Booked an ABD but now need Travel Insurance advice

[canadianjovigirl]

Try the Royal Bank as they do insure seniors....my inlaws use them as they go south 6 months of the year and they both have health issues. They have the health insurance as well as the trip insurance

http://www.rbcinsurance.com/travelinsurance/index.html

 

[pxlbarrel]

Try the Royal Bank as they do insure seniors....my inlaws use them as they go south 6 months of the year and they both have health issues. They have the health insurance as well as the trip insurance

http://www.rbcinsurance.com/travelinsurance/index.html

Thanks, will look at them next. My dad was already looking at them when I got home but we got sidetracked. Your post reassures me though.

 

[fivebyfive]

Well, if a Canadian TA was as knowledge about ABD AND offering the incentives that Dreams Unlimited were offering, then I'd agree with you.

My Canadian does have the experience/knowledge, so I'm not worried there.

You have me curious though - I had no clue the DU offered 'incentives' for ABD. Would you happen to have a link anywhere about those offers? TIA!

 

[pxlbarrel]

My Canadian does have the experience/knowledge, so I'm not worried there.

You have me curious though - I had no clue the DU offered 'incentives' for ABD. Would you happen to have a link anywhere about those offers? TIA!

Actually, from what I understand Disney's ABD insurance is only available to American citizens and THAT'S why Dreams couldn't sell it to me. So, whether I book through a Canadian TA or not, I would still be looking for my own insurance right now .... and as previously mentioned... finding travel insurance for my dad, who had a bypass in 1993, is almost impossible. It's possible but the pickings are slim. If it wasn't for that, it would have been dead easy to find insurance for him. BTW, talked with RBC today and they have trip cancellation insurance for him ... but holy moly... the cost of it is enough for a cruise....

DU's ABD incentives are an AMEX gift card and the value of it is dependent on which adventure you take.

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/abd/specials.htm

 

[drag n' fly]

We booked an ABD through Dreams Unlimited today...but now I need to find some travel insurance. Normally, we don't do travel insurance except medical but this trip is so terribly pricey, I'd hate to cancel the trip because somebody was ill or worse.

My parents are coming along on this trip so the trip insurance has to be able to accomodate a 77 and 79 year old. As you know, this is not an easy proposition ... or cheap either.

So, I'm looking for advice on travel and medical insurance. An all encompassing one would be the best. Anybody have any experience in this area? I was referred to a site where I could compare insurance companies and their quotes and I'll go there too but nothing beats first hand experience.

First of all OP I am really surprised at the not very nice responses your are getting. I thought everything you stated was pretty clear. I would expect that kind of response on another forum certainly not the Canadian one. Is their a full moon or something lol? I recommend checking with RBC Report back what you find out please P.s See you at Club 33

 

[fivebyfive]

So, whether I book through a Canadian TA or not, I would still be looking for my own insurance right now

Not if you are working with a real travel agent. All I mean by that is they would be responsible for getting insurance for you if you asked for it! So my point is they would be doing all of this annoying leg work for you.

Honestly, I'm not trying to be mean and I'm sorry if you felt I was trying to be, I'm just trying to help based on my personal experience. I always book through a Canadian TA and have never had a problem, as they always take care of the vacation insurance (be it through Disney or otherwise) for me.

My TA has used RBC in the past - but as you already discovered - insurance is sky high with situations such as your father's.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Not if you are working with a real travel agent. All I mean by that is they would be responsible for getting insurance for you if you asked for it! So my point is they would be doing all of this annoying leg work for you.

Honestly, I'm not trying to be mean and I'm sorry if you felt I was trying to be, I'm just trying to help based on my personal experience. I always book through a Canadian TA and have never had a problem, as they always take care of the vacation insurance (be it through Disney or otherwise) for me.

My TA has used RBC in the past - but as you already discovered - insurance is sky high with situations such as your father's.

Hate to say this but even if I had booked this through a Canadian TA, I would look for the insurance myself and not entrust this to a travel agent.

This is a cautionary tale to ANYBODY who has a family member or who has themselves have had a bypass operation over 10 years ago. It's not only about cost but that one checkmark in the medical questionnaire will cause almost every insurance company out there to disqualify you as a candidate for their coverage. Very few insurance companies in Canada will consider you. Some use 12 or 15 years but the majority use 10. And if you think a "real" travel agent will change that circumstance, you're sorely mistaken. The "annoying" part wasn't looking for the insurance ... that was easy. The "annoying" part was discovering nobody wants to cover former bypass people.

So .... here are the facts: it would seem that RBC and TDCanada Trust are the best and so far only companies that will supply medical insurance to my father. The cost is around $400 if we restrict our trip to 17 days. This is doable ... we'll just cut our extra days after the ABD to 2 rather than 3. TDCanada Trust's trip cancellation insurance, however, will only cover $3000. Unfortunately, that doesn't cover the cost of the ABD trip and airfare. RBC's trip cancellation insurance is an add on to their medical. They call it the non-medical insurance. It is based on 10% of the cost of the trip you want to insure. So.... the cost of trip cancellation insurance for an ABD trip to China (plus airfare) will be .... drum roll ... $997. So insurance for my dad will be a whopping $1400 As my mom exclaimed, "We can go for a cruise with that money!!"

When there's only one choice to buy insurance, as is the case with my dad, there's not a lot you can do about the price.

Well, we're still looking .... as soon as we buy airfare, we'll have to buy the insurance so we have that buffer time .... but I want to do that asap so we've got more time insured.

 

[fivebyfive]

Hate to say this but even if I had booked this through a Canadian TA, I would look for the insurance myself and not entrust this to a travel agent.

Ok, I'm all sorts of confused now. Granted, it doesn't take much, but still.

Your second post said you had to look for insurance yourself because DU wasn't able to because you are Canadian.

Now your claiming that you want to control/look into it yourself and I'm not knocking you for that, just explaining how your position from your OP changed.

And if you think a "real" travel agent will change that circumstance, you're sorely mistaken.

I missed the part where I said that. I never said they could magically change the circumstance, I just said they would be able to do the leg work for you.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Ok, I'm all sorts of confused now. Granted, it doesn't take much, but still.

Your second post said you had to look for insurance yourself because DU wasn't able to because you are Canadian.

Now your claiming that you want to control/look into it yourself and I'm not knocking you for that, just explaining how your position from your OP changed.



I missed the part where I said that. I never said they could magically change the circumstance, I just said they would be able to do the leg work for you.

Wow, all I asked in my original post was if people could recommend an insurance company for seniors. I didn't think I would have to reveal medical history, justify why I bought through DU or even have to explain things in extreme detail. I just asked for insurance recommendations.

So, ok.... to answer your question. ABD does not sell their insurance to non-Americans. If ABD did sell it to us, I would have just told DU to buy it for us (because I've seen it, looked at it and read it and it looked ok and it's an easy, painless way to go.) Easy...right? Are you understanding this?

Now, because the ABD insurance is not available to us (no matter if booked with an American TA or a Canadian TA), we have to find the insurance ... which means reading policies and whatnot just like we did at the ABD insurance that was ultimately not available to us. To NOT read about insurance and rely on your TA as your sole source of information and insurance is not only lazy but dangerous. I'll do the leg work. The problem is not the leg work but the leg work has come up with very little choices.

So, no my original position did not change. My question to you is ... do you have something against doing your own leg work???

 

[pxlbarrel]

First of all OP I am really surprised at the not very nice responses your are getting. I thought everything you stated was pretty clear. I would expect that kind of response on another forum certainly not the Canadian one. Is their a full moon or something lol? I recommend checking with RBC Report back what you find out please P.s See you at Club 33

Thank you. And I'm so looking forward to Club 33. It's something to be struck from the bucket list for sure!!

 

[fivebyfive]

ABD does not sell their insurance to non-Americans. If ABD did sell it to us, I would have just told DU to buy it for us (because I've seen it, looked at it and read it and it looked ok and it's an easy, painless way to go.) Easy...right? Are you understanding this?

Actually no, I'm not understanding this at all because ABD absolutely does offer trip cancellation/interruption insurance to Canadian residents.

My question to you is ... do you have something against doing your own leg work???

It's not for me, as I simply don't have the time. But by all means, carry on. After all, that's what the DIS boards are for, right?

Good luck in your search!

 

[pxlbarrel]

Actually no, I'm not understanding this at all because ABD absolutely does offer trip cancellation/interruption insurance to Canadian residents.

Uh...no, they don't. It's only available to U.S. citizens.

Good gravy.

 

[SaraMc]

Not to stir the pot, but I use DU for my trips and for my past ABD trip. Kevin was great and very helpful.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Not to stir the pot, but I use DU for my trips and for my past ABD trip. Kevin was great and very helpful.

Did you get travel insurance? Who did you use? Which ABD trip did you go on? (So many questions ... )

And so far Kevin has answered questions for me at hours in which I'd never get a local travel agent to answer. I'd be hard pressed to get my local TA (who is a friend of mine) to answer at 11 pm at night ....

 

[fivebyfive]

Uh...no, they don't. It's only available to U.S. citizens.

Good gravy.

(877) 728-7282. Honestly, I'm just trying to help. There's no need for such a post.

Sorry, edited to add that I should clarify. When I took my ABD last year, insurance was covered through ABD for me when booked via my TA. Perhaps you can't get it because you've booked through a US agent?!? I honestly don't know if that matters or not, nor do I know if ABD has since changed the rules. But I suggest giving them a call and verifying you are being given the correct information is all.

 

[pxlbarrel]

(877) 728-7282. Honestly, I'm just trying to help. There's no need for such a post.

Sorry, edited to add that I should clarify. When I took my ABD last year, insurance was covered through ABD for me when booked via my TA. Perhaps you can't get it because you've booked through a US agent?!? I honestly don't know if that matters or not, nor do I know if ABD has since changed the rules. But I suggest giving them a call and verifying you are being given the correct information is all.

If you had said that in the first place, that would have been more helpful. First hand experience is always welcome and more so than not second or third.

Yesterday, I emailed ABD directly and asked them. They confirmed it. However, Kevin is doublechecking with them on Monday. So... at least I'll know for sure what the heck is going on. If ABD can insure the trip, my problems are solved since Credit Card insurance will cover the airfare.

We shall see if this helps and helps future Canucks in their insurance endeavours. Cross your fingers...

And thanks to everybody for helping (even those who annoyed me just a bit ... well, just a tiny bit.) (I will attribute my crankiness to a bout of kidney stones which I hope will not be paying me a visit any time soon ....)

On a plus note: my dad is now so obsessed with this trip it's actually driving me a bit batty. He's dug out books from the 70's about Hong Kong. The majority of the buildings probably don't even exist anymore! I wish he had been so enthusiastic for last June's cruise.

 

[fivebyfive]

If you had said that in the first place, that would have been more helpful.

Sorry if my first post was confusing, but that's why I indicated right at the beginning that I'd only ever book with a Canadian TA. I didn't understand why DU couldn't book the ABD insurance for you. I thought that perhaps it was because they were US based (and you were Canadian) or being a US agency, they didn't know the proper rules/regulations for Canadian travelers.

I knew something wasn't adding up, as I never had any such issues when I booked my ABD through a Canadian agency. But when you said you liked DU for their incentive, I thought you took the incentive over the ability to book insurance through them.

See how one can misinterpret words on a screen?!?

Anyhow, hope it all works out in your favour.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Ok, so Kevin responded back and we are all insured by ABD now. And our airline tickets, which we just bought, are covered by our respective credit cards. We are now insured and ready to travel. Is it April yet?

 

[fivebyfive]

You're welcome and I accept your apology for your 'good gravy' post.

Did Kevin say why he just didn't offer you the ABD insurance in the first place?!?