Level of insurance.....

[Firsttimecruise10]

Hello,

 

I have checked with my travel insurance company today and I have standard cruise coverage (medical, cancellation etc) but do not have additional cruise coverage (missed port, cabin confinement etc.) Can anyone advise if the latter is essential? For example should we miss a day in Bruge what are we likely to be reimbursed? My insurance company have informed me I cannot simply upgrade the level of cover. I would need to cancel my annual policy and take out a new policy.
 

If it is relevant we are a family of 3 and will be spending 7 days in Western Europe.

 

Many thanks, this forum is extremely helpful for first timers!

[Les_ldh]

16 minutes ago, Firsttimecruise10 said:

Hello,

 

I have checked with my travel insurance company today and I have standard cruise coverage (medical, cancellation etc) but do not have additional cruise coverage (missed port, cabin confinement etc.) Can anyone advise if the latter is essential? For example should we miss a day in Bruge what are we likely to be reimbursed? My insurance company have informed me I cannot simply upgrade the level of cover. I would need to cancel my annual policy and take out a new policy.
 

If it is relevant we are a family of 3 and will be spending 7 days in Western Europe.

 

Many thanks, this forum is extremely helpful for first timers!

I think you’ve answered yourself in your question. If you don’t have missed port cover you won’t get anything if you miss Bruge. Is it essential, no. Every insurance company has different t&c’s, so the best advice is to read the small print. The biggest potential cost would be if you were to be taken ill onboard, had to be helicoptered to shore then have medical procedures carried out, and then repatriated. The cost for this would run into many tens of thousands of pounds, so it is essential (in my view) that you are covered for this. After that, cancellation cover I think is the next most important and most cruise policies should include this, but check the small print. Only you can decide what is suitable for you, so shop around and compare the levels of cover.

Les.

[AndyMichelle]

Sound advice from Les. 

Just to add, if you missed say 1 port and had to claim, I would guess you would have a policy excess, so doubt the difference would be that much. 

You have more than adequate cover for the important and required bits. 

For 7 nights in the Med, I would be tempted to leave it as it is but perhaps research a bit more for your renewal. 

Happy cruising,

Andy 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, AndyMichelle said:

Just to add, if you missed say 1 port and had to claim, I would guess you would have a policy excess, so doubt the difference would be that much. 

It depends on your policy Andy. Our policy pays out £100 per person for each missed port, with no excess to be deducted.  Same applies to cabin confinement - no excess is deducted.

One thing to note, which in think is fairly generic, is that missing a port because tenders cannot operate,  does not qualify for compensation.

[AndyMichelle]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

It depends on your policy Andy. Our policy pays out £100 per person for each missed port, with no excess to be deducted.  Same applies to cabin confinement - no excess is deducted.

One thing to note, which in think is fairly generic, is that missing a port because tenders cannot operate,  does not qualify for compensation.

Thank you Wowzz, I hadn't looked into it, just assumed. 

Good point about the tenders, I didn't know that. 

Andy 

[tring]

I am also thinking that it is quite possible a particular port could be removed from an itinerary (often with another in it's place), but would an insurance cover that if the change is made prior to sailing, rather than because of bad weather.

 

We do not have cover for missed ports or cabin confinement and suspect most other people do not.  May be interesting to know what the cost for that is though.  It is unlikely to be of benefit to us as our insurance is provided by a bank - and yes it does cover air evacuation if needed as we have checked.  

Edited January 8, 2020 by tring

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, tring said:

I am also thinking that it is quite possible a particular port could be removed from an itinerary (often with another in it's place), but would an insurance cover that if the change is made prior to sailing, rather than because of bad weather.

 

We do not have cover for missed ports or cabin confinement and suspect most other people do not.  May be interesting to know what the cost for that is though.  It is unlikely to be of benefit to us as our insurance is provided by a bank - and yes it does cover air evacuation if needed as we have checked.  

Interesting question. My policy says payment [£100 pp per port] will be paid "in the event of cancellation of a scheduled port visit due to adverse weather or timetable restrictions" . I read this to mean that any changes to the itinerary prior to the departure of the ship would not be covered. What is unclear is what the position would be if, mid-cruise, a scheduled port was replaced with another. I shall investigate further!  

[wowzz]

After talking to my insurance company, if, during the course of the cruise, Port 'A' is substituted for Port 'B', payment would be due.

[Firsttimecruise10]

Thank you all, that has given me lots to think about. I think I will check with my insurer whether there is an excess for missed ports and cabin confinement and decide from there.

 

thank you again! 

[jeanlyon]

I looked into it a couple of years back and decided it wasn't worth the extra premium.  In all our cruises over 10 years, I think we have missed a port twice due to not being able to tender, and had a port changed once.  We have also never been confined to our cabin.  I realize it can happen, but if I had paid that premium over the years, it would add up to quite a lot

[Harry Peterson]

Specifically designated ‘cruise insurance ‘ isn’t necessary unless you want the extras, such as missed port cover, it might offer.

 

The important thing to check, though, is that the standard policy you might be considering has no exclusions relating to cruises.

 

We have a standard annual policy with a reputable company. It’s not a cruise policy but there are no references to cruises anywhere in the exclusions.

[Mysticalmother]

Our insurance covers us for missed Ports (£150 pp per port) with no excess. in the last few years we have had 3 claims, for a total of 4 missed ports, so have received £1200... our joint annual premiums have been in the region of £250 pa... so for us it has been well worth it. (we have had a couple of small medical claims too). but basically with our company , you either buy the basic, or premium cover. Whilst basic may be ok for most, the Premium cover is very comprehensive...and it is nice to know we are covered for a lot of eventualities. We have also had a couple of longer cruises, which have been quite expensive, and the basic cover didn't cover the full cost of cancellation...something to bear in mind.

 

[wowzz]

It costs us £25 each to upgrade our annual travel policy to include cruise cover (missed ports, cabin confinement etc). When we renewed our policy we took out the extra cover, as we already had 30 days cruising booked (which included some problematic ports such as Madeira),  and there is always the possibility of us adding on a cheeky last minute cruise which would reduce the per diem rate even further.

However,  if we only had a single 14 day cruise booked somewhere like the Caribbean,  we probably wouldn't bother.

Edited January 9, 2020 by wowzz

[AndyMichelle]

My thoughts are that you are covered for anything that could cost you money with the basic policy, for example medical costs, repatriation etc. 

The extra cover is basically for your inconvenience... Nice to have but not essential or required. 

Andy 

 

[BrianI]

You normally insure against financial loss. Missing a port does not incur a loss unless you have booked a shore excursion with a land based company that will not give a refund. 
Personally I don’t see the need to insure against missing a port.

 

It’s more important  to ensure that you are covered for a medical evacuation.

 

Brian

 

 

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, BrianI said:

You normally insure against financial loss. Missing a port does not incur a loss unless you have booked a shore excursion with a land based company that will not give a refund. 
Personally I don’t see the need to insure against missing a port.

 

It’s more important  to ensure that you are covered for a medical evacuation.

 

Brian

 

 

Basically, I agree. It is really just a gamble  - if I miss one out of 15 ports in my next two cruises, I will have quadrupled my investment.  That's why I wouldn't bother with the cover for a cruise such as in the Caribbean,  where it is unlikely that a port will be missed.

[ann141]

It might make you feel a bit better if you miss a port or are confined to your cabin and you receive monetary compensation but this 'additional' insurance seems to be a fairly recent thing which I am sure Insurance companies have introduced as a means of THEM making money.It can be mis leading to new cruisers to think cruise cover is essential but as long as your travel covers cruises and any medical eventuality it is a matter of personal choice whether to pay extra for 'cruise cover' for missed ports etc

[john watson]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Basically, I agree. It is really just a gamble  - if I miss one out of 15 ports in my next two cruises, I will have quadrupled my investment.  That's why I wouldn't bother with the cover for a cruise such as in the Caribbean,  where it is unlikely that a port will be missed.

 

Have you seen the YouTube video entitled "Mutiny on the Sapphire Princess"?  They miss 4 out of 9 ports and some people are disappointed.

 

Lol John

[the english lady]

I think as long as your insurance company know you are on a cruise , and where you are going , medical costs onboard/ashore and medevac would all be covered as part of the policy. Having said that..I know some people have posted that going to Spain can sometimes cause problems on their insurance, and read a post yesterday about Malta causing problems. All tied up with those countries not wanting to cover our costs.  So normal policies will cover for that..as long as you say its a cruise and where cruising to, and all medical conditions. 

The missed port is usually an add on to the policy, along with confirnment to cabin.

As an example..2 of us to do a transatlantic caribbean....£500..missed port and cabin confinement was included in that, Just prior to that cruise we did a western med...missed Barcelona , as it was too windy. For the we got £300 returned from the insurance, so effectivly got the caribbean cruise ins for £200.

[Bobblehat71]

Also worth checking is the level of cover for cancellations. Don't assume your policy will automatically refund you the cost of your holiday .Many basic policies have fairly small cancellation compensation  eg. £750- £1000 pp . This is not usually a problem for a week in Majorca but you could find yourself severely out of pocket if you've booked a Balcony for 2 weeks in the Caribbean.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Bobblehat71 said:

Also worth checking is the level of cover for cancellations. Don't assume your policy will automatically refund you the cost of your holiday .Many basic policies have fairly small cancellation compensation  eg. £750- £1000 pp . This is not usually a problem for a week in Majorca but you could find yourself severely out of pocket if you've booked a Balcony for 2 weeks in the Caribbean.

Good point. Our cover is £7500 pp, and unfortunately we are unlikely to ever be able to afford a holiday costing more than that!

[Firsttimecruise10]

Thank you again all.

 

I have done some further investigations and it was only an additional £6 to cancel our old policy and take out a new one to include cruise cover. As mentioned though there is a £99 excess for a £100 pay out for both missed port and cabin confinement. However, they did explain that if you miss multiple ports or spend multiple days confined to your cabin you only pay the excess once. I also feel safer regarding medical and cancellation cover having specifically listed cruise cover.

 

Thank you again, this has been really useful. 100 days to go :-) 

[AndyMichelle]

4 minutes ago, Firsttimecruise10 said:

Thank you again all.

 

I have done some further investigations and it was only an additional £6 to cancel our old policy and take out a new one to include cruise cover. As mentioned though there is a £99 excess for a £100 pay out for both missed port and cabin confinement. However, they did explain that if you miss multiple ports or spend multiple days confined to your cabin you only pay the excess once. I also feel safer regarding medical and cancellation cover having specifically listed cruise cover.

 

Thank you again, this has been really useful. 100 days to go 🙂

Hopefully you won't need either... 

Have a fantastic cruise,.

Andy 

[chismrules]

I am new to P&O and from US. Does P&O have insurance you can buy thru them like other cruise ships. Also is it good and how much. If not any companies I should look at to purchase. Just want to make sure we have proper coverage for any medical issues out of the country and no problems. Trying to decide what cruise to take and can't find much info on P&O site. Thanks Debbie

[the english lady]

3 hours ago, chismrules said:

I am new to P&O and from US. Does P&O have insurance you can buy thru them like other cruise ships. Also is it good and how much. If not any companies I should look at to purchase. Just want to make sure we have proper coverage for any medical issues out of the country and no problems. Trying to decide what cruise to take and can't find much info on P&O site. Thanks Debbie

There is a policy ---holiday extras--- i believe it is called .As you are from the US would it not be possible to speak to insurers out there and get them to quote. A case in point we tend over here to have insurance cover from when the cruise is booked as due to our T and C our deposits are non refundable. As a deposit can run into £100's its better for us to be covered from the off, rather than when final payment is due. It will be difficult for us to suggest insurance as we will not know if they cover someone from the US. Do you have compare websites like we do in the UK. 

As a starter if you put in holiday extra insurance and see what it comes up with read the T and C to see if it would work for you. some people do use it, and think it alright. 

Main thing is tell all medical history..tell them its for a cruise...tell them where the cruise is going.