Insurance question.

[springs741]

I have booked an Alsakan cruise for June of 2013. Yes, I know, that is a long time from now. I need the help of my friends here regarding insurance. I will buy insurance but don't know how to price the estimate of vacation cost. I can't make the hotel reservations until about a year out and the same with flights. I was planning to book as I had the money saved. This is a family trip with 8 of us flying from Houston to Seattle and planning to spend a few days in Seattle prior to cruise. Do I use the cost of current flights and hotel? Any advice? Thanks for all the help not only with this question but with all I have learned here on CC.

[TXSAIL]

i don't really see the need to buy the insurance any time soon ? I would just wait till you have all your ducks in a row.:)

[klfrodo]

i don't really see the need to buy the insurance any time soon ? I would just wait till you have all your ducks in a row.:)

 

Could very well be they need or want the "Cancel for any Reason coverage" or they have concerns about themselves or loved ones that would require "pre-existing medical coverage" which in both cases must be purchased within XX number of days of making initial deposits.

 

Now,, having said all that.

1st of all verify what I'm saying with you insurance provider.

2nd,, I'm very sure that you can purchase your insurance now with what costs that are known to you now. Then,,, as you make additional travel plans ie purchase airline tickets,,, you call your insurance provider and let them know your additional costs. Your insurance cost will most likely go up and you just pay the difference.

[klmorg]

We have to buy our travel insurance within 15-20 days of booking a cruise for the pre-existing clause waiver. It is the second thing I buy after my deposit. We always buy it independently thru insuremytrip.

 

To answer the OP's question, you can estimate your total non-refundable expenses, or you can always call them to adjust the total cost of your travel up or down. They will adjust the price of your policy & send you a revised plan. Often times, the cost of your policy doesn't change.

[martinchem]

As far as hotel costs, most are refundable if canceled before a certain time on day of arrival or 24 hr prior.

[BananaAnna]

i don't really see the need to buy the insurance any time soon ? I would just wait till you have all your ducks in a row.:)

 

I 100% disagree with this. In order for pre-existing issues to be covered insurance has to be purchased within a certain window of booking the cruise. (I'm thinking it's about 2 weeks but since I book my insurance within 24 hours of booking the cruise I couldn't say for sure. And I'm actually going to correct myself here - it may be possible to purchase pre-existing coverage later but as an added-on premium.)

Even if you're perfectly healthy now, let's say you decide to wait 6 months to purchase your insurance, but 5 months from now find you're diagnosed with a heart ailment - bingo - now heart ailment becomes a pre-existing condition when you actually do purchase insurance and if an issue were to arise it shouldn't be covered.

Travel insurance isn't based on % on the dollar like sales tax. It runs more like $0 to $499 = a price, $500 to $999 = a price, etc. When I'm booking, once I surpass $500, I'll go ahead and get coverage for $950 even though I don't expect my costs to go that high.

And you should be able to increase coverage if need be. I've done that before when we decided to add a few days of sightseeing on pre-cruise.

 

As mentioned earlier - check with your insurance provider. This is based on my experience and Your Mileage May Vary.

 

(PS - we did Alaska cruise in July 2007 and it was one of the best EVER!!)

[AryMay]

Call Steve at the tripinsurancestore dot com. He only sells policies for the top five or so insurance companies and knows the ins and outs of each one. He will be able to advise you on which policy best meets your needs and answer your question that you posted.

 

I have used this site for our last three trips and have been very pleased with the VERY personal service I got.

[springs741]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I should have posted that in the past I have used an online insurance company. I have always been happy with them but don't have a "person" to ask these questions. Maybe time to look around for a little more personal service.

Happy Cruising!

[BananaAnna]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I should have posted that in the past I have used an online insurance company. I have always been happy with them but don't have a "person" to ask these questions. Maybe time to look around for a little more personal service.

Happy Cruising!

 

I use an online company as well - TravelGuard - and have been pleased with the service when I've called in with questions. They spoke english, clarified my questions and gave me easy-to-understand answers.

Have never had to file a claim, thankfully.

[klmorg]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I should have posted that in the past I have used an online insurance company. I have always been happy with them but don't have a "person" to ask these questions. Maybe time to look around for a little more personal service.

Happy Cruising!

 

The folks at insuremytrip have always been very helpful & pleasant. You can call or do a live chat with them anytime, number is on their website.

[AryMay]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I should have posted that in the past I have used an online insurance company. I have always been happy with them but don't have a "person" to ask these questions. Maybe time to look around for a little more personal service.

Happy Cruising!

 

That's exactly what has kept me using tripinsurancestore dot com. They only deal with the bigger name companies like Travel Guard, CSA, etc. but they help you understand the differences and are there to help you pick which policy is best for your needs. I've never had to file a claim, but it is reassuring to know there would be someone to guide me if needed.

 

Not sure if I would pick a company based on their sense of humor, but Steve, the owner, is a real hoot! :)

[cuyahoga11]

i don't really see the need to buy the insurance any time soon ? I would just wait till you have all your ducks in a row.:)

 

Very bad advice if you need coverage for pre-existing conditions

[HeidiHo]

One thing I hear often here is, "We don't need to worry about pre-existing conditions because we don't have any." I always wondered if pre-existing conditions only applied to the travelers or if it also applied to close family members who are not travelling with you. I was buying travel insurance for my son a few months ago and decided to ask the rep and she said it DOES apply to close family members who are not travelling with you. In other words. lets say you and your spouse are cruising together and are perfectly healthy with no pre-existing conditions but one of you has parent who is not travelling with you but has a pre-existing condition then, yes, you DO need insurance with the pre-existing conditions clause. You would not be covered if that parent became ill or passed away causing you to cancel or interrupt your cruise. That's what I was told anyway. I don't remember what insurance company I was buying it from though.

[BananaAnna]

One thing I hear often here is, "We don't need to worry about pre-existing conditions because we don't have any." I always wondered if pre-existing conditions only applied to the travelers or if it also applied to close family members who are not travelling with you. I was buying travel insurance for my son a few months ago and decided to ask the rep and she said it DOES apply to close family members who are not travelling with you. In other words. lets say you and your spouse are cruising together and are perfectly healthy with no pre-existing conditions but one of you has parent who is not travelling with you but has a pre-existing condition then, yes, you DO need insurance with the pre-existing conditions clause. You would not be covered if that parent became ill or passed away causing you to cancel or interrupt your cruise. That's what I was told anyway. I don't remember what insurance company I was buying it from though.

 

Thank you very much for posting this info. I had wondered but since I always purchase insurance promptly just never bothered to ask!