Should I remove vacation protection from booking?

[Cyn874]

I hope it's ok to ask this because I know we aren't supposed to talk about 3rd party things, but I'm not naming any names. This just has to do with not doubling up on insurance. 

 

When I booked my cruise, I selected the vacation protection that comes through the cruise line. (I booked directly on Carnival.com.) But I've heard so many people say you should get vacation insurance through an outside company, so I went ahead and did that last night. It's all paid for and set up for my trip. 

 

Should I now call Carnival and ask them to remove the vacation protection from my cruise? It would save me over $200. Is this something people would normally do? This is my first experience using outside trip insurance, but the company I used is highly rated and recommended by other cruisers. My final payment to Carnival is supposed to be this Sunday, so if I have this removed, I need to do it quickly. Is it safe to do?

[CAnative1]

If you are able to, I would. I have always traveled with insurance from other carriers. Thus far I have not needed to use any of the insurance, but from seeing other people's experiences they do seem to be as good if not better than those offered by cruise lines. 

[klfrodo]

I sure would call and ask if you've already purchased insurance thru another party.

Depending on the time frame that you initially purchased the Carnival policy, they may let you cancel and get a refund.

[Cyn874]

I called Carnival, and I'm always so impressed with their customer service! 

 

Apparently there is a 10 day period to remove the vacation protection after you book. I booked all the way back in 2019. But the agent escalated my question a couple of times and they ended up removing it as a one time courtesy for me. How nice! I almost told her to not bother them on the 2nd escalation because I understand there are rules to be followed, but she seemed keen on trying, so I let her. That was really nice of them.

[Organized Chaos]

It's not that Carnival's trip insurance is bad, but you can get much better coverage, and oftentimes cheaper, elsewhere. Like many other things sold through Carnival, buying their Vacation Protection just makes it convenient for many people.

 

We booked our upcoming cruise about a year ago and final payment was in December. I just looked and we're still able to add Vacation Protection through our Cruise Manager. It doesn't make much sense that they'd allow it to be added a year after booking, a month before a cruise, but only allow 10 days to cancel it. Maybe that's true, but Carnival customer service is known to be wrong sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if that whole "one-time courtesy" bit that they told you was just fluff. We've had a 48-hour hold on a cabin extended to a week. For our upcoming cruise, we got our final payment date extended by 4-5 days. That's something I never would've imagined they'd do. They offered to do these things for us, we never asked, and they didn't blink an eye. They'll do a lot more than they like to let on. But it all worked out for you and I think you made the right decision. You no longer needed Carnival's policy. Enjoy!

Edited February 6, 2020 by Organized Chaos

[Elaine5715]

I use it when I am sailing with family in my cabin so I don't have to fuss at them to get theirs done.  Just click and pay.  

[GradUT]

Since they were able to remove the charge immediately ("as a one time courtesy"), it's clearly something that can be done and should be done immediately.   There's no logical reason why a 10--day waiting period should be required to remove "Vacation Protection" after you book. 

 

And for any future cruises, I suggest you continue to book your trip insurance  through 3rd party sites.  I have always found better coverage at lower rates than what Carnival offers through InsureMyTrip.com.  As is true in many cases, easier is not always better.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by GradUT

[lindsay0526]

I never get cruise line or airline specific insurance when I go on vacation. I book a 3rd party because it is comprehensive for my ENTIRE trip- from the time I leave until I get home. It covers flight/travel issues, weather issues, health issues, etc. And not to mention, it is normally cheaper. 

 

I’m glad they were able to refund you! 

[CanWeGoYet?]

To me it didn't sound like it was a 10 day waiting period to cancel, but a 10 day  time limit on how long you could cancel & get a refund.  Which makes sense - my 3rd party insurance has a 14 day period where a cancel with refund is possible.  After that you cancel if you like, but no refund is available.  

[Jamesatgsu]

I've never gotten travel insurance for a cruise, but if I did it wouldn't be directly through them because it will always be cheaper elsewhere, and several credit cards include travel insurance (though I admittedly have no idea what the limitations are).

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 2/6/2020 at 11:50 AM, Cyn874 said:

I hope it's ok to ask this because I know we aren't supposed to talk about 3rd party things, but I'm not naming any names. This just has to do with not doubling up on insurance. 

 

When I booked my cruise, I selected the vacation protection that comes through the cruise line. (I booked directly on Carnival.com.) But I've heard so many people say you should get vacation insurance through an outside company, so I went ahead and did that last night. It's all paid for and set up for my trip. 

 

Should I now call Carnival and ask them to remove the vacation protection from my cruise? It would save me over $200. Is this something people would normally do? This is my first experience using outside trip insurance, but the company I used is highly rated and recommended by other cruisers. My final payment to Carnival is supposed to be this Sunday, so if I have this removed, I need to do it quickly. Is it safe to do?

Check you charge cards. many offer travel insurance as a bonus with your card. Mine does. I need to use that recently and had no problem getting the reimbursement from the insurance company. It cover up to $5,000.00 per person for basically anything. We never do any that cost more than that so it is sufficient for us.

[ObstructedView2]

4 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Check you charge cards. many offer travel insurance as a bonus with your card. Mine does. I need to use that recently and had no problem getting the reimbursement from the insurance company. It cover up to $5,000.00 per person for basically anything. We never do any that cost more than that so it is sufficient for us.

 

 

See post #4........

 

😉

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

1 minute ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

 

See post #4........

 

😉

That has nothing to do with what I was referring to.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 2/6/2020 at 11:50 AM, Cyn874 said:

I hope it's ok to ask this because I know we aren't supposed to talk about 3rd party things, but I'm not naming any names. This just has to do with not doubling up on insurance. 

 

When I booked my cruise, I selected the vacation protection that comes through the cruise line. (I booked directly on Carnival.com.) But I've heard so many people say you should get vacation insurance through an outside company, so I went ahead and did that last night. It's all paid for and set up for my trip. 

 

Should I now call Carnival and ask them to remove the vacation protection from my cruise? It would save me over $200. Is this something people would normally do? This is my first experience using outside trip insurance, but the company I used is highly rated and recommended by other cruisers. My final payment to Carnival is supposed to be this Sunday, so if I have this removed, I need to do it quickly. Is it safe to do?

Call them right now. They might do it for you.

[ray98]

22 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

Call them right now. They might do it for you.

 

May want to read post #4.

[mexicobob]

One reason you do not want to use travel insurance with your cruise line is if they go out of business. Mainly applies to small cruise lines. If they go out of business, your insurance may be worthless. 

Carnival will not be going broke any time soon. Sure they are better deals out there, but is easier.