Perfect Plan and All Questions Answered!

[mtsnd1900]

Difficulties picking a travel insurance policy seem to be a common trend of members of these forums, myself included. One truth we all hold in common is not to buy it from the cruise line as it is much cheaper to go through a third party.

 

After reading the boards, scouring the internet and trying to decipher what is needed, I did whet was the best thing possible. I called INSUREMYTRIP.COM directly and talked to the agent.

 

we walked through the different screens, found the perfect policy with an A+ rating, and paid a lot less than had I picked it out myself. I then found out that they were also located in RI should I ever have questions.

 

Simply put, if i purchased it off the cruise website, i would have paid a lot. Had I gone to the companies web pages i would have bought to much. Calling, talking to and having all my questions answered, well worth the 10 minute phone call and savings. Similar to buying a cruise - if you call a live TA, you will probably get a better deal or some room credit.

 

Would I ever cruise without it? nope! Having seen multiple evacuations, and ending up in the medical facility ourselves, if we use it once it will pay for itself, especially the cancel for any reason portions.

 

One additional thing - I find out now that buying it closer to the day you put down the initial down payment, preferably within 10 days, is much better than waiting. For our next cruise on the Allure we waited. The following cruise was purchased the same day and the comfort of that cancel for any reason is already in place as well as the locked in rate.

[Keith1010]

Very informative post.

 

Keith

[cruiseco]

One truth we all hold in common is not to buy it from the cruise line as it is much cheaper to go through a third party.

 

.

 

That's not always the case. As the premiums for the cruise line policies are generally not based on the age of the travelers, those in the upper age brackets can often find their least-expensive option is the plan offered through the cruise line.

 

This is also especially true when it comes to "Cancel For Any Reason" plans. With many (not all) cruise line plans you get this option without paying any additional premium. With a third-party plan you'll pay an additional 50 - 60% over and above the base premium.

 

It's true that with the cruise line plan, if you use the cancel for any reason benefit you will be compensated in a credit toward a future cruise -- not a cash refund. But with the third-party plans they will black out coverage in the 48 hour window prior to your departure so last-minute emergencies aren't covered. There's downsides to both. But if you're concerned about having to cancel because your kid's team just might make the State finals or some other non-covered reason the cruise line plan is almost always the least expensive option as long as you'd want to reschedule the cruise on a future date.

 

If you just blow off the option of using the cruise line plan without checking the cost and what's covered you might be spending more than you should.

[Cuizer2]

One additional thing - I find out now that buying it closer to the day you put down the initial down payment, preferably within 10 days, is much better than waiting. For our next cruise on the Allure we waited. The following cruise was purchased the same day and the comfort of that cancel for any reason is already in place as well as the locked in rate.

 

You can cancel for any reason with a full refund up until final payment. Thus there is very little need for insurance prior to that time. Also, cancel for any reason insurance is more expensive than a covered peril policy. Usually cancel for any reason policies have a very large deductible (about 25%) where a covered peril policy usually has a small to no deductible.