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UK...... A question on Insurance and non UK only cruises.


les37b
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Given that cruises have now opened up or opening.... something I became aware of could seriously impact UK residents ability to get away.

 

It came to my attention after I booked a cruise last week and sails in 10 days time. It coincided with Boris' news that returnees from amber country's will no longer need to quarantine. Would normally make no odds at the mo as I've near permanently been working from home. On this occasion it would as Ive got another cruise sailing in UK only waters on 9th August - so would be in quarantine. But even so, there was still the government advice not to travel to amber countries, which also got removed. Yippee... I was all clear to go and my travel insurance covers this criteria now........ But I don't think it does!

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cruise-ship-travel#history

 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against cruise ship travel at this time. This is due to the ongoing pandemic and is based on medical advice from Public Health England.

 

Cruise ship travel means staying overnight for at least 1 night on a sea-going cruise ship with people from multiple households.

Our advice against cruises applies to international travel on a ship that is exclusively for pleasure or recreation, providing overnight accommodation and other leisure facilities such as entertainment venues or swimming pools.

 

Our advice does not include ferries or privately-rented boats.

 

The government will continue to review its cruise ship travel advice based on the latest medical advice.

 

 

Now this was last updated on April the 26th 2021 and clearly is long overdue an update. Ships have put things in place that definitely make them far safer than being on land, with all the testing and monitoring being done. This notice is pre this being put in place. Interestingly domestic only UK cruises are deemed as safe and allowed.

 

The big issue here - you MUST have valid travel insurance and with that International advice not to travel on cruise ships, means your insurance will be invalid because of travelling against government advice.

 

I've got 10 days to go for mine - but just wondered if others are away of it, how they got round it and if anyone from the UK has travelled, were they and SS aware of it?

 

 

Or is this a worry over nothing and has already been superseded - or about to be?

 

I'm not aware of an travel insurance that covers travel against advice, so if anyone has any info, it would be gratefully received.

 

 

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Funnily enough when you were posting I was on the phone to my TA on exactly this point. The difference being I was not aware of specific guidance for cruises but was looking at the 4 countries due to be visited on my September  Shadow cruise.

 

Sadly I think what you state is absolutely correct and I do suppose those people who have been on the Moon from the UK have accepted the risk of travelling without insurance. My father had a major problem on one trip and often said the premiums he paid for the trip was the best expense of his life. Whilst I feel well enough to fully expect I would cope with 13 days out of the country without a problem I do not fancy the risk. Accordingly if there is no change in the advice when I am about 35 days away from sailing I shall be cancelling and taking the FCC.

 

Even if the FCO changed the advice re cruising there is still the issue of advice in respect of each country to consider and I would not suggest that just staying on board at a banned country would work. If you have a problem on that day you could find yourself in the local hospital and with no cover.

 

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My sailing is in 10 days on Viking Venus....... I posted here to share something I expect evaded most off us. What's annoying, is I booked 6 days ago and specifically went through a discussion on Insurance stating I was only booking because the 2 amber countries on the list were now no longer needing quarantine (The third is Malta which is green) and importantly, I would now be insured because the advice not to travel to amber countries had been removed. I don't believe for one moment they were unaware of that government advice not to travel internationally on cruises wasn't known about. I noticed on the Viking forum, they argued with a guest there wasn't a problem until finally conceding it was as it sounded and gave guests the option to cancel and book something else. I'm now within their 14 day cool off (despite when it was booked), so I either take a gamble or have wasted the cost of a 11 day cruise. I just need to find out if I can get a policy to cover. And all because the government have probably overlooked that page (with its other out of date info.)

 

 

 

 

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So on day T-10, Viking now email and request my insurance docs to prove:

 

 

All guests are required to have adequate travel insurance in place prior to departure, which includes COVID and repatriation cover. Please confirm with your insurance provider that your policy will cover you for cruising in international waters, as well as the individual countries you will visit on your itinerary. Once you have verified this information, please email your insurance details

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Spent the morning speaking to Viking to establish if they could confirm if their cruises for UK passengers were able to proceed given the same FCDO advice that you quote above and I am also on hold with the insurance company to double check if I am still covered.

Also just noticed that SAGA have cancelled all their up coming Mediterranean cruises citing the FCDO advice against international cruising as the reason.
Looks like I'll be swapping to a UK cruise!

 

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7 minutes ago, Fletcher said:

I think perhaps another problem at the moment are the so-called amber list countries unwilling to admit UK citizens without them going into quarantine on arrival.

 

Agree, though that side is meant to have been covered in this instance with the daily PCR tests. There is so little info out there and its pretty scary that the CL are unable to quantify these things.

 

9 minutes ago, Icedonut said:

Spent the morning speaking to Viking to establish if they could confirm if their cruises for UK passengers were able to proceed given the same FCDO advice that you quote above and I am also on hold with the insurance company to double check if I am still covered.

Also just noticed that SAGA have cancelled all their up coming Mediterranean cruises citing the FCDO advice against international cruising as the reason.
Looks like I'll be swapping to a UK cruise!

 

 

If a Cruise Line are unable to know what the rules are that affect their guests, what chance for the rest of us!

 

Hopefully the 19th July will see the removal of that advisory for the UK..... Who knows! What i do know at the moment, is i'm past the cool off period and without the policy have lost the money I paid them 6 days ago.

 

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5 minutes ago, eastwoodboy said:

Les,

How about asking Viking which insurers they consider have acceptable wording?

 

 

 

I did when I booked, in case my one didn't cut it. He said, they don't sell insurance and cant give advice on it and its down to guests to sort.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

I did when I booked, in case my one didn't cut it. He said, they don't sell insurance and cant give advice on it and its down to guests to sort.

 

 

So Staysure have informed me that my policy does not cover international cruises and when I asked why they were selling them, they informed me that they had only recently reopened that option - I suspect on the basis that they thought UKG advice was going to change.

Had to cancel the policy and luckily was still in cooling off period - sorry you aren't.

I have the added complication of being in the group with one of the disputed AstraZeneca vaccine batches, which Viking are waiting another 24 hours on, before telling me if Malta has a change of heart - the information on that has changed on and off over the last 48 hours as well with no real clarity.
 

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Cunard are advertising a Southampton to the Caribbean and return cruise for Jan/Feb 2022 going on sale next Wednesday (28 nights). The cabin for two will be about 6k for a balcony, but the cheapest insurance quote for us on MoneyS is £4,142, and the third cheapest is £16,315.

We ar in our 70s with the usual tablets for blood pressure but no issues, and I have Type 2 diabetes, so nothing for insurers to panic about.

 

How can I book at these prices?!

Edited by bbtablet
spelling mistake
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2 hours ago, Icedonut said:

So Staysure have informed me that my policy does not cover international cruises and when I asked why they were selling them, they informed me that they had only recently reopened that option - I suspect on the basis that they thought UKG advice was going to change.

Had to cancel the policy and luckily was still in cooling off period - sorry you aren't.

I have the added complication of being in the group with one of the disputed AstraZeneca vaccine batches, which Viking are waiting another 24 hours on, before telling me if Malta has a change of heart - the information on that has changed on and off over the last 48 hours as well with no real clarity.
 

 

I know someone on this cruise and they mentioned Staysure will cover cruises and the advisory issue, so no longer doom and gloom.

 

Good news on AZ too..... Malta no longer has problems with it. (The people I know we're also with problems because of this.) Viking should be able to confirm it for you.

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24 minutes ago, les37b said:

 

I know someone on this cruise and they mentioned Staysure will cover cruises and the advisory issue, so no longer doom and gloom.

 

Good news on AZ too..... Malta no longer has problems with it. (The people I know we're also with problems because of this.) Viking should be able to confirm it for you.

I'm afraid they have been misinformed - you need to specifically mention the current FCDO advice on 'International cruises' and not the advisory's around the countries that are included. That is the key part that the insurers can't cover you for, so the cruise insurance in international waters is invalid.

 

Really annoying as I see that Croatia is also now on the green watchlist!

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Just received the following from Viking

 

Dear Viking Guest

We are looking forward to welcoming you onboard for your upcoming cruise.

As a reminder, we do ask that you re-confirm your policy details with your insurance provider, to confirm that your policy provides cover for international cruises. We do recommend asking your provider to confirm this for you in writing, to avoid complications should you need to make a claim.

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58 minutes ago, Icedonut said:

I'm afraid they have been misinformed - you need to specifically mention the current FCDO advice on 'International cruises' and not the advisory's around the countries that are included. That is the key part that the insurers can't cover you for, so the cruise insurance in international waters is invalid.

 

Really annoying as I see that Croatia is also now on the green watchlist!

That's interesting. I spoke to Staysure at length about cover for a September med cruise. The rep contacted their underwriters who confirmed that as long as you take out their EU (travel against FCDO advice) extension which covers travel to Amber listed EU countries (little extra cost), then they WILL  provide cover for a cruise which ports in the EU/Med. They added this note to the quote and confirmed that they would put this in writing.  

 

Only reason I contacted StaySure was because UK Insurance (Nationwide BS) stated that they would not cover any international cruise while the FCDO advisory remains in place. 

 

With all the focus on countries, I suspect the FCDO/Gov have taken their eye of the ball with cruises. In the Report of the Global Travel Taskforce dated April 2021 (The Safe Return of International Travel), one of the 5 main recommendations was:

 

Recommendation: Restart international cruises alongside the wider restart of international travel, in line with the country “traffic light” system.

 

I've written to the Dept of Transport to ask what they've been doing about this, as we've seen no such changes. 

 

Finally, I spoke to SS about this FCDO advisory and they confirmed that if the UK advisory against int cruises is still in place when we are due to travel, then we'll be able to cancel for refund/FCC.

 

 

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We were on the inaugral cruise on the Moon, after much checking and follow up, we insured through Staysure, we had add ons for both cruising and Amber countries, they confirmed in writing that we were covered for both, with the exception of Covid related incidents,

I also confirmed with Silversea that anything Covid related was covered by them, including repatriation if required. 

Edited by Throast
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13 hours ago, FirstTimeFreddy said:

So for those of use who were due to travel in the coming weeks, where do we stand? Will Viking refuse to lift and shift our bookings to another cruise because the 14 day period has now elapsed?

 

Viking will I think give you an alternative date. They do recognise this is a problem and they have given me that option, so my angry head is off. They have said people have provided cover and shown it, but unsure how. I spoke with BIBA and they checked with their specialist and all confirmed it couldn't be done. ie you cannot buy a policy to override that FCO on cruise ships in international waters.

 

 

20 minutes ago, Throast said:

We were on the inaugral cruise on the Moon, after much checking and follow up, we insured through Staysure, we had add ons for both cruising and Amber countries, they confirmed in writing that we were covered for both, with the exception of Covid related incidents,

I also confirmed with Silversea that anything Covid related was covered by them, including repatriation if required. 

 

I'm surprised SS would agree to that, though knowing the extraordinary lengths they went through to get passengers back from Recife from Silver Shadow, I shouldn't be.

 

As others have said, Staysure have confirmed they wont cover cruises in international waters because of that advisory. I'm not sure why land is deemed different, but them's the rules they've said.

 

I'm envious of your trip btw. I had a Moon 15 night Panama last November and 15 night TA in March cancelled. I'm expecting the Dawn replacement Panama in Jan to also get pulled. That will be the third cancellation for the same booking (The first one was because of Cuba)

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Hello all - first post here as came for the advice.

We had to cancel a 2020 cruise (Canada/NE) and reschedule for Aug 2022. Obviously when that happened, we didn't have insurance that took us to that point.

Can I get ANY insurers to cover us (even Staysure with their 15 month policy) bearing in mind the current restrictions and Gov guidance? I spoke to a lovely person at Aviva who says if you either book the trip OR take out the policy KNOWING the USA/Canada is Amber, you won't be covered. Frankly, insurance sounds like a proper gamble these days. I've already HAD to book the trip or lose the deposit with the agent/cruise line. And now it seems that because we did that, nobody will insure us , at least until the US & Canada turn green. 

Anybody else got this dilemma?

I guess I just have to wait it out and not book anything else (flights etc) until they DO turn green. 

Sigh.

 

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23 hours ago, Icedonut said:

Spent the morning speaking to Viking to establish if they could confirm if their cruises for UK passengers were able to proceed given the same FCDO advice that you quote above and I am also on hold with the insurance company to double check if I am still covered.

Also just noticed that SAGA have cancelled all their up coming Mediterranean cruises citing the FCDO advice against international cruising as the reason.
Looks like I'll be swapping to a UK cruise!

 

 

Yup, They've allowed me to swap to a later sailing for this cruise or similar.

 

23 hours ago, eastwoodboy said:

Les,

How about asking Viking which insurers they consider have acceptable wording?

 

 

 

I did. "We are not allowed to advise on Insurance companies". I said its surely in their interests to let guests know of any insurers they are aware of they meet their criteria but they declined. They have given alternatives including a full refund. My booking was on a "welcome back" rate and half the price of the later sailings, so its worked out well. (Without counting the chickens!)

 

 

23 hours ago, Icedonut said:

So Staysure have informed me that my policy does not cover international cruises and when I asked why they were selling them, they informed me that they had only recently reopened that option - I suspect on the basis that they thought UKG advice was going to change.

Had to cancel the policy and luckily was still in cooling off period - sorry you aren't.

I have the added complication of being in the group with one of the disputed AstraZeneca vaccine batches, which Viking are waiting another 24 hours on, before telling me if Malta has a change of heart - the information on that has changed on and off over the last 48 hours as well with no real clarity.
 

 

Indeed. People I know were caught out on my sailing with the Punish Brexit AZ batch numbers. Luckily that's been overturned at least.

 

Viking said, they think the FCO will be lifted in August - probably just in time for the UK to be on everyone's Red list and unable to travel anywhere.

 

It has potentially worked out OK as my wife was unable to travel (work commitments) and I was taking advantage of the zero solo supp. She now gets to go at the welcome back price, so maybe its a good omen after all - though it could have been a lot of fun!

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Perfectionistcruiser said:

So Les am I right that the staysure insurance is not valid for Iceland ( which is a green country ) because of the current FCO advice ?

 

That is what they've advised me and several others on here who have double checked. The fact they have allowed a cancellation and full refund (someone I know) and move booking to another date, tells me Viking know its a fact.

 

This is the gotcha. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cruise-ship-travel#history

 

The British Insurance Brokers Association (0370 9501790) are the people who checked across all brokers and insurance companies to see if any would cover this. There were none - and that included cruise specialists. Still find it hard to believe this is not possible!

 

Viking are adamant they have had Insurance proof returned that cover this, but unable to let know what the companies are. Tells its own tale. 

Edited by les37b
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Just received this email from MedJet Assist this morning.

 

MEDJET GOES GLOBAL WITH COVID-19 TRANSPORT BENEFIT
As of 07/12/2021
 
Dear Medjet Member,

Medjet was the first to implement the air-medical transport membership concept in the United States in 1991 and still today brings the highest level of service and detail to our members in their times of need.

We were also the first to add transport benefits for Covid-19. While initially transport of hospitalized Covid-19 patients was only possible for travel in limited destinations, we are pleased to inform you that:
 
As of July 12, 2021, Medjet is now transporting members hospitalized with Covid-19, while traveling GLOBALLY (as well as domestically), to a hospital of their choice at home.

This expanded benefit is at no additional cost to our members, and is applicable to both existing and new MedjetAssist and MedjetHorizon memberships.


We understand that many of you are looking to travel internationally, which is why we are happy to expand this offering. 
To read the entire Press Release, click HERE.

For Covid-19 specific information visit Medjet.com/COVID.
 

 

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On 7/14/2021 at 7:26 PM, Cruiser6270 said:

That's interesting. I spoke to Staysure at length about cover for a September med cruise. The rep contacted their underwriters who confirmed that as long as you take out their EU (travel against FCDO advice) extension which covers travel to Amber listed EU countries (little extra cost), then they WILL  provide cover for a cruise which ports in the EU/Med. They added this note to the quote and confirmed that they would put this in writing.  

 

Only reason I contacted StaySure was because UK Insurance (Nationwide BS) stated that they would not cover any international cruise while the FCDO advisory remains in place. 

 

With all the focus on countries, I suspect the FCDO/Gov have taken their eye of the ball with cruises. In the Report of the Global Travel Taskforce dated April 2021 (The Safe Return of International Travel), one of the 5 main recommendations was:

 

Recommendation: Restart international cruises alongside the wider restart of international travel, in line with the country “traffic light” system.

 

I've written to the Dept of Transport to ask what they've been doing about this, as we've seen no such changes. 

 

Finally, I spoke to SS about this FCDO advisory and they confirmed that if the UK advisory against int cruises is still in place when we are due to travel, then we'll be able to cancel for refund/FCC.

 

 

 

Have you now received in writing from Staysure that an international  cruise is covered despite FCO advisory against all international cruises? 


I have attempted to get a definitive response on this from Staysure and have had no luck up to now. A couple of posters on the Seabourn board have been told by Staysure that they will be covered, but I was told no on two occasions.

I've been unable to get such an assurance from any other UK insurer who all gave me a straight 'we won't cover until FCO advice is changed'. 

 

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4 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

Have you now received in writing from Staysure that an international  cruise is covered despite FCO advisory against all international cruises? 


I have attempted to get a definitive response on this from Staysure and have had no luck up to now. A couple of posters on the Seabourn board have been told by Staysure that they will be covered, but I was told no on two occasions.

I've been unable to get such an assurance from any other UK insurer who all gave me a straight 'we won't cover until FCO advice is changed'. 

 

 

That was absolutely the response I got too, so I cancelled the booking and moved to a later date where hopefully they remove the FCO. 

 

Viking Venus left Malta yesterday with 167 guests (and 400 crew) on a ship which can hold 930. The 24 July sailing could be with even less as I'm told the majority booked are from the UK. I've seen comments saying Staysure will cover (so hope they got that in writing) but I was verbally told by them after a long wait they cannot cover.

 

I rather suspect the sailings to date slipped under the radar for insurance and the FCO in place, but they certainly know about in now. If Boris removes that caveat, I'd happily rebook for next week. Watch this space for Mon 19th and the next bunch of announcements I guess.

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