Babr

I suggest you call Trip Insurance Store and discuss your situation with Steve or one of his agents. They represent several reputable companies. You are probably too late to take advantage of any options that might have been available to you in the time-sensitive period after making initial deposit; nevertheless, these people can advise you on the best alternatives. There are policies that allow the pre-existing conditions waiver at final payment, but those also have stipulations depending on the company. Be sure you understand the definition of pre-existing condition and how it is applied. Even if you think you don’t need the coverage for yourself or your daughter, you need to understand how the insurance company will evaluate your medical history in case of a claim. Consult a professional before you cancel and rebook. Be sure you have all the details right before doing something that might invalidate your effort.

No offense intended. You prefaced your remarks with a comment about good service from Chase Sapphire Reserve. Just trying to separate the card benefits from travel services.

They might make an accommodation for you as a good customer, but what you suggest is not covered by the Chase travel benefits. If your situation qualifies for Trip Delay, you are eligible for up to $500 for hotel and meals. Additional transportation is not covered.

Check your Guide to Benefits so you know exactly what kind of help to expect. Your Trip Delay or Trip Interruption must be directly attributed to weather in order to qualify for coverage. Subsequent cancellations or delays caused by scheduling problems as a result of missing equipment or flight crews are not covered.

I should have also addressed the question of Berkshire Hathaway in order to give a complete answer. It is not that it covers mainly delays; it just covers them differently. The language in the policy simply lists Common Carrier delay as a covered reason without defining specific conditions. The delay must meet the required number of hours, and eligibility remains in effect “until travel becomes possible.” The benefit is a maximum of $200 pp pd with a cap that varies depending on which policy you buy. It covers meals, hotel, taxi, and other miscellaneous expenses. The Missed Connection provision requires the cancellation all regularly scheduled flights for X number of hours (again, depending on which policy) before you are eligible for the $500 benefit to catch up to your departed tour/cruise. The provisions in the Berkshire Hathaway policies do not solve the problem of missing a cruise because of Common Carrier delays, but at least you are not likely to have to sleep on the floor at the airport.

As with any claim, successful reimbursement for Trip Delay depends on the language in the policy and the documented reason for the delay. The fee-based Chase cards I am familiar with provide coverage for faulty equipment, weather, labor strikes, or hijacking. The benefit is capped at $500 pp to be used for meals, hotels, or miscellaneous necessities such as toiletries. These cards do not have a provision for Missed Connections, which would reimburse certain expenses if a Common Carrier delay caused you to miss the departure of your trip. On the other hand, comprehensive travel policies routinely cover Trip Delay with a list of covered reasons that extends beyond Common Carrier delays, and the benefits can be more generous. They usually require that the delay be for a specified number of hours. Not all comprehensive policies have Missed Connections coverage. The key to all of this is that the documented reason for delay provided by the air line must be covered by the policy. Weather is covered. Subsequent delays and cancellations caused by lack of equipment and/or flight crews are not.

That is the key. One must cancel all travel arrangements and receive 100% refund to original form of payment or in cash. Simply transferring the deposit to another time does not reset the initial deposit date. Since the OP has not booked air, it may not be a problem; but it does mean the new booking would be under current terms so the same price, cabin, or promotions may not apply. This might be avoided by buying a policy that allows the pre-existing conditions waiver at final payment if it extends to non-traveling family members as well.

Check in with your insurance while you are at it. Are you covered for cancellation with the medical emergency or do you have to make an effort to catch the ship in order to qualify for trip delay/interruption? Ask them how to proceed so that you know the consequences of your decision.

I defer to someone who has had recent experience. Princess may have had different policies during COVID. The same is true of insuring the subsequent cruise booked with FCC. If Princess will not recognize FCC as a form of payment, there are third-party policies that will. Be sure to inquire; otherwise, they will not be covered for cancellation at all.

There are only five covered reasons for cancellation in the Princess Vacation Plan. Briefly, they are as follows: 1.sickness, death or injury 2.being involved in a traffic accident enroute to departure 3. having your home become uninhabitable because of fire or natural disaster 4. being called to jury duty or being subpoenaed 5. being called to military duty in response to a natural disaster Your friend may have received compensation up to the policy limit ($500) under Trip Delay in order to catch up to the cruise, but it does not appear that cancellation is covered under these circumstances. Most likely they will receive FCC under the Cancel For Any Reason provision

No, I don’t know if this is standard across all policies for air cancellation. I mention it as a caution so that people do not assume they are fully covered for a cash refund. It does seem to be pretty standard for airlines to give vouchers for non refundable airfare so I would ask @iamtrustworthy about it before buying a policy or canceling a flight.

The IMG SE plan does not require that you include all non refundable costs in order to qualify for the pre-existing conditions waiver - only that they receive the premium in the time sensitive period. Apparently you have done that, so you are covered. In deciding to insure air fare, remember that you will likely receive a voucher if you cancel unless you book a fully refundable fare. Insurance will not reimburse in either case because you did not suffer a loss.

@klfrodo has explained how air/sea rescue works. Medical evacuation coverage in a comprehensive travel policy provides for hospital to hospital transfer if you need additional care after treatment at the initial facility. You’ll be taken to the nearest appropriate hospital. Usually, people are returned home once they have recovered enough to travel by commercial air. Sometimes that requires first class with a medical escort. You are probably asking about MedJet Assist. That is a membership organization that provides air transport to the hospital of your choice. There are still some limitations to the service. You can easily Google it to find the options available to you.

Sure - - it is required reading only if you plan to rely on it for cancellation/interruption coverage. Best to know how it works before having to file a claim.

While you are waiting, I can tell you that the coverage is provided by an unaffiliated insurance company. You’ll deal with them. The contact information and details on how to file a claim can be found in your bedside reading. Others have reported here that they have used the benefit successfully; however, I can recall at least one person who came here looking for advice on choosing a policy after being denied for a pre-existing condition.

Neither is the cruise line or Costco or a travel agency. They sell you a policy or provide coverage which is underwritten and administered by an insurance company. In the case of Chase cards, it is Federal Insurance Company. Your claim will be handled by the Program Administrator. Contact information is provided in your Guide to Benefits. As long as you are filing for a covered reason and have the required documentation, your claim will be paid according to terms of the policy.

There absolutely is a pre-existing conditions exclusion in Chase. See page 30 of your Guide to Benefits.

I don’t know your medical history nor am I asking; however at 84 most people have been or are being treated for something. If you are going to rely on credit card coverage for cancellation and interruption, be sure you understand the pre-existing conditions exclusion.

https://47-0351.covermore.com/ This link does say it is available only through CWC Travel, which is Costco. In order to book travel and insurance one must be a member. Cruise line policies do not ask for age either, but I expect that Costco can offer a much more robust plan because it was able to negotiate a contract based on its huge membership. Such a large pool of policyholders mitigates the age risk. The membership fee may also be a factor in the discounted price. It appears to be a good value, especially for older cruisers.

It is hard to compare cruise line insurance with third-party insurance because they are very different products. Cruise line insurance is more attractive for older cruisers because the premium is not influenced by age as it is in third-party policies. It is an individual decision based on needs and priorities.

Sorry. CFAR stands for Cancel For Any Reason which is a popular feature of cruise line insurance because it is included at no extra cost. Third-party insurance requires an additional premium. The difference is that the cruise line policies reimburse in varying percentages with Future Cruise Credits whereas third-party policies reimburse in varying percentages of cash if you cancel for any other reason than the ones defined in the policy. The credits are usually more generous, but they come with restrictions so be sure you are familiar with the terms if you are considering CFAR.

Because the cruise line policy is a hybrid product. The CFAR is not insurance, rather it is a benefit provided by the cruise line. Medical and other travel risks are underwritten by Arch.

The problem is that some insurance policies do not recognize vouchers as a form of payment. Since COVID, a number of companies have changed their terms to cover vouchers that reflect the actual cash value of what was paid for the initial cruise, but even those policies do not cover bonus, incentive, or goodwill FCC granted by the cruise line. Whether you can recover anything depends on the policy and the kind of voucher used. It is an unfortunate consequence of accepting FCC instead of cash reimbursement. People have to be knowledgable of the cruise line’s policy concerning the use of vouchers as well as the insurance coverage.

In that case, medical costs represent your greatest risk. Ideally you’d have more coverage than the $20,000 offered in the Princess plan. There are excellent annual plans like GeoBlue, but GeoBlue does not include cancellation so it depends on whether you are willing to accept the risk for cruise #2, assuming the credit card would cover the other two if you cancelled for a covered reason. Since you have to decide soon, consider calling Trip Insurance Store. Let them help you explore/evaluate other options.

That $500,000 is for Travel Accident in case you get killed or lose a limb. I did not see any medical coverage. Do you have other adequate medical coverage?