Babr

In my experience, yes. I found agents to be ill-informed and snippy, quick to take my money for a booking but not helpful or forthcoming with information any other time I call.

The difference is that third-party insurance with CFAR refunds in cash; however, people who live in states where CFAR is restricted have few choices. I’m guessing that the OP will still have to buy a comprehensive travel policy to cover standard cancellation and other travel risks as well as medical/evacuation. For anyone booking a cruise with FCC, it might be useful to know that they can be insured as a form of payment; but the initial deposit date is set by the original cruise so CFAR is not available for the replacement because the initial deposit date now falls outside of the time-sensitive window.

Medigap is another name for a Medicare supplement plan. They are the plans sold by AARP but can be purchased elsewhere. Plan F is the most comprehensive. What you are calling Retiree Secondary is probably a Medicare Advantage plan provided through your employer.

Medicare supplement plans have lifetime limits on foreign travel benefits.Those are the ones identified by letters of the alphabet. Not all of them offer it. Medicare advantage plans vary quite a bit depending on whether they are provided by former employers or purchased separately.

Trip Interruption does allow up to 150% of cruise fare, depending on the policy, to reimburse for unused days of the trip as well as return transportation. The extra percentage is there to cover both, but it does not pay more than actual expenses/loss.

Third-party insurance can be purchased up to the day before departure, but you lose any time-sensitive benefits such as the pre-existing conditions waiver, CFAR, or financial default. At that point it covers medical / evacuation and a few travel benefits like trip delay or baggage. There are a few policies that allow the pre-existing conditions waiver at final payment. None allow CFAR or financial default after the initial deposit window.

Claims go through AON, who administers the claim process. The policy is a hybrid with the insurance portion being underwritten by Nationwide, and the non-insurance FCC issued by Princess. AON handles this service for a number of cruise lines. Once the claim is denied for being a non-covered reason, it is reimbursed with FCC from the cruise line. The link expedites the process for those who want FCC.

Are you buying Princess insurance or third-party? Since you said you don’t buy it until final payment, I’m thinking Princess. The rules are different for cruise line policies because the FCC provision is not insurance. It is a benefit provided by the cruise line. That is why you get FCC instead of cash.

When you buy insurance with CFAR, it must be purchased within 14-21 days of the initial deposit. The FCC’s used to pay for the cruise set the initial deposit date at the time of original booking so the subsequent cruise does not qualify for CFAR coverage. It falls outside the required time window. Under normal circumstances, CFAR would cover any reason for cancellation beyond those listed in the policy.

If you are thinking of third-party insurance, check to see what is recognized as a form of payment. You’ll find it under Definitions or ask the person selling you the policy. There are policies that will insure vouchers but only the amount you actually paid, not any excess value. So FCC granted for goodwill or gift cards purchased at a discount would not be covered at face value. If you are considering Princess insurance, ask the same question.

If the airline cancels the flight, they are responsible for compensating you. If you cancel a flight, the airline typically issues a voucher. Either way, insurance is not involved. Are you concerned about trip delay because you have booked a nonrefundable resort in Colorado? In that case, your flight would have to be cancelled for a covered reason such as a weather event, strike, or mechanical breakdown. There are a number of stipulations before other provisions of the policy come into play. Most hotels have cancellation policies that allow you to cancel without penalty if you cancel within X hours unless booked under take-or-pay. It depends on the terms of your booking; however, if you want insurance to cover the loss, you’d have to document that public roads were closed by local authorities. I’m not sure if I’ve answered your question because I’m not sure what you are trying to accomplish by insuring this kind of trip.

Your credit card covers normal trip insurance as long as you or a family member does not have a pre-existing condition. Anyone who relies on such coverage needs to understand how that provision applies.

Sorry about the medical scare. Try not to worry. It happens to lots of women when there is nothing wrong. The doctors just want more or different views to be sure. As to insurance, you have missed the window for a pre-existing conditions waiver because you have already made final payment regardless of the official date. You can buy insurance; however, the mammogram falls in the look-back period even though there is no diagnosis so if anything associated with the test causes you to cancel, it will be considered a pre-existing condition. Best wishes. You’ll be able to sail in April.

Perhaps in the UK. Not so much in US policies. In this case, I am confident that Viking will take care of its guests.

No. Itinerary change post-departure. Nationwide has some cruise-specific policies that reimburse non-refundable shore excursions. I’m not sure even that would apply here. Insurance would probably see this as a maintenance issue which is the responsibility of the cruise line.

What kind of claim would insurance cover in this instance? I can’t think of which provision would cover snail infestation.

CFAR in a third-party policy has a time limit of at least 48 hours prior to departure, depending on the policy. That is no help for a last-minute flight cancellation like the ones that happened over Christmas. Cruise line policies generally allow cancellation up to departure though I have not checked the Princess policy recently. Same-day cancellation requires quick action to notify the cruise line and the insurance administrator of intent to cancel in order to be on record before the ship sails. Otherwise, you are a no-show unless you can convince the insurance people that it was impossible to contact them in time.

Air/sea rescue is performed only by highly trained and equipped coast guard/military units of the nearest country capable of providing the service. It depends on where in the world you are. In any event, there is no cost. You are responsible for the cost of medical care on the ship as well as medical care on land once you are in the hands of the civilian health care system. There are policies that cover medical only. These policies include evacuation, but that means transport from hospital to hospital if you need a higher level of care. Transportation home is usually by commercial air after recovery. MedJet is a membership association that provides transportation to the hospital of your choice after initially being admitted elsewhere. If you don’t want/need coverage for cancellation and other travel risks, investigate these options. For professional help sorting through it all, contact Trip Insurance Store.

The price of third-party policies is based on age, amount insured, length of trip, and levels of coverage. CFAR requires an additional premium. Cruise line insurance is a percentage of the cruise fare without regard to age. There may be differences in cost between the two because of the pricing structure, but all policies are regulated by the laws of the states where they are sold so the cost of a third-party policy with be similar for similar coverage. The price is not affected by where you buy it.

Actually, there is a scenario where the claim could be denied. It depends on the documented reason for cancellation. Indeed some of the early cancellations were the direct result of weather. In that case, there is likely a claim. However, if the cancellation was caused by equipment or staffing problems, it is not covered. Policies cover Common Carrier delay for hazards such as strike, mechanical failure, and weather. If any covered hazards result in cessation of operations for X number of hours or airport closure, then other provisions of the policy are triggered if the policyholder misses X percentage of his trip. It is not certain if or how the OP’s parents will be reimbursed because too many details are missing.

There are time limits. Depending on the policy, it could be 72 or 48 hours prior to sailing. Even if it allowed cancellation up to departure, those folks may have been too upset (or poorly informed) to think of making the call. Once the ship sails, it is too late for even the most generous terms. Standard cancellation is out of the question. Failure to provide required documentation is not a covered reason.

It likely depends on the documented reason for cancellation. If it sates weather as the cause, the cardholder may have a claim; however, if the cancellation was the result of equipment or staffing shortages, probably not. The same is true for any other travel policy. It depends on wording in the policy and the stated reason for cancellation.

If your policies had such coverage it would be a line-item in the schedule of benefits. Nationwide has some cruise-specific polices that cover itinerary changes but only if they occur after departure, and coverage is only for missed prepaid nonrefundable shore excursions. I don’t think any travel insurance will reimburse for a visa that turns out to be unneccessary.

The maneuver is performed by highly trained military/coast guard; nevertheless, there is a certain degree of danger in the hoisting process. That is why it is initiated only in life or death situations. I doubt that a companion would be allowed along for the ride. By the way, it is not exactly a trip insurance question because trip insurance is not involved until you are in the hands of the civilian medical system. If air/sea rescue is available, it is provided by specially trained units of government at no cost; but you are still responsible for costs of care on the ship, which is covered by trip insurance.

You’re right. It might have gone faster as a true CFAR because documentation is not required. In your case, the administrator had to verify the claim so that took longer. Your state insurance commission might have been able to intervene on your behalf if you had contacted them. I hope that the rest of the process goes smoothly and that your wife is well on her way to recovery.