Am I The Only Dummy To Buy DCL Trip Insurance?

[JessicasMom]

I just purchased insurance for our Sept. WBTA cruise; first time I've ever bought insurance for any trip, but with elderly relatives...you never know. I had the best results using squaremouth.com (many more choices and better prices), but it took quite awhile to sift through all the options. We went with Global Alert; of course, it really depends on your own personal needs to find the best plan. One more thing to check off the list!

 

[Christinatree]

It was so much cheaper to buy Southwest air bit I did buy the Disney insurance. For 113 it was worth peace of mind.

 

[edk35]

I agree with denas. Estimate. Figure out what you *think* it will cost and insure for that amount. You *CAN* get a refund of the difference if you over-estimate (I have done this more than once). I'd check with the specific company you purchase from, but all the companies I've dealt with so far have said they'd refund the difference. Or you can underestimate & pay more when you find out the total. Remember to only insure costs that are unreimburseable. If you can cancel and get all your money back (say, for a pre-cruise hotel room) then insurance won't cover it.

Again, if you over-estimate, they'll refund the difference. If you under-estimate, they'll allow you to increase the value covered by paying an additional amount. They know that people buy airfare and book hotel rooms, etc, long after putting a deposit down on a cruise, and they are very accommodating for that.

I'm trying to remember, but I think I read somewhere that if you under-estimate, the amount you underestimate by won't be covered for a pre-existing condition (since you will probably pay the extra premium after the 14-21 day period). So it's safer to over-estimate. I'm going to look & see if I can find that again.

ETA: Here it is:

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/faqs.shtml#f



Just thought I'd mention here again that you can actually usually get a refund of that "extra $10-15 pp". So it's really not worth worrying about.

Sayhello

Travel Guard told me today that I can add airfare and excursions as I go along. So I am buying the policy and adding airfare when we get closer. We too are going in July 2012.

 

[mellers]

It was so much cheaper to buy Southwest air bit I did buy the Disney insurance. For 113 it was worth peace of mind.

Be careful. Disney insurance will not cover your airfare, nor will it cover any medical conditions related to pre-existing conditions. So, if you have a child with asthma or an adult on blood pressure meds and the child has an asthma attack, or the adult has a heart attack and needs medical care, or worse, evacuation, none of that will be covered.

 

[sayhello]

It was so much cheaper to buy Southwest air bit I did buy the Disney insurance. For 113 it was worth peace of mind.

I don't quite understand this. Did you book your air with DCL since you'd already bought the DCL insurance? If so, that was a good move, since DCL insurance only covers stuff you buy through them. Of course, as mellers says, you are not covered for pre-existing medical conditions. If you're OK with that, then this was a good choice.

Travel Guard told me today that I can add airfare and excursions as I go along. So I am buying the policy and adding airfare when we get closer. We too are going in July 2012.

Cool! Glad you sorted it all out & were able to come to a decision. Travel Guard is a good company. Congrats!

Sayhello

 

[tink&cinderella]

Hi there,

I am one of those people that is rather over insured then not insured enough.

Thus we have a travel insurance that covers the four of us and we pay
$ 6.18 pe months and it covers everything our family needs ie: health, travel, luggage, delay etc. up to 60 days in any given year while on vacation

We also buy the disney cruise line insurance and we have had to use it once when my MIL got ill two days before the cruise and her doctor advised her not to travel. We called the insurance, and they sent out some forms and refunded the entire trip (minus the insurance of course)

I see insurance as a necessity especially since we are getting older and health problem are starting to present themselves.

As an aside read your policies carefully. My parents came along with us on on of our trips and both had insurance. My mother passed out in the airplane on the way to Florida and was admitted to Celebration Hospital. She answered one question incorrectly on her application and this reduced her coverage to 30 percent. She ended up with a bill of $25,000 US for the hospital stay to tell her she had a drop in blood pressure. (duhhhhh) and not some other illness ie heart attack.

As I suffer from Vasovagal Syncopy, which ultimately was what happened to my mom as well, I keep enough insurance to cover myself and the family.

I also feel that Disney knows what they are doing and I trust them.

On our Christmas cruise in December 2010 the air ambulance had to land at CC and air lift a gentleman back to States due to a heart attack..... you just never know...

 

[cabscontrads]

I too took the DCL Trip Insurance for our May, 2012 Criuse. Who can say what can happen between now and then but, it's peace of mind just in case! As someone else stated, you have to trust Disney to do the right thing.

 

[design_mom]

Travel Guard told me today that I can add airfare and excursions as I go along. So I am buying the policy and adding airfare when we get closer. We too are going in July 2012.

They told me the same thing.

In order to maintain the pre-existing condition coverage you have to cover the entire value of your trip. If your trip cost increases between the time that you first purchased the insurance (flights added, etc.) you have 14 days from the time you book the flights/are notified of the additional cost to increase your insurance level. If you maintain coverage for your total cost by raising your insured amount, you continue to keep the pre-existing condition waiver.

 

[mellers]

I too took the DCL Trip Insurance for our May, 2012 Criuse. Who can say what can happen between now and then but, it's peace of mind just in case! As someone else stated, you have to trust Disney to do the right thing.

Disney Cruise insurance should be quite adequate as long as you have no pre-existing conditions, and nobody gets ill/injured who has pre-existing conditions which cause you to cancel your trip. If, however, somebody has pre-existing conditions, Disney (or rather, Access America, which actually provides DCL insurance) will not pay if those pre-existing conditions cause a medical problem onboard, or cause you to cancel your trip. However, the latter condition isn't too bad, because in that case, Disney will give you a cruise credit.

 

[luv2boys]

Am I stuck into having to use Travelex since I am using strictly DVC points for my cruise?

 

[SA53]

If I missed the 14 day window and can no longer get the PEC waiver, should I just wait to purchase insurance until closer to the trip? I am right now 21 days from my deposit, but do not travel until July 2012. I was online all day today comparing insurance coverages and am confused since PEC is no longer waived what is the pros of getting insurance this early?

TIA,

K in SA

 

[cmwade77]

If I missed the 14 day window and can no longer get the PEC waiver, should I just wait to purchase insurance until closer to the trip? I am right now 21 days from my deposit, but do not travel until July 2012. I was online all day today comparing insurance coverages and am confused since PEC is no longer waived what is the pros of getting insurance this early?

TIA,

K in SA

There are still companies that will offer the PEC waiver, I do not know which ones they are off the top of my head, but some will give you PEC waivers until your PIF date.

 

[sayhello]

If I missed the 14 day window and can no longer get the PEC waiver, should I just wait to purchase insurance until closer to the trip? I am right now 21 days from my deposit, but do not travel until July 2012. I was online all day today comparing insurance coverages and am confused since PEC is no longer waived what is the pros of getting insurance this early?

TIA,

K in SA

Really, at this point, since you are past the window to get a Pre-existing condition waiver, and your cruise is still fully refundable, there's really only one advantage to buying the insurance now. If you don't plan on buying insurance that offers a pre-existing condition waiver at your PIF date, *and* you and everyone travelling with you, and your family have all been totally healthy for the past 60 to 180 days (depending on the policy you end up buying) then you could purchase the policy today and not need the waiver. According to the trip insurance store, the waiver is for:

Any injury, illness, sickness or medical condition of an Insured or Family Member which either manifests itself or exists during the 60, 90 or 180 days immediately preceding the day you buy Travel Insurance, unless the condition is controlled through the taking of prescription drugs or medication and remains controlled throughout the 60, 90 or 180 day period. A pre-existing condition has manifested itself when medical care, treatment or diagnosis has been given. Any adjustment of a prescription causes a pre-existing condition to be manifested, too.

OK, so the chance of this being the case is generally pretty small. Other than that, there's not much advantage to buying the insurance now. Your deposit is still refundable. You probably haven't purchased airfare yet. So there's really nothing for the insurance to cover. I would buy the insurance within 14 to 21 days of making your last payment (either PIF date, or the day you buy your airfare, whichever is later). Then you can still get the pre-existing condition waiver from some of the companies, and the insurance company isn't earning interest on your money.

Sayhello

 

[mellers]

If I missed the 14 day window and can no longer get the PEC waiver, should I just wait to purchase insurance until closer to the trip? I am right now 21 days from my deposit, but do not travel until July 2012. I was online all day today comparing insurance coverages and am confused since PEC is no longer waived what is the pros of getting insurance this early?

TIA,

K in SA

You can still get insurance with a PEC waiver from CSA, as long as you are not past your PIF date. Try http://tripinsurancestore.com/csa.shtml I would strongly recommend it, if you have a family member with a pre-existing condition. There's just too much that can go wrong while you're on the cruise.

 

[sayhello]

You can still get insurance with a PEC waiver from CSA, as long as you are not past your PIF date. Try http://tripinsurancestore.com/csa.shtml I would strongly recommend it, if you have a family member with a pre-existing condition. There's just too much that can go wrong while you're on the cruise.

That's extremely true. However, SA53 was asking if there was a point to purchasing the coverage now (after 21 days) or waiting until closer to their cruise. Since the coverage (with a PEC waiver) can be bought up until their PIF date (which is likely some time in March of 2012) there's no point in buying it now, a year ahead of time. As long as they buy it by their PIF date, they're good to go. The point to buying right away after the deposit is that you can get less expensive coverage that includes a PEC waiver (and have more choices), if you purchase it within 14 to 21 days of making your first payment. Otherwise, the advantages of having the insurance don't really kick in until you have expenses that are non-refundable.

Sayhello

 

[mellers]

That's extremely true. However, SA53 was asking if there was a point to purchasing the coverage now (after 21 days) or waiting until closer to their cruise. Since the coverage (with a PEC waiver) can be bought up until their PIF date (which is likely some time in March of 2012) there's no point in buying it now, a year ahead of time. As long as they buy it by their PIF date, they're good to go. The point to buying right away after the deposit is that you can get less expensive coverage that includes a PEC waiver (and have more choices), if you purchase it within 14 to 21 days of making your first payment. Otherwise, the advantages of having the insurance don't really kick in until you have expenses that are non-refundable.

Sayhello

Sayhello--I would agree with you totally were it not for another post I saw where the poster was diagnosed with cancer before she bought the insurance. At that point, you have taken a "turn for the worse" and if you have surgery scheduled, you cannot get a PEC waiver. Reading that post, it made me inclined to buy the insurance ASAP. Especially as bad as interest rates are right now, I don't think you could make enough off of the money to make it worth the risk of a "turn for the worse" event which would invalidate your PEC waiver. Just my $0.02.

Your advice is sound--most people won't have a turn for the worse or wind up with surgery scheduled, and you're right, in that event they've been able to hold onto their money for a few more months. I've just had so many unforeseen events cause problems for me that I wouldn't take the chance myself.

 

[sayhello]

Sayhello--I would agree with you totally were it not for another post I saw where the poster was diagnosed with cancer before she bought the insurance. At that point, you have taken a "turn for the worse" and if you have surgery scheduled, you cannot get a PEC waiver. Reading that post, it made me inclined to buy the insurance ASAP. Especially as bad as interest rates are right now, I don't think you could make enough off of the money to make it worth the risk of a "turn for the worse" event which would invalidate your PEC waiver. Just my $0.02.

Your advice is sound--most people won't have a turn for the worse or wind up with surgery scheduled, and you're right, in that event they've been able to hold onto their money for a few more months. I've just had so many unforeseen events cause problems for me that I wouldn't take the chance myself.

OK, yes. You are right. A major diagnosis like that would be a problem. I hadn't thought about it that way. But the fact is, you could still cancel and get all of your money back (before your PIF date). So while I agree you'd be in trouble as far as getting the insurance at that point, and might have to cancel your vacation, you would not be out any money. So it's a judgment call at this point. If the aim is to make sure you can go on the cruise, and be covered for medical while you are on that cruise, then buy now. If the aim is to protect your investment, then it can wait.

Sayhello

 

[DZ_mom]

DCL insurance WILL NOT cover miitary leave from Afghanistan. Please read the policy under "active duty military" it specifically excludes leave being revoked due to war situation or unit mobilization which Afghanistan is. Also, the requirements for leave revocation are difficult to be met for someone who is coming home for mid-tour leave. It can take a week for soldiers to get from their location in theater to the US. The leave will not start until they arrive in the US. If the travel in country gets delayed - which happens all of the time since you are moving in a war zone, planes break down, etc, the leave hasn't been revoked but it doesn't start util the soldier arrives in the airport in the US where they are signed out on leave by the person in charge of receiving soldiers at these facilities. This makes it impossilbe to invoke the "leave revoked within 10 days" if the soldier is simply delayed in arriving in the US but still allowed leave.

The military person really needs to book insurance from a military insurance company to ensure that military situations are covered, but DCL specifically excludes most situations under which a soldier would not be able to make the cruise. The only policy which I have ever found that really covers military personnel not making it home for a trip is offered through USAA.

I specifically called asked about military leave being revoked (but not the situation) and Access America said as long as you can get something in writing from a commanding officer. I'll definitely check this out again!

 

[denas]

I specifically called asked about military leave being revoked (but not the situation) and Access America said as long as you can get something in writing from a commanding officer. I'll definitely check this out again!

If you read the actual policy under military leave it states that leave being revoked is covered if it is revoked within a seven day period. HOwever, it then goes on to say that if it is revoked due to unit mobilization, deployment or an act of war it is NOT covered. If you are stateside and your leave is just revoked, fine. If you are already deployed or your leave is revoked because you are being mobilized, this would be excluded according to their own terms. and this is the most likely scenario for leave revokation - preparation for mobilization!

The other issue for soldiers attempting to take a cruise on a mid-tour leave would be not that leave is revoked, but simply that the transportaion from theater to home may take longer than expected. In theory, the soldier isn't signed out on leave until arrival back at the receiving airport in the US. This may be days or weeks after starting the journey. THis is also a bit of an unknown. If the soldier simply arrived home too late to start the cruise, but his or her leave isn't technically revoked, not sure that the Access America policy would cover this.

If you purchase through Disney, I suppose they would credit the amount not covered by Access America towards a new cruse. However, I simply think it is easier (and cheaper) to purchase insurance through a military insurance provider that doesn't provide "act of war" and mobilization exclusions and covers a delayed arrival home from theater. I personally don't find a coverage of military leave revokation that excludes deployments to be very comprehensive coverage!! I have used USAA for trip insurance for years and find it to be easy to use and cheaper than any other coverage (it provided substantially more coverage than DCL and came in at 30% of the DCL price for our last cruise)

 

[DZ_mom]

If you read the actual policy under military leave it states that leave being revoked is covered if it is revoked within a seven day period. HOwever, it then goes on to say that if it is revoked due to unit mobilization, deployment or an act of war it is NOT covered. If you are stateside and your leave is just revoked, fine. If you are already deployed or your leave is revoked because you are being mobilized, this would be excluded according to their own terms. and this is the most likely scenario for leave revokation - preparation for mobilization!

The other issue for soldiers attempting to take a cruise on a mid-tour leave would be not that leave is revoked, but simply that the transportaion from theater to home may take longer than expected. In theory, the soldier isn't signed out on leave until arrival back at the receiving airport in the US. This may be days or weeks after starting the journey. THis is also a bit of an unknown. If the soldier simply arrived home too late to start the cruise, but his or her leave isn't technically revoked, not sure that the Access America policy would cover this.

If you purchase through Disney, I suppose they would credit the amount not covered by Access America towards a new cruse. However, I simply think it is easier (and cheaper) to purchase insurance through a military insurance provider that doesn't provide "act of war" and mobilization exclusions and covers a delayed arrival home from theater. I personally don't find a coverage of military leave revokation that excludes deployments to be very comprehensive coverage!! I have used USAA for trip insurance for years and find it to be easy to use and cheaper than any other coverage (it provided substantially more coverage than DCL and came in at 30% of the DCL price for our last cruise)

I'm so glad I read this thread since we are still w/in the 14 day initial deposit window. Just cancelled the DCL insurance and got USAA quote which was $50 less and no issues on military deployment coverage. Appreciate all the helpful advice! Now I wish I didn't buy airline tix insurance thru US Airways but it wasn't that much.