Hurricanes and Cruise Insurance?

[minnie10]

Okay the best place to get this question answered must be on this board. Does your insurance for the cruise cover cancellations due to the fear of hurricanes? We are sailing Sunday on the Wonder and just saw about the possiblity of Hurricane Adrian. Yikes! What luck. I wouldn't do well in Vegas. I chose this time of the year and thought there would be no threat at all and now this. Has anyone ever had any experience with this? I need some advice.

 

[minnie10]

bumping

 

[allears]

We sailed during last September's historic hurricane seaon and did use our insurance. However, I don't think it will cover you for "fear of a hurricane." As long as the crusie isn't being cancelled or significantly altered, the insurance probably doesn't kick in. I think, and others might have more information, that you would only be able to have the insurance re-imburse you if you cancelled only if you were enroute and due to the storm couldn't make it to the ship. If the cruise line decides to either cancel or significantly change the cruise, they would offer a refund, as they did in our case last year. We chose to sail anyway but used filed a claim for the expenses we incurred while held up in Florida during hurricane Jeane.

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

My understanding of travel insurance is that cancelling for a reason such as this would not entitle you to a refund. The policy that DCL sells covers cancellation for the following reasons:

-Injury or medical condition
-Some outside condition which prohibits travelling (jury duty, your house burns down)
-An accident on the way to the port/airport
-weather causing you to be unable to fly to the departure port
-Military recall

It specifically does not cover:

-pre-existing conditions
-change of plans due to business, lack of passport, being detained by Customs
-government restrictions
-terrorist acts
-financial default
-strikes, natural disasters

Having said all that, I would not worry about this storm. At this point, it is still in the Pacific. A lot can happen between now and Sunday as far as it weakening, and even if it doesn't weaken, it is still almost 2000 miles from the Bahamas. It's entirely possible, if not probable, that it will not impact Sunday's cruise at all. If it does, the ship will keep away from it.

We sail during hurricane season (Sept/Oct) just about every year. The vast majority of the time, we've had no problems, even when storm forecasts have put the storm right on top of where the ship was scheduled to be. In my experience, the forecasts, especially this far away, tend to be wrong as often as not. This particular storm still has to cross Central America, and it's hard to predict how much strength it will retain in doing so.

My advice would be to go, and not to worry about the storm. Keep in the back of your mind that the ship may be re-routed, but in all likelihood, you'll have no problems.

 

[ivanova]

travel insurance won't cover you cancelling because you fear there might be a hurricane ... and being on the ship during a hurricane is the BEST place to be (since the ships steer clear of the storms and head for calm seas).

 

[lisa702]

So if a hurricane is headed straight towards the area where I live and we are scheduled to sail before it hits, DCL insurance will not allow us to cancel and get a refund?

 

[allears]

So if a hurricane is headed straight towards the area where I live and we are scheduled to sail before it hits, DCL insurance will not allow us to cancel and get a refund?

This may be a different situation. If you have to cancel because your area is in the path of a natural disaster, you may have a valid claim. But I would think that this would be a last minute change.

 

[Talking Hands]

So if a hurricane is headed straight towards the area where I live and we are scheduled to sail before it hits, DCL insurance will not allow us to cancel and get a refund?

In that situation I would batten down the hatches so to speak and head for the cruise. I would rather be at sea than at home in a hurricane any day. The house will be there when you return one way or the other. As long as you have boarded up and taken evereything needed in there is no need to ride out the storm.
Btw we have people who are already patially boarded up already!

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

So if a hurricane is headed straight towards the area where I live and we are scheduled to sail before it hits, DCL insurance will not allow us to cancel and get a refund?

After reading the DCL policy, it seems a situation like this might be covered under the trip cancellation coverage. Specifically, it says that it covers you for losses due to, among other things:

you, a traveling Family Member or a Traveling Companion having his
or her home made uninhabitable by fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster

Based on that, you might need to have the hurricane actually hit your home first.

 

[lisa702]

In that situation I would batten down the hatches so to speak and head for the cruise. I would rather be at sea than at home in a hurricane any day. The house will be there when you return one way or the other. As long as you have boarded up and taken evereything needed in there is no need to ride out the storm.
Btw we have people who are already patially boarded up already!

I have 2 dogs that someone will stop by to feed twice a day but probably not sit with during a hurricane.

 

[CM_Mom]

minnie10, I just looked at the NOAA weather site and it looks like Adrian has pretty much fizzled out except for some heavy rain in Honduras. The 8:00 AM advisory this morning was the last scheduled one so looks like you trip will be fine.

Have a WONDERful time.