent. So if Regent could no longer provide your cruise due to financial default you would not get your money back through their insurance. If this is accurate, its something you should take into account in your review. All the best and safe travels.

[quote name=poss;54466738...

I am mystified (and suspect I'll never understand the ins and outs of all this). Only thing I know is that the cost of insurance through CSA or TravelGuard or whatever is breath-taking. (Not that the cost of the cruise itself isn't....)

Wendy: We were so wiped out from the Irma mess that we had to cancel. A big loss (and oh' date=' how I could use a vacation!) Just so many expenses here, so much to take care of, and so exhausted and "down." The idea of a cruise seemed utterly un-doable. I'm trying to look forward to the Norway Explorer cruise in June, but I still mostly feel like going to bed and pulling the covers up over my head. (And yes, I know that Regent beds are mighty comfortable.) Did you love your Paul Gauguin cruise as much as always? Did you do a report?

[/quote]

The whole thing mystifies me too, poss. As I said elsewhere, we did not insure our PG trip. I didn't even mention it to David, just didn't do it. It's nervous-making for sure. We're younger than you but David is 74 and we both have had major health issues. I assume that despite my having bypass surgery three and a half years ago, that because my medications are stable and I've had no "run-ins" with my doctor, that I could have bought "regular" insurance with no pre coverage. But I'm not sure, and I have no idea how they deal with chronic conditions that could flare up at any time. So I'm as confused as you are.

God knows what we'll do for our Seabourn cruise next fall (it's Montreal - Montreal, btw.) At least there's no air involved.

I'm so sorry about your hurricane issues--it must be just awful. We'll be driving down to Florida soon, and I expect to see damage on the way. Our little place was fine, although we are having sinkhole mitigation work done right now on the building, and I hear it's a hell-hole, so we may be going on a quick cruise out of Tampa if it's bad, ha ha.

Yes, our Paul Gauguin cruise was wonderful, as always, weather wasn't the best, but the destination is still our absolute favourite and close to our hearts. Here's my report:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2557247

All I have to say is the expression the “ Golden Years” should be stricken from the English language LOL

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Hi everyone, and thanks so much for posting.

goldenrod: Yup! I often feel that way these days.

Wendy: What a super PG report-- so informative and a pleasure to read. I still have that dream, but don't actually expect it to happen. So which of the PG cruises do you like best?

I was surprised to see the mention of Seabourn. Why'd you choose that cruise? No doubt staying in Canada was a factor. Which cabin type did you choose? Have you cruised with Seabourn in the past?

As for Irma-- I think that one of the most depressing things for me about the whole situation is that I'm ashamed that I'm so beaten/depressed. I mean gimme a break-- our troubles are as nothing compared to so much else of hurting humanity. I'm not proud of myself.

taxare: In fact Kim (at Steve's Store) was as helpful as I think a person could be. As always from the people in that office, she was very patient and thorough, and I'm sure those folks know the ropes inside and out. Kim seemed to feel that the Regent policy (because age is not a factor) was by far the best bet for us these days --i.e. IF we can swallow doing without pre-existing waiver, which I still don't understand, not really; plus I keep having the feeling that an insurance co. would find some way of getting around it. CSA (which, I believe is the only insurance we could buy now that includes pre-existing, since our deposit was paid way back in January) is 4 times as expensive as the Regent Nationwide. Btw, I can't imagine worrying about financial default. Hey, do you know something about Regent that the rest of us don't? That factor would never have occurred to me. (Where do you live in SW FL?)

Tc and Eager: As I mentioned above in my response to Wendy-- I reallyreally do feel like a jerk for being so kinda wiped about the Irma ordeal; and even worse of course for letting it spill out in this forum. Stamina seems not to be my middle name.

Eager: Yes, what you say in your 3rd paragraph makes sense. And I, too, keep trying to consider insurance merely as part of the high cost of the cruise; I just want to get it "right."

Tc: Have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruise, and may you be happily surprised at how much you enjoy that area. Hey-- can you tell me the exact name of your famous packable jacket, please? And how you think it runs size-wise? If the Norway thing actually happens for us, it'd be good to have.

Cheers all.

poss - there is nothing wrong with you feeling a bit defeated and/or depressed after such a difficult event. It has affected so many people - even those of us who only have friends and relatives in the areas where the hurricane(s) hit. I'm glad that you feel comfortable to share your thoughts on CC and am sorry that you were not able to go on your cruise.

In terms of my jacket, just go to amazon.com and do a search for "Wantdo Women's Hooded Packable Lightweight Chevron Down Jacket" (long name - great jacket:D. I did not purchase the waterproof version of the jacket but haven't had issues when I wear it outside in light rain (I normally use an umbrella). It worked fine in Alaska - as long as I had it zipped up to my chin and wore the hood. It is very windproof. I usually end up being too warm if I wear the jacket inside (like in a market or other store where they keep the heat on).

Really hope that you are able to go to Norway. It is one of the top trips we have ever done (by land or by sea). Thanks for the well wishes for our cruise. I'm hoping that I can handle the heat ..... that is really my only concern.

Please take care of yourself and know how many of us on CC care!

Poss,

God bless you for caring about your CC family enough to share your feelings! They touch our hearts! Such positive energy is felt when reading your latest posting it brightens my day! Our prayers always include those in the CC family!

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for posting.

...

Wendy: What a super PG report-- so informative and a pleasure to read. I still have that dream, but don't actually expect it to happen. So which of the PG cruises do you like best?

I was surprised to see the mention of Seabourn. Why'd you choose that cruise? No doubt staying in Canada was a factor. Which cabin type did you choose? Have you cruised with Seabourn in the past?

As for Irma-- I think that one of the most depressing things for me about the whole situation is that I'm ashamed that I'm so beaten/depressed. I mean gimme a break-- our troubles are as nothing compared to so much else of hurting humanity. I'm not proud of myself.

 

...

Don't beat yourself up, I feel like that at times and I haven't had anything happen to me! I agree with goldenrod--"Golden Years" is a perjorative.

As for the PG, the plain-old 7-day Societies trip is wonderful, if you combine it with a pre-cruise stay at a hotel, preferably on Moorea. But all in all, our favourite was the 14-day Marquesas/Societies trip. Those islands are wonderfully scenic, and so remote! But you still get your snorkeling and beach time back in Bora Bora, Taha'a, etc.

We actually chose Seabourn because we have close friends taking this cruise, first time for us. We gave up on Norway on Azamara for it. At the time, it felt like a bit of a relief--no flights at all. Plus we get to see Newfoundland, which we, shamefully, have not seen. So it's a bit of a lark, but I'm thinking we'll have a great time, and it will be so easy. Standard balcony cabin, on Quest, which is about the same size as a Voyager one. I'm hoping it won't be too stuffy, but our friends assure me it's not. Plus our friends will spend time here probably before the cruise or after.

We are winding down our big trips. I'm 69, but it's getting tough. I would imagine we'll be going to Europe again, but not anywhere further, unless we break down and go back to French Polynesia, lol!

I didn't see any mention of Medjet Assist's emergency transport insurance. It is an annual plan at a reasonable cost that will fly you back to the United States if you have a medical emergency. Nearly every other plan will only take you to the closest "appropriate" medical facility. When you are traveling to remote locations, that is an especially big deal. They even have a discount for AARP members. I HIGHLY recommend looking into it. We carry it together with whatever regular travel insurance we purchase.

Here is a link: https://medjetassist.com/

PS. Several cruise line travel insurance plans will not pay cash for trip cancellation, but only provide you with a credit toward your next cruise. I'm sure someone can comment about Regent's plan.

Poss, we are not youngsters and have our issues. That being said in our experience as long as the reason for cancelling was not due to a pre-existing condition that required any assistance from a doctor in the period being looked at we were covered. That would mean that even a phone call to the doctor's office or a symptom reported from that period would prevent you from being reimbursed for any loss. Two month look back is much easier to achieve than a longer look back .

In terms of Medjet I think they do not cover you if you are 80 or above which would be an issue for your husband.

Struggles are harder to cope with when you are older. Please be gentle with yourself.

I'm pretty sure MedJet does cover people over 80 - it's more expensive that at a lower age but worth it when you need it.

I was 75 when I fell and broke my hip in Mexico on a vacation with my kids. I was picked at the hospital, flown home and brought to the local hospital at home. On a small Lear jet. I renew every year.

I don't have the phone number but the web site says you need to call if you are over 74 . . . .

Last year we upgraded our United Explorer Visa card which includes trip cancellation insurance as a free included benefit (up to $10,000 per person per year). My husband is over 75 now so the insurance prices leap. We had booked a Adriatic cruise last fall with Regent and had to cancel at the last minute due to our daughter's surgery. We filed a claim with the credit card company (lots of paperwork), and it has taken 5 months; but the check is in the mail to us- full reimbursement of $18,000.

We had obtained medical insurance (including medical evacuation through Travelex) which cost about $59 when you put $0 in for the cost of the trip. So overall, a great way to go.

Here’s another option if you have an AARP Medicare supplement many of there plans cover at 80% emergency care up to 50k I recently was on a 31 day cruise and had to be taken off the ship in Lima Peru and had a heart stint and was paid 18 k by AARP and my credit card paid insurance paid $9760 trip interruption.

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