Does “Missing the Boat” Insurance Exist?

[harryw]

My understanding is that policies are rare and expensive that reimburse

full cruise fare if a flight is delayed or canceled and there is no way to get to the sailing or catch up 

at another port. Is this true?

[klfrodo]

You have 2 things going on here.

1. Cancel For Any Reason. It's an add-on rider that 3rd party insurance companies charge additional for and cruise line policies usually have included in their more pricey policy. Read carefully though. Some policies require you to cancel 48 hours prior to trip departure , while others let you cancel up the scheduled departure. Policies range from 50% Future Cruise Credit, up to 100% full cash refund. Read the policy.

 

2. Read up on Trip Delay and Trip Interruption definitions of your policy. For the most part ,,, if something goes wrong and you miss the ship for cruise departure, you must show good faith effort to attempt to catchup to the cruise during it's voyage. If you do catchup, the insurance will cover up to the maximum amount the policy covers for whatever expenses you may have incurred. If, you make a good faith effort, (and you missed for a covered reason) ((Not having a passport to get to the next port is NOT a covered reason))  and no matter what you do, you would miss more than 51% of your cruise, then, I believe, you can cancel and get a refund.

Edited February 12, 2019 by klfrodo

[SG65CB]

Trip interruption coverage and reimbursement due to canceled flight is usually very specific, such as complete cessation of flights for 24 hours due to weather. Your example is more likely covered under "missed connection" which has a much lower dollar limit and only pays to catch you up with your cruise.

Edited February 20, 2019 by SG65CB

[Hlitner]

No way to generalize with Trip or Medical Insurance.  You need to carefully read the policy (best done before you purchase) including the definitions.  It you find the language difficult to understand (this happens with many policies) try to find a friend who might be better versed in such matters.   Coverage for airline delays or cancellations will often have some type of time qualifier such as the "flight must be scheduled to arrive at least 6 hours before the final embarkation time."   The policy should also specify what it covers in the event of missing the ship...such as catching up to the ship (with extra expenses covered).

 

If this is all too confusing you can certainly telephone an expert.  Many here on CC have recommended "Steve" at the Trip Insurance Store (he was recently interviewed here on CC) who is a broker representing multiple insurance companies.

 

You can also do some comparisons on various web sites such as insuremytrip.com or squaremouth.com.

 

Hank

[cherylandtk]

On 2/11/2019 at 1:04 PM, harryw said:

My understanding is that policies are rare and expensive that reimburse

full cruise fare if a flight is delayed or canceled and there is no way to get to the sailing or catch up 

at another port. Is this true?

Harry, all of the posters above are correct.  It seems to me you are asking if there is an insurance that covers you for full Cancelation at the last minute due to flight delay or weather delay.  I am not aware of anysuch polices.  Reasons being have been listed by previous posters; delay is not a cancel event, you have to try to make the trip until it is half over, and Any Reason cancel coverage has time limits and 50% higher costs but still does not cover your costs at 100%.

 

If there truly is no way to catch up to the cruise (at least until it is half over), you would have to be able to provide proof of that in your insurance claim.  That requires some quick thinking at the airport to obtain the documentation and photos to prove the situation, too.

[harryw]

Thank You. This gives clarity to my question. I was wondering if you bother to buy the airline’s flight insurance which is always offered at the airline”# airfare “checkout.” My T.A. said it really isn’t necessary, since it would be redundant since the cruise insurance covers flight issues.

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, harryw said:

Thank You. This gives clarity to my question. I was wondering if you bother to buy the airline’s flight insurance which is always offered at the airline”# airfare “checkout.” My T.A. said it really isn’t necessary, since it would be redundant since the cruise insurance covers flight issues.

 

We always purchase third party insurance.  That covers us the moment we walk out the front door until we walk back in.

So it covers land trips/hotels/etc., as well as any air or rail travel, before or after the cruise, plus car service to/from airport/etc.

And it's usually less expensive in addition to having better coverage.

 

In particular, for some types of coverage, the cruise line offering gives a "cruise credit" (sometimes with a time limit), whereas the independent insurance provides a check... to be spent on another cruise (on any cruise line) or anything else.

 

GC

[57eric]

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 3:04 PM, harryw said:

My understanding is that policies are rare and expensive that reimburse

full cruise fare if a flight is delayed or canceled and there is no way to get to the sailing or catch up 

at another port. Is this true?

There is excellent insurance available for this, and it's generally not too expensive.  It's called a hotel room. ;)

[iancal]

Buy i, cruise, airfare, etc with a credit card that has some decent trip cancellation/delay insurance attached to it.

 

That may provide you with a little more coverage.  

Edited March 25, 2019 by iancal