When to buy Insurance

[QuickieGlenn]

I always buy the travel insurance thru the cruise line

Have not been on RCCL in 10 yrs

I already paid the deposit 6 months ago and the final payment is soon, can I purchase it then

 

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, QuickieGlenn said:

I always buy the travel insurance thru the cruise line

Have not been on RCCL in 10 yrs

I already paid the deposit 6 months ago and the final payment is soon, can I purchase it then

 

Yes, you can purchase Royals insurance up to the final paymemt date. 

[rudeney]

I'm not sure about RCCL's insurance, but when buying 3rd party insurance, there are rules about getting coverage for pre-existing conditions which may mean you must purchase within some number of days after booking or before final payment.  If that matters to you, you might want to research your options.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

3 hours ago, rudeney said:

there are rules about getting coverage for pre-existing conditions which may mean you must purchase within some number of days after booking 

True! Every policy that I'm aware of, however has a window of around 7-10 days after booking in order to get pre-existing conditions covered. Since the OP booked six months ago, that ship has sailed, so to speak. 😉 

 

The two most strategically smart times for booking insurance are 1) immediately after booking, if you're concerned about pre-existing medical condition coverage, or 2) right before final payment so you don't lose out if you decide to cancel.

[broadwaybaby123]

I'd purchase it now, especially since the final payment is due.

[neverbeenhere]

Buy an annual plan when cruising often. 

[Ashland]

33 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Buy an annual plan when cruising often. 

Agree...We have an annual GeoBlue policy and purchase 3rd party insurance just before we sail to cover us for other travel situations that may come into play.

[rudeney]

4 hours ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

True! Every policy that I'm aware of, however has a window of around 7-10 days after booking in order to get pre-existing conditions covered. Since the OP booked six months ago, that ship has sailed, so to speak. 😉 

 

The two most strategically smart times for booking insurance are 1) immediately after booking, if you're concerned about pre-existing medical condition coverage, or 2) right before final payment so you don't lose out if you decide to cancel.

 

Yeah, I think the last insurance policy I booked was fairly generous and it was 20 days within booking, but I always buy my insurance within a few days so it's never an issue.  We really have no "serious" pre-existing conditions, but both of us have HBP (stabilized with meds),  and I have a neurological disorder.  I don't feel like having to argue with insurance over whether or not my emergency is due to one of these conditions.

 

[ARandomTraveler]

For future reference, you also need to purchase insurance fairly soon (7-21 days depending on the policy) after making your initial cruise deposit if you want "cancel for any reason" insurance.

[Ourusualbeach]

16 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

For future reference, you also need to purchase insurance fairly soon (7-21 days depending on the policy) after making your initial cruise deposit if you want "cancel for any reason" insurance.

They were specifically asking about cruise line insurance and you can purchase that up until the date of final payment.  It also has CFAR

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

They were specifically asking about cruise line insurance and you can purchase that up until the date of final payment.  It also has CFAR

I was more focused on the overall topic of insurance for cruises in general, because other people's responses were about buying independent insurance. 
 

The cancel for any reason clause in the cruise line insurance, I'm pretty sure, is not the same as the cancel for any reason benefits you get from independent insurance. With cruiseline insurance you get a future cruise credit (unless that's changed since I read the terms and conditions a few months ago), but with independent insurance, you get your cash back (usually 75% of what you've lost). 
 

Just something for the OP to consider next time. 

[Ourusualbeach]

3 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I was more focused on the overall topic of insurance for cruises in general, because other people's responses were about buying independent insurance. 
 

The cancel for any reason clause in the cruise line insurance, I'm pretty sure, is not the same as the cancel for any reason benefits you get from independent insurance. With cruiseline insurance you get a future cruise credit (unless that's changed since I read the terms and conditions a few months ago), but with independent insurance, you get your cash back (usually 75% of what you've lost). 
 

Just something for the OP to consider next time. 

Royals CFAR is 90% as an FCC.  It also does not base premiums on age which can be a huge benefit to many travellers

[pcur]

12 hours ago, Ashland said:

Agree...We have an annual GeoBlue policy and purchase 3rd party insurance just before we sail to cover us for other travel situations that may come into play.

Me, too.  If I have more than one cruise and/or land trip in one year, I buy annual insurance.  GeoBlue Essential Trekker was my choice, also.  Also, I got Southwest's Emergency Assistance Plus for this year.  I found the $187 for GeoBlue was even less expensive than one travel policy for one trip.

 

Plus, most credit cards have good basic trip interruption / trip cancellation / lost luggage benefits.

[pcur]

5 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Royals CFAR is 90% as an FCC.  It also does not base premiums on age which can be a huge benefit to many travellers

I found my age-rated annual policy with Geo-Blue very reasonably priced.  Up until just recently all my cruises were covered by RCCL's CWC policy.  I'll have to research again for next year.

[Ourusualbeach]

5 minutes ago, pcur said:

I found my age-rated annual policy with Geo-Blue very reasonably priced.  Up until just recently all my cruises were covered by RCCL's CWC policy.  I'll have to research again for next year.

Do those annual polices have CFAR?  It's the CFAR coverage that drives up the cost.

[pcur]

16 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Do those annual polices have CFAR?  It's the CFAR coverage that drives up the cost.

My Nat-Geo is additional medical, and Emergency Assistance is evacuation.  My credit card has $10,000 in trip cancellation benefits that are comprehensive, and include quarantining.

 

At the time I purchased, CWC was in full swing, and I had no bookings that weren't covered by it.  I now have two bookings not covered by it, but my credit card benefit cancellation benefits will suffice.  I don't spend over it's limits on one trip, anyway. 

 

My regular medical coverage pays anywhere in the world, but reimbursable.  So, I look at travel insurance as a stop-gap measure.

Edited July 2, 2022 by pcur

[1025cruise]

When I buy insurance, I want CFAR and coverage for pre-existing conditions. Therefore I need to buy within days of initial deposit.

[HicksRA]

What are some credit cards that provide good travel coverage?  

[warburg]

I have pre existing conditions, not one of which has ever caused any trouble on a cruise.  However, I buy insurance within 21 days of booking. Paying to cover  the deposit is all that is necessary because he insurance may be purchased long in advance. My company of choice is SteveTripinsurancestore.com. Steve is a specialist and has had two recent question and answer sessions on CruiseCritic.Every once in a while someone without insurance posts here, expecting the line to refund to cover a necessary cancellation.Maybe they do but I doubt it.

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

Not buying insurance has paid for about two extra cruises by now. 

Lucky you so far.....

[docsneeze]

3 hours ago, HicksRA said:

What are some credit cards that provide good travel coverage?  

Chase Sapphire and Amex Platinum.

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, docsneeze said:

Chase Sapphire and Amex Platinum.

I was contemplating getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it's got some great travel benefits and they keep trying to get me to sign up for it, but the annual fee is like $650, which seems excessive. Is that the one you have? And if so, do you feel the benefits you're receiving are worth the yearly fee? 
 

Right now I'm using the Chase Southwest Visa, which has some basic travel benefits, but I get great use of the miles.

[docsneeze]

13 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I was contemplating getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it's got some great travel benefits and they keep trying to get me to sign up for it, but the annual fee is like $650, which seems excessive. Is that the one you have? And if so, do you feel the benefits you're receiving are worth the yearly fee? 
 

Right now I'm using the Chase Southwest Visa, which has some basic travel benefits, but I get great use of the miles.

There are other low fee cards for travel and I would research on the internet for the best card for your specific travel needs.

[renza]

Even if you do not buy insurance you can switch ship and sail day for $100 pp plus the difference in cost of ship you switch too. With nonrefundable 

Edited July 2, 2022 by renza

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

Even if a cruise didn’t work out, would still be ahead at this point.

Yes...you're ahead (so far) not having travel insurance until something goes wrong