Always Have Insurance

[kirtihk]

5 minutes ago, axd said:

We have Preferred card. Thanks for the reply

I missed "were" in my reply (makes a little difference - ha-ha!): it should be - "we were paid in full".  Regarding whether coverage is good: it's good in comparison with the majority of credit card travel insurance coverages.  However, on its own, it depends on a cruise fare (especially, if booking a luxury cruise line).  For some $10,000 pp coverage more than enough, for some others definitely not enough (imagine $15,000-$60,000 pp price).

Edited August 2 by kirtihk

[TRLD]

On 8/1/2024 at 7:49 AM, axd said:

We are scheduled to take a cruise from our hometown SF to Hawaii. We have Chase Sapphire credit card which provides cancellation/interruption travel insurance. 
looking for advice if this is good enough coverage. 
Thanks in advance 

It depends

 

We use Chase Sapphire for our coverage for trip cancellation/delay coverage.  Over the years we have made one claim and it was processed well.

 

That said we know it's limitations and do not have any problems with the potential for an uncovered situation. Basically by having an annual travel medical and evacuation,  and using Sapphire for trip coverage, we have saved more over the years than any out of pocket expense that we might have. Up to and including a full trip cancellation.

 

We travel a lot. Up to 150 days per year on international trips.

 

It works for us, may not work for others.

[PR-Texas]

We're cruising in November to Australia. We've bought the standard Princess Protection Plan.  Our third party trip insurance broker agreed that the Princess plan is a good deal for trip cancellation/interruption coverage but was light on medical. So we bought an IMG Travel LX plan with a low $1000 trip cost to get higher medical and evacuation limits. Hopefully it will all be money for peace of mind only.

[PescadoAmarillo]

10 minutes ago, PR-Texas said:

We're cruising in November to Australia. We've bought the standard Princess Protection Plan.  Our third party trip insurance broker agreed that the Princess plan is a good deal for trip cancellation/interruption coverage but was light on medical. So we bought an IMG Travel LX plan with a low $1000 trip cost to get higher medical and evacuation limits. Hopefully it will all be money for peace of mind only.

I’m not an expert on this, but I was under the impression that if you underinsured, it would negate your policy, even if you did not purchase the plan for trip cancellation/ interruption coverage. If you have to file a claim, you’ll need to provide documentation of the cost of your trip, and it will be fairly obvious. 

[PR-Texas]

1 minute ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I’m not an expert on this, but I was under the impression that if you underinsured, it would negate your policy, even if you did not purchase the plan for trip cancellation/ interruption coverage. If you have to file a claim, you’ll need to provide documentation of the cost of your trip, and it will be fairly obvious. 

I will double check with the broker but since she's the one who recommended it and it was confirmed by another broker a month later I think we're ok. 

[NavyVeteran]

2 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I’m not an expert on this, but I was under the impression that if you underinsured, it would negate your policy, even if you did not purchase the plan for trip cancellation/ interruption coverage. If you have to file a claim, you’ll need to provide documentation of the cost of your trip, and it will be fairly obvious. 

You need to insure the non-refundable cost of the trip. If you have purchased Princess Vacation Protection, then most of the cost of the trip is refundable through Princess Vacation Protection. It's a matter of interpretation, and you would need to read the specific policy.

There may also be a question of coordination of benefits. If the other policy is primary insurance, then it would definitely pay first, and Princess Vacation Protection would only pay any remainder. If the other policy is also secondary, then there could be a question about who pays first.

[Suzanne123]

I’ve used IMG SE for years and did not have to insure all my non-refundable expenses.  This is what Tripinsurancestore posts about IMG specifically 

 

Edited August 3 by Suzanne123

[ChrysFox]

On 8/1/2024 at 10:49 AM, axd said:

. . .looking for advice if this is good enough coverage. 
Thanks in advance 

Probably not.  Check the fine print thoroughly and look into getting more comprehensive coverage. 
A decent travel insurance package isn't that expensive, when you weigh it againt the possible price of not having it.

[dog]

If a passenger passes away and has Platinum insurance with Princess- what happens? Solo cruiser? Cabin mate pays and gets reimbursed? 

[roxievegas]

my concern is not the trip reimbursement, but the medical coverage and evacuation.

 

We have medicare, a supplemental insurance and we get the princess protection (we are elite).

 

When I go to the website and put the information in for the coverage, because we are 72 and 71 for our next cruise, the cost is over $500 for the both of us.  

 

Is there an insurance plan out there for just extra medical coverage/evac.  I don't pay much for our cruise cost, so I don't care if I lose that money, which I won't because I have the princess plan.

 

Our next cruise is to Alaska, so all stops in USA, except the last stop in Victoria BC

[roxievegas]

I went on Geo to do a mock quote

 

if our age was 52 and 51 the cost for our coverage would be $197

doing our real age is $541

getting old is a   ***  and costly

[carolina_yankee]

We have never bought cruise line insurance. My first travel agent told us not to, that I could find better policies for less, so we've always done that. It is tempting to stay with the cruise company out of a belief that their product would best suit your needs or be the easiest to administer, but that simply isn't the case. I get it - we are Disney fiends, and our first cruise with Disney. Mickey wouldn't do me wrong, right? Well, not necessarily, but Mickey also wouldn't do me any favors and a nice agent explained that to me! 

 

We also travel with friends who have significant health issues who opt for cruise company coverage because they get overwhelmed by trying to find their own policies. 

 

We are USAA members, so we insure through their travel insurance partner - Travel Insured. 

 

I just did a dummy quote for us on one of the comparison websites. I noticed many options with different options and costs. Some companies, like Travel Insured say they will work with the health care provider to advance payment if that is needed for care.

 

It is unfortunately, but finding the best cruise insurance policy for the passenger's circumstances falls to the passenger and does require some research and vetting. I will never the leave country without travel insurance. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

1 hour ago, carolina_yankee said:

We have never bought cruise line insurance. My first travel agent told us not to, that I could find better policies for less, so we've always done that. It is tempting to stay with the cruise company out of a belief that their product would best suit your needs or be the easiest to administer, but that simply isn't the case. I get it - we are Disney fiends, and our first cruise with Disney. Mickey wouldn't do me wrong, right? Well, not necessarily, but Mickey also wouldn't do me any favors and a nice agent explained that to me! 

 

We also travel with friends who have significant health issues who opt for cruise company coverage because they get overwhelmed by trying to find their own policies. 

 

We are USAA members, so we insure through their travel insurance partner - Travel Insured. 

 

I just did a dummy quote for us on one of the comparison websites. I noticed many options with different options and costs. Some companies, like Travel Insured say they will work with the health care provider to advance payment if that is needed for care.

 

It is unfortunately, but finding the best cruise insurance policy for the passenger's circumstances falls to the passenger and does require some research and vetting. I will never the leave country without travel insurance. 

In my experience, TAs that steer you toward a particular policy are well compensated for those sales, vs. getting 10-18% of an PVP sale. And what people need from travel insurance is such an individual thing that, as you point out, this is not a case of one size fits all. 

[carolina_yankee]

2 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

In my experience, TAs that steer you toward a particular policy are well compensated for those sales, vs. getting 10-18% of an PVP sale. And what people need from travel insurance is such an individual thing that, as you point out, this is not a case of one size fits all. 

Our TA did recommend a policy, and it was better than that offered by DCL at the time, but doing my own research I found what i needed for us through USAA. I don’t really care if a TA gets a commission, but I’m going to do my due diligence to see if their recommended plan is the best for me. Of course, I do all my travel planning that way, so researching insurance is like research a cruise for us.

[TRLD]

12 hours ago, dog said:

If a passenger passes away and has Platinum insurance with Princess- what happens? Solo cruiser? Cabin mate pays and gets reimbursed? 

depends if both purchased insurance.

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, roxievegas said:

I went on Geo to do a mock quote

 

if our age was 52 and 51 the cost for our coverage would be $197

doing our real age is $541

getting old is a   ***  and costly

That is so true.

[TRLD]

8 hours ago, roxievegas said:

I went on Geo to do a mock quote

 

if our age was 52 and 51 the cost for our coverage would be $197

doing our real age is $541

getting old is a   ***  and costly

At what coverage.

 

We are 67 and 75. We pay about 260 for geo blue trekker with 1 million for the 67 year old, drops to 259k for thr 75 year old.

[PR-Texas]

8 hours ago, roxievegas said:

my concern is not the trip reimbursement, but the medical coverage and evacuation.

 

We have medicare, a supplemental insurance and we get the princess protection (we are elite).

 

When I go to the website and put the information in for the coverage, because we are 72 and 71 for our next cruise, the cost is over $500 for the both of us.  

 

Is there an insurance plan out there for just extra medical coverage/evac.  I don't pay much for our cruise cost, so I don't care if I lose that money, which I won't because I have the princess plan.

 

Our next cruise is to Alaska, so all stops in USA, except the last stop in Victoria BC

The IMG Travel LX policy we purchased for a trip from Nov 6 to Nov 30 cost $219.70 for two of us ages 76 and 79.  We listed the trip cost as $1000 ($500 each) since we have the Princess Protection plan for trip cancellation/interruption.  We bought the IMG LX policy specifically because:

• $500,000/$1,000,000 coverage for medical expenses/evacuation
• Coverage is primary
• Has a Look Back Waiver so preexisting conditions are covered
• Has an Advanced Payment Option if needed because high medical expenses on the ship require payment before debarking or pre-payment needed prior to entering hospital on shore

We decided that $219.70 was cheap for peace of mind. As mentioned by others we purchased this prior to final payment.

[PandaBear62]

On 8/2/2024 at 6:20 PM, Suzanne123 said:

I’ve used IMG SE for years and did not have to insure all my non-refundable expenses.  This is what Tripinsurancestore posts about IMG specifically 

 

That's why I like booking through Steve. I can ask questions such as do I have to insure all the non-refundable expenses, what's the differences in plans, etc.

 

The Trip Insurance Store does not sell yearly travel insurance. I asked why. Steve told me they were often so complex and filled with exclusions he does not sell them That's good enough for me. We chose not to purchase it and stayed with our yearly medical and judiciously choosing which trips to insure and which not. I really discovered for many of our trips, we can either change a ticket or receive a credit (like for airlines) and  cancel without penalty (hotels-I never book a non refundable room) so what I need to insure isn't as great as it might be. I sometimes just insure a smaller amount, so I'm out less.

 

I have been keeping track of trips we didn't insure (basically cruises, tours or trips out of the US, not counting trips that are within the US, where we could essentially cancel hotels & cars and reschedule airfare). My total since June 1, 2022 is just under 6k ($5949) through early 2026 (some trips I obviously don't know the outcome yet). I also have two upcoming trips insured. but I am using Steve's "trick" of insuring as I go. 

 

[Cruisemeister2002]

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

That is so true.

Don't know what your circumstances are, but myself and wife both have underlying health issues. Last year I was treated for prostate cancer and my insurance was over £2,000. This year due to my treatment I am clear, but the insurance was still over £1000 for one trip. We will be 74 and 67 when the cruise sails.                                                                            

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Don't know what your circumstances are, but myself and wife both have underlying health issues. Last year I was treated for prostate cancer and my insurance was over £2,000. This year due to my treatment I am clear, but the insurance was still over £1000 for one trip. We will be 74 and 67 when the cruise sails.                                                                            

Knock on wood, no underlying conditions. I am now 77 and DW turned 70 earlier this year while we were on a river cruise.

 

She did visit the medical center last summer on a cruise between London (Southampton) and Reykjavik. I did start a medical claim with our travel insurance, but never followed through as our secondary insurance (Medicare is primary and we knew it would not cover it) ended up paying 100% of the claim. However, we did barely escape having to file a HUGE claim. She went to medical on a sea day between Norway and Iceland for severe constipation. They did a checkup and gave a prescription (that we later learned was an OTC drug in the US when still suffered and went to her own doctor). And not that much later she ended up in an ambulance, emergency room, and finally a hospital bed. It was not just simple constipation, It was a twisted bowel. If the full effects had manifested a few weeks earlier on the ship and she needed medical evacuation to the USA, we would have faced a staggering bill if we had to travel insurance.

[roxievegas]

14 hours ago, PR-Texas said:

The IMG Travel LX policy we purchased for a trip from Nov 6 to Nov 30 cost $219.70 for two of us ages 76 and 79.  We listed the trip cost as $1000 ($500 each) since we have the Princess Protection plan for trip cancellation/interruption.  We bought the IMG LX policy specifically because:

• $500,000/$1,000,000 coverage for medical expenses/evacuation
• Coverage is primary
• Has a Look Back Waiver so preexisting conditions are covered
• Has an Advanced Payment Option if needed because high medical expenses on the ship require payment before debarking or pre-payment needed prior to entering hospital on shore

We decided that $219.70 was cheap for peace of mind. As mentioned by others we purchased this prior to final payment.

thank you, I will check into them.

[roxievegas]

Went on the website for Trip Insurance Store.  Thank you.  quotes were from $143 to $157 total for the both of us.  Big difference.

 

I will call them tomorrow to make sure that I am getting the policy that covers my needs.

 

thank you again for providing this information.

[coo359a2]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Knock on wood, no underlying conditions. I am now 77 and DW turned 70 earlier this year while we were on a river cruise.

 

She did visit the medical center last summer on a cruise between London (Southampton) and Reykjavik. I did start a medical claim with our travel insurance, but never followed through as our secondary insurance (Medicare is primary and we knew it would not cover it) ended up paying 100% of the claim. However, we did barely escape having to file a HUGE claim. She went to medical on a sea day between Norway and Iceland for severe constipation. They did a checkup and gave a prescription (that we later learned was an OTC drug in the US when still suffered and went to her own doctor). And not that much later she ended up in an ambulance, emergency room, and finally a hospital bed. It was not just simple constipation, It was a twisted bowel. If the full effects had manifested a few weeks earlier on the ship and she needed medical evacuation to the USA, we would have faced a staggering bill if we had to travel insurance.

Just curious as I have had bowel blockage surgery 3 times and I did worry about symptoms happening on a cruise..  You said above that no underlying conditions (is that same as pre existing condition??).  I always thought my blockage would be even though 2017 was the last occurrence.  Haven't considered high blood pressure or AFIB to be as medication/treatment has remained unchanged. We are 78 and 80 and use PVP due to high cost of non cruise insurance.

[ontheweb]

4 minutes ago, coo359a2 said:

Just curious as I have had bowel blockage surgery 3 times and I did worry about symptoms happening on a cruise..  You said above that no underlying conditions (is that same as pre existing condition??).  I always thought my blockage would be even though 2017 was the last occurrence.  Haven't considered high blood pressure or AFIB to be as medication/treatment has remained unchanged. We are 78 and 80 and use PVP due to high cost of non cruise insurance.

Right, I should have said no pre-existing conditions.

 

BTW, she did not have surgery. They just drained her and let it untwist.

Edited August 4 by ontheweb
added second paragraph