Could the cruise industry make travel insurance mandatory? Up date page two 8-10-2020

[auntrenae]

I think it's a great idea and would love to see that happen. They can make drivers carry insurance, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility to make cruisers do the same. It's unlikely to happen now, but not impossible in the future. Who knows, we might just be a pandemic away from such a requirement. It would help improve public safety because it would at least reduce people's likelihood to lie on those forms, thereby spreading communicable diseases.

There are plenty of reputable insurance companies, btw. My travel insurance company of choice is great. Affordable plans, and on the two recent occasions when I had to cancel trips (one for medical reasons & one "cancel for any reason" cancellation), I submitted the required documentation and then was reimbursed promptly.

I agree with you. Our travel insurance company is very reasonable, and the 2 times we've had to file a claim, they have paid quickly, in full, and with no objections. It saved us thousands of dollars in expenses and many months of anxiety worrying over how to pay for the high bills our regular insurance wouldn't have covered. We always get travel insurance, whether it's a cruise or not. It costs less than .5% of the cost of the travel for a lot of peace of mind!

 

[cwis]

And especially so if there are any pre-existing conditions. The CC available here with travel coverage all have pre-existing condition clauses that require 60-90 days stability. For our family, that doesn't work, so though we have and use a card with some travel insurance coverage, we purchase additional separate insurance so pre-existing conditions are properly covered [and even then, the shortest stability period available is 7 days].

SW

To add to the confusion, it looks like pre-existing conditions eligibility vary from place to place. I live in Europe and here, the insurances do not use “stability” to exclude pre-existing conditions. Some of the contracts that cover it requires that you do not go to an hospital for a few months before your trip, some that you do not see a practician (and most do not cover pre-existing conditions at all).

 

[Rob1872]

This is an over-reaction to a few minor problems. Adults should be responsible enough to make their own risk assessment about the cost/benefit of insurance. If you don't want to spend the money on the insurance (or acquire a credit card that includes protection because you want to use gift cards, etc.), then that is your choice, and you accept the consequences.

If you mandate it, what level of coverage are you mandating? Medical evacuation only? Cancel for any reason? I sure don't want to have my cruise fare increased significantly for cancel for any reason insurance being bundled into the ticket when I personally am comfortable with a lower level of insurance coverage.

 

[insureman]

People should at least get a credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve where you get the medical, evacuation, and cancellation coverage for free when you use the credit card to book the cruise. There is no need to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for additional coverage.

As others have pointed out read the credit card insurance contract. They are sometimes limited and an example is from the Chase Sapphire website . Note that pre-existing conditions are excluded.

What’s Not Covered
This is not an exhaustive list. Examples include:

Travel arrangements canceled or changed by a common carrier, tour operator, or any travel agency unless the cancellation is the result of severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation
Change in plans or financial circumstances
A pre-existing condition
Traveling against the advice of a physician
A declared or undeclared war
Trips that exceed 60 days in duration are not covered
Financial insolvency of the Cardholder’s travel agency, tour operator, or travel supplier

 

[jlwhitney]

If it was mandatory then it wouldn't be called insurance.

 

[kiford]

No. I can't see it ever happening. I'm not sure what advantage the cruise industry would get by mandating insurance coverage (unless they're selling it). They're not out of pocket if you get sick or have problems. Even with the ship that's being quarantined, insurance isn't going to cover much of what the people are experiencing unless they get sick themselves and even if every single person on board had insurance, none of it goes to the cruise line to compensate for their losses in having to keep guests on board. They probably have their own insurance or they just self-insure. As far as the cruise line is concerned, your costs are your own and they simply don't care. So the industry certainly will never mandate it and I don't even want to think about the logistics of ensuring that everyone had the right level of insurance, comparing policies between insurance providers and what it would cost each person based on their health, pre-existing conditions, etc. And I can't see government mandating it since not everyone going on a cruise is from the same country, not every ship goes out from the same country and virtually none of them are registered in the US so are not under US jurisdiction anyway.

I simply don't see the desire or ability to manage the logistics of it either from the public or private sector.

 

[Numtini]

If it was going to be mandatory, the lines should just offer a 100% refund in the case of sickness. Making a third party somehow the solution is idiotic.

 

[cdoc29]

Geez if the cruise lines were really that worried they could allow cancellations for illness with full refund, As they don't do that they really don't care that much.............

 

[Rob1872]

Geez if the cruise lines were really that worried they could allow cancellations for illness with full refund, As they don't do that they really don't care that much.............

OK, that is just being silly to say that they don't care. They have a business, and if people cancel at the last moment (which would be expected from an illness), there is an excellent chance that they would not be able to sell that cabin. Considering that a lot of the expenses (crew salary, fuel, perishable food, general operating expenses, advertising, depreciation of the ship, etc.) are fixed regardless if a passenger shows up or not, I would not be surprised if the ship is 10% empty that they are losing money on the cruise.

If you allowed cancellations for illness with full refund, you would be in essence offering cancellations for any reason with full refund. There are too many people who will lie to your face to make me believe that someone whose plans have changed wouldn't go to their doctor to make up some 'mystery migraine', etc. to get a note excusing them from their cruise.

DCL needs to fill their ships. They already have a process to try to fill any unsold room at the time of PIF. Why would any rationale person expect them to A) initiate a process that puts them at risk of people cancelling rooms right before sailing and B) would encourage people within driving distance of the port to hold off booking full fare cruises in hopes of grabbing a 48 hours before cruise "we're desperate to sell a cabin even at a small loss" rate?

 

[MarkLT1]

Another option would be for DCL to take out an insurance policy themselves, that covers the narrow scope of "sudden pre-embarkation infectious illness." Underwriting something like this, would be relatively straightforward, and with the number of cruises that DCL does each year, the risk pool would be relatively large. Thus, if a passenger shows up, and there is a risk of infecting other passengers, DCL can deny boarding, refund the passenger's fare (or state-room if it is a family), and be reimbursed by the insurance company. In this way, it would be a fixed cost that DCL can build into the cost of cruising. Having such a small scope would make it relatively inexpensive on a per-passenger basis.

Additionally, it would need to be dependent on some specific criteria- if the person has a note from a doctor saying they are contagious, if they're sporting a fever, etc.. Shrug.

 

[71 Truck]

I saw a YouTube cruise poster talking about some vacation destinations are now requiring tourist staying for more than a certain amount of time to have/require, travel/health insurance. Not sure if this going to be a permanent thing.

I wonder if this will translate into cruise ships visiting the places he mentioned in the future also?
I did not post the link because I am not sure if I am aloud to.

 

[JM23457]

It would make sense for cruises to require it. That way, guests who had Covid symptoms at the last minute could get reimbursed for the trip.

 

[insureman]

It would make sense for cruises to require it. That way, guests who had Covid symptoms at the last minute could get reimbursed for the trip.

Except that most travel insurance companies will not cover an epidemic or pandemic (Covid 19) at this time for reimbursement.

 

[JM23457]

Except that most travel insurance companies will not cover an epidemic or pandemic (Covid 19) at this time for reimbursement.

Many will cover it if you're sick & have a doctor's order to stay home due to illness. My insurance company has confirmed that they would cover us if we could not travel due to illness, Covid related or not.

 

[insureman]

If you allowed cancellations for illness with full refund, you would be in essence offering cancellations for any reason with full refund. There are too many people who will lie to your face to make me believe that someone whose plans have changed wouldn't go to their doctor to make up some 'mystery migraine', etc. to get a note excusing them from their cruise.

The insurance carrier wouldn't cover you for Covid19 now anyways. As far as other illnesses ( non epidemic/pandemic) there are companies that will still cover you and the amount of information they want for a claim can be extensive (believe me I know, been there done that) but it has always been like that in the travel insurance industry.

 

[insureman]

Many will cover it if you're sick & have a doctor's order to stay home due to illness. My insurance company has confirmed that they would cover us if we could not travel due to illness, Covid related or not.

From a Travel Insurance website.
"..., coverage for COVID19 will depend on when you bought your travel insurance. Most of these companies made the coverage for COVID19 an exclusion once it was declared an global pandemic by the Center for Disease control (CDC) in the United States."

 

[BadPinkTink]

Except that most travel insurance companies will not cover an epidemic or pandemic (Covid 19) at this time for reimbursement.

Not correct, each individual travel insurance company is different, but many European insurance companies are covering medical insurance for Covid 19 related illness but are not covering cancellations for Covid 19 reasons.

I renewed my annual travel insurance in June and I am covered for medical treatment for Covid 19 illness in America. Which means that if I fall and hurt my leg my travel insurance will cover the medical treatment AND if I develop Covid 19 symptoms while in America my travel insurance will cover the medical treatment.

If I have to cancel flights , hotels etc due to me not wanting to travel and I loose a deposit, my travel insurance will not reimburse me.

Edit to add. in order for my travel insurance company to cover Covid 19 medical treatment in America the travel bans need to be lifted. If I travel while there is an Irish Government Travel Adversary for America it voids my travel insurance.

 

[insureman]

Many will cover it if you're sick & have a doctor's order to stay home due to illness. My insurance company has confirmed that they would cover us if we could not travel due to illness, Covid related or not.

If you don't mind me asking who is the travel insurance carrier.

 

[pjacobi]

When available, is it possible that travel insurance companies will require a CV vaccine? Or perhaps state in the policy that there is no coverage for CV?

A CV vaccine may never be required for travel, but the treat of financial liability may make it almost mandatory.

-Paul

 

[BadPinkTink]

For anyone interested, this is what my Irish Travel Insurance Company have on their website about Covid 19 https://www.multitrip.com/ie/travel-insurance-coronavirus-faq

What are you covered for:

Scenario	Cover Stance	Cover Conditions
You fall ill with Covid-19 abroad and need medical treatment abroad.	Cover as Standard	No cover if travelling against the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or medical advice.
You fall ill with Covid-19 abroad and need to be repatriated to Ireland.	Cover as Standard	No cover if travelling against the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or medical advice.
You fall ill with Covid-19 abroad and you need to extend your stay as a result of Coronavirus incurring additional costs.	Cover as Standard	No cover if travelling against the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or medical advice.
You fall ill with Covid-19 at home and cannot travel.	Cover as Standard	Subject to positive test result. No cover if symptoms or diagnosis occurred prior to your policy purchase or within 7 days of your issue date.
Your travelling companion falls ill with Covid-19 at home and cannot travel.	Cover as Standard	Subject to positive test result. No cover if symptoms or diagnosis occurred prior to your policy purchase or within 7 days of your issue date.
Your close business associate falls ill with Covid-19 at home and cannot travel.	Cover as Standard	Subject to positive test result. No cover if symptoms or diagnosis occurred prior to your policy purchase or within 7 days of your issue date.
Your family member is hospitalised with Covid-19 and as a result you cannot travel.	Cover as Standard	Subject to positive test result. No cover if symptoms or diagnosis occurred prior to your policy purchase or within 7 days of your issue date.
You are diagnosed with Covid-19 whilst on your trip and must self isolate in your accommodation. You would like to claim for any cancelled excursions.	Cover as Standard	No cover if travelling against the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) or medical advice.
You need to curtail your trip as a close relative has passed away from Covid-19.	Cover as Standard	No cover if your relative was already hospitalised before you left on your trip.