Not feeling the love from Viking

[FoggyEthan]

Does Viking ever allow for a change to who is traveling in the cabin? i.e. if I know 1 month out that my friend can't make it, can I swap them out? Or does that count as a cancellation too?

-- Ethan

 

[dd57]

My friend, who lives on the east coast, and I, who lives in a mountain state, are cruising together in 2025.  We had to find an insurance policy valid in both states (not all are), and that covered cancellation due to a pet emergency (her cat is very old).  Once found, we bought the same policy so that there is no issue of one insurer pointing fingers at another.  If either of us cancels for a covered reason , the other is covered for not only cancellation but also any single supplement charges.  We went thru Steve at the trip insurance store.

 

Luckily I've known my friend for over 50 years and we aren't going to flake out on each other.

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, dd57 said:

Luckily I've known my friend for over 50 years and we aren't going to flake out on each other.

 

Yes, but then there are things you can't control and that is what the insurance is for.

[FoggyEthan]

3 hours ago, dd57 said:

My friend, who lives on the east coast, and I, who lives in a mountain state, are cruising together in 2025.  We had to find an insurance policy valid in both states (not all are), and that covered cancellation due to a pet emergency (her cat is very old).  Once found, we bought the same policy so that there is no issue of one insurer pointing fingers at another.  If either of us cancels for a covered reason , the other is covered for not only cancellation but also any single supplement charges.  We went thru Steve at the trip insurance store.

 

Luckily I've known my friend for over 50 years and we aren't going to flake out on each other.

Can you tell me where to look in the policy for the statement that it covers single supplement fees? I had never seen that mentioned in a travel insurance policy, but maybe I just wasn't looking in the right place!

[Peregrina651]

4 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

Does Viking ever allow for a change to who is traveling in the cabin? i.e. if I know 1 month out that my friend can't make it, can I swap them out? Or does that count as a cancellation too?

-- Ethan

 

 

Based on what I have read in this forum, swapping is usually not allowed. It doesn't mean it never happens; it just means that I have never read about it happening.

 

Does that count as a cancellation? According to the T&C, it is a cancellation. Does it always work that way? I don't know. I just know that it is a tricky situation that may or may not be resolve to the guests' satisfaction.

 

Control what you can control.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 26 by Peregrina651

[dd57]

Like any legal document, you have to read every word.  Different policies are structured differently, so there isn't a straightforward answer., but try looking in the cancellation section.   I would ask either the insurance company directly or your insurance broker whether your policy covers it.  If you are asking in general and don't already have a policy, well, that is the advantage of using a broker - to get a policy with the coverage you want.  Insurance policies are regulated at the state level, so not all coverages are available in all states.  For example, one policy we looked at covered pet emergencies in her state, but not in mine so if she had to cancel I wouldn't get any payout, even though we insured with the same company.  Steve found us one that works in both states.

[FoggyEthan]

Even when you read every word of a legal document, even when you have a strong education and some familiarity with the law, it is SO easy to miss the edge cases.

 

I realize, though, that the main issue was that I never knew that this was a feature of travel insurance I needed to look for. So now that I understand, I'll just make sure to get the insurance I need in the future. I have a "Chase Sapphire Reserve" which comes with very good travel insurance automatically, but it doesn't cover the single supplement. In the past I never needed to think about insurance, since I had it automatically.

[May B]

FYI, I believe at least one of the popular trip insurance companies has a policy that will cover pre-existing, if you purchase coverage at time of final payment. The one unknown is, in between making your $25 deposit and making your final payment, what if a new pre-existing condition happens to you?!

 

I believe the minimum you can cover is $500 pp. Sometimes I do that, at deposit time, and add the rest of the coverage later. I believe keeping the $500 pp coverage and not adding any more is kind of like self-insuring most of your trip costs, but having the benefit of the medical evacuation coverage, which I feel is a very important component, hardly ever needed but so nice to have, just in case. Also you have some travel delay and baggage protection.

 

For the scenario the OP was so concerned about, I’m glad there was a workable solution. 
 

Oops, thx, kctwinmommy, it wasn’t the OP!

Edited January 26 by May B

[kctwinmommy]

2 minutes ago, May B said:

For the scenario the OP was so concerned about, I’m glad there was a workable solution. 

Actually the real OP had no concerns about trip insurance. LOL! This thread has gone off the track a little bit. They were upset about the price of their cruise dropping since they booked it awhile ago.

[May B]

5 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said:

Actually the real OP had no concerns about trip insurance. LOL! This thread has gone off the track a little bit. They were upset about the price of their cruise dropping since they booked it awhile ago.

Oh! I wasn’t paying close attention, that’s for sure!

[kctwinmommy]

1 minute ago, May B said:

Oh! I wasn’t paying close attention, that’s for sure!

And this is why I get lost in posts that go on for 3, 4, 10 pages! LOL!

[FoggyEthan]

2 hours ago, May B said:

FYI, I believe at least one of the popular trip insurance companies has a policy that will cover pre-existing, if you purchase coverage at time of final payment. The one unknown is, in between making your $25 deposit and making your final payment, what if a new pre-existing condition happens to you?!

 

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-plans-coverages/pre-existing-conditions/

 

pre-existing means "existing before purchasing the insurance". A new condition that develops between purchasing the insurance and traveling is normally covered. Also most insurance without the pre-existing waiver still only looks back for a specified period prior to purchasing the insurance, between 60 and 180 days depending upon the insurer. If during that window of time there are no medical treatments / medications for the condition, then your insurance will also normally cover such conditions if they flare up again.

 

But if you have an ongoing condition with continuing treatment (incl using medication), and the condition could flare up and prevent you from traveling, then you need the waiver which usually means buying insurance promptly after the FIRST travel payment you make.

 

I've been learning a lot about travel insurance in a very short amount of time. What a mess. 8-)

[May B]

12 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

 

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-plans-coverages/pre-existing-conditions/

 

pre-existing means "existing before purchasing the insurance". A new condition that develops between purchasing the insurance and traveling is normally covered. Also most insurance without the pre-existing waiver still only looks back for a specified period prior to purchasing the insurance, between 60 and 180 days depending upon the insurer. If during that window of time there are no medical treatments / medications for the condition, then your insurance will also normally cover such conditions if they flare up again.

 

But if you have an ongoing condition with continuing treatment (incl using medication), and the condition could flare up and prevent you from traveling, then you need the waiver which usually means buying insurance promptly after the FIRST travel payment you make.

 

I've been learning a lot about travel insurance in a very short amount of time. What a mess. 8-)

Controlled on medication is fine, I think; but changing your medication dose (even changing to a lower one) during the lookback period can be a trigger for the insurance to deny coverage. 
 

Mr B often says, the devil is in the details.

[rmalbers]

On 1/23/2024 at 2:53 PM, Kountess said:

If anyone has not looked into online banks, the rates are even better.  Our Capital One savings account, which is linked to our checking account, earns 4.35%, and our new Bread Savings account earns 5.15%.  We've been using Capital One since 2014 and have never felt the need for a physical bank.

On this topic add Fidelity Investment's to the list, they basically pay, very close to the 1 mth zero coupon treasury rate, right now their savings account pays 5.3%. 

[Pushka]

On 1/22/2024 at 9:07 PM, Hockeyump said:

True but we had to pay a 25% deposit when we booked.  

Yes and if it's the same as Australia, the deposit you pay isn't refundable. Ours isn't quite that high but it's a chunk. 

[Hobson1754]

44 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Yes and if it's the same as Australia, the deposit you pay isn't refundable. Ours isn't quite that high but it's a chunk. 

Yes - 25% - none of it is refundable, so we need to be very, very certain if we’re booking a cruise 18 months out🤔