Travel insurance options

[pmjnh]

We trying to decide which travel insurance is best for our 26 day European/TA cruise.

 

We are currently healthy retirees . Cancel for any reason is something we will get, BUT torn between HAL CPP platinum or a private insurer. The medical piece is important, especially in the event of any major event (especially while TA for 5 days). We do have some travel medical on our supplemental insurance but not enough to cover evacuation...I was on Insure my Trip and found specific cruise insurance.

 

I am curious how many here purchase insurance privately vs HAL .  If private insurance, do you purchase the plans geared specifically for cruising?  

 

TIA for your thoughts

[ski ww]

We get private medical insurance which covers evacuation, you hear all kinds of horror stories of people who didn't and then needed it.  For peace of mind don't leave home with out it. Enjoy your cruise.

[yerdua]

If you plan on traveling more often you may want to look into an annual medical/evacuation policy. It's extremely affordable and the one we have serves as the primary insurer. it also has coverage at much higher levels than the cruise lines. Does not cover cancellations but your credit card may, or take out the bare bones  policy from the cruise line.

[Ichiban Nekko]

I believe HAL's protection plans only cover what you book through them. So if you drive to the port or fly/train in on tickets not  bought through them, you are not covered for that part of your trip. If traveling to the ship independently, what happens if there's a hiccup and you can't get to the ship? Insuremytrip.com and Squaremouth.com have 800 numbers that you can use to ask questions and get answers to your questions. If you are a member of USAA, they have separate travel coverage available.

 

On our last cruise, we purchased private coverage. DH needed to go to the Medical Unit for a minor issue. When we returned, we submitted the detailed receipts provided by HAL and were promptly reimbursed. We usually make our decision soon after making an initial deposit so that pre-existing conditions are covered on the medical. We also look for primary, rather than secondary, medical coverage.

 

For our upcoming cruise, we will drive to the port, taking a couple of days. We opted for the HAL Platinum coverage this time. For the cruise after that, we have opted for private coverage. Only you can decide what it best for you and your circumstances.

 

On our April 2019 cruise, we watched a French helicopter lower medical personnel onto the ship to assess a passenger, then  loop around during the assessment. The passenger was airlifted out. Sure hope they had coverage.

[awhcruiser]

13 hours ago, Ichiban Nekko said:

I believe HAL's protection plans only cover what you book through them. So if you drive to the port or fly/train in on tickets not  bought through them, you are not covered for that part of your trip. If traveling to the ship independently, what happens if there's a hiccup and you can't get to the ship? Insuremytrip.com and Squaremouth.com have 800 numbers that you can use to ask questions and get answers to your questions. If you are a member of USAA, they have separate travel coverage available.

 

On our last cruise, we purchased private coverage. DH needed to go to the Medical Unit for a minor issue. When we returned, we submitted the detailed receipts provided by HAL and were promptly reimbursed. We usually make our decision soon after making an initial deposit so that pre-existing conditions are covered on the medical. We also look for primary, rather than secondary, medical coverage.

 

For our upcoming cruise, we will drive to the port, taking a couple of days. We opted for the HAL Platinum coverage this time. For the cruise after that, we have opted for private coverage. Only you can decide what it best for you and your circumstances.

 

On our April 2019 cruise, we watched a French helicopter lower medical personnel onto the ship to assess a passenger, then  loop around during the assessment. The passenger was airlifted out. Sure hope they had coverage.

I find USAA's prices hard to beat!

[Scrapnana]

If medical coverage is important to you, HAL insurance is NOT the one you want.  It has ridiculously low medical coverage ($10,000).  As mentioned above, primary coverage is much easier if you have a claim and I have found they often are no more expensive.  If you don't qualify for USAA (and many of us don't), check out Travelex.  They have the best rates I have found and you can personalize your coverage.  I always get more medical coverage.  And no, I do not work for Travelex.

[jimmy2x]

43 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

I find USAA's prices hard to beat!

Good to know. Do you book thru them?

[crystalspin]

We have annual Geoblue Trekker (on our second year) for medical, and Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card with many travel benefits, including cancellation for many (not all) reasons. Including illness/injury of family members, which is pretty important to us at present.

 

We often cruise with family members, so far only to Alaska, where we may have flirted with disaster by buying only HAL Platinum, but didn't have to use it on two cruises so far. If I can get my mom to come with us to CPH to sail to BOS, I will be looking into medical coverage through GeoBlue or InsureMyTrip.

 

ETA: the Blue in Geoblue is BlueCrossBlueShield, so they have good credentials by me.

Edited January 8, 2020 by crystalspin

[awhcruiser]

2 minutes ago, jimmy2x said:

Good to know. Do you book thru them?

No...Different TA but if you access USAA's website they have a travel insurance option.

[jimmy2x]

Just now, awhcruiser said:

No...Different TA but if you access USAA's website they have a travel insurance option.

Thx

[awhcruiser]

1 minute ago, jimmy2x said:

Thx

No problem...Good luck!

[pmjnh]

7 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

If medical coverage is important to you, HAL insurance is NOT the one you want.  It has ridiculously low medical coverage ($10,000).  As mentioned above, primary coverage is much easier if you have a claim and I have found they often are no more expensive.  If you don't qualify for USAA (and many of us don't), check out Travelex.  They have the best rates I have found and you can personalize your coverage.  I always get more medical coverage.  And no, I do not work for Travelex.

 

 

Agreed. Unfortunately we are not eligible for USAA, but we have friends who have been very happy with them. 

 

[pmjnh]

Thanks so much for all of your thoughts. I have heard good things about USAA but we are not eligible. 

 

Has anyone had any experience with Nationwide cruise specific  insurance? 

 

One thing I did learn about insurance is to book independent insurance on our own and not through the TA. I found out that if we want to change travel agents to another agency, we were stuck, because the travel insurance plan was made for that agency. learned that lesson. 

 

Curious if anyone waits to book their Insurance at final payment if your deposit is refundable.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, pmjnh said:

Curious if anyone waits to book their Insurance at final payment if your deposit is refundable.

 

We wait until just before final payment to book insurance but we have no serious pre-existing conditions.

[Jersey42]

2 hours ago, pmjnh said:

Curious if anyone waits to book their Insurance at final payment if your deposit is refundable.

A few thoughts:

• If you (or non-travelling family members) have pre-existing conditions (make sure to completely read the definition in any policy you consider), many policies will waive the pre-existing conditions clause, but they require you purchase within X (usually 14-21) days of your INITIAL payment, and you must insure the full non-refundable cost of your trip.  There are some policies that let you purchase at FINAL payment.  Just be aware of what you are buying.
• Some policies let you purchase insurance for the non-refundable costs you have incurred to date, then add coverage as you incur more costs.  This satisfies the "you must insure the full non-refundable cost of your trip", and if you cancel your cruise before final payment, you have not lost nearly as much on the insurance cost. All brokers may not want to deal with this approach, but it can be a great idea for an expensive trip booked way in advance.
• If you purchase insurance early and cancel your trip without using any of the insurance benefits, some companies will let you transfer the policy to another trip.

The Cruise/Travel Insurance boards on Cruise Critic has a lot of good information if you have time to search through some of the posts. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

A good broker can help you wade through the best choices for someone's specific situation.

[awhcruiser]

3 hours ago, pmjnh said:

 

 

Agreed. Unfortunately we are not eligible for USAA, but we have friends who have been very happy with them. 

 

AMEX also has good travel insurance if you have a card.

[Love the beach]

More concerned with medical rather than cancellation I have always purchased thru Insure My Trip, or if I have booked a trip thru the big box store I use their Travel Guard link. Recently had to file a claim with Travel Guard and was happy with the result.

[Tom O.]

We have purchased insurance from Allianz from our TA. I have purchased insurance from Allianz several times in the past, but have never filed a claim. Allianz is one of the largest insurers in the world, and many offerings from smaller companies are actually underwritten by Allianz. There are probably better prices offered by other companies, but I think Allianz is a very safe bet.

In the past I have purchased policies directly on their website, but this time I got a better price using my TA.

One policy they offer is car rental insurance which is much cheaper than the insurance offered by European Car Rental Agencies. I have done this in the past, but for our next cruise, we won't be renting any cars.

[fred111]

I have used the Travel Insurance through USAA for many years.  The company they use is Travel Insured International.  You get a slightly cheaper rate booking through the USAA website.  

 

The rates are very competitive and the service is absolutely outstanding.

 

We have had to make claims a for different reasons.  Once when an airline went on strike and one when we cancelled  a cruise the day before departure due to emergency surgery.

 

They paid 100% of submitted bills without hesitation.  Great company with very professional employees. 

Edited January 8, 2020 by fred111

[Seasick Sailor]

We used Trip Mate on a Viking cruise and needed it. My husband got heat stroke after 2 full busy days in Cuba and ended up hospitalized by the time we got to Costa Rica. They paid in full.

 

We are using the HAL Platinum plan for our 6 week cruise coming up.

 

We are retired Army and have used USAA as well. They are our regular Tricare network too.

 

The bottom line is, read the fine print. As we get older, that insurance charge is just part of the trip cost.

[Jersey42]

33 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

We used Trip Mate on a Viking cruise and needed it. My husband got heat stroke after 2 full busy days in Cuba and ended up hospitalized by the time we got to Costa Rica. They paid in full.

 

We are using the HAL Platinum plan for our 6 week cruise coming up. We are retired Army and have used USAA as well. They are our regular Tricare network too. The bottom line is, read the fine print. As we get older, that insurance charge is just part of the trip cost.

I hope Tricare or any other medical insurance you may have covers you on a cruise out of the country.  From a medical insurance perspective, HAL's Platinum plan is the worst cruise line plan I have seen with only $10K of coverage.  Viking's plans are pricey, but from what I have seen, they offer far and away the best medical coverage from a cruise line plan at $100K. This is 4-10 time better than most other lines. 

 

On the other hand, if you are purchasing HAL Platinum primarily for the Cancel For Any Reason benefit, it is probably the best one I have seen as it offers a 90% refund in CASH.  Most other lines offer cruise credits that expire in a year. Third party plans usually offer a smaller percentage back in cash.

 

As you say: The bottom line is, read the fine print.  It really makes a difference.

Edited January 8, 2020 by Jersey42

[BeeIslandGirl]

13 hours ago, jimmy2x said:

Good to know. Do you book thru them?

How do I know how much the trip is worth to get the quote?  Do I calculate what Holland America is charging me or the entire trip including car rentals, etc?  We are going to Anchorage 5 days early, and then renting a car in Vancouver and driving to Seattle for another 6 days.  This is my first time and I know I need to purchase travel insurance.  We are USAA members.  THANK YOU for your help!!  I need it......ha

[RocketMan275]

20 minutes ago, BeeIslandGirl said:

How do I know how much the trip is worth to get the quote?  Do I calculate what Holland America is charging me or the entire trip including car rentals, etc?  We are going to Anchorage 5 days early, and then renting a car in Vancouver and driving to Seattle for another 6 days.  This is my first time and I know I need to purchase travel insurance.  We are USAA members.  THANK YOU for your help!!  I need it......ha

Only include the non-refundable portions of your cruise.  Car rentals, hotels, are normally refundable.  Just like  you wouldn't include what  you expect to pay for meals, etc.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Jersey42 said:

I hope Tricare or any other medical insurance you may have covers you on a cruise out of the country. 

TRICARE For Life (retirees) does cover you out of country.  The military have many who retire overseas so TRICARE does cover out of country.

[Seasick Sailor]

5 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

TRICARE For Life (retirees) does cover you out of country.  The military have many who retire overseas so TRICARE does cover out of country.

 

Correct Rocketman275.  Medicare won't cover you outside US. So first the bills go to Medicare, they refuse coverage, and it bounces back. Then bills get submitted to Tricare (for LIfe) to pay. It's scary at first when you get the bill back from Medicare!