Travel Insurance Help Needed

[jimmyjam]

I would appreiciate any information that anyone has regarding Cruise/Air travel insurance. I have never purchased any, however the fact we are getting a little older, I thought i would look into it. Any help would be great. Thank you:)

[EbayCruiser]

We bought it for our last cruise to Alaska and we will be buying it again for our cruise to Hawaii. Both of our mothers are in their 90's (mine is in a nursing facility) and you can just never tell about a sickness or accident.

 

To me, it's just too much money to risk losing if you HAVE to cancel at the last minute.

[themommy]

You could try money.com

it worked for us, best deals we could find

[serene56]

Most cruises you have until the final payment to change your mind with no penalty. If you buy insurance before that date and cancel you will lose your insurance money and still get your money back for your cruise. Buy insurance the day you make you final payment.

[fredhanson]

Most cruises you have until the final payment to change your mind with no penalty. If you buy insurance before that date and cancel you will lose your insurance money and still get your money back for your cruise. Buy insurance the day you make you final payment.

 

If you follow this advice you may lose one of the benefits of travel insurance. All policies AFIK exclude pre-existing medical conditions as reasons for covering trip cancellation. This exclusion applies not only to the travelers' health but to that of others (children, parents, etc.). Many policies waive the exclusion if you purchase the policies within a certain time (for example, 14 days) after you make the _first_ payment on your trip. If you postpone buying the insurance until you make the full payment and until the end of the refund period you take a chance of having a claim refused if it's for health reasons of someone who has the condition that leads you to cancel. But having insurance is supposed to cover losses. It may be worth buying the insurance if you're fairly certain you're going to cruise.

[jimmyjam]

Thanks to all.. good info..keep it coming please!!!!!!

 

e-bay.. what company do you use?? :) j.j.

[cruiseorbust]

what if you buy the insurance at time of final payment and a parent (currently in hospital with cancer) dies while you are on board the ship? Do they cover the cost to get back home? what about any remaining ship days left? The parent, of course, would not be going on the cruise. Would this be considered pre-existing?

[kilted scout]

Don't worry I am not trying to sell you anything.

 

The earlier you buy your insurance the more you could potentially be covered for. As has been stated earlier pre-existing conditions are either excluded, or sometimes can be included for extra premium, e.g mild hypertension, IBS etc.

 

If at this point in time, your mothers are fine, other than being old, and their doctor can see no reason why you should not travel - take out the insurnace now. Within the next few months they can develop illnesses whcih in themselves may not stop you cruising, but could because they then exist, be excluded as reasons which the insurance company paid out for, if you were for example to have to cancel the day before you were due to crusie 100% cancellation fee - NO REFUNDS.

 

Likewise the same thing can happen to you, you may find the premium if you have birthday in the mean time. At the end of the day you will have to pay for it at some stage.

 

If you are planning more than one acation this year - try ofr an annual policy. Also look for excess waiver - in the UK it only costs a few pounds more and means you don't lose the first $90+ dollars of any claim.

 

I can't suggest where to but it as we have different suppliers in the UK and our insurance laws are different, so are our cancellation policies, we cant get any of the deposit back at any stage.

 

But look at the wordings carefully and be scrupulously honest with any questions they ask. Being economic with the truth means they will be even more economic when & if they pay out.

 

Rodney

[togachisan]

I booked a cruise and insurance, World Access, through United. The boat went in dry dock for repairs and the cruise was canceled. When I called United they told me that if I send a fax to World Access they would refund the money. I followed the instructions of the United agent. However, to make it complicated and contrary to the instructions of the United agent the World Access insurance demanded from me a letter/proof from the Celebrity cruise line that the cruise was canceled.

 

 

They did refund the money but the hassle they put me through was unreasonable considering that I was not dealing with the cruise line but an agent. In this case – the UAL agent.

 

 

Obviously, something is wrong with such business practices and if I get travel insurance it will not be with the World Access.

[CINDON]

This is absolutely the best place to compare and purchase Cruise/travel insurance:

 

 

www.insuremytrip.com

[winediva]

I used Travel Guard for my recent cruise that was extended to 9 days, instead of 7 due to Hurricane Frances. I'm still gathering documents, but so far the service has been fine.

[jimmyjam]

Once again all you fine folks on this site, have provided me with great info.. Thanks again to all..:)

[fredhanson]

One additional point about travel insurance that I forgot to mention. The main purpose of insurance is to protect against catastrophic loss. Getting $100 a day for a hotel when a trip is delayed is fine, but not that crucial. Losing your airfares and ship payments certainly qualifies as a major loss. But the greatest potential loss is the unexpected medical emergency while away from home, especially away from the U.S. where your health insurance (especially Medicare) may not pay, and when you might need emergency transportation to a suitable medical facility. The Travel Guard policy that I usually get covers up to $25000 for medical and accident expenses, and $30000 for emergency medical transportation. If you've ever used a ship's infirmary for even a minor problem you know how expensive that can be. But if you have a major problem you'll be very glad to have the medical coverage.

[CaribbeanBound]

I have seen this topic so often, that I posted the top ten tips for buying travel insurance. Detailed and informative.

 

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