Unique Situation: Need to disembark a day early.Will I benefit from travel insurance?

[JeanTangerine]

I'm going on the Celebrity cruise departing Vancouver, BC on 9/12/2014 and ending in Yokohama on 9/28/2014. I have paid 50% of the cruise cost as deposit, and the rest of the payment is due soon. I am currently signed up for celebrity's travel insurance/trip protector, but I don't think I've paid for it yet.

 

I just found out yesterday that my friend has set the date of her wedding to be 9/27/2014 in Seoul, Korea. I would really like to attend her wedding, and that would mean ending my cruise a day early to do so.

 

I was wondering if I will benefit from the travel insurance at all, as I usually don't buy travel insurance. I'm young and in good health, and I'm planning to arrive in Vancouver from San Francisco more than 24 hours before the ship leaves.

 

The only travel risk I can see is I have a short frame of time from when the ship docks in Tokyo at 5:30am on 9/27 to when the flight at Narita leaves at 7:55am. Does the travel insurance cover missed flights (and costs to rebook a significantly more expensive flight with a different airline to make the wedding in time)? And if it does, will it even be valid in my case since I'm catching a flight a day before my cruise ends?

 

Thank you in advance for any helpful advice or expertise.

Edited June 13, 2014 by JeanTangerine

[Louise22]

Your boat docks at 5:30am and your flight leaves at 7:55am? You will never make it unless you are walking next door from the boat to the plane. You could possibly not even make that if unloading is delayed at all.

[sirwired]

Agreed; you'll almost certainly never make that flight. Heck, two hours is the normal time it's suggested you check in for an international flight; as in, you are supposed to be at the airport two hours ahead of time. Google says it's an hour to get from Harumi (assuming that's where you are docking) to Narita without traffic. And you don't get to hop off the ship the second the mooring lines are fast; there is some paperwork the ship has to do first.

 

I'd think that insurance might cover you if you had a more reasonable connection time, but you don't.

 

Book a more expensive flight that leaves later. What time is the wedding, and how long will it take to get there from the airport? You don't want to arrive at the last second, but you also need to allow enough time to go through immigration and transit. (And arrange for an airport shuttle, keeping in mind that ride is going to be costly.)

 

If you do decide to go this route, you absolutely need to let the line know WAY ahead of time (like start writing them now) so they can make the appropriate arrangements for you to disembark a port early.

[Keith1010]

As others said you won't make the flight.

 

You also need to find out from Celebrity if you can get off a day early.

 

Keith

[swoonx]

Travel insurances pay in emergencies. You just changed your plans and want to to visit a friend's wedding. Sorry that I have to say that, but no insurance will pay for something like that.

[pms4104]

If you are buying cruise line insurance but not buying your air from the cruise line, those air arrangements will not be covered by that policy.

[sitraveler]

I don't think you know enough about travel insurance to decide based on your inquiry. The insurance covers unforeseen events like illness, injury or family issues back home. It has nothing to do with leaving the cruise early for personal reasons. If your scheduled travel is effected only then can the trip coverage come into play.

[cherylandtk]

Jean,

Your cruise ends as an overnight at Yokohama, so it will be no trouble to disembark on the day you arrive there; many other passengers will do that with you. However, I agree with others that you will not make that early flight. Celebrity lists their arrival time as 6 am, not 5:30. It is likely no passengers will be off the ship until 7 at the earliest. Can you take a later flight? (Check to see, but I think Haneda is closer than Narita)

 

Your best option may be to contact Celebrity and see if you can obtain permission to disembark early in Hakodate two days earlier. This may or may not even be possible; it depends on both approval from the Japanese authorities as well as the cruise line having arranged for facilities to process immigration activities at that port. It is not a regular starting or ending port, so this option may be difficult. If you choose this option, be sure to get the approval in writing.

 

If you cannot obtain approval in writing before your final payment is due, you may have to choose between attending the wedding or taking the cruise. Did you purchase this cruise in the US? If so, you have only a week or so before your final payment is due, so you will need to take fast action.

Edited June 17, 2014 by cherylandtk

[Twickenham]

The only travel risk I can see is I have a short frame of time from when the ship docks in Tokyo at 5:30am on 9/27 to when the flight at Narita leaves at 7:55am. Does the travel insurance cover missed flights (and costs to rebook a significantly more expensive flight with a different airline to make the wedding in time)? And if it does, will it even be valid in my case since I'm catching a flight a day before my cruise ends?

 

Where are you seeing a 7:55 am flight out of NRT? I'm not seeing anything before 9 am... But in any case, a look at a map tells you that any flight out of NRT is a non-starter. Look at flying HND-GMP; I'm seeing an 8:30 flight on JAL, an 8:50 flight on ANA and a 9:00 flight on Asiana, all are probably makeable for you.

[sirwired]

Where are you seeing a 7:55 am flight out of NRT?

 

Vanilla Air; it's the low-fare subsidiary of ANA.

[JeanTangerine]

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice!

 

I decided not to get travel insurance, as it doesn't really apply to me shortening my trip.

 

Yes, I was looking at a Vanilla Air flight, but I'll look into later flights (or possibly disembarking a port earlier). My friend's wedding is at 3pm on Saturday 9/27, and the wedding venue is less than an hour from Incheon by public transit. If the ship docks in Tokyo on the 27th at 5:30am (it docks in Yokohama on 9/28 at 6am), what is an estimate of when I can be off the ship and free to leave on the morning of the 27th?

 

My family won't let me cancel the cruise, as this is our annual family vacation :o. They were like, "Well, if you miss the flight, I'm sure your friend understands that you tried, and then you can spend one more day with us :D."

[swoonx]

I decided not to get travel insurance

 

By the way: You can't get an insurance for something that happened in the past.

 

So even if travel insurances would cover events like a friend's wedding (which they don't cover), you got the invitation before.

 

That would be cheating ;)

[6rugrats]

By the way: You can't get an insurance for something that happened in the past.

 

So even if travel insurances would cover events like a friend's wedding (which they don't cover), you got the invitation before.

 

That would be cheating ;)

 

I think you mean you can't insure a known risk?

[swoonx]

I think you mean you can't insure a known risk?

 

Well, you can insure risks, but not known issues.

 

Why should someone give you an insurance for $50, when it's known that you need a flight for $1000 ;) That's like buying a life insurance when you know that you will die in 2 days.

Edited June 19, 2014 by swoonx