$800 for one weeks insurance to South Pacific Islands

[bazzaw]

-- almost half the cost of the cruise 😞 Strangely enough declaration of my heart problems and wife's breast cancer did not incur any extra cost - looks like it is age 76 and 70 that is killing us? (in more ways than just one)  

[aussielozzie18]

I had a melanoma in situ removed and was charged a small additional cost when I declared it.  Reading posts like yours Re insurance costs, confirms that I need to cruise more regularly before I retire.

Edited July 14, 2023 by aussielozzie18

[rkmw]

2 hours ago, bazzaw said:

-- almost half the cost of the cruise 😞 Strangely enough declaration of my heart problems and wife's breast cancer did not incur any extra cost - looks like it is age 76 and 70 that is killing us? (in more ways than just one)  

Have you had a quote from Qantas , they seem ok but not sure about PE

[ceeceeDee]

I always just factor in the cost of insurance with the overall cost of the cruise when I'm crunching the numbers prior to booking. I agree that for the over 70s, even those without pre-existing conditions, the cost of insurance is getting a bit ridiculous. But then again, so is everything else these days.

[ceeceeDee]

Yes, I've read in other threads that Qantas insurance is reasonable. Might be worth checking out.

[austromyrtus]

thanks. this is of interest to me as well having just turned 75 & booked a 13night south pacific cruise in december. hadn't got around to looking at insurance yet so this reminded me. just tried the qantas travel insurance website & got a quote for $299 ( no medical conditions).

[cruiser3775]

Also try 1Cover and Australia Post for travel insurance.

You won't be allowed on the ship without Covid cover and medical evacuation insurance, if it is going to New Caledonia.

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

I had a melanoma in situ removed and was charged a small additional cost when I declared it.  Reading posts like yours Re insurance costs, confirms that I need to cruise more regularly before I retire.

I am with you. Any cruising beyond 70 for us will be both a luxury and a privilege. I also hold that view that we will just about stop cruising when insurance becomes too pricey.

 

Once we are retired, we will return to exploring the interior by road & rail.

[valantine80]

3 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

I had a melanoma in situ removed and was charged a small additional cost when I declared it.

 I am in the same situation and find, as you said, some will charge a small additional cost and others a couple of hundred extra. Need to spend time shopping around.

[Ondine]

I have just re done my annual insurance through NIB.  I find that they are one of the few who will cover an over 80 yr old for cruising.  Many other companies say cover up to 100 yrs but when you put in cruising suddenly they don't want to know you.  I think Qantas use them for their policies.

[iq6000]

While not approaching 70 just yet, I have a big trip coming up and looked into travel insurance for the two of us. Quotes ranged from $434 to over $3700. Narrowed it down to three between $1500 and $1900 which cover the pre-existing conditions. I was really surprised by the wide range of premiums. 
Also, reading PDSs is really boring, but recommended.

[valantine80]

10 hours ago, bazzaw said:

-- almost half the cost of the cruise 😞 Strangely enough declaration of my heart problems and wife's breast cancer did not incur any extra cost - looks like it is age 76 and 70 that is killing us? (in more ways than just one)  

That is interesting. Are you prepared to  say who the insurance company is. 

[Tripmode33]

Our friends, both in early 70s, had same issue after joining us for 7 day cruise to Noumea earlier this year. They had picked up a very low price Luminosa but then got the sting re insurance requirements. After a lot of research, they found the least expensive meeting the requirements was Allianz. So maybe worth a quote.  Whether they chose to cover all their pre-existing ailments I'm not sure.

My ANZ Credit Card has been worth it's weight in gold for it's free covid and cruise insurance this past year.  I know, that once retired, it's hard to successfully apply for new credit card, but I wonder if any banks have Debit Cards that include insurance. Someone once told me they had one, with small monthly fee, but I can't remember the details.

[Aussieflyer]

The price for insurance Bazzaw looks about par for the course - it is our age that makes it soooo much more expensive than under 70 and it just gets worse the older you are. Recent South Pacific 9 day cruise was around $300 for me (70) with no declared pre-existings. Son was about half of that (he is in his 40s). But we want to travel so we pays our money. 

[Linz48]

Our insurance for 10 days to Tonga & fiji is $642.39 with Southern Cross. Hubby 82 & me 75. 

[valantine80]

We paid similar to Bazzaw for a couple of Sth Pacific cruises earlier in the year with several pre existing each.Big mistake we made was not taking out an annual policy before my husband turned 80 in early January, didn't really think we'd be doing much cruising again but some FCD with Princess to use.

[buchhalm]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:34 AM, ceeceeDee said:

Yes, I've read in other threads that Qantas insurance is reasonable. Might be worth checking out.

Bet they have a clause that any incident or cancellation involving. Qantas or Jetstar ain't covered...

[ekka49]

8 hours ago, Linz48 said:

Our insurance for 10 days to Tonga & fiji is $642.39 with Southern Cross. Hubby 82 & me 75. 

Yes !  As we reach are mid 70's it is starting to look that holidays within Australia are better value insurance wise. 

[nnps]

13 hours ago, Tripmode33 said:

Our friends, both in early 70s, had same issue after joining us for 7 day cruise to Noumea earlier this year. They had picked up a very low price Luminosa but then got the sting re insurance requirements. After a lot of research, they found the least expensive meeting the requirements was Allianz. So maybe worth a quote.  Whether they chose to cover all their pre-existing ailments I'm not sure.

My ANZ Credit Card has been worth it's weight in gold for it's free covid and cruise insurance this past year.  I know, that once retired, it's hard to successfully apply for new credit card, but I wonder if any banks have Debit Cards that include insurance. Someone once told me they had one, with small monthly fee, but I can't remember the details.

My NAB Platinum Visa Debit card has free travel insurance. It costs $10 a month and you have to spend at least $500 on trips through their card. Unfortunately medical cover cuts out at 76 and you can't cover pre-existing conditions. 

[Galesa]

21 hours ago, Linz48 said:

Our insurance for 10 days to Tonga & fiji is $642.39 with Southern Cross. Hubby 82 & me 75. 

Any EMCs?

[bazzaw]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:28 PM, valantine80 said:

That is interesting. Are you prepared to  say who the insurance company is. 

InsureandGo

[Sparky74]

We are both still way younger than 70 but have found that an annual multi-trip policy works out cheaper for us. We tend to take two cruises a year. We took out our current CoverMore policy before cruising Alaska last year. The premium was painful because, you know, America and their health system, and we wanted to be covered for a helicopter flight onto a glacier which was cancelled due to the weather anyway! 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Even with all the things that "went wrong" on our "Are We Mad" trip we didn’t need to make a claim. You do, however, need to be aware of what length of trip you are covered for. We were covered for a maximum of a 45 day trip but the insurance salesperson told us as long as we returned to our home or place of business, it would be a new trip, even if we left again immediately. So, we came home for one night and set off again. 😁
All up we have taken six cruises since we’ve taken out our current policy. 😱 No wonder friends and colleagues think we’re ALWAYS cruising. 
Our annual policy covers us if we’re more than 200km from home for any reason. It’s worth looking into. YMMV

[valantine80]

On 7/16/2023 at 12:03 PM, bazzaw said:

InsureandGo

Thank you for that information. We insured with them last year before my husband turned eighty but when I try to do an online quote now I get a message saying "First traveller must be under 80". Might have to give them a call.

[JohnGc]

1 hour ago, valantine80 said:

Thank you for that information. We insured with them last year before my husband turned eighty but when I try to do an online quote now I get a message saying "First traveller must be under 80". Might have to give them a call.

Be interested to know how you get on if you don't mind, I am in the same situation. Thanks.

[CCC's]

InsureandGo just quoted me $98 for a 10 day cruise from NZ next Feb 2024 as a solo.   I am under 76 yrs and fully disclosed all pre existing medical issues.   The quote was for the basic level only being medical coverage and evacuation only,  not all the other bells and whistles.   My travel insurance attached to my NAB DEBIT card covers all the other insurance stuff because the  NAB debit card does NOT cover pre existing medical issues.