quick Question on cruise insurance

[jc foster]

        Is it best to purchase cruise insurance immediately after booking or is it best to wait a few months until final payment is made? Thanks Clark

 

[kearney]

I usually purchase when I make final payment..... but... I just learned that if you want preconditioned health issues covered you need to do so when you make your deposit. I just was talking with an agent for Allianz. Now if you do what I did and purchase the same day as I did final payment... anything that occurred within 120 days prior to purchase would be considered a pre exiting condition. I would call a travel insurance agent and ask them specifically about this before you make up your mind. I wait because if I decide to change the cruise to another time... I believe I will not get back that insurance payment. Now it is possible it could be transferred to another cruise... but I am guessing on that... would be something to check out though.

[ghstudio]

Lost of discussion on insurance....and everyone's situation is different so there is no right answer.  If you have a new medical condition or one that has changed in the past 90-120 days (the lookback period which differs by policy) then your decision is probably easier....buy it when you book so you will be covered (there are some exceptions).  If not, you have choices.  I would strongly suggest looking at independent travel policies and not those sold by Celebrity or your TA.

 

I'd suggest a very recent thread:

 

 

or look at the travel insurance section on cruisecritic.

[39august]

If you get third party insurance, not the cruise line's, you can purchase insurance just covering the actual amount you have paid, i.e. deposit only,  to begin with and as you add payments, add those amounts to your travel insurance and then pay it in full when you make final payment on your cruise,. That way your pre-existing is covered, but you don't have to pay in full immediately after booking. 

[twodjs]

Getting insurance right away usually does cover pre-existing conditions (be sure to ask) - and you are only paying based on the amount you have paid - in this case, just the deposit. So the bill is very small. Then you pay additional when you pay your balance. Remember any refundable amounts (hotel or sometimes air) do not have to be insured. I agree with ghstudio about getting quotes from independent insurance companies. 

[Vagabond Knight]

My thinking on this is that it depends upon how much you have invested in non-refundable payments or down payments.  The cruise insurance is going to be non-refundable, so if that exceeds the amount you have down, it doesn't make sense to pay it at that point.  Once you have more "invested" than the insurance would cost, then it's time to insure that investment.  However, make sure you read your policy well before purchasing, whether you're doing it through the cruise line or through a third party.  You don't want to erroneously assume you're covered for all your payments and expenses and find out when it's too late that's not the case.    You may be surprised at all the exclusions.  We would never pay a huge amount towards a trip without insuring.  Had to argue with one of my sisters-in-law some years ago to include insurance for a cruise that all the kids were purchasing for my in-laws for their anniversary.  She was balking at the extra cost.  Unfortunately, my father-in-law had a major medical situation less than two weeks before the cruise and they were unable to go.  Fortunately, I had won the insurance argument. 

[ghstudio]

One more caveat on the waiving of preexisting conditions.  There are some gray areas where even if  you buy it when you book, you may not be covered.    1)If you have a life ending disease....xx months to live and you go on a cruise; 2) mom/dad are in the last stages of something and you go on the cruise...they pass away and you want the insurance company to pay your way home or an immediate family member in a hospice dies while you are on the cruise.  Lots of similar scenarios..

 

If you fall into any of these....talk with the insurance company or at least someone at one of the quality travel insurance internet companies....squaremouth, insuremytrip, tripinsurancestore,....  Do not assume anything...and that definitely includes assuming that your cruise company and/or TA understand travel insurance....and don't rely on me either.  It's important....talk to someone who knows.  

[1025cruise]

It depends.

Since I want coverage for pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason coverage, I need to buy within 14 days of deposit usually.

[ghstudio]

47 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

It depends.

Since I want coverage for pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason coverage, I need to buy within 14 days of deposit usually.

 

Not to belabor the point, but do you have a pre-existing condition AS DEFINED IN THE POLICY or is it something that's stable and you've just had for a long time.   Many who assume they have a pre-existing condition actually dont AS DEFINED IN THE POLICY.

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

It depends.

Since I want coverage for pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason coverage, I need to buy within 14 days of deposit usually.

 Maybe not.  If you go with a combination of medical travel insurance and the cruise line insurance you can come pretty close to cancel for any reason if you can use the refund as future cruise credits.  You can cancel for any reason and get a 75% refund in cruise credits.  For us that's as good as money.  Also there isn't and age factor used in calculating the price of the insurance.  Something like Geo Blue is very reasonable for medical and evacuation.  Geo Blue has policies that require existing insurance but doesn't care about pre-existing conditions.  It all depends on your individual needs and risk tolerance. 

Edited June 14, 2019 by ipeeinthepool

[sippican]

Why buy through the cruiselline at all?

There are other reputable companies offering insurance - many at a better value because you can compare and purchase what you truly need - not a "one size fits all". 

Here are a few frequently recommended on these boards to get you started:

squaremouth.com

insuremytrip.com

tripinsurancestore.com

 

[ipeeinthepool]

Because the insurance from the cruise line is cheaper specifically for older people and it depends on exactly what insurance you need.  If you remember an article you quoted earlier on the same subject that supported these 3rd party companies was filled with links from 3rd party companies that paid the author every time someone clicked the links.  Hardly an unbiased source.  The insurance stores are good sources of information but you need to take that information and make an informed decision. Those three insurance stores will never recommend the insurance from the cruise line because they don't sell that insurance , so I hardly consider them to be completely unbiased.  Get unbiased info and make a decision that supports your individual needs.

[jc foster]

Thanks for the quick responses. After reading these posts I purchased Travel Guard Insurance today.. We booked on the Reflection today. We used Travel Guard in July 2009 after a freak hailstorm closed the Newark airport, We completely missed a Baltic cruise and three days precruise hotel in Copenhagen. We were happy with their service then. Thanks again Clark

[ghstudio]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Because the insurance from the cruise line is cheaper specifically for older people and it depends on exactly what insurance you need.  If you remember an article you quoted earlier on the same subject that supported these 3rd party companies was filled with links from 3rd party companies that paid the author every time someone clicked the links.  Hardly an unbiased source.  The insurance stores are good sources of information but you need to take that information and make an informed decision. Those three insurance stores will never recommend the insurance from the cruise line because they don't sell that insurance , so I hardly consider them to be completely unbiased.  Get unbiased info and make a decision that supports your individual needs.

 

Please check and compare the coverage limits on the different policies.  I think many/most would think that $10,000 of medical insurance and $25,000 of evacuation insurance is woefully inadequate....(those are the celebrity limits)  Those who buy the policy are drawn to it by the "cancel any time" provision", the cost and the false belief that Celebrity has chosen the policy you need.   

 

An antiques auction auctioneer once said "cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap".  That's stuck with me and it's good advice.  Do not believe that Celebrity is looking after you and has selected the best policy.  It's better than nothing, but if you have a serious problem, you are going to realize that maybe you should have focused on those limits. 

 

One might look at the Celebrity policy and realize that the limits cover the shipboard doctor's bill and at least part of the evacuation costs.  I say part, because your largest evacuation cost may be getting from that hospital in f(fill in your remote city) to your home with medical assistance sitting next to you and medical gear.....no possible way that $25K will cover that sort of problem.

 

Sorry....but those internet travel insurance sales sites really do have better policies (most sell the same policies) and they do understand insurance, unlike your travel agent, Celebrity or your friend next door.  You (that's the generic you) are...and forgive my being blunt....a fool if you don't look at other policies and talk to someone who knows travel insurance.

 

(I have no affiliation with anyone...in fact I've used all three internet insurance companies just to see if there really is a difference and from my perspective, they all give good accurate information.)

Edited June 14, 2019 by ghstudio

[ipeeinthepool]

33 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

 

Please check and compare the coverage limits on the different policies.  I think many/most would think that $10,000 of medical insurance and $25,000 of evacuation insurance is woefully inadequate....(those are the celebrity limits)  Those who buy the policy are drawn to it by the "cancel any time" provision", the cost and the false belief that Celebrity has chosen the policy you need.   

 

An antiques auction auctioneer once said "cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap".  That's stuck with me and it's good advice.  Do not believe that Celebrity is looking after you and has selected the best policy.  It's better than nothing, but if you have a serious problem, you are going to realize that maybe you should have focused on those limits. 

 

One might look at the Celebrity policy and realize that the limits cover the shipboard doctor's bill and at least part of the evacuation costs.  I say part, because your largest evacuation cost may be getting from that hospital in f(fill in your remote city) to your home with medical assistance sitting next to you and medical gear.....no possible way that $25K will cover that sort of problem.

 

Sorry....but those internet travel insurance sales sites really do have better policies (most sell the same policies) and they do understand insurance, unlike your travel agent, Celebrity or your friend next door.  You (that's the generic you) are...and forgive my being blunt....a fool if you don't look at other policies and talk to someone who knows travel insurance.

 

(I have no affiliation with anyone...in fact I've used all three internet insurance companies just to see if there really is a difference and from my perspective, they all give good accurate information.)

 

I agree that the medical coverage is inadequate, that's why I supplement it with a Geo Blue Policy with $500k Medical and $250k evacuation..  You can get higher limits if you wish and the cost will still be much lower than a 3rd party site that covers pre-existing conditions and cancel for any reason..  I use one of those sites for the Geo Blue policy.

 

Sorry, you've bought the Kool-Aid.  Those 3rd party sites don't always have the best  value and never are the lowest cost.  Do your homework and find the best policy for your needs and risk tolerance.  Some form of cancel for any reason is important to me and many cruises are bought over a  year in advance.  Sometimes those plans change and I don't want to buy a policy over a year in advance.  Sometimes the cost of the trip will; change so I don't want the hassle of trying to transfer the policy.