Coverage to Buy New Plane Tickets

[SG65CB]

Had a travel problem last year. Looking for insurance to cover this specific problem for this year's trip but in reading the fine print in many policies this doesn't seem to be covered anywhere. If you have personal experience or know of a policy that specifically covers this I'd be glad to hear about it. 

 

Cruising out of San Juan, cruise leaves on Sunday. Had tickets on the first flight out Saturday morning to PR. The plane was supposed to arrive here late Friday night, but due to bad weather that flight was canceled, and  since the plane didn't come in my flight out was canceled. Flights were coming in and out Saturday morning so there was no "cessation of flights" situation. 

 

I called the airline and they said their next available flight with open seats was on Monday. They refused to put me onto another airline. They said I could wait until Monday, or get a refund for my ticket and make my own travel arrangements. Obviously Monday was no good so I took the refund. 

 

Now I had to purchase new tickets on the day of the flight - much more expensive than the refunded amount. Plus there were cancellations up and down the east coast due to a winter storm there, taking away many travel options. I was able to fly to Florida on Saturday, stay in a hotel overnight, and then to San Juan Sunday morning. I lost my non-refundable hotel in San Juan. The hotel in Florida along with new plane tickets for three people cost $1500 more than the refunded tickets. 

 

I do not see any insurance policies that state they will cover the expense of a new plane ticket in order to get to a cruise on time. I think most assume that the airline will get you onto another flight, and they only cover "trip delay" expenses while waiting, such as meals and a hotel, up to a certain amount each day (usually $100). Some policies will cover delays if there is a complete cessation of flights but this was just bad luck. If you miss the cruise they will get you to the next port of call, but no mention of getting you to the point of origin so that you don't miss the cruise in the first place.

 

If you happen to know of a policy that will cover this or if you have this same experience and had it covered (or denied) please let me know. 

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by SG65CB

[GeezerCouple]

4 hours ago, SG65CB said:

Had a travel problem last year. Looking for insurance to cover this specific problem for this year's trip but in reading the fine print in many policies this doesn't seem to be covered anywhere. If you have personal experience or know of a policy that specifically covers this I'd be glad to hear about it. 

 

Cruising out of San Juan, cruise leaves on Sunday. Had tickets on the first flight out Saturday morning to PR. The plane was supposed to arrive here late Friday night, but due to bad weather that flight was canceled, and  since the plane didn't come in my flight out was canceled. Flights were coming in and out Saturday morning so there was no "cessation of flights" situation. 

 

I called the airline and they said their next available flight with open seats was on Monday. They refused to put me onto another airline. They said I could wait until Monday, or get a refund for my ticket and make my own travel arrangements. Obviously Monday was no good so I took the refund. 

 

Now I had to purchase new tickets on the day of the flight - much more expensive than the refunded amount. Plus there were cancellations up and down the east coast due to a winter storm there, taking away many travel options. I was able to fly to Florida on Saturday, stay in a hotel overnight, and then to San Juan Sunday morning. I lost my non-refundable hotel in San Juan. The hotel in Florida along with new plane tickets for three people cost $1500 more than the refunded tickets. 

 

I do not see any insurance policies that state they will cover the expense of a new plane ticket in order to get to a cruise on time. I think most assume that the airline will get you onto another flight, and they only cover "trip delay" expenses while waiting, such as meals and a hotel, up to a certain amount each day (usually $100). Some policies will cover delays if there is a complete cessation of flights but this was just bad luck. If you miss the cruise they will get you to the next port of call, but no mention of getting you to the point of origin so that you don't miss the cruise in the first place.

 

If you happen to know of a policy that will cover this or if you have this same experience and had it covered (or denied) please let me know. 

 

 

I'd strongly encourage you to contact a travel insurance broker such as

 

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

and ask this specific question.

 

CALL, don't just read the online summaries, as the fine print matters (as you already know).

 

I would be surprised if the types of policies we are familiar with wouldn't cover this (at least to the degree that I understand it correctly) assuming the traveler made appropriate efforts, etc.

And calling the insurer to ask for advice/assistance would also be very useful.

They would know how to handle this within their own guidelines.

 

GC

[Ep010835]

Slightly off but still related......did the cruise line you were on offer an air package? I'm thinking along the lines of EZ Air on Princess. Although I've never had to use it, they do seem prepared to "get you there" for air booked through them if there is a problem. Sounds like your experience would fit within those parameters. 

[6rugrats]

I’ve had policies through Travelguard, Travelsafe and Nationwide and none of these policies would have covered this.  

Once the airline refunded you, you were made “whole” and had no loss, so no claim.

Please post if you find a policy that would pay the difference between your refunded tickets and new ones.

[cherylandtk]

This would be an excellent question to post on the Q&A forum for the Jan. 7 live visit from Steve Dasseos.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

[Ep010835]

6 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

This would be an excellent question to post on the Q&A forum for the Jan. 7 live visit from Steve Dasseos.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

Do you have any idea how we are to access this live visit? All I've been able to find, here or in any of the other threads, is the date. January 7th. But nothing on the specifics of the format. What time does it start? What time does it end? Where do we go to access the live visit? etc.

Never participated in one of these before now so don't know anything about the details of the event. 

Thanks!!

[cherylandtk]

While Steve will be visiting the forum ‘live’, it works like any other board here.  You post your question, he will answer it and if anyone has further questions, answers or whatnot they will also post.  The only difference is that you know the day he will answer the questions, and if they end up listing the hours, you will know more specifically when.  You can subscribe to the threads to be notified by email whenever someone posts to that thread.

[Ep010835]

8 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

While Steve will be visiting the forum ‘live’, it works like any other board here.  You post your question, he will answer it and if anyone has further questions, answers or whatnot they will also post.  The only difference is that you know the day he will answer the questions, and if they end up listing the hours, you will know more specifically when.  You can subscribe to the threads to be notified by email whenever someone posts to that thread.

By golly, I think I've finally got it!

Thanks!!

[cherylandtk]

[pileosnafu]

To my understanding: You would want to look for "Missed Connection" coverage. Some policies will offer this. But I agree with the above Post your question now and wait till the 7th. Or if you want to buy before then check them out online. 

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, pileosnafu said:

To my understanding: You would want to look for "Missed Connection" coverage. Some policies will offer this. But I agree with the above Post your question now and wait till the 7th. Or if you want to buy before then check them out online. 

 

One important question, and one I'm still not 100% sure of, is "how long must you allow for connections" so that the insurer won't claim something like, "Hey, you only allowed 7 minutes for your connection; that's on you!" or such...

This is *different* from "how *long* you must be delayed to get certain insurance benefits such as food or lodging, etc.  (Or I see them as different.)  This length of time is usually specified, but I've not had much luck with the above timing.

Have I missed something obvious?  We always try to allow lots of time for connections, or getting to the airport, etc., so we don't have to worry about rushing.

 

GC

[pileosnafu]

1 minute ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

One important question, and one I'm still not 100% sure of, is "how long must you allow for connections" so that the insurer won't claim something like, "Hey, you only allowed 7 minutes for your connection; that's on you!" or such...

This is *different* from "how *long* you must be delayed to get certain insurance benefits such as food or lodging, etc.  (Or I see them as different.)  This length of time is usually specified, but I've not had much luck with the above timing.

Have I missed something obvious?  We always try to allow lots of time for connections, or getting to the airport, etc., so we don't have to worry about rushing.

 

GC

Usually, policy word is Due to common carrier delay, Theft or Hijacking, and a few others like a traffic accident or medical emergency. 

 

Meaning it was no fault of your own. If you book using skiplag and have three different bookings with 7 minutes between flights not sure how that would work. But if you have the flight like OP mentioned. Then they would miss their connection in PR and need to be made whole for costs to next port. 

 

Again Policy dependant. 

[Algebralovr]

If you had taken the Monday flights, missed sail away, then caught up with the ship at its next port, most insurance would have covered those costs as trip delay and missed connection.  Of course, you would have missed 2 days or so of your cruise.  Sounds like your $1500 was well spent to me.

[SG65CB]

On 12/26/2018 at 11:35 PM, Ep010835 said:

Slightly off but still related......did the cruise line you were on offer an air package? I'm thinking along the lines of EZ Air on Princess. Although I've never had to use it, they do seem prepared to "get you there" for air booked through them if there is a problem. Sounds like your experience would fit within those parameters. 

 

I looked and Royal Caribbean does have a flight service called "Air2Sea" that has "Assured Arrival" (with mixed results per online postings).

[SG65CB]

OP here...

 

I found an insurer that will cover my exact requirements. Allianz policies specify that they will cover the reasonable cost of alternate transportation to get me to my destination on time. This is listed in the cancellation coverage section of their policy as an alternative to cancellation, probably because they would prefer to pay for a new flight instead of paying for an entire cancelled cruise. They also would have paid for the lost hotel in Puerto Rico and the hotel in Florida. 

 

I like the Allianz policy, it doesn't have a lot of the very specific exceptions and time limits I see in other policies. Besides offering what I seek for cruise insurance, it looks much better than other policies to cover my vacation next fall to a resort during hurricane season.

[klfrodo]

13 hours ago, SG65CB said:

 

I looked and Royal Caribbean does have a flight service called "Air2Sea" that has "Assured Arrival" (with mixed results per online postings).

If everything goes well, they may get you to the next foreign port.

One catch,,,, no passport book,, no air travel.

[travelplus]

The best Travel Insurance that has worked for me is to fly in three days or so before and stay one to two days after a cruise.I am not discounting purchasing Travel Insurance but if an airline offers a Travel Waiver due to weather I would then ask them to add an additional day on either end and then call up the hotel and add an additional night. I know this may  require some people to take additional time off work but it does help with making the cruise.

 

I love the feeling knowing that we are a 10 minute ride to the Cruise Port. On my last cruise from Tampa my Father and I arrived the day before and from the time we left our hotel to boarding the ship was under an hour. 

 

If for some reason our flight was delayed we could get another flight that leaves earlier or arrives later. 

For me the $100 for the one night hotel before and after a cruise is less than having to purchase new tickets or to try and catch up to the ship. This is one area I will not skimp on.

[jenf22]

On 1/4/2019 at 10:20 PM, SG65CB said:

OP here...

 

I found an insurer that will cover my exact requirements. Allianz policies specify that they will cover the reasonable cost of alternate transportation to get me to my destination on time. This is listed in the cancellation coverage section of their policy as an alternative to cancellation, probably because they would prefer to pay for a new flight instead of paying for an entire cancelled cruise. They also would have paid for the lost hotel in Puerto Rico and the hotel in Florida. 

 

I like the Allianz policy, it doesn't have a lot of the very specific exceptions and time limits I see in other policies. Besides offering what I seek for cruise insurance, it looks much better than other policies to cover my vacation next fall to a resort during hurricane season.

Thanks for the information.  We just had a similar situation happen to us.  We had flights from Denver to Miami and then to Barcelona for a cruise.  We were supposed to get in the morning the day before we sailed.  Well, the Denver to Miami flight was cancelled about 40 hours before it was to depart because it was on the 737Max8.  Unfortunately for us, they offered a full refund (for the whole round trip) or a departing flight that was 3 days later (making us miss the cruise).  Even worse was the day the flight was cancelled was the same day of the "bomb cyclone" in Denver and 1400 flights were cancelled out of DIA.  We were able to find flights from Denver to Sioux Falls to Atlanta and then to Miami to catch our original flight to Barcelona.  We left a day early and paid $3200 out of pocket.  We made all of the flights and had an amazing cruise!  The only insurance we had is the "Essentials Travel Protection Plan" through NCL.  I have submitted a claim, but I'm 95% sure it will be declined. 

 

On Allianz, are you using the Premier option?  We've never bought travel insurance before.  Mostly because I find it really confusing.  So I'm working on my confusion now so I can buy good insurance for our cruise in October.  Thanks so the help!

[Davey Wavey]

I will tell about my experience with Nationwide Cruise insurance. Note, this is their "Cruise" insurance and not the travel insurance. It specifically covers getting you to your cruise, whether the beginning of the cruise or if you miss the ship during a port stop.

 

We had a cruise out of Miami scheduled for Sept 2 when Hurricane Irma took aim at Miami. My Southwest Sept 2 flight to Atlanta on to FLL was cancelled and Southwest let me rebook any available flight for no additional cost. Carnival announced the ship would stay at sea until Sept 5 when the storm was forecast to pass. My new Sept 5 flight through Charleston was then cancelled because of threat to the east coast. Southwest gave me a full refund as a future credit, but all flights to Florida were cancelled. I searched every site and eventually found a single American Air flight to Miami on Sept 5, but only 2 first class seats were available. We booked it (even though the insurance stated it would only pay for flights of equal class or less) and that flight through Atlanta was suspended because the Atlanta airport closed while the storm moved through there. It did eventually open in time for the flight to leave on time. On the connection in Atlanta, there were HUNDREDS of people on standby for that one flight since it was the only one not cancelled. Boy did we feel bad for those people trying to return home. We made it to Miami only to have Carnival announce the ship couldn't make it to port until Sept 6 because the channel had sunken boats that had to be removed. Power was still out in much of the city and streets near the port were flooded, but we found an expensive hotel near the port that had power. We took a taxi there, walked to a restaurant to eat when pretty much everything was closed down. Took an Uber to the port next morning to catch the ship. During all this Carnival had announced the ship wouldn't go to Miami at all and would detour to Cozumel to let people off and just head back for the Sept 9 cruise. We ALMOST flew to Cozumel to meet the ship.

 

I will add in here we were hell bent on making it to the ship because we had a B2B on the Sept 9 cruise, otherwise we probably we have cancelled that 7 day cruise, since it was now only a 3 day. Another big thing was the insurance pays $1,250 if the itinerary is changed before boarding and another $250 if the itinerary is changed after. Carnival did say the ship would still do the final stop in Cozumel as scheduled, but once on board changed it to Nassau. So my insurance claim included all expenses even those I knew weren't covered because the form asked those be shown.

 

Paid:

-$1,250 per person for pre-change of itinerary, and $250 per person for post-change of itinerary

-Reimbursed the first class tickets even though Southwest had issued a full refund as a future fare credit

-Reimbursed the hotel, taxis, Uber, and restaurant including tips

-Reimbursed a non-refundable pre-paid excursion through a 3rd party

-Reimbursed taxes and exchange fees on the pre-paid rental 

 

Denied:

-Southwest flight because it was already refunded as a credit

-Carnival cruise fare because Carnival pro-rated refund the missed days and fees/taxes

-Pre-paid excursions that Carnival refunded

-Pre-paid rental car (Sept 2 FLL to MIA) that I paid for with rewards points because no points transactions of any kind are covered

 

The claim checks came exactly 3 weeks after filing.

 

P.S. I will also note that the Nationwide rep walked me through how to word everything and how to put it on the two separate forms (one for trip delay and one for trip interruption). Super customer service from their Tampa office that was also hit by the storm.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by Davey Wavey

[jenf22]

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 4:41 PM, jenf22 said:

Thanks for the information.  We just had a similar situation happen to us.  We had flights from Denver to Miami and then to Barcelona for a cruise.  We were supposed to get in the morning the day before we sailed.  Well, the Denver to Miami flight was cancelled about 40 hours before it was to depart because it was on the 737Max8.  Unfortunately for us, they offered a full refund (for the whole round trip) or a departing flight that was 3 days later (making us miss the cruise).  Even worse was the day the flight was cancelled was the same day of the "bomb cyclone" in Denver and 1400 flights were cancelled out of DIA.  We were able to find flights from Denver to Sioux Falls to Atlanta and then to Miami to catch our original flight to Barcelona.  We left a day early and paid $3200 out of pocket.  We made all of the flights and had an amazing cruise!  The only insurance we had is the "Essentials Travel Protection Plan" through NCL.  I have submitted a claim, but I'm 95% sure it will be declined. 

Just an update since this thread popped back to the top - The Essential protection through NCL that I paid $25 per person for actually paid us $500 per person for the changed flights.  I submitted it under the "trip delay" option and they paid us $1500 total.  Best $75 I ever spent.  We don't normally get insurance (we will now though!), so it was really lucky I added that coverage spur of the moment.