Insurance for a cruise 2+ years from now

[Vagabondage]

Hi fellow cruisers --

 

We're total believers in the necessity for good trip insurance and have used it religiously for decades. It has saved our bacon more than once. We used to feel that we understood the ins and outs of various policies pretty well, as we used to plan and lead foreign study tours and so had to recommend insurance choices to our tour participants, too.

 

But several factors have changed. We just hit our 70's, which escalates costs a lot. We now cruise as well as continue to do foreign landbased travel, and cruising is a whole new ballgame as far as insurance goes. And our medical histories have become more complex, necessitating a second look at how different insurers handle pre-existing conditions.

 

We've used InsureMyTrip to compare and buy policies since that site was created years ago, but when I went to insure a cruise we just booked (Celebrity Equinox's Western Caribbean + Mardi Gras, January 2017) I got increasingly confused. Most insurers do not offer a policy for a trip that far in the future, but I was worried that if I didn't buy coverage within 10-21 days of initial payment on the cruise, I wouldn't receive a waiver of pre-existing conditions. For me, with serious health issues of long standing, that pre-ex piece of the puzzle is vital.

 

I had noticed a lot of glowing reviews here on this board for Steve Dasseos at www.TripInsuranceStore.com, so I decided to take my questions up with him. I had never dealt with the company before. First I spent a lot of time at the website, which is extremely helpful in itself -- WAY more info than I found at INsureMyTrip. But still I had questions.

 

Steve was very responsive, and it wasn't just a boilerplate e-mail. His answers were so helpful that I thought I'd share them here, since I suspect there are a lot of others here on CC who are having to readjust their thinking about trip insurance because they're new to cruising or have gotten older or have new medical concerns.

 

Here are my questions and Steve's very patient answers:

 

Q: It's common to book cruises when they're first announced, 2+ years out. This particular cruise, which is Celebrity's first to include New Orleans Mardi Gras as well as their normal Western Caribbean itinerary, is already 85% sold out within a month from first offering, with 2+ years till it takes place. I know you deal with a lot of cruisers, because the Cruise Critic forums is where I first came across all the glowing reviews of your firm. Do most cruisers wait and book insurance when they make final payment? I do NOT want to rely on the cruise lines' own flimsy policies, even though they're available now.

A: I am very thankful for the kind things people say about us on the Cruise Critic forums.

 

Over the last 4 years we are seeing a lot more people book cruises 2+ years in advance. And many times people are booking cruises that they may not take because they are also wait-listed on another future cruise, but they want to be sure they have one good itinerary in the future.

 

I have 3 plans you can get as late as your Final Payment that will cover pre-existing medical conditions so that won't be a problem. And most people booking that far in advance get one of these if they themselves have pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existing medical conditions can also apply to non-traveling family members, so if the travelers are healthy, I have other plans that always cover pre-existing medical conditions of non-traveling family members.

Q. I've had heart problems since birth and had major cardiac surgery in 2012, take several meds for it, etc. Likewise I have autoimmune illnesses including Crohn's disease, which also necessitated major surgery in 2012 and several meds I take regularly, but in recent months there have been no unforeseen problems with either issue -- just the ongoing symptoms I'll always have, and which I don't usually bother my doctors about because there's little more they can do about them.

 

Since my health issues are lifelong, I have never dared to purchase a policy that did not include a pre-ex waiver. That's why I always feel I have to purchase travel insurance almost immediately. But I'm now wondering if I've been overly cautious and can consider other policies if nothing unusual has happened with my health? Can you please tell me whether, if my health remains as stable as it is now, it would be safe to purchase a policy that did NOT have a pre-ex waiver but did have a 60 day or similar lookback period?

 

A: If you have ongoing symptoms you will want to have the Waiver of the Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Exclusion. That way there are no surprises (I hate insurance surprises). We should talk about this in person.

 

In the meantime, here's a good explanation of a pre-ex condition: A Pre-Existing Medical Condition is any medical condition, which manifested itself, became acute or exhibited symptoms which would have caused one to seek diagnosis, care or treatment; or which medical advice, diagnosis, care or treatment was recommended or received (this includes being referred to a medical professional for any reason); or required taking prescribed drugs or medicine, unless the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is taken remains controlled without any change in the required prescription; or required medical treatment or treatment was recommended by a Legally Qualified Physician during the 60, 90 or 180 day Lookback Period prior to the day you buy a travel insurance policy.

Q: Can you tell me which three policies you think worth considering for 2017, even though we can't purchase one yet? And when might they become available?

 

A: The CSA Freesyle, Freestyle Luxe and Custom Luxe. They are available when your departure date is less than 18 months in the future. There may not be a big benefit to buy these right away because you likely do not have any non-refundable trip costs.

 

In addition, I potentially have another 2 plans from a company I used to use a lot before they decided to step away from the trip cancellation market in 2011. They just emailed me telling me they are coming back within 6 weeks so I'm looking forward to that.

 

You can see all the CSA Freestyle & Freestyle Luxe plan details here:

https://tripinsurancestore.com/csa-travel-insurance-plan-details/

 

You can see all the CSA Custom Luxe plan details here:

https://flexibletravelinsurance.com/csa-custom-travel-insurance-plans-detailed-description-page/

 

Q: Are the pre-ex waiver policies you buy at the time of final payment more expensive than ones that must be purchased shortly after initial payment?

 

A: The CSA Freestyle is cheaper than the other two. But its cost is right in line with my other plans that must be purchased shortly after initial payment

 

Q: I'm sure you know it's also not uncommon for cruisers to cancel a booking without penalty before final payment is due to the travel agent or cruise line. We recently did that with a cruise for this year when the dates became unworkable for us. The insurance I had purchased via InsureMyTrip, Travel Insured's Worldwide Trip Protector, stipulated that my refund for the canceled coverage could be applied to a new trip as long as (1) the replacement trip was within 2 years of my original purchase date, (2) I supplied Travel Insured with the new date before the date of our canceled departure, (3) We furnished proof that we had canceled the original cruise booking. This happened to work for us this time, as we had booked a replacement cruise at a later date and not yet insured it -- but I can see how we might easily have lost our entire premium. I need a primer on refund policies, I guess! Are some companies stricter than others, or are Travel Insured's refund rules the norm?

A: Funny you mention this - I am creating a new page that explains the Refund and Date Change Rules. Hopefully I'll finish it this weekend. The policies vary from easy to work with to not easy.

 

Q: In calculating trip cost, is it the net cost or MSRP that we use? For instance, if a cruise is booked at $2199 per person, but the cruise line and travel agent give you a combined $700 credit back, do you consider the trip cost $2199 or $1499?

 

A: You use the actual amount that you are paying out of pocket. If the credit back reduces your cash outlay you use the lower cost. If it's given as an onboard credit don't reduce by that amount.

 

Thanks for the good questions. I'll see where I can add these answers to my website.

So if you're shopping for cruise insurance, I do recommend spending some time educating yourself at the extensive and informative TripInsuranceStore website. Nobody has asked me to make the recommendation. I'm just a formerly confused, now-enlightened customer, one who is impressed with the personal attention Steve gives shoppers who haven't even purchased coverage through him yet. Way to go, Steve!

 

(I will caution you, though, that the fill-in form to request a quote comparison didn't work for me -- the responses Steve sent twice never showed up in my email inbox or even my spam folder. He said this happened only occasionally, and for baffling reasons, but if you should be one of that minority, just e-mail with your questions and you'll get a careful, personalized response as I did.)

 

Hope this is helpful to others!

[Happy2cruise]

I totally agree with you about Steve and his company:). We use them for all our travel insurance needs and have always gotten great advise and service. There is also a live chat on his website which we have used many times and have always gotten the answers we needed that way too.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Happy2cruise

[ptrpanpens]

Thank you for your post. I agree with you that Steve is the best and also, the most patient when you need advice for trip insurance. Since I found him, I will never use anyone else.

[mudscraper]

The above detailed post by Vagabondage is a great example of why our family and friends have been using TripInsuranceStore for our travel insurance needs.

[Mr. Click]

One more Steve and InsureMyTrip fan here. They really take the time to listen to your needs and make suggestions on the best way to insure them. We booked one cruise 10 months out, not all that unusual but Steve made it very clear we only had about 10 days to insure the trip because I now have a much more complex medical history. Going beyond that time frame could make my pre-existing conditions not covered. Some times timing really matters

[puppyluv1]

Vagabondage, thank you so much for this great post. We are about to book a cruise for Oct 2016 and had all the same questions. We usually book around 6-9 months before sail date and buy the insurance right away because the pre-existing condition clause is important to us too. I believe Steve just got another client thanks to you!

[Vagabondage]

Vagabondage, thank you so much for this great post. We are about to book a cruise for Oct 2016 and had all the same questions. We usually book around 6-9 months before sail date and buy the insurance right away because the pre-existing condition clause is important to us too. I believe Steve just got another client thanks to you!

 

You're very welcome. I've had several more email conversations with Steve since I posted this, and I continue to be impressed with his personalized care and responsiveness.

 

Good luck on your trip! We, too, often book late in the game, but the 2017 cruise we're booked on was selling out so fast we realized we'd better jump aboard without delay. Glad we did!

 

Happy Sailing ~