Experience Good or Bad w/ CSA Travel Insurance

[MakinGold]

Just curious if any of you have experience with this insurance provider.

[lanabanana]

We are in the middle of a claim with CSA. I will say this....they are very responsive and their customer service people are really trained in CUSTOMER SERVICE! You don't find that often anymore. That said, I urge people to be very familiar with the policy that they are buying. Here's our scenerio.

 

We were on the Serenade of the Seas 10/5/07 Hawaii Circle cruise. The ship was delayed on our return trip due to a medical emergency. This made us unable to make our noon flight. We couldn't get another flight on that day. We had to pay for a night's hotel and another $1100 to change our flights. I filed a claim for delay of trip when we got home. CSA paid for the hotel, but denied the claim for the plane tickets because it wasn't a covered benefit. Other Cruise Critic buddies who had TravelGuard and Seven Corners insurances had already had their claims paid in full. I very politely raised a rukus with CSA and as I said, they've been very responsive. I have every reason to believe that our claim for the plane tickets will eventually be paid.

 

Some things to know....some policies require at least a 3 hour delay of trip, others 6 hours, and others 24 hours. That's a big difference. It's something to consider when deciding on policies.

 

That's just my 2 cents! :)

[Bonnie&Rob]

I looked at policies using squaremouth.com, which allows you to do a side by side comparison of the different plans. The things I was looking for were primary coverage and the coverage of pre-existing conditions (some cover in shorter periods than others). There is also usually a difference in the amount covered for luggage loss, etc.

 

Insuremytrip also allows comparison, but you have to click into each separately.

[MakinGold]

Thanks for the input. I didn't get insurance when I first booked. I was looking at CSA, because they'll cover preexisting conditions as long as you purchase w/in 24 hrs of final pmt. It's not an issue for us directly, but my FIL has had some medical problems recently. He's doing OK now, but if something bad happened right before the cruise . . . Having that preexisting coverage for immediately family members might come in handy. I hope we don't need it, but it gives a little peace of mind.

[sagiv666]

Just curious if any of you have experience with this insurance provider.

 

Yes, I used the provider on our cruise to Alaska (Sep 14-28 2007) on the Radiance, as well as on our cruise to Canada and New England on the Norwegian Spirit (Oct 28-Nov3 2007).

The insurance was furnished to us through our timeshare company, who booked our cruises. The insurance covered our cabin fees (excluding incidentals, which was not unexpected), included certain medical benefits (except for pre-existing conditions, which was not unexpected) and our premiums were very reasonable. We never needed to use our insurance, but we were happy with our coverage.:D

[sagiv666]

Thanks for the input. I didn't get insurance when I first booked. I was looking at CSA, because they'll cover preexisting conditions as long as you purchase w/in 24 hrs of final pmt. It's not an issue for us directly, but my FIL has had some medical problems recently. He's doing OK now, but if something bad happened right before the cruise . . . Having that preexisting coverage for immediately family members might come in handy. I hope we don't need it, but it gives a little peace of mind.

 

I know that most insurance excludes pre-existing medical conditions However, on the policy I purchased the end of September, prior to our recent cruise to Canada and New England, I do notice that CSA does pay for pre-existing medical conditions if the policy is purchased "...prior to or within 24 hours of your final trip payment...". This is not so explicit on the CSA policy we purchased last June, prior to our cruise to Alaska. When we cruised, I took along the face sheet with all the specifics; the rest of the pages (27 and 26 in all, respectively) we left at home.

Both my wife and I have pre-existing medical conditions which I am glad they would cover, although insurance was never claimed on either of our cruises this year. Just the same, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[Merion_Mom]

They paid my claim, but it was an ordeal.

[sagiv666]

They paid my claim, but it was an ordeal.

 

Not unexpected. Most insurance companies prefer to collect premiums and not give out benefits for claims. If they do, the process may be agonizingly slow.:eek:

[Aprille]

I know that most insurance excludes pre-existing medical conditions However, on the policy I purchased the end of September, prior to our recent cruise to Canada and New England, I do notice that CSA does pay for pre-existing medical conditions if the policy is purchased "...prior to or within 24 hours of your final trip payment...". This is not so explicit on the CSA policy we purchased last June, prior to our cruise to Alaska. When we cruised, I took along the face sheet with all the specifics; the rest of the pages (27 and 26 in all, respectively) we left at home.

Both my wife and I have pre-existing medical conditions which I am glad they would cover, although insurance was never claimed on either of our cruises this year. Just the same, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Not all CSA policies cover pre-existing conditions. Only the CSA Freestyle Luxe policy. So you very well may not have had pre-existing conditions covered.

 

We have purchased the CSA Freestyle Luxe policy for our last cruise and our upcoming cruise specifically for the pre-existing condition coverage. We usually book a year or more out and I don't want to purchase insurance that early in case we have to cancel so I'm glad CSA offers what I want/need at final payment.

 

We haven't had to file a claim (thank goodness!) but I feel better knowing I have it.

[sagiv666]

Not all CSA policies cover pre-existing conditions. Only the CSA Freestyle Luxe policy. So you very well may not have had pre-existing conditions covered.

 

We have purchased the CSA Freestyle Luxe policy for our last cruise and our upcoming cruise specifically for the pre-existing condition coverage. We usually book a year or more out and I don't want to purchase insurance that early in case we have to cancel so I'm glad CSA offers what I want/need at final payment.

 

We haven't had to file a claim (thank goodness!) but I feel better knowing I have it.

 

You have a good point, but I found pre-existing conditions were included. I just had to look among all the sheets included with the policy. Thank G-d, we never needed to use the insurance.:)

[irishgirl]

I always purchase CSA insurance for my cruises. I have had 3 claims with them and never had a problem with any.

 

I will say, that no matter who you choose, you must keep all receipts, e-mails, tickets, etc. in case you do have a claim. My last cruise, we were 4 hours late returning to port because of a search for a jumper. Several in my group never collected from their insurance policies for the costs incurred for re-booking air.

 

With CSA, they reimbursed me for re-booking air, hotel, rental car, food, and a hair dryer that was broken in my luggage that was lost for 3 days.

[signman]

Fell off a scooter in Bermuda in 1999. Was delighted with the way CSA handled my claim. Always purchase my insurance with them, but thankfully have not had any further claims.