Prepaid travel insurance 2 years in advance

We're strongly considering booking a Princess cruise B2B for Hawaii and Alaska for April, 2018. The deposit is only $400 for both, but the travel insurance is $900. Our TA says the insurance must be paid within 2 weeks of booking to get pre existing. If we decide not to take the cruise we can transfer all or part of the coverage to another cruise. We will receive a voucher for the unused premium to be used later.

We've never booked a cruise so far in advance. Is this what most of you do when booking cruises well in advance?

My TA has a policy with Allianz that allows for pre-existing conditions to be covered when bought at final payment (not within 14 days of deposit like most). This policy was written specifically for her agency. I am really thankful for this as I would hate to buy a policy that far out.

Previous to this (many years ago), we did have to transfer insurance from one vacation to another. It worked out but you never know what the future holds.

Shop around we have also waited until final payment on some trips, but our TA on other trips has done it at booking. It's usually due to the cost on whomever she is shopping the policy with.

I just learned USAA, who has all my insurances, offers trip insurance. So check with your regular insurance company.

I just priced a policy with USAA for a trip we already booked and they were higher. However, they are aged rated so I am more expensive than DW who is seven years younger. However, I did notice USAA had better coverage than the one we got through Princess.

Generally coverage thru the cruise lines is not the best, does not include pre-existing conditions, but doesn't have to be paid until final payment date.

Private coverages vary. They are usually age based, so may or may not cost more than cruise line coverage depending on the age of the cruisers. They typically allow a 14-21 day grace period after the initial payment on the cruise to have automatic pre-existing coverage at no additional charge. Some will allow you to move the coverage ONCE should you change or cancel your cruise.

Yes, I've booked cruises and insurance that far out. I'm not likely to do it again. I find that we are too uncertain in our ability to predict or schedule things. I may pay a little more for a later booking (higher cruise fare), but I also may get a better deal toward the later dates. And I'm far more comfortable committing the money closer to the cruise dates.

Also, check what you might have as "complimentary" coverage in other forms. For instance, some credit cards include a level of travel insurance if you booked with their card. I have one that provides no medical coverage, but reasonable coverage for lost luggage, trip interruption, etc. I've never used it, but did find that the fine print is that a claim must be submitted within 14 days of the "event." In many cases, that would mean that I had to start a claim while I was still on vacation!

We're strongly considering booking a Princess cruise B2B for Hawaii and Alaska for April, 2018. The deposit is only $400 for both, but the travel insurance is $900. Our TA says the insurance must be paid within 2 weeks of booking to get pre existing. If we decide not to take the cruise we can transfer all or part of the coverage to another cruise. We will receive a voucher for the unused premium to be used later.

 

We've never booked a cruise so far in advance. Is this what most of you do when booking cruises well in advance?

I have never heard of that with Princess insurance . Insurance isn't due until final payment . You can cancel for any reason up to final payment .Deposit is fully refundable up to final payment with no penalty or reason required. Princess has "Cancel for any reason " in there policy.

Are you sure the she isn't selling you private insurance.?

I have never heard of that with Princess insurance . Insurance isn't due until final payment . You can cancel for any reason up to final payment .Deposit is fully refundable up to final payment with no penalty or reason required. Princess has "Cancel for any reason " in there policy.

Are you sure the she isn't selling you private insurance.?

They probably are selling 3rd party insurance. IMO - it is often far superior than Princess's policy.

When I traveled with my Mom, she had pre-existing conditions. I found Princess's policy not acceptable as my Mom's meds were always being changed. So the 60 day look back period for pre-existing conditions was confusing in her situation and the coverage was pretty poor. For people with pre-existing conditions, unless things are cut and dry, it is best to avoid Princess's insurance.

It didn't matter to me if you could cancel at final payment - I was more worried about her getting sick on a trip and having only $20K of coverage. I can afford to lose the cost of the insurance or the trip but not a major medical bill outside of the US.

The OP never said it was Princess's policy. They only said it was a Princess cruise.

It didn't matter to me if you could cancel at final payment - I was more worried about her getting sick on a trip and having only $20K of coverage. I can afford to lose the cost of the insurance or the trip but not a major medical bill outside of the US.

 

This is exactly my reason for purchasing coverage. My BC/BS specifically excludes anything outside the US.

Another thing to consider is that that concept of "pre-existing condition" applies not only to the cruisers, but to anyone remaining at home. For instance, if my father were to have a serious medical event that caused me to decide that I needed to stay at home "just in case," the insurance company would do a "look back" of the length stated in the policy to determine whether this would be a covered event or not. Obviously, I would need to submit documentation of the critical nature of his hospitalization, but a big question would be whether he had any changes in treatment in during the "look back" period.

This is exactly my reason for purchasing coverage. My BC/BS specifically excludes anything outside the US.

 

Another thing to consider is that that concept of "pre-existing condition" applies not only to the cruisers' date=' but to anyone remaining at home. For instance, if my father were to have a serious medical event that caused me to decide that I needed to stay at home "just in case," the insurance company would do a "look back" of the length stated in the policy to determine whether this would be a covered event or not. Obviously, I would need to submit documentation of the critical nature of his hospitalization, but a big question would be whether he had any changes in treatment in during the "look back" period.[/quote']

 

Yes - I agree. I remember calling Berkeley Care (or whoever Princess used to use) and I could never get a firm answer from them on how they dealt with parents left at home. I also posed several questions about changes in medication and they said that I would have to submit a claim first to see how it was covered. It bothered me enough that I was afraid to use them for fear of lack of coverage.

 

My BCBS covers 50% outside of US.

To clarify, the travel insurance my TA uses is Travel Guard. I'm not sure I'm allowed to say that on CC. Pardon me if I'm not.

I like the option Coral has; that's awesome.

I'm booking so far out to get an aft balcony and keep the same cabin on both voyages. Hard to do unless booking far in advance.

 

I'm booking so far out to get an aft balcony and keep the same cabin on both voyages. Hard to do unless booking far in advance.

Those aft balconies go fast! They are awesome.

We usually do book far in advance, sometimes 2 years out, and we always buy travel insurance.

We use A. which used to be TG, ( can I say this?) and we all have pre existing medical issues.

The only time we have had to use it, is when my DB and his GF had to cancel for a medical urgency 3 days before the cruise.

I had booked the cruise for everyone in my name, so we were able to use it even though we were not ill.

You just never know when something will come up.

Patti

We're strongly considering booking a Princess cruise B2B for Hawaii and Alaska for April, 2018. The deposit is only $400 for both, but the travel insurance is $900. Our TA says the insurance must be paid within 2 weeks of booking to get pre existing. If we decide not to take the cruise we can transfer all or part of the coverage to another cruise. We will receive a voucher for the unused premium to be used later.

 

We've never booked a cruise so far in advance. Is this what most of you do when booking cruises well in advance?

Yes, we always take our insurance within 21 days of booking, even if very early (we are looking at a 2018 Hawaii sailing too). We need good coverage that has a pre-existing waiver since my husband is in long term maintenance treatment for cancer. It is worth it to us to have the protection and high levels of coverage for care and evacuation. We too can typically just apply it to another booking should we change our plans. Better safe than sorry.

This is exactly my reason for purchasing coverage. My BC/BS specifically excludes anything outside the US.

 

Another thing to consider is that that concept of "pre-existing condition" applies not only to the cruisers' date=' but to anyone remaining at home. For instance, if my father were to have a serious medical event that caused me to decide that I needed to stay at home "just in case," the insurance company would do a "look back" of the length stated in the policy to determine whether this would be a covered event or not. Obviously, I would need to submit documentation of the critical nature of his hospitalization, but a big question would be whether he had any changes in treatment in during the "look back" period.[/quote']

Absolutely, totally wrong. When you buy insurance, you are buying it for you. Not every friend, relative, etc that is not traveling with you.

Absolutely, totally wrong. When you buy insurance, you are buying it for you. Not every friend, relative, etc that is not traveling with you.

https://www.insuremytrip.com/learn/coverages/pre-existing-conditions.html

Pre-Existing Conditions

In the insurance world, "pre-existing conditions" are a hot topic. It should come as no surprise that the same holds true with travel insurance; if you have a pre-existing condition, you'll need to consider that when making arrangements for travel insurance. It's also important to consider pre-existing conditions of your loved ones, whether they're traveling with you or not, before you purchase a travel insurance policy.

It's possible to get travel insurance even if you or a loved one have a pre-existing condition. In some policies, a pre-existing conditions waiver is actually included as one of the benefits as long as you purchase the policy within a specified time frame – usually anywhere from 10-30 days of making your initial trip payment. In such cases, there is usually no additional paperwork required to obtain your travel insurance policy, and no additional fee for the benefit. It's considered a part of the standard travel insurance comprehensive policy when it is purchased this way. However, in other cases, you'll need to look into getting coverage for your pre-existing condition separately, in which case there may be additional fees or paperwork required.

With a pre-existing conditions waiver, you'll be eligible for travel insurance benefits should something related to your condition (or your loved one's condition) disrupt your trip. For example, if you are traveling abroad and a family member at home who suffers from a pre-existing condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse, making it necessary for you to cut your trip short, your policy's trip interruption benefits would apply. If you were traveling with a pre-existing condition of your own, and suddenly had a recurrence or relapse that required you to seek medical attention, your expenses would be covered under the guidelines set by your travel insurance provider. Without the waiver, you would not be eligible for these benefits.

-------

This above is not in reference to Princess but I did call Princess insurance several times and they would not answer me directly on this (having a sick parent at home). They said I would have to file a claim to see how it would be handled.

https://www.insuremytrip.com/learn/coverages/pre-existing-conditions.html

 

Pre-Existing Conditions

 

In the insurance world, "pre-existing conditions" are a hot topic. It should come as no surprise that the same holds true with travel insurance; if you have a pre-existing condition, you'll need to consider that when making arrangements for travel insurance. It's also important to consider pre-existing conditions of your loved ones, whether they're traveling with you or not, before you purchase a travel insurance policy.

 

It's possible to get travel insurance even if you or a loved one have a pre-existing condition. In some policies, a pre-existing conditions waiver is actually included as one of the benefits as long as you purchase the policy within a specified time frame – usually anywhere from 10-30 days of making your initial trip payment. In such cases, there is usually no additional paperwork required to obtain your travel insurance policy, and no additional fee for the benefit. It's considered a part of the standard travel insurance comprehensive policy when it is purchased this way. However, in other cases, you'll need to look into getting coverage for your pre-existing condition separately, in which case there may be additional fees or paperwork required.

 

With a pre-existing conditions waiver, you'll be eligible for travel insurance benefits should something related to your condition (or your loved one's condition) disrupt your trip. For example, if you are traveling abroad and a family member at home who suffers from a pre-existing condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse, making it necessary for you to cut your trip short, your policy's trip interruption benefits would apply. If you were traveling with a pre-existing condition of your own, and suddenly had a recurrence or relapse that required you to seek medical attention, your expenses would be covered under the guidelines set by your travel insurance provider. Without the waiver, you would not be eligible for these benefits.

 

-------

 

This above is not in reference to Princess but I did call Princess insurance several times and they would not answer me directly on this (having a sick parent at home). They said I would have to file a claim to see how it would be handled.

insuremytrip.com is not an insurance company first of all. Half of all claims submitted would be denieid if that was true for all insurances.

Princes insurance doesn't have a pre existing waiver

twentyknots,

You do not have to purchase travel insurance through your TA. You can deal directly with the same company - we have used them for years and been very pleased with their service.

We take the insurance right after booking to get the pre-existing coverage waiver, paying only a minimal amount to cover the deposit. As we add additional non refundable payments (airline tickets, final cruise payment, etc), we notify them and they tell us what we owe at that time.

Check out their website for policies , then call direct and speak directly to an agent. Just be8 sure you are still within the time period that allows coverage for pre- existing conditions if that is what you want.

I believe TA's make a hefty commission from selling you insurance, so it is understandable why they want you to purchase it right away.

We're probably getting off the subject a little, but since I'm the OP I'll OK it. Just kidding.

I'm not sure I've ever fully understood the preexisting clause. What exactly does the 6 months look-back mean? Suppose for example someone booked a cruise 2 years out and did not buy the insurance until 7 months prior to the cruise. It would have no preexisting clause. Let's also say that the cruiser had a heart attack a year before the booking and was making an excellent recovery. Now, a week before the cruise the cruiser has chest pains and goes to the hospital and they cant find evidence of another attack but advise him/her to cancel the cruise out of caution, especially a long cruise to another country. Does the insurance cover the cancellation since there was no prior condition within 6 months of the chest pains?

If you need the pre-existing condition coverage, consider insuring just the deposit in the required time frame to lock in thwe waiver. You can cover other non-refundable expenses as you book them and pay the additional premium as you go along. Of course, at final payment you'll add the rest of the cost of the cruise.

I've never done this so I don't know if there is a cost savings in premium over other policies that cover pre-existing conditions at final payment - or any other advantage, for that matter. Either way, the pre-existing conditions are covered.

Your travel agent may not want to do it that way, but you can get good comprehensive coverage from major underwriters at places like insuremytrip.com, and an agent there can explain what works best for you.

Oops! Someone else posted about insuring the deposit while I was typing.

We're probably getting off the subject a little, but since I'm the OP I'll OK it. Just kidding.

 

I'm not sure I've ever fully understood the preexisting clause. What exactly does the 6 months look-back mean? Suppose for example someone booked a cruise 2 years out and did not buy the insurance until 7 months prior to the cruise. It would have no preexisting clause. Let's also say that the cruiser had a heart attack a year before the booking and was making an excellent recovery. Now, a week before the cruise the cruiser has chest pains and goes to the hospital and they cant find evidence of another attack but advise him/her to cancel the cruise out of caution, especially a long cruise to another country. Does the insurance cover the cancellation since there was no prior condition within 6 months of the chest pains?

6 months look back is a lot. Usually it's around 60 days.

As long as there was no dr visit for illness or prescription change in the 60 days prior to purchasing insurance, there is no illness that would not be covered

insuremytrip.com is not an insurance company first of all. Half of all claims submitted would be denieid if that was true for all insurances.

 

Princes insurance doesn't have a pre existing waiver

While they are not an insurance company, those people know their policies inside and out.

Princess's insurance has a 60 day look back period.

Honestly - I have invested a lot of time examining policies due to pre-existing conditions of a parent. A lot of the major companies I called said that a relative at home does fall under pre-existing conditions. I also do know people who have been denied benefits due to parents at home and they had to leave a cruise due to pre-existing conditions.

Absolutely, totally wrong. When you buy insurance, you are buying it for you. Not every friend, relative, etc that is not traveling with you.

Two years ago I had a cruise to Norway booked and had insurance through Berkley Leisure Care. My Dad had been diagnosed with lung cancer in Sept and our final payment was due in Feb. In March, they discontinued his treament and he went into at home hospice care. I was so concerned so I called Berkley when my trip was still over two months out.

I know this sounds awful, but if he had died with-in the month, we could have still taken the cruise. After a month of morning it would have been a good chance to relax and move on. But he was tough and hung on for while. That was great because I was able to visit one time when he was still conversational and one last time and be with him at the end.

We decided to cancel about 3 weeks before the cruise because he was still with us and I wasn't about to be in Norway when my Mom needed that daily phone call from me.

Pre-existing condition for most policies applies only to the traveling party. But check all the t's and c's, policies vary, but for the most part it is just the traveling party.

We filed and they refunded everthing.

Most policies are non-refundable if you purchase them upfront, that is why people usually wait till they are at the beginning of the cruise line penalty period before purchasing them. So check on that.

Some travel agencies have negotiated the ability to refund the cost of the travel insurance if the guests cancel outside of the penalty period.

For example you purchase upfront your travel insurance with XYZ Travel for your cruise 2 years from now. A year from now you cancel because you decide that cruising isn't right for you and your receive a full refund from Princess. XYZ Travel is also able to refund your insurance premium because you cancelled before you needed it. However if you cancel during penalty period and your Penalty is $500 but you paid $500 for the insurance, then you have to use the insurance to refund that $500 and the insurance is not refundable.

So check with your travel agency and see if they have negotiated a refundable premium with the travel care provider. If they have then I always think it is a good idea to purchase up front. If not you have to weigh the risks of purchasing the travel insurance way before you need it. Also, they may be able to move the insurance to another date if you reschedule your cruise outside of cruise line penalties.

While they are not an insurance company, those people know their policies inside and out.

 

Princess's insurance has a 60 day look back period.

 

Honestly - I have invested a lot of time examining policies due to pre-existing conditions of a parent. A lot of the major companies I called said that a relative at home does fall under pre-existing conditions. I also do know people who have been denied benefits due to parents at home and they had to leave a cruise due to pre-existing conditions.

They are not their policies

and it doesn't cover pre existing regardless of when you but it

Here's what Travel Guard says about pre-existing waiver:

The company will waive the pre-existing medical condition exclusion if the following conditions are met:

1) the plan is purchased with 21 days of initial trip payment;

2) the amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the trip at the time of purchase and the costs of any subsequent arrangements added to the same trip are insured with 21 days of the date of payment or deposit for any subsequent trip arrangements;

3) all insured's are medically able to travel when this plan cost is paid.

Based on this it seems to me I could purchase the insurance for $400 in coverage for the initial deposit and then later add airline tickets , followed by the final cruise payment about 75 days prior to the cruise. As long as I buy the additional insurance 21 days after I add these additional travel costs I should have pre-existing waiver.

That is exactly what we have done in the past and it has always worked well for us.