Who do you buy your cruise insurance through?

[marci22]

We've had terrific experiences with

 

http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

in terms of their assistance (especially when we were just starting to look into travel insurance) choosing among policies and types of coverages for our purposes, and also - importantly - when making CLAIMS.

 

We've used policies from TravelInsured, and had 2 claims, and used CSA once (no claim).

 

We ALWAYS get the waiver of the exclusion of pre-existing conditions, given our ages and health histories.

(That also sped up the claim processing, as there was no need for them to ferret through our past medical histories, as that was irrelevant).

 

And we agree strongly that most complaints here are because people didn't fully understand what was or was not covered, or how the claims process works.

 

We also have the annual plan from MedJetAssist, as that also covers us for all of our regular travel, as long as it's more than 150 miles from home.

 

I may get a quote from tripinsurancestore. I was a little unhappy with insuremytrip the last time I asked them a question. They gave me the wrong answer, even when I insisted my policy said something else.

 

If you spend the time reading through the policies you are interested in, it is amazing how one small detail can end up in your claim being denied. Even I assumed things I shouldn't have, initially, and I have been buying policies for years.

 

One must read very carefully.

[GeezerCouple]

I may get a quote from tripinsurancestore. I was a little unhappy with insuremytrip the last time I asked them a question. They gave me the wrong answer, even when I insisted my policy said something else.

 

If you spend the time reading through the policies you are interested in, it is amazing how one small detail can end up in your claim being denied. Even I assumed things I shouldn't have, initially, and I have been buying policies for years.

 

One must read very carefully.

 

One thing we especially appreciate from Steve at TripInsuranceStore.com is that he is very patient answering questions, simple and complicated.

 

And boy, did we ask at first... Is this covered? Is THIS covered? What about that? Or if it is this way? Or that way? :confused:

 

Usually, the answer was "Sure, covered".

Occasionally, it was "NO, that is not covered", sometimes with a link to an explanation he'd already posted elsewhere.

And maybe "if you want that, then purchase this instead..."

And less frequently, it was "I'll have to check with the insurer and get back to you" - and he *does*.

 

Better yet, he's occasionally told us not to bother with a certain coverage, because it's already covered some other way, or "if that's your concern", then he suggests a different coverage (or in one particular situation that recurs, a different insurance vendor).

And a warning about IF we want a certain add-on, NOT to do it with A, because it will cost a lot more, but if we don't need that, then A would be the best in that case (or the only good choice).

 

And when we've had claims, he's given a bit of advice.

Most importantly, the claims were paid.

That IS what matters, after all.

[cargo13]

I never use the cruise line insurance. It does not make sense to me to buy insurance from the people I am insuring against. I have used several different companies but cannot rate any because I have never had a claim.

 

Agree. The cruise line insurance is typically more expensive as well, if you are older.

 

Shop the internet (here's another comparison site: http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/ but buy direct from the insurance provider to establish a relationship. If you have a claim your TA or a website are not going to help facilitate. We used #1 CSA Travel Protection.

[GeezerCouple]

Agree. The cruise line insurance is typically more expensive as well, if you are older.

 

Shop the internet (here's another comparison site: http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/ but buy direct from the insurance provider to establish a relationship. If you have a claim your TA or a website are not going to help facilitate. We used #1 CSA Travel Protection.

 

We prefer to get our insurance from a broker who will help (if needed) with any claims.

Also, we get to compare policies from different insurers, and they can help us decide the pros and cons.

We use http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com - and they've sometimes suggested a lower priced policy depending upon our specific concerns for each trip.

 

And when we had our first *big* claim (first policy!), Steve helped with some pointers about the cover letter.

The claim (from TravelInsured) was paid without problems.

 

On one occasion (something that will probably recur), they suggested CSA, but otherwise, we'd stayed with TravelInsured.

After reading about problems others experienced with claims being paid, knowing we didn't get any such delays/nonsense... that was all we needed to know :)

[RJ2002]

We have always used insuremytrip.com

 

Always been very pleased.

[sunbird54]

Hi, I bought insurance through Travel Safe. Just came back from a 2 week trip to the Canary Islands, and this is the first time from over 13 cruises that my husband needed medical care. He developed the flu and ended up going to the ship doctor. Costing us over $650.00

 

Well, come to find out, which I should have read the fine print previously, is that this trip insurance is a supplemental to the health insurance we already have. I highly doubt any insurance company is going to cover you while you are sick on the ship. I have to turn it in to my insurance first before they will even consider paying anything out.. Nonsense. I don't think I will ever get trip insurance again. If I do, I will do more research.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Susan

[ddbaab53]

I used insuremytrip.com and purchased travelsafe. Good Luck!

 

We have always used them but had to file our first claim this year due to my DH having major back surgery and it is taking forever to get our money back.

[cherylandtk]

We have always used them but had to file our first claim this year due to my DH having major back surgery and it is taking forever to get our money back.

You are confusing the broker who sold you the insurance with the actual insurance. It's like saying you won't shop at a certain grocery store because you got a bad box of cereal there. Your actual complaint is with the cereal maker (the actual insurance company) not the store. Although a good insurance broker will assist you with a claim if needed, just as a reliable store will give you your money back for the cereal.

[Doglovertoo]

I was going to purchase it on line, but it asked for destination. I wasn't sure what to do since we have multiple stops on our cruise. Is there a different way of purchasing trip insurance for a cruise?

Edited April 19, 2016 by Doglovertoo

[Rob the Cruiser]

Check your personal Health Insurance for "out-of-country" coverage (we have BCBS FEP) and the credit card used to pay for the cruise (World Mastercard includes minimal trip cancellation and lost/delayed baggage coverage) and if both are adequate you may not need trip insurance.

 

Otherwise -- the "third party policies are generally less expensive and include higher and broader coverages than the cruiseline insurance; if you purchase w/in 14-21 days of cruise booking most include "waiver of pre-existing conditions" and tghe opportunity to purchase "cancel for any reason" optional coverage. You can research and purchase direct from most insurers sites, or via sites like insuremytrip that handle and compare many/most of the insurers.

USAA sells TravelInsured policies at a slight discount and with a few increased coverages, for USAA members.

 

Ken

 

My health covers "out of country" but maximum coverage for emergency evacuation is $25K. That seems low so I always purchase a supplemental policy covering medical evacuation only.

[DaKa2002]

For what it may be worth consider paying a bit more, maybe, for "primary" insurance rather than secondary. If you need to file a claim, our experience has been much less hassle for settling claims.

[roothy123]

Couple comments:

 

Yes, if you have health insurance, you may have to go through them first, especially if the insurance you purchased says "secondary" for that particular section (e.g., Medical). I'm not sure where Medicare fits with this and whether they pay first, secondary, or not at all if you're out of the U.S. We've only had to use our insurance once, and the medical was secondary to our private insurance. Yes, it delayed things a bit but it was no big deal. I'm thinking it was Allianz that we used.

 

For the pre-existing waiver, you generally have to purchase the insurance a certain amount of days (usually 10-14) within your FIRST PAYMENT on the cruise. That means that if you're like me, you may have to buy the insurance a year or more out. I'm not crazy about that, but the other alternative is to find a plan that doesn't require that - like the cruise line's offering, perhaps. But from what I've seen, you'll pay more for that.

 

For the destination, I've tried putting in different cities on my cruise, and it doesn't seem to matter. I just use the country with the most stops or else the first one (embarkation city).

 

My TA told me that cruise insurance can go down as the cruise date gets closer, but judging from what I found on insuremytrip the other day, it doesn't. It appears to be based more on total cost of the trip more than anything else, and of course, some cruises are pretty expensive.

 

Keep in mind that if you're a couple, you don't have to purchase a plan together if your situations are very different.

 

For those who have purchased air through the cruise line, I'm curious: Do you include the cost of the air in the amount of the trip when you enter that as the total cost of your trip? I'm assuming that the cruise line purchases the air and so if you can't go on the trip, you can NOT get a credit on the airline to use later. Is that correct?

 

I agree 150% with those who say you should read the fine print before purchasing a plan.

[GeezerCouple]

Couple comments:

 

Yes, if you have health insurance, you may have to go through them first, especially if the insurance you purchased says "secondary" for that particular section (e.g., Medical). I'm not sure where Medicare fits with this and whether they pay first, secondary, or not at all if you're out of the U.S. We've only had to use our insurance once, and the medical was secondary to our private insurance. Yes, it delayed things a bit but it was no big deal. I'm thinking it was Allianz that we used.

 

For the pre-existing waiver, you generally have to purchase the insurance a certain amount of days (usually 10-14) within your FIRST PAYMENT on the cruise. That means that if you're like me, you may have to buy the insurance a year or more out. I'm not crazy about that, but the other alternative is to find a plan that doesn't require that - like the cruise line's offering, perhaps. But from what I've seen, you'll pay more for that.

 

For the destination, I've tried putting in different cities on my cruise, and it doesn't seem to matter. I just use the country with the most stops or else the first one (embarkation city).

 

My TA told me that cruise insurance can go down as the cruise date gets closer, but judging from what I found on insuremytrip the other day, it doesn't. It appears to be based more on total cost of the trip more than anything else, and of course, some cruises are pretty expensive.

 

Keep in mind that if you're a couple, you don't have to purchase a plan together if your situations are very different.

 

For those who have purchased air through the cruise line, I'm curious: Do you include the cost of the air in the amount of the trip when you enter that as the total cost of your trip? I'm assuming that the cruise line purchases the air and so if you can't go on the trip, you can NOT get a credit on the airline to use later. Is that correct?

 

I agree 150% with those who say you should read the fine print before purchasing a plan.

 

About the airfare IF included with the cruise: At least for one (only) time that we had the airfare included with the cruise payment, it was the same "no refund after final payment" policy, and we then included ALL of the costs.

And... we had a last minute medical emergency.

The insurance covered ALL of it.

 

When we insure trips where we pay for the air separately, we only include the "change/cancellation penalty fee".

I'm not sure what would happen IF we had an insured loss like this, and were unable to use the "air credit" within the year...

 

Also, there is at least ONE insurer who WILL include that important waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion if insurance is taken out within 24 hours of final payment (but NOTE: this is defined very specifically for obvious reasons).

 

And TravelInsured (who we usually use) will do that within 21 days of FIRST payment, giving just a bit more time then.

And the coverage can be switched to a totally different trip, with a few constraints if plans totally change.

[shemp2000]

Costco Travel offers Travel Guard Insurance at a discount

[vlf467]

Looking at all of the insurance options and it is so confusing! I have no idea what to do. I guess I will call an agent to see what they think is necessary to cover. Anyone have any comments or suggestions?

[iuki]

I have always bought through the cruiseline (Disney or Royal) I am travelling or airline for overseas travel. (I never buy insurance for domestic trips, because I don't stand to lose much if something happens on those.)

 

My thoughts are that if an issue arises while on the cruise that requires the need for insurance, that there would be less hassle if purchasing through the cruiseline as they would know you had insurance and what your coverage was, etc. I understand that costs a little more than buying through other places, but honestly I have been fine with their prices and the peace of mind that having insurance allows me. Also the fact that there is some cancel for any reason built into their policy allowing you to keep a good portion of the $ towards a future cruise - that is nice to have.

 

I agree with you. I have checked the websites mentioned here on more than one cruise and find RCCL offers better rates for us, probably due to our ages and pre-existing conditions for me.

I also agree that the cruise line would be familiar with their policies and would be a quicker and smoother process.

[GolfMom321]

We pretty much get all our bases covered with a mishmash of policies.

 

1) Our Chase Sapphire cards give nice cancellation coverage and some limited other coverage, so we always put our deposits on there. That makes the 60 day lookback start at the time of booking.

 

2) The cruiseline insurance has the "cancel for any reason" coverage, plus often covers the air since we tend to book at least international air through them.

 

3) We have GeoBlue Trekker plans that have much higher medical and evacuation coverage--with all our traveling and a $220/year premium, it's a No brainer!

 

My sister had to cancel the day before a cruise due to a family medical emergency. She got 100% refunded, including air. That was through the cruise line.

 

Nothing is going to be perfect, but we figure with this trifecta, we cover most of the bases. Anything else, we'll self insure.

[iuki]

We pretty much get all our bases covered with a mishmash of policies.

 

1) Our Chase Sapphire cards give nice cancellation coverage and some limited other coverage, so we always put our deposits on there. That makes the 60 day lookback start at the time of booking.

 

2) The cruiseline insurance has the "cancel for any reason" coverage, plus often covers the air since we tend to book at least international air through them.

 

3) We have GeoBlue Trekker plans that have much higher medical and evacuation coverage--with all our traveling and a $220/year premium, it's a No brainer!

 

My sister had to cancel the day before a cruise due to a family medical emergency. She got 100% refunded, including air. That was through the cruise line.

 

Nothing is going to be perfect, but we figure with this trifecta, we cover most of the bases. Anything else, we'll self insure.

 

That's my idea of coverage. We also have the Chase Sapphire Private Client Card, and the travel benefits are good, and they're FREE! For medevac coverage, we purchase the Travel Assist plan through Good Sam that is an annual policy. Although I'm a lifetime member, the plan can be purchased by non-members. Between the cruise line insurance and my BC/BS FEP medical insurance, we feel comfortable with our coverage when cruising.

 

[poobears]

Are there any insurance companies that cover the cruise portion only (without the medical)? All the ones I find include medical coverage and right now I'm looking at just adding a GeoBlu policy onto our BCBS policy. It will cover unlimited travel out of the US for a year for around $300 on the whole family, covers evacuations, meds, xrays etc for a $50 deductible. With as many cruises as the girls and I have planned for next year I think that would be the cheapest option but it doesn't cover the cruise cancellations or anything so would like to find a really cheap policy to cover that on some further out ones we'd like to book.

[LDVinNC]

I think the cancellation insurance is the expensive part of a package deal, so it may not save you much to separate it from medical. I guess the best advice would be to contact one of the brokers and ask the expert.

 

What I cannot figure out about the Geoblue programs is that the annual Trekker policy is cheaper than their single trip policy! I have emailed them questioning that, but have received no reply. Can anyone explain that?

[westcoastcruiser]

We have always used them but had to file our first claim this year due to my DH having major back surgery and it is taking forever to get our money back.

 

 

1 1/2 years ago we had to cancel because I needed emergency back surgery and had purchased a policy through Insure My Trip with TravelSafe. Dealing with TravelSafe was worse than the surgery and recovery combined. It took over 4 months and over 100+ pages faxed (some of it multiple times) to finally get my money.

 

With TravelSafe you are NEVER able to speak to the agent handling your claim. It was the worst customer no-service I have ever experienced.

 

Since then I have purchased through the Trip Insurance Store and find Steve knowledgeable and helpful. If needed, he becomes your advocate for any claim you file - unlike Insure My Trip where they only sell the policy and then you are on your own.

 

JMO

[Happy2cruise]

 

Since then I have purchased through the Trip Insurance Store and find Steve knowledgeable and helpful. If needed, he becomes your advocate for any claim you file - unlike Insure My Trip where they only sell the policy and then you are on your own.

 

JMO

That is why we always book thru Trip Insurance Store, they are there if you need them and will above and beyond to help you;)

[ChucktownSteve]

1 1/2 years ago we had to cancel because I needed emergency back surgery and had purchased a policy through Insure My Trip with TravelSafe. Dealing with TravelSafe was worse than the surgery and recovery combined. It took over 4 months and over 100+ pages faxed (some of it multiple times) to finally get my money.

 

With TravelSafe you are NEVER able to speak to the agent handling your claim. It was the worst customer no-service I have ever experienced.

 

Since then I have purchased through the Trip Insurance Store and find Steve knowledgeable and helpful. If needed, he becomes your advocate for any claim you file - unlike Insure My Trip where they only sell the policy and then you are on your own.

 

JMO

 

I second what you said about TravelSafe and their claims company TripMate. They are the worst. I will never buy any policy administered by TripMate again.

 

A simple cancelled flight that resulted in a no show at the embarkation took THREE months and countless follow-ups. It took two months just for them to confirm the flight was cancelled. Then it took another month for them to confirm with TravelSafe that I did indeed purchase their policy even though I submitted the insurance policy receipt and the credit card bill with appropriate charge.

 

After that I went to Steve at the TripInsuranceStore like you did. Steve recommended that I pay a little more and make the travel policy primary. Glad he suggested it. I have purchased three policies so far and referred my sister to him. She had a small claim that he helped her with. She thanked me for referring her to him.

Edited June 7, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[luvabargain]

Hi, I bought insurance through Travel Safe. Just came back from a 2 week trip to the Canary Islands, and this is the first time from over 13 cruises that my husband needed medical care. He developed the flu and ended up going to the ship doctor. Costing us over $650.00

 

Well, come to find out, which I should have read the fine print previously, is that this trip insurance is a supplemental to the health insurance we already have. I highly doubt any insurance company is going to cover you while you are sick on the ship. I have to turn it in to my insurance first before they will even consider paying anything out.. Nonsense. I don't think I will ever get trip insurance again. If I do, I will do more research.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Susan

 

This really should't be a big deal. It's just like most insurances. You have your primary insurance and then everything else is secondary (dental, eye). First you submit to your primary (in this case it's your personal medical ins.) then to your secondary(in this case your trip insurance carrier). Whatever primary doesn't cover, your secondary should cover up to their coverage limits. If your primary doesn't cover the claim at all, the secondary will, again up to its limits, but they first require you to submit it to your primary to see what they will pay if anything.

 

We have to do this all the time with our dental. Even though we know our primary medical won't be paying for the services, we have to submit to them as primary as well as to our secondary dental insurance. It still gets covered by dental, it's just a process they require.

[ChucktownSteve]

This really should't be a big deal. It's just like most insurances. You have your primary insurance and then everything else is secondary (dental, eye). First you submit to your primary (in this case it's your personal medical ins.) then to your secondary(in this case your trip insurance carrier). Whatever primary doesn't cover, your secondary should cover up to their coverage limits. If your primary doesn't cover the claim at all, the secondary will, again up to its limits, but they first require you to submit it to your primary to see what they will pay if anything.

 

We have to do this all the time with our dental. Even though we know our primary medical won't be paying for the services, we have to submit to them as primary as well as to our secondary dental insurance. It still gets covered by dental, it's just a process they require.

 

Since you're a young, attractive woman, Primary vs. Secondary may not be a problem. (Thought I would throw in the attractive part even though it has no bearing on a claim. :D ) However since many people who cruise are on Medicare and Medicare doesn't pay for out of country claims, having to submit to them even though you will be denied will greatly lengthen the claim process. On a small dental claim that's not a problem. Different story on a big medical bill internationally.

 

Also some travel insurance policies will assist getting you admitted to a foreign hospital for treatment without you having to shell out big bucks out of your pocket for initial care. I don't know of U.S. medical plans that do that.