Ooops - Forgot to puchase insurance within 14 days. Can I cancel cruise & rebook?

[Zoey]

I always buy my own trip insurance when I book directly through the cruiseline. However, a month or so ago I booked a TA cruise for December, 2013, and it just hit me completely out of the blue today when I was getting on the elevator to leave work "I completely forgot to purchase my trip insurance!" I don't really have any pre-existing conditions presently BUT the cruise is fourteen months away, so something could develop between now and then. So far I have only paid the deposit on the cruise. Could I cancel the cruise and wait a couple of weeks and call and rebook the same cruise and THEN buy the insurance within the fourteen days? And do you think the customer service people of Celebrity have had people do that before?

[cruiseco]

I always buy my own trip insurance when I book directly through the cruiseline. However, a month or so ago I booked a TA cruise for December, 2013, and it just hit me completely out of the blue today when I was getting on the elevator to leave work "I completely forgot to purchase my trip insurance!" I don't really have any pre-existing conditions presently BUT the cruise is fourteen months away, so something could develop between now and then. So far I have only paid the deposit on the cruise. Could I cancel the cruise and wait a couple of weeks and call and rebook the same cruise and THEN buy the insurance within the fourteen days? And do you think the customer service people of Celebrity have had people do that before?

 

It depends on the insurer and the plan. Several people have posted here that Travel Guard doesn't seem to mind. But others do. This is from the requirements to be eligible for pre-ex coverage from one CSA plan:

 

"WAIVER OF THE PRE-EXISTING CONDITION EXCLUSION

The Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion is waived provided you

meet all of the following requirements:

1. the payment for this plan is received prior to/or within 24

hours of your final payment for your Covered Trip; and

2. you are not disabled from travel at the time you make your

plan payment; and

3. the booking for the Covered Trip must be the first and only

booking for this travel period and destination."

 

The way people get caught doing this is pretty simple: if you have a claim the insurer will ask for your proof of payment for the cruise -- your credit card statements. I know of one person who got tripped up who tried to do this because he cancelled and then re-booked using the same credit card and during the same billing cycle. When he sent in the copy of the statement the insurer got suspicious as to why there were two separate charges to the cruise line and did some checking,

[6rugrats]

If you have no pre-existing conditions now, and you purchase insurance today without this coverage, then develop a condition, you'd be covered for it wouldn't you? It wouldn't have been a pre-existing condition when you purchased the insurance.

[Zoey]

If you have no pre-existing conditions now, and you purchase insurance today without this coverage, then develop a condition, you'd be covered for it wouldn't you? It wouldn't have been a pre-existing condition when you purchased the insurance.

 

 

I don't know.......I find the whole trip insurance, pre-existing thing, REALLY confusing and I'm not sure why. LOL. I usually just purchase it right away and have luckily never had to use it. This time I have just been soooo busy at work and home, it slipped my mind.

 

And what is this "look back period" and how does that work?

[dread_pirate]

If you have no pre-existing conditions now, and you purchase insurance today without this coverage, then develop a condition, you'd be covered for it wouldn't you? It wouldn't have been a pre-existing condition when you purchased the insurance.

I believe this is true. The condition has to havce been pre-existing at the time you bought the insurance. And then they look back form the date of purchase to see if your condition changed or caused a problem during that look-back period.

 

You should be fine if you buy the insurance now.

 

ETA: Of course, always read the policy to be sure!

[cruiseco]

dupe

[patseacruiser]

If you purchase travel ex you can purchase up to 30 days I think it is or you can purchase CSA Freestyle Lux (only freestyle lux) up to final payment and pre existing is waived.

[cruiseco]

s or you can purchase CSA Freestyle Lux (only freestyle lux) up to final payment and pre existing is waived.

 

Of the four CSA plans you'll come across (Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe if buying from a travel agent, or Custom and Custom Luxe if buying directly from CSA or from a site like insuremyteip) Three of the four:

 

Freestyle

Freestyle Luxe

Custom Luxe

 

will all cover pre-existing medical conditions if purchased prior to making the final payment on your cruise. There is no need to pay the higher premium for the Freestyle Luxe plan just to get the pre-ex coverage.

[Jade13]

Of the four CSA plans you'll come across (Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe if buying from a travel agent, or Custom and Custom Luxe if buying directly from CSA or from a site like insuremyteip) Three of the four:

 

Freestyle

Freestyle Luxe

Custom Luxe

 

will all cover pre-existing medical conditions if purchased prior to making the final payment on your cruise. There is no need to pay the higher premium for the Freestyle Luxe plan just to get the pre-ex coverage.

 

We use the Freestyle plan.