Does anyone going on a cruise not take the trip insurance?

[bennybear]

18 minutes ago, LocoLoco1 said:

I’ve never taken out ‘Travel Insurance’. BTW: A March 2019 ‘Covid-cancelled’ cruise got us a 100% reimbursement from HAL. Insured passengers did not fare nearly as well.  

How were they treated differently 

[Red Haired Lady]

6 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I was meaning to ask here if people are finding Covid is an exclusion on the policies they usually buy.

I just called GeoBlue last week.  They cover testing for Covid and care if you get sick from Covid.  And there are no exclusions if traveling to a CDC level 4 country like some companies have. I will be reinstating my canceled policy soon and wanted this verified. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, LocoLoco1 said:

I’ve never taken out ‘Travel Insurance’. BTW: A March 2019 ‘Covid-cancelled’ cruise got us a 100% reimbursement from HAL. Insured passengers did not fare nearly as well.  

When a cruise line cancels a cruise they are legally obligated to refund all the money paid for the voyage (at least for those who live in the USA) although they can sure try to coerce folks into accepting alternative offers.  We have had 5 cruises canceled (with 3 cruise lines) for COVID and received 100% refunds for all.  Several cruise lines did try to nudge us towards accepting Future Cruise Credits in lieu of refunds but we took the refunds.  In the case of HAL they refunded 100% of our cruise cost (including air) plus they also gave us a generous FCC which we did apply to a future cruise (which will also likely be canceled because of COVID).

 

Hank

[whogo]

19 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I was curious and read the HAL website details on the Platinum Cancellation Protection Plan which contains both cancellation and insurance components (unlike the Standard plan which only relates to cancellation refunds). The FAQ section points out that illness from Covid-19 is covered.
 

IIRC, in 2020 when Covid started, people reported here that some insurance policies excluded claims caused by pandemic. So I guess that might be worth checking in the fine print when you are relying on medical coverage. Even those of us who are vaccinated can become ill from Covid.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html?gclid=CjwKCAjww-CGBhALEiwAQzWxOsFdSlH3KSzccrC54dH-x3CGN6nBUGGdkFi1qrnWvrzrr78UcQFdUxoCsxAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The $10,000 medical limit makes HAL coverage of no interest to me.

[Babr]

11 hours ago, Red Haired Lady said:

I just called GeoBlue last week.  They cover testing for Covid and care if you get sick from Covid.  And there are no exclusions if traveling to a CDC level 4 country like some companies have. I will be reinstating my canceled policy soon and wanted this verified. 

Does it cover expenses for quarantine if you should test positive along the way and have to delay return to the US?

[syesmar]

55 minutes ago, Babr said:

Does it cover expenses for quarantine if you should test positive along the way and have to delay return to the US?

Not sure about the particular policy in question, but a friend was looking at her policy to see if this scenario was covered (i.e., all quarantine-related expenses), and her agent said to add the 14 (or however many) days to the end of the coverage period when selecting the end date of the policy. [In my policy purchases (pre-pandemic days), something  that would add length to the trip out of my control would have automatically been included.] YMMV.

Edited June 28, 2021 by syesmar

[Red Haired Lady]

26 minutes ago, Babr said:

Does it cover expenses for quarantine if you should test positive along the way and have to delay return to the US?

No.  It is an annual policy and, for my age, it is $265 for the Trekker Choice policy. (Trekker Essential would be less) When I asked they told me that they have a sister company, HTH Travel Insurance, who offers a policy that does cover lodging and quarantine. That plan is called "Trip Protector Preferred."

I think it is purchased on a per trip basis, not annual basis, but not sure.  I have not checked into it.

[I am wondering, however, if the Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage that I have through my Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card might cover some of this....don't know?probably not?] 

[Babr]

1 minute ago, syesmar said:

Not sure about the particular policy in question, but a friend was looking at her policy to see if this scenario was covered, and her agent said to add the 14 (or however many) days to the end of the coverage period when selecting the end date of the policy. [In my policy purchases (pre-pandemic days), something  that would add length to the trip out of my control would have automatically been included.] YMMV.

I think that extends your coverage for medical if you need treatment for Covid. 
 

I was wondering about additional expenses for hotels, meals, and such if you merely have to quarantine after testing positive. Right now the cruise lines are providing assistance, but that will end. 

[BJzink]

On 6/26/2021 at 10:28 AM, Crew News said:

Just emergency evacuation insurance. 

I have emergency evacuation insurance ($45 per month) from anywhere in the world to my home town.

[Red Haired Lady]

2 minutes ago, BJzink said:

I have emergency evacuation insurance ($45 per month) from anywhere in the world to my home town.

Geo Blue covers either $250K or $500K evacuation depending on the plan you get. See post 82 above.

[Hlitner]

43 minutes ago, Babr said:

I think that extends your coverage for medical if you need treatment for Covid. 
 

I was wondering about additional expenses for hotels, meals, and such if you merely have to quarantine after testing positive. Right now the cruise lines are providing assistance, but that will end. 

Different folks have a differing philosophy about insurance.  For some of us we only buy insurance to cover major catastrophic issues for which our liability is very high or unlimited (such as medical emergencies).  For items such as additional hotel expenses, cancelation, etc. we prefer to not spend our money on insurance premiums and rather "self insure."  It is simply a tradeoff and usually based on one's own risk tolerance.  I do not think there is a right or wrong to the issue.  

 

We have often had online discussions about this issue here on CC under "Cruise Discussion Topics" - Cruise-Travel Insurance.  I should add that we often have the input of an excellent Travel Insurance Broker (sometimes featured on CC) who regularly contributes to that forum/thread.

 

Hank

[iancal]

2 hours ago, whogo said:

The $10,000 medical limit makes HAL coverage of no interest to me.

We do not view $10K of out of country medical insurance as insurance.

 

When I first called HAL and asked about this I thought that either the agent had erred or I had not heard it right.  It is a joke.

 

Our last out of country medical was purchased with a deductable  of $10K.  It reduced our premium by 30 percent.

 

 We are not concerned about $10K.  It is the $200K plus medical/hospital  expenses that concern us as well as the evac. costs.

 

I hope that people do not get lulled into a false sense of security by this low coverage amount.

Edited June 28, 2021 by iancal

[syesmar]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

...For items such as additional hotel expenses, cancelation, etc. we prefer to not spend our money on insurance premiums and rather "self insure."  It is simply a tradeoff and usually based on one's own risk tolerance.  I do not think there is a right or wrong to the issue....

Good points!

For us, the medical and evacuation coverage are our primary concerns, and by factoring in what not to cover (e.g., amounts covered by credit card insurance or airlines, port fees and cruise taxes, rooms with free cancellation, etc.), our premiums are kept lower but we have the peace of mind for those 2 bigger items. We’ve been pleased with the claims we have had to file with non-cruise line insurers, although it’s impossible to predict every “what if” scenario in advance.

Edited June 28, 2021 by syesmar

[syesmar]

Wanted to add one more thing about local quarantine requirements for travel in general. There are some destinations that may ask a close contact to quarantine, vaccinated or not (e.g., Bermuda has a current official policy of a 14 day quarantine if you’re within 2 rows of a positive on a flight, vaccinated or not. Some “close contact” vaccinated passengers who tested negative have been able to work out arrangements with the health officials to return home instead. See also the recent incident on Viking’s Orion).

 

Those who want to ensure a quarantine is covered by insurance should also ask if the policy for quarantine also covers those who tested negative but deemed close contacts (as some policies only cover those who test positive), especially when traveling to an area where this is the policy.

Edited June 28, 2021 by syesmar

[Crusin-Suzan]

On 6/26/2021 at 1:17 PM, DaveOKC said:

Ditto here.

 

Us too!   It’s Chase sapphire reserve card!   Costs a good bit but worth it for all the perks!

[silversneakers]

On 6/26/2021 at 12:21 PM, BevvylynnC said:

Does anyone not take the trip insurance for a cruise. 

I purchase an Annual Travel Policy since i take about 6 trips per year. I purchase mine through Allianz but there use to be a site called Squaremouth that you can compare different insurance companies based on your parameters.

[DeeDee Groff]

On 6/26/2021 at 2:48 PM, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Ge O Blue and Med Jet ..

 

Medjet Assist or Medjet Horizon, Marty?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

7 minutes ago, DeeDee Groff said:

 

Medjet Assist or Medjet Horizon, Marty?

We buy a 3 year contract Med Jet Assist with a AARP discount

[Cajuntraveler]

5 hours ago, Red Haired Lady said:

Geo Blue covers either $250K or $500K evacuation depending on the plan you get. See post 82

Have you ever filed a claim through Geo Blue?  I am interested in an annual policy and the rates at Geo Blue are much less than getting cancellation coverage for individual cruises.  Wondering if anyone has experience with claims through this company.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, whogo said:

The $10,000 medical limit makes HAL coverage of no interest to me.

We have often warned about this on the Cruise/Travel Insurance blog.  It is not just HAL, but most cruise line policies only cover $10,000-$20,000 in medical which is wholly inadequate in todays world.  I have often posted that $100,000 might be considered a reasonable minimum for Medical and there would be some in the business who would probably argue that a higher minimum is called for these days.  As an aside, this winter while living in Puerto Vallarta (our winter home and also a cruise port) we became aware of an expat who was hospitalized in Puerto Vallarta with COVID and ended up with a bill in excess of $200,000.  And keep in mind this was in Mexico where medical costs are considered quite reasonable.  Granted that this particular patient had lots of complications but that can happen to anyone.  And for those that might argue that their medical evacuation insurance would have handled such an issue, this patient was not eligible for evacuation because not only did he have a contagious disease but his attending physician would not consider signing off on air evacuation because of his severe lung disease.   Folks that think they can simply snap their fingers and get evacuated should read the fine print of their policy.  Nearly all medical evacuation policies require the consent of the attending physician.

 

Hank

[Red Haired Lady]

2 minutes ago, Cajuntraveler said:

Have you ever filed a claim through Geo Blue?  I am interested in an annual policy and the rates at Geo Blue are much less than getting cancellation coverage for individual cruises.  Wondering if anyone has experience with claims through this company.

No claims.  They are affiliated with Blue Cross/Blue Shield I think.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Cajuntraveler said:

Have you ever filed a claim through Geo Blue?  I am interested in an annual policy and the rates at Geo Blue are much less than getting cancellation coverage for individual cruises.  Wondering if anyone has experience with claims through this company.

We have filed a claim (a large claim) through GeoBlue which involved medical bills on Princess, in a Japanese Hospital, and medical evacuation from Japan back to the USA.  At the time we had the normal Geoblue Annual Trekker Policy.  Even while my wife was in surgery in Osaka, Japan, I was on my phone with the GeoBlue medical case manager.  There were subsequent phone discussions between myself, Geoblue, and our ship's physician.   Since the major teaching hospital in Osaka did not accept Geoblue insurance I paid our medical bill before DW was discharged back to the ship (she was evacuated to the USA 2 days later when we were docked in Yokohama).  GeoBlue's case manager actually got their own travel agent on a multi-party call and quickly arranged for commercial air evacuation (in a necessary lay flat seat) for DW (accompanied by myself) back to our home town for further medical treatment.   A couple of weeks later I filed the formal claim (backed up with nearly 100 pages of documents, x-rays, CT Scans, etc).  Geoblue reimbursed the entire claim in less then 3 weeks and the case manager called me to follow-up about DW's condition (a very nice thing to do).  I had no complaints about the claims process and we have continued to insure with Geoblue since that time.

 

Just a footnote.  Like most insurance companies, Geoblue does expect detailed documentation to support claims.  Since I had worked in the medical insurance (government) industry I knew enough to get detailed supporting documents at ever step (much of which had to be translated from Japanese to English by Geoblue).  I also took the extra step of notifying them within a few hours of her injury and kept up a telephone/e-mail relationship.   All this is important if folks want to quickly resolve complex claims with any insurer.

 

Hank

[LocoLoco1]

21 hours ago, bennybear said:

How were they treated differently 

Curiously, my fellow cruisers who opted to file a ‘cancelled cruise’ travel insurance claim rather than call HAL’s bluff and show up at the gangway were $Paid$ what their Insurance policy offered… and no more. Deductibles and/or no coverage for hotel bills and travel etc. reduced their reimbursement. Those uninsured who arrived at the Port and ready to sail were typically given more compensation, substantially more. Not for the faint of heart, perhaps, but that’s how it worked out. 

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

We have filed a claim (a large claim) through GeoBlue which involved medical bills on Princess, in a Japanese Hospital, and medical evacuation from Japan back to the USA.  At the time we had the normal Geoblue Annual Trekker Policy.  Even while my wife was in surgery in Osaka, Japan, I was on my phone with the GeoBlue medical case manager.  There were subsequent phone discussions between myself, Geoblue, and our ship's physician.   Since the major teaching hospital in Osaka did not accept Geoblue insurance I paid our medical bill before DW was discharged back to the ship (she was evacuated to the USA 2 days later when we were docked in Yokohama).  GeoBlue's case manager actually got their own travel agent on a multi-party call and quickly arranged for commercial air evacuation (in a necessary lay flat seat) for DW (accompanied by myself) back to our home town for further medical treatment.   A couple of weeks later I filed the formal claim (backed up with nearly 100 pages of documents, x-rays, CT Scans, etc).  Geoblue reimbursed the entire claim in less then 3 weeks and the case manager called me to follow-up about DW's condition (a very nice thing to do).  I had no complaints about the claims process and we have continued to insure with Geoblue since that time.

 

Just a footnote.  Like most insurance companies, Geoblue does expect detailed documentation to support claims.  Since I had worked in the medical insurance (government) industry I knew enough to get detailed supporting documents at ever step (much of which had to be translated from Japanese to English by Geoblue).  I also took the extra step of notifying them within a few hours of her injury and kept up a telephone/e-mail relationship.   All this is important if folks want to quickly resolve complex claims with any insurer.

 

Hank

Good advice.

[Babr]

22 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

I’ve never taken out ‘Travel Insurance’. BTW: A March 2019 ‘Covid-cancelled’ cruise got us a 100% reimbursement from HAL. Insured passengers did not fare nearly as well.  

Do you mean that the cruise line cancelled the cruise? If that is the case, they are obligated to refund your fare. No insurance claim is necessary. In fact it would be denied because the claimant had already been reimbursed by the cruise line.