Travel Insurance

[Tazj]

I just booked an Alaska cruise with Disney today. I got travel insurance in case of a medical problem but I didn't get the other insurance that would cover for cancellations for other reasons. Will I be allowed to change this and if not would it be wise to get other insurance? I called my travel agent but she hasn't called back today. I suppose I will hear from her tomorrow but wonder if this has happened to anyone else.

 

[tankin]

I always buy third party insurance. The best policy I can afford.

 

[Tazj]

Thank you, I will keep that in mind.

 

[Mango7100]

We purchase Allianz travel insurance for our upcoming cruise. They do not have the cancel for any reason and get 75% back as Disney insurance does (I believe I have the percent compensation right), but they do offer much better or-existing medical condition coverage (my husband has a genetic heart condition so this is important for us). And it covers for the main reasons we would cancel a trip anyway. Itwas half the cost of what the Disney insurance would have been. Of course every policy is different, so read carefully!

 

[Tazj]

That’s interesting that Allianz travel insurance has better medical coverage. I was thinking the same thing, that the only reason we would cancel was because of a medical reason but then my husband said,“But what about a weather problem?” He had wanted the other cancel for any reason insurance and I had been so busy thinking about the other details of the trip I didn’t give it enough thought.
I also don’t understand why you have to buy it before paying for the trip or you can’t buy it at all.
Who knows? I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow or look into other insurance.

 

[luvincruising]

That’s interesting that Allianz travel insurance has better medical coverage. I was thinking the same thing, that th only reason we would cancel was because of a medical reason but then my husband said,“But what about a weather problem?” He had wanted the other cancel for any reason insurance and I had been so busy thinking about the other details of the trip I didn’t give it enough thought.
I also don’t understand why you have to buy it before paying for the trip or you can’t buy it at all.
Who knows? I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow or look into other insurance.

Different policies can vary on when you have to purchase in order to qualify' for pre-existing conditions coverage. Check the details before you buy. As far as medical coverage limits, I have found many third party policies with better coverage than what the cruiseline sells. Check out Squaremouth and Insuremytrip for a comparison of policies.

 

[lanejudy]

I also don’t understand why you have to buy it before paying for the trip or you can’t buy it at all.

It all depends what you are looking for as far as coverage. Only certain aspects require an “early” purchase shortly after deposit. Other coverages can be purchased right up until your trip. Even then I think other than cancellation/interruption due to a named storm, pretty much any coverage can be obtained, it’s just a matter of cost. Policies vary widely, so consider what is most important to you.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Different policies can vary on when you have to purchase in order to qualify' for pre-existing conditions coverage. Check the details before you buy. As far as medical coverage limits, I have found many third party policies with better coverage than what the cruiseline sells. Check out Squaremouth and ************ for a comparison of policies.

As you found, there's one travel insurance comparison site that isn't allowed to be posted here, but it's one I use mostly. Doing a google search for "trip insurance comparison sites" usually has it at the top of the list.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Every insurer is a bit different, so you can only find out from them, or via your travel agent if he or she booked the insurance for you.

I personally would be a bit wary of booking insurance through a travel agent, because I would want to shop around for the best policy, and know exactly what's covered or not. Since you're a bit unsure about the terms, it sounds like you might not have all of that info.

In terms of plan choice, I would only ever get a medical-only plan if I knew for sure that there was no other reason I would ever cancel the trip. I also am careful to get insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, as well.

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

Possibly related question:

What if you changed your cruise date? Would third party allow you to change the date? Would DCL trip insurance?

I had a December 2018 cruise booked with third party ins and then we changed it to December 2019. I assumed I got screwed on the insurance, so I did nothing. Now I realize I have no insurance for the December 2019 cruise. What might my options be?

 

[lanejudy]

What if you changed your cruise date? Would third party allow you to change the date? Would DCL trip insurance?

DCL-offered insurance is not actually purchased until PIF. So that shouldn't be an issue changing dates.

I would ask when looking into third party coverage, ask if you can change dates and keep the coverage. I believe it’s possible, at least with some policies, since the same deposit/reservation number remains the same.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Possibly related question:

What if you changed your cruise date? Would third party allow you to change the date? Would DCL trip insurance?

I had a December 2018 cruise booked with third party ins and then we changed it to December 2019. I assumed I got screwed on the insurance, so I did nothing. Now I realize I have no insurance for the December 2019 cruise. What might my options be?

Yes. Except for 2 cruises, we've always used a third party insurance company. We had one cruise booked, and insurance paid for, and about a month out from the cruise, we added the following cruise to make it a B2B. We just called the insurance company and changed the dates. Of course, we had to pay some more for it.

 

[MillauFr]

Also consider getting one of the premium credit cards that provide insurance as a benefit. The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards offers trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation insurance, emergency medical coverage, and medical evacuation coverage. You get these benefits at no added cost as long as you charge your airline tickets and cruise on the card.

https://www.creditdonkey.com/chase-sapphire-travel-insurance.html

 

[MouseinMelbourne]

Yes. Except for 2 cruises, we've always used a third party insurance company. We had one cruise booked, and insurance paid for, and about a month out from the cruise, we added the following cruise to make it a B2B. We just called the insurance company and changed the dates. Of course, we had to pay some more for it.

Well, darn! I didn’t even think of it and the original one already passed. Think I can call now? I’ll try Monday.

 

[kiford]

I would only ever get a medical-only plan if I knew for sure that there was no other reason I would ever cancel the trip.

Except that the point of insurance is often to cover you for unexpected or unanticipated problems. Family members who pass away while you're gone who were not sick when you left, an unanticipated major problem with your home that can't be handled by anyone but you, weather or natural disasters preventing you from travelling or cutting short your vacation, etc. Rather than trying to determine what you could or couldn't anticipate, the way you might want to think about this is: what would be the consequences/impact if something happened (either at home or to you) while on vacation and would you want it covered by insurance or out of pocket.

Typically when we travel to WDW, for example, we're mostly concerned with medical while out of country. I'm not that worried about the costs of having to fly back on short notice or losing the use of my hotel fees. I'm not as concerned about cancellation charges if I can't make it there on time or at all. I'm much more concerned about any medical costs I might incur out of country. However, on a cruise, I'm as concerned about last minute flights and evacuation costs as I am about medical. I'm concerned about totally missing the ship due to late arrival especially if it's an overseas cruise and if it's a longer length cruise. The potential reasons for the cancelled or interrupted trip that I need to ensure I'm covered for comes after considering the consequences. If I'm not as concerned about cancellation and/or interruption then I'm not going to worry about the reasons and may not bother to cover. If I am concerned about it, then I'm going to do a relatively broad coverage. I only get cancel for any reason insurance if I think that there is a possibility of a particular occurrence that isn't covered by other clauses.

 

[ember1205]

We purchase Allianz travel insurance for our upcoming cruise. They do not have the cancel for any reason and get 75% back as Disney insurance does (I believe I have the percent compensation right), but they do offer much better or-existing medical condition coverage (my husband has a genetic heart condition so this is important for us). And it covers for the main reasons we would cancel a trip anyway. Itwas half the cost of what the Disney insurance would have been. Of course every policy is different, so read carefully!

Allianz offers policies that cover "cancel for any reason". They also offer policies that offer reimbursement of 100% of whatever the cruise line or others won't / don't refund. It may be true that the specific policy you purchased has the limitations that you've mentioned, but that is certainly not the only set of options.

It's important to realize that your trip insurance does not automatically pay you 100% on cancelation - they cover ONLY the amount that ISN'T given back to you by the various vendors. If you cancel a DCL cruise at 60 days prior, you don't get all of your money back. The portion you DON'T get back from DCL is the portion that your trip insurance provides coverage for.

 

[Mango7100]

Allianz offers policies that cover "cancel for any reason". They also offer policies that offer reimbursement of 100% of whatever the cruise line or others won't / don't refund. It may be true that the specific policy you purchased has the limitations that you've mentioned, but that is certainly not the only set of options.

It's important to realize that your trip insurance does not automatically pay you 100% on cancelation - they cover ONLY the amount that ISN'T given back to you by the various vendors. If you cancel a DCL cruise at 60 days prior, you don't get all of your money back. The portion you DON'T get back from DCL is the portion that your trip insurance provides coverage for.

Good to know! Our policy does not allow for cancel for any reason (at least that’s what the representative said when we bought it and what our emailed policy says), but we had to look at more solid pre-existing medical coverage due to my husbands heart condition. Overall, they seemed to provide more coverage for what we were looking for and our listed covered reasons for cancellation is pretty extensive—it covers for the reasons we would cancel that big of a trip anyway

 

[ember1205]

Good to know! Our policy does not allow for cancel for any reason (at least that’s what the representative said when we bought it and what our emailed policy says), but we had to look at more solid pre-existing medical coverage due to my husbands heart condition. Overall, they seemed to provide more coverage for what we were looking for and our listed covered reasons for cancellation is pretty extensive—it covers for the reasons we would cancel that big of a trip anyway

I've used them in the past and was happy with the coverage that I got AND the price I paid.

If you need Cancel for any Reason coverage with them, you have to call them - they do not offer those policies online.

 

[Sorcerer's Dad]

What I have a problem with: Insurance company wants payment up front - within days of initial deposit, to cover pre-existing medical and cancel-any-reason, but assumes no risk until after the paid-in-full date. The term used on the amount to cover is "non-refundable prepaids". But 100% of Disney Cruise itself is refundable up to the paid-in-full date.

So as I make a reservation for Nov 2020, the insurance company wants payment for something I can cancel for any reason at all through July 2020 and get all my payments back from Disney. But the insurance company says there is no refund from them, not even partial. Even though they have had no risk..

The pre-existing medical is important to us. Nothing really serious, but it's something that 'could' flare up again.

What I have done is just pay the insurance on the amount paid so far, the deposit. And then pay additional as I make payments.

I welcome comments, suggestions. The insurance company I've used is reputable, through USAA.

 

[ember1205]

What I have a problem with: Insurance company wants payment up front - within days of initial deposit, to cover pre-existing medical and cancel-any-reason, but assumes no risk until after the paid-in-full date. The term used on the amount to cover is "non-refundable prepaids". But 100% of Disney Cruise itself is refundable up to the paid-in-full date.

So as I make a reservation for Nov 2020, the insurance company wants payment for something I can cancel for any reason at all through July 2020 and get all my payments back from Disney. But the insurance company says there is no refund from them, not even partial. Even though they have had no risk..

The pre-existing medical is important to us. Nothing really serious, but it's something that 'could' flare up again.

What I have done is just pay the insurance on the amount paid so far, the deposit. And then pay additional as I make payments.

I welcome comments, suggestions. The insurance company I've used is reputable, through USAA.

That's the right way to do it. You could, in essence, estimate the cost of your trip at $1/person simply to instantiate the policy so that you get the pre-existing medical coverage.

Have you looked at other carriers that DON'T require you to be booked right out of the gate like that? There are a lot of carriers that will allow you to get the pre-existing waiver so long as you buy the coverage before PIF. You just have to find one that has an appropriate "look back" to determine what's considered pre-existing for you.