I used to know what I was doing as far as insurance. Now?

[Markanddonna]

We are waffling between ship insurance and independent travel insurance.  I know the coverage is better and usually cheaper with independent, but with COVID, I don't know if buying the insurance now is a good idea since we may cancel.  Can we still transfer the insurance to another trip in the future?  We recently booked two cruises for Nov 2021 and April 2022 and don't want to commit to insurance unless we are pretty sure we are going.  I lost several hundred dollars with a cancelled cruise and don't want a repeat.  Thanks for your advice.

[ChucktownSteve]

We currently have three trip insurance policies through Steve.  All of them were transferred from  cancelled or lifted & shifted cruises.  We were even able to switch one of the policies from Alaska to Greece. Another policy was transferred from Celebrity to Azamara.

 

One thing to consider by buying independent insurance now is the provision that they waive preexisting conditions if purchased within a certain number of days from your first deposit.

 

We like Steve's service and knowledge. I'm confident he will guide you properly.

Edited December 1, 2020 by ChucktownSteve

[iamtrustworthy]

4 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

We are waffling between ship insurance and independent travel insurance.  I know the coverage is better and usually cheaper with independent, but with COVID, I don't know if buying the insurance now is a good idea since we may cancel.  Can we still transfer the insurance to another trip in the future?  We recently booked two cruises for Nov 2021 and April 2022 and don't want to commit to insurance unless we are pretty sure we are going.  I lost several hundred dollars with a cancelled cruise and don't want a repeat.  Thanks for your advice.

Hi Donna and Mark,

 

When you said "I lost several hundred dollars with a cancelled cruise and don't want a repeat", do you mean that you lost the money as penalties from the cancelled cruise? Or do you mean that you lost the money as the cost of a trip insurance policy that you didn't need?

 

Steve Dasseos

 

[Markanddonna]

We cancelled the cruise which was to take place in Oct 2020 and didn't have another cruise booked where we could ask the insurance company to transfer the policy. 

[iamtrustworthy]

46 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

We cancelled the cruise which was to take place in Oct 2020 and didn't have another cruise booked where we could ask the insurance company to transfer the policy. 

 

Hi Markanddonna,

 

Many companies don't allow you to change the dates on their policy if you had a financial penalty, so it may not have benefitted you if you had a trip cancellation policy for the cruise you cancelled. If your financial penalty was converted to a future cruise credit, you likely would be able to change the policy's dates.

 

> Can we still transfer the insurance to another trip in the future?  We recently booked two cruises for Nov 2021 and April 2022 and don't want to commit to insurance unless we are pretty sure we are going.

 

If you have no financial penalty all the companies I know will let you change the dates. When you change the dates, the new trip doesn't have to be a cruise.

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

Steve Dasseos

Edited December 1, 2020 by iamtrustworthy
typo

[Host Bonjour]

Steve Dasseos is back with us again! 

We're fortunate to have our friend, Steve Dasseos, doing another residency here on Cruise Critic message boards, answering your trip insurance questions. Whether you're trying to determine what type of insurance product you need, or if you need a product, what happens if claims are filed, and what could be excluded from coverage.... well we've not yet seen a question here that Steve didn't handle brilliantly based on his experience, training, and perhaps most importantly,  deliver it in a sincere, kind, and comprehensive manner.

 

As positive news has broken lately about vaccine progress, and ships are well into testing their safety plans and protocols, it's not unreasonable to start looking into future travel plans. In light of how 2020 went, it may be wiser than ever to consider trip insurance to cover any journey you may make in the near future. 

 

Check in with Steve about what's new (or not), how to shop, what matters right now when thinking about insurance, so you'll be able to make the best choices to protect yourself, your family/friends, and your investment. 

 

Here is the link to the insurance topic where you'll find Steve for the next month! Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to connect with an expert!! 😄