Travel insurance question

[Lottycruiser]

I am certified to see travel insurance with one company, so I'll try to explain why it is a good idea to purchase it upon deposit.

 

First, and this primarily affects Americans, if you purchase within 14 days of booking the trip, pre-existing conditions are waived, PROVIDED that you are able to travel the day you purchased the insurance.

 

Second, if you should have a birthday in-between times, the cost can go up.

 

Third, rates can go up across the board as well.

 

Fourth, and very importantly, if you should develop a condition after you deposit and before you pay final, you may very well not be covered for that condition at all. Say you get a cancer diagnosis a month before your final payment. You are out of luck having that condition covered if you failed to purchase insurance beforehand.

 

It is SMART to purchase insurance when you have been stable for at least 90 days, or during the pre-existing condition waiver period. Check the insurance policy to see if it's refundable before final. Many are.

 

Hope this helps.

 

PS The cruise line insurance is horrible. Please, please educate yourself and purchase a better policy.

 

I can see your point on the pre existing side of view , if you have pre existing conditions then buy insurance straight away , but otherwise ( if no flights involved ) there seems no point , if you were unfortunate and got a cancer diagnosis or something else serious before your final payment you would be cancelling your cruise anyway , so would get your money back from Royal . I really can't get my head around all this .the poster has no pre existing and no flights to worry about , so why would she part with money now for a policy , when royal will refund up to final payment ?

Linda .

[Finbar127]

I can see your point on the pre existing side of view , if you have pre existing conditions then buy insurance straight away , but otherwise ( if no flights involved ) there seems no point , if you were unfortunate and got a cancer diagnosis or something else serious before your final payment you would be cancelling your cruise anyway , so would get your money back from Royal . I really can't get my head around all this .the poster has no pre existing and no flights to worry about , so why would she part with money now for a policy , when royal will refund up to final payment ?

Linda .

 

The problem with a pre-existing condition is that you may develop one before final payment. Let say you are diagnosed with a heart condition before you make final payment. The condition is serious enough to seek medical attention but not severe enough to cancel your cruise. If you have an illness during your cruise that can be traced to the heart condition you probably will not be covered unless you meet the conditions of the pre-existing conditions waiver.

 

Buying travel insurance is all about managing risk. If you are young and in relatively good health the risk is low that you will develop a condition. But anything can happen. In the end it all comes down to what coverage you already have and how comfortable you are with risk.

 

In any case I strongly suggest that anyone considering travel insurance compare the fine print between the cruise line insurance and third party policies before making your decision.

 

 

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[FloridaGram]

There are many different policies. There are many available that you only have to purchase them within a few days AFTER your final payment. Then Pre existing is waived. I got my insurance through trip insurance store online and if you go there you will find many policies you can compare the coverage. If yousend them an email with any questions they will answer quickly. But their website is incredible to help you understand your options.

 

We were actually get one that insured kids for free. That was quite a savings since we had 6 kids in our party of 14.

[dz9yvr]

I can see your point on the pre existing side of view , if you have pre existing conditions then buy insurance straight away , but otherwise ( if no flights involved ) there seems no point , if you were unfortunate and got a cancer diagnosis or something else serious before your final payment you would be cancelling your cruise anyway , so would get your money back from Royal . I really can't get my head around all this .the poster has no pre existing and no flights to worry about , so why would she part with money now for a policy , when royal will refund up to final payment ?

Linda .

 

 

I believe you. You "really can't get your head around all this". Please stop confusing the issue and possibly the OP.

[dirtgirl]

Here's another example. Say your mom has a heart attack a month before final. She recovers, is released, and everything looks fine. You pay final and buy your insurance. 6 weeks later, she has another heart attack and dies. You are NOT covered if you cancel at that point.

[Tucker in Texas]

Pre-existing also covers, in most cases, if you cancel because someone in your immediate family with a pre-existing illness causes your cancellation like a death or having to leave mid-cruise.

 

Third party insurance covers you door-to-door vs. cruise line insurance that only covers you on the cruise. I'm not even sure if it covers you if you are flying in independently and it gets screwed up or if you have booked a hotel room the night before and you don't make it. So the additional window of coverage is good if you plan a pre/post cruise stay. Another benefit is that children sharing a cabin with you are free sometimes whereas the cruise line charges x amount per person no matter what the age.

 

On the plus side for cruise insurance is that they do not charge based on age. It's one size fits all. If you are elderly, then third party insurance would probably be higher as it is based on age.

 

If you are in good health, your immediate family is in good health with no pre-existing illnesses, then you can probably comfortably wait until you will be out of pocket for any money before buying it. But if you have a relative with heart condition, high blood pressure, cancer, then you might want to get pre-existing.

 

Tucker in Texas

[SeafordCruiser]

I dont think Berkly covers pre-existing conditions anymore. Got to read the cruise contract VERY carefully. I once had Berkely years ago where I had to cancel for an operation. BOY did they TRY to find some per-existing condition. Hounded my doctor! But finally ...after..months paid!

 

To me, NOTHING is worth the peace and mind of GOOD travel insurance..I once was give 'free' insurance by a TA to Access America and stupidly took it. There was a family emergency and they covered NOTHING...lost $2600!! Never again, I am REALLY careful what I buy.............

[funNsun4me]

The first time I bought the travel insurance through the cruiseline and then someone mentioned it being secondary, meaning lets say you get sick on the cruise, you have to pay the medical bill then you have to go through your individual medical insurance and be denied first before they will pay out :(. Thankfully we didn't have to use it but now we go elsewhere

[Tucker in Texas]

The first time I bought the travel insurance through the cruiseline and then someone mentioned it being secondary, meaning lets say you get sick on the cruise, you have to pay the medical bill then you have to go through your individual medical insurance and be denied first before they will pay out :(. Thankfully we didn't have to use it but now we go elsewhere

 

Most of them are secondary and whether you buy it from a third party of from the cruise line, you still have to pay for the treatment when received on the ship.

 

TraveLex is one that is primary and I look at it first. If the price is close to the others I'll take it. The one time I had a claim on an illness treated on the ship and the insurance was secondary, they paid quickly once I got the paperwork in. That was TruTravel supersaver. Trying to get Medicare to pay/deny was what took time. We were on a TA in the middle of the Atlantic so I was surprised Medicare would pay anything but had to submit it to them before the secondary would pay. I was surprised that Medicare did pay $60 towards the $176 bill to have my ear flushed out of wax.

 

That's another reason I am afraid of cruise insurance is that the policies may have more holes than a sieve. If someone is on high blood pressure medicine, they can pin just about anything to that to call it "pre-existing" if they set their mind to it. I worry it is a case of the "fox watching the chickens."

 

Tucker in Texas

[tiger belle]

dirtgirl, Tucker and some others have made very good and valuable suggestions and recommendations...as one said, it is all about managing risks and what you are comfortable with...I have done some research and agree that third-party insurance is definitely better coverage and more advantageous dollar-for-dollar than the insurance offered through the cruise line....as Tucker mentioned, my research showed that Travelex offered some of the best packages...thank God I have not had to make a claim, but I am glad to hear that Tucker had a good experience in their handling of the claim...the most risk for me in traveling outside the US is the possibility of needing serious medical treatment while on the cruise...the cost of such medical care--especially if special transport is needed--could be financially devasting and not covered by your existing medical plan through your employer, for example...I am not comfortable taking such a risk of financial devastation by not paying the relatively low cost for travel insurance and not minimizing the possibility of reduced coverage by not purchasing it within 14 days of booking...just not worth the worry of not purchasing it--at least not for me

[dirtgirl]

And I have my own travel insurance story. Getting stranded for 8 nights (7 in England) because it was cold in December in London at Christmas time in 2010. England shut down. There weren't enough de-icers at Heathrow, so out into the cold at midnight we were thrown, without our luggage, along with thousands of others.

 

I always have a carry-on - thankfully. My friends put all their gifts in their carry-ons, and had no spare clothes in there. Don't do that... even when going home. :rolleyes:

 

My unplanned expenses were in the thousands. I had no luggage, and had to buy clothes (I had some clean clothes, but not enough for a week - plus I needed boots - it was snowing). I had 8 nights of hotels, food, internet, phone, transportation, entertainment, that I was not prepared for. Thankfully, we have a high limit on our credit card..:rolleyes: In addition, I was injured on the Brilliance of the Seas during a horrific storm in the Med, and had to go and see a doctor. $$$$$$$$$$$$

 

So, I had 4 claims:

 

Medical

Subsistence allowance

Baggage delay (my bags got home before me - had to buy clothes)

Interruption - British Airways could only get me to Dallas, so I had to purchase a flight from Dallas to Vancouver. It was Christmas. I got home Christmas Day.

 

So, although out of country medical is the most important to have, having cancellation/interruption/baggage insurance is important, too.:cool:

[lindacat]

I am certified to see travel insurance with one company, so I'll try to explain why it is a good idea to purchase it upon deposit.

 

First, and this primarily affects Americans, if you purchase within 14 days of booking the trip, pre-existing conditions are waived, PROVIDED that you are able to travel the day you purchased the insurance.

 

Second, if you should have a birthday in-between times, the cost can go up.

 

Third, rates can go up across the board as well.

 

Fourth, and very importantly, if you should develop a condition after you deposit and before you pay final, you may very well not be covered for that condition at all. Say you get a cancer diagnosis a month before your final payment. You are out of luck having that condition covered if you failed to purchase insurance beforehand.

 

It is SMART to purchase insurance when you have been stable for at least 90 days, or during the pre-existing condition waiver period. Check the insurance policy to see if it's refundable before final. Many are.

 

Hope this helps.

 

PS The cruise line insurance is horrible. Please, please educate yourself and purchase a better policy.

 

This is great advice. I wish I had seen this post before I booked my cruise last year. At the time I booked I agreed to add on the cruise line insurance. Both my parents were accompanying us and both had pre-existing conditions, which were supposed to be covered in the cruise lines insurance. About three weeks before final payment, I found out that dad was going to need some surgery, still should be able to travel. I checked with the cruise line ins. and found that since I had not paid at deposit time they would not cover as it would be considered a pre-existing condition. I knew that there was an independent company which would cover if a pre-exisiting condition of purchased within 24 hours of final payment. I cancelled the cruise lines ins. and purchased the independent insurance.

 

Several weeks later my father developed serious complications and we decided to cancel the cruise. That is when I found out that since he was not able to travel when I purchased the insurance, the pre-existing conditon clause was invalid. The only way we would be covered is if the reason for cancelling was not attributable to a pre-existing condition.

 

It was a very expensive lesson in insurance.

[funNsun4me]

Most of them are secondary and whether you buy it from a third party of from the cruise line, you still have to pay for the treatment when received on the ship.

 

TraveLex is one that is primary and I look at it first. If the price is close to the others I'll take it. The one time I had a claim on an illness treated on the ship and the insurance was secondary, they paid quickly once I got the paperwork in. That was TruTravel supersaver. Trying to get Medicare to pay/deny was what took time. We were on a TA in the middle of the Atlantic so I was surprised Medicare would pay anything but had to submit it to them before the secondary would pay. I was surprised that Medicare did pay $60 towards the $176 bill to have my ear flushed out of wax.

 

That's another reason I am afraid of cruise insurance is that the policies may have more holes than a sieve. If someone is on high blood pressure medicine, they can pin just about anything to that to call it "pre-existing" if they set their mind to it. I worry it is a case of the "fox watching the chickens."

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Thanks to another Cruise Critic member I had previously found out about Travelex, which is the primary that I was referring to. It was less expensive than the cruiseline insurance and covered medical, trip cancellation, interuption, etc.

[FLACRUISER99]

Thanks to another Cruise Critic member I had previously found out about Travelex, which is the primary that I was referring to. It was less expensive than the cruiseline insurance and covered medical, trip cancellation, interuption, etc.

I think you should always compare several sources like Insuremytrip, Squaremouth, Tripinsurance store, Cruise line Insurance, & the TA Insurance. Travelex may have been the best for your trip & age but this will not always be so. Bottom line do your research!

[Tucker in Texas]

....as Tucker mentioned, my research showed that Travelex offered some of the best packages...thank God I have not had to make a claim, but I am glad to hear that Tucker had a good experience in their handling of the claim...

 

Actually, the insurance I made the claim on was TruTravel which I was extremely nervous about getting as I couldn't find anyone on CC that had had it. It was rated A+ which was higher than others, backed by Nationwide which I had heard of, coverage was the same and better in some cases ($1 million for medi-vac) and the price good in comparison to similar insurance agencies. Since the odds of me having to use it are slim, I decided to take a chance. I am mainly concerned with medi-vac and pre-existing.

 

I just look at Travelex first because it is primary but, usually, is more expensive. Occasionally, it is the same or just a little bit more so that is why I check it and have bought it when the price was close.

 

I called TruTravel as soon as I got home to ask how to proceed with a claim. They explained my coverage was secondary and I had to go through primary first, which I already knew, but told me to send in the claim then and they would hold it until my paperwork regarding the primary insurance (Medicare) came through.

 

Medicare took their good time as do all Government agencies. After about a month, TruTravel called me on their own to make sure I knew I had to get paperwork from primary coverage. Told them it was in the works. She said my claim had been sitting there so long, she was afraid I had misunderstood the terms and thought they were ignoring me. I was impressed they weren't letting it gather dust in an "in" box and hoping I would go away.

 

Tucker in Texas

[funNsun4me]

I think you should always compare several sources like Insuremytrip, Squaremouth, Tripinsurance store, Cruise line Insurance, & the TA Insurance. Travelex may have been the best for your trip & age but this will not always be so. Bottom line do your research!

 

 

Point well taken :o