Travel Insurance Question

[digby]

I always take out travel insurance when cruising. I recently heard of some policies which would allow you to cancel your trip for ANY reason. Anyone know which companies offer such policies? I looked on insuremytrip.com, but didn't find any.

[HawkeyeCruisr]

I think some polices have that feature as an option (at greater cost) within the policy itself. You should call the Insuremytrip people and talk to a representative . . . they have always been very helpful when I have talked to them.

[rahrah50]

I just checked at insuremytrip. You have to put in your info, then choose a company. I used Travelguard Gold it brings up the terms of the policy. On the left side about half way down you can choose the option cancel for any reason and provides the cost. I do know I saw it on some of the policies when I was looking yesterday, but I don't recall any of the other names. It is an option you can choose to include in your policy or waive.

[wripro]

Travelguard does have that option on some of its policies but I'm not sure if they will reimburse everything or 50%.

[Benita]

Another easy to use site is http://www.tripinsurancestore.com You put in your age, trip dates, price, etc. and it will give you quotes on bunch of companies. About halfway down the chart is the "cancel for any reason" cost and details.

[Carolina Cruiserr]

Check out the Travelex Select policy on insuremytrip.com.

[Benita]

I like Travelex - they have pretty good rates and nothing objectionable in the fine print (yes, I read the fine print).

[raffeer]

At the recommendation of someone on CC I've been using Squaremouth.com. They seen to offer a wider selection of companies.

I did check rates among the "big three" - Insuremytrip, Tripinsurancestore and Squaremouth. At least on the policies I was looking at, trip cancellation included and purchase before final but after initial payment, the prices were identical.

[digby]

Thanks for the advice. I did find some policies which allow you to cancel for any reason, but they are VERY expensive. One from TravelEx would cost us nearly $6000. and still only cover 80% of the trip. I think we'll stick with 'regular' insurance.

[happy cruzer]

Alot of the bigger cruise lines offer travel insurance with cancel for any reason that is somewhat affordable because they give something like a 90 percent future credit on another cruise as the any reason cancellation. Might check if O's does that??

[Benita]

Alot of the bigger cruise lines offer travel insurance with cancel for any reason that is somewhat affordable because they give something like a 90 percent future credit on another cruise as the any reason cancellation. Might check if O's does that??

 

I would not recommend buying trip cancellation coverage from the cruise line as it will not cover you in the event the cruise line goes bankrupt.

[wripro]

I agree 100%.

[iamtrustworthy]

I would not recommend buying trip cancellation coverage from the cruise line as it will not cover you in the event the cruise line goes bankrupt.

 

Hi Benita,

 

You are completely correct. Cruise West is a perfect example of why no one should ever buy their "pre-departure waiver plan" from the cruise line.

 

In fact, even though many peple refer to the cruise lines' "pre-departure waiver plans" as travel insurance, the reality is that those plans are not a real travel insurance plan. They have elements of travel insurance in them, but a "pre-departure waiver plan" is a promise to pay.

 

Steve Dasseos

[dwelsh]

As`this is the "O" thread, what are your views on the insurance offered by "O?"

[iamtrustworthy]

As`this is the "O" thread, what are your views on the insurance offered by "O?"

 

Hi dwelsh,

 

I don't know if you are asking me, but if so, you can tell if the Oceania plan is a real travel insurance plan or a "pre-departure waiver plan" by the way the policy is written.

 

You can also find out by calling Oceania and asking them these things:

 

1) "What is the Oceania protection plan called?"

 

2) "Is the Oceania protection plan a 'pre-departure waiver plan' ?"

 

3) "If Oceania goes out of business, will the protection plan give me all my money back?"

 

4) "Who is the Underwriter?"

 

I hope this helps you,

 

Steve Dasseos

[LHT28]

I did not read all the fine print but here is the insurance administered by BerkelyCare that they offer

 

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/findcruise/insurance.aspx

 

We buy from a Canadian insurance company so I have no experience with the cruise line insurance

[happy cruzer]

My two cents based on the link provided by LHT28 is that O's policy is not as good as those on insuremytrip, it may be more cost effective for folks who want minimal coverages. I mentioned the cruiseline policies based on HAL and Princess who do seem to offer better products for people interested in cancel for any reason and are not worried about cruiseline bankruptcy coverage. I apologize if I opened a can of worms.

 

No policy covers everything, the devil is in the details. I determine my high risk concerns and cover those such as med evac and medical.

 

I appreciate iamtrustworthy and cruiseco for providing tons of good advice on travel insurance. They have provided many great posts over the years, just search on their usernames for lots of detailed discussion :)

[iamtrustworthy]

I appreciate iamtrustworthy and cruiseco for providing tons of good advice on travel insurance. They have provided many great posts over the years, just search on their usernames for lots of detailed discussion :)

 

Hi happy cruzer,

 

Thank you for your kind words. I am happy to answer any questions about trip, travel or cruise insurance.

 

Steve Dasseos

[donaldsc]

Did you try CALLING Insuremytrip? They are very good on the phone. Often, a phone call is much quicker than the internet.

 

DON

[TudorSue]

I just spoke with a rep at insuremytrip today to confirm my reading of terms in an AMEX policy they sell. She was very helpful in explaining definitions and coverage, and even called AMEX to get confirmation. My final payment is due today for a 1/12/11 Regatta cruise.

 

BTW, for New Yorkers like myself AMEX offers several trip insurance policies that will waive the pre-existing condition clause for medical coverage even if you made your initial cruise deposit months ago...IF you have had ongoing health insurance coverage since your cruise deposit date (such as private insurance or medicare). Their policy rates were competitive with providers who have 90-180 day exclusion clauses on pre-existing medical conditions. Policies do vary state-by-state.

 

I don't usually wait this long to purchase trip insurance, but since we booked our cruise almost a year in advance with a fully refundable deposit (until today), we did not want to pay $500+ for TI until we knew for sure we'd be able to go. Happily, the affirmative.