Missed Port - Insurance Compensation

[Selbourne]

On our recent Britannia cruise we missed a port call (Skagen). It seems that we miss a port on around 1 in every 3 cruises. We have an annual travel insurance policy with Aviva, which is excellent value at £166 given that it covers 4 of us (including our adult children who no longer live with us) and my wife’s medical condition. Aviva consider cruises to be a normal holiday, so it’s not a specific cruise policy, but it does cover all cruise eventualities, such as medical evacuation, on board treatment etc. I am aware that cruise specific policies provide compensation for missed ports and this is the one thing that our Aviva policy doesn’t cover, but I am also aware that some of these policies, especially for people with pre-existing medical conditions, can be very expensive. So my question is this. Can anyone recommend an insurer that is likely to provide annual cover, including pre-existing medical conditions, that will include missed port compensation, that is unlikely to be vastly more expensive than our current policy? Thanks. 

[AndyMichelle]

Our Stay sure policy, which covers Michelle's medical condition and is very reasonably priced, allows you to add missed ports as an extra. 

We have a yearly policy that cost £158 for both of us, without the missed port cover. 

Andy 

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

Our Stay sure policy, which covers Michelle's medical condition and is very reasonably priced, allows you to add missed ports as an extra. 

We have a yearly policy that cost £158 for both of us, without the missed port cover. 

Andy 

Thanks Andy. Sounds similar to ours. I don’t suppose that you can recall roughly how much extra it was for the missed port cover and what the level of compensation was? I presume that you decided that it wasn’t worth adding?

[kruzseeka]

Nationwide FlexPlus is £40 extra for cruise cover which pays £150 for a missed port (after departure).  It's £156 p.a. and with a joint account covers both of you plus dependent children but i don't believe that would extend to your adult children.  There is a £65 age extension for over 70s - one payment covers both policy holders but over 70s are subject to annual medical screening and may have an additional premium for medical issues. 

 

It is worldwide cover too and has AA breakdown included. You only need to open an account - it doesn't have to be your primary bank account or have regular deposits or DD coming out of it.  May be one to consider.  

[AndyMichelle]

8 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks Andy. Sounds similar to ours. I don’t suppose that you can recall roughly how much extra it was for the missed port cover and what the level of compensation was? I presume that you decided that it wasn’t worth adding?

Sorry, can't remember exactly but it didn't seem worth it to us at the time for a 7 night cruise. 

That doesn't mean it was expensive, we just thought we didn't really need it. 

Now more cruises are being booked, we will have another look when renewal is due. 

Andy 

[Angel57]

I’m not sure about the medical condition side as I only take medication for high blood pressure, but an annual policy with Liverpool Insurance (am in mid 60s) just cost me £79 for cover in Europe. Each missed port is £150 compensation.
I have other insurances with LV so get a 10% discount.

Bizarrely an annual policy only cost me an extra £15 in comparison to a 7 day policy with them.

[Winifred 22]

7 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

Nationwide FlexPlus is £40 extra for cruise cover which pays £150 for a missed port (after departure).  It's £156 p.a. and with a joint account covers both of you plus dependent children but i don't believe that would extend to your adult children.  There is a £65 age extension for over 70s - one payment covers both policy holders but over 70s are subject to annual medical screening and may have an additional premium for medical issues. 

 

It is worldwide cover too and has AA breakdown included. You only need to open an account - it doesn't have to be your primary bank account or have regular deposits or DD coming out of it.  May be one to consider.  

The added bonus with the Nationwide Current account that goes with it is that there are no foreign charges added for purchases and use abroad. I opened it up solely for cruising and insurance paid the £40 a year supplement. As a usual Cunard cruiser it’s useful because of all the dollar charges onboard. It’s great in port to buy even small items on your card and not be charged extra. 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Winifred 22

[Winifred 22]

I personally think these days missed ports supplement is an essential element to me of insurance. It would certainly soften the blow to receive money back to spend on another cruise. 

[alpha whiskey]

We were also on the Britannia cruise with Skagen as a missed port.

We won't be claiming as we were not out of pocket with any expenses.

Different matter if we had  suffered non refundable independent shore excursions.

Does anyone else think like me, or am I daft? 

 

[Megabear2]

My aunt's annual AllClear policy underwritten by Zurich paid out within 5 days on her claim in January.  This included £100 for a missed port and £100 X 4 for cabin confinement when she had a chest infection whilst onboard.

 

The missed port cover under AllClear is not the highest on offer but their claims procedure was easy. Her policy at 83 for annual European cover alone with absolutely everything including companion insurance was £1,100 - obviously she is rated for her heart and her tribulations in Italy last year.  

 

Bear in mind all the policies with missed port cover have a limit on how much you can claim (AllClear limits it to £500 for instance).  For an ordinary bog standard cruise the chances of missing 5 ports are remote but on a long cruise not impossible. Most "regular" policies it is £100 per port, a few give £150.

 

I had a policy with the Post Office with cruise cover and that offered £150 for each port, again limited to £750 and my husband's Avanti one offered £100 per port.  However we chose not to renew these policies as the cost of the Avanti one rose by 30% at renewal and we reverted back to Allianz which comes with our bank account.  No specific cruise cover the same as your current one but a far more reasonable premium.

 

My husband's health conditions are very expensive to cover even on a non cruise specific policy.  He is 66 with a myocardial bridge, fibromyalga, IBS and depression covered for worldwide travel including cruise and winter sports.  The Avanti policy renewal was £1,300 for him alone - Staysure being the same company was quoting £1,100 but the cover level was much lower at £5,000.  Reverting back to non specific policy we have full worldwide cover including winter sports for £298 so a no brainer cost wise.

 

As a much healthier individual I declare every year breast cancer more than 20 years ago, depression and in my 5 year history covid, removal of a benign mole and a broken rib.  My Post Office platinum policy renewal for worldwide travel was quote at £329 in June but again I decided to use Allianz to keep it under one umbrella.

 

The claims process for the major issues was far more important to me at renewal than the cost and add ons.  After the hell my family had with medical claims last year with Good to Go, Staysure and the Holiday Extras I wouldn’t hesitate to say AllClear was head and shoulders above them for claim handling.

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Megabear2

[Selbourne]

9 minutes ago, alpha whiskey said:

We were also on the Britannia cruise with Skagen as a missed port.

We won't be claiming as we were not out of pocket with any expenses.

Different matter if we had  suffered non refundable independent shore excursions.

Does anyone else think like me, or am I daft? 

 

Missed port cover is not about any losses that you may have incurred (that’s a separate issue), it’s a cash payment purely for having missed the port - nothing more. We were issued with letters to provide to insurers but, in my case, I can’t claim anything. Therefore, if we’d had that cover we might have got £150 or whatever. Whether you were bothered about missing the port or not, it’s obviously preferable to receive something rather than nothing in recognition, especially as P&O don’t make any gesture as a result. 

 

Therefore it’s purely a financial consideration. There’s a calculation to be made about how much more cruise insurance with missed port cover would cost me per year, versus how much I would get back through missed ports, on the basis that we probably miss one port per year. 

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Missed port cover is not about any losses that you may have incurred (that’s a separate issue), it’s a cash payment purely for having missed the port - nothing more. We were issued with letters to provide to insurers but, in my case, I can’t claim anything. Therefore, if we’d had that cover we might have got £150 or whatever. Whether you were bothered about missing the port or not, it’s obviously preferable to receive something rather than nothing in recognition, especially as P&O don’t make any gesture as a result. 

 

Therefore it’s purely a financial consideration. There’s a calculation to be made about how much more cruise insurance with missed port cover would cost me per year, versus how much I would get back through missed ports, on the basis that we probably miss one port per year. 

You'd have got £300 as it's per person not cabin.  I must confess I've never claimed as on the occasions I've missed a port I too thought like AlphaWhiskey and when we did buy the missed port cover we never missed a port on that year's cruises!

Edited July 28, 2023 by Megabear2

[Selbourne]

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

My aunt's annual AllClear policy underwritten by Zurich paid out within 5 days on her claim in January.  This included £100 for a missed port and £100 X 4 for cabin confinement when she had a chest infection whilst onboard.

 

The missed port cover under AllClear is not the highest on offer but their claims procedure was easy. Her policy at 83 for annual European cover alone with absolutely everything including companion insurance was £1,100 - obviously she is rated for her heart and her tribulations in Italy last year.  

 

Bear in mind all the policies with missed port cover have a limit on how much you can claim (AllClear limits it to £500 for instance).  For an ordinary bog standard cruise the chances of missing 5 ports are remote but on a long cruise not impossible. Most "regular" policies it is £100 per port, a few give £150.

 

I had a policy with the Post Office with cruise cover and that offered £150 for each port, again limited to £750 and my husband's Avanti one offered £100 per port.  However we chose not to renew these policies as the cost of the Avanti one rose by 30% at renewal and we reverted back to Allianz which comes with our bank account.  No specific cruise cover the same as your current one but a far more reasonable premium.

 

My husband's health conditions are very expensive to cover even on a non cruise specific policy.  He is 66 with a myocardial bridge, fibromyalga, IBS and depression covered for worldwide travel including cruise and winter sports.  The Avanti policy renewal was £1,300 for him alone - Staysure being the same company was quoting £1,100 but the cover level was much lower at £5,000.  Reverting back to non specific policy we have full worldwide cover including winter sports for £298 so a no brainer cost wise.

 

As a much healthier individual I declare every year breast cancer more than 20 years ago, depression and in my 5 year history covid, removal of a benign mole and a broken rib.  My Post Office platinum policy renewal for worldwide travel was quote at £329 in June but again I decided to use Allianz to keep it under one umbrella.

 

The claims process for the major issues was far more important to me at renewal than the cost and add ons.  After the hell my family had with medical claims last year with Good to Go, Staysure and the Holiday Extras I wouldn’t hesitate to say AllClear was head and shoulders above them for claim handling.

 

Many thanks. I was hoping that you would respond, as I know that you have expertise in this area, but I didn’t want to put you under pressure to do so by asking directly!

 

As you say, it boils down to a financial calculation. If, for example, in an average year we are only likely to miss one port and receive, say, £200 compensation, then if I can get a comparable policy for £100 more than I’m paying currently then it’s definitely worth doing. However, if the policy would be £200 or more extra then it probably wouldn’t be.
 

As you have demonstrated in your examples, the cost of some policies, especially with pre-existing conditions, can be eye watering. We used to have free cover with our bank, but when we needed to add my wife’s health condition the weighting cost more than a separate stand alone policy which included it!

[yorkshirephil]

51 minutes ago, alpha whiskey said:

We were also on the Britannia cruise with Skagen as a missed port.

We won't be claiming as we were not out of pocket with any expenses.

Different matter if we had  suffered non refundable independent shore excursions.

Does anyone else think like me, or am I daft? 

 

Not daft in my opinion, but then we may both be daft. We never take out missed port add ons, we have missed lots of ports over the years and just accept that these things happen and move on. If it is a port you are rally looking forward to we may feel disappointed but get over it. It is a good excuse to try again another time.

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Many thanks. I was hoping that you would respond, as I know that you have expertise in this area, but I didn’t want to put you under pressure to do so by asking directly!

 

As you say, it boils down to a financial calculation. If, for example, in an average year we are only likely to miss one port and receive, say, £200 compensation, then if I can get a comparable policy for £100 more than I’m paying currently then it’s definitely worth doing. However, if the policy would be £200 or more extra then it probably wouldn’t be.
 

As you have demonstrated in your examples, the cost of some policies, especially with pre-existing conditions, can be eye watering. We used to have free cover with our bank, but when we needed to add my wife’s health condition the weighting cost more than a separate stand alone policy which included it!

Unfortunately this year insurers are heavily loading their policies so many are finding costs excessive and as a result going for the less than ideal policies on offer through comparison sites.  That's okay until you need to claim as we found with Good to Go not offering any form of companion insurance when I needed to stay in Italy.  With added flights and hotels over the period my aunt was in hospital that added over £3,000 to our loss.

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Not daft in my opinion, but then we may both be daft. We never take out missed port add ons, we have missed lots of ports over the years and just accept that these things happen and move on. If it is a port you are rally looking forward to we may feel disappointed but get over it. It is a good excuse to try again another time.

With respect, that’s an entirely different issue. We weren’t particularly bothered about missing Skagen as we had been there before and knew that we wouldn’t have been ashore for much more than an hour. The issue is purely a financial consideration between different insurance policies.
 

If there were two identical insurance policies costing the same and one would pay out 2 x £100 for a missed port and one wouldn’t pay a penny, then IMHO it would indeed be daft not to buy the one with missed port cover. Whether people are bothered or not about the port that is missed is completely irrelevant, as you get the payment regardless!

Edited July 28, 2023 by Selbourne

[david63]

I use LV= for my travel insurance and as we are both over 70 and have medical conditions as it was about the cheapest that I could find. The fact that they have £150 missed port cover is a bonus - especially when we missed three ports recently. The payout was £900 (far more than the premium) and was in my bank account within 10 days of returning home.

 

It is almost impossible to compare one person's insurance quote with another as everyone is totally different (age, medical conditions, actual cover, where you live, etc.)

[yorkshirephil]

8 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

With respect, that’s an entirely different issue. We weren’t particularly bothered about missing Skagen as we had been there before and knew that we wouldn’t have been ashore for much more than an hour. The issue is purely a financial consideration between different insurance policies.
 

If there were two identical insurance policies costing the same and one would pay out 2 x £100 for a missed port and one wouldn’t pay a penny, then IMHO it would indeed be daft not to buy the one with missed port cover. Whether people are bothered or not about the port that is missed is completely irrelevant, as you get the payment regardless!

In those circumstances then yes, as long as they actually do pay out and not use T&C's to avoid paying which does happen, most of us bumble along quite happily paying our fees while everything is OK but then try claiming and it is all change. Friends of ours tried to claim for a missed port but because Thompson gave everyone £25 as a gesture of goodwill then their insurer turned down their claim for £200 (£100 pp)

[Megabear2]

5 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

In those circumstances then yes, as long as they actually do pay out and not use T&C's to avoid paying which does happen, most of us bumble along quite happily paying our fees while everything is OK but then try claiming and it is all change. Friends of ours tried to claim for a missed port but because Thompson gave everyone £25 as a gesture of goodwill then their insurer turned down their claim for £200 (£100 pp)

A good point. Goodwill gestures affect all claims not just missed port ones.  

 

Missed port claims are generally paid out immediately but you still need to ensure you have all the paperwork.

[cruising.mark.uk]

19 minutes ago, david63 said:

I use LV= for my travel insurance and as we are both over 70 and have medical conditions as it was about the cheapest that I could find. The fact that they have £150 missed port cover is a bonus - especially when we missed three ports recently. The payout was £900 (far more than the premium) and was in my bank account within 10 days of returning home.

 

It is almost impossible to compare one person's insurance quote with another as everyone is totally different (age, medical conditions, actual cover, where you live, etc.)

This is what worries me about the 'gift horse' that is missed port insurance payments.  We too have it on our Admiral policy, but have never claimed for it.  It seems to me that missing ports is not a rare occurrence and that many on here who cruise regularly could well find themselves in the same position as you where a missed port claim would result in a payment far above their annual premium.  And that might be the case year after year if people are cruising 50, 60, 70 or more days per year and will, therefore, by the law of averages miss 2 or 3 or 4 ports per year.  The risk is that these payments will become economically non-viable for the insurers and, therefore, that they will do one or more of: removing payments for missed ports altogether or lowering the amount paid; requiring those insured to prove that they are out of pocket because of a missed port (e.g. because they were due to go on a non-ship excursion which has not been refunded); or increasing premiums either for travel insurance in general, for cruise cover as an extra or for missed ports as an extra add on.

 

Personally, I think it would be entirely fair for them to adopt the second of those options and insist that travellers demonstrate that they have made a financial loss because of the missed port and then recompense that loss.  We've never claimed because we've never been in a position where missing a port has 'cost' us anything and would, therefore, feel uneasy about asking for recompense.

 

[Megabear2]

34 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

With respect, that’s an entirely different issue. We weren’t particularly bothered about missing Skagen as we had been there before and knew that we wouldn’t have been ashore for much more than an hour. The issue is purely a financial consideration between different insurance policies.
 

If there were two identical insurance policies costing the same and one would pay out 2 x £100 for a missed port and one wouldn’t pay a penny, then IMHO it would indeed be daft not to buy the one with missed port cover. Whether people are bothered or not about the port that is missed is completely irrelevant, as you get the payment regardless!

Out of interest I've just visited Staysure and compared a quote for my husband with his medical conditions declared for with cruise insurance and without.

 

Firstly the interesting part is the quotes are considerably lower than for the June renewal, strange as under the new law existing customers should be offered identical terms.  Anyway, the two policies are as follows.

 

Comprehensive £5,000 cancellation cover

With cruise cover £781.53

Without £729.65

 

Superior comprehensive £10,000 cover

With cruise cover £915.50

Without £829.63

 

Based on this it would be reasonable to take the cruise cover as the difference is minimal.

[majortom10]

We have Nationwide Flexplus account which as well as worldwide travel insurance for all members of immediate family of account holder also has mobile phone insurance and car breakdown. We paid £40 extra for extra cruise cover i.e. missing ports and also a supplement for pre existing conditions. Compared to other quotes was very good. When on Iona in March we missed a port of call and was given a letter by P&O for reason why. On return home phoned Nationwide took details on a short 5 minute call and within a week £150pp was paid into my bank account. Excellent service.

[yorkshirephil]

15 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

This is what worries me about the 'gift horse' that is missed port insurance payments.  We too have it on our Admiral policy, but have never claimed for it.  It seems to me that missing ports is not a rare occurrence and that many on here who cruise regularly could well find themselves in the same position as you where a missed port claim would result in a payment far above their annual premium.  And that might be the case year after year if people are cruising 50, 60, 70 or more days per year and will, therefore, by the law of averages miss 2 or 3 or 4 ports per year.  The risk is that these payments will become economically non-viable for the insurers and, therefore, that they will do one or more of: removing payments for missed ports altogether or lowering the amount paid; requiring those insured to prove that they are out of pocket because of a missed port (e.g. because they were due to go on a non-ship excursion which has not been refunded); or increasing premiums either for travel insurance in general, for cruise cover as an extra or for missed ports as an extra add on.

 

Personally, I think it would be entirely fair for them to adopt the second of those options and insist that travellers demonstrate that they have made a financial loss because of the missed port and then recompense that loss.  We've never claimed because we've never been in a position where missing a port has 'cost' us anything and would, therefore, feel uneasy about asking for recompense.

 

There is also the complication of when is a missed port not a missed port, and how will an insurer deal with it. As several ports are now restricting cruise ships for various reasons will insurers pay out, two examples that spring to mind are Amsterdam and Majorca where people were expecting to cruise there but now are not, is that really a missed port in the eyes of an insurer?

 

[terrierjohn]

53 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

In those circumstances then yes, as long as they actually do pay out and not use T&C's to avoid paying which does happen, most of us bumble along quite happily paying our fees while everything is OK but then try claiming and it is all change. Friends of ours tried to claim for a missed port but because Thompson gave everyone £25 as a gesture of goodwill then their insurer turned down their claim for £200 (£100 pp)

I dont think I would be too worried about whether a claim is fair or not, you can be certain that the insurance companies will not be out of pocket with any claims that are made.

[Megabear2]

19 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

There is also the complication of when is a missed port not a missed port, and how will an insurer deal with it. As several ports are now restricting cruise ships for various reasons will insurers pay out, two examples that spring to mind are Amsterdam and Majorca where people were expecting to cruise there but now are not, is that really a missed port in the eyes of an insurer?

 

If the cruise line issues a letter, yes.  Guernsey is another you can add.  Basically get a letter whilst onboard you're covered.  How long it will last is another question.  So many now claiming might well start to show up in the balance sheets.  

 

Before the pandemic a lot of people never read their policies so many didn't even know the cover existed unless they were on forums like this one. Now because of the situation that arose in 2020 most travellers will read their policy with a fine toothcomb and rightly claim every little thing they're entitled to.