Insurance Company Recommendations?

[GMIAC]

We'll be making our final payment for our January RSSC cruise in a couple of weeks, and want to purchase cancellation insurance. Also maybe medical evacuation insurance. Can I get some referrals for good companies? You can PM me if posting links isn't allowed here. Thanks!

Edited August 3, 2023 by GMIAC

[RetiredandTravel]

In the past I have used the Forbes website for travel insurance reviews & comparisons.  They do transfer you to sites so I always keep that in mind.

 

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/best-travel-insurance/

 

 

[Nachosdelux]

This website does not allow private messages.

 

i recommend Seven Corners 

 

 

[pappy1022]

Tripinsurancestore dot com. Also check your credit card company because some do provide travel insurance benefits. My card provided $20K 

[papaflamingo]

Be sure to check out GoReady and Faye.  I have a policy with each as well as Generali.  All have been really easy to work with, although I have not filed a claim with any of them.  But their prices and benefits were comparable for the cost.  I always decide which benefit is most important and then compare the different companies and their benefits.  Example, since I live in Ga. then Medical Evacuation from the Caribbean is less important than when we cruised to Fakarava in 2018 in the South Pacific where you'd need a private medevac plane to come get you.  

[-Lew-]

Steve Dasseos and his staff at the TripInsuranceStore are the best.  You can find Steve quite often on the Cruise/Travel Insurance board here on CC.

 

Whatever you do, do not buy insurance from any cruise line.

[Vertygo]

I just purchased a policy from Zurich through CostcoTravel for a price 75% less than Regent. You don’t need to have booked the cruise or any part of it through them, but price drops even more if you do book a hotel stay or car rental.

[pappy1022]

Shop around and make sure you compare apples to apples coverage. There are many viable options. Using Regent’s insurance will cost you a lot more and if there is an insurance claim against Regent, i would think there might be an opportunity for a conflict of interest.

[bitob]

14 hours ago, -Lew- said:

Steve Dasseos and his staff at the TripInsuranceStore are the best.  You can find Steve quite often on the Cruise/Travel Insurance board here on CC.

 

Whatever you do, do not buy insurance from any cruise line.

The only way to go

[mj_holiday]

Our TA recommended Allianz  and we had a claim from our last RSS cruise.  I made sure I was very precise in providing the receipts with easy to understand file names, etc.  I really didn't get much status and when I called I was told one more thing that was needed.  But, it got completely settled with in 9 weeks

[GMIAC]

Thanks for all the tips and recommendations! 

 

How do I get a quote from Regent? Their site is not very comprehensive, and just links the FAQ answers mostly to .PDFs. 

[pappy1022]

I wouldn’t even bother. They are not competitive with the several alternatives mentioned in this post.

[pappy1022]

We got our Regent insurance quote through our TA. It took about 5 seconds to review and reject. 

[GMIAC]

2 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

I wouldn’t even bother. They are not competitive with the several alternatives mentioned in this post.

 

Just now, pappy1022 said:

We got our Regent insurance quote through our TA. It took about 5 seconds to review and reject. 

 

Oh, I just wanted to see what they were offering, and through whom. So it's only available through TAs?

[pappy1022]

Don’t know that. I just asked our TA to get us the quote. I let her do the work. I would assume that Regent would do a quote for you. 

[Flgreg]

7 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Don’t know that. I just asked our TA to get us the quote. I let her do the work. I would assume that Regent would do a quote for you. 

 

Regent will give their quote to the prospective passenger.  Agree that the insurance offered by cruise lines is not of much value. We've used to use it in the past and fortunately never had to make a claim.

 

We're now using the trip insurance store and only insuring what we've spent out of pocket as we go along i.e. amount of deposit then updating once final payment is made. We also pay extra for Cancel of Any Reason coverage.

[Vertygo]

8 hours ago, mj_holiday said:

Our TA recommended Allianz  and we had a claim from our last RSS cruise.  I made sure I was very precise in providing the receipts with easy to understand file names, etc.  I really didn't get much status and when I called I was told one more thing that was needed.  But, it got completely settled with in 9 weeks

I’ll never use Allianz again after my last experience. I had purchased a policy that included pre-existing conditions & unfortunately had to cancel the trip 2 years later due to my husband’s advanced Alzheimer’s. They initially declined payment due to a clause buried on page 28 in fine print that excluded Alzheimer’s as a “mental illness”. I was later reimbursed after I mentioned the class action lawsuit in Washington state, got the office of CA Insurance Commissioner involved, & they reread the physician’s letter stating my husband had a neurological condition that wouldn’t allow him to travel.

[PaulMCO]

6 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

I wouldn’t even bother. They are not competitive with the several alternatives mentioned in this post.

Not exactly accurate.  It really depends on the OPs age.  If you are in your 80's, cruise insurance can be cheaper than most private plans, because cruise lines plans are based on a flat percentage rate for all. Private plan rates are entirely age based rates.  Still do not recommend them and concur with the The trip insurance store and Steve.

 

One thing the OP needs to pay attention is the pre existing coverage trap.  They did NOT purchase a plan with their down payment - so no waiver.  So any pre existing conditions (like heart issues) may not be covered.  Their are only a few companies like CSA that cover pre existing conditions when you purchase by the final payment.

[GMIAC]

I have more questions! 

 

Any advice/experience with "cancel at any time" cruise trip insurance add-ons? Regent has a sliding, date-based refund policy, so the insurance company would pay the difference of the lost funds? I'm looking at a policy through Costco (underwritten by Zurich) which provides for up to 50% of the paid non-refundable cost. Is a 50% reimbursement a reasonable policy? I realize it depends on how close to cruise date I might have to cancel. I'll have paid in full five months in before.

[Babr]

3 hours ago, GMIAC said:

I have more questions! 

 

Any advice/experience with "cancel at any time" cruise trip insurance add-ons? Regent has a sliding, date-based refund policy, so the insurance company would pay the difference of the lost funds? I'm looking at a policy through Costco (underwritten by Zurich) which provides for up to 50% of the paid non-refundable cost. Is a 50% reimbursement a reasonable policy? I realize it depends on how close to cruise date I might have to cancel. I'll have paid in full five months in before.

Are you referring to Cancel for Any Reason? It has nothing to do with when you cancel rather it covers why. If you cancel for a reason that is not covered under the Cancellation provision, then it will refund 50% of the pre-paid non-refundable expenses regardless of when you cancel. There are other policies that cover 75%, but you have to consider overall coverage vs. cost.  
 

[Babr]

On 8/3/2023 at 10:21 AM, GMIAC said:

We'll be making our final payment for our January RSSC cruise in a couple of weeks, and want to purchase cancellation insurance. Also maybe medical evacuation insurance. Can I get some referrals for good companies? You can PM me if posting links isn't allowed here. Thanks!

 

Perhaps you meant comprehensive travel insurance. There are no cancellation policies, but a comprehensive policy will cover it along with medical treatment and evacuation. Know that in insurance language, evacuation means transporting you to the nearest appropriate hospital if you need additional treatment beyond what is available at the initial facility. It does not necessarily mean repatriation; however, it will cover that when it is medically necessary. If you want more control over the decision, MedJet Assist is a medical transportation organization that offers membership which will provide repatriation at your request. There are some limitations, but you can check their website for details.

 

Be very careful about relying on credit card coverage. While the dollar amount appears generous, there is an abbreviated list of covered reasons. The pre-existing conditions exclusion extends to family members who are not traveling with you so be sure you understand how that applies to your situation.

 

Cruise line insurance can be an option when age is a consideration because it will be less expensive. Don’t worry about conflict of interest when filing a claim because it is not against Regent rather the independent underwriter and plan administrator. Once Regent sells you the policy with their brand on it, they are no longer involved.

 

The best advice given here is to contact The Trip Insurance store. They can guide you to the best policy for your needs.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Babr

[GMIAC]

6 hours ago, Babr said:

 

Perhaps you meant comprehensive travel insurance. There are no cancellation policies, but a comprehensive policy will cover it along with medical treatment and evacuation. Know that in insurance language, evacuation means transporting you to the nearest appropriate hospital if you need additional treatment beyond what is available at the initial facility. It does not necessarily mean repatriation; however, it will cover that when it is medically necessary. If you want more control over the decision, MedJet Assist is a medical transportation organization that offers membership which will provide repatriation at your request. There are some limitations, but you can check their website for details.

 

Be very careful about relying on credit card coverage. While the dollar amount appears generous, there is an abbreviated list of covered reasons. The pre-existing conditions exclusion extends to family members who are not traveling with you so be sure you understand how that applies to your situation.

 

Cruise line insurance can be an option when age is a consideration because it will be less expensive. Don’t worry about conflict of interest when filing a claim because it is not against Regent rather the independent underwriter and plan administrator. Once Regent sells you the policy with their brand on it, they are no longer involved.

 

The best advice given here is to contact The Trip Insurance store. They can guide you to the best policy for your needs.

 

 

 

The insurance companies I've gotten quotes from have a "cancel for any non-covered reason" add-on, usually about an additional 50% premium on top of the basic premium. Most compensate at a percentage of the non-refundable price. We'd be more comfortable having this coverage, as (not to be ghoulish), we have several elderly aunts and uncles, and we wouldn't want to miss a funeral if one of them were to pass. 

Edited August 13, 2023 by GMIAC

[RELS]

15 minutes ago, GMIAC said:

 

The insurance companies I've gotten quotes from have a "cancel for any non-covered reason" add-on, usually about an additional 50% premium on top of the basic premium. Most compensate at a percentage of the non-refundable price. We'd be more comfortable having this coverage, as (not to be ghoulish), we have several elderly aunts and uncles, and we wouldn't want to miss a funeral if one of them were to pass. 

 

Before getting "cancel for any reason" insurance, double check to see if those relatives are considered "family members" and thus their passing would be covered under the basic policy. My policies all include aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

[GMIAC]

Just now, RELS said:

 

Before getting "cancel for any reason" insurance, double check to see if those relatives are considered "family members" and thus their passing would be covered under the basic policy. My policies all include aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

 

Good advice. I will, thanks. Those are really the only reasons we'd want to (or have to) cancel!

[Babr]

13 minutes ago, GMIAC said:

 

The insurance companies I've gotten quotes from have a "cancel for any non-covered reason" add-on, usually about an additional 50% premium on top of the basic premium. Most compensate at a percentage of the non-refundable price. We'd be more comfortable having this coverage, as (not to be ghoulish), we have several elderly aunts and uncles, and we wouldn't want to miss a funeral if one of them were to pass. 

Death of a family member is a covered reason. You’d have to check the language in the policy to be sure aunts and uncles are included in the definition of family members.  If that is the only reason you want CFAR, you may not need it.
 

That is why I recommend consulting with Steve or one of his associates at The Trip Insurance Store. They can address your concerns and find the appropriate coverage because they are professionals who deal with a limited number of reputable companies, and they are quite familiar with the policies they sell.