Insuring a long trip including several cruises

[eel]

We are planning a trip that will last about 3 months in 2014. We will start off with a B2B cruise around Australia and New Zealand, then do three weeks of land vacation in Australia, then take a transpacific cruise to Hawaii, then take a Hawaii cruise that ends in Ensendada, Mexico. We are US citizens.

 

Wondering how best to insure this trip. Should I get one policy on the whole trip? Should I get a policy on each cruise individually and a different policy for the 3 week land portion? Suggestions much appreciated!

[cruiseco]

We are planning a trip that will last about 3 months in 2014. We will start off with a B2B cruise around Australia and New Zealand, then do three weeks of land vacation in Australia, then take a transpacific cruise to Hawaii, then take a Hawaii cruise that ends in Ensendada, Mexico. We are US citizens.

 

Wondering how best to insure this trip. Should I get one policy on the whole trip? Should I get a policy on each cruise individually and a different policy for the 3 week land portion? Suggestions much appreciated!

 

First, find the best plan for your needs as far as coverage and benefits then call the insurer to find out what they will allow. Some insurers define a "trip" as one departure from home and one return back to home. In that case you would have no option but to insure it all as one trip. Others might allow you to split the trip into multiple policies.

 

Covering your planned trip on one policy will probably be more expensive than obtaining multiple policies. Most insurers have a base premium that covers trips up to 30 (or 31) days in length. After that, each additional day will mean a surcharge of $5 to $8 per person, per day. So on a 90 day trip you can easily rack up $300 to $500 per person in surcharges that you wouldn't have to pay if you could split the coverage into three 30-day segments and insure them separately. Which is why insurers generally don't let you do that. They really like that extra $$$.

[snadbar1]

We are planning a trip that will last about 3 months in 2014. We will start off with a B2B cruise around Australia and New Zealand, then do three weeks of land vacation in Australia, then take a transpacific cruise to Hawaii, then take a Hawaii cruise that ends in Ensendada, Mexico. We are US citizens.

 

Wondering how best to insure this trip. Should I get one policy on the whole trip? Should I get a policy on each cruise individually and a different policy for the 3 week land portion? Suggestions much appreciated!

First it is important to know exactly what your policy covers. We had planned a month vacation last May. I took different policies for each segment of the trip. One portion was a plane ticket. I took only cancellation and did not think that I needed trip interuption. Also, I thought my visa card would cover $5,000. of the trip. However, I did not read that policy carefully and later found out that I had to put 75% of the entire trip on that card. With a lot of research, time and effort, I was able to recoup almost all of my costs. I found a little known clause regarding some airlines that if they change the timing more than I believe 120 minutes you are entitled to a refund. With all that said and having had this bad experience, I was extremely pleased with the insurance from the cruise line. We received the refund with no problem and in a timely manner. In pricing trip cancellation and interuption insurance I believe that this insurance was cheaper and superior to what was available elsewhere. Also, if I recall correctly the ships insurance also covered a 2 week period after the cruise. We are Canadian so we also have to have separate health insurance. I am not certain if the cruise insurance covers this as we have a 30 day yearly policy. Hope this makes sense and is of some help.