Third Party Insurance claim on our DCL cruise. A review

DW and I always sail with insurance, generally through a third party company. I had found a Nationwide policy (Luxury Cruise Policy) geared just for cruising that had the usual coverages as well as some cruise specific ones.

What drew me most to this policy:

-$1 million in medical evacuation coverages, which I found most policies can be very low, generally $25,000-$100,000 which may be enough depending on the situation but that's one area I can see costs getting out of control

-70% cancel for any reason coverage

-Preexisting condition coverage if the policy is purchased before final payment made (many require this when first deposit is made)

-Port of call change

-Ship board service disruption

-Missed port of call

It was DW and I on this cruise, cruise fare was about $3400 for us and this policy cost about $250.

Sure enough as we arrived in Galveston fogged delayed the ship arriving and we were over 12 hours late leaving. Thus, we missed the port of Key West.

When we got home I placed a call to the insurance company and as soon as I hung up I had an email from them with instructions and a form to fill out to submit my claim for the missed port of call coverage.

They asked for items that I would have never thought, like proof of payment like a credit card statement or cancelled check etc. we partially paid for the trip using gift cards, luckily I had emails from the travel agent confirming the gift card payment and the corresponding emails from DCL showing the payment made.

They also wanted documentation from DCL of the change in itinerary noting the missed port. Well, other than the Navigator showing a Sea Day we didn't really get anything. Our TA reached out to DCL and they provided an email which Nationwide accepted.

So I filled out the form and sent in all my documentation via the email address they provided and waited to see what, if anything, we would get back. They said it can take up to 15 business days to get a reply.

Well 2 weeks later and DW and I both received checks for $250. Not bad IMO. Now I'm sure this amount is dependent on the cost of the cruise, how many ports there are etc.

All in all we were really happy with the policy, the service and the coverages. I would happily get the same policy in the future.

This was our first claim on any of our cruises and I wanted to share our experience.

DW and I always sail with insurance, generally through a third party company. I had found a Nationwide policy (Luxury Cruise Policy) geared just for cruising that had the usual coverages as well as some cruise specific ones.

 

What drew me most to this policy:

 

-$1 million in medical evacuation coverages, which I found most policies can be very low, generally $25,000-$100,000 which may be enough depending on the situation but that's one area I can see costs getting out of control

 

-70% cancel for any reason coverage

 

-Preexisting condition coverage if the policy is purchased before final payment made (many require this when first deposit is made)

 

-Port of call change

-Ship board service disruption

-Missed port of call

 

It was DW and I on this cruise, cruise fare was about $3400 for us and this policy cost about $250.

 

Sure enough as we arrived in Galveston fogged delayed the ship arriving and we were over 12 hours late leaving. Thus, we missed the port of Key West.

 

When we got home I placed a call to the insurance company and as soon as I hung up I had an email from them with instructions and a form to fill out to submit my claim for the missed port of call coverage.

 

They asked for items that I would have never thought, like proof of payment like a credit card statement or cancelled check etc. we partially paid for the trip using gift cards, luckily I had emails from the travel agent confirming the gift card payment and the corresponding emails from DCL showing the payment made.

 

They also wanted documentation from DCL of the change in itinerary noting the missed port. Well, other than the Navigator showing a Sea Day we didn't really get anything. Our TA reached out to DCL and they provided an email which Nationwide accepted.

 

So I filled out the form and sent in all my documentation via the email address they provided and waited to see what, if anything, we would get back. They said it can take up to 15 business days to get a reply.

 

Well 2 weeks later and DW and I both received checks for $250. Not bad IMO. Now I'm sure this amount is dependent on the cost of the cruise, how many ports there are etc.

 

All in all we were really happy with the policy, the service and the coverages. I would happily get the same policy in the future.

 

This was our first claim on any of our cruises and I wanted to share our experience.

Nice to read this. We just bought Nationwide Universal Cruise insurance. Hope we don't have to use it, but they sound very efficient.

that's really interesting..

i wonder how many people actually make a claim..

The amazing part of this is the "missed port" section. We've had no issue with another company with reimbursement for medical treatment on the ship or a 24 hour delay in embarkation, However, insuring against a missed port is unique to this policy as far as I know.

The amazing part of this is the "missed port" section. We've had no issue with another company with reimbursement for medical treatment on the ship or a 24 hour delay in embarkation' date=' However, insuring against a missed port is unique to this policy as far as I know.[/quote']

 

 

 

I thought the exact same thing. And for a very reasonable policy cost we jumped on it for the cruise specific coverages.

I have used them before and filed a claim for the same thing.

The level of coverage depends on which level of plan you purchase. Ours reimbursed $750 pp. For missing nassau. I worthy investment I would have taken each and every time.

Getting paid not to go to nassau, very nice.

Wow, that was a good deal!

That is good to know about this insurance. I purchased insurance through Nationwide but I think mine was "Cruise Choice". I was surprised about the port of call change and the missed port of call coverage because I wasn't expecting something like that to be covered. Glad to hear your claim went smoothly.

I'm a big fan of NW cruise insurance for the reasons the OP listed, and I have purchased it for my next cruise. One concern I have when I've compared it to others, they do not cover missing the ship due an airline mechanical issue. They do cover if it's a weather issue. I find this a little concerning, but the missed port payments and terms for cancel for any reason and preexisting conditions weigh greater for me. Thank you OP for sharing this!!!! I'm happy to hear of an instance in which payment was made!

Thank you for posting. We have already bought trip insurance for upcoming trip but for next one, I will definitely been looking into.

If I am reading correctly, you spent $250, had to jump through a bunch of hoops, and got $500. So, you netted $250? I can see how insurance companies make a killing on this. For every claim like yours they probably have 100 where they have to pay nothing.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

Agree with citdad. The contract clearly states that the cruise line doesn't have to hit any ports at all and you didn't miss out on any cruise days. Next maybe we will see insurance for getting a red light on the way to a port or a rainy day.

If I am reading correctly, you spent $250, had to jump through a bunch of hoops, and got $500. So, you netted $250? I can see how insurance companies make a killing on this. For every claim like yours they probably have 100 where they have to pay nothing.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

Actually I netted $500. I would have paid for the cruise insurance regardless and $250 for a full coverage policy with very high limits is extremely reasonable. We never sail or travel aboard without an insurance policy. That amount I consider as part of the cruisefare.

Yes, I probably spent a total of 1 hour in the entire process. 1 hour for $500 is well worth it imo. I'm hoping my experience can help others shorten their process should they have to go through something similar.

YMMV

Agree with citdad. The contract clearly states that the cruise line doesn't have to hit any ports at all and you didn't miss out on any cruise days. Next maybe we will see insurance for getting a red light on the way to a port or a rainy day.

Im not sure I understand the point of your post. I didn't ask for any special compensation. I didn't say I was outraged that we missed a port. I never said anything about Disney's responsibility to provide any compensation as a cruise line. I simply filed an insurance claim for a covered reason that I knew I had coverage for in advance.

I think know that it's odd that the insurance company would insure missed ports. The passengers aren't out any money, they're disappointed or annoyed.

Sent from my SM-T813 using Forums mobile app

I think know that it's odd that the insurance company would insure missed ports. The passengers aren't out any money, they're disappointed or annoyed.

 

Sent from my SM-T813 using Forums mobile app

Playing devils advocate here. You pay a set price for a specific itinerary to include the ports of call. If the ship were originally going to not include one of the ports your cruise fare would most likely have been lower than what you paid. Just look at the cost of a transatlantic vs comparable itinerary lengths with more ports, the cost difference is noticeable.

The insurance company is betting on the fact that the majority of cruises don't miss ports, therefore the portion of the premium they attribute to that coverage vs the payouts clearly makes them money or they wouldn't offer the coverage.

I think it's great they offer this. One of the reasons we booked this cruise was to go to Key West. So it was nice to receive some compensation for missing the port.

Playing devils advocate here. You pay a set price for a specific itinerary to include the ports of call. If the ship were originally going to not include one of the ports your cruise fare would most likely have been lower than what you paid. Just look at the cost of a transatlantic vs comparable itinerary lengths with more ports, the cost difference is noticeable.

 

The insurance company is betting on the fact that the majority of cruises don't miss ports, therefore the portion of the premium they attribute to that coverage vs the payouts clearly makes them money or they wouldn't offer the coverage.

 

I think it's great they offer this. One of the reasons we booked this cruise was to go to Key West. So it was nice to receive some compensation for missing the port.

That's what I was thinking, also. Since this insurance is cruise-specific, having a "missed port" clause seems appropriate.

I buy insurance primarily to provide medical coverage outside of the US (which is specifically not covered by my health insurance policy). However, when we experienced a 24 hour delay of our trip due to fog in the embarkation port, I filed for my out of pocket expenses due to that delay and told the insurance company that the cruise line had paid for the hotel for that night as well as transportation to/from that hotel.

True, this was not a huge claim, but it was part of what I consider the "incidentals" included in the policy that I'd paid for, so why not spend the little time involved to get the reimbursement?

By the same token, if I'd had a policy that covered missed ports, I would have filed for that as well. No, ports are not missed all that often, and no, I wasn't angry or upset about the missed port. But if I'd had that coverage, I would have been entitled to the amount allowed and would have collected it.

I don't know if my experience is representative, but in the past 35 cruises we have had 6 experiences of missed ports that I can remember.

If I am reading correctly, you spent $250, had to jump through a bunch of hoops, and got $500. So, you netted $250? I can see how insurance companies make a killing on this. For every claim like yours they probably have 100 where they have to pay nothing.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

That's the basic foundation for how insurance works....

I choose to buy cruise insurance, and the few covered items discussed in this thread set NW apart in the industry. It was enough to sway my purchase, but they were not the primary reasons. I appreciated hearing the OP's comments and experience.