Please share actual experiences with Princess Travel Protection Plan

[Coral]

4 hours ago, Jersey42 said:

So much of it depends on your situation.  Over 65 or under? What does your primary medical plan cover out of the country? Out of network coverage? Deductibles?  Maximum lifetime coverage? If you are under 65, secondary can often be better, especially for a large claim.  If you are on medicare, primary is often better.  If you have a small claim, primary is often easier, if not better at any age.

 

Here is a link to some good information on a respected insurance broker's site.  Maybe this is what you were referring to?

https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/

 

 

If you have Medicare - it really doesn't matter as Medicare doesn't pay outside of the US. They usually quickly give you a denial or the insurance company sometimes doesn't make you submit it (some do).

 

I was mostly thinking large claims - it is often beneficial to have secondary.

[TERESAh]

5 hours ago, Coral said:

If you paid for the insurance in July (not just added/signed up for it) - it wold use the July date. Most just add it to their booking when they first book but don't pay for it when they book.

 

Sounds like in your case March.

 

[Jersey42]

29 minutes ago, Coral said:

If you have Medicare - it really doesn't matter as Medicare doesn't pay outside of the US. They usually quickly give you a denial or the insurance company sometimes doesn't make you submit it (some do).

I agree if you only have Medicare, especially if the travel insurance company does not make you submit to Medicare. I was thinking about some of the Medicare supplement policies that offer limited outside of the USA coverage.  I know many people that have them, and many of these have a very low lifetime maximum for outside of the US.  If you have travel insurance with primary medical, then you will not have to submit to your Medicare supplement policy and possibly use up some (or all) of your lifetime maximum.  Again, it all depends on each individual's specific situation and coverage.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Jersey42

[TERESAh]

Just now, TERESAh said:

 

Thanks that’s what I was afraid of as I haven’t paid for my cruise yet. In December I had a virus that went to my blood stream and shut my organs down so I was hospitalized. I’m recovering but just worried if I had a relapse while on cruise that I wouldn’t be covered.

[geoherb]

We've filed two claims with Princess insurance for DH's visits to the doctor on two different cruises. That was, of course, after having to file the claims with DH's regular insurance and finding out what that would cover and what it wouldn't. It is a little bit of trouble keeping up with all the forms. In one case, DH's regular insurance made a mistake, and that drew out the process. But the blame is on them and not the Princess insurance. 

[jwattle]

On 1/20/2019 at 10:57 AM, TERESAh said:

We booked our cruise last July and signed up for Princess platinum insurance. It states if you have a claim for an illness you had previously been treated for sixty days before insurance was paid for, it will not be covered. My final payment for the cruise is due in March so does that mean any illness I’m treated for sixty days before  final payment in March would not be covered or is it sixty days when I originally booked cruise last July?

I believe that is is considered to be when you actually add it...

[TERESAh]

12 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I believe that is is considered to be when you actually add it...

Hope so then I would be covered===thanks

[Reader0108598]

On ‎1‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 4:08 PM, happy cruzer said:

Hi,  Many of us book the Princess Plan but have never had to use it.  It would be very helpful to see what actual experiences have been.  We have medical insurances that covers out of country but book Princess's Plan to cover our deductibles and travel expenses.  Really would love to here how actual claims have worked especially medical claims for visiting the ship's doctors.

 

Thanks in advance.

Hello never used the insurance before. Medication issue I fell hit my night stand fractured three ribs.....no way could I go anywhere. Could not get out of bed by myself!  Anyway after my doctor filled out their forms I had no problem getting my money back! This was in November! JetBlue also refunded my points  :)

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Reader0108598

[mustgo]

I visited a ship's doctor on a Princess cruise and received a copy of the bill which did show the codes etc for filing a medical claim.  I am a senior and have a medicare advantage plan which does cover emergency claims outside of the US.   Filed the claim with my insurance and after waiting 2 months for them to pay, submitted the info to Princess insurance and received a check from them for the deductible in 2 weeks.  That was the only time we bought the Princess insurance.  We usually use a third party insurance.

[Coral]

54 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I believe that is is considered to be when you actually add it...

No. Purchased is defined as "paid for". Princess gives people the option to pay for insurance at time of booking and thus starting the look back period then.

 

Please note the following restrictions:

Princess will not waive their cancellation fee and provide
a cash refund, should you cancel or interrupt your cruise vacation for any of the following reasons:
• a condition that rst presents, worsens, becomes acute, or

has symptoms causing a person to seek diagnosis, care or treatment, or prompts a change in medication, during the 60 days before the Cancellation Fee Waiver Program is purchased;

Edited January 26, 2019 by Coral

[Coral]

42 minutes ago, TERESAh said:

Hope so then I would be covered===thanks

It isn't. Call and clarify. Sorry about your situation. I stopped dealing with Princess and pre-existing conditions because of how their policy is written and their coverage.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Coral

[jwattle]

22 minutes ago, Coral said:

It isn't. Call and clarify. Sorry about your situation. I stopped dealing with Princess and pre-existing conditions because of how their policy is written and their coverage.

I just called. It is from the date of final payment, BUT if it's a pre existing condition, and you have to cancel, you can do the cancel-for-any-reason. Regular=75% credit, platinum policy = 100%.

[Coral]

6 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I just called. It is from the date of final payment, BUT if it's a pre existing condition, and you have to cancel, you can do the cancel-for-any-reason. Regular=75% credit, platinum policy = 100%.

It is from the date of payment - as Princess allows you to pay up front at deposit for cost of insurance. Most don't.

 

That is true about cancellation. I think most of us can eat the cost of the cruise as we plan on spending the money on the trip anyway. What is most important is "if you get sick while on vacation" - that is where it can push me to bankruptcy. The one poster said she was having her organs shut down. That is not cheap to cover on your own with out coverage. Hopefully this doesn't happen or hopefully she has coverage for when she is out side of the US.

Edited January 26, 2019 by Coral

[Coral]

15 minutes ago, jwattle said:

I just called. It is from the date of final payment, BUT if it's a pre existing condition, and you have to cancel, you can do the cancel-for-any-reason. Regular=75% credit, platinum policy = 100%.

I should have said "call the plan administrator such as Aon or whoever administers it for your state". Princess Customer Service reps are not experts in insurance. They once advertised for jobs in a high school newspaper and are simply order takers. Do you want to trust their answers or the company who will process the insurance's answer?

Edited January 26, 2019 by Coral

[jwattle]

20 minutes ago, Coral said:

I should have said "call the plan administrator such as Aon or whoever administers it for your state". Princess Customer Service reps are not experts in insurance. They once advertised for jobs in a high school newspaper and are simply order takers. Do you want to trust their answers or the company who will process the insurance's answer?

I did call the plan administrator and was state specific.

[Coral]

Just now, jwattle said:

I did call the plan administrator and was state specific.

Got it! Thanks.

 

It is when you pay for insurance though - I know this for a fact. You can pay for it at any time up until final payment. So 60 day look back starts on insurance payment date.

[TERESAh]

3 hours ago, Coral said:

I should have said "call the plan administrator such as Aon or whoever administers it for your state". Princess Customer Service reps are not experts in insurance. They once advertised for jobs in a high school newspaper and are simply order takers. Do you want to trust their answers or the company who will process the insurance's answer?

 

3 hours ago, Coral said:

Got it! Thanks.

 

It is when you pay for insurance though - I know this for a fact. You can pay for it at any time up until final payment. So 60 day look back starts on insurance payment date.

 

[TERESAh]

Thanks for the info. I’ll see how I’m doing before March then when final payment is due 

[happy cruzer]

Anyone have experience with the preexisting conditions?  Looks like the 60 day period only affects medical coverage, the other items like cancel for any reason or trip interruption are not affected.  Thanks for previous info, I issued it earlier.

Edited January 26, 2019 by happy cruzer

[Coral]

4 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Anyone have experience with the preexisting conditions?  Looks like the 60 day period only affects medical coverage, the other items like cancel for any reason or trip interruption are not affected.  Thanks for previous info, I issued it earlier.

Correct.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I had to have emergency surgery right before our planned New Year’s Cruise in 2017. We canceled the cruise, got our port taxes and onboard purchase refunds immediately, called Delta who waived the change fee and gave us credit without having to file a claim, and then processed the claim with Princess. You have to have the doc fill out the insurance form documenting everything and have your cruise docs to submit. I was able to scan it all in to send electronically. I was able to track the processing online, and about a month-6 weeks later, we got a check for the full refund. We were very satisfied. 

[rdsqrl]

I am really an idiot.  I had to visit the medical centre last year on the Regal and it never occurred to me to claim it through my Princess insurance.  I guess I take out the insurance thinking only about the cancellation coverage.  Oh, well, that's a couple hundred dollar lesson this thread has taught me, so, um, thanks, I guess . . .  

[BarbinMich]

20 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I had to have emergency surgery right before our planned New Year’s Cruise in 2017. We canceled the cruise, got our port taxes and onboard purchase refunds immediately, called Delta who waived the change fee and gave us credit without having to file a claim, and then processed the claim with Princess. You have to have the doc fill out the insurance form documenting everything and have your cruise docs to submit. I was able to scan it all in to send electronically. I was able to track the processing online, and about a month-6 weeks later, we got a check for the full refund. We were very satisfied. 

In Jan. 2018 we cancelled the day before the cruise because as we were leaving for the airport, my 82-yr-old husband "froze" at the door.  He snapped out of it in less than a minute, but since we had no idea what caused this, I thought it prudent to not go on a cruise to the Panama Canal.  This cruise was the first we had purchased Princess insurance--had always bought from other insurers on prior cruises--and first time we ever have had a claim in 50 cruises.  He snapped out of "it" quickly and since it was a Sat. we couldn't go to the doc's office; I didn't think it warranted a trip to the ER, which was probably a mistake in retrospect.  I filed a claim with AON (Princess insurance carrier),  which was denied.  At least the airline and pre-cruise hotel promptly refunded those pre-paid expenses.  It was fortuitous that we didn't go on the cruise because 3 days later he needed emergency surgery for a hernia!  God works in mysterious ways.

[zalusky]

We added insurance in sept 2017 for a New England cruise.  My wife’s kidneys started to go in April 2018 but we knew once your listed it could take many years to actually get called and she was not on dialysis yet.  Well it turns out if you are highly sensitized and will reject most of the population they give you a head start/ handicap so to speak.  Needless to say that headstart was large enough she started getting calls as a backup a week after officially being listed which was a week after final payment in June.  This was a big surprise.  We decided to cancel the cruise.  It turns out we get the official call the week before the cruise was to sail.  She is doing amazingly well.  The lesson I learned is you need to pay off the insurance right away.  We didn’t do it till final payment.  As a result we got the credit but not a refund.  Fortunately we have rebooked for next year.  Also had we cancelled a week earlier we would not been in the 50% bracket but just the deposit penalty area.

 

So lots of lessons learned and lots of LUCK! 

Edited January 29, 2019 by zalusky