trip insurance carriers

[Cozzette2]

Is the Princess insurance the same as travel guard? When I booked I opted to take insurance and I automatically got Travel Guard. Is it the same thing? If it isn't is it as inclusive? Is one recommended over another? Thanks, Kris

[LARGIN]

They are not the same.. Go here for Princess info..

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/faq_answer_legal/Princess_Vacation_Protection.pdf

[janina]

They are not the same. Go to travelguard.com for theirs.

[Cozzette2]

Is one preferrable over the other? I was never even given a choice.

[cherylandtk]

Preference depends on your individual situation; things like medical conditions of you, your family, people you are travelling with. Pricing varies on cost of trip (cruise+air+hotel), your ages, and type or amount of coverage.

 

It sounds as if your TA sold you their policy, and you will only know how customized it is when you read the fine print of the plan. TravelGuard sells many different kinds of policys including some only available through agents.

 

Please educate yourself on what Travel Insurance is and is not. Here are some good places to start:

1. http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=274

2. http://tripinsurancestore.com/faqs.shtml

3. and if you still have questions http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[Cozzette2]

Thanks all for the info, looks like I need to do some homework.

Kris

[Corinne Marie]

you can also check out this website for comparison shopping:

 

www.insuremytrip.com

 

I know Princess insurance does not have as high a medical or evacuation limit as travel guard does.

[AFT_LOVER]

so that should bring it to TravelGuard level. Confirm this for us & other Platinum.

[sirwired]

so that should bring it to TravelGuard level. Confirm this for us & other Platinum.

 

The Princess and "general" TG policies are structured completely differently and have very different sets of benefits. (I can't speak to specialized TG policies.)

 

From my perspective, the TG policies are superior in almost every way, although they may be priced higher for older pax.

 

TG usually includes a pre-exisiting-condition waiver (for yourself and your family, even if your family is not traveling with you.) Not so with Princess/BerkeleyCare. The medical expense limits are quite low. The Princess medevac maximum (even at platinum) is too small to actually charter a medevac jet for you. Princess coverage will not cover your air travel unless you book cruise air. TG will cover "cancel for work reasons" Jury Duty, and testifying in court, under their most common (Gold) policy.

 

The only advantage to Princess that I can see is that a fairly decent "cancel for any reason" rider is built-in, as long as cruise credit is acceptable to you. This cancels out to some extent some of the coverage lacks. This is a rather expensive, and coverage-limited, additional rider on 3rd-party policies, TG included. (This rider does not cancel out the lack of pre-ex waiver, however as it limits your medical benefits in addition to your cancellation benefits.) The Princess rider does NOT help if you not want a cruise credit.

 

I've filed two claims with TG for Princess cruises: one of them (for $1500, would have been denied due to pre-ex, the other would have gone slightly over the skimpy Trip Delay policy max.)

 

TG will also cover provider default, for which I almost had to file a claim for yet another trip (not on Princess, obviously.). I am, perhaps, not TG's favorite customer. :D They most certainly have paid dearly for my continued loyalty.

 

Compare the policies yourself:

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/faq_answer_legal/Princess_Vacation_Protection.pdf

http://content.travelguard.com/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=2728

 

SirWired

[Stevesan]

Thanks all for the info, looks like I need to do some homework.

Kris

 

Exactly true. Each person's needs are distinct. A bit of research reading some of the coverage(s) and exclusions is necessary to find a fit.

Follow post #5's links and have fun with the homework.:p