Princess Vacation Protection and Promo questions

[Cruise Raider]

I have a few questions about the Princess Vacation Protection I thought you all might be able to shed some light on.  

 

My neighbors, a party of 3, are traveling with us on a cruise in a few months.  They are all booked within the same cabin.  We are attempting to convince them of purchasing some kind of travel insurance and Princess does make it easy to just purchase their policy as it isn't due until the final payment date.  

 

Two of those passengers don't feel like they need travel insurance ... and I don't want to get into that as I explained everything that could go wrong to no avail so, telling me they really need to get adequate coverage would be like preaching to the choir.   I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it.  

However, one of the passengers is in her mid eighties and is otherwise healthy but has been having knee troubles and may not want to go.  We booked this cruise over a year ago during the Sip and Sail promo and now final payment is next week.  

 

So, for my questions:

- Is the one passenger able to book the Princess travel insurance without the other two also purchasing it?  

- Since her knee troubles are pre-existing at this point, would she only get FCC's back if she cancels between final payment and the cruise and she cancels due to this issue, provided she purchases the platinum policy?  

- If this one passenger decides she doesn't even want to go before final payment is due, will dropping her off the booking (since she is the third passenger) just drop final payment that would cover her costs or will the other two passengers end up giving up some of the terms of their booking?  If so, would it be better for her to just not show up?  The beverage package alone for 2 would be more than her fare.  

 

I think I may know the answers to most of these questions already but need to go in armed with real life experiences if I am to convince them to buy some travel protection, at least for the one elderly passenger if that is allowable.  Any other insight in more than welcome.  And I reiterate, I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it but, I just cannot feel responsible for their financial mistakes.  thanks in advance!

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

I have a few questions about the Princess Vacation Protection I thought you all might be able to shed some light on.  

 

My neighbors, a party of 3, are traveling with us on a cruise in a few months.  They are all booked within the same cabin.  We are attempting to convince them of purchasing some kind of travel insurance and Princess does make it easy to just purchase their policy as it isn't due until the final payment date.  

 

Two of those passengers don't feel like they need travel insurance ... and I don't want to get into that as I explained everything that could go wrong to no avail so, telling me they really need to get adequate coverage would be like preaching to the choir.   I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it.  

However, one of the passengers is in her mid eighties and is otherwise healthy but has been having knee troubles and may not want to go.  We booked this cruise over a year ago during the Sip and Sail promo and now final payment is next week.  

 

So, for my questions:

- Is the one passenger able to book the Princess travel insurance without the other two also purchasing it?  

- Since her knee troubles are pre-existing at this point, would she only get FCC's back if she cancels between final payment and the cruise and she cancels due to this issue, provided she purchases the platinum policy?  

- If this one passenger decides she doesn't even want to go before final payment is due, will dropping her off the booking (since she is the third passenger) just drop final payment that would cover her costs or will the other two passengers end up giving up some of the terms of their booking?  If so, would it be better for her to just not show up?  The beverage package alone for 2 would be more than her fare.  

 

I think I may know the answers to most of these questions already but need to go in armed with real life experiences if I am to convince them to buy some travel protection, at least for the one elderly passenger if that is allowable.  Any other insight in more than welcome.  And I reiterate, I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it but, I just cannot feel responsible for their financial mistakes.  thanks in advance!

 

 

[JF - retired RRT]

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

So, for my questions:

- Is the one passenger able to book the Princess travel insurance without the other two also purchasing it?  Yes. In the Personalizer you have to click on each individual passenger for the insurance.

- Since her knee troubles are pre-existing at this point, would she only get FCC's back if she cancels between final payment and the cruise and she cancels due to this issue, provided she purchases the platinum policy?  Pre-existing yes, but how stable. If she hasn't had a doctor who recently told her "you're bad, you need surgery", she should be fine. From my understanding, the pre part doesn't come into play unless it's newish and causing a problem recently. Otherwise, everyone who ever had a CPAP, heart attack, high blood pressure, etc. (and that's almost everyone who's over the age of 50) has a pre-existing condition that's not covered.

- If this one passenger decides she doesn't even want to go before final payment is due, will dropping her off the booking (since she is the third passenger) just drop final payment that would cover her costs or will the other two passengers end up giving up some of the terms of their booking?  If so, would it be better for her to just not show up?  The beverage package alone for 2 would be more than her fare.  I think it would depend on whether she's passenger 1, 2 or 3. Not sure about this one.

I can answer some of your questions...see above.

[JF - retired RRT]

See my attempt at answers for your questions here: 

 

[skynight]

- If this one passenger decides she doesn't even want to go before final payment is due, will dropping her off the booking (since she is the third passenger) just drop final payment that would cover her costs or will the other two passengers end up giving up some of the terms of their booking?  If so, would it be better for her to just not show up?  The beverage package alone for 2 would be more than her fare.  

According to the passage contract, section 6, which you can see in your cruise personlizer, if the 3rd passenger cancels before final payment date there is no penalty. Any refundable deposits will be returned. A cancellation by the 3rd passenger should have no effect on the 1st & 2nd passenger's promo. I don't see how it can be better to just not show. Some T.A.'s have their own cancellation fees. I can't answer your question regarding insurance, other than to make the comment that any emergency or evacuation from anywhere outside the U.S. can be really really expensive. It's not just the fare. Work through your T.A.

[Cruise Raider]

11 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

I can answer some of your questions...see above.

Excellent ... BTW ... yes, the doctor has diagnosed it and recommends surgery.  😞 

 

Oh and she is the third passenger so according to the post below, she'd be able to cancel ahead of final payment without any problems.  

Very helpful info ...thanks!!  

 

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by Cruise Raider

[JF - retired RRT]

1 minute ago, Cruise Raider said:

Excellent ... BTW ... yes, the doctor has diagnosed it and recommends surgery.  😞 

 

But how long ago. Need to research "pre-existing conditions insurance".

[Cruise Raider]

8 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

See my attempt at answers for your questions here: 

 

 

Sorry ... don't know how this posted twice!  Thanks for your answers on the other post.  

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

But how long ago. Need to research "pre-existing conditions insurance".

 

I believe it has been giving her trouble for a year or maybe a bit more but just a week or two ago she was told it has advanced to the point where she will need surgery.  I am sure she would have to get it back in FCC's if she were to submit final payment and then decide not to go (provided she purchased the platinum policy).  She'd probably never use Princess FCC's so this may be just the info she needs to decide to stay on the booking or not.  thanks for the advice!

[memoak]

41 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I have a few questions about the Princess Vacation Protection I thought you all might be able to shed some light on.  

 

My neighbors, a party of 3, are traveling with us on a cruise in a few months.  They are all booked within the same cabin.  We are attempting to convince them of purchasing some kind of travel insurance and Princess does make it easy to just purchase their policy as it isn't due until the final payment date.  

 

Two of those passengers don't feel like they need travel insurance ... and I don't want to get into that as I explained everything that could go wrong to no avail so, telling me they really need to get adequate coverage would be like preaching to the choir.   I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it.  

However, one of the passengers is in her mid eighties and is otherwise healthy but has been having knee troubles and may not want to go.  We booked this cruise over a year ago during the Sip and Sail promo and now final payment is next week.  

 

So, for my questions:

- Is the one passenger able to book the Princess travel insurance without the other two also purchasing it?  

- Since her knee troubles are pre-existing at this point, would she only get FCC's back if she cancels between final payment and the cruise and she cancels due to this issue, provided she purchases the platinum policy?  

- If this one passenger decides she doesn't even want to go before final payment is due, will dropping her off the booking (since she is the third passenger) just drop final payment that would cover her costs or will the other two passengers end up giving up some of the terms of their booking?  If so, would it be better for her to just not show up?  The beverage package alone for 2 would be more than her fare.  

 

I think I may know the answers to most of these questions already but need to go in armed with real life experiences if I am to convince them to buy some travel protection, at least for the one elderly passenger if that is allowable.  Any other insight in more than welcome.  And I reiterate, I am a true believer in trip insurance and won't ever consider cruising or leaving the country without it but, I just cannot feel responsible for their financial mistakes.  thanks in advance!

 

 

We have over 40 cruises with over 350 days and have never gotten insurance. Never have never will

[Cruise Raider]

15 minutes ago, skynight said:

I can't answer your question regarding insurance, other than to make the comment that any emergency or evacuation from anywhere outside the U.S. can be really really expensive. It's not just the fare. Work through your T.A.

 

Tell me about it!!  My sister had to be airlifted from one of the San Juan islands over to Harborview trauma in Seattle.  The cost was astronomical and that was within the US.  

 

It always surprises me when we meet long time cruisers that don't purchase any travel insurance and don't know anything about emergency evacuation (or other medical) costs.  I've definitely stressed that fact that they insurance covers a lot more than cancellation.  That is actually a drop in the bucket over what it does cover.  

[JF - retired RRT]

2 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

I believe it has been giving her trouble for a year or maybe a bit more but just a week or two ago she was told it has advanced to the point where she will need surgery.  I am sure she would have to get it back in FCC's if she were to submit final payment and then decide not to go (provided she purchased the platinum policy).  She'd probably never use Princess FCC's so this may be just the info she needs to decide to stay on the booking or not.  thanks for the advice!

That definitely makes it pre-existing. The good news is, bad knees aren't life threatening. As long as she's willing to put up with the discomfort/pain during the cruise she'll be OK.

I had bad knees and we cruised for 3 years before I finally gave in and got them replaced.

[Tucker in Texas]

You might want to look at 3rd party insurance.  It offers better coverage and about the same price.  I have probably spent enough money over the years on trip insurance that I didn't use to pay for a cruise in the Presidential Suite.  However, I don't regret a dime of it for the peace of mind I have had knowing I was covered.  I have collected a couple of times for more than I paid for iit and other times on minor claims like a stolen camera, eat wax removal.  Princess insurance only pays for what they sell you.  If you get independent air, hotels, tours, they are not covered.  I get mine from insuremytrip.com which has multiple policies to cover whatever you feel you want. There are others out there. I mainly look at pre-existing coverage if it is within a couple of weeks of the initial deposit since the fee is waived and want at least $125,-000 or more in medi-evacuation.  I think, but not sure, pre-existing coverage on Princess is if you have had no issues with an illness for several months prior to getting it other than routine check-ups that do not require any change in medication or treatment.   The advantage of Princess insurance is that you don't have to pay for it prior to final payment whereas with 3rd party it is when you get it.  You can buy Princess insurance any time prior to the cruise and the "clock" starts then on pre-existing coverage look back.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Tucker in Texas said:

You might want to look at 3rd party insurance.  It offers better coverage and about the same price.  

 

I mainly look at pre-existing coverage if it is within a couple of weeks of the initial deposit since the fee is waived and want at least $125,-000 or more in medi-evacuation.  I think, but not sure, pre-existing coverage on Princess is if you have had no issues with an illness for several months prior to getting it other than routine check-ups that do not require any change in medication or treatment.  

3rd party insurance is going to be expensive for someone who is 80. Though I agree - it has better coverage.

 

I use a 3rd party insurance I buy through my agent that covers pre-existing conditions at final payment.

[neverbeenhere]

Note to self: don’t invite the neighbors. 

[Mapu]

The cost of Princess insurance is based on your fare not your age. As the third person in the cabin her fare would probably be considerably lower than the first two in the cabin.

[crystalspin]

80-year-old woman, 2-wk cruise, ~$200 from GeoBlue. JFYI

[Hlitner]

We have been cruising for more than 40 years and have never purchased travel insurance from any cruise line.  We estimate that we have saved far more then $100,000 by NOT purchasing so-called travel insurance.  We do purchase an annual Travel Medical policy from GeoBlue that gives us $250,000 of medical (drops to $100,000 at age 70) plus $500,000 of medical evacuation insurance.  That single annual policy covers every trip we take for an entire year (up to 70 days per trip) and costs about $450 a year (total cost to insure both DW and myself).

 

I do not like the Princess protection policies.  At best you only get $20,000 of medical which is barely enough to cover an ingrown toenail these days!   We do think its an OK policy for folks that are unable to reasonably purchase better insurance (such as some folks over age 80).  As to cancelation we get $10,000 ($20,000 if split on two cards) for free as part of our Chase Sapphire credit card policy.  It is not "cancel for any reason" but is good if one has a covered reason (such as a medical issue).  We actually collected on that Chase Policy when we were forced to interrupt a long cruise and return home due to a medical emergency.

 

Hank

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

18 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

That definitely makes it pre-existing. The good news is, bad knees aren't life threatening. As long as she's willing to put up with the discomfort/pain during the cruise she'll be OK.

I had bad knees and we cruised for 3 years before I finally gave in and got them replaced.

 

Ah yes ... definitely pre-existing!  I think she should just decide if that is something she is willing to do ahead of final payment date.  I already strongly suggested NOT trying to navigate the tenders, though if she does decide to go.  We mentioned we don't even really bother to tender anymore if it's a port we've been to many times before ... so at least we can stay on the ship with her.  We'll see what she decides and thank you for all your expert advice.  

[Suncitycruiser1925]

Thanks for the info on GeoBlue travel insurance.  It sounds worth looking into.  I had not heard of it before.  

[crystalspin]

15 minutes ago, Suncitycruiser1925 said:

Thanks for the info on GeoBlue travel insurance.  It sounds worth looking into.  I had not heard of it before.  

GeoBlue is an arm of BlueCross/BlueShield, so it's got some reputation behind it. We also started an annual policy last December which we'll be renewing as long as we travel, I hope forever.

[crystalspin]

23 hours ago, crystalspin said:

80-year-old woman, 2-wk cruise, ~$200 from GeoBlue. JFYI

Amount for same person AS A THIRD PERSON IN THE ROOM for Princess Platinum is $99 (note, for less medical coverage). Amount pp for first and second persons in a room same cruise is $313 (as these people are younger, pretty sure GeoBlue will do better).

[Cruise Raider]

So, the elderly neighbor has decided not to go and the other two passengers (her daughter and granddaughter) seem rather relieved.  They were both so happy that everyone took the time to answer these questions and that they won't lose their perks if they drop her off the reservation before the impending final payment date.  

Anyway ... thanks to everyone!!  Minds have been put at ease.