Travel Insurance

[tinylittlecruiser]

Hello,

 

Can anyone recommend a reputable travel insurance company that sells a 100% cancellation policy for cruise fare and air fare? :rolleyes: (Would prefer if you've had personal experience with said company)

 

If so, please e-mail me separately in Cruise Critic. Thanks!

[jhp]

I don't think there is a problem with posting this, since you asked. You use what your travel agent offers, and the personal service you get from them if you value your association with them, or another suggestion is http://www.insuremytrip.com and I am sure there are many others.

[Dreps]

I didn't see anything in the guidelines about not mentioning specific insurance companies, so here goes. (I have no association with any of them.)

 

Lately, we've been using CSA Travel Protection because you do not have to buy the insurance until your final payment and it will still cover pre-existing conditions. As long as you include in the total cost of the trip, the cost of the air, I don't think that there should not be a problem in covering the airfares.

 

In the past we've used Travelex, but a relative had a bad experience with them when his mother was suddenly near death (and subsequently died), and they wouldn't reimburse him for the crusie he had to cancel. Since that time, I will not use them.

 

Fortunately, we have not found it necessary to actually use the travel insurance, but our TA recommends CSA, and we trust her. We also have Medjet insurance for evacuation to one's own country and hospital. Most other medical insurance only guarantees evacuation to a nearby facility for treatment. As jhp has said, you can go to insuremytrip.com, and it will compare the companies. The rates tend to be similar, although at younger and older ages, there seems to be more variance.

[WesW]

Please see link below for one of the best primers on Travel Insurance I've found online:

 

http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/travel-insurance-101/

 

Another very good comparison site is: http://www.squaremouth.com to choose a

travel insurance company.

 

We have used Travelex for our recent cruises and an overseas land trip last month. Travelex gets AM best's highest financial rating and is a primary travel insurance

provider--In the event of a medical claim or problem, primary coverage generally ignores your other insurance and pays the claim, if it’s for a covered service. Do not recommend a travel insurance company with secondary insurance--you may be required to pay a deductible and asked to exhaust coverage from other existing polices before filing a claim.

 

Eugene's relative's experience with travelex as cited above, however gives me pause--will look real hard at other travel insurance companies for our next purchase.

 

hope this helps

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Just a note that if you book independent air, you will have to insure any non-refundable flights separately from the cruise.

[poss]

We used Regent insurance. I don't even remember what company they insure with or what the details were. I did a little bit of cross-checking (not exhaustive comparisons), and for our purposes there were not significant differences between using Regent and using some other company. It just seemed easier, and "ease" is important to me. Also, since Regent doesn't determine cost according to age (if I'm remembering correctly) and since my husband is coming on 80, their rates made sense for us.

I'll be interested to follow this thread. If I hear negative things about Regent insurance, I'll re-think for our June '10 cruise.

[Dreps]

My understanding is that as you become older, the cost differences between companies start to increase. I have heard before that for older individuals, Regent is cost effective.

[Dreps]

I just want to correct an earlier post of mine. I double-checked with my relative, and it was not Travelex that was the company that was a problem. It was Travel Guard. We actually have used both, but have never had to file a significant claim with either.

 

However, let me clarify the situation. In the past, both my wife and I primarily took out insurance because both of our mothers were ill, and we were concerned that if something happened to them, we might have to cancel a trip. We were assured that we would be covered under these circumstances. We were told that any pre-existing conditions for our mothers was not relevant. Yes, pre-existing conditions of ours were very relevant. The relative about whom I spoke was told that if his mother had died during the cruise, that would have been covered, but the fact that she became deathly ill immediately preceding the cruise (and subsequently died), apparently let that insurance company off the hook. To me that was just not right.

[MamaQuack]

We've always had Access America for cruise only and never used it until June '08 - food poisoning (not contracted on Regent but on our flight over to Venice). The insurance paid for the ship's doctor (several visits) and the i.v. drug therapy that snapped me right back. It was worth every penny.

[ilovhywd]

Another good website, not previously mentioned, is tripinsurancestore.com.

 

They are also great on the phone.

[wishIweretravelling]

For whatever it's worth, I have used CSA several times. Once I had to file a claim, and they were very easy to work with and paid the claim readily.

[Dreps]

In Sunday's NYT, there is an interesting article under "The Haggler" column in the Business section, entitled, "A Cruise, a Terminal Illness and a Technicality"; see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/your-money/11haggler.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=david%20segal&st=cse

 

The upshot is that no matter what one's medical history is, if you cancel a cruise for medical reasons, make absolutely sure that you see a physician at the time of cancellation. The insurer in question was CSA--the company many of us use. One cannot fault them on technical grounds, but the specific case was unfortunate.

[WesW]

Eugene, was just about to post the same link when I saw your post...agree, the CSA response met their contractual requirement, but IMO not the ethical requirement this

case called for. Would not use CSA based on this article..will continue to use

Travelex.

[tinylittlecruiser]

Thanks to each of you who took the time to share their travel insurance advice and recommendations.

 

I'll let you all know which company I've chosen...thanks again! :p