Help understanding cruise insurance

[Octavias]

We have just booked our first cruise through the featherweight shop, it is a sewing themed group and we will be cruising on Celebrity Eclipse in May 2021.  I’m now at the point of trying to figure out and purchase insurance.  We plan to pre-buy excursions for some of the ports and those are spendy too.  Are excursions also non refundable and should be covered under insurance as well?  How does that work?  
 

also, I’m looking for the least hassle and an easy claims experience if we end up having to use the insurance, which companies would you recommend for that?

 

i read through the pre-existing information for one company and didn’t really understand it.  I have multiple health issues, some that could flair causing us to miss the trip, can we still buy insurance for those conditions?

 

thanks for any and all help and feedback!  

[sparks1093]

Whether or not an excursion is non-refundable or not probably varies per cruise line but for Carnival if the excursion is cancelled 24 hours before the excursion (going by memory so it might be 48 hours) then it is refundable. I typically get my insurance from www.insuremytrip.com and if your are within 2 weeks of making your initial deposit many plans offer a pre-existing condition waiver so you wouldn't need to worry about that. The website has a chat feature that allows you to chat with a rep, they answer email queries quickly and you can even call and talk to them if you want. Each company will vary for claims experience but the website also allows for customer reviews so you should be able to see what others experienced. 

[clo]

So does one actually need trip insurance that is specific to cruises? 

[zauberflote]

Clo, perhaps the investment one makes in a cruise is extraordinary compared to one's ordinary mortal vacations, and requires extraordinary (to an ordinary mortal) insurance, with extraordinary provisions.

This is certainly the case for us. Our usual and frequent family vacations to a family vacation home cost, nominally, air+bus fare or gas costs, plus groceries. One only insures the flight portion of these trips, naturally. The house is insured by its LLC, as it would be even if one walked to it. One carries health insurance even when at home. One's car has insurance should one choose to drive, as it must be since one owns it. But $22 air insurance for a flight that cost $59 is piffling compared to cruise insurance. One also never books one's family vacations years in advance. One simply hopes/assumes that the house will be there in perpetuity.


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[clo]

9 minutes ago, zauberflote said:

Clo, perhaps the investment one makes in a cruise is extraordinary compared to one's ordinary mortal vacations, and requires extraordinary (to an ordinary mortal) insurance, with extraordinary provisions.

This is certainly the case for us. Our usual and frequent family vacations to a family vacation home cost, nominally, air+bus fare or gas costs, plus groceries. One only insures the flight portion of these trips, naturally. The house is insured by its LLC, as it would be even if one walked to it. One carries health insurance even when at home. One's car has insurance should one choose to drive, as it must be since one owns it. But $22 air insurance for a flight that cost $59 is piffling compared to cruise insurance. One also never books one's family vacations years in advance. One simply hopes/assumes that the house will be there in perpetuity.


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Thanks. But what I meant is does it need to be SPECIFIC to a cruise? And cruise only? Let's say I fly to another continent, stay in a hotel pre and post cruise, cruise and fly home. Wouldn't regular trip insurance cover it all and would cruise only insurance ony cover the cruise costs? I ask this sincerely.

[Flatbush Flyer]

PreExistingConditions (PECs) in Insurance are not the same as PECs in Medicine.

 

Whether chronic or acute, any health issue you have is an insurance PEC if, during a designated lookback period (e.g., 6 months) prior to purchasing the policy, you had a new diagnosis OR changes in an existing diagnosis (Rx, Tx, etc) that was responsible for your travel claim. 

 

That is why some of use prefer cruise policies that waive PECs. And, further, it is very important to purchase the policy within the window that allows PEC waivers (after first depositing your cruise or [with a few companies like Nationwide] buying before cruise final payment).

I also recommend that you consider cruise-specific policies which include provisions for claims like "missed port" reimbursement.

Talk with a broker like InsureMyTrip.

[zauberflote]

I think we have an expert answer there!
I am VERY thankful that I caught this thread, as my 2-week window (if such is the case) expires tomorrow [emoji33]


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[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, clo said:

So does one actually need trip insurance that is specific to cruises? 

Depends.  A couple of years ago there was an insurance company that covered cancelled ports of call in one of their policies..  Don't know if they still have that policy, though.

 

But, typically, not really.  As long as you cover the items you want covered - specifically (in my case) medical/evacuation coverage.  For others they may want to cover cancellation/delays.  And/or lost/delayed luggage.  Any non-refundable expenses.

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Depends.  A couple of years ago there was an insurance company that covered cancelled ports of call in one of their policies..  Don't know if they still have that policy, though.

 

But, typically, not really.  As long as you cover the items you want covered - specifically (in my case) medical/evacuation coverage.  For others they may want to cover cancellation/delays.  And/or lost/delayed luggage.  Any non-refundable expenses.

Nationwide' cruise policies cover cancelled ports. It's a flat amount like $250(?) and is in addition to non-refundable excursion costs for that port.

[clo]

23 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Nationwide' cruise policies cover cancelled ports. It's a flat amount like $250(?) and is in addition to non-refundable excursion costs for that port.

I'm really talking about all the other parts, i.e., flights, hotels. My credit card gives a pretty decent coverage and very good medical evacuation.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, zauberflote said:

I think we have an expert answer there!
I am VERY thankful that I caught this thread, as my 2-week window (if such is the case) expires tomorrow


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Also, for future reference, be very careful about relying on credit card provided travel insurance. With a very few exceptions (e.g., Chase Sapphire Preferred may be one), the do not waive PECs as causes for travel claims. Also, the limits are woefully inadequate for longer/"expensive" cruises (even when you "double up" with two related accounts that split trip costs) and, while the CC  my cover trip delay, many do not cover trip cancelation.

Also, the coverage may be secondary to other coverage.

Finally, be careful about MedEvac. Many credit cards T&Cs cite "air ambulance" which is not MedEvac.

 

Finally, do know that the cruise policies you want are comprehensive third party ones (e.g., Nationwide) that cover all your expenses door to door including pre/post cruise.

 

 Do your best to not be "pennywise and pound foolish."

[Jersey42]

18 hours ago, Octavias said:

We have just booked our first cruise through the featherweight shop, it is a sewing themed group and we will be cruising on Celebrity Eclipse in May 2021.  I’m now at the point of trying to figure out and purchase insurance.  We plan to pre-buy excursions for some of the ports and those are spendy too.  Are excursions also non refundable and should be covered under insurance as well?  How does that work?  
 

also, I’m looking for the least hassle and an easy claims experience if we end up having to use the insurance, which companies would you recommend for that?

 

i read through the pre-existing information for one company and didn’t really understand it.  I have multiple health issues, some that could flair causing us to miss the trip, can we still buy insurance for those conditions?

 

thanks for any and all help and feedback!  

Let me add a few more thoughts:

• As others have said, call a good broker with your questions.  Especially for someone new at this, there are often nuances you can miss by looking at website summaries.  I can recommend tripinsurancestore.com from personal experience.  They sell policies from a limited number of companies with good claims paying records. Others have had good luck with insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com. 
• No matter how good the company is, claims can often take a while and you often need to submit lots of documentation.
• Take reviews of insurance companies with a grain of salt as most of the reviewers have not actually filed a claim.
• Make sure you understand what "pre-existing conditions" mean in any policy you consider.  Based on what you say, I would be on the safe side and assume you have a "pre-existing condition".  So as Flatbush Flyer mentioned, get a policy that waives the "pre-existing conditions" clause.  Many policies do, but you often need to buy the policy within 14-21 days of your initial trip payment/deposit.
• Don't worry about about a "cruise specific" policy.  The Nationwide policies referred to by others have some missed port benefits, but those benefits are not available in 9 states including Oregon.
• Most shore excursions should be refundable, so you usually do not need to insure them.  But check to be sure.  If you bought them through the cruise line, then just about all will be refunded as sparks1093 stated.  A few "exotic" excursions such as those with flights, may have different rules. If you bought them through a third party company, check their cancellation policy.  Most reputable companies will have similar refund policies to the cruise line.
• Make sure you understand how your current medical insurance works outside of the USA. Then you can figure out what you need for medical and evacuation coverage.
• If you have a credit card that includes trip insurance be sure you understand the "pre existing conditions" exclusions.  My Chase cards do not waive pre-existing conditions and they apply both to those traveling and non traveling family members.  So if a family member got sick due to a pre-existing condition, and you had to cancel or return home early, Chase would not cover it.

Wow, lots here and sorry if it is overwhelming.  That is why my first bullet is highly recommended,  Good luck.

[zauberflote]

Thanks to the experts on this thread, I have chatted with a true expert (who likes her chocolate even higher % than I do!!) who made a bunch of stuff very clear for me, sent me quotes, and relieved my "gotta do it NOW" anxiety as it turns out I have another week.
Thank you one and all for lighting the fire under my can!
When you need the really good stuff you have to pay for it. I wonder if there's a policy that covers the cost of your insurance should you cancel or be cancelled? [emoji23][emoji23]


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