Princess Vacation Protection - for expenses before/after the cruise?

[PaperSniper4]

We're planning a TA cruise from Southampton. We will book EZ-Air transportation when it becomes available. We will likely spend an additional week or two on our own, staying in a hotel/B&B/VRBO.

 

My question is: since those "on our own costs" are not part of the "Princess trip", can we get additional coverage through Princess (actually their affiliate)? I am curious if anyone has done something like that. What was your experience? Or did you get a supplement rider from another insurance carrier for that "non-Princess" portion of your trip?

 

Doug

[Alaskanb]

2 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We're planning a TA cruise from Southampton. We will book EZ-Air transportation when it becomes available. We will likely spend an additional week or two on our own, staying in a hotel/B&B/VRBO.

 

My question is: since those "on our own costs" are not part of the "Princess trip", can we get additional coverage through Princess (actually their affiliate)? I am curious if anyone has done something like that. What was your experience? Or did you get a supplement rider from another insurance carrier for that "non-Princess" portion of your trip?

 

Doug

I looked into this a few years ago and was not able to add additional days. We ended up using independent insurance for the entire trip. 

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by Alaskanb

[cruzsnooze]

If you book it through Princess it could be covered. Princess' cost to add a few days before or after your trip will be considerably higher then if you book independently.

[franktown]

Only if booked with Princess.

[CineGraphic]

You'll get a much better deal at places like insuremytrip.com

[Jersey42]

Look at independent insurance through a reputable broker.  You might want to browse through the cruise/travel insurance boards for more insights. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

The biggest problem I have with most cruise line plans is inadequate medical coverage.  The Princess standard plan only covers $10K while the platinum plan covers $20K.  Plus, it is secondary insurance, so you must submit to your medical insurance plan first and then the Princess plan only picks up what your own insurance does not cover.  For those of us on Medicare with a supplement, it means you will have to use up some (or all) of your lifetime deductible before the Princess plan will cover anything.

 

Many independent travel insurance plans offer $100K+ of medical coverage and many of those pay as the primary insurer, so you do not have to submit to your own insurance at all. 

 

The second problem is the one you have mentioned. Cruise line plans usually only cover the cruise and possibly the air if booked through the cruise line. I believe Princess will also cover pre and post cruise tours booked through Princess.  Independent travel insurance will cover the entire trip.  

 

One area where the cruise line plans might be better than independent plans is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.  The Princess platinum plan gives you 100% back in the form of a future cruise credit. Independent plans rarely give you more than 75% back, but it is in cash.  Some people prefer the cash, others prefer the larger amount. Of course you still have the same issues with independently booked pre and post cruise travel.

 

[PaperSniper4]

5 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

Look at independent insurance through a reputable broker.  You might want to browse through the cruise/travel insurance boards for more insights. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

............................

 

One area where the cruise line plans might be better than independent plans is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage.  The Princess platinum plan gives you 100% back in the form of a future cruise credit. Independent plans rarely give you more than 75% back, but it is in cash.  Some people prefer the cash, others prefer the larger amount. Of course you still have the same issues with independently booked pre and post cruise travel.

 

Thank you for a super informative post. I had been thinking about getting Princess' coverage, mainly for the CFAR clause. Probably would get it only a couple of months before the final payment is due. One concern is will the PVP drop the FCAR if the Covid concern becomes no longer a big deal. That's the only reason I can see for paying for it right now. Even only getting 75% of the cost back in a future credit is better than most plans for anything near a similar price. We are Platinum, so that helps with the other, medical, etc coverage and insurance price.

 

I may get the PVP insurance, and get additional insurance for the "land" portion of our trip, and perhaps to cover any "exceptional" medical costs. Times like this I wish I had an attorney in the family! Those policies can be quite confusing.😎

 

Doug

[milolii]

Hi Doug,  not sure I’m clear about your thoughts, or situation, but  just as a FYI, usually CFAR must be purchased fairly soon after your initial deposit.   Not necessarily  a few months before final payment.  There is  cruise insurance board here on Cruise Critic. Many  experts post there and you will find some recommendations for private companies, such as the one mentioned above. 

 

I just recommend you check that part out.  Good luck! 

[Jersey42]

You can purchase the Princess plans up until final payment date in order to get CFAR coverage.  Most independent plans with CFAR need to be purchased fairly soon after the initial deposit to get CFAR coverage.  But, most independent plans let you take out insurance to cover your initial deposit and then add coverage as you make more trip payments. 

 

Another thing to be aware of is what the insurance companies call pre-existing medical conditions.  If this possibly affects you, when you purchase the policy and what policy you purchase becomes important.  If not, then you have much more flexibility.

 

 

[cruzsnooze]

If medical is your concern consider looking at medJet. I carry that and don't need anything else. I can "eat" the cost of the cruise but not the $100,000 to get a medivac back home which is where the real expense lies. It's an annual policy for solo or marrieds so covers all my trips not just cruises. 

[caribill]

15 hours ago, Jersey42 said:

 For those of us on Medicare with a supplement, it means you will have to use up some (or all) of your lifetime deductible before the Princess plan will cover anything.

 

 

 

 

I thought lifetime limits for all health insurance policies in the USA were eliminated when Obamacare was passed.

 

Per HHS.GOv:  Under the current law, lifetime limits on most benefits are prohibited in any health plan or insurance policy.

[Jersey42]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

I thought lifetime limits for all health insurance policies in the USA were eliminated when Obamacare was passed.

 

Per HHS.GOv:  Under the current law, lifetime limits on most benefits are prohibited in any health plan or insurance policy.

 

I believe the key words are “most benefits”.  My understanding is there are several exceptions to the no lifetime maximum provision of the ACA. Medicare supplement plans are one of those exceptions. All of the supplement plans that offer foreign emergency travel coverage (plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M and N) have a lifetime limit of $50K for foreign emergency travel.

 

Exceptions

Supplemental benefits.

 

(i) The following benefits are excepted only if they are provided under a separate policy, certificate, or contract of insurance -

 

(A) Medicare supplemental health insurance (as defined under section 1882(g)(1) of the Social Security Act; also known as Medigap or MedSupp insurance);

 

If you want all of the details, here are a couple of links:

 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/10/31/2016-26162/excepted-benefits-lifetime-and-annual-limits-and-short-term-limited-duration-insurance

 

https://ecfr.federalregister.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XXV/subchapter-L/part-2590/subpart-D/section-2590.732

[PaperSniper4]

Now where is that attorney to help decipher all this techo-talk?🤪

[NavyVeteran]

The decision on trip insurance depends on many things, including your age, health conditions, and other insurance coverage. I will describe what worked best for me with the coverage I have.

 

We spent two weeks in the United Kingdom before a Princess trans-Atlantic cruise home. We flew using Princess EZAir. The only non-Princess nonrefundable expense we had was for a BritRail pass.

 

I found the lowest cost option was to purchase Princess Vacation Protection (with no-cost Platinum upgrade for the cruise (including the air costs) and a third-party policy for the two-weeks medical coverage. This was much less expensive than purchasing the third-party insurance for the entire trip, including the cost of the Princess cruise and air, and we wouldn't have received any Cancel for Any Reason coverage. This is particularly true for older cruisers, since Princess Vacation Protection is not age-rated and third party policies generally are.

 

I always purchase secondary medical insurance, whether it is Princess or third party - I do not pay extra for primary medical insurance. We have Medicare and Tricare for Life. Medicare provides no coverage outside of the United States, and Tricare for Life provides primary coverage (including deductibles and copayments) in areas where where Medicare provides no coverage.

 

I have never had any problem collecting on the Princess Vacation Protection or third party insurance. Note that we have not had any trip cancellation claims and all of our medical claims were for fairly small expenses. The trip insurance claim people I worked with knew that Medicare provided no coverage outside the United States, so they did not ask for a Medicare coverage denial. They also knew - or looked up after I explained it to them - that Tricare for Life (even though it is primary where I have no other insurance) is secondary to all other medical insurance except explicit Tricare supplements. The US law making Tricare for Life secondary supersedes the trip insurance contract language making it secondary, since the trip insurance contract language does not explicitly state it is a Tricare supplement. I have received reimbursements without providing any documentation from Medicare or Tricare.

 

I also do not need the higher medical limits, because Tricare for Life does provide full coverage outside the US except for copayments and deductibles, and even the smaller policy limits probably are large enough to cover that amount. If you do not have any medical insurance that covers you outside of the US, then your situation would be different.

[Lucky TGO]

15 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Now where is that attorney to help decipher all this techo-talk?🤪

He doesn’t exist. 😳😁 

Tony

[PaperSniper4]

7 hours ago, NavyVeteran said:

The decision on trip insurance depends on many things, including your age, health conditions, and other insurance coverage. I will describe what worked best for me with the coverage I have.

......

NavyVeteran, sounds like we are carbon copies of each other, assuming our ages are similar. My wife and I are in our early 70s. I am retired USN also, with identical Medicare/TFL coverage.

 

Thanks for answering many of my questions! I have been thinking we would do the same as you did, and your post just about confirms it.

 

In addition to the lengthy UK visit plus TA cruise we have scheduled, we also have a shorter Mexico cruise scheduled from SoCal for February next year. For that one I will not be spending more than a day in SoCal off the ship, so I'm sure I will get the PVP, mainly for the FCAR,  and I will investigate adding supplemental medical coverage. I am not too worried about medical costs in Mexico....no where as much as from the UK and the ports we'd visit while doing the TA. The Mexico cruise is much shorter, less than 12 days. The UK visit and cruise will be closer to twice that.

 

Doug

[SAKay]

@NavyVeteran I read with interest your info on TFL for a cruise but I am still confused. Can you help ? 😋. We are going on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in 2022 -hopefully !  My husband is Retired USAF and we are in our 60s. I have Medicare, but not my husband yet. I know that doesn’t cover anything outside the US anyway. We have TFL. I was thinking of getting the PVP for the CFAR. What would TFL cover while on the cruise ?  I am worried about having enough medical insurance while on the cruise, getting sick and being in a foreign hospital, and evacuation back to the US if necessary. Would PVP + TFL be enough or do I need to purchase additional medical coverage? If I did purchase additional medical coverage would TFL be primary or secondary? Can you even purchase additional coverage that would be secondary to TFL ?  Thank you very much for your help. We have never been on such a long cruise or purchased medical insurance before. 

[GonzoWCS]

On 5/11/2021 at 11:22 PM, NavyVeteran said:

The decision on trip insurance depends on many things, including your age, health conditions, and other insurance coverage. I will describe what worked best for me with the coverage I have.

 

We spent two weeks in the United Kingdom before a Princess trans-Atlantic cruise home. We flew using Princess EZAir. The only non-Princess nonrefundable expense we had was for a BritRail pass.

 

I found the lowest cost option was to purchase Princess Vacation Protection (with no-cost Platinum upgrade for the cruise (including the air costs) and a third-party policy for the two-weeks medical coverage. This was much less expensive than purchasing the third-party insurance for the entire trip, including the cost of the Princess cruise and air, and we wouldn't have received any Cancel for Any Reason coverage. This is particularly true for older cruisers, since Princess Vacation Protection is not age-rated and third party policies generally are.

 

I always purchase secondary medical insurance, whether it is Princess or third party - I do not pay extra for primary medical insurance. We have Medicare and Tricare for Life. Medicare provides no coverage outside of the United States, and Tricare for Life provides primary coverage (including deductibles and copayments) in areas where where Medicare provides no coverage.

 

I have never had any problem collecting on the Princess Vacation Protection or third party insurance. Note that we have not had any trip cancellation claims and all of our medical claims were for fairly small expenses. The trip insurance claim people I worked with knew that Medicare provided no coverage outside the United States, so they did not ask for a Medicare coverage denial. They also knew - or looked up after I explained it to them - that Tricare for Life (even though it is primary where I have no other insurance) is secondary to all other medical insurance except explicit Tricare supplements. The US law making Tricare for Life secondary supersedes the trip insurance contract language making it secondary, since the trip insurance contract language does not explicitly state it is a Tricare supplement. I have received reimbursements without providing any documentation from Medicare or Tricare.

 

I also do not need the higher medical limits, because Tricare for Life does provide full coverage outside the US except for copayments and deductibles, and even the smaller policy limits probably are large enough to cover that amount. If you do not have any medical insurance that covers you outside of the US, then your situation would be different.

Well put and thanks.  We are in this exact position (or soon to be) and you really helped us understand the process.  

 

Salute!

[pms4104]

On 5/10/2021 at 5:44 PM, cruzsnooze said:

If medical is your concern consider looking at medJet. I carry that and don't need anything else. I can "eat" the cost of the cruise but not the $100,000 to get a medivac back home which is where the real expense lies. It's an annual policy for solo or marrieds so covers all my trips not just cruises. 

Medjet only gets you hospital to hospital ... assuming you are evacuatable ... covers no medical on the ship, no transit to the first hospital, no medical costs there.

[NavyVeteran]

2 hours ago, SAKay said:

@NavyVeteran I read with interest your info on TFL for a cruise but I am still confused. Can you help ? 😋. We are going on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in 2022 -hopefully !  My husband is Retired USAF and we are in our 60s. I have Medicare, but not my husband yet. I know that doesn’t cover anything outside the US anyway. We have TFL. I was thinking of getting the PVP for the CFAR. What would TFL cover while on the cruise ?  I am worried about having enough medical insurance while on the cruise, getting sick and being in a foreign hospital, and evacuation back to the US if necessary. Would PVP + TFL be enough or do I need to purchase additional medical coverage? If I did purchase additional medical coverage would TFL be primary or secondary? Can you even purchase additional coverage that would be secondary to TFL ?  Thank you very much for your help. We have never been on such a long cruise or purchased medical insurance before. 

I can't address your specific needs. I am speaking only of my own experience - I don't plan to be an expert. I'm also not going to comment on whether any specific plans would be suitable for your specific case.

 

Tricare (for your husband) or TFL (for you), unlike Medicare, does cover you anywhere in the world. Normally, TFL is secondary to Medicare, but it becomes primary in places where Medicare provides no coverage. Either you or your husband would submit claims to Tricare for any medical expenses on the ship or on land outside the US.

 

TFL and Medicare normally covers all medical expenses with no copayments or deductibles. Tricare (or TFL outside the US) normally provides coverage with copayments and deductibles. After I became eligible for Tricare but before I was eligible for Medicare, I had a Tricare supplement which covered the Tricare copayments and deductibles. Depending on your husband's specific Tricare coverage and Tricare supplement (if any), he may - or may not - have full medical coverage outside the US. Since you probably don't have a Tricare supplement (it doesn't make sense to have one with Medicare and TFL in the US), you would have to pay the copayments and deductibles.

 

Tricare or TFL is secondary to any other medical insurance, except insurance specifically sold as a Tricare supplement. So Tricare or TFL would be secondary to PVP or other travel insurance, even though PVP and many other travel insurance policies say they are secondary. The US law making Tricare secondary overrides the policy details on the travel insurance. You could purchase a Tricare supplement which would be secondary to Tricare, but it probably doesn't make sense for one two-week trip. A Tricare supplement probably makes sense for someone on Medicare and TFL only if that person lived or travelled extensively outside the US.

 

I normally get PVP when traveling overseas on Princess. I have had several minor medical claims - never anything major. I have never had any problem getting full reimbursement from PVP. Some people have said they need to get a denial from Medicare and/or from Tricare before submitting to PVP, since PVP is secondary. I have never had to do this. I just state in my submission that Medicare provides no coverage outside the US and that Tricare (according to US law) is secondary to all other insurance other than Tricare supplements.

 

In my opinion, the combination of Tricare or TFL and PVP should cover most if not all medical expenses. Medical costs are lower in most other countries than they are in the US. Tricare will cover approximately 80%. If the PVP limits cover 20% of your expense, then you're fully covered. I believe you would submit first to PVP, and they would cover up to their limit. Then you would submit to Tricare and they should cover the rest (as long as PVP paid at least 20%. Note that this is hypothetical on my part, since I don't have any direct experience. All of my cruise medical expenses have been very small - much smaller than the PVP limits.

 

I have no experience with medical evacuation coverage. Thank goodness, I have never needed it. Tricare does not provide any coverage for evacuation, so you would only have the PVP coverage. Whether or not you consider that adequate may depend on where you are traveling. For Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, or Caribbean cruises, I suspect it would be more than adequate.

 

If you believe you have adequate medical coverage but you want more coverage for evacuation, you can purchase an annual policy that covers medical evacuation only. I purchased one a few years ago when I was planning a cruise to Antarctica  and a land trip to India, since I thought I might need more coverage for those trips. I did not renew the coverage because all of my currently planned trips outside the US are to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean,  and the British Isles.

 

Instead of relying on my comments (which are based on my limited personal experience), I recommend you read the specific information on Tricare and TFL on their websites. If your husband has a specific version of Tricare, then he should read the coverage descriptions for that version. If he has a Tricare supplement, then he should also read the specific coverage information for that supplement.

[Coral]

I often get Princess insurance to cover the cruise (and air) and for cancel for any reason.

 

I get a 3rd party insurance to cover days before cruise and after. I only insure the hotel costs (and air if applicable) before and after and then include the entire trip dates. This way medical is covered by 3rd party insurance for the entire trip.

 

I also get medjet assist.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Coral

[SAKay]

3 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

I can't address your specific needs. I am speaking only of my own experience - I don't plan to be an expert. I'm also not going to comment on whether any specific plans would be suitable for your specific case.

 

Tricare (for your husband) or TFL (for you), unlike Medicare, does cover you anywhere in the world. Normally, TFL is secondary to Medicare, but it becomes primary in places where Medicare provides no coverage. Either you or your husband would submit claims to Tricare for any medical expenses on the ship or on land outside the US.

 

TFL and Medicare normally covers all medical expenses with no copayments or deductibles. Tricare (or TFL outside the US) normally provides coverage with copayments and deductibles. After I became eligible for Tricare but before I was eligible for Medicare, I had a Tricare supplement which covered the Tricare copayments and deductibles. Depending on your husband's specific Tricare coverage and Tricare supplement (if any), he may - or may not - have full medical coverage outside the US. Since you probably don't have a Tricare supplement (it doesn't make sense to have one with Medicare and TFL in the US), you would have to pay the copayments and deductibles.

 

Tricare or TFL is secondary to any other medical insurance, except insurance specifically sold as a Tricare supplement. So Tricare or TFL would be secondary to PVP or other travel insurance, even though PVP and many other travel insurance policies say they are secondary. The US law making Tricare secondary overrides the policy details on the travel insurance. You could purchase a Tricare supplement which would be secondary to Tricare, but it probably doesn't make sense for one two-week trip. A Tricare supplement probably makes sense for someone on Medicare and TFL only if that person lived or travelled extensively outside the US.

 

I normally get PVP when traveling overseas on Princess. I have had several minor medical claims - never anything major. I have never had any problem getting full reimbursement from PVP. Some people have said they need to get a denial from Medicare and/or from Tricare before submitting to PVP, since PVP is secondary. I have never had to do this. I just state in my submission that Medicare provides no coverage outside the US and that Tricare (according to US law) is secondary to all other insurance other than Tricare supplements.

 

In my opinion, the combination of Tricare or TFL and PVP should cover most if not all medical expenses. Medical costs are lower in most other countries than they are in the US. Tricare will cover approximately 80%. If the PVP limits cover 20% of your expense, then you're fully covered. I believe you would submit first to PVP, and they would cover up to their limit. Then you would submit to Tricare and they should cover the rest (as long as PVP paid at least 20%. Note that this is hypothetical on my part, since I don't have any direct experience. All of my cruise medical expenses have been very small - much smaller than the PVP limits.

 

I have no experience with medical evacuation coverage. Thank goodness, I have never needed it. Tricare does not provide any coverage for evacuation, so you would only have the PVP coverage. Whether or not you consider that adequate may depend on where you are traveling. For Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, or Caribbean cruises, I suspect it would be more than adequate.

 

If you believe you have adequate medical coverage but you want more coverage for evacuation, you can purchase an annual policy that covers medical evacuation only. I purchased one a few years ago when I was planning a cruise to Antarctica  and a land trip to India, since I thought I might need more coverage for those trips. I did not renew the coverage because all of my currently planned trips outside the US are to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, the Caribbean,  and the British Isles.

 

Instead of relying on my comments (which are based on my limited personal experience), I recommend you read the specific information on Tricare and TFL on their websites. If your husband has a specific version of Tricare, then he should read the coverage descriptions for that version. If he has a Tricare supplement, then he should also read the specific coverage information for that supplement.

Thanks very much for the info -a good place to start. I will check for more info directly with Tricare 

[SAKay]

7 minutes ago, Coral said:

I often get Princess insurance to cover the cruise (and air) and for cancel for any reason.

 

I get a 3rd party insurance to cover days before cruise and after. I only insure the hotel costs (and air if applicable) before and after and then include the entire trip dates. This way medical is covered by 3rd party insurance for the entire trip.

Thanks very much. Good info !

[Coral]

2 hours ago, SAKay said:

Thanks very much. Good info !

My TA suggested it as insurance with her has so much more medical coverage.

[NavyVeteran]

3 hours ago, Coral said:

My TA suggested it as insurance with her has so much more medical coverage.

Everyone's situation is different.

 

People on Medicare with no coverage outside the US may need more coverage than PVP. However, people with Tricare for Life or other insurance with coverage outside the US may find the PVP medical limits more than adequate.

 

One big advantage of Princess PVP for some of us older people is that it is not age rated. Other insurance can be quite expensive for some of us who aren't as young as we used to be.