Cruise insurance

[Cajunmis]

Our final payment is coming up & iam thinking about getting cruise insurance. What company is the best & cheapest?

[Ken076]

Our final payment is coming up & iam thinking about getting cruise insurance. What company is the best & cheapest?

 

The specific Policy really based on your specific circumstances and requirements:

 

IMO the best "deal" is Travel-Insured purchased thru USAA if you're military and member of USAA. If you're near final payment, you may want to look at CSA Freestyle or CSA Comfort, as being policies that you can still get "Waiver of Pre-Existing conditions" with, at this late date!!!

 

The Carnival Berkely Policy provides low Medical coverage, marginal MedEvac coverage and no "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions". The Policy DOES offer Future Cruise CREDIT if your claim is denied as due to a Pre-Existing Condition and now includes cancellation coverage for Hurricane Warning and Job Layoff. If you cancel your Cruise before final Payment, the Carnival Policy premium is refundable. Carnival and Berkely both claim that the Policy also covers your independently purchased AirFare. The Carnival Policy is less expensive than the 3rd party policies if you're age is in the 70’s, as Age is not factored into Carnival Berkely’s premium as it is with 3rd Party Policies.

The 3rd Party Trip Insurance Policies such as CSA, Travel-Ex and Travel-Insured offer much higher coverages and are much less expensive if you're younger. They generally offer "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions" (which can expedite the claims process) if you purchase w/in 14-21 days of your Cruise Deposit; CSA allows you to purchase up to Final Payment and retain the Waiver. Otherwise, you can purchase Carnival Berkely Insurance up to 14 days before sailaway, and you can purchase most other policies practically up to sailaway. You MUST be physically fit to travel the day you purchase.

Most Policies are “Secondary” meaning that you have to first file claims with your own Health and/or Homeowners Insurance and be reimbursed/rejected by them, then the 3rd party Policy will pay what your insurance doesn’t pay (up to the limits of the policy). Primary Policies pay everything (up to limits of the Policy) without requiring you to first file and coordinate benefits with your personal policies, which can help expedite the claims process.

“Cancel for Any Reason” coverage is usually offered as an option, usually for additional 50% of the premium . It’s important to read the associated Policy as many policies do not pay 100% and many policies pay LESS the later you cancel. The Princess Berkely Policy offers 75% Cancel for Any Reason Future Cruise CREDIT.

You need to select a Policy at least somewhat based on your own situation/concerns (if traveling with kids, if prior medical conditions, if over age 70, if Military, if concerned about LayOff….:

TravelEx and TravelInsured insure kids free with insured adults.

USAA offers their members discounted (about 9%) Travel-Insured Policies with some expanded coverages.

TravelEX is PRIMARY and includes kids under 16 free and offers a Business/Military upgrade.

CSA Freestyle includes Cancellation for Layoff and for School Year Extension.

Patriot TRIP is PRIMARY coverage and includes Cancellation for Layoff, Cancelled Leave for Military, Fire & Police and Missed Cruise for Flight Delay.

TravelSafe includes Cancel for Hurricane Warning and Cancel for Any Reason (not always 100%).



You can compare Policies and Premiums for your specific age, destination, dates and cruise costs, at the Insurer's sites or at sites such as www.insuremytrip.com and www.buyamericaninsurance.com . Note that some Policies also have a $6 or $8 application Fee added-on.

 



If you're not into Research, checkout CSA Comfort and CSA Freestyle, and TravelInsured Trip Protector and AIG TravelGuard Premier Protect.



FIRST check your personal Health Plan for out-of-country coverage and your Homeowners and Credit Card for Trip Cancellation/Interruption & Baggage Loss/Delay coverage!!! (for example, World MasterCard includes Flight AD&D and Rental Car CDW, minimal Trip Cancellation/Delay and Baggage coverage, and Government Employee’s Blue Cross includes Out-of-Country Medical Coverage, via an out-of-country Provider Network. )

 

ken

[Ken076]

Our final payment is coming up & iam thinking about getting cruise insurance. What company is the best & cheapest?

 

The absolute "cheapest" Policies would include TravelEx Basic and Patriot TRIP. In your payment situation, if you want "Waiver of Pre-Existing conditions" you're going to have to pay quite a bit more to get CSA Freestyle or CSA Comfort. ken

[buddylover]

Our final payment is coming up & iam thinking about getting cruise insurance. What company is the best & cheapest?

 

Just one bit of info to know about.....some of the policies are 2nd party and not "primary" insurers. If the insurance is NOT primary, then you have to go thru your own insurance first, submit all kinds of paperwork to the cruise insurance showing what your own insurance paid out before they will kick in and pay. A primary cruise insurance (such as Travelex) will pay 1st and not make you file a claim to get coverage from your own insurance company before their insurance kicks in. Be sure you check all this out before purchasing. Carnival's own insurance is secondary NOT primary.

[sbnuggie]

Prepare to be cross eyed....... Do a search regarding travel insurance here on CC there are oodles of stories/advice and helpful hints, Ken76 has given you great info and I've seen him post excellent info on other threads about travel insurance. You will buy it once you read a story by another member kmlorg or something to that effect. Do your research though before buying but be forewarned, you will be crosseyed....

 

PS Althoug CC is great, do a google search about travel insurance as well