Travel Insurance after Covid-19

[mariner6]

Will the the cruise line require us to buy insurance from them only?

Edited October 14, 2020 by mariner6

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, mariner6 said:

Will the the cruise line require us to buy insurance from them only?

No.  Too many international guests that they are not set up and licenced to sell to.  At least one of the companies sailing in Europe is offering extra Covid insurance but it is not mandatory. 

[Lazz]

I believe I would want coverage for a pandemic before I would cruise again.

[xpcdoojk]

I will always defer to Oursusualbeach, but personally, I am now open to insurance, I have bought it grudgingly for really long expensive trips, but now it seems likely we are to fall under the whim of some government somewhere on the planet after they have all discovered their power to shut down any activity they don’t like, and what is more unlikeable than foreigners arriving from distant lands uninvited.

 

JMHO and YMMV

 

jc

[Coralc]

Yes, the travel insurance policy that we purchased in January 2019 for an expensive cruise in November 2020 was essentially useless. Since all of our flights and packages were cancelled and refunded, the insurance company allowed us to transfer the coverage to a much less expensive cruise that we have booked for December 2021. 

 

But that's fine. At least we don't have to purchase another policy for next year's trip. We weren't thinking pandemic when we purchased it almost 2 years ago. 

 

Going forward, we will have to review the insurance terms a little bit better than we ever have previously. 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Coralc

[ReneeFLL]

 

9 hours ago, mariner6 said:

Will the the cruise line require us to buy insurance from them only?

If they were to even try that then they better come up with better coverage. Their policies  suck. We have never bought insurance from them and have always used an outside company.

[mjkacmom]

15 hours ago, Lazz said:

I believe I would want coverage for a pandemic before I would cruise again.

Travel insurance doesn’t cover anything pandemic related.

[Ourusualbeach]

6 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Travel insurance doesn’t cover anything pandemic related.

There are quite a few policies available now that do indeed cover Covid 19 related claims

[ipeeinthepool]

15 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

No.  Too many international guests that they are not set up and licenced to sell to.  At least one of the companies sailing in Europe is offering extra Covid insurance but it is not mandatory. 

 

That's assuming that international guests will be permitted on cruise ships from the US when cruising resumes.

Edited October 15, 2020 by ipeeinthepool

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, ipeeinthepool said:

 

That's assuming that international guests will be permitted on US cruise ships when cruising resumes.

True.  That would actually benefit a lot of international guests.  

 

Currently many international guest face a mandatory quarantine upon return from travel.  Once sailing resumes these guests would have to cancel and only be able to get a FCC.  If Royal cancelled them then it would most likely allow them the opportunity for a refund

[ipeeinthepool]

I've been trying to figure out what happens if you are denied boarding at the port because you failed a Covid test.  You can get a 100% FCC if you cancel more than 48 hours ahead of time but this wouldn't cover you at the port.  It appears to me that Royal has a "Cancellation Penalty Waiver Program" where you can get a 100% cash refund under certain conditions.  

 

Cancellation Penalty Waiver.…............................................................Cash Refund Up To Total Cruise Vacation Cost

 

This Cancellation Penalty Waiver is an addendum to your cruise ticket contract. Through the Travel Protection Program, Royal Caribbean International will waive their standard cancellation provision and refund to you IN CASH the otherwise non-refundable value of the unused portion of your prepaid cruise vacation, should you or your traveling companion need to cancel your cruise vacation for any one of the following reasons (subject to the restrictions noted below*).

 

 

1. sickness, injury, or death of yourself, a traveling companion or members of either of your immediate families, which is diagnosed and treated by a physician at the time your cruise vacation is terminated;

2. involvement in a traffic accident, en route to departure, that causes you to miss your cruise;

3. your home is made uninhabitable by a natural disaster such as fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane or volcano;

4. you are called into active duty by the military to provide aid or relief as a result of a natural disaster;

5. subpoena or being called to serve for jury duty.

 

This looks to me like this would cover you being denied boarding at the port and looks to me to be a good reason to purchase the cruise line insurance.  

[Ourusualbeach]

55 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

I've been trying to figure out what happens if you are denied boarding at the port because you failed a Covid test.  You can get a 100% FCC if you cancel more than 48 hours ahead of time but this wouldn't cover you at the port.  It appears to me that Royal has a "Cancellation Penalty Waiver Program" where you can get a 100% cash refund under certain conditions.

From what I recall reading being denied at the pier results in a FCC for you and your travelling companions.  If you test positive on board you get a refund

 

This is from the Singapore site;

 

COVID-19 Protections

• 100% Future Cruise Credit if you or someone in your travel party tests positive within three weeks prior to the cruise

• 100% Future Cruise Credit if you or someone in your travel party tests positive at the boarding terminal

• 100% refund for you and your travel party if any of you tests positive during your cruise

• Royal Caribbean will cover COVID-19-related costs up to $25,000 SGD ($20,000 USD) per person in your travel party, for onboard medical costs, cost of any required quarantine, and travel home.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Ourusualbeach

[Sea Dog]

My Allianz policy covers Covid-19 for now, who knows what the future will hold. Here is a link if anyone is interested.

https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/coverage-alerts/2019-novel-coronavirus.htm