Travel insurance question

[izzypooch]

Hi,

 

I have on occasion purchased the cruise lines insurance but never bought insurance independently. I want to do so for the next cruise. I'm going to book the liberty of the seas for April 2013 and here's my question.

 

I've read that you should buy the insurance as soon as you book the cruise. If I do that and I would decide to cancel before final payment I know I would get a 100% refund from Royal (so no claim with insurance) but would I get my premium refunded since the trip never took place? Or is it a done deal once you buy the insurance?

[Finbar127]

Hi,

 

I have on occasion purchased the cruise lines insurance but never bought insurance independently. I want to do so for the next cruise. I'm going to book the liberty of the seas for April 2013 and here's my question.

 

I've read that you should buy the insurance as soon as you book the cruise. If I do that and I would decide to cancel before final payment I know I would get a 100% refund from Royal (so no claim with insurance) but would I get my premium refunded since the trip never took place? Or is it a done deal once you buy the insurance?

 

I think it is a done deal but you should check the fine print of whatever policy you are considering. I have purchased several 3rd party trip insurance policies and none of them were refundable after the "free look" period.

 

Three good sites to compare policies are insuremytrip.com, tripinsurancestore.com and squaremouth.com.

[novicetraveller]

Hi,

 

I have on occasion purchased the cruise lines insurance but never bought insurance independently. I want to do so for the next cruise. I'm going to book the liberty of the seas for April 2013 and here's my question.

 

I've read that you should buy the insurance as soon as you book the cruise. If I do that and I would decide to cancel before final payment I know I would get a 100% refund from Royal (so no claim with insurance) but would I get my premium refunded since the trip never took place? Or is it a done deal once you buy the insurance?

 

It depends on the Insurance company.

[setsail]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[silentbob007]

The reason most suggest insurance immediately is for pre-existing conditions to be covered. For some , this is for so many days after initial deposit, but others may be only after final payment. Definitely check the policies before deciding ... I have found insuremytrip to be a great resource.

[Lottycruiser]

If you had to cancel before final payment and would get your money refunded from Royal , I see no reason whatsoever to buy your insurance until you are ready to make final payment .

Linda .

[Finbar127]

If you had to cancel before final payment and would get your money refunded from Royal , I see no reason whatsoever to buy your insurance until you are ready to make final payment .

Linda .

 

A pre-existing condition would be one of several very good reasons to buy a policy before final payment.

[FLHugh]

I currently have a cruise scheduled for April 2013. If I cancel, my travel insurance company will give me a transfer to another cruise within one year.

[Clarea]

I currently have a cruise scheduled for April 2013. If I cancel, my travel insurance company will give me a transfer to another cruise within one year.

That sounds like a nice feature. Please let us know the name of that insurance company.

[Lottycruiser]

A pre-existing condition would be one of several very good reasons to buy a policy before final payment.

 

But why ? The poster said Royal refunds all your money if you haven't made final payment , you wouldn't have to have any dealings with insurance unless you have made that final payment .am I missing something here ? The poster hasn't mentioned any flight bookings which I take would make a difference as they wouldn't be covered .

Linda .

[dz9yvr]

If you had to cancel before final payment and would get your money refunded from Royal , I see no reason whatsoever to buy your insurance until you are ready to make final payment .

Linda .

 

Perhaps you should read the policy to understand the limitations. If you had to cancel after final payment due to a pre-existing condition you would not be covered.

[xxoocruiser]

The primary reason for immediately purchasing Travel Insurance is if you have pre-existing medical reasons. For pre-existing conditions to be covered the insurance MUST be purchased within 10-14 days , depending on the company, from the date of booking. Otherwise many people wait to purchase travel insurance just before making the final cruise payment as most cruise lines will refund 100% of what is already paid towards the cruise if canceled prior to the final payment period.

[Clarea]

Another important point about using Royal's insurance is the payment date. Generally, Royal's insurance is not paid for until the cruise's final payment is made. It may be listed on the cruise confirmation, but it's not paid for. Therefore it is not in force if you need to cancel for a covered reason before final payment. An example would be the purchase of non-refundable airfare. In this case, Royal's insurance would not cover the cost of the cancelled airfare.

 

The only way Royal's insurance covers a cancellation before final payment is if you specifically request to pay for CruiseCare, and they charge your credit card for the cost.

[Lottycruiser]

Perhaps you should read the policy to understand the limitations. If you had to cancel after final payment due to a pre-existing condition you would not be covered.

 

Ok , the poster wasn't talking about cancelling " after " final payment , the posters words were if she cancels before final payment she will get 100% refund off Royal , so it wouldn't matter if she had insurance or not at that point , nothing was mentioned about pre existing conditions either . I understand that once final payment is made you have to have insurance cover in place . Maybe it's different in the U.K .

Linda .

[FLHugh]

That sounds like a nice feature. Please let us know the name of that insurance company.

 

Travel Guard. From personal experience, with RCL's insurance which is Berkley, you must cancel within two days of learning you must cancel. When told you have a serious medical condition and surgery is required, two days is a pretty short time frame to think to cancel your cruise.

[dz9yvr]

Ok , the poster wasn't talking about cancelling " after " final payment , the posters words were if she cancels before final payment she will get 100% refund off Royal , so it wouldn't matter if she had insurance or not at that point , nothing was mentioned about pre existing conditions either . I understand that once final payment is made you have to have insurance cover in place . Maybe it's different in the U.K .

Linda .

 

 

??? This makes no sense. :confused::confused::confused: Perhaps you need to read the limitations on pre-existing conditions.

 

No one needs insurance before final payment, except for possible airfare fees. Most of the resons for purchasing travel insurance is to cover events after final payment, so the discussion needs to help the OP (and perhaps others) understand those limitations

 

What are saying??? "I understand that once final payment is made you have to have insurance cover in place "

 

Travel insurance is never required. I'm not sure you're helping the OP.

[jenrie]

??? This makes no sense. :confused::confused::confused: Perhaps you need to read the limitations on pre-existing conditions.

 

No one needs insurance before final payment, except for possible airfare fees. Most of the resons for purchasing travel insurance is to cover events after final payment, so the discussion needs to help the OP (and perhaps others) understand those limitations

 

What are saying??? "I understand that once final payment is made you have to have insurance cover in place "

 

Travel insurance is never required. I'm not sure you're helping the OP.

Lottycruiser is from the UK where travel insurance is required before travel and we don't have the luxury of having pre-existing conditions. If we have a pre-existing condition then our premium goes through the roof.

[Lottycruiser]

??? This makes no sense. :confused::confused::confused: Perhaps you need to read the limitations on pre-existing conditions

 

Pre existing conditions were never mentioned in the posters post , the question was, if she bought travel insurance and had to cancel before final payment , she would get 100% of her money back from Royal , but would her insurance company refund her the money she paid for her insurance cover , the answer to that I don't know as every company is different in their terms and conditions , but over here you only have a 14 day window of cancelling travel insurance and getting the premium back that you paid for the cover .

If the poster is sure that royal will refund her her deposit before final payment surely it wouldn't matter what the reason for cancelling is be it medical grounds or otherwise , so pre existing is a non entity at this point .

If the poster is booking flights then she would need to buy travel insurance as soon as she books the flights .

I don't think I can make it any clearer the way that I am thinking about this and am sorry if I have confused the poster in any way .

Linda .

[Lottycruiser]

Lottycruiser is from the UK where travel insurance is required before travel and we don't have the luxury of having pre-existing conditions. If we have a pre-existing condition then our premium goes through the roof.

 

Don't I know it , I have to declare three conditions and get hammered for it , I have never booked a cruise more than four months in advance and as soon as I book I take out independent travel insurance .

I think i had better bow out of this thread now as I am just causing confusion , I forgot that in America you have to have medical cover ( no NHS over there ).

Sorry for the confusion .

Linda .

[tiger belle]

The primary reason for immediately purchasing Travel Insurance is if you have pre-existing medical reasons. For pre-existing conditions to be covered the insurance MUST be purchased within 10-14 days , depending on the company, from the date of booking. Otherwise many people wait to purchase travel insurance just before making the final cruise payment as most cruise lines will refund 100% of what is already paid towards the cruise if canceled prior to the final payment period.

 

 

exactly

[dacsmom]

If you had to cancel before final payment and would get your money refunded from Royal , I see no reason whatsoever to buy your insurance until you are ready to make final payment .

Linda .

 

I was told I had to buy travel insurance within 14 days of booking. I only bought it this time because a travel companion is flying in from upstate New York in February and I was worried about the weather.

[izzypooch]

It's me, the OP. The pre-existing clause doesn't affect me and i drive to the port so no airline ticket purchases involved so I'm now seeing that it would be smart to wait until just before final payment to buy the insurance.

 

I want to book the cruise now to get the room I want but a lot can change before final payment that might make me want to cancel (can you say stock market tanking?). For what ever reason it seemed like the majority of posts I had read about travel insurance advised buy as soon as you make down payment but as long as I can wait, that's what I'll do.

 

Thanks.

[dz9yvr]

It's me, the OP. The pre-existing clause doesn't affect me and i drive to the port so no airline ticket purchases involved so I'm now seeing that it would be smart to wait until just before final payment to buy the insurance.

 

I want to book the cruise now to get the room I want but a lot can change before final payment that might make me want to cancel (can you say stock market tanking?). For what ever reason it seemed like the majority of posts I had read about travel insurance advised buy as soon as you make down payment but as long as I can wait, that's what I'll do.

 

Thanks.

 

If you wait, you will likely not be covered for pre-existing conditions. For example if you are being treated for a heart condition and it flares-up 3 weeks before your cruise and you need to cancel, you likely will not be covered.

[MrsPete]

I personally am not concerned about pre-existing conditions, so I purchase insurance just before I make the final payment. As several other people have pointed out, I can get 100% of my money back from the cruise line (until final payment date) and be out nothing.

 

However, one big point is that I always drive to the port. I'm not exactly next door, but it's a very do-able drive. Someone who'd paid big bucks (independently, not through the cruise line) for airline tickets might want to insure the transportation portion of his trip.

 

Also, if you buy through the cruise line, the question is, Do you want insurance? Yes or No. If you buy from an independent provider, you have choices. For example, we know that our insurance will pay for an illness during a cruise, and since we drive ourselves we have little chance of losing our luggage. So we don't pay for those things; instead, we pay only for emergency evacuation insurance and trip interruption insurance. No use to pay for items you don't really need.

 

Do take some time to educate yourself about the options available. Buying from an independent provider is more complicated than saying, "Yes, add it to my cruise bill", but you will pay much less in the long run.

[dirtgirl]

I am certified to see travel insurance with one company, so I'll try to explain why it is a good idea to purchase it upon deposit.

 

First, and this primarily affects Americans, if you purchase within 14 days of booking the trip, pre-existing conditions are waived, PROVIDED that you are able to travel the day you purchased the insurance.

 

Second, if you should have a birthday in-between times, the cost can go up.

 

Third, rates can go up across the board as well.

 

Fourth, and very importantly, if you should develop a condition after you deposit and before you pay final, you may very well not be covered for that condition at all. Say you get a cancer diagnosis a month before your final payment. You are out of luck having that condition covered if you failed to purchase insurance beforehand.

 

It is SMART to purchase insurance when you have been stable for at least 90 days, or during the pre-existing condition waiver period. Check the insurance policy to see if it's refundable before final. Many are.

 

Hope this helps.

 

PS The cruise line insurance is horrible. Please, please educate yourself and purchase a better policy.