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Coronavirus and Insurance


babs135
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I've a number of questions which I'm hoping someone can help me with.

 

Do I need to inform my insurance company BEFORE booking to check that I would be covered?  We are hoping to do a New England/Canada cruise in October but it's going to be another few weeks before we can book anything. I will be reading the t&c but sometimes they are written in a 'foreign language'!!!

 

If I book and then cancel because I'm worried about contracting the virus will I be covered?  I would assume that the answer to this question is tied in with the one above.

 

If I book and the cruise line cancels who pays and what do they pay?   Presumably the line would cover most costs, but what about airfare, hotels, etc?

 

Sorry if this has been asked before (almost certainly) but sometimes the questions are asked piecemeal and you have to go looking for the answers.

 

Thank you

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1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

If you check the fine print for your Insurance (the Product Disclosure Statement). Many travel insurance policies do not cover Epidemics and /or Pandemics (just like natural disasters are often not covered).

So basically if we're caught up in the virus the insurance company can deny paying out? What a bummer and no wonder cruise prices are so cheap at the moment.

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Generally speaking insurance covers events that happen to you that are covered. So if you actually get sick and cannot go on the cruise then you'd be covered.

Insurance doesn't cover "worry".  So if you decide to cancel a trip because you are "worried " about what might happen then that's not covered.

So far the virus has not made it across the ocean to Canada and the USA except for folks who were actually in China and they are in isolation.

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Looked at our policy and typically one clause states we would be covered for quarantine, etc but another one says that if we go away knowing that there is the potential for a problem to arise we would not be covered! 

Going to give them a ring tomorrow, it's the only way. Will try and remember to report back

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3 hours ago, babs135 said:

Looked at our policy and typically one clause states we would be covered for quarantine, etc but another one says that if we go away knowing that there is the potential for a problem to arise we would not be covered! 

Going to give them a ring tomorrow, it's the only way. Will try and remember to report back

Good luck.

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Spoken to our insurance company. She said best thing to do is to keep an eye on what the Foreign Office is saying. On that basis booking a holiday to North America and Canada is probably okay.  BUT she then said that she would advise waiting a few weeks to see what is happening!!!

The problem with this latter advice is that the cruise we are looking at is selling fast and in a few weeks I suspect it will be sold out.  It appeals to us because it's our favourite cruise line, Cunard and it is no-fly.  We really want to avoid flying if we can.

So in some way we are no further forward.  Until DH makes up his mind as to what we are doing we are in limbo.  Personally I would book but he is far more caution than me.

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On 2/25/2020 at 1:20 PM, babs135 said:

So in some way we are no further forward.  Until DH makes up his mind as to what we are doing we are in limbo.  Personally I would book but he is far more caution than me.

Ditto here DH has stopped me booking 2 cruises this week with P&O and Marella until the situation becomes clearer. Today he went and spent my first cruise money on a second hand JCB and is now in the big shed playing with it. 🙈🙄

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Waiting SUCKS.  But 48 hours on from saying that I would book a cruise my head is now telling me that I should wait.  Things are moving and changing rapidly and who knows what is going to happen next.

So I will fidget fretfully for the next 2 or 3 months (or sadly even longer) before deciding that this year's holiday will be a staycation.

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3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Spend the time planning (and saving for) a trip for next year.

This thought has also crossed my mind!!

I'd do Australia in a heartbeat but can't face the idea of a 20+ hours flight.  We've normally had a couple of nights either in Hong Kong or Singapore but if these are still on the no-go list where could we stop?  Would flying via Los Angeles/SanFrancisco be an option?

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6 hours ago, babs135 said:

This thought has also crossed my mind!!

I'd do Australia in a heartbeat but can't face the idea of a 20+ hours flight.  We've normally had a couple of nights either in Hong Kong or Singapore but if these are still on the no-go list where could we stop?  Would flying via Los Angeles/SanFrancisco be an option?

Better off via the middle east time wise.

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Sooooo, after saying that we were going to wait, we have just booked a cruise for October!!!  28 days no-fly New England/Canada on the QM2  😁.  Why did we change our minds? Well we had a long chat with our travel agent who reassured us that should Cunard cancel we would get a full refund and even if there was a change of itinerary we would be given the opportunity to cancel, again with a full refund.

It also helped that there is an offer on at the moment which involved only a 5% deposit instead of the usual 15% and on board credit of $700!!!!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/29/2020 at 4:36 AM, babs135 said:

Sooooo, after saying that we were going to wait, we have just booked a cruise for October!!!  28 days no-fly New England/Canada on the QM2  😁.  Why did we change our minds? Well we had a long chat with our travel agent who reassured us that should Cunard cancel we would get a full refund and even if there was a change of itinerary we would be given the opportunity to cancel, again with a full refund.

It also helped that there is an offer on at the moment which involved only a 5% deposit instead of the usual 15% and on board credit of $700!!!!

 

You will enjoy that, we did the same itinerary on Aurora in 2016.

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On 2/28/2020 at 12:38 AM, babs135 said:

This thought has also crossed my mind!!

I'd do Australia in a heartbeat but can't face the idea of a 20+ hours flight.  We've normally had a couple of nights either in Hong Kong or Singapore but if these are still on the no-go list where could we stop?  Would flying via Los Angeles/SanFrancisco be an option?

Go through Dubai on Emirates/Qantas or Qatar, a few options through the middle east.  Or take the Qantas Dream Liner, LHR to Perth, 17 hours eastbound, have a couple of nights in Perth, great city then go onto Sydney.   Going through LA or SF would be an option, we have done LHR to Sydney that way, Virgin Atlantic to SF then Air NZ to Sydney. A couple of extra hours in the  air, but have a stopover in San Fran or LA.  Preferable San Fran.

Edited by NSWP
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7 hours ago, NSWP said:

You will enjoy that, we did the same itinerary on Aurora in 2016.

And to add to our excitement what we hadn't realised until we'd booked is that it's Space Week on the way out and Music Week on the way back!

Now all we have to do is to get rid of the threat of coronavirus...…..

 

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Insurance does not include a virus thing in it. The only thing that may help is if you go to the court and prove that due to World Health Organization which has just yesterday announced Corona Virus pandemia - you have a right to be compensated due to aforce major circumstance. This is the only option. Dont expect the cruiser or the company to compensate your stay and money spent on water and food. If you have purchased a FULL insurance, the best thing you can do is just cancel your cruise and get up to 100% refund

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At this stage we have no intention of cancelling the cruise. We are four months from having to pay the balance and in that time an awful lot can happen (and probably will).  At that point we will make a decision but hopefully things will be a bit clearer. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/28/2020 at 10:36 PM, babs135 said:

Sooooo, after saying that we were going to wait, we have just booked a cruise for October!!!  28 days no-fly New England/Canada on the QM2  😁.  Why did we change our minds? Well we had a long chat with our travel agent who reassured us that should Cunard cancel we would get a full refund and even if there was a change of itinerary we would be given the opportunity to cancel, again with a full refund.

It also helped that there is an offer on at the moment which involved only a 5% deposit instead of the usual 15% and on board credit of $700!!!!

 

I am sure you will enjoy it. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/28/2020 at 5:36 PM, babs135 said:

Sooooo, after saying that we were going to wait, we have just booked a cruise for October!!!  28 days no-fly New England/Canada on the QM2  😁.  Why did we change our minds? Well we had a long chat with our travel agent who reassured us that should Cunard cancel we would get a full refund and even if there was a change of itinerary we would be given the opportunity to cancel, again with a full refund.

It also helped that there is an offer on at the moment which involved only a 5% deposit instead of the usual 15% and on board credit of $700!!!!

 

We did a similar cruise a couple of years back on Saga Sapphire, and it was extremely good - well worth doing.

Please - Before reading my next bit, be aware that I am an extremely pessimistic person with a tendency to see potential problems that MAY NEVER HAPPEN (as hubby regularly reminds me).

Did you get anything in writing about a full refund? especially for a change in itinerary? (it may be mentioned in the small print of your booking contract).

Since you booked, the FCO advice has changed which, if it does not get changed back, may mean that you will be invalidating your insurance if you continue with the cruise - again, double check what your insurance says about travelling against FCO advice. 

I believe there is also a real risk that many destinations will still be closed to cruise passengers in October, which is why I asked about a refund because of an itinerary change.

We are in a similar situation, with two cruises booked for this year (August and December) and I suspect that we will not be able to go on either - waiting , like many others, to see what happens.

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