Princess Vacation Protection on a closed loop cruise

[Californian]

Experienced cruisers, advice, please…..

 

We are going on a round trip Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles.  We live in the LA area, so there's no air or hotels involved.  Stops are Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta.  Should we just get The Princess Vacation package or do you recommend getting third party insurance?  Thanks very much in advance….

[Californian]

Experienced cruisers, advice, please…..

 

We are going on a round trip Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles.  We live in the LA area, so there's no air or hotels involved.  Stops are Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta.  Should we just get The Princess Vacation package or do you recommend getting third party insurance?  Thanks very much in advance….

[cr8tiv1]

Compare your prices.  For me, I always take Princess Vacation Protection.  Just easier.  But then again, I am upgraded from standard (75% refund) to Platinum (100%) automatically (Elite).  The one time I did not have insurance, I was in a pickle.  Accidents happen.

[Thrak]

We're old so we always carry MedjetAssist. If we are admitted to a hospital anywhere it covers us to be flown back to our chosen hospital in the US. It covers us not only when cruising but also when we do long land trips at home. It's not very expensive and gives us peace of mind knowing we won't be stuck in some sub-standard hospital in another country.

 

Edit: We do also get the Princess Vacation Protection.

Edited August 20, 2022 by Thrak

[LACruiser88]

Check out Cruise Critic's Travel Insurance Forum, lots of great information and comparisons there.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

Btw, we always buy the Princess insurance and also have a GeoBlue Trekker plan for international medical and evacuation.

[NavyVeteran]

Some things that could affect your decision:

 

What is your general health?

 

What is your age? Princess Vacation Protection (PVP) charges the same amount for people of any age, so it's a better bargain the older you are.

 

Are you Ruby or higher in Captain's Circle? If so, PVP is less expensive.

 

What health insurance do you have that would cover you outside the United States? Medicare provides no coverage. Some Medicare supplement plans provide primary coverage outside the US, and some provide no coverage if Medicare provides no coverage. Some HMOs and Medicare Advantage plans provide emergency coverage outside their coverage area.

 

If you have no medical coverage outside the US, then you may want more coverage than PVP. However, you may not. Medical costs in Mexico are much less expensive than in the United States, so lower coverage limits may be OK. If you need a medical evacuation to the US, the costs from Mexico would be lower than from many other areas of the world.

 

PVP provides better Cancel for Any Reason coverage than most third-party plans, unless you pay a lot - as long as you plan to sail with Princess within the next year if you need to cancel.

 

Do you have pre-existing conditions that may cause you to cancel? Many third-party policies will waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion as long as you purchase the insurance soon after making the initial deposit (look at the policy for the exact deadline). PVP does not waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion.

 

However, a pre-existing condition for PVP is "a condition that first presents, worsens, becomes acute, or has symptoms causing a person to seek diagnosis, care or treatment, or prompts a change in medication, during the 60 days before the Cancellation Fee Waiver Program is purchased." If you have a serious condition that is treated with medication but does not worsen or require a change in medication during the 60 days before you purchase PVP, then it is not treated as a pre-existing condition by PVP.

 

Specific example: I just booked a cruise with Princess, and I just had a medication change. If I were to purchase PVP now, it would not cover that condition. I will wait 60 days after the medication change. As soon as both DW and I have gone 60 days without a diagnosis or medication change, I will call Princess and purchase PVP for this cruise.

 

Note that it is important not to wait for final payment. Even if you select PVP, coverage does not begin until you have paid for it. If you wait until final payment, you may have had a diagnosis or medication change during the preceding 60 days. You aren't risking anything by paying earlier, since the PVP payment is completely refundable until the penalty period begins.

 

[cr8tiv1]

OP has two identical threads.  

 

 

 

[voljeep]

my Medicare supplement policy - (united healthcare thru aarp) reimbursed my complete medical center expenses on Regal Princess ($1,200) for medical emergency back in January.  my AON (purchased thru Princess at booking - Platinum - is paying (per an e-mail just yesterday) a couple of deductibles - $90+35 that I had after returning home for an ER and cardiologist visit.

 

this happened on board while docked at Grand Turk

[Ptroxx]

2 hours ago, voljeep said:

my Medicare supplement policy - (united healthcare thru aarp) reimbursed my complete medical center expenses on Regal Princess ($1,200) for medical emergency back in January.  my AON (purchased thru Princess at booking - Platinum - is paying (per an e-mail just yesterday) a couple of deductibles - $90+35 that I had after returning home for an ER and cardiologist visit.

 

this happened on board while docked at Grand Turk

Huh this is good to know. I have the same supplement policy.  

[Jersey42]

3 hours ago, voljeep said:

my Medicare supplement policy - (united healthcare thru aarp) reimbursed my complete medical center expenses on Regal Princess ($1,200) for medical emergency back in January. 

Are you a Massachusetts resident?  I believe that is the only place you can get a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy that works that way.  Everywhere else has a $250 deductible and then an 80%/20% cost share with a lifetime maximum of $50K.  Wisconsin and Minnesota also have some different rules, but neither cover foreign emergency travel like Massachusetts.

 

1 hour ago, Ptroxx said:

Huh this is good to know. I have the same supplement policy.  

Not if you are a NY, CA or NV resident.  You may have a United Healthcare/AARP Medicare Supplement but it follows federal regulations.  The three states I mentioned are the only ones with state specific laws. Massachusetts is the only one that offers plans that fully cover foreign emergency travel with no deducible, cost share or lifetime limit.

[NavyVeteran]

I have Tricare for Life as my Medicare supplement. It provides coverage outside the US with deductibles and copayments. Outside the US on a cruise, Princess Vacation Protection (PVP) is primary, and Tricare for Life is secondary. So far, I have had only minor claims, and PVP paid everything without my filing a claim with Tricare for Life. However, if I exceeded the policy limits for PVP, Tricare for Life would then pay everything else, since PVP would have already taken care of the Tricare for Life deductible and copayments.

 

Each person needs to read the fine print on their own policies.

Edited August 21, 2022 by NavyVeteran

[Ptroxx]

25 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

Are you a Massachusetts resident?  I believe that is the only place you can get a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy that works that way.  Everywhere else has a $250 deductible and then an 80%/20% cost share with a lifetime maximum of $50K.  Wisconsin and Minnesota also have some different rules, but neither cover foreign emergency travel like Massachusetts.

 

Not if you are a NY, CA or NV resident.  You may have a United Healthcare/AARP Medicare Supplement but it follows federal regulations.  The three states I mentioned are the only ones with state specific laws. Massachusetts is the only one that offers plans that fully cover foreign emergency travel with no deducible, cost share or lifetime limit.

Thank you.   I may have to call and see if there’s something available.    
I do like my UHC.