How soon is too soon to book travel insurance

[HopefulCruiser123]

We have booked a cruise to Europe in Spring of 2025, and another cruise back home two months later with a different cruise line.  We will be renting an automobile while in Europe.  My husband is a paraplegic and while fairly fit, we both are not as young as we once were and we both have well-controlled medical conditions.  I have very elderly and fragile parents and there is a good chance they will not be with us by the time we travel.  I have played over in my mind that if one of them passed very close to our travel date, I would probably cancel the trip.  If one of them passed while on the trip, I probably would not cancel or interrupt the trip.  

 

I didn't book the cruise insurance because I figured I needed to look at some kind of universal trip policy that would cover a host of potential risks.  The known risks (the financial cost of having to cancel a trip on short notice) is not as big of a concern for me.  But the unknown financial risks of a sudden and  severe health emergency or need for emergency evacuation, or a vehicle accident while overseas.....THESE are the things I would want some insurance heft behind me.  The trip is still pretty far ahead of us and things like the car rental (starting and ending point and duration) and where we will stay and for how long, have yet to be planned out.  

 

We haven't used a travel agent for the cruise bookings.  But I plan to use one for all other aspects of our travel.  At this point, I feel it is too early to try to hire a TA.  

 

Reading on this forum the whole issue of "preexisting conditions" and "canceling a cruise and rebooking, and how it affects the coverage" etc., have I made a mistake in not signing up for my insurance a week ago when I booked?  Or does the fact that I view losing a deposit as a calculated risk I am okay with taking, make that a moot point?  And if so, how late is too late to book travel insurance?

[GeezerCouple]

19 minutes ago, HopefulCruiser123 said:

Reading on this forum the whole issue of "preexisting conditions" and "canceling a cruise and rebooking, and how it affects the coverage" etc., have I made a mistake in not signing up for my insurance a week ago when I booked?  Or does the fact that I view losing a deposit as a calculated risk I am okay with taking, make that a moot point?  And if so, how late is too late to book travel insurance?

 

Yes, the "right question" should be 

How late is too late to book travel insurance

 

And as you mention, there can be time limits from the date of first payment to get some types of insurance.

 

I'd suggest that you *promptly* contact a travel insurance broker who deals with several insurers.  You might be able to find a policy that works for you.

 

We are among many here on CC who work with

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

But CALL them.  Don't rely upon the online summaries; those simply cannot capture the full range of benefits and restrictions, by definition.

 

GC 

[Thwockage]

Another thing to consider…

 

Back in Sept, we booked a cruise through our TA for May 2025. I promptly purchased travel insurance through a broker associated with our TA; the policy was issued by IMG. In early Dec, we received notice from the cruise line that, due to a deployment change, our itinerary was canceled. We were given the option to rebook or receive a full refund of our deposit/pre-purchaed excursions. Since the alternative options were not even close to the original itinerary from both a timeframe (now July 2025) and port perspective, we opted for the refund.

 

Then I engaged regarding getting the insurance premium refunded…was told that IMG would not provide a refund and would only give a ‘voucher’ good until early Sept 2025. Our schedule does not allow for us to travel in the summer of 2025 and we are already taking a cruise in 2024 that - regrettably, in hindsight - is also insured by IMG…so, a voucher that is only good for 3.5 months past our originally booked 2025 itinerary is useless. I am attempting to escalate this within IMG but thus far have only been told they ‘apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause’. 
 

So…while securing insurance ASAP is certainly logical, there is always the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ aspect. Doesn’t sound like you are concerned about losing your deposit on the cruise, but also keep in mind that what you pay for the insurance may also be at risk through no fault of your own…Hopefully, you will not experience anything like what we are dealing with!

[iamtrustworthy]

On 12/28/2023 at 3:19 PM, Thwockage said:

Another thing to consider…

 

Back in Sept, we booked a cruise through our TA for May 2025. I promptly purchased travel insurance through a broker associated with our TA; the policy was issued by IMG. In early Dec, we received notice from the cruise line that, due to a deployment change, our itinerary was canceled. We were given the option to rebook or receive a full refund of our deposit/pre-purchaed excursions. Since the alternative options were not even close to the original itinerary from both a timeframe (now July 2025) and port perspective, we opted for the refund.

 

Then I engaged regarding getting the insurance premium refunded…was told that IMG would not provide a refund and would only give a ‘voucher’ good until early Sept 2025. Our schedule does not allow for us to travel in the summer of 2025 and we are already taking a cruise in 2024 that - regrettably, in hindsight - is also insured by IMG…so, a voucher that is only good for 3.5 months past our originally booked 2025 itinerary is useless. I am attempting to escalate this within IMG but thus far have only been told they ‘apologize for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause’. 
 

So…while securing insurance ASAP is certainly logical, there is always the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ aspect. Doesn’t sound like you are concerned about losing your deposit on the cruise, but also keep in mind that what you pay for the insurance may also be at risk through no fault of your own…Hopefully, you will not experience anything like what we are dealing with!

Hi Thwockage,

 

Who told you that IMG issues a "voucher"? I've never heard of them doing that.

 

When you are past their 10 day Free Look period and if you aren't filing a claim on your original trip, IMG will allow you to alter the trip dates at any time prior to departure. Travel dates cannot be extended past a departure date that's more than 2 years from the original purchase date. IMG must be contacted prior to the original departure date.

 

If you bought your policy from us, there's something else you can do regarding the date change, so you would need to contact us about it.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

 

[tha sista]

On 11/29/2023 at 7:11 PM, GeezerCouple said:

 

Yes, the "right question" should be 

How late is too late to book travel insurance

 

And as you mention, there can be time limits from the date of first payment to get some types of insurance.

 

I'd suggest that you *promptly* contact a travel insurance broker who deals with several insurers.  You might be able to find a policy that works for you.

 

We are among many here on CC who work with

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

But CALL them.  Don't rely upon the online summaries; those simply cannot capture the full range of benefits and restrictions, by definition.

 

GC 

Many thanks for this information👆. I was going to wait until closer to my travel but this post made me go to the website and find a plan. I downloaded the sample contract and since it meets my needs ordered my plan through Trip Insurance Store.  It’s very nice to have that taken care of!