Travel Insurance cruise cover.

[Harry Peterson]

9 minutes ago, MX-Drew said:

What precisely was seen as a risk on these cruises as opposed to any other cruise? 

Ask the lawyers - maybe they felt there was a greater risk of people not bothering with insurance because they're seen as round Britain cruises.  There are all sorts of legal issues arising from Covid too, and it may be that.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Carnival will have its own corporate lawyers, with an overall responsibility for strategic risk avoidance.  I imagine this was seen as a risk.

Actually Harry, if it was Carnival then I would have expected that Princess would be asking for the same information. As they aren't I can only assume it is yet another idiotic idea from Paul Ludlow.

[jmcd1969]

14 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Actually Harry, if it was Carnival then I would have expected that Princess would be asking for the same information. As they aren't I can only assume it is yet another idiotic idea from Paul Ludlow.

 

Princess want exactly the same level cover as P&O. this is off their Summer Seacations Questions & Answers

 

Will I need travel insurance?
As part of terms and conditions it is mandatory for all UK guests to have suitable travel insurance cover in order to cruise with us. Travel insurance enables our guests to relax and enjoy their holiday with peace of mind that they are covered for most eventualities.

This includes unforeseen incidents before their holiday, while travelling or while they are away. Typically, travel insurance covers cancellation of your holiday, stolen belongings and medical treatment. Insurance documents will be checked at the terminal and boarding will be denied, at guests’ own expense, for anyone without appropriate cover.

We have partnered with Holiday Extras to offer cruise-specific cover for our holidays. When travelling with us, insurance must include medical and repatriation cover of £2 million minimum that includes cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses related to Covid-19.

 

 

[teabear]

4 hours ago, jmcd1969 said:

 

Princess want exactly the same level cover as P&O. this is off their Summer Seacations Questions & Answers

 

Will I need travel insurance?
As part of terms and conditions it is mandatory for all UK guests to have suitable travel insurance cover in order to cruise with us. Travel insurance enables our guests to relax and enjoy their holiday with peace of mind that they are covered for most eventualities.

This includes unforeseen incidents before their holiday, while travelling or while they are away. Typically, travel insurance covers cancellation of your holiday, stolen belongings and medical treatment. Insurance documents will be checked at the terminal and boarding will be denied, at guests’ own expense, for anyone without appropriate cover.

We have partnered with Holiday Extras to offer cruise-specific cover for our holidays. When travelling with us, insurance must include medical and repatriation cover of £2 million minimum that includes cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses related to Covid-19.

 

 

Same  with Cunard =  t is a condition of the contract that you obtain travel insurance to cover the risk of requiring medical care on board or in a foreign country. Your insurance must include cover for all pre-existing medical conditions and must cover emergency evacuations from the ship, shore hospital medical costs and repatriation costs. It should have a limit of not less than £2 million.

[majortom10]

4 minutes ago, Couple-Somerset said:

I spent this morning painstakingly going through the list of insurers provided by the Gov Money Advice Service

 

https://traveldirectory.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/listings

 

These insurers cover pre-existing medical conditions but nothing prepared me for the illogical range of premiums quoted.

 

I wont bore you with my pre-existing conditions but just take a look at these quotes for annual multi-trip with cruise cover - the ones with best term or price Ive highlighted

 

• £947.10 - 12 months - Brokersure
• £325.70 - 15 months - Avanti Travel
• £835.59 - 12 months - World First
• £456.38 - 12 months - payingtoomuch-dot-com
• £281.57 - 12 months - nowicantravel-dot-co-dot-uk
• £583.04 - 12 months - Saga Travel
• £719.52 - 12 months - Freedom
• £688.53 - 12 months - Free Spirit
• £786.65 - 12 months - taylor made
• £526.72 - 12 months - holiday extras
• £301.35 - 15 months - staysure

I decided to book with StaySure in the end as they're a well-known name.

 

After paying, they gave me a "friends and family discount" link for you to save 20% off your policy (no idea if its a true saving or not) - https://*****.com/ydva5hr9

Avanti and Staysure are the same company.

[majortom10]

Just had a long telephone conversation with Staysure with regards my annual multi trip cruise insurance policy I recently took out with them with regards to cover for staycation/seacation cruises in the summer from the UK. Was told at present annual multi trip cruise policy does not cover you for this type of cruise and that Staysure are at present in talks with P&O/Princess/Cunard with insurance cover for this type of cruise. The problem is these type of cruises have never been done before and was told they should have an answer either tomorrow or Thursday so to ring back on Friday to see what the situation is. My advice is for everybody to get it confirmed by their insurance company that you are covered and dont take it for granted that you are. My policy is the comprehensive policy they do and not the basic so normally covers for all incidents on cruises but with these being new type of cruises it is causing a problem.

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Couple-Somerset said:

I have just been on chat with Staysure too - I use the chat function so I get a transcipt of the conversation.........

 

1) I was told that Staysure provide a Certificate to show P&O. That Certificate confirms Insurance Cover meets P&Os requirements.

 

2) I was told they (currently) don't provide one for MSC. I was also advised that within UK waters, they cover up to £10,000 to get you off the ship and then your treatment is free on the NHS. Alarmingly, I was told that medical bills on the ship are NOT covered.

 

3) I opened all of my Policy documents and did a word search for "cruise" - other than stating a ferry crossing is not a cruise, there is no mention at all that the cruise must be outside UK waters and therefore nothing to say the Policy wouldn't pay out (other than having to get their permission before being airlifted off the ship for that cost to be covered).

 

THE PROBLEM CLAUSE - "Medical cover does not apply to treatment received in the country in which you reside." - so, I guess if we are in UK waters then we are deemed to be in the UK. 

 

I have just left my thoughts on TrustPilot - https://uk.trustpilot.com/reviews/606b0b2bf85d75087048eeab

I PM'd Staysure and they responded by giving me a telephone number to ring which I did at Customer Service. Told them I had an annual comprehensive cruise policy with them and would I be covered for staycation/seacation cruises being done from Southampton. After discussions with her she then went away to speak to one of her managers and said they would look into it and asked for my phone number to ring me back. She did within a short while and said current comprehensive cruise policy does not cover you for ocean cruises leaving Southampton and not leaving UK waters or calling at foreign port. She said senior managers at Staysure were in discussions with P&O/Princess/Cunard at this moment in time and they should have an answer and told me to ring back on Friday.

 

So entirely the opposite to what you have been told by Live Chat so one of them is wrong. I spent 20 minutes on the phone and the woman in Customer Service spoke to one of her managers and that is the response they gave me. 

 

[davecttr]

It seems medical cover whilst in UK territorial waters is a problem but I am still confused. Does this problem only apply to annual cover? after all you can buy travel insurance for holidays in the UK.

[majortom10]

35 minutes ago, Couple-Somerset said:

 

Her wording (taken from Transcript) was  "For P&O cruises, we are able to offer an Endorsement Certificate that shows you are covered for their new requirements for Emergency Medical and Repatriation for Staycation cruises around the British Isles"

Well at 1145am I was told by Staysure Customer Services that had not yet been agreed. Will see what they say when I ring back on Friday.

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by majortom10

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, Couple-Somerset said:

Holiday Extra website states...........

 

Will I need to buy travel insurance for a domestic cruise?

Yes, a Holiday Extras cruise policy will cover a domestic cruise (one that is based in UK waters). Whatever the destination of your cruise it is important that you have appropriate cover.

This is a step in the right direction, I would want to see the T&C to make sure it covered onboard medical costs.

[downsmead]

2 hours ago, davecttr said:

It seems medical cover whilst in UK territorial waters is a problem but I am still confused. Does this problem only apply to annual cover? after all you can buy travel insurance for holidays in the UK.

If you are taken ill whilst on holiday in the U.K. (on land), the NHS will take care of you. Most policies, annual and single do not cover you for medical treatment on board ship. This is the issue at present. It seems an airlift off a ship appears to be ‘OK’ in that the coast guard or whoever is carrying out the airlift, is not an issue as these are usually done free of charge. 

[davecttr]

With these cruises to nowhere ie Scottish Islands you might sustain an injury aboard the ship, people often have strains and breaks etc for which the onboard medical cost might be greater then the excess. for example you might get an onboard x-ray which can be expensive. The result of the x-ray will determine whether you need to go to hospital. If you do I suppose the insurance companies will expect the ship to proceed to the nearest UK port to offload you. If the onboard medical team determine hospitalisation is not needed the insurance won't cover you because they deem that you have chosen private health care over the NHS?

 

These staycation cruises are a special case, possibly only covered by a single trip policy. Otherwise the cruise might be spoiled by the ship having to constantly enter port to offload people who have sprained their ankle or wrist or whatever.

[downsmead]

That’s a good point about the ship going into port rather than someone be helicoptered off. Having visited a ships doctor because of a bad ear after snorkelling once, my bill came to almost £150 for the consultation and 7 days antibiotics. I dread to think of the cost of serious medical attention. 

[Ataraxia]

My wife spent two nights in the sick bay on Ventura - the bill was £2,200 before we were offloaded to the land hospital. I would think that it would be cheaper for P&O to let the passenger be liable for a medivac, than pay for port fees.

 

[Aladdin22]

7 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Well at 1145am I was told by Staysure Customer Services that had not yet been agreed. Will see what they say when I ring back on Friday.

 

I had online chat with Staysure this afternoon and was emailed an endorsement to my annual policy within ten minutes

[Host Sharon]

In response to this topic, I phoned my insurers All Clear, who haven't been mentioned so far as I can see. My normal annual European travel insurance with cruise cover, fully covers me, including my medical conditions, up to £15 million, for UK cruises with a free 3 months extension due to no use during CV19. I don't know why the others seem to be making such a meal of it.

[yorkshirephil]

24 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

In response to this topic, I phoned my insurers All Clear, who haven't been mentioned so far as I can see. My normal annual European travel insurance with cruise cover, fully covers me, including my medical conditions, up to £15 million, for UK cruises with a free 3 months extension due to no use during CV19. I don't know why the others seem to be making such a meal of it.

Doe's the policy cover onboard medical expenses for the seacation cruises Sharon? that seems to be one of the items highlighted with some policies. They meet P&O's stated requirements but wouldn't meet the insured persons need were they to require significant onboard medical treatment.

[MX-Drew]

33 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

In response to this topic, I phoned my insurers All Clear, who haven't been mentioned so far as I can see. My normal annual European travel insurance with cruise cover, fully covers me, including my medical conditions, up to £15 million, for UK cruises with a free 3 months extension due to no use during CV19. I don't know why the others seem to be making such a meal of it.

All Clear has been mentioned by me and I have had differing versions from them. The latest is the air lift is covered but onboard expenses are not. So make sure you get it in writing.

 

My conclusion is whoever you deal with make sure it says it is covered and don't just say "well it does not say it is not covered in the t&cs" if in doubt get it in writing. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by MX-Drew

[grapau27]

On 4/4/2021 at 2:12 PM, Couple-Somerset said:

I spent this morning painstakingly going through the list of insurers provided by the Gov Money Advice Service

 

https://traveldirectory.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/listings

 

These insurers cover pre-existing medical conditions but nothing prepared me for the illogical range of premiums quoted.

 

I wont bore you with my pre-existing conditions but just take a look at these quotes for annual multi-trip with cruise cover - the ones with best term or price Ive highlighted

 

• £947.10 - 12 months - Brokersure
• £325.70 - 15 months - Avanti Travel
• £835.59 - 12 months - World First
• £456.38 - 12 months - payingtoomuch-dot-com
• £281.57 - 12 months - nowicantravel-dot-co-dot-uk
• £583.04 - 12 months - Saga Travel
• £719.52 - 12 months - Freedom
• £688.53 - 12 months - Free Spirit
• £786.65 - 12 months - taylor made
• £526.72 - 12 months - holiday extras
• £301.35 - 15 months - staysure

I decided to book with StaySure in the end as they're a well-known name.

 

After paying, they gave me a "friends and family discount" link for you to save 20% off your policy (no idea if its a true saving or not) - https://*****.com/ydva5hr9

Thanks for sharing.

Graham.

[terrierjohn]

What surprises me is the comment from some insurers that on board medical costs will not be covered. Why not, what is the difference between needing medical treatment on a staycation cruise, as opposed to a normal cruise?

[MX-Drew]

5 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

What surprises me is the comment from some insurers that on board medical costs will not be covered. Why not, what is the difference between needing medical treatment on a staycation cruise, as opposed to a normal cruise?

There is none but it does not fit the "template" so the computer say "no".

[Purdey16]

Not very happy this morning I phoned up my insurance company goodtogo , had the worldwide 3 platinum COVID+ annual cover and we are only insured for £1000 repatriation back to shore , so now looking for a insurance company that will cover that for P&O and princess, without ready back through the whole thread again any good advice for one please 

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, Host Sharon said:

In response to this topic, I phoned my insurers All Clear, who haven't been mentioned so far as I can see. My normal annual European travel insurance with cruise cover, fully covers me, including my medical conditions, up to £15 million, for UK cruises with a free 3 months extension due to no use during CV19. I don't know why the others seem to be making such a meal of it.

Sharon, you need to ask them this question - it needs better wording though. Plus you need the answer in writing

 

Will I be covered for onboard medical expenses above the excess if the onboard medical team determine that I do not need on-shore treatment by the NHS. This specifically applies to 'Staycation' cruises. A 'Staycation cruise is one that departs from a UK port and either ONLY calls at other UK ports  or calls at no intermediate ports at all, being a scenic cruise. It will generally be within the UK territorial waters (12 mile limit) but may enter French or Irish (Eire) or other territorial waters in certain circumstances for example due to weather conditions.

[majortom10]

11 hours ago, Aladdin22 said:

I had online chat with Staysure this afternoon and was emailed an endorsement to my annual policy within ten minutes

I have just contacted Staysure and they have come up with an agreement for Staycation/Seacation cruises from Southampton but only with P&O/Cunard and NOT any other cruise line including Princess.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

In response to this topic, I phoned my insurers All Clear, who haven't been mentioned so far as I can see. My normal annual European travel insurance with cruise cover, fully covers me, including my medical conditions, up to £15 million, for UK cruises with a free 3 months extension due to no use during CV19. I don't know why the others seem to be making such a meal of it.

People are not making a meal of it as it depends on your insurance company and many are just assuming that because they have European cover for annual cruise policy that it automatically covers you for Staycation/Seacation trips sailing from Southampton in UK waters and some calling at UK ports. I have spoken to Staysure and they have confirmed my policy does not cover me for these cruises but they have negotiated with their underwriters to cover P&O/Cunard ONLY at the moment and will send an endorsement out to confirm cover. All other cruise lines and mine which is Princess are not covered at this moment in time and this was as recent as speaking to Staysure within the last 30 minutes. 

 

So you are wrong automatically assuming that having European cruise cover will cover you for these cruise when it doesnt and not very responsible to accuse people of making a meal of it as people are very concerned.