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How do Seabourn's Voyagers Purchase Trip Insurance?


notjaded
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Do you purchase trip insurance?

 

If so, do you purchase it through Seabourn or by your own efforts through an external agency?

 

If you purchase it externally, do you initially only purchase enough coverage for the unreimbursable expenses (and then escalate coverage as your unreimbursable benchmarks are met), or do you plunk down the entire amount upfront?

 

Any other tips you have learned over the years about insuring your cruise costs?

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I use one of the quote generators on line. Generally, what you buy through the cruise line (or airline or tour company) is not actually insurance, it's a right-to-cancel and it often (but not always - read the fine print) only covers the things you buy through them.

 

I'm a fan of Insure My Trip, which works like most of the other insurance comparison sites. You put in your age, state or province, the dates of the trip, where you're travelling and the amount of coverage you'd like to purchase and then any other needs you have. For example, I only look at policies which cover cancel for any reason or cancel for work reasons, rather than a policy that just covers medical or logistical emergencies. It costs more, but in my situation it's the most likely trigger for using the policy. After that, it pops up all the policies that fit, and you can compare coverage types and company ratings.

 

I have done it both ways - just insured the deposit and then increased the coverage as I prepaid more things and I've just estimated the cost of the trip and purchased the whole amount up front. I find the second way is easier because then I don't have to remember to call and increase my coverage. I don't think there's a difference in cost much one way or the other.

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You do not have to buy trip insurance if you charge your trip to the chase sapphire reserve card. We charge half the trip to each of our cards and we get 40k cancellation interruption insurance. The insurer is Chubb. Regrettably we had to use it and it works

 

If we need another 10 k we charge 5k to our citi card. Then we buy an annual medical travel policy via squaremouth for 350 for the year

 

I do not understand why more people don’t do this. There are many threads on how to do this on the oceania boards.

 

Btw. The sapphire card gives you 3x points on travel. So a trip costing eg 30000 gives you 90000 eg united miles. A no brainer

 

On every Cruise we go on we teach someone how to do this

 

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Do you purchase trip insurance?

 

If so, do you purchase it through Seabourn or by your own efforts through an external agency?

 

If you purchase it externally, do you initially only purchase enough coverage for the unreimbursable expenses (and then escalate coverage as your unreimbursable benchmarks are met), or do you plunk down the entire amount upfront?

 

Any other tips you have learned over the years about insuring your cruise costs?

 

Would never purchase any policy through a cruise line.

Medical coverage is inadequate

Evacuation coverage is also too little. Care to estimate what a Helicopter evacuation will cost if needed.

Some cruise line policies do not refund your money -- they give you credit toward a future cruise.

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^^^^^ THIS!

I've never understood why people who are happy to spend several thousand on a cruise seem to tie themselves in knots trying to buy cheapo insurance (or any insurance at all). To us, it's an integral part of the total cost.

 

We use our usual health insurer's travel/health policy which is comprehensive and competitive.

 

Beware: annual "family" policies are cheaper but may only be valid if the whole family is travelling together as I discovered when I tried to claim for a cancelled cruise (medical problem) when I was going as a solo. As always, check and double check the small print because if the insurer can wriggle off the hook, they will.

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^^^^^ THIS!

I've never understood why people who are happy to spend several thousand on a cruise seem to tie themselves in knots trying to buy cheapo insurance (or any insurance at all). ..............As always, check and double check the small print because if the insurer can wriggle off the hook, they will.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5608888/brit-tourist-died-after-life-support-turned-off-because-family-couldnt-pay-7000-medical-bill/

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I use Travelguard, which is pricey but covers preexisting conditions I have, for expensive trips for me and DH. On solo, short cheap trips outside the US I just get high end medical and evacuation insurance so I do not have to potentially have my broken hip or spinal injury treated in a foreign hospital and then be presented with a large cash bill.

 

Booking a cruise short notice can lead to very expensive insurance, however. We booked an expensive S. America cruise a few years ago within 90 days and insurance costs on Travelguard were so high we skipped insurance. Then our flights were cancelled two hours before we were due to go to the airport due to storms, at Xmas, and there were no alternatives for several days to make the cruise sailaway. If we had had insurance, we would have just bagged it, but as we did not, we moved heaven and earth to get to the ship a day late in the next port, and had a great cruise.

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We have annual travel insurance through my wife’s former employment as a government employee. It covers trips up to 35 days, 10 m medical cover. No requirement to declare any pre-existing medical conditions only that your doctor states you are fit to travel and not terminally ill. Cost for two of us approx $200.

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Are you in the US? My understanding is that the trip cancellation insurance coverage is only 10k per trip with Preferred and Reserved. There may be other reasons to go with Reserved but this seems to be the same on either cards.

 

You do not have to buy trip insurance if you charge your trip to the chase sapphire reserve card. We charge half the trip to each of our cards and we get 40k cancellation interruption insurance. The insurer is Chubb. Regrettably we had to use it and it works

 

If we need another 10 k we charge 5k to our citi card. Then we buy an annual medical travel policy via squaremouth for 350 for the year

 

I do not understand why more people don’t do this. There are many threads on how to do this on the oceania boards.

 

Btw. The sapphire card gives you 3x points on travel. So a trip costing eg 30000 gives you 90000 eg united miles. A no brainer

 

On every Cruise we go on we teach someone how to do this

 

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It’s 10k for you and your travelling companion. Use two cards and divide the charge. Each card owner gets 10k for himself and 10 for companionship. 40k total. Check the oceania threads on insurance. We verified all of this with chase benefits about 6 months ago

 

 

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It’s 10k for you and your travelling companion. Use two cards and divide the charge. Each card owner gets 10k for himself and 10 for companionship. 40k total.

 

Exactly. One more piece of information to bear in mind: it's max $10k per person, and max $20k per trip, so if you have a party of 3 people traveling together and charge $30k on the card for the entire party for the trip, you'll only get max $20k coverage - hence the necessity for additional cards (with similar insurance benefits) to charge to and/or for purchasing additional insurance for the short fall.

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It’s 10k for you and your travelling companion. Use two cards and divide the charge. Each card owner gets 10k for himself and 10 for companionship. 40k total. Check the oceania threads on insurance. We verified all of this with chase benefits about 6 months ago

 

 

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Exactly. One more piece of information to bear in mind: it's max $10k per person, and max $20k per trip, so if you have a party of 3 people traveling together and charge $30k on the card for the entire party for the trip, you'll only get max $20k coverage - hence the necessity for additional cards (with similar insurance benefits) to charge to and/or for purchasing additional insurance for the short fall.

 

Very important to keep in mind that the CSR trip insurance (and I suspect other cards too) do not cover pre-existing conditions.

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But you can’t stack chase cards. Eg. If you claim under sapphire card you cannot claim under your united card. It’s same insurer. That’s why we supplement with the citi aa card for extra 10k coverage

 

 

 

 

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We used the citi American advantage card for a Mexican cruise. Total outlay was around 3800 dollars for two people. This was a non Seabourn cruise. Got reimbursed by a simple doctors note stating that my partner had to start a new medication for his illness( which had to be monitored for several weeks) which was by the way pre existing. No questions asked. I just faxed all the receipts in and we had a check for the full amount.

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Re Pre-existing conditions:

 

I’ve never worried about this before but now I need to know a little more about it. I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and have very few manifestations. However, potential problems of the disease over the years are numerous but not certain. So does this mean that should anything develop later that can be attributed to a possible autoimmune problem, that a claim could be denied unless I have pre-existing conditions covered? I think I’ve answered my own question just by posing it but will ask it anyway.

 

 

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We used the citi American advantage card for a Mexican cruise. Total outlay was around 3800 dollars for two people. This was a non Seabourn cruise. Got reimbursed by a simple doctors note stating that my partner had to start a new medication for his illness( which had to be monitored for several weeks) which was by the way pre existing. No questions asked. I just faxed all the receipts in and we had a check for the full amount.

 

wesport and bitob-

I was looking at the Citi American advantage website and couldn't find the trip cancellation benefit. Mind telling which specific card that was? And under what provision you made claims?

Thanks.

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Its the American Airlines Advantage Platinum Select card. $95 fee per year. Sometimes the website shows the trip cancellation, and sometimes it doesn't Was just approved for the Sapphire card yesterday, so between the two will have $5000pp on the citi card and $10000 pp on the sapphire card.

 

 

wesport and bitob-

I was looking at the Citi American advantage website and couldn't find the trip cancellation benefit. Mind telling which specific card that was? And under what provision you made claims?

Thanks.

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Re Pre-existing conditions:

 

I’ve never worried about this before but now I need to know a little more about it. I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and have very few manifestations. However, potential problems of the disease over the years are numerous but not certain. So does this mean that should anything develop later that can be attributed to a possible autoimmune problem, that a claim could be denied unless I have pre-existing conditions covered? I think I’ve answered my own question just by posing it but will ask it anyway.

 

 

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I always apply for Pre-existing for me AF and DW’s Hashimoto which is an autoimmune disease but have never had to make a claim relating to these as they are controlled and never an issue (touch wood). Last year I dislocated my ankle skiing and they paid up but then I don’t think even an insurance company could ever related the two. I try to take out the insurance with the same company so they have a history, I hope this helps if any issue arises.

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wesport and bitob-

 

I was looking at the Citi American advantage website and couldn't find the trip cancellation benefit. Mind telling which specific card that was? And under what provision you made claims?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

It’s in the booklet that comes with the card that no one ever reads

 

We cancelled 4 cruises when I fell seriously ill. Just needed medical certification.

 

Citi aa platinum select

 

 

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I always apply for Pre-existing for me AF and DW’s Hashimoto which is an autoimmune disease but have never had to make a claim relating to these as they are controlled and never an issue (touch wood). Last year I dislocated my ankle skiing and they paid up but then I don’t think even an insurance company could ever related the two. I try to take out the insurance with the same company so they have a history, I hope this helps if any issue arises.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5608888/brit-tourist-died-after-life-support-turned-off-because-family-couldnt-pay-7000-medical-bill/

In the story above, the man who developed renal failure following heat stress, was denied insurance because he hadn't mentioned having had peritonitis some years earlier, which to me seems totally unrelated. As soon as the hospital realised his hospital bill could not be paid, they turned off his life support.

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5608888/brit-tourist-died-after-life-support-turned-off-because-family-couldnt-pay-7000-medical-bill/

In the story above, the man who developed renal failure following heat stress, was denied insurance because he hadn't mentioned having had peritonitis some years earlier, which to me seems totally unrelated. As soon as the hospital realised his hospital bill could not be paid, they turned off his life support.

 

:eek:

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5608888/brit-tourist-died-after-life-support-turned-off-because-family-couldnt-pay-7000-medical-bill/

In the story above, the man who developed renal failure following heat stress, was denied insurance because he hadn't mentioned having had peritonitis some years earlier, which to me seems totally unrelated. As soon as the hospital realised his hospital bill could not be paid, they turned off his life support.

 

OMG that is a sad story.

I'm sorry as an ex-nurse I can't se how peritonitis in 2015, even due to alcohol, can't be linked to renal failure caused by dehydration in 2018. Usually they say if you have a one off hospital visit but have not had any further admissions for 12 months and are not on any medications, it is not an issue. I think the insurance company has some liability in this case, as well as the hospital.

 

Julie

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It’s in the booklet that comes with the card that no one ever reads

 

We cancelled 4 cruises when I fell seriously ill. Just needed medical certification.

 

Citi aa platinum select

 

That will teach me to read the small print! I already have that card. (And will get the CSR.)

Thanks bitob and wesport.

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