How late can I add insurance? And what happens with insurance if I move the cruise?

[aldarowa]

We booked the Panama Canal last week with DCL insurance, but now learned that we might have to cancel the cruise all together for medical reasons.

What happens to the insurance if we move the cruise before final payment? Does the insurance move as well or would we lose the premium?

What would be our options if we canceled the insurance now and try to add it later (when we learned we might be able to cruise after all). Is this still possible?

I just don't want to lose the $500 premium if we have to cancel the cruise. In that case we might need all the money we can get to fund the medical bill. On the other hand I don't want to cancel the cruise right away in case it's not as bad as it might look like now.

Just don't know what to do :-(

 

[mellers]

We booked the Panama Canal last week with DCL insurance, but now learned that we might have to cancel the cruise all together for medical reasons.

What happens to the insurance if we move the cruise before final payment? Does the insurance move as well or would we lose the premium?

What would be our options if we canceled the insurance now and try to add it later (when we learned we might be able to cruise after all). Is this still possible?

I just don't want to lose the $500 premium if we have to cancel the cruise. In that case we might need all the money we can get to fund the medical bill. On the other hand I don't want to cancel the cruise right away in case it's not as bad as it might look like now.

Just don't know what to do :-(

First off, if you think you might have to cancel the cruise for medical reasons, RIGHT NOW, TODAY, call Disney and drop their insurance. If you haven't made the final payment, Disney has probably not bought your insurance yet, so now you (or another traveler or relative) have a pre-existing condition with no pre-existing conditions waiver, and are past the lookback, and this is a very bad thing.

If you booked the cruise last week, then I think it is safe to assume you are within 14-21 days of your initial deposit. This is a good thing, because it means you will be able to purchase cruise insurance with a pre-existing conditions waiver. Even better, particularly if you are traveling with children, it will likely be cheaper than DCL's insurance, so you will, most likely, get better coverage and save money. You want to do this TODAY. The longer you wait, the fewer coverage options you will have.

If you change your cruise date, you may have to call the carrier, if the cruise cost changes, and increase your coverage limits, but I know that my carrier (TravelInsured) can do this and said it would be okay, at least at the time I booked. Double-check with the carrier, or the travel insurance company. Try http://www.tripinsurancestore.com , http://www.insuremytrip.com , or http://www.squaremouth.com , unless you have somebody who could possibly deploy, in which case you should use http://www.usaa.com , as they have special deployment insurance.

Let me illustrate why this is important:

Let's say that last week your wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (trust me, it can happen--and has ). You now have two issues with regards to your cruise:

1. Maybe you can't take the cruise because your wife is undergoing medical treatment.

2. Maybe you can work the radioiodine therapy around the cruise, but if something goes wrong on-board, you need to be covered for a visit to the doctor, and a potentially expensive evacuation from a Mexican or Columbian port (port evacuations ARE NOT covered by the Coast Guard).

Scenario 1: Disney Insurance:

Issue 1: If you can't take the cruise, and your claim is denied, you can apply the cost of the cruise, less the insurance, to another cruise, which might work for you, but you can't get the money back.

Issue 2: Since the issue will (from the sound of it) most likely need treatment through the pre-existing condition lookback period, you will be on the hook for the whole amount. That could dwarf the cost of your cruise.

Scenario 2: Cruise Insurance with a pre-existing conditions waiver

Issue 1: You get your money back from the cruise (although not your insurance premium), less whatever deductible (if any) the company has (mine will pay 100% in the event of a medical emergency)

Issue 2: Because you have a pre-existing conditions waiver, you have your medical care on-ship covered (remember, the ship is flagged for Nassau, so you're not in the US anymore), less whatever deductible your company has (mine is $50). Medical evacuation to whatever the limit is, assuming they approve the emergency, is also covered to the limit, less any deductible.

Other Issues: If you would have a difficult time making the initial medical payments, you may want to consider making sure your coverage will advance medical payments to providers, and is primary, and not secondary coverage.

Primary medical coverage means that you submit the receipts/proof for a covered event, and they pay you back.

Secondary medical coverage means that you submit the receipts/proof for a covered event to your existing health plan, you wait for them to deny it, or pay whatever portion of it they will pay, and then you submit both the receipts and the denial, and then your cruise insurance will pay the rest, less your deductible.

This is (I hope) a decent overview, but if you have more specific questions, I'd recommend contacting someone at any of the three sites above--they would really know best, and might be able to suggest the carrier who would best fit your needs if you are not sure.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We booked the Panama Canal last week with DCL insurance, but now learned that we might have to cancel the cruise all together for medical reasons.

What happens to the insurance if we move the cruise before final payment? Does the insurance move as well or would we lose the premium?

What would be our options if we canceled the insurance now and try to add it later (when we learned we might be able to cruise after all). Is this still possible?

I just don't want to lose the $500 premium if we have to cancel the cruise. In that case we might need all the money we can get to fund the medical bill. On the other hand I don't want to cancel the cruise right away in case it's not as bad as it might look like now.

Just don't know what to do :-(

If you booked DCL's insurance with your cruise, it doesn't ever cover pre-existing conditions since DCL doesn't actually buy it until final payment due date. If you must cancel the cruise, they'll cancel the insurance (and airfare) along with it.

If you bought & paid separately for insurance, I would call & ask if they'll allow you to move the date. I usually buy ins through www.insuremytrip.com and since I started using them, I haven't moved a date so I'm not sure how they handle date changes.

 

[Donna3271]

If you booked DCL's insurance with your cruise, it doesn't ever cover pre-existing conditions since DCL doesn't actually buy it until final payment due date. If you must cancel the cruise, they'll cancel the insurance (and airfare) along with it.

If you bought & paid separately for insurance, I would call & ask if they'll allow you to move the date. I usually buy ins through www.insuremytrip.com and since I started using them, I haven't moved a date so I'm not sure how they handle date changes.

Hi,

Do you find insuremytrip.com better than Disney? Is it a hassle to purchase? I've always gone directly through DCL, but the Alaska and Med rates for insurance seem high. Usually, we are in the Caribbean, and the insurance is reasonable. TU!!

 

[NancyIL]

Hi,

Do you find insuremytrip.com better than Disney? Is it a hassle to purchase? I've always gone directly through DCL, but the Alaska and Med rates for insurance seem high. Usually, we are in the Caribbean, and the insurance is reasonable. TU!!

Insure My Trip offers trip insurance policies from many companies. I prefer the Trip Insurance Store (www.tripinsurancestore.com) because they have fewer companies to wade through, and they deal with the companies I always use. Their web site also has a lot of excellent information.

 

[Donna3271]

Insure My Trip offers trip insurance policies from many companies. I prefer the Trip Insurance Store (www.tripinsurancestore.com) because they have fewer companies to wade through, and they deal with the companies I always use. Their web site also has a lot of excellent information.

Nancy,

This is EXCELLENT info. TU!!!

 

[Kirbo]

I bought insurance through www.insuremytrip.com and just moved my travel date this week! Super easy.

We originally were booked on the March 23, 2013 Eastern. I bought insurance for that cruise and date. We recently decided that doing the EBTA or WBPC might be more fun (we're leaning toward the PC). I haven't canceled any of the cruises (though I will have to cancel two of them) but I did move my insurance from the EC to the WBPC. I just called them up and gave them all the info, including my new initial payment date, and they changed it for me. We're also on a cruise in three weeks and I asked about what happens if we are able to reshop the cruise onboard. She said that I just need to call when we get back to change the initial date of payment again. But you have to do it w/in their set time period (two weeks for the company I used) to have pre-exisiting conditions covered.

I also asked about dummy dates. She told me to insure the dummy date as soon as we get home and then when we move it to our real cruise date to call and make the changes.

 

[NancyIL]

I bought insurance through www.insuremytrip.com and just moved my travel date this week! Super easy.

We originally were booked on the March 23, 2013 Eastern. I bought insurance for that cruise and date. We recently decided that doing the EBTA or WBPC might be more fun (we're leaning toward the PC). I haven't canceled any of the cruises (though I will have to cancel two of them) but I did move my insurance from the EC to the WBPC. I just called them up and gave them all the info, including my new initial payment date, and they changed it for me. We're also on a cruise in three weeks and I asked about what happens if we are able to reshop the cruise onboard. She said that I just need to call when we get back to change the initial date of payment again. But you have to do it w/in their set time period (two weeks for the company I used) to have pre-exisiting conditions covered.

I also asked about dummy dates. She told me to insure the dummy date as soon as we get home and then when we move it to our real cruise date to call and make the changes.

For insurance purposes - you have to be careful with dummy bookings on DCL. Your initial trip deposit date is the FIRST date you make any trip payment - even if you don't intend to go on that cruise. If you later move the cruise to another date, or if you reshop the cruise while onboard another cruise, the initial trip deposit date remains the same. Only if you book a totally new reservation and pay a new deposit does the initial trip deposit date change. However, you can't cancel and rebook the same cruise to change the initial trip payment date: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

In addition, you'll see that CSA, Global Alert, Travelex, Travel Insured and TravelSafe all include wording like "this is the first and only booking for this same destination and dates of travel" as a condition of waiving the pre-existing medical condition exclusion. The reason is that you cannot cancel your trip & re-book it to just reset your initial trip deposit date.

 

[Kirbo]

For insurance purposes - you have to be careful with dummy bookings on DCL. Your initial trip deposit date is the FIRST date you make any trip payment - even if you don't intend to go on that cruise. If you later move the cruise to another date, or if you reshop the cruise while onboard another cruise, the initial trip deposit date remains the same. Only if you book a totally new reservation and pay a new deposit does the initial trip deposit date change. You also can't cancel and rebook the same cruise to change the initial trip payment date: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

In addition, you'll see that CSA, Global Alert, Travelex, Travel Insured and TravelSafe all include wording like "this is the first and only booking for this same destination and dates of travel" as a condition of waiving the pre-existing medical condition exclusion. The reason is that you cannot cancel your trip & re-book it to just reset your initial trip deposit date.

Interesting. When I spoke to the rep a few days ago she said that if I reshopped my cruise on board and they changed the reservation number and refunded then recharged my deposit that I'd need to change the date of first payment. It sounds as if what you quoted is saying something totally different. I will have to be careful about that if anything changes. She said that if they just changed pricing but didn't change the reservation number or refund and recharge my credit card that the initial payment date would remain the same.

As far as booking a dummy date goes, she said that I'd need to insure that dummy date right away, w/in the two week period of initial payment. But that once I moved it to whatever cruise we'd really take I'd need to call and change the details, but the original date of payment would be the same as that for my dummy booking.

 

[NancyIL]

Interesting. When I spoke to the rep a few days ago she said that if I reshopped my cruise on board and they changed the reservation number and refunded then recharged my deposit that I'd need to change the date of first payment. It sounds as if what you quoted is saying something totally different. I will have to be careful about that if anything changes. She said that if they just changed pricing but didn't change the reservation number or refund and recharge my credit card that the initial payment date would remain the same.

As far as booking a dummy date goes, she said that I'd need to insure that dummy date right away, w/in the two week period of initial payment. But that once I moved it to whatever cruise we'd really take I'd need to call and change the details, but the original date of payment would be the same as that for my dummy booking.

You already purchased the insurance within the time period specified to get the waiver of pre-existing conditions, although I don't understand why InsureMyTrip would change the initial trip payment date for a reshopped cruise. The info I quoted above applies to people who didn't buy the insurance within 14-21 days after booking the first cruise, and who think they can change the initial trip payment date by cancelling and rebooking the same cruise.

**I quoted just a small portion of the info about pre-existing conditions from the Trip Insurance Store's web site. Click on the link to read more: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml. Also - read what your specific policy says about the waiver of pre-existing conditions.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Hi,

Do you find insuremytrip.com better than Disney? Is it a hassle to purchase? I've always gone directly through DCL, but the Alaska and Med rates for insurance seem high. Usually, we are in the Caribbean, and the insurance is reasonable. TU!!

I do find it better not only because it's cheaper but I can still buy it after final payment is made. I usually don't wait that late but once I totally slipped and could still buy. For our Apr cruise I bought approx 3 days after the cancellation penalty phase kicked in and the price was the same as what I had checked many times before. I really don't like to wait so late but we don't have any PECs & I'm fine with being able to wait until cancelation penalties would apply to buy insurance. If anything happens from the time we pay deposit until final payment due date, we could always move the cruise to a later date. My concern is something very last minute. Like in Nov. when my MIL had a heart attack the morning we were due to fly to FL. I was prepared to cancel but they put 2 stents in and she was fine & insisted we go by afternoon. I really felt our place was at home but it's dh's family...
PP is correct that they do offer a lot of companies to choose from but it's easy to narrow down my choices. I search for package, enter trip info, and sort results from cheapest to most expensive. Then I compare the cheapest 5. They vary by very slight coverage amounts. Access America is available which is the company that DCL uses. We just need basic coverage and any of their basic plans offered by insuremytrip will do.

I always assumed that medical coverage doesn't apply once you leave the country but we are cruising with friends over spring break and he is VP of Independence Blue Cross, which happens to be my health ins co and he insists that we would still be covered even outside the country. Of course it would not be so simple to just show our card & pay a copay. I was completely shocked and nearly fell out of my chair. My only argument was that on the Disboards they say it doesn't cover outside the country.
I told him I'd like that in writing.

 

[mellers]

My only argument was that on the Disboards they say it doesn't cover outside the country.
I told him I'd like that in writing.

Some will, some won't, and some will partially pay. We also have Blue Cross, and they will pay what is "reasonable and customary"--which may or may not be what we actually have to pay. I like having the cruise insurance to back me up in this case. I have, in the past, had other health coverage which would not cover anything out of the country. If you want to take that risk, I would definitely check with your insurance provider, and make sure you understand what "covered" means. Technically, we are "covered", but reasonable and customary generally amounts to about 50-80% of what we actually have to pay if it's out of network, and everything out of the country is out of network. I, myself, would rather just be safe. 50-80% of $20-$30K for a serious emergency is a lot of money to me.

That is a good point, though--you may want to check with your insurance carrier, and see what your responsibilities would be. You might not be on the hook for the full amount, just partially.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Some will, some won't, and some will partially pay. We also have Blue Cross, and they will pay what is "reasonable and customary"--which may or may not be what we actually have to pay. I like having the cruise insurance to back me up in this case. I have, in the past, had other health coverage which would not cover anything out of the country. If you want to take that risk, I would definitely check with your insurance provider, and make sure you understand what "covered" means. Technically, we are "covered", but reasonable and customary generally amounts to about 50-80% of what we actually have to pay if it's out of network, and everything out of the country is out of network. I, myself, would rather just be safe. 50-80% of $20-$30K for a serious emergency is a lot of money to me.

Oh, believe me, we still buy trip insurance. I was just surprised that it would cover anything at all.

 

[aldarowa]

Thanks for all the answers.

As it turned out it isn't as bad as we first thought. So we'll keep the reservation as it is.

 

[sayhello]

For insurance purposes - you have to be careful with dummy bookings on DCL. Your initial trip deposit date is the FIRST date you make any trip payment - even if you don't intend to go on that cruise. If you later move the cruise to another date, or if you reshop the cruise while onboard another cruise, the initial trip deposit date remains the same. Only if you book a totally new reservation and pay a new deposit does the initial trip deposit date change. However, you can't cancel and rebook the same cruise to change the initial trip payment date: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

Interesting. When I spoke to the rep a few days ago she said that if I reshopped my cruise on board and they changed the reservation number and refunded then recharged my deposit that I'd need to change the date of first payment. It sounds as if what you quoted is saying something totally different. I will have to be careful about that if anything changes. She said that if they just changed pricing but didn't change the reservation number or refund and recharge my credit card that the initial payment date would remain the same.

As far as booking a dummy date goes, she said that I'd need to insure that dummy date right away, w/in the two week period of initial payment. But that once I moved it to whatever cruise we'd really take I'd need to call and change the details, but the original date of payment would be the same as that for my dummy booking.

OK, in my opinion & experience, here's what is going on here. (ETA: I just called insuremytrip.com to verify this) In order to get a pre-existing condition waiver, you need to purchase the insurance within the prescribed period (14-21 days) for the INITIAL payment on the dummy booking. ie, the very first time you book that cruise. That gives you a policy with a pre-existing condition waiver.

If you reshop the cruise, change the date, etc, you need to inform the insurance company of the change within the prescribed period (14-21 days) of that change to RETAIN the pre-existing condition waiver. If you do it after that period, you lose the pre-existing condition waiver.

If you missed the window the first time, and did not get the waiver, then you can't get a waiver added by re-shopping or moving the cruise and informing the insurance company within 14-21 days. So you are not really getting a "new" initial payment date. You're getting a new date to start the clock to keep your waiver.

Hope that makes sense.

Sayhello

 

[tiggspring]

I have Fibromyalgia so pre exsiting coverage is the main reason for the insurance. What should I expect to pay for a 5 day cruise? DCL quoating just under $100 per day which seems steep especially if my illness isnt covered. ALso does anyone know if AAA has trip insurance and if so is it any good?



Thanks!

 

[mellers]

I have Fibromyalgia so pre exsiting coverage is the main reason for the insurance. What should I expect to pay for a 5 day cruise? DCL quoating just under $100 per day which seems steep especially if my illness isnt covered. ALso does anyone know if AAA has trip insurance and if so is it any good?



Thanks!

If you are within 21 days of your initial payment, you can purchase insurance from TravelInsured Worldwide Trip Protector, or, if you are within 30, from TravelInsured Worldwide Trip Protector Gold, and still have pre-existing conditions covered (there are other good policies as well--I mention this one because another poster had good luck getting a medical claim paid out.)

If you are traveling with children, make sure to insure the adult cost of the cruise, but TravelInsured will insure children for free. Also, if one of the travelers risk military deployment, TravelInsured, through USAA, is the best way to go.

When I last tried AAA travel insurance, I found them to be rather expensive for their coverage, but it might be worth a check of their website.

If you are past the 30-day mark after your initial deposit, try CSA. They will cover pre-existing conditions as long as you are within 24 hours of your final payment.

If one of the travelers is a active, reserve, or retired military, or a vet, a small discount is available through http://www.usaa.com/ on the TravelInsured policies, and if not, you can find it from http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/ . http://www.insuremytrip.com/ and http://www.squaremouth.com/ are other good sources for policies.

However, I hope you have safe travels and never need to make a claim.

 

[Im_A_Princess]

By "re-shopping" the cruise do you all mean moving the cruise (like a dummy date) within the DCL system so you can keep on board discounts with Disney?? This is where the 14-21 day issue is????
If I do the above then the 14-21 pre-existing clause is not good?

If I totally cancel a cruise and re-book (not using DCL discounts) a different cruise at a different time, the 14-21 day "ticker" to get pre-existing condition insurance resets for the new cruise. Right?

When looking up insurance on one of the sites mentioned above (like insure my trip) do you put the search in as a "package"?
Feeling like I need an "Trip Insurance for Dummies" book - LOL

 

[tiggspring]

Wow! I wish I had know some of the things I just found on the link last March when I booked my trip. With needing to book DCL so rediculously far out I might not be able to get anything worth the money. We are not flying and the main reason for insurance is medical. Although I prepare months in advance to manage my illness, going as far as staying in bed the two weeks up to a trip, still life is unpredictable

Any suggestions. We sail June 1 and have a dolphin experiece at sea world the day before that I would like to cover the day or two before sailing. obviously I booked more than a year ago so what now?

 

[mellers]

By "re-shopping" the cruise do you all mean moving the cruise (like a dummy date) within the DCL system so you can keep on board discounts with Disney?? This is where the 14-21 day issue is????
If I do the above then the 14-21 pre-existing clause is not good?

If I totally cancel a cruise and re-book (not using DCL discounts) a different cruise at a different time, the 14-21 day "ticker" to get pre-existing condition insurance resets for the new cruise. Right?

Okay, here is the information I received from the TravelInsured representative when I spoke to her after we booked our "dummy date" (We later decided to go on the cruise, anyway). You should double-check this, in case it has changed:

If you book a dummy date, you should insure it within that 21 day period. By doing that, you keep your pre-existing conditions coverage. If you change the date of a cruise, you must call TravelInsured within 21 days and make the appropriate changes to the coverage. If that changes its cost, you must make sure that you change the amount of the coverage. This is also true if you add airfare, uncancellable shore excursions, etc. Each time, you have 21 days from the initial payment to change the insurance. If you do this, you will keep your pre-existing conditions coverage.

Me, I just went with a ball park figure that was on the high side and paid for the coverage, so I haven't needed to change it.

If, instead, you wait until you rebook your dummy date, you will lose pre-existing conditions coverage.