Cancel Carnival trip insurance - asking for a friend!

OK, so before the haters even get started -- I know! I know! Cut me some slack. I would not have waited to the last minute to figure this out.

So my friend and I booked a Carnival cruise together at the same time. I am a huge planner. She is not.

Carnival automatically added trip insurance. I immediately cancelled this and booked insurance through an outside provider. I have found that the coverage levels are much higher and the cost far cheaper using outside insurance.

But my friend did not cancel the Carnival insurance which was automatically added when we booked the cruise. (We did not opt in for this. Apparently it is automatic and you must opt out if you don't want it.)

Today was the date that our final payment was due. She planned to cancel Carnival insurance but waited to the last minute. When she went to make final payment on the due date, she tried to cancel insurance but was told it was too late.

She was certain that our PVP had told her she could cancel up to the last day. But today, on due date, she was not allowed to cancel.

So aside from the problem of waiting to the last possible minute to cancel (not recommended!) -- does anyone know the policy here? Is it true that she could not cancel on due date? She was not past due. She was trying to cancel insurance on our final payment due date, for our cruise sailing July 7. So she is paying double the price for less coverage than what I am paying. Does she have any options?

I would imagine that she would have needed to cancel within say 7-14 days of booking. Since she has waited she has effectively already had cover from the date of reservation to today.

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I think her ship has sailed. Sorry

Tony

I'm curious as to how it was automatically added? On the last page of the booking it always asks you if you want to add the Carnival insurance, right below the option to prepay grats. Even on the phone my PVP has always asked/confirmed I did not want the Carnival insurance.

Adding Trip Insurance is an option just like adding prepaid gratuities. YOU must check the boxes.

In all my Carnival cruises, not one had insurance automatically added. Ill have to watch for that box being checked. I wouldnt be happy if they added insurance to my booking without my knowledge.

If insurance is used to protect you should something happen BEFORE you sail, then why are you allowed to cancel it right BEFORE you sail? Seems to me you've gotten "use" out of it up until this date. Am I missing something?

Here's the question - if your friend were to cancel the entire cruise now, for a covered reason, would the insurance pay anything?

If the answer is yes, then it is too late to cancel the insurance and receive a full refund. The coverage is already in effect and is worth something, so it is partially spent. Maybe your friend could get a partial refund, but I have no idea if that is allowed.

Adding Trip Insurance is an option just like adding prepaid gratuities. YOU must check the boxes.

If I remember, they have a big bright sign that says "Yes, Protect Me"and a dim sign that says "No, I will Risk It", and they let you pick the one you want. However, someone not paying attention may just go with the suggested option... I mean, who really wants to say no to that question?

The fact is there are better insurance options than what Carnival offers (just like there are better airfare and excursion options than they offer) and the savvy traveler will decline all that and make their own purchase elsewhere. Carnival offers it for convenience and just like buying something at the convenience store, it will be more expensive then elsewhere.

I have the Carnival insurance. The way it was explained to me is it does not cover anything untill final payment and if I cancel my cruise before then I can cancel the insurance. So It seems you could cancel just the insurance. But if it was the day final was due you may already be in the penalty stage.

Sounds like someone bought the insurance and thought they could outsmart the system to get the benefits for free.

If I remember, they have a big bright sign that says "Yes, Protect Me"and a dim sign that says "No, I will Risk It", and they let you pick the one you want. However, someone not paying attention may just go with the suggested option... I mean, who really wants to say no to that question?

 

The fact is there are better insurance options than what Carnival offers (just like there are better airfare and excursion options than they offer) and the savvy traveler will decline all that and make their own purchase elsewhere. Carnival offers it for convenience and just like buying something at the convenience store, it will be more expensive then elsewhere.

Sometimes Carnival may be the best choice. I failed to get insurance soon after booking and so most insurance would not cover preexiting. Carnival will and so in this particular case is the best option for me. I agree this is not normally the case. Normally I go with USAA.

I’m going with an unknown higher power has told your friend that something is coming and the the insurance will be needed.

Hopefully, it’s only for the “Cancel For Any Reason” provision.

DH booked a carnival cruise 2 years ago for our family - 5 cabins - on the phone. He did not ask for trip insurance but when the email confirmations came it was added to all of them. He called back to cancel the insurance - we have insurance from our credit card provider - and asked for new email confirmations. The insurance charge was removed from 4 of the 5 cabins. He had to call back yet again to get the last insurance change removed.

So, yes, insurance may be added without your requesting it.

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To answer your question....I think the details are in the language you used....can cancel "up to" final payment date.....this would mean the day before to me, not the actual final day. I would guess this may be why she could not cancel the insurance. Just my guess. Enjoy the cruise.

She should enjoy her insured cruise ....

I'm curious as to how it was automatically added? On the last page of the booking it always asks you if you want to add the Carnival insurance, right below the option to prepay grats. Even on the phone my PVP has always asked/confirmed I did not want the Carnival insurance.

I was wondering the same.

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Carnival automatically added trip insurance? I have never had that happen before.

Thanks for your replies. It does sound as if she is out of luck.

We booked the cruise by phone and the insurance was added without us being asked. We did this together on a conference call and I can say for certain that we were not asked if we wanted insurance. We did not "check a box" as several have stated. We saw it later when we received our email confirmation. I called and asked to have it removed back then. She called and was told she could remove it up to the date of final payment and she put it off, thinking she would look into buying insurance elsewhere and take care of it later.

And no, she is not trying to "outsmart" the system. I don't know why some people always assume the worst in others. Her only fault is that she procrastinated.

For both of us, the main reason for wanting insurance is in case of a medical emergency. I don't care about trip cancellation insurance. If something happens and I can't go on the cruise, it will hurt to lose the money I had spent, but it would not be financially ruinous. However, a medical emergency and/or need to be medically evacuated back home definitely could be financially disastrous. That's why I get trip insurance whenever I travel outside the US. Unfortunately the medical coverage Carnival offers is substantially less than what you can get elsewhere, and costs a lot more.

So this doesn't have anything to do with wanting to be able to cancel the trip. Oh well. She shouldn't have waited to the last minute, and at least she does have a some coverage in case of emergency.

To answer your question....I think the details are in the language you used....can cancel "up to" final payment date.....this would mean the day before to me, not the actual final day. I would guess this may be why she could not cancel the insurance. Just my guess. Enjoy the cruise.

Exactly what I was thinking. It has always been my understanding (I could be wrong) that the booking actually goes into "penalty phase" on the day that final payment is due so any cancellations would have to be made the day PRIOR to the date final payment is due.

To answer your question....I think the details are in the language you used....can cancel "up to" final payment date.....this would mean the day before to me, not the actual final day. I would guess this may be why she could not cancel the insurance. Just my guess. Enjoy the cruise.

We have a winner. The wording is such that the booking actually goes into penalty the day before the final payment is made.

I find this interesting because if you put insurance on the booking at the time of booking you have to pay for the insurance along with the deposit. If we book really far in advance we leave off the insurance and wait until we are sure we are going. Then we add the insurance pay for it. You can add it up to 7 days after making final payment, but can't take it off once it is paid for.

If insurance is used to protect you should something happen BEFORE you sail, then why are you allowed to cancel it right BEFORE you sail? Seems to me you've gotten "use" out of it up until this date. Am I missing something?

There is no "use" of the insurance prior to final payment date. You can cancel your cruise without penalty up to that time, so the insurance would not come into play until after that date.

There is no "use" of the insurance prior to final payment date. You can cancel your cruise without penalty up to that time, so the insurance would not come into play until after that date.

Mostly true, but there is a catch. If you come down with a medical condition before final payment, and have not yet purchased insurance, and purchase it later, the insurance may refuse to cover your medical condition. So buying it early does let the insurance come into play while you can still cancel it... it's just in play in your favor (so the insurance company won't mind if you cancel, LOL)

OK, so before the haters even get started -- I know! I know! Cut me some slack. I would not have waited to the last minute to figure this out.

 

So my friend and I booked a Carnival cruise together at the same time. I am a huge planner. She is not.

 

Carnival automatically added trip insurance. I immediately cancelled this and booked insurance through an outside provider. I have found that the coverage levels are much higher and the cost far cheaper using outside insurance.

 

But my friend did not cancel the Carnival insurance which was automatically added when we booked the cruise. (We did not opt in for this. Apparently it is automatic and you must opt out if you don't want it.)

 

Today was the date that our final payment was due. She planned to cancel Carnival insurance but waited to the last minute. When she went to make final payment on the due date, she tried to cancel insurance but was told it was too late.

 

She was certain that our PVP had told her she could cancel up to the last day. But today, on due date, she was not allowed to cancel.

 

So aside from the problem of waiting to the last possible minute to cancel (not recommended!) -- does anyone know the policy here? Is it true that she could not cancel on due date? She was not past due. She was trying to cancel insurance on our final payment due date, for our cruise sailing July 7. So she is paying double the price for less coverage than what I am paying. Does she have any options?

Hi if u don't mind I'm just wondering who u found the insurance with, I'm still on the fence with companies. Thank u in advance.