Insurance

[Happy2cruise]

Looking for feedback (good or bad) on cruise insurance you can purchase at final payment. 

Thanks!

[Valiamo]

With Princess, get their insurance.  it is good value overall with an 8% cost. 

 

We have used their, cancel for any reason, twice over the past year, and both times had zero trouble, and full refunds (cash and FCC) on both (less the insurance cost of course).

 

Have yet to put it to the "fly me home" or emergency type use, and hope to never have to.

[DHP1]

Our last 2 cruises we took out Princess insurance and was happy however, our next cruise to the Mediterranean which is very costly and with a 8% insurance cost, we decided to go with another insurance company which was much cheaper.  You need to compare prices and what they are offering. 

Note: - Princess medical coverage is low and we always take out another insurance to cover medical expenses.  

Edited January 27, 2023 by DHP1

[LACruiser88]

Check out the Cruise Critic Insurance Forum for detailed information on cruise insurance.  Link below...

 

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

[Babr]

The only difference is that not all policies allow a pre-existing conditions waiver at final payment, however, there are some if that is a concern. CFAR is not available at that time.

 

Purchasing at final payment allows you to postpone buying insurance until your money is at risk during the cancellation penalty period. Once purchased, the policy is nonrefundable after the 10-day examination period.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Babr

[Steelers0854]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:50 PM, Happy2cruise said:

Looking for feedback (good or bad) on cruise insurance you can purchase at final payment. 

Thanks!

 

Vast majority of third party insurance will not cover cancel for any reason unless you buy it when you book your cruise.  If thats important to you, you may want to consider the Princess provided plan, I believe it will include cancel for any reason as long as its bought before final payment.

 

On 1/26/2023 at 7:11 PM, Valiamo said:

With Princess, get their insurance.  it is good value overall with an 8% cost. 

 

We have used their, cancel for any reason, twice over the past year, and both times had zero trouble, and full refunds (cash and FCC) on both (less the insurance cost of course).

 

Have yet to put it to the "fly me home" or emergency type use, and hope to never have to.

 

I would be really careful with this.  While it may be great for CFAR, it is woefully inadequate when it comes to the medical coverages, it’s part of the reason we started buying third party insurance.  Depending on why you’re buying the insurance and what you’re concerned about will ultimately drive your decision.  But a medical evacuation can easily be in the six figures and some countries will only provide medical service if paid at the time of service, which is fine if you have that kind of liquid disposable income but many do not.  So doing your research in how the policy is used, what the coverages are, when you need to purchase it, preexisting conditions etc are all very important to make a decision that fits your risk tolerance.  

[Babr]

Medical evacuation in a comprehensive travel policy provides for hospital-to-hospital transfer if you need a higher level of care. It is to the nearest appropriate facility, not necessarily to your home country or to the facility of your choice. It involves the input of the attending physician, the receiving facility / physician, and the insurance company. Usually, the patient is returned home by commercial air once he is able to travel.

 

Air / sea rescue is performed by the Coast Guard/military of the nearest country at no cost to the patient.

 

Always be prepared to pay for medical care when you travel outside the US. Some policies may advance funds if required for hospital admission; otherwise, travel insurance provides reimbursement after submitting a claim.

[CruiserN1]

I actually just canceled an Oceania cruise in Alaska this summer and booked Princess instead specifically because of the Princess CFAR insurance (Oceania's policy does not include CFAR). My husband is in the middle of having some cardiac testing done that might lead to a minor surgery between now and when we cruise, so trip insurance (even with a pre-existing conditon waiver) would not cover him if we had to cancel due to something heart-related for him.

 

Since we're going to Alaska, I'm not worried about the medical evacuation (US Coast Guard does it) or costs for a hospital in Alaska, which would be covered by our regular medical insurance.

[cr8tiv1]

I had Princess insurance for three cruises that I had to cancel.  Two went without a hitch.  The third one was post covid and took "forever" to finalize (satisfied with the results).  The one time I did not have insurance was for a "short" cruise that I had wished I had insurance (very long story).

 

I have good personal health insurance and buy Princess insurance because of my age and convenience.  I am not getting any younger and it's "too" much work to research other plans.  Call it lazy or indifference = doesn't matter.

[Steelers0854]

12 hours ago, CruiserN1 said:

I actually just canceled an Oceania cruise in Alaska this summer and booked Princess instead specifically because of the Princess CFAR insurance (Oceania's policy does not include CFAR). My husband is in the middle of having some cardiac testing done that might lead to a minor surgery between now and when we cruise, so trip insurance (even with a pre-existing conditon waiver) would not cover him if we had to cancel due to something heart-related for him.

 

Since we're going to Alaska, I'm not worried about the medical evacuation (US Coast Guard does it) or costs for a hospital in Alaska, which would be covered by our regular medical insurance.

 

If you’re in Canadian waters (Which you will be for atleast a day or more) it will actually be the Canadian Coast Guard that would provide emergency evacuation.  Just something to keep in mind, I wouldn’t bank on USCG, especially if you are at a higher risk of potentially needing this.  

[CruiserN1]

21 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

 

If you’re in Canadian waters (Which you will be for atleast a day or more) it will actually be the Canadian Coast Guard that would provide emergency evacuation.  Just something to keep in mind, I wouldn’t bank on USCG, especially if you are at a higher risk of potentially needing this.  

Very, very low likelihood that he would need a CG rescue.