We have finally booked our first post covid cruise and I have a question

[SLSD]

We have finally booked our first post covid cruise and I have a question.  I hope it is a question that is allowed here.  If you are a United States based cruiser,  who is your preferred travel insurance purveyor?  In the past, we have used various--but I have never really had a handle on what is the best option.  

[nancygp]

Allianz

what did you book?

 

nancy

[SLSD]

17 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Allianz

what did you book?

 

nancy

 We have never done the Norwegian fjords itinerary and have wanted to do it.  So--we have booked the June 11th-June 25th Copenhagen to Copenhagen on Ovation.  

[nancygp]

1 minute ago, SLSD said:

 We have never done the Norwegian fjords itinerary and have wanted to do it.  So--we have booked the June 11th-June 25th Copenhagen to Copenhagen on Ovation.  

Great choice…we did it last year on the ovation, 3rd time

 

Nancy 

[SLSD]

43 minutes ago, nancygp said:

Great choice…we did it last year on the ovation, 3rd time

 

Nancy 

All I could think of during the pandemic when it came to cruising was how much I wanted to do the Norwegian fjords!   I know it took us a long time to get with the program, but Mr. SLSD was somewhat resistant.  He loves cruising but was hesitant about all the hassles involved because of covid and airline travel.  We are going to pack as if our luggage will be lost.  In other words, packing smartly in our carry ons so that we could survive.  

 

Nancygp, As I get organized, I'll start another thread asking for advice about what to do at various ports.  Just today, we received notice of an itinerary change and we have just booked the cruise.  

 

[saminina]

steve@tripinsurancestore.com

 

[saminina]

Continuing......bought first ever policy January 2022.   GeoBlueTrekker-Choice it's an annual policy.

Renewed last month.

 

I did simple research last year and Steve is solid guy and will take time with you.  The policy has something to do with Blue Cross/Shield.   Your husband can read the policy.  It's in a foreign language to me.

[rallydave]

Insurance is NOT one size fits all.  What is good for one person may or may not be good for another.  Always recommend you talk to tripinsurancestore.com.   Steve and his team  just like others posted.  Great Group and will get what you specifically need.

[2SailingNomads]

We buy a full year policy.  MUCH cheaper than a trip at a time and covers not just cruises, but rental cars, land-based vacations, etc.  

[sfvoyage]

I like my full year policy except for its limitation of 45 days maximum per trip.  Are there other full year policies with a higher limit of # of days per trip?

[Vineyard View]

Insuremytrip.com is another alternative we have used several times. Easy to use website for comparison shopping. Had a very positive experience one year when medical forced cancellation. But as others have said, each trip/policy/destination/needs can vary and always good to compare

[galeforce9]

6 hours ago, SLSD said:

We have finally booked our first post covid cruise and I have a question.  I hope it is a question that is allowed here.  If you are a United States based cruiser,  who is your preferred travel insurance purveyor?  In the past, we have used various--but I have never really had a handle on what is the best option.  

Congratulations! 

[cruiseej]

To @SLSD congratulations on booking a trip. 🙂 I know it's been a long time coming! And you'll love the Norwegian fjords; it was our first Seabourn cruise, and absolutely hooked us. 

 

Can anyone explain to me how an annual travel insurance policy is cheaper than insurance for a specific trip, like one would get from companies like Allianz, CSA/Generali or TravelGuard? I've read this before, and it just doesn't make sense to me, so I must be missing something important. Does it cover less? Thanks.

[Techno123]

8 hours ago, SLSD said:

 We have never done the Norwegian fjords itinerary and have wanted to do it.  So--we have booked the June 11th-June 25th Copenhagen to Copenhagen on Ovation.  

Oooh let me know how it goes as we are booked on the same cruise leaving on the 9th July. Particularly if you do any independent tours.

 

having done 3 Med cruises on Seabourn where we used to hop off ship and explore on our own and then a recent one with Regent where tours are included, I did gulp at the cost of the Seabourn excursions 😂

[Techno123]

8 hours ago, nancygp said:

Great choice…we did it last year on the ovation, 3rd time

 

Nancy 

Hi Nancy - same as my post above. Do you have any recommendations for non Seabourn tours? Many thanks.

[nancygp]

Took a tram/train tour in Alesund.  The tram was next to where we exited the ship.  It’s a good way to see the city and and you get an opportunity to take great photos from above the city.  It’s also a lovely city to walk around.  While I didn’t do this in Loen,  many recommend the skywalk.

 

We regret not doing any venture zodiac tours.  We plan on one or two in Alaska  on seabourn

 

Most of our tours were ship tours.  We were somewhat disappointed in the seabourn offerings.   Our first two Norway cruises were on crystal with several different ports and good shorex offerings.

 

Nancy 

Edited February 16, 2023 by nancygp

[jdk-atlga]

4 hours ago, cruiseej said:

To @SLSD congratulations on booking a trip. 🙂 I know it's been a long time coming! And you'll love the Norwegian fjords; it was our first Seabourn cruise, and absolutely hooked us. 

 

Can anyone explain to me how an annual travel insurance policy is cheaper than insurance for a specific trip, like one would get from companies like Allianz, CSA/Generali or TravelGuard? I've read this before, and it just doesn't make sense to me, so I must be missing something important. Does it cover less? Thanks.

Regarding why they are so much cheaper - it is only for medical/evacuation purposes. There is no coverage regarding the cruise/trip itself (other than a bit for delays, luggage, etc.). 

If you want to cover the cost of the cruise/trip itself, then you either pay for a full coverage and/or rely on your credit card coverage (which varies). Personally, I have gone the route with GeoBlue also (never had to use it) and took chance on cruise/credit card coverage. 

Best, jdk

[SLSD]

4 hours ago, Techno123 said:

Oooh let me know how it goes as we are booked on the same cruise leaving on the 9th July. Particularly if you do any independent tours.

 

having done 3 Med cruises on Seabourn where we used to hop off ship and explore on our own and then a recent one with Regent where tours are included, I did gulp at the cost of the Seabourn excursions 😂

I noticed that the SB excursions seem much higher than in the past.  I haven't gotten to the planning stage for ports yet.  I'll probably be asking some questions in another thread.  we may try some independent excursions.  We'll see.  I'm pretty laid back about that part of the trip.  I'm just glad we are finally going!

[Flamin_June]

Yay!

Well done you!!!

[jondfk]

We will be on there with you, see you onboard.

 

20 hours ago, SLSD said:

 We have never done the Norwegian fjords itinerary and have wanted to do it.  So--we have booked the June 11th-June 25th Copenhagen to Copenhagen on Ovation.  

[conchyjoe]

On 1/29/2023 at 6:44 AM, MBP&O2/O said:

 

 

23 hours ago, nancygp said:

Great choice…we did it last year on the ovation, 3rd time

 

Nancy 

It’s a great trip especially if it’s mid-summer and you experience the midnight sun. We did almost the same trip a few years ago on SS and really enjoyed it, all the way up to North Cape and back and a glass of champagne on the balcony bathing in warm sunshine.

It is however very much a scenic trip and worthy of lots of pixels but we found the shore excursions and ports to be a bit bland and what really surprised us was that there was little evidence of wildlife on the voyage north other than a few goats on a farm.

It’s not Alaska which is what we were expecting but was still very enjoyable.

 

To answer your question, we have used International Medical Group (IMG) in the past but fortunately have never had the need to make a Claim.

 

 

 

[SLSD]

2 minutes ago, conchyjoe said:

 

It is however very much a scenic trip and worthy of lots of pixels but we found the shore excursions and ports to be a bit bland and what really surprised us was that there was little evidence of wildlife on the voyage north other than a few goats on a farm.

It’s not Alaska which is what we were expecting but was still very enjoyable.

 

 

 

I am expecting it to be a scenic trip with less than the most exciting ports.  That is ok with us!  Some of my favorite days cruising have been the scenic cruising days.  

[rallydave]

5 minutes ago, conchyjoe said:

It is however very much a scenic trip and worthy of lots of pixels but we found the shore excursions and ports to be a bit bland and what really surprised us was that there was little evidence of wildlife on the voyage north other than a few goats on a farm.

We did the cruise on a different cruise line and loved the ports.  Did most on our own and rented cars in 2 different ports for enjoyable sightseeing.  As to wildlife we saw many Reindeer bot along the road and in the middle of the road while driving up to North Cape.

[2SailingNomads]

16 hours ago, jdk-atlga said:

Regarding why they are so much cheaper - it is only for medical/evacuation purposes. There is no coverage regarding the cruise/trip itself (other than a bit for delays, luggage, etc.). 

If you want to cover the cost of the cruise/trip itself, then you either pay for a full coverage and/or rely on your credit card coverage (which varies). Personally, I have gone the route with GeoBlue also (never had to use it) and took chance on cruise/credit card coverage. 

Best, jdk

It depends on the policy.  The one we buy covers 1 trip cancellation up to a limit $ per person  inside of the coverage policy time, plus medical / evac coverage which are tied to a $ amount.  We also book on CC's that have high limits on trip insurance so we have backstops.   Depends on how much you research the options and know how it all can work.  YMMV.

[PSahoy]

I’m on this cruise as well and very much looking forward to the scenery, hiking, zodiac etc. and meeting some of you