Does travel insurance cover this?

[KnightsofColumbus]

If you take a private tour and miss the ship will your travel insurance cover this? Will they pay for the hotel and and plane tickets to the next island? Also, will they pay for meals and reimburse you for the time missed on the ship and any tours would miss on other islands.

[G'ma]

If you take a private tour and miss the ship will your travel insurance cover this? Will they pay for the hotel and and plane tickets to the next island? Also, will they pay for meals and reimburse you for the time missed on the ship and any tours would miss on other islands.

 

Insurance normally covers interruption. However, you'd have to read the policies you're interested in to see exactly what is covered and what is reimbursed.

 

While most are pretty basic, they each have their own limits and quirks.

[Jade13]

If you take a private tour and miss the ship will your travel insurance cover this? Will they pay for the hotel and and plane tickets to the next island? Also, will they pay for meals and reimburse you for the time missed on the ship and any tours would miss on other islands.

 

Unlikely. Why would you miss the ship? Was it for a medical emergency?

[smeyer418]

If you take a private tour and miss the ship will your travel insurance cover this? Will they pay for the hotel and and plane tickets to the next island? Also, will they pay for meals and reimburse you for the time missed on the ship and any tours would miss on other islands.

depends on the reason that they missed the ship....you need to read the insurance carefully. Normally trip insurance has a limit for a missed connection for any reason not the full cost.

[Keith1010]

This is one that you should not rely on input from others on Cruise Critic. You need to contact the insurance company to get the details on whether this is covered. I would get this in writing.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

You need to read your policy carefully.

[happy cruzer]

Well, I do agree that you need to read your policy carefully. But I got interested and the read the policy from the company I usually use. And as long as it was a "Common Carrier" delay, most of the items you list would be covered up to a limit of the cost of the trip or normal expense to continue the trip.

 

So I did more research on "Common Carrier". It looks to me like tour operators that advertise to the general public normally are considered common carriers vs. private carriers. But there have been lawsuites where the insurance company have fought the distinction, usually for very large claims.

 

So in the case of my policy, I think it would be covered.

[cherylandtk]

Happy,

I think you have the crux of the issue: the tour operator must be a Common Carrier. But just advertising to the public does not make it a common carrier. They must also

-be licensed to carry passengers as a common carrier

-operate on published, known schedules

-allow anyone to purchase a seat (provided they are not sold out)

 

So if you arrange a special time, have only your group in the van or otherwise customize the tour, then it is a private tour. If it is a tour on which you purchased a seat, and which would operate with or without your purchase, then it is probably a common carrier.

[beachchick]

Unlikely. Why would you miss the ship? Was it for a medical emergency?

 

If someone takes a private tour, there's always the possibility that they'll be delayed getting back to the port. Road construction, accidents, vehicle breakdown, etc. can all create delays. A medical emergency could also be a reason, but it's certainly not the only reason.

 

Even booking ship tours doesn't 100% guarantee that the ship will wait if the excursion is delayed getting back. The captain cannot hold the ship indefinitely in port.

 

We tend to buy the more inclusive policies so that things like this will be covered. We hope we never need it, but it's best to be prepared.

 

beachchick