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Lessons from a Trip gone awry ---Happy with Travel Insured Travel Insurance


rogerpart
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We went on a TA Regal Princess cruise ( Copenhagen to NYC) in September 2016. We booked an Air BnB for a week in Copenhagen to tour Denmark. It was a great apartment overlooking Nyhavn and the colorful houses.

 

Our cruise had been scheduled to depart 5:00 pm on a Saturday. After enjoying a great week in Copenhagen, we came back to our flat at about 4:00 pm Friday to discover our Air BnB apartment had been broken into. Thieves had rummaged through everything and among the stolen items was a leather satchel with our Passports, some cash etc. We usually carry our passports, but since it was going to be another warm day in Copenhagen ( and always being concerned about pick pockets when traveling) I decided it would be just as safe to leave them in the apartment. Fortunately, we had most of our credit cards with us and our mobile phones.

 

Upon immediately calling the American Embassy and explaining our plight, we were informed they could not do anything until Monday morning. We discovered that copies of our passports ( which we always had as back up) are essentially meaningless.

 

Needless to say we were shocked, saddened, and deflated. We discussed tossing in the towel and just going back home versus trying to catch our ship in Bergen on Monday, an unlikely goal. After some thought we decided this was not a big deal, we were ok( glad we were not there when broken in), nobody was hurt, and this was an inconvenience. We decided to make this an adventure and made this our own Amazing Race.

 

We had to work out many logistics:

-- filing a police report and going to the police station.

-- finding a place to stay for Sat and Sun ( not an easy task at the last minute in Copenhagen).

-- obtaining and completing passport application forms and getting passport photos to facilitate getting a passport Monday morning.

-- hoping and praying to get passports by noon Monday to hopefully catch a 2:30 flight to Bergen to hopefully catch the ship before it left port at 5:00 pm.

 

This unfortunate occurrence provided my wife and I an opportunity to problem solve, console, and work-together to achieve our goal of saving our vacation. Because of the kindness of many people, including Our Air BnB host, US Embassy staff, Norwegian airline flight attendants, and our speedy Norwegian taxi driver, we made it to the ship literally as they were withdrawing the gang-way. We had a wonderful several week cruise with the high of working together. Interestingly, our 28 day 2017 TA cruise which was still fantastic, but uneventful, seemed much less exciting.

 

Here's what we learned:

1) Always keep your passports with you ( in a secure and difficult access pocket)

2) Get passport cards as back-up to keep with you ( have your spouse carry these).

3) Get Good Travel insurance - we did - Travel Insured

4) Make sure you get PRIMARY COVERAGE on you Travel policy. This cost us an extra $25 each but well worth it. PRIMARY coverage means that you can submit your claim directly to the travel insurance company. If you don't' have PRIMARY coverage, you need to first submit your claim to any other applicable insurance you may have (home owners, medical insurer, credit card insurance etc). This can be a big hassle.

5) Keep ALL of your receipts.

6) Do not take more than $500 of jewelry, unless you can afford to lose it because travel insurance policies have a cap on jewelry and electronics etc.

7) Always have a mobile phone, computer or IPad with you. The 1-800 line that Travel Insured has to help in case of emergencies was relatively unhelpful and did not help with any of our logistics. Without a method of communication and internet access, we would have been in a hot mess.

 

We submitted our claim and within a few weeks, received a substantial amount that covered our extra hotel expenses, flight expenses, extra meal expenses, passport replacement expenses, and covered for some of the stolen personal items. We purchased our policy from Trip insurance store and they were helpful in filing our claim.

 

I hope you can learn our lessons for free.

Happy Travels,

Roger

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Very informative post. Thanks for posting this. There is so much details to these stories.. I wrote up mine and could have made it twice as long. Not enough stories about the specific insurance situations and submitting a claim and how the insurers deal with the claims.

 

What was your out of pocket extra expense and were you fully reimbursed? It sounds like you were mostly but lost out on computers and jewelry?

 

I was trying to understand the steps needed on Mon. AM at US Embassy to get a passport issued so quickly. What was the timing. So seems like you went from US Embassy to CPH and flew to Bergen after getting passports.

 

Also have never heard of a passport card.. will look into that.

 

Thanks Again

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We went on a TA Regal Princess cruise ( Copenhagen to NYC) in September 2016. We booked an Air BnB for a week in Copenhagen to tour Denmark. It was a great apartment overlooking Nyhavn and the colorful houses.

 

Our cruise had been scheduled to depart 5:00 pm on a Saturday. After enjoying a great week in Copenhagen, we came back to our flat at about 4:00 pm Friday to discover our Air BnB apartment had been broken into. Thieves had rummaged through everything and among the stolen items was a leather satchel with our Passports, some cash etc. We usually carry our passports, but since it was going to be another warm day in Copenhagen ( and always being concerned about pick pockets when traveling) I decided it would be just as safe to leave them in the apartment. Fortunately, we had most of our credit cards with us and our mobile phones.

 

Upon immediately calling the American Embassy and explaining our plight, we were informed they could not do anything until Monday morning. We discovered that copies of our passports ( which we always had as back up) are essentially meaningless.

 

Needless to say we were shocked, saddened, and deflated. We discussed tossing in the towel and just going back home versus trying to catch our ship in Bergen on Monday, an unlikely goal. After some thought we decided this was not a big deal, we were ok( glad we were not there when broken in), nobody was hurt, and this was an inconvenience. We decided to make this an adventure and made this our own Amazing Race.

 

We had to work out many logistics:

-- filing a police report and going to the police station.

-- finding a place to stay for Sat and Sun ( not an easy task at the last minute in Copenhagen).

-- obtaining and completing passport application forms and getting passport photos to facilitate getting a passport Monday morning.

-- hoping and praying to get passports by noon Monday to hopefully catch a 2:30 flight to Bergen to hopefully catch the ship before it left port at 5:00 pm.

 

This unfortunate occurrence provided my wife and I an opportunity to problem solve, console, and work-together to achieve our goal of saving our vacation. Because of the kindness of many people, including Our Air BnB host, US Embassy staff, Norwegian airline flight attendants, and our speedy Norwegian taxi driver, we made it to the ship literally as they were withdrawing the gang-way. We had a wonderful several week cruise with the high of working together. Interestingly, our 28 day 2017 TA cruise which was still fantastic, but uneventful, seemed much less exciting.

 

Here's what we learned:

1) Always keep your passports with you ( in a secure and difficult access pocket)

2) Get passport cards as back-up to keep with you ( have your spouse carry these).

3) Get Good Travel insurance - we did - Travel Insured

4) Make sure you get PRIMARY COVERAGE on you Travel policy. This cost us an extra $25 each but well worth it. PRIMARY coverage means that you can submit your claim directly to the travel insurance company. If you don't' have PRIMARY coverage, you need to first submit your claim to any other applicable insurance you may have (home owners, medical insurer, credit card insurance etc). This can be a big hassle.

5) Keep ALL of your receipts.

6) Do not take more than $500 of jewelry, unless you can afford to lose it because travel insurance policies have a cap on jewelry and electronics etc.

7) Always have a mobile phone, computer or IPad with you. The 1-800 line that Travel Insured has to help in case of emergencies was relatively unhelpful and did not help with any of our logistics. Without a method of communication and internet access, we would have been in a hot mess.

 

We submitted our claim and within a few weeks, received a substantial amount that covered our extra hotel expenses, flight expenses, extra meal expenses, passport replacement expenses, and covered for some of the stolen personal items. We purchased our policy from Trip insurance store and they were helpful in filing our claim.

 

I hope you can learn our lessons for free.

Happy Travels,

Roger

 

Wow... what a report... I can't imagine how distressing it would be to return to your place like that...

I sounds like you did an absolutely terrific "rescue" and got most of that long sailing, thank goodness :)

 

I have a question about a comment you made about Travel Insured. We've used them, and had excellent experiences with all claims, so we try to stay with them.

 

But about the following:

"7) Always have a mobile phone, computer or IPad with you. The 1-800 line that Travel Insured has to help in case of emergencies was relatively unhelpful and did not help with any of our logistics. Without a method of communication and internet access, we would have been in a hot mess."

 

Did you reach them through email or chat or...?

 

There was one time overseas when we probably should have contacted them on the spot, or at least tried. But I was too sick, and DH was desperately trying to make sure I was getting decent care, and then we had dear friends come stay near us and they spoke the language, which helped immensely. But otherwise... how should/could we have contacted the folks at TI for assistance from overseas, given your experience?

 

[They paid the claim in full, so this is NOT any complaint about TI. They couldn't "do anything" until/unless they heard from us, obviously.]

 

Many thanks!

 

GC

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Very informative post. Thanks for posting this. There is so much details to these stories.. I wrote up mine and could have made it twice as long. Not enough stories about the specific insurance situations and submitting a claim and how the insurers deal with the claims.

 

What was your out of pocket extra expense and were you fully reimbursed? It sounds like you were mostly but lost out on computers and jewelry?

 

I was trying to understand the steps needed on Mon. AM at US Embassy to get a passport issued so quickly. What was the timing. So seems like you went from US Embassy to CPH and flew to Bergen after getting passports.

 

Also have never heard of a passport card.. will look into that.

 

Thanks Again

 

Bellevue, thanks for your post.

 

Fortunately, we have a US Embassy in Copenhagen so fortunately no travel was involved except for taxis. As I stated, when we called them Friday afternoon just after the theft, they were unable to do anything until Monday morning. However, they suggested coming and picking up passport application paperwork and instructions to get an official police report (which you need it for insurance anyway), and passport photos etc.

 

We arrived at the Embassy an hour prior to opening expecting to be first in line but we're surprised define 15 to 20 people already lined up. When the embassy opened, they divided up people into US citizens and foreign citizens seeking US visas etc. that reduced our side of the line considerably. We informed some of the staff of our plate and urgency in trying to get a passport in order to make an early afternoon flight. They were very kind and accommodating and prioritized serving us. There were many well-wishers including those we passed ahead of and Embassy staff who wanted to see us succeed in our mission. They even called a taxi for us so we could race back to our flat to pick up our luggage and head straight to the airport. We actually made it in enough time that we had an opportunity to grab some food and some Carlsberg at an airport bar. It was there that our trip became even more colorful. We started chatting with a group of four Swedes at the next table one of whom was an Elvis Impersonator. They were on their way to Prague to pick up the kittens. You should check out Tommy Lindgren on YouTube, if you think I'm kidding.

 

In terms of reimbursed expenses, we were able to recoup 100% of our unexpected airfare from Copenhagen to Bergen. Additionally, we also recouped food expenses and taxi expenses while we were displaced. We did not get Hotel reimbursement for the additional days from travel insured because Airbnb was kind enough to give us credit to allow us to stay essentially free for the two days we needed.

 

Expenses that were not fully covered included, and insurance Of $100 for each passport replacement about the actual cost was $160. Additionally, there are hard caps. For example, I believe our policy provided for $2000 of stolen/lost items per person. However they sub categorize these such that jewelry, watches, etc. have a total Of $500. Likewise electronic goods such as cameras, phones, computers, etc. also have a Of $500. So for example if you lost $2000 worth of jewelry you would only be reimbursed $500. Similarly if you had Lost a $1500 computer and $800 iPad, we would only receive a total of $500 for that category.

 

Hope this was helpful.

Roger

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Geezer,

 

I'm glad that you two had a positive experience with travel insured.

 

On our policy, we had a one 800 number listed as a contact in place there were any problems and to report claims etc. It's my understanding that they can typically help you with some of the logistics of finding a hotel room, helping find flight options to the next port or two, and facilitating contacting the cruise line/ship to apprise them. Unfortunately, they did not help with any of these needs. Consequently, having both our smart phones and and iPad, we were able to easily make calls for hotels, airlines, etc. additionally, our devices allowed us to access the Internet so we could research finding hotels, airline schedules, and location of our ship. We did hear from princess upon contacting them that it was a possibility they would either skip some ports or change some ports due to weather. Consequently, we really needed to be on top of that to plan accordingly.

 

By the way, if I sound overly enthusiastic regarding Travel Insured, Its because I believe in supporting companies that service people well, and want to inform others. I should add that I do not work for them or have anything to do with them.

 

Roger

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Roger

 

Can you give more detail on the Passport Card. In my research I see limited use for a passport card on using it to gain country entry or air travel.

Would this have accelerated the replacement of your passport during your ordeal?

It's unclear to me why a passport card would have been useful in this situation.

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It's unclear to me why a passport card would have been useful in this situation.

 

The way I understand it, a passport card is a valid form of ID and citizenship. It can be used for land or port entry to the US from North American countries or Carribean, but not air travel. I am not sure about transatlantics if you did not hit a Carribean port ( i.e. From Cobh to Boston/ NYC).

 

Here is a helpful link with more information:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/card.html

 

Additionally, as I recall per the US Consular officer in Copenhagen, a passport card would have sped up our ID process. My wife had her drivers license so she had some form of US ID. My drivers license was stolen with the leather case with passports and cash. It was harder for me to establish identity ( unfortunately a Costco credit card with my picture was not enough - lol). Color copies of our stolen passport, or online copies were not useful in their eyes.

 

BTW- we were only issued "emergency passports" which are just like regular passports, but much thinner with fewer pages. The emergency passports were only valid for one year, but with the proper form, you can exchange it for a free standard passport.

 

I'm just starting to research to plan our next Fall cruise. Safe travels!

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The way I understand it, a passport card is a valid form of ID and citizenship. It can be used for land or port entry to the US from North American countries or Carribean, but not air travel. I am not sure about transatlantics if you did not hit a Carribean port ( i.e. From Cobh to Boston/ NYC).

 

Here is a helpful link with more information:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/card.html

 

Additionally, as I recall per the US Consular officer in Copenhagen, a passport card would have sped up our ID process. My wife had her drivers license so she had some form of US ID. My drivers license was stolen with the leather case with passports and cash. It was harder for me to establish identity ( unfortunately a Costco credit card with my picture was not enough - lol). Color copies of our stolen passport, or online copies were not useful in their eyes.

 

BTW- we were only issued "emergency passports" which are just like regular passports, but much thinner with fewer pages. The emergency passports were only valid for one year, but with the proper form, you can exchange it for a free standard passport.

 

I'm just starting to research to plan our next Fall cruise. Safe travels!

 

About that Passport Card... IF one has one's proper drivers license (and from a state that is now compliant with Fed regulations, etc.), would the Passport Card add anything?

 

Thanks!

 

GC

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About that Passport Card... IF one has one's proper drivers license (and from a state that is now compliant with Fed regulations, etc.), would the Passport Card add anything?

 

Thanks!

 

GC

 

According to the State Department web site link provided above in my prior post, a Passport card IS a passport ( except air travel and port entry from other than North American country or Carribean, meaning this will suffice. It's not clear to me whether a drivers license will suffice in ALL cases of US entry from Mexico, Canada or a Carribean port.

 

If we had passport cards during our 2016 stolen passport adventure, I don't know if Princess would have let us board with these only. I have received varied answers.

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According to the State Department web site link provided above in my prior post, a Passport card IS a passport ( except air travel and port entry from other than North American country or Carribean, meaning this will suffice. It's not clear to me whether a drivers license will suffice in ALL cases of US entry from Mexico, Canada or a Carribean port.

 

If we had passport cards during our 2016 stolen passport adventure, I don't know if Princess would have let us board with these only. I have received varied answers.

 

Sorry... I may not have understood properly. I was referring to getting a replacement regular passport. Would a proper Drivers License work as well as a Passport *card* for this purpose?

I'm thinking here of arriving back in the USA by air, not ship.

(If it works for "air", it would also work for "ship", of course.)

 

Thanks again.

 

You both get tons of credit for picking up the pieces and getting everything done in such short time!

And it's nice that the Embassy helped out.

 

We probably should have just gotten a Passport Card when we last renewed our Passports, but... we didn't. "Next time."

 

GC

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Great story. We had similar situation in Dublin (pre trip to cruise) and stolen purse from a restaurant occurred with passport in it, cash, etc. Our travel insurance GENERALI Travel Insuarnce https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/why-generali.html (used to be CSA) collect emergency line in the US connected us with their Irish travel assistance operation and they facilitated the replacement of our passport the same day. I would definitely buy them again for European trips because they have call centers all around Europe.

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Geezer,

Sorry I did not understand your original question, thanks for the clarification.

 

As I understood it from the consular officer, a passport card would have even better expedited our situation. When we presented to the embassy, we had my wife's drivers license which they did except as a valid form of IDENTITY, but this does NOT identify citizenship. I literally had no form of ID since my drivers license I had also been stolen, so they need to establish my identity and citizenship. In either case, they were able to confirm citizenship and my identity through their computers, and many questions they ask us etc.

 

I hope I have answered your question.

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Geezer,

Sorry I did not understand your original question, thanks for the clarification.

 

As I understood it from the consular officer, a passport card would have even better expedited our situation. When we presented to the embassy, we had my wife's drivers license which they did except as a valid form of IDENTITY, but this does NOT identify citizenship. I literally had no form of ID since my drivers license I had also been stolen, so they need to establish my identity and citizenship. In either case, they were able to confirm citizenship and my identity through their computers, and many questions they ask us etc.

 

I hope I have answered your question.

 

Yes, thanks very much.

We should have just gotten those Cards when we renewed our Passports. IIRC, the extra cost was not much.

"Next time" :)

 

At least, with computers these days, establishing identity, and even citizenship, probably isn't too difficult (usually) if necessary - with the proper questions [and *answers*] and computerized confirmation, etc.

 

I can't even imagine how this would have been managed "back in the day"...

 

GC

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Sorry... I may not have understood properly. I was referring to getting a replacement regular passport. Would a proper Drivers License work as well as a Passport *card* for this purpose?

 

I'm thinking here of arriving back in the USA by air, not ship.

 

(If it works for "air", it would also work for "ship", of course.)

 

 

 

Thanks again.

 

 

 

You both get tons of credit for picking up the pieces and getting everything done in such short time!

 

And it's nice that the Embassy helped out.

 

 

 

We probably should have just gotten a Passport Card when we last renewed our Passports, but... we didn't. "Next time."

 

 

 

GC

 

 

 

My wife an I have, what is called here in Canada, “Enhanced” Drivers Licences. These are “chipped” and electronically readable and in addition to being proof of our driving status they are also documentation of our nationality and status. We can use these when crossing into the USA via motor vehicle. They are not valid for air or marine crossing but they are proof of citizenship.

 

I think what the embassy folks meant was that had you possessed this type of documentation it would have made their work easier and perhaps quicker. However you would not be able to depart on the ship because the whole Enhanced Licence program is between Canada and the United Stated, not the world.

 

As for a regular drivers licence, it proves nothing about you other than you are legal to drive in some state or province. It attests nothing about your citizenship.

 

 

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