Help Me....i Made A Mistake

[hopelea]

I paid our cruise off Thursday. I forgot to add trip insurance. I just called NCL and they said that since I paid it off, I can't add it.

HELP, ANY SUGGESTIONS??? Can I get insurance somewhere else?????

[Seaside2358]

Check out www.insuremytrip.com. I always get my insurance there and you can compare many policies.

[hopelea]

Phew......I looked there and found that Travelex is $100 less than NCL.

 

I guess I will book through there. I hope my dad isn't too mad that we aren't using NCL insurance.

 

Thanks........Hope

[DragonflyCruiser]

Check out www.insuremytrip.com. I always get my insurance there and you can compare many policies.

 

Any suggestions on what to get or when it needs to be purchased in relation to the trip's beginning?

[TxRev]

If you have pre-existing medical problems it is advisable to purchase within 2-3 weeks of final payment on the trip. We have used Travel Guard on an 11 days cruise and just purchased TravelSafe for a 7 day because it offered a better policy.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are much better off getting travel insurance through a 3rd party - that's what a good many of us do.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we make final payment, that's when we buy travel insurance - usually 60 days before the cruise.

[DragonflyCruiser]

Thanks...I'll be checking around and using the site you suggested. We have med coverage thru our regular major medical policy. We checked and it's good over seas or here. So, all I will need is cancellation coverage I think??? We don't have any pre-existing conditions to worry over. Does it matter when I get the policy? We don't leave till Sept. Anything else need coverage that I'm not aware of? Since we purchased air ourselves, and they are refundable, I'm not worried about anything but the cost of the cruise after it's paid off ??? days prior.

[DragonflyCruiser]

I just checked Travel Guard and they seem to cover a lot at a fair price. Any pros or cons with that company?

[montekat]

We have used TravelGuard several times but never had to make a claim. They seem to have a decent price for the coverage. One thing I do like about their paperwork is that they include printable ID cards to carry and to attach to the luggage with their 800#. I wish the other companies would do this too. That way if my luggage gets lost, it will automatically be sent to me.

 

I had to pay $20 to have one piece of luggage returned from Port Everglades a couple of years ago. It was lost in the shuffle of a group cruise. If it had had the ID tags on it, they would have sent it free of charge. I was just so happy to get my suitcase, I never even thought of filing a claim!

[Lee77]

You will note on insuremytrip.com that if you want pre-existing conditions covered you need to purchase the insurance within so many days of your initial deposit..usually 7-14 days. Understand what all the stipulations/definitions are concerning pre-existing conditions. Also many of these policies if not all require you to insure the cost of everything that is not refundable, not just the price of the cruise. I never knew this until the agent explained it to me and sure enough he was right. We used Travelguard Protect and Assist.

 

Also,you can't develop a problem and then expect to buy insurance and be able to cancel your trip. This seems like common sense but some have tried it. Go figure!

[knarf]

We have cruised 7 times in the last 5 years and twice now someone has had to be flown off the ship for medical reasons...you never know !!! It is really big big bucks to have this taken care of. Many insurances have coverage for this. Our luggage was damaged on our last trip and the insurance took care of it. Since my mom is 93 years of age, I always take the insurance and for the relative small amount it is for insurance, I would not skimp on taken the coverage that is offered in the packages. My 3 cents worth. have a great cruise all. Knarf (Frank)

[Nebr.cruiser]

We usually insure our trips with Travel Guard and have been very satisfied with their coverage. We had to cancel two trips because of the health of elderly parents recently and have received full reimbursement. You do have to submit paper work to prove that you are cancelling for a valid reason, ie doctor's certification, etc., but I'm sure that is the case with any company. Refunds were handled promptly and politely.

[DragonflyCruiser]

Great information! You have all answered may of my questions. We have purchased the ins. offered thru the cruise line in the past and felt it was very expensive. I'm thinking travel guard will be the way to go.

 

Isn't is great to have almost instant help when you need it thru Cruise Critic! Happy cruising to you all!

[VentureMan_2000]

I use Travelex because they are primary coverage for medical. Their policy will cover $50,000 medical and emergency evacuation.

 

Oh yeah, they cover your trip too if you have to cancel.:D

[DragonflyCruiser]

After planning and being so excited about the trip it would be terrible to have to cancel! Hope not but best to be prepared. I'll look at Travelex as well. Travel Guard has good coverage too. It will be interesting to compare prices. It's terrible to buy something you hope you never have to use!

[reh250]

Have used TravelGuard in the past. Had to cancel once due to family illness. No problem...full refund, very quickly. I would buy with them again in a heartbeat!

[montgomeryfamily]

Be careful as to the coverage that you are actually getting and make sure that the insurance will cover everything you are concerned about. This is especially important for those who are in the military or military reserve.

 

We used to use TravelGuard for all of our cruises and trips. Never had to make a claim. However, I'm in the AF reserve and got called up after 9/11. Travel Guard refused to reimburse. We lost hundreds of dollars. So we never used TravelGuard again.

 

Found out a number of other travel insurance companies did give reimbursement for this on a case by case basis and several have written policies providing reimbursement for military and reserve personnel who have to cancel because of orders.

 

Most of these other insurance policies also cover pre-existing conditions (which you need to be careful because you may not have any, but your parents or other relatives may and will you have to cancel if your parents get sick or worse?) Insuremytrip.com is a good resource to compare prices and general coverage, but you need to read the binder to see all of the details. We always go one step further and do this too.

 

So we have primarily been using CSA and Travelex, depending cost and booking date/final payment date. Ironically, these insurance policies are cheaper than Travel Guard. So we have actually been saving money that we would have otherwise spent/given to Travel Guard. We have had to make claims on both of these insurance--once for luggage and once for cancellation due to illness in family. Both paid off with no problem.

[Maddle]

Kathy (Montgomeryfamily) - Do the two you have been using lately spell out in their policy that they do specifically cover military orders? I would be interested because I haven't had good luck finding one yet....but I can't say I have looked very hard lately. (Just kind of figured I would be stuck.)

 

Maddle

 

PS - After posting this I took a look at insuremytrip, and the FAQ's - and there was a list of companies that address this "peril."

[K&RCurt]

Thanks...I'll be checking around and using the site you suggested. We have med coverage thru our regular major medical policy. We checked and it's good over seas or here. So, all I will need is cancellation coverage I think??? We don't have any pre-existing conditions to worry over. Does it matter when I get the policy? We don't leave till Sept. Anything else need coverage that I'm not aware of? Since we purchased air ourselves, and they are refundable, I'm not worried about anything but the cost of the cruise after it's paid off ??? days prior.

 

Think twice about cancellation only:

 

Scenario: You get sick or hurt on the ship (fall down stairs and compound fracture your leg). The Dr. advises you need to get to a hospital ASAP. Your Medical insurance MAY cover the ship's doctor, but likely not. It is VERY doubtful your medical insurance will cover the $30,000.00 helicoptor trip to the hospital on the nearest island! I would suggest you not be "penny wise and pound foolish".

[oldmedic]

we have used Travelguard on each of our cruises and have only made one claim which was quickly reimbursed. excellent service and great people to deal with. It was actually cheaper to see the ships doctor than it is to see our land based primary care physician.