OLife & Trip Insurance

[dszrew]

I'm looking at insuring a cruise, but only the non-refundable portion of the cruise. 

If I pay for OLife shore excursions, then say cancel the cruise 1 day before the trip because of a covered medical issue, will the OLife payment portion be refunded? will port taxes and fees be refunded? (does it make any difference if the cruise is canceled prior to 14 days before the cruise--the date when you have to have selected the shore excursions?)

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 minutes ago, dszrew said:

I'm looking at insuring a cruise, but only the non-refundable portion of the cruise. 

If I pay for OLife shore excursions, then say cancel the cruise 1 day before the trip because of a covered medical issue, will the OLife payment portion be refunded? will port taxes and fees be refunded? (does it make any difference if the cruise is canceled prior to 14 days before the cruise--the date when you have to have selected the shore excursions?)

 

You need to talk with a travel insurance broker like InsureMyTrip.com regarding what best fits your circumstances/needs/etc.

That said, some policies require including all expenses while others have purchase deadlines for waiver of preexisting conditions. The devil is in the detail.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, dszrew said:

I'm looking at insuring a cruise, but only the non-refundable portion of the cruise. 

If I pay for OLife shore excursions, then say cancel the cruise 1 day before the trip because of a covered medical issue, will the OLife payment portion be refunded? will port taxes and fees be refunded? (does it make any difference if the cruise is canceled prior to 14 days before the cruise--the date when you have to have selected the shore excursions?)

 

 Oceania includes taxes and fees in its base fare and does not state them separately so they are not separately refundable upon cancellation as they are on many other cruise lines. 

 

Cancellation penalties for shore excursions and other options are listed near the bottom of page 6 of Oceania's Ticket Contract https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Documents/Legal/10812/US-TicketContract.pdf . As you can see what I would call "ordinary" shore excursions only incur a penalty within 36 hours of tour departure, while Unlimited Passport and Your World package cancellations incur a penalty on or after embarkation day .

 

Having been in both the travel and insurance industries my recommendation for the best agency to get advice and purchase trip cancellation insurance from is tripinsurancestore.com, as unlike some other internet-based operations you can actually talk to competent professionals about your needs. There's nothing wrong per se with other agencies like insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com but I find tripinsurancestore.com to be a touch above in terms of personal service.

[Andee]

I have found that the reps I've called at insuremytrip have been very knowledgeable and helpful.

[1985rz1]

24 minutes ago, Andee said:

I have found that the reps I've called at insuremytrip have been very knowledgeable and helpful.

Us, too.

[dszrew]

21 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Cancellation penalties for shore excursions and other options are listed near the bottom of page 6 of Oceania's Ticket Contract https://www.oceaniacruises.com/Documents/Legal/10812/US-TicketContract.pdf . As you can see what I would call "ordinary" shore excursions only incur a penalty within 36 hours of tour departure, while Unlimited Passport and Your World package cancellations incur a penalty on or after embarkation day .

what is OLife considered? it's not listed explicitly. is it considered other "optional" charges or like port fees included in the cruise fare and therefore not refundable? it's an Oceania thing mostly--can you cancel OLife sometime prior to embarkation and get a refund after having made final payment?

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, dszrew said:

what is OLife considered? it's not listed explicitly. is it considered other "optional" charges or like port fees included in the cruise fare and therefore not refundable? it's an Oceania thing mostly--can you cancel OLife sometime prior to embarkation and get a refund after having made final payment?

Here are the OLife terms and conditions. As you can see OLife choices must be made by the final payment date. They become part of the fare and would be subject to the same cancellation penalties as the fare, just as taxes and fees are rolled into the fare and not separately stated.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/olife-choice/

"Guests in the same stateroom must choose the same OLife Choice amenity, and amenity must be chosen by final payment. "

[dszrew]

14 hours ago, njhorseman said:

As you can see OLife choices must be made by the final payment date. They become part of the fare and would be subject to the same cancellation penalties as the fare, just as taxes and fees are rolled into the fare and not separately stated.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/special-offers/olife-choice/

"Guests in the same stateroom must choose the same OLife Choice amenity, and amenity must be chosen by final payment. "

I will assume for travel insurance that this is correct. However, I have been told from various TAs:

• You can add or remove OLife, even after final payment. 
• You can switch from shore excursions to obc (I'd imagine that would have to be finalized before 14 days prior to sailing). 
• OLife OBC is refundable. (but given the idea that OLife becomes part of the "fare" perhaps there is no refund unless you actually take the trip)

I've seen none of this in writing and I tend not to fully believe everything until it's confirmed, either through personal experience or an official statement.

[LHT28]

I am not sure O Life perk is refundable

 It may depend on if you are actually paying for it or not

You pay in a round about way  but it may be considered a "gift"  from the cruise line

 If your TA includes PPG   they are not refundable to you

 

I would contact O or or TA an ask 

 

We did not get the Oceania club OBC refunded   nor did we get the cruise credit for the cruises  we had to cancel the day before  sailing

It is  a complicated

JMO

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

52 minutes ago, dszrew said:

I will assume for travel insurance that this is correct. However, I have been told from various TAs:

• You can add or remove OLife, even after final payment. 
• You can switch from shore excursions to obc (I'd imagine that would have to be finalized before 14 days prior to sailing). 
• OLife OBC is refundable. (but given the idea that OLife becomes part of the "fare" perhaps there is no refund unless you actually take the trip)

I've seen none of this in writing and I tend not to fully believe everything until it's confirmed, either through personal experience or an official statement.

Read both the fine print on your O invoice AND the “ticket contract” on the O web. 
In my experience, the only time the O Life $ may be  “refundable” is when O cancels one of your tours onboard and, instead of rebooking a replacement, you choose to accept the $100 credit placed on your shipboard account.

 

FWIW, I have changed O Life SBC to Excursions with a call to O (IMO, no need for TA involvement). However, I can’t remember if I’ve ever done it after “final payment.”

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

FWIW, I have changed O Life SBC to Excursions with a call to O (IMO, no need for TA involvement). However, I can’t remember if I’ve ever done it after “final payment.”

I believe that you can do this up to 14 days before sailing. After that the O Life excursions cannot be cancelled (might be substituted for another excursion but not cancellable unless they are cancelled by O)

Edited May 24, 2021 by Paulchili

[Redtravel]

I use Allianz. Until the pandemic, I bought a yearly policy.  However, I let that lapse and will renew when everything is normal. For now, just buying single trip. Just tell them what you want to insure.  I never insure air or excursions.  Also, with most cruise lines, I don’t insure gov. taxes or port charges.  They are usually refundable. Oceania is the exception. They don’t refund taxes or port charges. 
kudos to Allianz....just moved my insurance from a canceled cruise to a new booking.  Not a problem.  

[mauibabes]

So Allianz allows you to roll the insurance policy forward to another cruise in the event of a cruise cancellation? I can’t believe they actually coverCovid cruise cancellations. I could not even get our  air insurance fee refund for our Cancelled Rio  trip flight home.  I lost out to the fine print.  

We have already had 5 cruises cancelled and 4 more b2b’s are really iffy on Riviera in October. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 minute ago, mauibabes said:

So Allianz allows you to roll the insurance policy forward to another cruise in the event of a cruise cancellation? I can’t believe they actually coverCovid cruise cancellations. I could not even get our  air insurance fee refund for our Cancelled Rio  trip flight home.  I lost out to the fine print.  

We have already had 5 cruises cancelled and 4 more b2b’s are really iffy on Riviera in October. 

Yes, my TA has gotten Allianz to roll our coverage forward every time a trip has been cancelled (by us or by the cruise line).  They supposedly have a time limit, but rather than give the cash back only to take it in again, they are flexible.  We are very happy long-term Allianz customers too.

[dszrew]

when you save a trip on Oceania's website for later review, someone from Oceania will call you within a few hours. So I asked my guy these questions for the definitive answers:

• you can remove OLife up to 14 days before sailing and get a full refund (not subject to the % penalties)
• you can change from shore excursions to obc prior to 14 days before sailing
• if you cancel the cruise, OLife is not refunded as it's considered part of the cruise fare [so if you think you will cancel the cruise, remove OLife first, then cancel?!]

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, dszrew said:

when you save a trip on Oceania's website for later review, someone from Oceania will call you within a few hours. So I asked my guy these questions for the definitive answers:

• you can remove OLife up to 14 days before sailing and get a full refund (not subject to the % penalties)
• you can change from shore excursions to obc prior to 14 days before sailing
• if you cancel the cruise, OLife is not refunded as it's considered part of the cruise fare [so if you think you will cancel the cruise, remove OLife first, then cancel?!]

If the cruise fare was with/or without O Life, it doesn’t matter (dollar wise) if O cancels since refunds are based on “the cruise fare paid” (I.e., every dollar you actually have already paid to O).

That said, if YOU cancel, jettisoning all “optional” purchases before their penalty phases kick in (whether it’s the cruise itself or visas or whatever) might be a good idea. All of those penalty deadlines are spelled out in your Oceania invoice. (ALWAYS get the O invoice- including updates-  from a TA. If their policy is only providing their own invoice, get a different TA).

[dszrew]

15 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I use Allianz. Until the pandemic, I bought a yearly policy.  

when I check annual plans for Allianz, it's mostly a medical evac policy, with only up to $10,000 cancellation coverage for the entire year. that doesn't even make it to half of a single Oceania longer cruise. maybe I'm missing additional options, or do you not insure full cruise amounts with the annual plan?

[LHT28]

I would think you need trip cancellation ins or  an all inclusive ins to cover the cruise cost  plus medical ?

 

I know in Canada   we always  get trip cancellation/interruption ins  the fee is  based on the cost of the trip plus your ages  it can vary

 I include air/cruise/non ref hotels  etc in the amount  to be insured

 

We have out of Country medical through DH retirement package   which covered the expenses  he incurred on the ship  in 2018 on  the last day of the cruise

 

I think talking to a cruise ins broker is probably  better than to just  get one off the web

as the say the devil is in the details

[Flatbush Flyer]

59 minutes ago, dszrew said:

when I check annual plans for Allianz, it's mostly a medical evac policy, with only up to $10,000 cancellation coverage for the entire year. that doesn't even make it to half of a single Oceania longer cruise. maybe I'm missing additional options, or do you not insure full cruise amounts with the annual plan?

In general, you will find that annual “travel” policies are for medical and/or medevacuation and not for trip cancel/interrupt. And even though some credit cards have that trip coverage for trips purchased with that card, the coverage limits are not going to be enough for a long cruise or even some short premium/luxury cruises. 
So, most folks end up buying a comprehensive policy (med/medevac/trip) for each cruise either via the cruise line or a broker like InsureMyTrip.com.. 

And the real conundrum is for folks who have great regular health insurance (with international coverage - e.g., a Medicare supplement that converts to regular insurance when you leave the US). Since most travel insurers don’t sell just trip cancel/interrupt, you could end up needing a comprehensive policy where the major expense is the medical you don’t really need.

 

In an ideal world, it would be great if one could buy just an annual trip cancel/interrupt insurance without medical/medevac. Again, yes - some credit cards provide this. But, it won’t usually cover the cost of a $30k+ cruise. And it may not waive PECs!!!

 

I sure hope someone can shed some light on this trip (only) insurance coverage. 

In our case, we have terrific Medicare supplements (that coordinate with Geo Blue internationally) and we get MedJet annual membership (fortunately, they’ve moved our most recent policy dates due to Covid “no travel.”). That leaves need only for trip (cancel/interrupt) insurance which, even with two good credit cards) is beyond those multiple credit card coverage limits that are inadequate for month+ cruises with expensive air and pre/post land stays (and no PEC waivers).

 

So, until we find some way to get separate trip only (cruise + air + land w/o med/Medevac) insurance that covers high cost travel and waives PECs, we tend to look for the most basic comprehensive policies with minimal med/MedEvac but decent trip coverage.

 

Any ideas or intel?  

 

 

[dszrew]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

So, until we find some way to get separate trip only (cruise + air + land w/o med/Medevac) insurance that covers high cost travel and waives PECs, we tend to look for the most basic comprehensive policies with minimal med/MedEvac but decent trip coverage.

that's about what I had concluded, thanks for confirming it. I like the idea of an annual emergency medical policy, but that's typically included in the individual trip cancellation insurance too. of course, if you have both, then you run the risk of each arguing the other should cover any medical evac! my main concern at this point is covering medical evac and cancellation of the $30k cruise costs--that is just too high to not insure in some way.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, dszrew said:

that's about what I had concluded, thanks for confirming it. I like the idea of an annual emergency medical policy, but that's typically included in the individual trip cancellation insurance too. of course, if you have both, then you run the risk of each arguing the other should cover any medical evac! my main concern at this point is covering medical evac and cancellation of the $30k cruise costs--that is just too high to not insure in some way.

Agreed. 
I expect someone may post to self-insure for the travel part. But there’s a big difference between a $2500 cruise bill and a $25000 one.

[1985rz1]

9 hours ago, dszrew said:

when I check annual plans for Allianz, it's mostly a medical evac policy, with only up to $10,000 cancellation coverage for the entire year. that doesn't even make it to half of a single Oceania longer cruise. maybe I'm missing additional options, or do you not insure full cruise amounts with the annual plan?

We use Allianz, too, but play the odds.  The maximum trip insurance we can get under the annual policy is $15,000 pp.  We rarely have a trip that exceeds $15,000 pp  by any significant amount.  So we play roulette on the phased penalties and if we cancel 30 or more days out for medical reasons we lose 75%, not 100%.  We usually have two, sometimes three, large trips a year, but again, playing odds if we're sick enough to cancel the first trip, even at 100% penalty, we're usually outside the penalty period for the second (and third) and can cancel without losing anything. 

 

Alternatively, after recovery, we can purchase single trip insurance on the second or third, if we don't want to cancel, and we don't mind losing the pre-existing conditions waiver.

 

It's a calculated risk but one we're willing to take.  But if you take much more expensive trips and have many a year which are not well spaced, penalty-wise.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by 1985rz1

[dszrew]

29 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

The maximum trip insurance we can get under the annual policy is $15,000 pp.

When I check the annual Allianz plans, I see a maximum of $15,000 but is per year, not per trip or per person.

 

Reimburses your prepaid, non-refundable expenses if you must cancel your trip due to a covered reason.

Preexisting Medical Condition Limit $15,000

Benefit is per policy, per year.

All benefits are per insured unless otherwise noted. All benefits are per trip except for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption - which are per travel insurance plan.

 

I do get playing the odds. On our upcoming trip we'd be insuring 50% of the trip cost if we had to cancel and were in the 100% penalty phase. then as you say other trips during the year are typically outside that cancellation window and could be changed without penalty. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, dszrew said:

When I check the annual Allianz plans, I see a maximum of $15,000 but is per year, not per trip or per person.

 

Reimburses your prepaid, non-refundable expenses if you must cancel your trip due to a covered reason.

Preexisting Medical Condition Limit $15,000

Benefit is per policy, per year.

All benefits are per insured unless otherwise noted. All benefits are per trip except for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption - which are per travel insurance plan.

 

I do get playing the odds. On our upcoming trip we'd be insuring 50% of the trip cost if we had to cancel and were in the 100% penalty phase. then as you say other trips during the year are typically outside that cancellation window and could be changed without penalty. 

Totally worthless for folks who do “long” O cruises of 3+ weeks - even in the “cheap seats.” 

[dszrew]

4 minutes ago, dszrew said:

When I check the annual Allianz plans, I see a maximum of $15,000 but is per year, not per trip or per person.

Odd, choosing a different insurance package I see $10,000 per insured per year, bringing the total to $20,000 (a little better, now only a 33% loss on a $30k trip). only half the emvergency evac coverage though.