Outside Vendor Travel Insurance Recommendations

My wife and I just booked our annual anniversary cruise for Carnival Dream (two way tie for favorite ship) out of New Orleans (much love for this city) this summer. We would have done so earlier, but financial uncertainty, etc delayed us a bit. Anyway, there is a small, but real chance of the need to cancel. My wife is starting nursing school in late August, and there may (but most likely will not) be an introductory meeting during our cruise. The school does not know its schedule yet. We like to dot all of of our I's and cross our T's, so I am wondering what insurance options others have used?

1) If we had to cancel for the reason listed above, are there any plans out there that would cover us? We know we would likely be able to cancel within the time frame to lose just the deposit, but didn't know if any cost effective policies exist that would let us "cancel for any reason," and if so, if it would be worth the cost (ie. less than the cost of deposit).

2) Our hotel in NOLA has a refund policy of up to a few days before so that is no issue. Our flight on the other hand, is worth insuring. Any suggestions/experiences?

3) Beyond our potential circumstances, any suggestions of independent insurers? I have heard of insuring against port cancellations, etc that go far beyond Carnival's plan. I have also heard that missing the debarkation for "cancelled flights" is covered by Carnivals Plan, but not delayed flights.

We purchased CCL's policy last year for our Breeze cruise due to the fear that labor issues with Spirit Airlines may cause cancelled flights, but then Hurricane Harvey hit, shutting down Galveston, delaying debarkation by 6 days. We got off in New Orleans, and the "Trip Interruption" clause covered our hotel, Lyft transportation, and meals during the time in the city before we got onto our rescheduled flight the next day. We learned the value of trip insurance, and were so glad we had it! As for this trip, if we have to eat some costs, so be it, but we are interested in options, especially for the flight and deposit.

You'll see a lot of recommendations on this site to check out insuremytrip.com. They quote you offers from several different providers with several different levels of coverage - including options with cancel for any reason. I can't tell you if the policies are affordable because that's very subjective, and the policies with cancel for any reason seem to be the higher priced ones - though compared to the cruise line offered "insurance" it seems to be more reasonable. Unfortunately, I don't have any specific recommendations - I'm also shopping trip insurance for my upcoming cruise, but I've never purchased it before.

For the first question of "My wife is starting nursing school in late August, and there may (but most likely will not) be an introductory meeting during our cruise." and "

You've done a good job of researching though to know to make this statement

www.tripinsurancestore.com

www.insuremytrip.com

My wife and I just booked our annual anniversary cruise for Carnival Dream (two way tie for favorite ship) out of New Orleans (much love for this city) this summer. We would have done so earlier, but financial uncertainty, etc delayed us a bit. Anyway, there is a small, but real chance of the need to cancel. My wife is starting nursing school in late August, and there may (but most likely will not) be an introductory meeting during our cruise. The school does not know its schedule yet. We like to dot all of of our I's and cross our T's, so I am wondering what insurance options others have used?

 

1) If we had to cancel for the reason listed above, are there any plans out there that would cover us? We know we would likely be able to cancel within the time frame to lose just the deposit, but didn't know if any cost effective policies exist that would let us "cancel for any reason," and if so, if it would be worth the cost (ie. less than the cost of deposit).

 

2) Our hotel in NOLA has a refund policy of up to a few days before so that is no issue. Our flight on the other hand, is worth insuring. Any suggestions/experiences?

 

3) Beyond our potential circumstances, any suggestions of independent insurers? I have heard of insuring against port cancellations, etc that go far beyond Carnival's plan. I have also heard that missing the debarkation for "cancelled flights" is covered by Carnivals Plan, but not delayed flights.

 

We purchased CCL's policy last year for our Breeze cruise due to the fear that labor issues with Spirit Airlines may cause cancelled flights, but then Hurricane Harvey hit, shutting down Galveston, delaying debarkation by 6 days. We got off in New Orleans, and the "Trip Interruption" clause covered our hotel, Lyft transportation, and meals during the time in the city before we got onto our rescheduled flight the next day. We learned the value of trip insurance, and were so glad we had it! As for this trip, if we have to eat some costs, so be it, but we are interested in options, especially for the flight and deposit.

If you've "just paid" the initial payment deposit (within the past several days), then I'd strongly suggest that you contact

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

They are insurance brokers (commission paid by insurer, *not* the traveler) who work with several vetted insurers, and offer quite a few different policies.

But CALL THEM, and don't rely upon the online summaries.

The "fine print" matters a *lot* with insurance, and most complaints seem to stem from not fully understanding what is/is not covered.

As you are thinking, it's likely that CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) coverage will be a good plan for you.

We get our policies through Trip Insurance Store, using Travel Insured.

We also get the policy within 20 days of first payment, so that there is not any exclusion of pre-existing conditions.

And we usually also get the add-on CFAR coverage, which does add in cost, but certainly provides peace of mind, in situations like yours.

If a CFAR claim is made, they'll pay 75% of the covered amount, in *cash*.

(My understanding is that most cruise lines CFAR coverage provides a "credit" for a future cruise, often within a time limit.)

Give them a call, and good luck!

GC

TravelGuard has a policy that lets you cancel for any reason.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, I have played with both sites and spoken to reps on the phone. My main concern about my wife's school is no longer a concern, and all is good there! As for insurance options, it is a lot easier now that I don't need to worry about CFAR. I am leaning towards Nationwide as a provider.

Thanks for the help!