Cunard Care experience (positive)

[esrs]

I know that US travelers eligible for Cunard Care often ask if it is worth it.  I do think it is probably slightly pricier than some travel insurance, but as it has some Cunard-specific benefits we always buy it.  We've never needed it until this summer. [SHORT VERSION] I was pleased with how quickly the claim was handled although there was a slight glitch. We should have all monies due (less the amount of the insurance) in our bank by the middle of next week, just a few days before we were to have returned from our trip.

 

[LONG VERSION] We had planned to have six weeks in QG on Cunard this summer - a transatlantic on June 15 followed by three weeks on the Queen Anne and then two more weeks on QM2.  The trip was booked in December 2022 while I sat by my mother's death bed, and we greatly anticipated the Baltic segment of the cruise and visiting some ports that were new to us.

 

But the morning of June 14 my right knee collapsed while I was climbing the stairs.  I couldn't walk without crutches and by midday it was clear we would have to abandon our plans. [It turned out to be a badly torn medial meniscus; five weeks later I am healing nicely and will likely not need surgery - @Victoria2 fortunately very far from needing TKR!]  We were all packed apart from our carry-on bags and devastated to lose our trip.

 

Our Cunard Cruise Planner (I think that is her title) rapidly cancelled our trip (booked as 5 voyages) and it only took a few days for monies owed from Cunard (excursions and partial refunds as we got under the deadline for some penalties on the later voyages).  That money went back to our credit card (getting it back from the card company took a bit longer).  As we had Cunard Care, she immediately provided us with a link to file our claim and the amounts we needed to claim for each voyage (fare minus taxes and feed and minus what Cunard had refunded).

 

Aon Affinity is the company that backs Cunard Care, and it was simple to file the claim and upload supporting documentation.  As medical reports came in, I was able to add to the case.  The company contacted my physician as well, presumably to get verification that this was not a pre-existing condition.

 

I filed my first paperwork on June 14 and the claim was approved on June 27, with the notification of the payment for the first segment arriving on July 1 and the actual electronic filing for the money on July 8. I thought that turnaround time was extremely impressive!

 

However, there had been a glitch.  It is unclear if it was the fault of the claim processor or their system, but we never received notification for the four remaining segments.  I was able to request a call from the processor and she realized that her request to someone in the company to split the claim into 5 pieces had not happened.  She set about fixing it, but then the fix required approval and by this time the company had a lot of claims in the queue from Hurricane Beryl.  But the agent gave me a timeline to check back, and her direct number, and by this afternoon I discovered the final approval had been given. A few hours ago, I received the approval emails, and the electronic payment email will arrive within 5 business days. So we should have our money back just a few days before we would have been returning from the trip.  I don't think that is too bad.

 

All in all, I was pleased with the way this worked, pleased that there was no difficulty with my medical justification. We lost the cost of our transportation to Brooklyn (private car service) and of course the cost of Cunard Care but did recover a bit more than 90% of our total expenditure.

 

We are still extremely sad that our vacation was lost, and it took me three weeks to unpack.  I am healing well.  And we have our previously booked trips in 2025 and 2026 too look forward to and have fingers crossed for a Baltic itinerary in 2027.

[JimDee363636]

@esrs

This is encouraging. Just today, I filed a claim with AON for a covid incident that occurred on the QA earlier this month. I had previously dealt with AON for a different type of medical claim (including trip interruption) on a Holland America cruise and got great service and swift results.

 

You're lucky that your meniscus tear doesn't require surgery. It usually does. I'm glad you're feeling optimistic about future cruise plans.

 

Jim

[esrs]

7 hours ago, JimDee363636 said:

@esrs

 

You're lucky that your meniscus tear doesn't require surgery. It usually does. I'm glad you're feeling optimistic about future cruise plans.

 

Jim

The surgeon felt it was 50-50 on whether surgery would improve pain/function so we are proceeding with less invasive treatment at this time. So far so good although each day is different!

[techteach]

@esrs Thanks for posting your story. I always purchase Cunard Care, and agree with you, wonder if it is worth it, and what kind of hassle it will be if I have to use it. After reading your story I will continue to purchase it. I’m glad you’re feeling better and won’t require surgery. Thanks for your report.

[BlueRiband]

Your story is a good example on the value of buying travel insurance especially when expensive itineraries are involved. 

 

I used to always buy Cunard Care, but it is no longer available to those living in New York (or some provinces of Canada).  In its place is the Cunard "At Ease Waiver Program" which provides absolutely no coverage with 72 hours of sailing.  After reading that fine print I bought insurance through a third party.