Pre existing medical conditions

My wife and I are of an age were we have various medical conditions, which are all well controlled by medication. After researching numerous travel insurance companies, we found that most companies would cover us with an increased premium.

So today I booked a cruise through a travel agent and paid the deposit. When the confirmation email came back it highlighted in red that any medical conditions must be declared to the travel agent who would then assess our suitability to cruise. Apparantly this was in the terms and conditions which I guess I didn't fully read before booking.

So I sent details of our medical conditions to the agent who now advise me that the matter has been passed to their admin department for assessment. Obviously we are worried now that our booking could be rejected (hopefully with a return of our deposit)

We have cruised several times before and as far as I'm aware never had this condition imposed, but maybe it was hidden away in the small print.

Just wondering if any cruisers have come across this before?

Reminder to all posters, OP is in the UK.

Insurance regulations vary from country to country.

Ultimate nanny state. Travel agent decides if your medically capable of a vacation.

My wife and I are of an age were we have various medical conditions, which are all well controlled by medication. After researching numerous travel insurance companies, we found that most companies would cover us with an increased premium.

 

So today I booked a cruise through a travel agent and paid the deposit. When the confirmation email came back it highlighted in red that any medical conditions must be declared to the travel agent who would then assess our suitability to cruise. Apparantly this was in the terms and conditions which I guess I didn't fully read before booking.

 

So I sent details of our medical conditions to the agent who now advise me that the matter has been passed to their admin department for assessment. Obviously we are worried now that our booking could be rejected (hopefully with a return of our deposit)

 

We have cruised several times before and as far as I'm aware never had this condition imposed, but maybe it was hidden away in the small print.

 

Just wondering if any cruisers have come across this before?

Wow, in all of our cruises (14 and 3 more just booked) we have never been asked this question before. I'm not even sure how to reply to you. Both DH and myself are senior citizens and whilst we realise we have to pay a hefty premium to allow us to continue to travel I would have thought that if the Insurance Company was happy enough to insure you then I'm not sure why your travel agent wants such information.

Are you looking at a long cruise? The longest we have done is our most recent which was 29 nights and involved visiting America which is notorious for pushing up insurance premiums.

Did you ask your agent why they needed the information?

Hopefully someone can help you because I suspect I'm not the only one who is interested in the answer.

Good luck

The cruise is just 14 nights around the uk. I haven't heard back from the agent yet, but have read through the booking conditions in the cruise company brochure and the only medically related requirement I can see is the need to inform them of any disability or mobility conditions, which are not applicable to my wife and I. So I guess if there any issues with the travel agent, I'll speak directly to the cruise company. Hopefully I will get a response tomorrow and will report back.

A little off topic but we were going on an snorkeling excursion once and were asked about medications we took. I take blood pressure medicine and they wouldn't let me take the excursion. Looking at the weight of some of the excursion passengers I doubt that I was the only person that took blood pressure meds but I must have been the only person that told the truth on the medical questionnaire. There was a Princess Rep on the dock that tried to get me to take a "tamer" excursion. I told her I had been on this exact excursion a year earlier (on Princess) and I was a very experienced snorkeler. She really tried to talk us into another excursion but we declined. We did receive our money back, hopped in a cab and went snorkeling on our own. That was the first port we did an excursion on our own and learned how easy it is. This ended up costing Princess more money than the one excursion.

Even though we are young my husband has T1 diabetes and we have booked a cruise with an online TA and we were never pulled up on this issue.

Is it a well known TA provider?

It may be the case you might have to book insurance elsewhere rather than with them which they don't like of course.

It might be the case of them saying 'oh we cannot cover you, you must find somewhere else' before they proceed with the booking.

We, too, are very interested in the outcome of this...Like Babs, we often do longer cruises, usually there and back again across the Atlantic, and our premiums are pretty high because we have conditions which strike with age, but not mobility ones. There again, we usually book with either our local TA, who knows us, or directly with the cruise line, and sort our own insurance.

Can you move your booking directly to the cruise line?

Going round the coast is different to crossing the Atlantic anyway- you're going to be pretty close to either UK or the Irish Republic, so with an EHIC card there's nothing medical to pay... the insurance should be less in any case!

I can't imagine the travel agent would be researching your medical condition - why on earth should they? Travel agents take the bookings on behalf of the line, they aren't agents in any other respect. The cruise line may want to look into it, though I've never heard of it - all they normally want to know is "are you insured?".

I once met a man on board who had had several strokes and heart attacks - his insurance cost more than his cruise. The cruise line (P&O) wasn't bothered.

The only time I've seen anything like that was on an expedition cruise through the Canadian Arctic and around Greenland. Mostly, the ship's doctor needed to know what medical issues to prepare for. I've never seen anything like that on a regular cruise.

Just to clarify, I have bought travel insurance (not via the travel agent) and all medical conditions have been screened and accepted. I haven't heard anything more from the TA, but have received an email from the cruise company advising that my booking is confirmed so I don't envisage any further problems.

The TA is a well known UK based agency, but I understand that I can't name them here.

The TA forwarded your information to the cruise line, SOMETHING triggered the cruise line in asking the question. It sounds like a boiler plate letter asking the question. Your first post indicated you are seniors, is it possible you are much older than the average pax.

If I book a cruise and tell them I'm 103, I can guarantee they would ask the same question. Cruise lines have been going out of their way to cover their butts for liability.

The TA forwarded your information to the cruise line, SOMETHING triggered the cruise line in asking the question. It sounds like a boiler plate letter asking the question. Your first post indicated you are seniors, is it possible you are much older than the average pax.

If I book a cruise and tell them I'm 103, I can guarantee they would ask the same question. Cruise lines have been going out of their way to cover their butts for liability.

That is exactly what my OH was saying- the cruise line has been made aware of something, or else the TA has made a mistake in the past, or a similar name has been on board and been ill..

I wonder if the TA assumed you would be using their insurance (I know you said you have not)? I cannot think of any other reason they would want to know, it is certainly not down to them to decide whether or not you can cruise.

I wonder if the TA assumed you would be using their insurance (I know you said you have not)? I cannot think of any other reason they would want to know, it is certainly not down to them to decide whether or not you can cruise.

The question was from the cruise line, NOT the T/A. If the cruise line is made aware of ANY situation that exposes them to liability, they will go to extreme measures to protect themselves. The OP did not respond, but I assume they are more advanced in years more than the average cruiser. Cruise line wants some assurance emergency medical evacuations or return to ports are avoided. As example pregnant women are prohibited to cruise past 24Th week.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

As for our ages, we are 69 and 70. I don't know if that puts us above the average age of cruisers, but the cruise line we are sailing with do tend to cater for the older age groups.

The question regarding pre existing medical conditions came directly from the TA at the point of booking which I guess was before the cruise line even knew about the booking. It is referred to in the TA's terms and conditions.

Out of interest, I have checked T&C's of some other major cruise TA's and they also refer to 'advising us of any pre existing medical conditions' so it appears to be a general condition.

At the present time, the TA hasn't got back to me after submitting to them a list of conditions, and the cruise line have accepted the booking, so I done expect any further issues with this.

It would be interesting to know if anyone else who has booked recently (in the UK) have checked their TA T&C's to see if there is any mention of disclosing medical conditions.

It would be interesting to know if anyone else who has booked recently (in the UK) have checked their TA T&C's to see if there is any mention of disclosing medical conditions.

Different rules for T/A's in UK. In U.S., if you use T/A all interactions between cruise line and you is done by T/A. Cruise line won't speak to you. Unknown if this is the same UK.

Different rules for T/A's in UK. In U.S., if you use T/A all interactions between cruise line and you is done by T/A. Cruise line won't speak to you. Unknown if this is the same UK.

Not exactly. Any dealings between you and the cruise line that involve payments, changing rooms, those are only done through TA.

Any port excursions or onboard reservations (extra cost dining), those you can do on your own.

I am 77 and my wife five years younger. I have always booked cruises directly with the cruise line, so far five different ones, not using a TA and have never been asked if we have pre existing medical conditions, which we do. We take out travel insurance to cover these conditions.

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