Can you help me decide coverage?

We just reserved a HAL cruise for June. So far we have only paid the deposit, and the final payment is due Apr. 10. We purchased our airfare directly with an airline on Jan. 23 (yesterday).

I am hoping to be pregnant by the time of the cruise and want to buy insurance that would cover as much cost as possible if something were to go wrong and mean I couldn't travel.

I would like a cancel for any reason policy, I think, and I know that many of those require you to purchase right after purchasing the trip. Since I've already bought plane tickets, do I have to purchase full travel insurance now (even though we haven't paid for the cruise yet)?

I don't want to miss my window of oppportunity, but am feeling very confused about how to proceed. I'd be grateful for any advice! Thank you.

I am hoping to be pregnant by the time of the cruise and want to buy insurance that would cover as much cost as possible if something were to go wrong and mean I couldn't travel.

If your primary concern is a complication of your possible pregnancy then you may not have to spend the extra money on a Cancel For Any Reason policy. Most of the major insurers will cover you if your doctor says you shouldn't travel due to some unexpected complication (feeling lousy from morning sickness won't do it as that's not "unexpected"). But be sure to call the insurer before you buy to find out what exactly is required -- some require the complication to be serious enough to require hospitalization, others don't. Travel Guard has a set list of covered complications, others don't, etc

The most consumer friendly of the insurers regarding pregnancy is Travel Insured which, with some of their plans, lets you cancel your trip just because you became pregnant -- there doesn't have to be some sort of complication involved. Here's from one of their plan's covered reasons for trip cancellation:

"m) Your or Your Traveling Companion's normal pregnancy as long as the pregnancy occurs after Your or Your Traveling Companion's Effective Date of coverage and can be verified by medical records;"

They would also cover you for a serious unexpected complication like the others.

Note: for trip cancellation the "Effective Date pf Coverage" is basically the day after you buy the policy.

For all you expecting to become grandparents they have this coverage also which might be good to have just in case:

"n) You will be attending a Family Member's childbirth as long as the pregnancy occurs after Your Effective Date of coverage and can be verified by medical records;"

This is very helpful, thank you so much. I think I want a policy that would cover pregnancy (no complication required) or cancel for any reason so that I have maximum flexibility.

I just bought $1200 plane tickets yesterday. Do I purchase this insurance now, before paying the balance on the cruise part?

"Just being prenant" is not covered by travel insurance. Complications during prenancy would most likely be covered if the doctor says you must not travel.

"I'm preggers and don't want to travel now" would require a Cancel For Any Reason rider,,,however,,, most policies are only reimbursed at 75% of non refundable expenses and sometimes only reimbursed as a future credit. (Not a cash reimbursement)

Cruiseco will know better, but, I think there is also a time limit on when a Cancel For Any Reason policy must be purchased. I think it also must be purchased within 14 - 21 days of initial trip deposit.

Side Note: Most cruiselines will not allow a pregnant woman to board the ship if they are or will be in their 24th week. Cruiseline denying you to board due to being prenant is not a covered reason and cancel for any reason would not be covered in this case due to the 48 hr notice rule.

This is very helpful, thank you so much. I think I want a policy that would cover pregnancy (no complication required) or cancel for any reason so that I have maximum flexibility.

 

I just bought $1200 plane tickets yesterday. Do I purchase this insurance now, before paying the balance on the cruise part?

The plans that have a Cancel For Any Reason benefit have a set time frame in which to purchase the policy. The clock starts ticking when the first payment is made on any part of your trip costs and can be anywhere from one day (CSA) to 30 days (most are about 14 days).

Your post says you booked a cruise but doesn't say when. So the most important date will be the date you made either the first payment on the cruise or the the date you purchased the air tickets. Then, depending on the plan, you'd have a limited number of days in which to buy the policy and be eligible for the Cancel For Any Reason coverage. The date you pay the remaining balance on the cruise doesn't matter. Here's from one insurer:

"Cancel For Any Reason Benefit

If You cancel Your Trip for any reason not otherwise covered by this policy, We will reimburse You for the percentage of the unused non-refundable prepaid expenses for Travel Arrangements You paid for Your Trip as shown in the Cancellation Penalty Schedule shown below, provided:

1) Your payment for this plan is received within 21 days of Your initial deposit/payment for Your Trip;

2) You insure 100% of all prepaid Travel Arrangements that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions by the Travel Supplier;

3) You cancel Your Trip two (2) days or more before Your Scheduled Departure Date; and

4) Your Trip Cost is $15,000 or less. "

Thanks for the replies! I am trying to make a decision in the next day or so because I'm at 13 days past initial payment, and I don't want to lose any good options.

Here is what I'm SHOCKED by.... I've contacted InsureMyTrip and Travel Insured, and they both tell me that there is NO coverage for pregnancy complications while traveling.

This is the main reason I was thinking I would buy insurance for this trip. For the chance that I will get pregnant and then may have a medical emergency related to the pregnancy while traveling. Apparently there is NO coverage for that. Does anyone know if there is any policy that would take care of a woman in a situation like that? I'm really surprised by this for some reason.

(It is possible that I can buy cancel for any reason so that if there were a pregnancy complication prior to the trip, I would be able to not go. So, I guess I'll at least buy it for that.)

Will appreciate any ideas...

Surprisingly, Travel Insured told me today that they do NOT have a policy that allows cancellation for pregnancy (even though InsureMyTrip told me that they did, and people here think that they do). The only thing they can offer is a cancel for any reason plan.

The other complication I've been having is that I want to get a cancel for any reason plan to cover my airfare, but not my cruise (b/c I'd still send my husband on the cruise with his parents). There have been conflicting stories from companies on whether I can buy cancel for any reason for the airfare only, or whether I have to insure the cost of the cruise even though it wouldn't be reimbursed.

It's been a very confusing process trying to get info for my situation - I've been told different things in the same day from different people working for the same company. I'm taking a break and will try calling on Monday.

The other complication I've been having is that I want to get a cancel for any reason plan to cover my airfare, but not my cruise (b/c I'd still send my husband on the cruise with his parents).

Why not just look for a policy that covers your airfare then? Don't even tell them about a cruise, as it is not part of the equation: For all the insurance company cares, you could be traveling to visit a friend (and want to insure the airfare in case something comes up preventing you from traveling).

A couple things jump to my mind:

a] if true, presumably the only amount you need to insure would be the airfare change fee (as the rest of the airfare would still be reusable by you at a later date; only the actual nonref change fee is truly "lost" in case of a claim).

b] if hubbie still goes, then you do not expect to get your portion of the cruise fare back. As long as the cabin is paid for two, I don't think he would be hit with a single supplement from the cruise line. His (presumably separate) insurance would possibly cover something like this if it occurred.

c] Normally when I go on a cruise (or any vacation outside of the US), I'm most concerned with having strong medical evac coverage (and everything else is bonus). If you only insure the airfare and something happens while you are on the ship, you may have much more of an expense than you are betting on.

Surprisingly, Travel Insured told me today that they do NOT have a policy that allows cancellation for pregnancy (even though InsureMyTrip told me that they did, and people here think that they do). The only thing they can offer is a cancel for any reason plan.

 

The other complication I've been having is that I want to get a cancel for any reason plan to cover my airfare, but not my cruise (b/c I'd still send my husband on the cruise with his parents). There have been conflicting stories from companies on whether I can buy cancel for any reason for the airfare only, or whether I have to insure the cost of the cruise even though it wouldn't be reimbursed.

 

I also don't know of a plan that will cover for pregnancy.

For most plans, to be eligible to purchase "cancel for any reason" coverage, you must purchase the policy within 21 days of the date you made the first deposit on this trip. But, I noticed that if you live in VA, TG says this about purchasing this coverage:

Cancel for Any Reason:

You have the option to purchase a maximum limit of either 50% or 75% of Trip cost which provides reimbursement if you decide to cancel for any reason up to 48 hours prior to departure. (Must be purchased within 21 days of initial trip payment or by final trip deposit.)

I am not sure why you would bother insuring your airfare with a "cancel for any reason" policy. You state your airfare was $1200. If you run a quote on Travelguard for insuring $1200 with "cancel for any reason" coverage, where you'd get back 75% of this $1200, it will probably cost less than $75.00.

If you simply call the airline and cancel before your flight, for most tickets, you'll pay a $150 change fee, and have the remaining balance of your fare to use for another flight.

And, if something happens, why would your husband go on this cruise without you?

Surprisingly, Travel Insured told me today that they do NOT have a policy that allows cancellation for pregnancy (even though InsureMyTrip told me that they did, and people here think that they do). The only thing they can offer is a cancel for any reason plan.

.

So they're saying that the following (from their covered ressons for trip cancellation) doesn't really mean what I think it plainly does mean?

""m) Your or Your Traveling Companion's normal pregnancy as long as the pregnancy occurs after Your or Your Traveling Companion's Effective Date of coverage and can be verified by medical records;"

That's just bizarre.

Anyway, you can also try Access America / Allianz which has a similar coverage under trip cancellation:

"Trip cancellation and Trip interruption

When it applies

Your trip is canceled before you get started, or interrupted after you've left, for one of the following covered reasons:

Health

... yadda, yadda, yadda

"Pregnancy

You become pregnant ( trip cancellation coverage only ).

Childbirth

You need to attend the birth of an immediate family member's child ( trip cancellation coverage only ). "

Cruisco - thanks for the reply. Here is the lesson that I learned: NEVER call insurance companies on the WEEKEND! I called three companies, including the broker InsureMyTrip. I called all of them twice over the weekend in order to talk to a different person. They ALL gave me incorrect information. It's really mind boggling.

Today I called Global Alert and Travel Insured, and received correct information. Actually, the salesperson at Travel Insured mistakenly told me that pregnancy was only covered if there was a medical complication, but he later emailed to clarify that if purchasing the WorldWide or Gold plans, pregnancy was covered even without complication.

Today both Global Alert (salesperson and claims dept person that I called to confirm with) AND Travel Insured told me that my portion of the cruise would be reimbursed even if my husband was still using my cabin. (Over the weekend I had been told that I would have to purchase coverage for the cruise but that it would not be reimbursed if my husband still used it.)

I have purchased the Travel Insured Worldwide Plan, which I feel meets my needs. It has been quite a saga!

I really appreciate your lead to look into Travel Insured, which was the best option for me so that I could avoid the premium cost of getting a cancel for any reason plan. Thanks so much!!

PS. NEVER call these companies on the weekend, and even during the week, you may want to just call the claims dept directly with any specific questions. EVERY single salesperson I talked to told me incorrect information.

 

Today I called Global Alert and Travel Insured, and received correct information. Actually, the salesperson at Travel Insured mistakenly told me that pregnancy was only covered if there was a medical complication, but he later emailed to clarify that if purchasing the WorldWide or Gold plans, pregnancy was covered even without complication.

 

I'm glad you got the clarification in writing. It can be really frustration sometimes when you have the actual plan wording right in front of you and they're telling you something that obviously just isn't true. Actually Travel Insured is usually better than that and I'm sure this was out of the ordinary for them.

We just reserved a HAL cruise for June. So far we have only paid the deposit, and the final payment is due Apr. 10. We purchased our airfare directly with an airline on Jan. 23 (yesterday).

 

I am hoping to be pregnant by the time of the cruise and want to buy insurance that would cover as much cost as possible if something were to go wrong and mean I couldn't travel.

 

I would like a cancel for any reason policy, I think, and I know that many of those require you to purchase right after purchasing the trip. Since I've already bought plane tickets, do I have to purchase full travel insurance now (even though we haven't paid for the cruise yet)?

 

I don't want to miss my window of oppportunity, but am feeling very confused about how to proceed. I'd be grateful for any advice! Thank you.

My suggestion (assuming you are not now pregnant), is to see if CSA insurance has a pregnancy exception. If not, check and see if the pre-existing conditions waiver considers pregnancy. If you're covered under the pre-existing conditions waiver, buy CSA insurance.

One thing you should always remember about cruises and insurance--the clock starts ticking on pre-existing conditions waivers the day you put down the initial deposit. After 30 days after that initial deposti, you don't have a lot of policy choices which will cover pre-existing conditions. You very much want to buy your insurance right after you put down that deposit--you will pay far less than you will later.

My suggestion would be to double-check the pregnancy coverage on CSA, and buy their insurance--then you won't need to worry about complications, pregnancy, or any health concerns. (I will do you the favor of not describing how my pregnancy went, but suffice it to say, the insurance is a good idea.) As long as you haven't yet made your final payment, and are not yet pregnant, if they cover pregnancy, you should be okay.

Check here, and call them about pregnancy coverage:

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/csa.shtml

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I am not sure why you would bother insuring your airfare with a "cancel for any reason" policy. You state your airfare was $1200. If you run a quote on Travelguard for insuring $1200 with "cancel for any reason" coverage, where you'd get back 75% of this $1200, it will probably cost less than $75.00.

 

If you simply call the airline and cancel before your flight, for most tickets, you'll pay a $150 change fee, and have the remaining balance of your fare to use for another flight.

 

And, if something happens, why would your husband go on this cruise without you?

Be careful to follow the rules if you buy the cancel for any reason option. I buy it and I am required to insure ALL prepaid, nonrefundable costs. That includes airline tickets. If you don't insure the full amount, the CFAR option won't pay anything! (I live in Illinois)

Thank you so much for this post! I am in almost the exact same situation. Booking a cruise for end of November and might be pregnant by then but don't want to loose out on on that money!