Looking for...Recommendations for Travel Insurance

[njgirl]

After reading many posts, I am convinced that I should purchase travel insurance. Looking for coverage encompassing trip cancellation, medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation. Any great recommendations that you can share? Thanks!

[lougee1043]

check out www.insuremytrip.com

[kakalina]

We purchase ours directly through the cruise line.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Never buy ours through the cruise line.

JMO --- we have used Access America for years - had to turn in 1 claim - no problem. Remember I said --- JMO - others have gone with other companies.

[BRUCENLYNN]

I've used TravelGuard several times and I've had two claims -- one was quite large (9/11/01).

[serendipity1499]

We purchase ours directly through the cruise line. Agree with others you should never purchase through a Cruise Line;;

as others have stated go to:

www.insuremytrip.com (http://www.insuremytrip.com) or

http://www.quotetravelinsurance.com/

Insert all psgrs ages & total trip cost ..They will come up with prices from many Insurance Companies...You can compare policy's side by side..

We use Travelex, but have never had to make a claim..Understand Access America also a good insurer..

Good luck & enjoy your cruise..:) Betty

[stanford's girl]

After reading many posts, I am convinced that I should purchase travel insurance. Looking for coverage encompassing trip cancellation, medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation. Any great recommendations that you can share? Thanks!Thanks for asking this question NJGirl!! :D I was looking for the same info.

[FLACRUISER99]

Another important point is make sure whatever you purchase is primary insurance not secondary. The difference is that primary insurance will pay regardless of what other insurance you may have. Secondary will only pay if you are not covered by other insurance.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm most interested in reports from people who have had to actually use their policy. They all look great up front, but when my mother tried to make a claim years ago with Access America she had to get a lawyer involved. Eventually she received payment on her claim, but it was a royal pain.

I'm thinking of trying the new Amex plan called Global Travel Shield, but know nothing about it. I'm nervous about iTravelInsured offered by my TA.

Personally, I like using the cruise line's insurance when they let you pay at final payment (like Celebrity), but HAL's does not. I like it because I have no concern that the line will go out of business and it lets us cancel for any reason. Granted you don't get it all back ... often 90% toward another cruise, but it's a nice added feature.

[kryos]

I'm most interested in reports from people who have had to actually use their policy.
I had to make a claim on the insurance on my first cruise through Holland America. I had the middle-of-the-road level insurance from HAL ... not that real high level one.

I claimed for trip interruption cause I missed the ship in Fort Lauderdale due to a problem with the flight I was on. Lost an engine, long delay while we waited for a repair crew to fix it and take off again.

I had to first fly to Atlanta and spend the night in a hotel there since there was a big convention going on in Fort Lauderdale and not a room to be had anywhere. Then the next morning, I took a flight out of Atlanta to San Jose, Costa Rica, and had to stay in another hotel for two nights. On the third day, my TA booked me a private van and driver (yeah, I could smoke en route!) for the 3.5 hour drive from San Jose to Puerto Limon where I met up with the Rotterdam and continued my cruise. We're talking about $1,800 in expenses here. How much did the insurance company give me? $500. That was their maximum payout on a trip interruption claim. Since I probably paid about $500 for HAL's overpriced insurance, I basically would have done just as well to have bagged the insurance and paid these expenses on my own.

Like I said, my purpose these days for insurance is to cover me in the event of a medical emergency while traveling, and to cover my cancellation for one of the approved reasons. My main concern is my dad ... who is 92 ... and lives with me. I worry about him getting really sick or passing and my having to cancel my cruise at the last minute. It actually almost happened on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise when we had a couple of outpatient trips to the emergency room for dad within four days of the cruise. Luckily he was okay ... just some residual bleeding as a result of minor surgery he had had a week prior, so I was able to go ahead and take my trip. But things could have very easily been worse.

So, now I just get the cheapest policy for each cruise that will cover me for those items. I'm not overly concerned about what other things they cover. Travelex Lite is what I used for my upcoming cruise, as it seems to fit the bill. I will never buy ANY Holland America policy again ... too expensive for what they give you.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[cruiserfromohio]

Most commerical travel insurance is based on your age. The cruise lines charge a flat rate that is not dependent on age. If you're 70+, the cruise line insurance might be a good deal. If you're under 70 then the sites mentioned on this thread offer many options. One site not mentioned is USAA. If you're a USAA memeber, they offer travel insurance on their web site that ran me about $50 less than I could find with the other sites mentioned in this thread. USAA's travel insurance off the "shopping and discounts" tab on the main web page -- the last item on the travel menu. You can get a quote, down load a pdf file of the policy with rates and purchase on-line.

[SDHALFAN]

Hi cruiserfromohio,

Thanks for the information. I am going to be doing two segments of the GWV on the Amsterdam next year and would be wise to get insurance since we are talking a lot of money here.

I booked the cruise through USAA so I guess I'll buy my insurance from them also. Although I'm not crazy about USAA's travel agency since they moved, I do have the utmost faith in USAA and have both my cars and my home insured with them.

Valerie:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Thank you for that suggestion, Rita. I'm comparing that with Travel Guard and Global Travel Shield (which InsureMyTrip doesn't include).

It would help so much if I spoke "insurance speak". The most important (and most confusing) part for me is the "pre-existing condition period". If it says 180 days or 90 days, what does this mean? Is this time time in which before the cruise you (or your related family member) have not been ill?

In other words, does anyone know if 90 days is better than 180? Or the other way around? Help!!!

[WNYCRUISER]

Heather....
My experience. When booking my last cruise, I declined the HAL insurance (as usual) and had decided to go with Access America as I have done for all my previous ones. Their policy is, that if you sign up for the insurance within 14 days of your initial booking, they waive the pre-existing condition clause. Well, as *hit happens, I finally got around to it on the 15th day:eek: . I called them directly to inquire about this, as I was so close to their time limit. They would not budge for the one days time. To a certain degree I could undertand, as if they do it for one day, they must do it for two, etc. etc.

I told them that I was concerned regarding the pre-existing condition portion mainly because of a heart problem a few years back. The condition is not really present any more, but can rear its ugly head at any time. She asked if I was currently being treated-NO. Are you currently taking medication for it-NO. They advised me I had no problem. Their "definition" of a pre-existing condition is one that you have been seen or been treated for within 120 days prior to the effective date of the policy. Now your trip interrupt/cancellation portion of your policy is effective the date of the cruise. The rest of the policy is effective in my case, i think 24 hours after making payment on the insurance.

Essentially, they told me that for their purposes, I had no pre-existing condition. If the heart problem returned causing me to miss the trip, it would be considered a new ailment, and would be covered. My skeptical question was, well, if I don't have any pre-existing condition, why don't I wait until just before the trip to sign up for the insurance. They explained that if I DID have a problem, and then sign up for the insurance, that would be a pre-existing condition and would not be covered, since I didn't sign up in a timely manner.

My disclaimer obviously is this was my experience with one company, and their set of rules. I am sure that each company/policy/persons situation is different, and must be looked at on an individual basis.

I hope some of this makes sense to you, and I have explained myself well enough to understand.

[serendipity1499]

I'm most interested in reports from people who have had to actually use their policy. They all look great up front, but when my mother tried to make a claim years ago with Access America she had to get a lawyer involved. Eventually she received payment on her claim, but it was a royal pain.

I'm thinking of trying the new Amex plan called Global Travel Shield, but know nothing about it. I'm nervous about iTravelInsured offered by my TA.

Personally, I like using the cruise line's insurance when they let you pay at final payment (like Celebrity), but HAL's does not. I like it because I have no concern that the line will go out of business and it lets us cancel for any reason. Granted you don't get it all back ... often 90% toward another cruise, but it's a nice added feature.

Heather I think Trip Insured & Travel insured are one in the same..If that's so look at the other thread where cruiseco describes that company..
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=399559&page=3

Take a look at the back posts on that thread..I looked them up..We don't think it has an under writer & it only gives vouchers back not $$$..

Several people on that thread said they have made claims to some companies & were satisfied..I just got my travleex policy & I'm beginning to read it over very carefully..Don't know if I understand it all..

It would be so nice if our own Insurance covered us..
We've spent a fortune on Travel Insurance, Home Owners Insurance, Now a new Wind insurance policy, Flood Insurance & Dumb Insurance..LOL You name it we've got it..in the past 15 years but it's a necessary evil..

Good luck in your search..Betty

[HeatherInFlorida]

Betty, no they're not the same. iTravelInsured does have an underwriter and it is actual insurance (I have the paperwork on it) so that's not the problem for me.

WNY, thanks for your post. The insurance I'm looking at has the pre-exisiting for only 60 days which is better. I never buy the insurance up front so this clause is never waived for us. We are in good health (knock on wood;) ).

But the issue is with something like high blood pressure which my husband has and he's taken medication for many years. My question becomes if they've happened so switch his medication within that 60 day period and he (God forbid) has a heart attack a week before the cruise, would we be covered?

Also, our parents are very old. They have all sorts of stuff they need to go to the doctor about, but have no actual illness at this time. Still, I know how tricky these insurance companies can be.

Also, important point: The trip interruption coverage begins at the start of your trip, but the trip cancellation begins when the policy takes effect. I just want to clarify that for anyone reading the 2nd paragraph of WNY's post.

[WNYCRUISER]

Heather, youare right about the interruption/ cancellation. I noticed that after I posted, and began reading one of my current policies.

As to the high BP and the heart attack question, I think that is one to ask directly to the insurer. My spin on that would be, that if they change his medication for the BP within the 60 days, and his illness (reason for not being able to take the cruise) is attributed to the high BP, then I would believe you are not covered. It is pre-existing according to their policy. As to the heart attack, if that is attributed to the pre-existing high blood pressure, then no, you would not be covered - pre-existing. If the heart attack was shown to not be directly related to the high BP, then yes, you would be covered. New illness.

If it were me, I likely would ask the potential comany/companies in writing to get some sort of clarification. They likely would respond with a canned "it depends". Whether they could clarify it for you before the trip or not, I wouldn't venture a guess.

Here's to healthy travels for all!

[amusea]

Another important point is make sure whatever you purchase is primary insurance not secondary. The difference is that primary insurance will pay regardless of what other insurance you may have. Secondary will only pay if you are not covered by other insurance.


Just to clarify. I purchased a travel insurance policy with secondary medical coverage which is almost always cheaper than primary for medical. I had to leave a cruise in Norway last year and was hospitalized. Upon returning to the U.S.A. i contacted my primary medical insurance company. They paid a portion of the medical costs. Then the travel insurance company picked up all remaining medical costs. They also were generous in compensating me for all accompanying expenses including travel back to the ship three days later and they pro-rated the cost of the cruise. I was also impressed that they called me in the hospital to assure me that all costs would be covered. That was above and beyond in my opinion.
It is true that this procedure required some extra work on my part but it was all quite painless.

For anyone who neglects to take out coverage within the required time period to eliminate the pre-existing clause (usually 14-21 days after deposit), there are just a few companies that offer a policy in which the pre-existing clause is eliminated as long as the insurance is purchased before final payment is made. But please note that some of these policies are being discontinued in the coming months. I think they were considered not cost-effective.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Amusea, yes you are right. I just looked at a couple of those yesterday and they still offer them. They are, however, considerably more expensive ... for us more than double the cost. Still, it would be a good way to go if you may have a pre-existing condition.

But I'm going to take a chance and go with the Amex plan. I like that I can "build my own" policy. Since we live so near the port we don't need airline, baggage, etc., coverage. So I was able to get an excellent policy for cancellation/interruption and medical.

Want to thank everyone for all the info and help here. It's invaluable as always:) .

[CruisinNana]

If my friend and I both purchase insurance and one of us can't go on the trip, will the other be able to go solo without paying the single supplement? It seems third party insurance will pay the insurer the cost of the trip and the cruise line will get both fares paid originally to the cruise line and so the cabin is fully paid for...right????

[YankeeCruiser]

I just purchased Access America coverage for my upcoming February cruise... they are, as far as I can tell, the only group that offers a "biz pak" - which, if you purchase it w/in 14 days of making the first payment on the cruise, will cover things like job-related last minute changes. My husband works for a firm that could easily turn around at the last minute and tell him he can't go (we had to cancel a cruise last January for that very reason), so I like to have that covered.

[calberry]

We are currently in the middle of a claim for trip 'interruption'. We bought (last minute) pre-existing condition trip cancellation insurance with CSA for our South Pacific vacation including an 11 day cruise on the PG. The main reason for p-e insurance was due to the DW's back condition (sciatica) that had been getting worse since our original booking date and we were concerned she would have to have surgery before our sailing date thus requiring cancellation (as it turned she had the surgery after the trip and is currently recovering).

Anyway, while on the PG heading toward the Marquesas from Bora Bora we got the dreaded phone call that my father-in-law had passed away (day 7 of an 18 day vacation). We contacted CSA immediately and they put is in contact with an international travel agent that made our return trip reservations (Rangiroa/Papeete/LAX/SFO) for us. Because of the DW's back we were concerned about the 3hr car trip to the airport on Nuku Hiva (and the 3 hr small plane flight back to Tahiti), so we stayed on the ship 3 more days and took the one hr flight to Papeete from Rangiroa (being on the ship while the rest of the family is home mourning was NOT fun).

Due to the funeral and memorial service planning it took us a couple of weeks to file the claim, and after not hearing back from CSA for a while I contacted them. They informed me it normally takes 4-6 weeks to process claims. It has now been 8 wks since I was told that they had logged our claim and it was awaiting assignment to an agent.

This past Friday we received a check...for $159.04. Now recognize that we had pre-paid 3 nights post-cruise at Hotel Bora Bora, prorated lost cruise time, pre-paid air fare home, and then the additional cost of one-way tickets to get home (plus misc. expenses). The total claim was for something over $12K. So yes, I called ASAP. They were very nice, and explained that the claim had been devided into two parts, and that we had just received the check for our incidental expenses (satellite phone calls from the ship and lunch at LAX on the way home). They said the remainder had gone through initial review and was with a supervisor for approval. (One would think they could have explained that in the cover letter with the check that did say they would not cover the $26 cab ride home from SFO.) Anyway, hopefully we will get the 'final' check by week's end.

A comment on buying insurance from the cruise line. A fellow cruiser on the PG had actually been on a Renaissance cruise at the time they went belly up (so to speak). They were escorted from the ship to the airport and told they would have to pay their own way home...despite having purchased insurance (you guessed it) from the cruise line. So I guess one has to evaluate the financial stability (and back-up coverage) of whatever company is selected.

I will provide an update on our policy as soon as we get the final check, but other than being slow processing the claim (well, what I think is slow), and perhaps slightly under communicative, CSA has been great to work with and they were extremely responsive and helpful in working with us to make our return arrangements while on the PG.

Steve

[njgirl]

Thanks for all your input. Compared companies and researched some much information. Purchased insurance on-line with Access America and am very happy. FYI, my second or alternative first choice was TravelGuard. Hope not to be needing it but it is there if we do!

[RuthC]

If my friend and I both purchase insurance and one of us can't go on the trip, will the other be able to go solo without paying the single supplement? It seems third party insurance will pay the insurer the cost of the trip and the cruise line will get both fares paid originally to the cruise line and so the cabin is fully paid for...right????
Don't hardly seem fair, do it. :rolleyes:
Yes, even though the cruiseline already has received two full fares, if your cabinmate cancels you are charged a single supplement. That's where your insurance kicks in. It pays your new charge.

[cruiseco]

Thank you for that suggestion, Rita. I'm comparing that with Travel Guard and Global Travel Shield (which InsureMyTrip doesn't include).

It would help so much if I spoke "insurance speak". The most important (and most confusing) part for me is the "pre-existing condition period". If it says 180 days or 90 days, what does this mean? Is this time time in which before the cruise you (or your related family member) have not been ill?

In other words, does anyone know if 90 days is better than 180? Or the other way around? Help!!!


Go here for a good explanation:

http://www.tripinsure.info/pre_ex.htm

[cruiseco]

If my friend and I both purchase insurance and one of us can't go on the trip, will the other be able to go solo without paying the single supplement? It seems third party insurance will pay the insurer the cost of the trip and the cruise line will get both fares paid originally to the cruise line and so the cabin is fully paid for...right????


Most plans have what they call an "occupancy adjustment" benefit. If a traveling companion has to cancel for a covered reason and you decide to go but are now faced with a higher fare due to a single supplement or similar the insurance will pay the difference.

The cancelling party would be able to file a claim right away for the cancellation penalties but you would have to go ahead and pay the supplement and wait until after the cruise is completed to be reimbursed. They want to know that you did not end up finding a last-minute replacement for the cancelled travel companion.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Cruiseco, I seem to be thanking you again and again for your help. I read that page and from what I gather less is more. So it's better to have a 60-day "look back" than a 90-day "look back".

I hope I got it! Good info ... thanks again.

[amusea]

Calberry,

Just to reassure you, my CSA refund also came in two checks. One for incidentals ane then the large one for the medical and transport. I agree that they were responsive, helpful and very fair.