Travel insurance question

[Krypti]

DH and I are booked on a cruise for next March. We booked a couple of months ago through the website for our convention, not directly through a travel agency or Royal Caribbean. We've never been on a cruise before.

 

Because the convention managers had to make special arrangements for our room (we needed an accessible room, but they were all sold out) we don't have any sort of RC confirmation number, room number, or anything.

 

I'm only now realizing that we might want to get travel insurance. Are we screwed because we didn't get it within 14 days of booking?

[Clarea]

DH and I are booked on a cruise for next March. We booked a couple of months ago through the website for our convention, not directly through a travel agency or Royal Caribbean. We've never been on a cruise before.

 

Because the convention managers had to make special arrangements for our room (we needed an accessible room, but they were all sold out) we don't have any sort of RC confirmation number, room number, or anything.

 

I'm only now realizing that we might want to get travel insurance. Are we screwed because we didn't get it within 14 days of booking?

No, you are not screwed.

 

You should still be able to get cruise line insurance, though you will have to get that though your travel agent.

 

I also don't understand why you don't have your cruise line booking number. You will need that if you want to book certain things pre-cruise, such as excursions, dining, spa treatments, etc.

 

You can also get independent insurance. I recommend using one or more of these websites:

 

www.insuremytrip.com

 

www.squaremouth.com

 

www.quotewright.com

 

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com

 

 

Lastly, feel free to visit the Royal Caribbean forum if you have more cruise line specific questions:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Edited April 6, 2016 by clarea

[Moonarino]

To get travel insurance from an independent, you don't really need any of the cruise info. Usually you register a policy with just the inclusive dates of travel, your age(s), and the amount of travel cost you want to insure. Maybe one or two other small bits of info (like the name of the cruise line?) and you're done. You won't need the specific cruise info unless you file a claim.

 

You should be able to get your booking and cabin number (or at least the type of cabin) by calling Royal. Your name, the name of the ship and departure date should be all they need. Even when reserved through some other agent they should still have you by name on the ship's reservations list.

[Keith1010]

You could still have RCI insurance added to the booking.

 

Just followup with the people who handled the booking.

 

Keith

[GMRPHRN]

Sometimes being within 14 days is important if covering a pre-existing condition.

[Bizmark'sMom]

It is not too late to buy travel insurance, and you definitely do want it!

 

I recently had to cancel a cruise at the last minute due to an emergency at home. I got a complete refund of the cruise costs. I was able to change my plane tickets for $50. The only thing I completely lost was the cost of the hotel room the night before the cruise.

 

(Everything at home is back to normal now. No lasting damage.)

[cargo13]

1. Your confirmation #.

You should be able to obtain your Royal Caribbean confirmation # from the agency/organizer that blocked your group's cabin.

 

You can call/website Royal Caribbean as well. You will want to setup a Royal Caribbean online account anyway to eventually check in online (you can also book restaurants, spa, shore excursions, etc).

 

2. Insurance

It depends on what coverages you want. PRE trip coverages for cancellation risk often require insurance be purchased within 10-14 days of your cruise booking in order to cover your investment.

 

IN trip coverages--baggage loss, missed connections, delays, you can book right up to departure.

 

Always go direct to the insurance provider because if you have a claim, you are doing to be dealing directly with the insurance company, not a website. You can shop on the comparison sites. Here is another: http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

We bought #1 rated CSA Travel Protection. Their coverages are strong and the price is affordable. Customer Service was good at their call center, as their website http://www.csatravelprotection.com is older looking but functions just fine.

[WupperAV]

We use a credit card that offers insurance. Never used it.

[Moonarino]

Krypti...

 

Sometimes being within 14 days is important if covering a pre-existing condition.

 

From everything I've seen, the only thing you'll lose out on by not booking within 1-3 weeks (Travelex allows 21 days according to their website as I write this) is being able to cancel due to an episode of "pre-existing condition".

 

But the (extra-cost) option of "cancel for any reason" is available through all independent carriers I've explored.

 

We bought #1 rated CSA Travel Protection. Their coverages are strong and the price is affordable. Customer Service was good at their call center, as their website www.csatravelprotection.com is older looking but functions just fine.

 

I've traditionally used CSA, but now also looking at Travelex (http://www.travelexinsurance.com). The latest quote I have shows that their second-tier plan ("Travel Select") is a little better than the CSA basic and just as affordable. And they say they're First Payer on medical as opposed to secondary.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Krypti...

 

 

 

From everything I've seen, the only thing you'll lose out on by not booking within 1-3 weeks (Travelex allows 21 days according to their website as I write this) is being able to cancel due to an episode of "pre-existing condition".

 

But the (extra-cost) option of "cancel for any reason" is available through all independent carriers I've explored.

 

 

 

I've traditionally used CSA, but now also looking at Travelex (http://www.travelexinsurance.com). The latest quote I have shows that their second-tier plan ("Travel Select") is a little better than the CSA basic and just as affordable. And they say they're First Payer on medical as opposed to secondary.

 

 

IMO Travelex Select is the all around gold standard by which to measure comprehensive policies. A bit more expensive but the devil is in the details.

We also use Insure and Go "cruise preferred" specifically for cruises though you can only buy the policy one year out, which is tough if your cruise is two years away and you need to buy it within that 2-3 week purchase after the cruise deposit window that gets you a waiver of pre-existing condition. That's when Travelex really shines: 3 weeks window to buy (for waiver) for cruises up to 2 yrs away and only a 60 day look back period if you don't have the waiver.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[GeezerCouple]

1. Your confirmation #.

You should be able to obtain your Royal Caribbean confirmation # from the agency/organizer that blocked your group's cabin.

 

You can call/website Royal Caribbean as well. You will want to setup a Royal Caribbean online account anyway to eventually check in online (you can also book restaurants, spa, shore excursions, etc).

 

2. Insurance

It depends on what coverages you want. PRE trip coverages for cancellation risk often require insurance be purchased within 10-14 days of your cruise booking in order to cover your investment.

 

IN trip coverages--baggage loss, missed connections, delays, you can book right up to departure.

 

Always go direct to the insurance provider because if you have a claim, you are doing to be dealing directly with the insurance company, not a website. You can shop on the comparison sites. Here is another: http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

We bought #1 rated CSA Travel Protection. Their coverages are strong and the price is affordable. Customer Service was good at their call center, as their website http://www.csatravelprotection.com is older looking but functions just fine.

 

We always speak with a travel insurance broker,

http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com ,

because they offer policies from several different insurers that they have vetted.

(And we have had claims *paid* without nonsense, which is what matters, after all!)

CALL them, do not rely only on the policy summaries on the website. There is a LOT of fine print, no surprise.

 

You'd file a claim with the actual insurer, regardless of whether you purchase through them or with the assistance/advice of a broker.

And the broker can assist with claims if needed. That can be a real help if there is any sort of difficulty.

 

Many policies/insurers do require that in order to get a waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion, you need to purchase within 14 days.

However, TravelInsured allows 21 days.

IF someone misses that, regardless of reason, then CSA offers good coverage if purchased as late as within 24 hours of the *final* payment for the largest portion of the cost (be careful here; it is defined very specifically).

 

One possible problem with that CSA is that IF one wishes to get CFAR ("Cancel For Any Reason" - where "any" means *any*), it is much more expensive than purchasing it earlier, e.g., through TravelInsured.

 

But the folks at http://www.TripInsuranceStore.com can help you select the best policy for *your* specific concerns/needs at this point.

They can help you decide if you want coverage in case family members not traveling with you get ill/etc.

There is no extra charge for using a broker like them.

 

As mentioned above, all you need is the dates of travel (this can be adjusted if necessary as the trip approaches) and the total amount of coverage needed.

Again, careful here: Some - but not all - policies require that you insure *all* "non-refundable" costs, and not doing so could invalidate the policy in case of a claim. The coverage goes in chunks of $500 or $1,000, so you just round up, and don't need to be precise to the dollar, etc.

[GeezerCouple]

Oooops - forgot to suggest that you check out the "Cruise/Travel Insurance" subforum here on CruiseCritic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

 

You can ask questions there (obviously) or just browse and learn from Q&A of others.

[CruiseFriendly123]

Squaremouth is wonderful. Travel insurance is good for many reasons like delays, sickness, injuries, etc. But I wouldn't book directly through a travel agent or cruise line. Those links above should offer the best option for you, hope you dont have much issue since the cruise is so soon! Please keep us posted on how it went booking insurance last minute im sure a lot of people could benefit from knowing.

Edited April 20, 2016 by CruiseFriendly123

[GeezerCouple]

Squaremouth is wonderful. Travel insurance is good for many reasons like delays, sickness, injuries, etc. But I wouldn't book directly through a travel agent or cruise line. Those links above should offer the best option for you, hope you dont have much issue since the cruise is so soon! Please keep us posted on how it went booking insurance last minute im sure a lot of people could benefit from knowing.

 

The OP has booked a cruise for March; this is April. It's about 11 months away.