Trip Insurance and Excursions

[anniegsu]

Can you include the price of excursions on your trip insurance? If so, do you have to prepay for them before purchasing the policy?

 

Thanks!

[cruiseco]

Can you include the price of excursions on your trip insurance? If so, do you have to prepay for them before purchasing the policy?

 

Thanks!

 

Every plan I'm aware of will let you insure pre-paid, non-refundable excursions for trip cancellation. Where it gets tricky is when there is an itinerary change and you miss the port. With most insurers if the cause of the change is something covered for trip cancellation/interruption (weather, etc) you'll be OK if there's no refund from the excursion company.

 

But if the change is not due to a reason covered under the policy then you'll probably be out of luck. For example, some ships have been skipping Mazatlan due to the increased crime there and with most plans that's not a covered reason. Some ports are missed due to mechanical problems with the ship and some plans don't cover that.

 

You do not have to pre-pay the excursions before buying the policy. Insure the cruise then if you add excursions at a later date just have them add that amount to the existing policy. If you need coverage for pre-existing medical conditions be sure to add the excursion to the policy in the time frame needed to keep the pre-ex coverage in effect -- 10 days, 14 days, whatever from the time you paid for the excursions.

[klfrodo]

To add what Cruiseco is saying, I can't ever recall a situation where my prepaid excursion was not fully refundable. Since the cruiseline or the excursion company will refund your money if you cannot make the excursion, insurance provides no benefit.

My wife got ill the morning of an excursion and the cruiseline refunded our money.

[Bowie MeMe]

On a trip to Africa we had a balloon over the migration excursion that was very expensive. I believe it was a privately offered excursion paid through the safari company as an option (prepaid?). long story short I was sick as a dog and DH never wanted to go in the first place. With a note from the nurse that was called in the middle of the night (written on the hotel stationary) I had no problem getting all my money back for the excursion about 6 weeks after our return.

 

The same trip we had theater tickets in London at the cost of several hundred dollars. That was the day after they bombed the subway in London. Our hotel was in the area of the bombing. The hotel did not charge us for not using the room (could really not get there as no transportation) and that money not charged to credit card. The theater tickets that were prepaid were no good because it was "an act of terroism".

 

I guess what this proves is that it can go either way with the same company on the same trip. I tend to add as much as I can to my travel insurance for the major component of the trip. I add the air fare. I add prepaid hotels (though I always try to book changeable hotels) and excursions I add for big cost items. My TA handles the policy and adds to the total as it goes into place (do my own air and pre/post travels). I even asked her to buy an insurance policy for an upcoming trip for a vendor that did not have the insurance I preferred. We also use Medjet Assist as a yearly medical evacuation insurance so I get minimum of medical insurance that I can buy in package. Over insure Probably but then I have paid insurance on house for 40 years and the car for 45 and only 1 claim. That's the way I like it!!!!

[anniegsu]

Thanks all!

Is it pretty easy to go back and add additional coverage when you buy a policy online?

[cruiseco]

Thanks all!

Is it pretty easy to go back and add additional coverage when you buy a policy online?

 

Just give them a call, tell them what the new total trip cost is and pay any additional premium. They'll send you a revised confirmation showing the new info.

[KatSt]

If you prepay your excursions and then cancel the cruise after final payment are your excursions refunded? I know the cruise fare isn't. I'm asking about excursions purchased through the ship.

 

Thanks.