Travel Insurance Question

[IpswichChris]

We have just booked a cruise from Boston to the Caribbean for October, and want to purchase travel insurance that will cover us if we cancel for any reason, not just the usual "covered reasons".  I have a quote from Allianz which is pretty pricey.  I expected this kind of insurance upgrade to be expensive, but am wondering if there are other reputable ins. companies that might offer this.  Since this itinerary is all about the weather, our primary concern is bad weather which would either make our trip unenjoyable or that Windstar will change the itinerary altogether.  The insurance we've purchased before from our TA doesn't offer this option.

[minidonuts85]

I use Insubuy.com to search various providers. You can filter for CFAR on their site. You probably already know but CFAR policies typically require you to buy within 14-21 days of your first deposit of the trip you are insuring. 

[IpswichChris]

2 hours ago, minidonuts85 said:

I use Insubuy.com to search various providers. You can filter for CFAR on their site. You probably already know but CFAR policies typically require you to buy within 14-21 days of your first deposit of the trip you are insuring. 

Yes, we basically have until the end of next week.  Thanks..will check out that website.  

[SailMaine]

We always use Allianz and have been very satisfied with the ease of processing claims. In 2019, due to DH’s spine surgeries, we had to cancel two separate trips - both very close to travel dates - and had no issues getting 100% of our funds back in a timely manner. On our recent Caribbean trip in December, we had two ports cancelled and received back $200 each for the two missed ports. The price is expensive but our positive experiences make it worth it on the off chance we have to cancel last minute.

[SailMaine]

BTW, we are on that same sailing from Boston in October. Looking forward to it and hoping the weather will be good. Fingers crossed!

[IpswichChris]

20 minutes ago, SailMaine said:

BTW, we are on that same sailing from Boston in October. Looking forward to it and hoping the weather will be good. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for that info...glad to see that you've had good experience with Allianz.  One of our fears, probably unfounded, is that in case of very bad weather forecast, Windstar would re-route this cruise up the Maine coast into Canada, which is the itinerary the ship takes just prior to this cruise.  No offense to the great cities of Portland and Bar Harbor, but I've been to both places many times!!

We have friends who have a summer home on Westport Island (including a boat)....beautiful place.  See you on board😀  

[toolworker]

I've had excellent experience with TravelGuard, and the increased premium for CFAR is not overwhelming IIRC.

 

Two comments in addition to the 14 - 21 day window for purchasing: CFAR expires two days before departure, so if something comes up in the last couple of days it won't apply. And you'd have to cancel the entire trip - all arrangements. We were on a cruise out of New York, and I inquired about canceling the cruise and just going to New York to visit family. CFAR wouldn't pay off unless we canceled everything including the flights.

 

(This is for TravelGuard - other companies may have similar restrictions.)

[marinaro44]

Try squaremouth.com or travelinsurance.com and request quotes.

[6986]

We’ve used tripinsurancestore.com and have had a couple of claims paid out. We live in New York and apparently CAFR policies are not allowed here so I’d make sure they are allowed in your home state. I also think some CFAR policies only pay out a portion of the total, like maybe 75%. We did get one once when we lived in Virginia. Fortunately we didn’t have to use it but I’m pretty sure it would have only refunded a portion of the total. Recommend to read any potential policies carefully. 

[IpswichChris]

Thanks everyone!

[Pudgesmom]

My guess is that the ship is relocating to the Caribbean at the end of hurricane season and that Windstar will be very interested in getting the ship south. 

[IpswichChris]

1 hour ago, Pudgesmom said:

My guess is that the ship is relocating to the Caribbean at the end of hurricane season and that Windstar will be very interested in getting the ship south. 

Even though I fret about an itinerary change, I think you are absolutely correct about that.

[GeezerCouple]

On 1/30/2024 at 12:24 AM, 6986 said:

We’ve used tripinsurancestore.com and have had a couple of claims paid out. We live in New York and apparently CAFR policies are not allowed here so I’d make sure they are allowed in your home state. I also think some CFAR policies only pay out a portion of the total, like maybe 75%. We did get one once when we lived in Virginia. Fortunately we didn’t have to use it but I’m pretty sure it would have only refunded a portion of the total. Recommend to read any potential policies carefully. 

 

We have used TripInsuranceStore.com also, after learning about it here on CC almost 10 years ago.  And good thing, too.  Our first trip with insurance, a very expensive trip for us at the time (er, times have changed! 😉 ) needed to be cancelled less than 2 weeks prior to our planned departure due to a medical emergency.  Fortunately, our discussions with them (and lots of Q&A while we learned - pretty fast - about travel insurance) helped us to get the right policy, and all of our expenses were refunded in cash, about 2 weeks after we submitted all of the documentation.  (In this case, we were more concerned about the medical issues, so we didn't deal with the documents for a while, until some of the emergency level issues were under better control).

 

Our policy through TIS was with Travel Insured.

We've since had several other claims, including another large one.  All of them were paid promptly.  We have zero complaints, and we'll continue to get this policy, from TI, through TIS.

Our only complaint is that we needed to file travel insurance claims several times...

 

GC

[jclinard]

On 1/30/2024 at 11:36 AM, toolworker said:

I've had excellent experience with TravelGuard, and the increased premium for CFAR is not overwhelming IIRC.

 

Two comments in addition to the 14 - 21 day window for purchasing: CFAR expires two days before departure, so if something comes up in the last couple of days it won't apply. And you'd have to cancel the entire trip - all arrangements. We were on a cruise out of New York, and I inquired about canceling the cruise and just going to New York to visit family. CFAR wouldn't pay off unless we canceled everything including the flights.

 

(This is for TravelGuard - other companies may have similar restrictions.)

How long did it take for them to pay your claim?

[toolworker]

5 hours ago, jclinard said:

How long did it take for them to pay your claim?

I didn't cancel, so didn't file a CFAR claim.

 

My other Travelguard claims were paid promptly, except for a Trip Interruption claim for which they needed documentation from the cruise line. They paid the cruise fare for the five days I was quarantined for Covid, as well as the medical bill.