Insurance Question

[bandp407]

We have booked our first MSC cruise for July and are contemplating taking their trip cancellation insurance using CSA. We usually book through one of the large warehouse travel desks and take their insurance through Travel Guard .We are required to insure our non-refundable air but NOT our port charges or any beverage package that we may purchase.

 

MSC is telling me that we need to insure the cabin price as well as port charges and the beverage package we are including. It is obviously increasing the amount we need to insure and I was always under the impression both of these items would not be subject to penalty if we had to cancel. I also contacted CSA and they do not offer the option to insure our air.... Contemplating buying a policy with another insurance com, but just wanted to get some feedback.

 

Can anyone comment or make suggestions. Many thanks!

[t_car]

I book all my travel insurance needs through CAA, AAA in the US.

I may also check into insuremytrip.com

[cruiseguyinorl]

Some insurers require that you insure the total COST of your trip whether or not some items may be refundable. Sounds like CSA may be one of those.

 

Bret

[riclop]

We always put total price.

[bandp407]

Some insurers require that you insure the total COST of your trip whether or not some items may be refundable. Sounds like CSA may be one of those.

 

Bret

 

thank you Bret & riclop! We are going to try CSA for this trip. I will question MSC as even their invoice shows port taxes are refundable. Whatever, the difference is not that much.

 

Bret - I noticed on one of the other threads that you were on deck 12 in Dec. on the Divina. We booked 12258 ( end aft cabin) for July. Could of had aft on 11 or 10 but we are not fans of the deep balcony cabins which I believe those are. Am I correct? Any comments on our cabin choice?

 

Thanks to all!

[cruiseguyinorl]

we are not fans of the deep balcony cabins which I believe those are. Am I correct? Any comments on our cabin choice?

 

I think you made a good choice. I usually prefer the end cabins but couldn't get one this time. As for the balcony, I enjoyed the fact that it was larger than a standard balcony. You are correct though, it is not a "deep" balcony as some lower decks are.

 

Bret

[mikesteg]

We always put total price.

 

But which total price? ;) I go through insure my trip and always put in the non-refundable portion of the trip, based on the logic that it is all they would cover anyway. Admittedly I had never considered the idea of port charges being refundable.

 

However, in a case where I booked air through Southwest and it is refundable up to the day, I wouldn't include that. I may be wrong, but if it isn't a loss it can't be covered and therefore probably shouldn't be covered. Even for American flights or such, I think you just pay a fee to refund the points, so presumably that would be covered. If I pay cash for a flight, I cover it.

 

Honestly, I really buy insurance for the big ticket items like medical and evacuation. I have probably spent enough on insurance over the last 15 cruises to pay for another cruise. We could afford to eat the cost of the cruise, and statistically it would make sense to forego insurance in that case. What we would have trouble with is 10 or 20k in medical combined with a 10 or 20k evacuation.

 

That's another reason to use insure my trip: you can see what is actually covered and to what $$, whether it is primary or secondary, etc.

Edited January 28, 2016 by mikesteg

[cruiseguyinorl]

But which total price?

 

I'm pretty sure he means anything he had to pay for up front. I have seen where the insurance company has asked for a copy of the original invoice and sees you originally paid more money than you insured, they have denied the claim. Some hide that little fact in their fine print. Just sayin....

 

Bret

[bandp407]

My feeling is we need to take direction from each carrier & their policy. Yes they can deny a claim so easily .....it's difficult to make a decision with a whole lot of"gray area".

[cruisinfanatic]

I'm pretty sure he means anything he had to pay for up front. I have seen where the insurance company has asked for a copy of the original invoice and sees you originally paid more money than you insured, they have denied the claim. Some hide that little fact in their fine print. Just sayin....

 

Bret

Don't know why they would deny the claim. They would just pay up to the amount of coverage purchased

[mikesteg]

Don't know why they would deny the claim. They would just pay up to the amount of coverage purchased

 

Well, because they are an insurance company. ;)

 

More specifically: because the policies are priced in brackets, a person who paid $2600 for a cruise could conceivably claim they paid $2500 and drop the cost of the policy by 25%

 

I believe that none of the other terms tend to change, so the fraudster would wind up with 99% of the coverage at 80% of the price. I can see the insurance company reasonably denying a large claim on this basis, or at least having language in the contract to allow them to do so.

 

I was making up the numbers above, but just did a test against an AIG Basic policy (which I selected because it was at the top of the listing):

At $2000 trip cost, the quote was $105

At $2100 it jumps to $143, a 36% increase.

It stays $143 until $4500 when it jumps to $215

... so you can see it would be easy to game the system and save a significant percentage.

 

This is another good reason to use insure my trip. Find the company/policy where your requirements fall into the sweet spot, and spend the saved money on an extra 'whatever' on the ship!