Insurance Question

[20165]

Can anyone recommend a cruise insurance package that will allow me to cancel for any reason what so ever? Most of the policies I have looked at state you pretty much have to be at deaths door before you can cancel and have a signed letter from the president. Ok that last part was a little joke, but you know what I mean.

 

Thanks

[cruisead]

There isn't an insurance out there that will allow you to cancel for whatever reason you can think of. They will not cover you for a change of heart, if you lose your job or the stock market crashes. Insurance covers catastrophic happenings such as a death in the family, an accident that requires medical treatment, illness of yourself or a member of your immediate family and things like that. Of course, before final payment you can cancel for whatever reason for usually a small fee, but once that final payment has been made, you're stuck unless you have a covered condition.

[20165]

Ok, maybe I need to be more specific. Lets say my 2 year old comes down with the flu a week before the cruise. Not a life threatening illness, but I probably don't want to drag him on a cruise and I am sure the other passengers don't want him on it as well. Is there any insurance out there that would cover that? Again, the one's I have looked at only cover illness that is pretty much life threatening.

 

Thanks

[LARGIN]

If you cruise Princess they have Princess Travel Care Gold nsurance that will credit 90% to another Princess cruise if you cancel for any reason. That is probably the best out there.

[cruiseco]

Ok, maybe I need to be more specific. Lets say my 2 year old comes down with the flu a week before the cruise. Not a life threatening illness, but I probably don't want to drag him on a cruise and I am sure the other passengers don't want him on it as well. Is there any insurance out there that would cover that? Again, the one's I have looked at only cover illness that is pretty much life threatening.

 

Thanks

 

The determining factor as to whether or not an illness or injury is serious enough to cause a cancellation is pretty much up to your doctor. If the doctor says the kid's too sick to travel that's what the insurer will go by. We had a client just a few months ago have to cancel a trip because of an ear infection. At home and work it was more annoying than anything else but the doctor said he couldn't fly because of the pressure changes -- might cause problems of some sort. That was good enough for the insurer (CSA in this case). In ALL cases you have to go to the doctor because he/she will have to fill out a form explaining the cause for the "no travel" recommendation when you file your claim.

 

Also, the Travel Guard Cruise, Tour and Travel plan will cover up to $250 of cancellation penalties if you cancel for any reason. They call it their "change of mind" coverage. For many cruises this is enough to cover the penalties up to about two weeks prior to sailing.

[paws43tails]

since this insurance question has been posted i'd like to ask another related question... which ins. has the best coverage for a prexisting heart condition?

[kitty9]

I have used Access America and Travel Guard and they have both been excellent in regards to claims I have had to make. I have quite a few pre-existing conditions such as asthma and post polio syndrome and there hasn't been any problems with making claims. As long as you purchase the insurance within the prescribed number of days from your original booking, all pre-existing conditions are covered.

 

As far as the original poster's question is concerned, you don't have to have some completely debilitating condition to make a claim. A couple of years ago, I had an inner ear infection that prevented me from flying for a few days, which in turn caused me to miss the first week of my four week cruise. There was no problem making a claim and the insurance, Access America, paid for the days that I lost, the money to change my flights and the hotel at the city I embarked on the cruise. My cousin insured through Travel Guard and her daughter came down with the flu, three days before they were to leave, and TG reimbursed her for everything. You don't have to have some life-threatened illness to make a claim.

[20165]

Great, that answers my question. Sounds like Travel Guard is the way to go. Getting a Dr. note was absolutly the plan, but I was concerned about having issues even with that. sounds like travel guard is easy to work with in that regards.

 

Thank again.

[imsulin]

I always get Travelguard for any trip I make outside the country. There are some restrictions about pre-existing conditions, though...it's not blanket coverage, so make sure you check it out and ask pertinent questions about the pre-existing issues.

[jonesmen]

Has anyone had experience with Travelex - good or bad?

[MrsPete]

Let me ask another question:

 

I have several elderly relatives who are not sick, but are not in the best of health either. Suppose -- I feel bad even asking this -- suppose one of them were to become seriously ill or die two weeks before our cruise. We could be in a bad situation: leave the family at a bad moment or lose a great deal of money. Would travel insurance help us?

[cdoobiest]

looking to book celebrity cruise in europe in sept after olympics. god forbid, if something happens and we just don't feel comfortable going even though our ports or ships are not affected, can we cancel. celebrity says they will reimburse 80% of cruise with future credit if we don't cancel for "valid" reason. is this true?

 

thanks

[luvscruzin]

We've always purchased travel insurance, but never had to use it until this year. Five weeks prior to our booked cruise, DH had to have back surgery. He was cleared by the MD for the cruise, but then 3 weeks later, he had to have a repeat back surgery. At that point, surgeon advised against the cruise for at least 4 weeks. I admit, it was alot of work and hassle to get the claim forms completed AND get the surgeon to complete his part on the claim form, but we did get it sent off. We are waiting now to hear back from the insurance company, but it shouldn't be a problem. We also had purchased insurance on our hotel room through priceline, so we've filed a claim for that, too. Even though there was some red tape to go through, it's worth it in the long run. We've already booked the same cruise for two weeks later (leaving 2 weeks from today!), and thankfully, DH is finally well on his way to recovery, so we should be able to make this cruise as planned.

 

PURCHASE THE INSURANCE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN!!

[imsulin]

I think the deal with pre-existing conditions is that there cannot be a "re-occurance" of that condition within a certain amount of time before sailing. Let's say that you are a long-time diabetic, and either use insulin or a special diet. You have been fine for months, but two weeks before sailing, you have to be hospitalized because your blood sugar readings are sporadic and you need to be monitored. You probably won't be covered. Read the fine print about pre-existing conditions, or better yet, call the trip insurance company directly.

 

Terrorism/terroristic acts are covered by TravelGuard ONLY if they occur within 30 days of your scheduled trip to the city/country where the act occurred. Since 9/11, trip insurance companies lost millions of dollars, and their coverage for "terrorism" is now very limited.

[cruiseco]

I think the deal with pre-existing conditions is that there cannot be a "re-occurance" of that condition within a certain amount of time before sailing. Let's say that you are a long-time diabetic, and either use insulin or a special diet. You have been fine for months, but two weeks before sailing, you have to be hospitalized because your blood sugar readings are sporadic and you need to be monitored. You probably won't be covered. QUOTE]

 

In most cases that's not correct. For example here's from Global Alert's description of a Pre-existing medical condition:

 

 

"blah, blah, blah . . . this definition DOES NOT apply to a condition which is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the 60 day period before coverage is effective under this Policy."

 

Here's what confuses everybody --> "60 day period before coverage is effective"

 

Many, if not most, people read that to mean the 60 day period prior to your departure from home. That kind of makes sense. You'd figure your coverage starts when you leave home. But the date the coverage becomes effective is the day after you buy the policy. That's because the trip cancellation benefit goes into effect immediately -- it's a pre-departure benefit. Same with the financial default coverage.

 

So, in the case of the diabetic this means that the 60 day period they're looking at to see if the condition has remained controlled through the taking of prescription meds is the 60 day period prior to the date the policy was purchased, not the 60 day period prior to departure. So, if the condition flares up a week or two before sailing and causes the trip to be cancelled the following would happen:

 

The doctor would be asked:

 

In the 60 day period prior to the policy effective date (the purchase date plus one) was the diabetes being controlled through the taking of prescription meds?

 

In that same 60 day period was there any change in the treatement, diagnosis, or prescription?

 

If the answer to the first question is "Yes" and the answer to the second "No" then the claim will be paid.

[momofmeg]

Kitty or anyone else could you give me an idea how much Travelguard charges for their insurance package? We went to their site and they did not give information on pricing when we e-mailed them they were very cagy about it saying it depended on cost of the trip and we would have to show proof of cost. I then replied asking them to just give us a "ball park" figure for example if the cruise was $700 a person how much would be the insurance. They did not bother to answer.

 

I would just like to have a general idea of cost per person.

[fideauxdon]

Unless you have a VERY complicated situation, you should be able to get an exact price for TravelGuard insurance by going to their website, http://www.TravelGuard.com, or to http://www.InsureMyTrip.com.

[cruiseco]

Kitty or anyone else could you give me an idea how much Travelguard charges for their insurance package? We went to their site and they did not give information on pricing when we e-mailed them they were very cagy about it saying it depended on cost of the trip and we would have to show proof of cost. I then replied asking them to just give us a "ball park" figure for example if the cruise was $700 a person how much would be the insurance. They did not bother to answer.

 

I would just like to have a general idea of cost per person.

 

You either need to call them or use their quote generator (or go through something like insuremytrip.com). Otherwise, there's just too many variables. For example, with the ProtectAssist plan you get one quote unless you live in Washington in which case it's something else or in Oregon which is something esle again. Do you need rental car CDW, if so for how many days? Do you want the optional flight accident coverage? How much? etc., etc.

 

Plus, they have a bunch of different plan, with and without cancellation coverage, post-departure coverage only, etc.

 

Giving a quote off of an email request in most cases just isn't possible. That's why they have the quote form where the client can just punch in the info and get the premium.

Go to http://www.travelguard.com

[imsulin]

Washington State and Oregon have really wierd trip insurance regulations. Travelguard is "age-based", and the price per person depends on which age range you fall under, and the TOTAL (including air, hotels, rental cars, etc.) costs. You can call them directly at 1-800-826-4919. The fullest coverage will be with their "Cruise, Tour, & Travel" plan, rather than the "Protect & Assist" plan, which is cheaper.

[momofmeg]

Well let me ask this. Is it more afforadable the the $100 a person the cruiseline offers? You folks are as bad as them with the run around. I just want a ball park figure-nothing written in blood.

 

I checked that thingie and basially to get the information you have to act like you are buying it. NO WAY am I giving a credit card number until I KNOW what it is going to cost me. I am beggining to wonder if you guys are Travelguard sales people.

[jonesmen]

If you go to this website, you can plug in your costs, destination, # of travelers, ages, and get quotes from several companies. You can compare more than one company at a time. You do not have to put in any credit card information until you make a decision about which one to buy. Each has slightly different coverage, so the comparison is a nice way to evaluate.

[divinggirl]

Yes, you can definitely find rates cheaper than what the cruise line charges...We have 3 people in our cabin, and we booked insurance thru CSA, which has very comprehensive coverage, and total for the 3 of us was $98. I use CSA for all my trips, and although I have never had to use it, they will also pay for you to "catch" up to your ship in case you miss it, for whatever reason.

 

Edited: ** Also, you can get a quote without having to put any CC info in, I steer clear of any website that requires that info without giving me a final price!

[cruiseco]

Well let me ask this. Is it more afforadable the the $100 a person the cruiseline offers? You folks are as bad as them with the run around. I just want a ball park figure-nothing written in blood.

 

I checked that thingie and basially to get the information you have to act like you are buying it. NO WAY am I giving a credit card number until I KNOW what it is going to cost me. I am beggining to wonder if you guys are Travelguard sales people.

 

OK, here's a ballpark figure: fifty-four bucks. Of course that only applies if you live in a state other than WA or OR, you're age 35 to 59, the trip cost you want to insure is somehere between $501 and $1,000, the total length of the trip is less than 30 days, you don't need any rental car CDW coverage and don't want any additional fight accident coverage.

 

If you're 28 eight years old you might pay as little as $27 depending on the trip particulars.

 

That's probably cheaper than the cruise line's policy. Of course if you're 72 years old and your trip cost is $2000 then your premium might be $159 or more (depending on what you need and plan selected) which is probably higher than the cruise line's policy.

 

Both the travel guard web site and insuremytrip web site will give you a total figure down to the penny before you are asked for any credit card information.

[assam]

I also recommend www.insuremytrip.com because they allow you to do side-by-side comparisons of policies and rates. The best part is that you can also ring them if you have questions so before you part with any money, you can be sure that your understanding of what you are reading about coverage is correct. I found their rates to be quite competitive. Definitely get the insurance because you are better safe from financial loss than sorry in this unpredictible world of ours!

[imsulin]

Sorry, but I've never heard of having to give your CC number just to get a price quote! I buy Travelguard because it works for me. One thing you need to compare on http://www.insuremytrip.com (and the cruise line) s whether or not the insurance is the primary payer or the secondary payer. That's why I buy the Travelguard Cruise, Tour, & Travel policy...they pay first.