Travelling Companion?

[Cbears]

Here is our situation. We are going on a cruise in late May, myself and DH in one cabin, adult DS in his own cabin, sister and her DH in another.

We purchased travel insurance within 14 days of deposit, as DH has medical problems and we wanted pre-existing condition coverage.

Hubby has just been told he has lung cancer and will need surgery to remove half his lung in 2 weeks.

My son has not purchased travel insurance yet. The final payment date is March 11th. Surgery March 14th. We don't know if we will have to cancel, but our part of the trip is insured.

What kind of insurance should be buy to be covered for trip cancellation in case we have to cancel. We really wanted to do this cruise together.

DS is traveling from Canada to start the cruise in Vancouver.

We are traveling from the US to start the cruise in Vancouver.

His cabin was paid for on our credit card, we have excursions planned together etc. His cabin is considered a separate booking. He has his own booking number.

Are we considered travelling companions of his?

If he buys travel insurance with trip cancellation, how would his step-dad's recent cancer diagnosis affect what policy he needs. When does he need to buy it?

He is Canadian.

Myself (his mother) and his step-dad are American

Deposit date was Dec 12th

Final Payment Date March 11th

Cruise Date May 25th.

 

I know this is kind of confusing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[6rugrats]

If I am understanding your post, you and your husband purchased trip insurance which will cover a pre-existing condition within 14 days of your initial deposit. You should be covered if you have to cancel due to your husband's medical condition. I am not understanding why you would have to purchase any other coverage.

 

I assume you are asking about your son's possible cancellation, if you and your husband are unable to take this cruise. Your son is an adult and would have had to purchase his own separate policy, and it appears from your post that he did not. He should have purchased a policy at the same time you did. I know nothing about insurance for Canadian citizens. However, your husband's illness is now considered a pre-existing condition. Not sure your son can purchase any affordable insurance that will cover cancellation at this date.

 

Hopefully, someone will have additional information for you. Best wishes to you and your husband; we went through the same thing recently with a close family member.

[cruiseco]

Are we considered travelling companions of his?

.

 

It will depend on the plan's definition of "traveling companion" and they're all different so you'll have to find that out by reading the fine print.

 

With some plans you actually have to be sharing accommodations -- be booked into the same cabin.

 

With others, having your reservations cross-referenced in the cruise line's res system will be enough.

 

With others, just being able to show you're booked on the same cruise will do it.

 

Here's how CSA defines it:

 

"TRAVELING COMPANION means a person whose name(s)

appear(s) with you on the same Covered Trip arrangement

and who, during the Covered Trip, will accompany you."

 

From IMG:

 

""Travel Companion" means a person who accompanies You and shares accommodations with You on a Covered Trip, and a physical cross-reference entry exists within a computerized reservation system, a global distribution system or Travel Supplier reservation system that references Travel Companions to each other. "

 

Travelex:

 

"Traveling Companion: means a person or persons with whom You have coordinated travel arrangements and intends to travel with during the Covered Trip. Note, a group or tour leader is not considered a Traveling Companion unless You are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader."

 

If you're traveling with friends and want the ability to cancel if they do, be sure the policy you choose will let you do that.

[Cbears]

If I am understanding your post, you and your husband purchased trip insurance which will cover a pre-existing condition within 14 days of your initial deposit. You should be covered if you have to cancel due to your husband's medical condition. I am not understanding why you would have to purchase any other coverage.

 

I assume you are asking about your son's possible cancellation, if you and your husband are unable to take this cruise. Your son is an adult and would have had to purchase his own separate policy, and it appears from your post that he did not. He should have purchased a policy at the same time you did. I know nothing about insurance for Canadian citizens. However, your husband's illness is now considered a pre-existing condition. Not sure your son can purchase any affordable insurance that will cover cancellation at this date.

 

Hopefully, someone will have additional information for you. Best wishes to you and your husband; we went through the same thing recently with a close family member.

 

Yes I am only asking about my son needing to cancel. We are covered.

He did not buy insurance, he was going to wait until after the final payment since he did not have any pre-existing conditions like my hubby has. (not the lung cancer but other conditions, the lung cancer is new)

 

Maybe theres another way to look at this. If you bought trip cancellation insurance, and then a family member with a pre-existing condition got so sick that you decided not to go, would you be able to make a claim?

 

I've been looking at it as a 'traveling companion' issue, when maybe its a 'family member' issue.

[cherylandtk]

It is not really a family member vs. Travel companion definition issue yet. The first problem is to find a policy that would cover your husband's recent diagnosis and not exclude it as a pre-existing condition. I don't know about Canadian coverage, but in the US there are only a couple of more expensive policies that would do that and they must be purchased before final payment. I think your best bet would be to contact an insurance broker and ask if there is a policy available to your son at this point, and if so, to clarify if he falls under companion or family member per their definitions.

 

P.s. The trip insurance store has a couple of good pages of information about this, you could try calling them for clarification.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

I am so sorry about the illness that has cropped up.

 

My advice would be for everybody to cancel who is within no-penalty cancellation period. Better to get your money back when you are entitled to it directly without the intervention of a third party insurance company.

 

If everything works out well, when you get closer to the date you can re-book another cruise.

 

By purchasing insurance after your soon already knows of an event that very may well prevent him from taking a cruise might cause problems. Why chance it?

 

Kind regards,

 

GUnther and Uta