How does the insurance work for cancelling?

[janpa70]

We are suppose to go to Alaska in May, everything booked and paid for. My sister is going in for emergency surgery tomorrow and to cancel our penalty is $12,100. We do have travel insurance. Can anyone tell me how well the insurance works and does it cover this? I was hoping they would just let us change to the cruise to a different date.

[PTC DAWG]

Hopefully she will be fine and you can take your cruise. 

[tonit964]

11 minutes ago, janpa70 said:

We are suppose to go to Alaska in May, everything booked and paid for. My sister is going in for emergency surgery tomorrow and to cancel our penalty is $12,100. We do have travel insurance. Can anyone tell me how well the insurance works and does it cover this? I was hoping they would just let us change to the cruise to a different date.

A physician would have to fill out the insurance forms if they advise she can’t travel. Hopefully she’ll have a speedy recovery and can still go. 
 

[jimsig]

First, I hope your sister will be fine and all works out.

 

Have you called already and asked for a switch?  Though they do not have to they may be willing, you never know.  Did you get your insurance through NCL?  Was you sisters condition pre-existing and if so did you have coverage with pre-existing coverage?  Did you purchase airfare on your own or through NCL?

 

In 2014 my wife and I had to cancel our 10 year wedding anniversary Alaskan Cruisetour after full payment but still within some sort of penalty phase and we had taken out insurance with pre-existing condition coverage as she was dealing with a chronic health condition.  We did not use NCL insurance. Basically we were made whole with what we had spent between Cruise tour and airfare.  We first had to get refunds on anything we could.  We had NCL refund us on what ever percentage we were entitled to.  We booked airfare on our own so we dealt with the airlines.  As for the airlines it was non-refundable but they did put it in a travel bank so we had to show some sort of proof of that.  After we had proof of refunds we filled out the paperwork from the insurance company, included the doctors note that she was unable to travel, and waited for the refund check. 

 

We ended up doing just a cruise 2 years later but for this trip we brought our then 6yo DD along and it was about the same price as what the Cruisetour was going to cost.  

Edited March 26, 2023 by jimsig

[shof515]

contact your travel insurance company asap to find out what documentation they need and any forms you will need to fill out. they will require medical documentation stating that you can not travel

[itsnotjustme]

First off, best of luck to your sister.

 

A lot will depend on the insurance you selected and the details of your coverage.  Read the full policy details as no one here can supply those details for you.  Is you sister one of the travelers?  That may make a difference.

 

This is perhaps obvious, but if you do need to cancel, cancel everything that is refundable first like excursions, the Free at Sea Meal and Drink packages (to get the gratuities back), pre-paid daily service charge, and anything else you can.  Likewise do all you can on the airfare (if not through NCL) and pre or post cruise hotels.

[DaisyGoldberg]

A few years ago my mother had to cancel a week before her cruise because my sister had emergency surgery and needed to be cared for at home and she was the only one who could do it. She had the NCL platinum insurance and it went pretty smoothly. Had to get documentation from my sister's physician about the situation (which also required HIPAA release from my sister). As I recall it took less than a month, and almost half of that was waiting for the doctors to return forms.  Everything done via email.

 

They also fully covered her traveling companion's cancelation even though she had no relation to us and presumably could have taken the cruise herself. 

 

Port fees as I recall were immediately refunded from NCL and we just waited for the cost of the cruise itself. She got everything back except the price of the insurance itself.

[BirdTravels]

On 3/26/2023 at 10:31 AM, janpa70 said:

We are suppose to go to Alaska in May, everything booked and paid for. My sister is going in for emergency surgery tomorrow and to cancel our penalty is $12,100. We do have travel insurance. Can anyone tell me how well the insurance works and does it cover this? I was hoping they would just let us change to the cruise to a different date.

It is critical that you understand what documentation your insurance company requires. It is NOT a doctor’s note. The doctor will need to complete the required forms and the insurance company will need to assess if they consider it a covered reason for cancellation. This is especially important if the cause of the surgery could potentially be the result of a pre exiting condition. 

[latebloomer56]

15 hours ago, DaisyGoldberg said:

A few years ago my mother had to cancel a week before her cruise because my sister had emergency surgery and needed to be cared for at home and she was the only one who could do it. She had the NCL platinum insurance and it went pretty smoothly. Had to get documentation from my sister's physician about the situation (which also required HIPAA release from my sister). As I recall it took less than a month, and almost half of that was waiting for the doctors to return forms.  Everything done via email.

 

They also fully covered her traveling companion's cancelation even though she had no relation to us and presumably could have taken the cruise herself. 

 

Port fees as I recall were immediately refunded from NCL and we just waited for the cost of the cruise itself. She got everything back except the price of the insurance itself.

We had to cancel last year and we did require the Doctor to fill out a form. This was easy as I was hospitalized at the time. The insurance covered all five of us and only charged the insurance cost. We had the cruise line insurance.

Hope your sister has a speedy recovery.

[GeezerCouple]

On 3/26/2023 at 10:31 AM, janpa70 said:

We are suppose to go to Alaska in May, everything booked and paid for. My sister is going in for emergency surgery tomorrow and to cancel our penalty is $12,100. We do have travel insurance. Can anyone tell me how well the insurance works and does it cover this? I was hoping they would just let us change to the cruise to a different date.

 

How did the insurer tell you to proceed, in terms of what type of claim and how it would be paid.

Also, whether there even is a chance to "change to a different date".  That's not likely to be up to the insurer.

 

How it works, and "how well it works", may vary with the insurer and the specify type of policy you may have.

That is, asking a group of people "how does your health care insurance work" may not necessarily be helpful for *your* situation, etc.

 

I hope your sister is fine and has a comfortable recovery!

 

GC

[janpa70]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Not sure what we are going to do cause the doctor who did the surgery is an hour away and she won't be seeing him again. Her doctor is not affiliated with the hospital anymore, what a mess. So there is no doctor to fill out the paperwork. We are kinda just plaining it by ear and hoping for the best outcome.

[GeezerCouple]

1 minute ago, janpa70 said:

Thanks everyone for the responses. Not sure what we are going to do cause the doctor who did the surgery is an hour away and she won't be seeing him again. Her doctor is not affiliated with the hospital anymore, what a mess. So there is no doctor to fill out the paperwork. We are kinda just plaining it by ear and hoping for the best outcome.

 

Can't you email a pdf copy of the form to the physician/surgeon, and get the form completed and signed that way?

Depending upon the surgery and the time lag, it may be very obvious that travel is not going to work.  (The surgeon left the hospital immediately after the surgery?)

 

Good luck.

 

GC

[SimplyAlbert]

5 minutes ago, janpa70 said:

Thanks everyone for the responses. Not sure what we are going to do cause the doctor who did the surgery is an hour away and she won't be seeing him again. Her doctor is not affiliated with the hospital anymore, what a mess. So there is no doctor to fill out the paperwork. We are kinda just plaining it by ear and hoping for the best outcome.

 You can get the paperwork and either email or fax it to the doctor to fill out.  You should call the office ahead of time to let them know you'll be sending it.  I highly doubt that the insurance company will pay out without the paperwork filled out by the doctor who performed the surgery.

 

If you can't get your money back is there someone else who would go with you?  Our son-in-law wasn't able to make the cruise because of a new job and we were able to substitute my sister-in-law.

 

[DaisyGoldberg]

The surgeon's office staff will be the ones who will process the forms. Even if the surgeon has left, the surgery took place at that facility and they will have the records to back you up and can advise who's authorized to sign them. They're required by law to share her medical record with whomever she designates, so once she shares that the travel insurance company is authorized to receive the information, they can make it happen. Her best bet is reaching the office by phone and asking how they would prefer to receive the information - snail mail, pdf, fax?

 

Nobody leaves a surgical practice/hospital privileges without somebody designated to cover their current patients. Even if they dropped dead the hospital would designate somebody.

Edited April 10, 2023 by DaisyGoldberg