Travel Insurance - Cruise 16 months from now

[waytocruise7]

We are looking at a river cruise in Sept 2015. Could anyone (from Aust) advise us on possibility of getting travel insurance which is more than one year away? Most of the online sites I checked with do not offer insurance when travel is more than one year later. Even if we do an annual policy, the cruise will be out of the one-year time-frame.

 

Thanks.

[fishtaco]

I am pretty sure that most if not all travel insurance will not cover before 12 months of travel.

 

This is more a premium price rise thing plus personal medical condition change during the lengthy period.

 

You shouldn't need insurance before 12 months anyway unless your deposit is non refundable? In which case I wouldnt book:)

[The_Big_M]

It's standard to not offer pricing beyond 12 months. As airline bookings only go a maximum of 12 months out, almost all the demand is within that given you need to enter specific dates.

 

However, if you have a specific company/policy that appeals, you can contact the company directly. At least some can arrange that through their office.

[MicCanberra]

On option may be if you have travel insurance available through your credit card then as long as you meet the requirements (normally a minimum spend of $250 on the trip) then you should be fine. I would investigate a card that does that and then use it to pay off a little of the trip.:D

[chchgirl]

I'm pleased you have asked this question, as I have booked a cruise for Sept 2015 (first time cruiser) and was wondering the same thing the other day..

 

Michelle :)

[Miamia65]

I only take out travel insurance when I have booked my flights as they are non-refundable. Whereas the cruise lines have rules that indicate you can get a full refund for any reason up until a certain point. Royal Caribbean gives a full refund if you cancel more than 151 days prior to travel so you don't need travel insurance in that instance. Usually you can't book flights more than 1 year out as well so I don't think you should worry about it so long as you are aware of the terms and conditons for refunds with the cruise line.

[fishtaco]

On option may be if you have travel insurance available through your credit card then as long as you meet the requirements (normally a minimum spend of $250 on the trip) then you should be fine. I would investigate a card that does that and then use it to pay off a little of the trip.:D

 

So the CC insurance would cover for cancellations fees if you paid part of your deposit or costs with the card even if the trip is more than 12 months out!

 

This is good info:)

[fishtaco]

I only take out travel insurance when I have booked my flights as they are non-refundable. Whereas the cruise lines have rules that indicate you can get a full refund for any reason up until a certain point. Royal Caribbean gives a full refund if you cancel more than 151 days prior to travel so you don't need travel insurance in that instance. Usually you can't book flights more than 1 year out as well so I don't think you should worry about it so long as you are aware of the terms and conditons for refunds with the cruise line.

 

The OP on the other hand is going to book a River cruise so I think there may be different cancellation policies to the bigger cruiselines? Also the River Cruises are more like a package tour with flights/hotels included and many are only booked via a third party company with boats being chartered.

 

Also OP needs to note that most travel Insurance does not cover for loss due to the insolvency or bankruptcy of a travel provider/carrier:eek:

[MMDown Under]

I am pretty sure that most if not all travel insurance will not cover before 12 months of travel.

 

This is more a premium price rise thing plus personal medical condition change during the lengthy period.

 

You shouldn't need insurance before 12 months anyway unless your deposit is non refundable? In which case I wouldnt book:)

 

Unless your deposit is refundable, I wouldn't book that far out either.

 

If you do decide to book, try to book direct with the actual cruise line. A neighbour had a dispute, with a third party TA, which would have been easily resolved had she booked direct with the cruise line (per actual cruise line).

[MicCanberra]

The cruise lines policy may be king here, if as mentioned, you can get a full refund for any reason up until a certain point then insurance may not be needed until a bit closer to the date.:D

[Royalty X]

I would NEVER rely on credit card travel insurance. I have heard way too many horror stories from people who were supposedly covered. You're taking such a huge risk if you do. If you're 16 months out, I would hope your deposit is still refundable at this point, should you need to cancel. As soon as you can get comprehensive travel insurance, I would recommend you do so. In this day and age, it shocks me how many people don't take insurance seriously.

[fishtaco]

I would NEVER rely on credit card travel insurance. I have heard way too many horror stories from people who were supposedly covered. You're taking such a huge risk if you do. If you're 16 months out, I would hope your deposit is still refundable at this point, should you need to cancel. As soon as you can get comprehensive travel insurance, I would recommend you do so. In this day and age, it shocks me how many people don't take insurance seriously.

 

I think Credit Card Travel Insurance would be fine for paying deposit or balance on travel with the credit card because the card can just reverse the charges but i would not rely on it for Medical and loss.

[MicCanberra]

I think Credit Card Travel Insurance would be fine for paying deposit or balance on travel with the credit card because the card can just reverse the charges but i would not rely on it for Medical and loss.

 

I do and have had no complaints so far. Several claims now (over the past ten years) and all of them paid within a couple of weeks of putting in the claim on our return. The claims covered medical issues and lost money due to missing ports /company not delivering what was promised.:D

[waytocruise7]

Thank you, everyone, for all the wonderful advice you had given. Usually when we do ocean-cruising, travel insurance is not an issue because we book our cruise within the year. However, with river-cruising, cabins sell out way in advance, so we are booking now for Sept next year. As suggested, we will pay our deposit with our credit card, and closer the one-year mark, buy a comprehensive travel insurance.

[MicCanberra]

Thank you, everyone, for all the wonderful advice you had given. Usually when we do ocean-cruising, travel insurance is not an issue because we book our cruise within the year. However, with river-cruising, cabins sell out way in advance, so we are booking now for Sept next year. As suggested, we will pay our deposit with our credit card, and closer the one-year mark, buy a comprehensive travel insurance.

Good choice, just make sure that you have insurance on your credit card that would cover a cancellation that the cruiseline doesn't.:D

Edited May 19, 2014 by MicCanberra