Carnival travel insurance - DON’T EVER BUY

[jstrutton]

Carnival travel insurance is provided via AON Affinity.  We’ve had our claim in with all documentations included from 2 July.  I’ve called numerous times and only get their call center in the Philippines. They are nice but have no authority to do anything.  Also, feel free to look up AON Affinity on the BBB website and there are tons of recent reviews on how really bad they are.  I really can believe that carnival is hanging their hat with this company.  
 

Don’t get me wrong I support that people should get travel insurance but not from carnival or this company. 
 

If any attorneys would like an easy class action lawsuit, this one is prime and an easy win I’m sure.  I’m probably going to have to consider small clams court or other legal actions to try and get some resolution on my own.  
 

Jay

[ldubs]

Make a formal complaint with your state's insurance department.  

[nydney1]

May I ask what the issue was, just curious 

[Crusin Karen]

I was actually just about to sign up for this for 2023 Magic cruise.  I'm 20 minutes from port.  All I need is insurance in case I'm sick or family emergency.  

[jstrutton]

I plan on contacting the SC insurance department for sure.  We had three claims, 1 for medical exam on ship, I for trip interruption and the last one for change of flights due to COVID.  The real issue they just aren’t replying at all. So waiting almost 4 months with no feedback on whether they accept or need something else.  The BBB complaints are basically the same they just never respond to any claims.  Who knows how long it will take, 3 months or 2 years. That really is the frustration piece.  

[jstrutton]

1 minute ago, Crusin Karen said:

I was actually just about to sign up for this for 2023 Magic cruise.  I'm 20 minutes from port.  All I need is insurance in case I'm sick or family emergency.  

Just google for BBB and AON Affinity and make your own decisions.  

[tonit964]

Much better coverage for less money getting your own from Insuremytrip or Squaremouth. I never get my insurance from the cruise lines.

[klfrodo]

Mine was tied up for 3 months also Maybe be was through a different company.

1 week after I filed a complaint with my States Insurance Commission, I received my check.

Coincidence? Don’t know

 

I know I never use the cruise line insurance just due to the low medical coverage.

Edited October 15, 2022 by klfrodo

[nlktx49]

I've heard many times to never buy Carnival's travel insurance. Whose side are they going to be on if you have to file a claim?

 

I use Squaremouth. The premiums are based on your age and the length and cost of your cruise, plus the coverage you choose.

 

Easy to use website with about 40 different companies and plans to choose from, ability to make comparisons, ratings of companies, and the exact coverages of each.

 

I've never had to make a claim, but when Covid started I had already purchased my travel insurance from them. The cruise was canceled. Getting a refund was quick and easy. 

 

They get a lot of good reviews.

[BlerkOne]

The older you are, the better deal Carnival insurance is. It is group insurance and age isn't a factor affecting rates.

 

The insurance company is Nationwide, which plenty of people buy individual cruise policies from 

[ober134]

For anyone that travels frequently, an annual policy may make sense. Recently retired with several trips planned (cruise and domestic land). The plan was fairly reasonable and comprehensive. I can't comment on customer service tho and hopefully will never have to file a claim. Fingers crossed.

[happy cruzer]

All claims are taking a long time.  After you have given them a chance, collect your paperwork and fedex it to Carnival and the Insurance company.  Then they know you will follow up with a complaint to:

 

State Insurance Bureau

Consumer Protection Agency

Federal Trade Commission

anyone else you can think of....

 

 

 

 

[BoozinCroozin]

Insurance companies only direction on any claim is to deny, deny, deny, require more documentation, deny, and draw it out as long as possible until you get an attorney or give up. If you read the contract and actually comprehend every bit of it, there is nothing written in it that says how long they have to go without paying you out. Most of it is how they have to review it with no time table. It took my sister going to the State Insurance Board, filing a lawsuit, and finally getting some of their money back. They had a death in the family 3 days before going. The issue with the insurance is the death must be an immediate family member living at the primary residence of the adult travelers. They would up getting their cruise fare back, but not the plane tickets. I can't remember about port fees and taxes though.

[kdr69]

16 hours ago, jstrutton said:

I plan on contacting the SC insurance department for sure.  We had three claims, 1 for medical exam on ship, I for trip interruption and the last one for change of flights due to COVID.  The real issue they just aren’t replying at all. So waiting almost 4 months with no feedback on whether they accept or need something else.  The BBB complaints are basically the same they just never respond to any claims.  Who knows how long it will take, 3 months or 2 years. That really is the frustration piece.  

I dont think Carnival Insurance covers the flight changes. I may be wrong though.

[pe4all]

We have never purchased Carnival insurance, and never will as it does not provide coverage for pre-exiting medical conditions, which my family has.  That being said, you can get better coverage by doing your homework and researching what is out there.  We have been using Travelguard for over 15 years, and have not had one issue with the claims we have put in.  While it may not be the cheapest out there it does have good coverage for what we need.

[CruisingWalter]

18 hours ago, jstrutton said:

Carnival travel insurance is provided via AON Affinity.  We’ve had our claim in with all documentations included from 2 July.  I’ve called numerous times and only get their call center in the Philippines. They are nice but have no authority to do anything.  Also, feel free to look up AON Affinity on the BBB website and there are tons of recent reviews on how really bad they are.  I really can believe that carnival is hanging their hat with this company.  

 

You should never, ever purchase travel insurance through a cruise line, any cruise line, always purchase it independently. We get far better coverage for either the same amount as the cruise lines or less going third party. We've been cruising since 2006, we purchase insurance for every single cruise, but never with the cruise line.  If you cruise enough, definitely look into a yearly policy vs. the per cruise policies. Usually that works if you cruise 28 days or more in a single year or four 7-night cruises. 

[ColeThornton]

Here's a good CC resource for insurance information:

 

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

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

The older you are, the better deal Carnival insurance is. It is group insurance and age isn't a factor affecting rates.

 

The insurance company is Nationwide, which plenty of people buy individual cruise policies from 

It's only a better deal if you end up not needing what it is really for, a possible catastrophic medical bill.

[LatinaInTexas]

Different strokes for different folks. Carnival cruise insurance met my needs perfectly. It was cheap and offered a  cancellation for any reason with 75% of cruise fare refunded in cruise credit.

The reason it works for me is because I book a paid cruise but Im always on the lookout for a comp MyVegas cruise to pop up. If one pops up while I already have a cruise booked I have a situation.

Case in point I had Horizon booked for August and a MyVegas comp cruise  popped up for the new MSC Seashore in a balcony about a month before sailing on Horizon.

I have wanted to cruise MSC for years, I have never stayed in a balcony, the itineraries were both somewhat similar with both having all new ports.

I cancelled the Horizon and sailed the Seashore without any huge penalty fees. Did my claim online and got notice in about 2 weeks that my refund in future cruise credit is waiting for me to use.

Carnivals insurance might not work for everyone and there are many other options but for my situation it couldn't have worked out any better.

 

[tonit964]

24 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Different strokes for different folks. Carnival cruise insurance met my needs perfectly. It was cheap and offered a  cancellation for any reason with 75% of cruise fare refunded in cruise credit.

The reason it works for me is because I book a paid cruise but Im always on the lookout for a comp MyVegas cruise to pop up. If one pops up while I already have a cruise booked I have a situation.

Case in point I had Horizon booked for August and a MyVegas comp cruise  popped up for the new MSC Seashore in a balcony about a month before sailing on Horizon.

I have wanted to cruise MSC for years, I have never stayed in a balcony, the itineraries were both somewhat similar with both having all new ports.

I cancelled the Horizon and sailed the Seashore without any huge penalty fees. Did my claim online and got notice in about 2 weeks that my refund in future cruise credit is waiting for me to use.

Carnivals insurance might not work for everyone and there are many other options but for my situation it couldn't have worked out any better.

 

Keep in mind, insurance is not only if you have to cancel your cruise,  it also covers you for medical expenses if you get sick or injured while on the cruise. The cruise line medical coverage amounts are very low, by shopping other plans, you get far more coverage for either the same or less cost. It also covers trip interruption and loss/delayed luggage as well as medical evacuation.

[LatinaInTexas]

4 minutes ago, tonit964 said:

Keep in mind, insurance is not only if you have to cancel your cruise,  it also covers you for medical expenses if you get sick or injured while on the cruise. The cruise line medical coverage amounts are very low, by shopping other plans, you get far more coverage for either the same or less cost. It also covers trip interruption and loss/delayed luggage as well as medical evacuation.

Understood, I had bought outside of Carnival all my other cruises but didn't find it particularly cheap. I know anything can happen and I weigh the pros and cons, and take into consideration how healthy we are. I haven't called into work sick in over 30 years 🙂

[mjkacmom]

36 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Understood, I had bought outside of Carnival all my other cruises but didn't find it particularly cheap. I know anything can happen and I weigh the pros and cons, and take into consideration how healthy we are. I haven't called into work sick in over 30 years 🙂

Healthy people sometimes need expensive medical attention. Both my 19 year old son and myself have hard emergency appendectomies in the past 5 years, he also had a horrible ankle break requiring surgery. We rarely get sick.

[LatinaInTexas]

9 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Healthy people sometimes need expensive medical attention. Both my 19 year old son and myself have hard emergency appendectomies in the past 5 years, he also had a horrible ankle break requiring surgery. We rarely get sick.

Understood, in my younger years I worried about everything. Now I'm not living my later productive years worrying about what ifs. I know a LOT of people don't bother buying any insurance, like I said different strokes for different folks. Also have had appendix out, hysterectomy, gall bladder out, and a hernia repaired. Not much left lol.

[DSJ28]

Interesting discussion.  I've tried both cruise line and private insurance for cruising.  I've been fortunate enough to not have a claim in all my years of travel (knock on wood).  I had the idea (not sure what prompted this notion) that the primary benefit of getting insurance through the cruise line is there are no out of pocket expenses for onboard medical care - whereas I'd have file a claim for reimbursement with private insurance.  Of course, all medical needs may not be addressed by the on-ship team, in which case I'd have to file a claim for reimbursement. But, for those less serious ailments that do require attention - I had hoped buying through the cruise line simplifies the process for me.  I'll have to review all of this again based on the information shared here...thanks for the great discussion!

[Babr]

57 minutes ago, DSJ28 said:

Interesting discussion.  I've tried both cruise line and private insurance for cruising.  I've been fortunate enough to not have a claim in all my years of travel (knock on wood).  I had the idea (not sure what prompted this notion) that the primary benefit of getting insurance through the cruise line is there are no out of pocket expenses for onboard medical care - whereas I'd have file a claim for reimbursement with private insurance.  Of course, all medical needs may not be addressed by the on-ship team, in which case I'd have to file a claim for reimbursement. But, for those less serious ailments that do require attention - I had hoped buying through the cruise line simplifies the process for me.  I'll have to review all of this again based on the information shared here...thanks for the great discussion!

The cruise line simply sells a policy with its brand on it. The policy is actually underwritten and administered by others. As with any travel insurance, you pay upfront for any service and file for reimbursement whether onboard or shoreside. Buying through the cruise line provides no advantage in the claims process.

 

The medical services onboard are provided by contractors. They bill you for treatment, medicines, and supplies. It will be added to you account which must be settled before you disembark.