Purchasing trip insurance

[Liz]

We definitely want to purchase trip insurance and have read insuremytrip.com is one of the best places to get it.

So is about 90 days prior to your departure the best time to buy the insurance? Because prior to that none of your money is at risk since its all refundable and the insurance is non-refundable, correct?

Thanks!

 

[we6clarks]

Actually if you are going to buy trip insurance it is probably best to but it right after you book your cruise. Most of the policies will only cover preexisting conditions if they are purchased with in two weeks or less of you booking the cruise.

 

[ivanova]

and usually "pre-existing" conditions applies to ANYONE. not just those insured ... so if grandma has a heart condition, and although she's not cruising, if she has a heart attack and that prevents you from cruising, her pre-existing condition prevents you from getting your nonrefundable expenses reimbursed.

 

[Liz]

Whoa, I didn't think about pre-existing conditions. DD16 (who will be cruising with us) has had a heart transplant. Never know what kind of problems could occur with her at any time. Will trip insurance still cover whatever might occur with her health either before or during the cruise?

 

[Liz]

I'm adding on another question and hope someone can answer.

Once you puchase trip insurance are you pretty much stuck from making any changes to your reservation? What if, for some reason, you needed to change your cruise to a different week. There is also a slight possibility that we would change from one cabin to two (if DS's friend comes) and we'd move DS to the new cabin. Would any of those scenerios cause us to have to purchase new insurance and lose what we already paid?

Thanks! (Now I see why I always decide just going to WDW is so much easier.)

 

[my3kids]

Liz: I purchased insurance from insuremytrip.com for a cruise this summer. I think this time around I picked the Travelex Lite. Anyway, we did switch cruise ships and ended up needing more coverage for more days. I emailed the link the company provided and the additional coverage was absolutely no problem. I received an updated copy of the policy with the new information printed and there was not even an additional charge because I think it is priced not down to the dollar, but a certain range of prices fall within a single cost...then the next tier pricing covers the next group of trip prices.

With a heart transplant no question I'd buy it immediatley to get the pre existing coverage. If you flat out cancel the trip you would lose your money, but you need that protection. Some policies pay secondary to your primary insurance, some others pay first. They cover unexpected medical visits while insured and associated expenses. You have to read them carefully; for some trip cancellation is really important, for others medical evacuation or medical coverage is paramount. The policies will all give written information for your decision making.

 

[tvguy]

My travel agent highly recommends insurance, but also issues a warning about pre-existing conditions, and restrictions in many plans. Bottom line, read the fine print.
Strangest issue she has witnessesed was a family that booked an expensive vacation, only to have to cancel at the last minute because dad's employer canceled his time off. Insurance company paid up right away, no problem, then turned around and sued dad's employer to recover the loss. As is very common in the insurance industry, they settle the claim quickly, then move to recover their loss if someone else caused it. Yikes, how would you like to be caught in that position. And yes, the court ruled the employer had to reimburse the insurance company. There is a legal term for this, but I can't remember what it is.

 

[ivanova]

Whoa, I didn't think about pre-existing conditions. DD16 (who will be cruising with us) has had a heart transplant. Never know what kind of problems could occur with her at any time. Will trip insurance still cover whatever might occur with her health either before or during the cruise?

If you do not have pre-existing condition coverage, the insurance will cover occurances not related to the heart transplant. For example, if she got stung by a stingray, she'd be covered. But if she had a rejection issue or other heart related problem, she would not be covered ... unless you have the pre-existing condition coverage.