Cruise Insurance ?????

[omw279]

Has anyone ever had to try to file a claim. Ive been looking at a cruise ins. policy and the fine print make it seem pretty difficult to file a claim if your trip is interrupted. Im trying to decide if its worth it or just flushing money. for example; If you have to cut your trip short because of an ill family member it does not pay for transportation but will help you plan your trip back. If you miss your plane your not covered unless you missed it due to injury or illness. Etc.

 

Any comments greatly appreiated.

 

Bob W

[MaryPoppinz]

I personally don't insure the flights, just the cruise -- to protect the several thousand dollar investment we've made, and to protect our health (or, rather, the money we might need to spend to ensureour health) while we're on the cruise.

 

We usually fly free, though, so there's not much to protect there. I suppose it could be expensive to get home on very short notice, but that's a chance I'm willing to take.

[Lynda90]

I had to cancel a cruise due to family illness and received 100% of my money back. Did not have to fly so that was not in question. I purchased the Princess insurance. I would not cruise without insurance and it is worth the piece of mind to have it.

[CruiseFever]

I had to cancel a cruise due to family illness and received 100% of my money back. Did not have to fly so that was not in question. I purchased the Princess insurance. I would not cruise without insurance and it is worth the piece of mind to have it.

 

A couple quick questions if you don't mind....

 

What travel insurance company was that and how long did it take them to pay?

 

Thanks

[imsulin2]

omw279 - which trip insurance policy are you looking at? There are some companies that will cover your airfare due to trip interruption. I always get trip insurance, but never through the cruise line - I purchase it independently. I've had to make a couple of claims for cancellation/hotel expenses/air..etc. You might want to check out www.insuremytrip.com to compare policies. My personal preferences are Travelguard and AccessAmerica. I've found that most cruise line's policies are too restrictive...especially those insured by BerkelyCare. Good luck!

[Lynda90]

Chris,

 

I think it was Barkley Care or something close to that. After I filled out the forms and mailed my documentation, I had my money within about 2 weeks. Prior to that I called the Princess insurance claims department and they took most of my information on the phone and I downloaded and printed out the form for doctor to sign. Easier than I ever dreamed it would be.

[omw279]

Thanks everyone. I will be checking out the different companies that offer it

 

Bob

[CruiseFever]

Chris,

 

I think it was Barkley Care or something close to that. After I filled out the forms and mailed my documentation, I had my money within about 2 weeks. Prior to that I called the Princess insurance claims department and they took most of my information on the phone and I downloaded and printed out the form for doctor to sign. Easier than I ever dreamed it would be.

 

 

That's good to hear, thanks!

[Lynda90]

That's good to hear, thanks!

You are very welcome. :D

[imsulin2]

I think that would have been BerekelyCare. Don't you? As a frequent Princess cruiser, lyndabaker, I would imagine that you would know that it is not "Barkley"Care...since you stated that you always purchase trip insurance. As a TA, I've had problems with it in getting claims filled for clients who have used them, but have also had some good luck. I think the OP's post was about getting air included for a trip interruption. Chris or Lynda - can you please shed some light on the Princess insurance regarding this particular question? Yes - I know that Princess sells several different trip insurance policies, and both of you are frequent Princess cruisers. TIA.

[LARGIN]

From Princess...

 

b) Trip Interruption. Unused, non-refundable land or sea

expenses prepaid to Princess Cruises and/or Princess Tours

and/or the airfare paid, less the value of applied credit from

an unused return travel ticket, to return home or rejoin the

original Sea/Land Arrangements (limited to the cost of

one-way economy airfare by scheduled carrier, from the

point of destination to the point of origin shown on the

original travel tickets). Princess will also reimburse you up

to $100 per day, for reasonable additional accommodations

and transportation expenses incurred to remain near a

covered traveling Immediate Family member or Traveling

Companion who is hospitalized during Your Cruise/

Cruisetour Vacation.

[imsulin2]

LARGIN - it sounds like the air must be booked through Princess to be eligible for a refund during a trip interruption, though. Am I reading this right? Do you have any information on Princess' trip interruption policy if you book your own air? Will they help you if you need to fly home early due to a covered reason...if you have your own air arrangements? TIA.

[LARGIN]

LARGIN - it sounds like the air must be booked through Princess to be eligible for a refund during a trip interruption, though. Am I reading this right? Do you have any information on Princess' trip interruption policy if you book your own air? Will they help you if you need to fly home early due to a covered reason...if you have your own air arrangements? TIA.

 

I would call Princess but the way I read it is that if you booked your own air and you have to fly home early due to a covered reason, they would assist and pay for the flight to where the cruise originated from. You would have to arrange for the flight home yourself from the embarkation port.

[imsulin2]

Thanks, LARGIN! Good info.

[Ted]

It is almost always cheaper to buy from an independent insurer than from the cruise line, and that way your air is covered even if purchased independently. I usually use TravelGuard ProtectAssist, but have also used Access America.

 

I have had to file claims twice, once with AccessAmerica when there was a death in the family the first day of our cruise, and once with TravelGuard when our ship was delayed getting into port due to fog and we missed our flight.

 

In each case, the claim process was easy and reasonably rapid. In the case of the death, we were on a 10 day cruise out of Baltimore, and had to leave the ship at Key West, our first port. In addition to a prorated refund of the cruise fare, they paid all of our return expenses, including one-way air at the walk-up price (ouch).

 

My greatest concern is becoming ill outside of the US, and requiring air evacuation home, an amazingly large expense. I would not cruise without insurance.

[imsulin2]

I agree with you all the way, Ted! I also feel better about booking independent trip insurance, and have used Travelguard "Cruise, Tour, and Travel" because it gives the most coverage. Costs more, though. I've also used AccessAmerica, but never had to make a claim. It's always a good idea to check out exactly what your coverage is before you buy it.

[hillslife]

We used to never get insurance, but the older we get, the more we get it!! We have never had to use it before our last cruise this summer. My husband cut his leg open on the zipline in Costa Rica and had to have stitches, antibiotics, etc from the ships doctor. No problem, we have insurance I was thinking...but just know that you have to pay the ship charges up front, then bill the insurance when you get home. When I requested the insurance forms, there was a small disclaimer at the bottom that they wouldn't pay until my primary insurance paid....so we had to bill them first and luckily they paid 100% - so the cruise insurance didn't pay at all...

 

This was a small incident - if you had a major problem it would be well worth it....I guess the point here is....Read the Small Print before you buy....

[imsulin2]

The reason I buy Travelguard "Cruise, Tour, and Travel" trip insurance is because they are the primary payer - meaning they pay first. Some policies are the secondary payer - meaning they cover what your own insurance will not...and your own insurance is billed first. Good point about paying up front in the ship's clinic, though. I'm not aware of any policy where you wouldn't have to do that. Glad to hear your husband is OK!

[excalwop]

dec 04 had my wife's bag ripped open on the flight to sju. got aboard ship the purser came to our cabin with some forms and told us where we can buy another. did took the receipt to him.when we got home a check was waiting for us. this was with another cruise line .hope that princess does the same. oh yes they even paid for the taxi

paul

[Guest caribcruzin]

Do not use Global Alert. They are a nightmare. We have been on 11 cruises and this is the first time we have made a claim. Cruise was in August and they are still giving us the runaround. Unfortunatley we have already purchased the insurance for our next two cruises but after taht we will NEVER use them again.

[Lillykat]

If you use http://www.insuremytrip.com - and you want to insure - air, hotel, and cruise - do you enter other - or cruise (with/without air)? Also does anyone know if any of the companies have cancel for any reason - DH is just starting a job and the trip isn't for just over 1 year - so we never know what might happen in the mean time - with a sick FIL etc...

[Flyer]

The jury is still out! We were on the Star Princess Tranatlantic cruise that arrived in Ft. Lauderdale 5 hours late. We booked our air and of course we missed our flight.

 

Apparently Princess quickly booked all the flights to DFW to accomadate those that booked Princess Air so we had to book out on the second day.

 

I called the Princess insurance rep. who took all my information and told me to expect an email with the form. She said expect 4-6 weeks for payment. If I understood correctly, she said our claim for the air was a valid claim up to $1000. per person.