Travel Insurance Question

[Kayleebug]

We booked a 3 night cruise in September, which, as we all know, is in the heart of hurricane season. We were looking to add trip insurance and were comparing the costs of booking it through Disney or through an independent agency. Of course, it is cheaper to book insurance outside of Disney. The possible problem is that our state is toying around with school start dates. We currently return to school after summer vacation in the beginning of August. They are thinking about changing it so that school begins in September after Labor Day. If that change happens, we would be going on the cruise the first week of school, which I don't want to do. My question is if we book the travel insurance through an outside agency and have to move our trip dates of even cancel the trip, will we get a refund of the purchase price? I know we have to add insurance if wanted very quickly, so we are having to decide if we want it before the state has made a decision about school start dates.

 

[barbarasc]

most travel insurance require a medical reason to cancel. Travel Guard does offer a "cancel for any reason" option. You can look on their website www.travelguard.com Make sure you read everything so insure that it will cover what you want.

 

[KrisannB]

If the issue is changing your date - most will let you keep your insurance and just change the date of the trip. I had to do this one year - we moved our cruise from September to December and kept the same insurance policy - just changed the dates.

Now if you cancel and want a refund they normally do not allow unless you have a rider that covers this.

I have always found Travelex Light or Travel Guard to be great and have much cheaper prices than Disney for insurance.

Krisann

 

[elkesails]

I had an extensive conversation with DCL about insurance. If you book insurance through Disney and cancel for an "uncovered" reason Disney will credit you the full cruise fare toward a future cruise.

I believe Travelguard provides a refund for "cancel for any reason" but it is only 50-75% of the trip expenses.

I am sure about the DCL policy would love to know if I have it right about the Travel Guard policy

I also like flights with Southwest as if you need to cancel you get the full amount toward another trip within 12 months...compared to the "sorry we are going to keep ALL your money" policy of most carriers.

 

[TwingleMum]

How much typically is travel insurance for say a 4 nght cruise for 2 adults 3 kids (8,6,6)

 

[sayhello]

How much typically is travel insurance for say a 4 nght cruise for 2 adults 3 kids (8,6,6)

Depends on the cost of the cruise, if you want to include your airfare, pre/post hotel, and the ages of the adults. I can give you a ballpark figure with that info.

Sayhello

 

[msmayor]

The way I understand your question, there are two parts: You want to know if you need to move the dates of your cruise, will the coverage "follow" you. You would need to check with the insurance carrier BEFORE purchasing to find out if this option is available to you. Some will allow you to transfer coverage, others will make you purchase a completely new policy.

The other question is if you cancel your trip, can you get a refund of the premium...the answer to that is no. Once you purchase insurance, the premium is not refunded if you end up canceling the trip...even if you cancel months in advance and get all your deposit money back. Its just like any other type of insurance. If you have an auto policy and never use it, you can't request a refund of the premiums paid. Same with this type of policy.

As for the cost for two adults and three children, many policies offer free coverage for each child under the age of 18 with every paying adult, so you may be able to get coverage for two of your three children at no cost.

As a ballpark estimate for you, I can tell you that for my family's next cruise this summer...a 7-day trip with total coverage trip cost of $4,000...my trip insurance premium for all four of us (both my kids were free) was $114. That included a "cancel for any reason" provision, which not all policies have.

 

[stlkeeler]

I think it's also based on the ages of those traveling. At 50+, I am more expensive to insure than my DD 30+. If you go to www.insuremytrip.com, you can plug in numbers and come up with a bunch of companies to choose from. I just booked insurance for 2a 1c on this site for 7 days next year, $3300, for $144. I booked this cruise last weekend on another line with the intention of moving the date because 2012 dates are not available yet. I never thought about whether or not they'd let me move the date. I've done it in the past though, so, I don't anticipate any problems. I always book the insurance within 10-14 days after I book so I can get the pre-existing conditions waver. Then I call and add airfare on to it whenever I book that part of the trip.

 

[tvguy]

We booked a 3 night cruise in September, which, as we all know, is in the heart of hurricane season. We were looking to add trip insurance and were comparing the costs of booking it through Disney or through an independent agency. Of course, it is cheaper to book insurance outside of Disney. The possible problem is that our state is toying around with school start dates. We currently return to school after summer vacation in the beginning of August. They are thinking about changing it so that school begins in September after Labor Day. If that change happens, we would be going on the cruise the first week of school, which I don't want to do. My question is if we book the travel insurance through an outside agency and have to move our trip dates of even cancel the trip, will we get a refund of the purchase price? I know we have to add insurance if wanted very quickly, so we are having to decide if we want it before the state has made a decision about school start dates.

Curious, why is it better for your child to miss some school a month into the school year instead of at the very start? I would think this change would work to your advantage.

 

[lbuher]

I think it's also based on the ages of those traveling. At 50+, I am more expensive to insure than my DD 30+. If you go to www.insuremytrip.com, you can plug in numbers and come up with a bunch of companies to choose from. I just booked insurance for 2a 1c on this site for 7 days next year, $3300, for $144. I booked this cruise last weekend on another line with the intention of moving the date because 2012 dates are not available yet. I never thought about whether or not they'd let me move the date. I've done it in the past though, so, I don't anticipate any problems. I always book the insurance within 10-14 days after I book so I can get the pre-existing conditions waver. Then I call and add airfare on to it whenever I book that part of the trip.

We have also used www.insuremytrip.com - I like being able to compare different policies. And I also book insurance within 14 days of booking the trip, because some of the policies will only offer the "cancel for any reason" option if you book the insurance within that time frame. We were able to move our date for the last cruise and have the insurance follow us with no problem last time - I didn't think about checking on that ahead of time for our next trip - hopefully we won't have any issues if we need to do that.

 

[NancyIL]

I had an extensive conversation with DCL about insurance. If you book insurance through Disney and cancel for an "uncovered" reason Disney will credit you the full cruise fare toward a future cruise.

Unless the policy DCL issues actually SAYS this, I would not believe it. What matters is what's in writing, and not what someone who answers the phone tells you.

Cancel for any reason coverage is usually available only when purchased within a limited time period after making the initial trip payment - just like the waiver of pre-existing conditions.

 

[Kayleebug]

Curious, why is it better for your child to miss some school a month into the school year instead of at the very start? I would think this change would work to your advantage.

There are 2 reasons for this. 1) I am a teacher and don't want to miss any time the first week of school because this is when I get to know my children in the room, reinforce the rules, and set the tone for the year.

2) I don't want my daughter to miss the first week because this is when she will learn the classroom rules, procedures, etc.

 

[Kayleebug]

The way I understand your question, there are two parts: You want to know if you need to move the dates of your cruise, will the coverage "follow" you. You would need to check with the insurance carrier BEFORE purchasing to find out if this option is available to you. Some will allow you to transfer coverage, others will make you purchase a completely new policy.

The other question is if you cancel your trip, can you get a refund of the premium...the answer to that is no. Once you purchase insurance, the premium is not refunded if you end up canceling the trip...even if you cancel months in advance and get all your deposit money back. Its just like any other type of insurance. If you have an auto policy and never use it, you can't request a refund of the premiums paid. Same with this type of policy.

As for the cost for two adults and three children, many policies offer free coverage for each child under the age of 18 with every paying adult, so you may be able to get coverage for two of your three children at no cost.

As a ballpark estimate for you, I can tell you that for my family's next cruise this summer...a 7-day trip with total coverage trip cost of $4,000...my trip insurance premium for all four of us (both my kids were free) was $114. That included a "cancel for any reason" provision, which not all policies have.

Yes, that is what I wanted to know. The insurance you were quoted sounds like an awesome price! Where did you purchase it?

 

[elkesails]

Unless the policy DCL issues actually SAYS this, I would not believe it. What matters is what's in writing, and not what someone who answers the phone tells you.



I would not expect someone to take my word for something as important as travel insurance....but...I am very careful when I post information as factual. If you read the DCL insurance information on their website you will note.....

"If you purchase the Vacation Protection Plan and cancel your
vacation for any reason not covered by the insurance plan,
Disney Cruise Line will credit 100% of the non-refundable
cancellation fee toward a future Disney Cruise Line vacation.
Disney Cruise Line"

I wanted to make sure I understood every contingency so I also called and asked lots of questions. It was valuable information for my particular needs and I wanted to pass it along.

 

[tvguy]

There are 2 reasons for this. 1) I am a teacher and don't want to miss any time the first week of school because this is when I get to know my children in the room, reinforce the rules, and set the tone for the year.

2) I don't want my daughter to miss the first week because this is when she will learn the classroom rules, procedures, etc.

Thanks

 

[NancyIL]

I would not expect someone to take my word for something as important as travel insurance....but...I am very careful when I post information as factual. If you read the DCL insurance information on their website you will note.....

"If you purchase the Vacation Protection Plan and cancel your
vacation for any reason not covered by the insurance plan,
Disney Cruise Line will credit 100% of the non-refundable
cancellation fee toward a future Disney Cruise Line vacation.
Disney Cruise Line"

I wanted to make sure I understood every contingency so I also called and asked lots of questions. It was valuable information for my particular needs and I wanted to pass it along.

Thanks - that is what I wanted to see.

 

[msmayor]

Yes, that is what I wanted to know. The insurance you were quoted sounds like an awesome price! Where did you purchase it?

I am a USAA policyholder for all my other insurance, and they offer a travel policy through Travel Insured International. Their policies are also available through insuremytrip.com

 

[kcashner]

The best resource I'm aware of is insure my trip.com.

I have purchased insurance at a rate greatly less than the DCL rates, and have been able to benefit from the MANY companies that provide one free child's policy with each adult policy purchased. THe price is based on your age, amount of coverage purchased, and where you live. Many companies allow ONE change of date on a policy with no additional fee (the policy follows you to the new date).

Unless you have a "cancel for any reason" clause, most policies won't pay for a cancellation due to a change of school dated. However, surely you'll have the new dates before your penalty period starts....in which case the only issue becomes whether you can change the dates on the insurance policy.

 

[Pattiwig]

Help please, we are sailing 3/27, haven't bought insurance yet, booked with BOTH DVC points and cash for DD, can we still get insurance, or will it only cover cash portion? Thanks.

 

[kcashner]

Help please, we are sailing 3/27, haven't bought insurance yet, booked with BOTH DVC points and cash for DD, can we still get insurance, or will it only cover cash portion? Thanks.

The only insurance that I'm aware of that will cover your points is what is sold thru DVC. Otherwise, the insurance will cover only the cash portion of your trip. However, you could choose to purchase a $500 per person policy if you need the medical, emergency repatriation, lost luggage, etc. coverage. It won't get your points back, but will get the rest.