Validation of travel insurance

[Moriac Mick]

I am booked in for cruise in November with Princess Cruises.

One of the conditions mentioned is that I must have the appropriate travel insurance.

It mentions that failure to provide proof of insurance will mean that will not be able to board the ship.

My credit card has complimentary insurance which I think is adequate however I don't want to be turned away on boarding if this is not the case.

Is there any way that the suitability of my insurance can be verified by Princess now?

Forgive my ignorance as I am a first time cruiser 🙂

Thanks in advance.

[lyndarra]

Contact your credit card insurer and they will issue you with a Certificate of Insurance which you can print out.

[Moriac Mick]

Thanks lyndarra for the quick response 🙂

Do you think I would I be able to give the certificate on insurance to Princess so that they can verify that the cover is adequate? 

[Ozwoody]

31 minutes ago, Moriac Mick said:

Thanks lyndarra for the quick response 🙂

Do you think I would I be able to give the certificate on insurance to Princess so that they can verify that the cover is adequate? 

At present only ANZ, Westpac, and St George, possibly NAB, give free Credit Card travel Insurance, that covers Covid, which I believe is the cruise insurance required.

Which ever one your with, check with them for covid cover on a cruise.

Hopefully yours will, it will save you a lot money if they do.

 

Otherwise you will need to get cover from a travel insurance company.

 

Best of luck

John

[Tripmode33]

4 hours ago, Moriac Mick said:

I am booked in for cruise in November with Princess Cruises.

One of the conditions mentioned is that I must have the appropriate travel insurance.

It mentions that failure to provide proof of insurance will mean that will not be able to board the ship.

My credit card has complimentary insurance which I think is adequate however I don't want to be turned away on boarding if this is not the case.

Is there any way that the suitability of my insurance can be verified by Princess now?

Forgive my ignorance as I am a first time cruiser 🙂

Thanks in advance.

I'm sure there's no process available to have your insurance cover verified in advance of embarkation day.  As others have advised, request your insurance provider to provide you a certificate of cover. Check it mentions cruise cover.  

My ANZ card cover has a website to check your cover and request email confirmation of cover so no need to contact insurer directly.  You just select credit card type, I select Worldwide as destination, enter who is travelling and travel dates and they'll send email confirmation.

[Cascade1]

Please correct me if I am wrong but I can find nowhere where it says I MUST have travel insurance to get on board. Yes, I note that for New Caledonia travel insurance is mandatory, but as a general rule on Princess and having had numerous cruises with them and some others already booked I cannot find where it is compulsory to have insurance. As I said, please correct me if I am wrong. By the way I always take out travel insurance but I do not like statements being made if they are not correct.

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, Cascade1 said:

Please correct me if I am wrong

 

In the specific case of New Caledonia it is true that proof of travel insurance (see under "Do I need travel insurance") with covid coverage is currently required from passengers by Princess in order to board any ship visiting  New Caledonia.

 

If the OP's cruise does not visit New Caledonia, then there is no such requirement.

 

"Furthermore, if your cruise is visiting New Caledonia, it is mandatory that you purchase appropriate international travel insurance that covers you for both Covid-19 and your cruise prior to embarkation. Failure to do so will result in denied boarding. Please ensure you bring physical proof of your travel insurance at embarkation."

Edited August 12, 2023 by SinbadThePorter

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Cascade1 said:

Please correct me if I am wrong but I can find nowhere where it says I MUST have travel insurance to get on board. Yes, I note that for New Caledonia travel insurance is mandatory, but as a general rule on Princess and having had numerous cruises with them and some others already booked I cannot find where it is compulsory to have insurance. As I said, please correct me if I am wrong. By the way I always take out travel insurance but I do not like statements being made if they are not correct.

You are correct.

The mandatory insurance is only port related, which is for New Caledonian & Loyalty Island ports (Noumea, Mare, Lifou, Isle of Pines). Interesting, that caveat has been on cruises visiting New Caledonia since way back before the pandemic but was never enforced until last year.

 

Majestic Princess does visit Noumea in November, so if the OP is on that cruise, the insurance would not be a general rule, and would be compulsory, 

Edited August 12, 2023 by arxcards

[sewgood]

Below is a section of the paperwork that we printed out to take with us from our credit card insurance (by Allianz Global Assistance) that we used for our cruise in June to New Caledonia. I have underlined the relevant section. This paperwork was checked at boarding and surprised me how much it was scrutinized. It passed but it was a bit worrying so I understand your concerns.

 

Just look for the wording, covers covid-19 and cruising in what they email you after taking out the insurance.

If it doesn't mention it, hey it was free so no harm done, but you will have to try somewhere else.

Best of luck and have a great cruise. 😊

 

Eligibility for Cover while Cruising and for Epidemic/Pandemic (such as COVID-19)
Cover
Under this group policy, the eligible traveller/s listed below have access to International Travel Insurance which includes epidemic/pandemic (such as
COVID-19) coverage and cover while cruising including while aboard a foreign registered cruise vessel in Australian territorial waters.

[cruisine21]

We are cruising  to Noumea and Lifou in November. We only plan on going ashore in Lifou. I couldn’t use my Westpac insurance because it doesn’t cover my pre existing conditions. I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer so I hope that I can get cover for it.

[Tripmode33]

1 hour ago, cruisine21 said:

We are cruising  to Noumea and Lifou in November. We only plan on going ashore in Lifou. I couldn’t use my Westpac insurance because it doesn’t cover my pre existing conditions. I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer so I hope that I can get cover for it.

In the event you can't find the level of cover you prefer, would your Westpac card insurance cover you for cruise and covid without covering you for pre-existing condition?  Not everyone chooses or are able to cover all pre-existing conditions.

We wish you all the best going forward regarding your diagnosis.

[valantine80]

3 hours ago, Tripmode33 said:

In the event you can't find the level of cover you prefer, would your Westpac card insurance cover you for cruise and covid without covering you for pre-existing condition?  Not everyone chooses or are able to cover all pre-existing conditions.

We wish you all the best going forward regarding your diagnosis.

ANZ credit card insurance will not cover our pre-existing conditions but did say would be able to claim for other things such as cancellation etc as long as not related to pre-existing conditions so just taking out medical only cover is an option or none if cover is only needed for covid. 

[queenslander]

9 hours ago, arxcards said:

You are correct.

The mandatory insurance is only port related, which is for New Caledonian & Loyalty Island ports (Noumea, Mare, Lifou, Isle of Pines). Interesting, that caveat has been on cruises visiting New Caledonia since way back before the pandemic but was never enforced until last year.

 

Majestic Princess does visit Noumea in November, so if the OP is on that cruise, the insurance would not be a general rule, and would be compulsory, 

 

9 hours ago, arxcards said:

You are correct.

The mandatory insurance is only port related, which is for New Caledonian & Loyalty Island ports (Noumea, Mare, Lifou, Isle of Pines). Interesting, that caveat has been on cruises visiting New Caledonia since way back before the pandemic but was never enforced until last year.

 

Majestic Princess does visit Noumea in November, so if the OP is on that cruise, the insurance would not be a general rule, and would be compulsory, 

I am on a cruise later this year to NZ on Majestic Princess. Would I need proof of insurance for that one? 

[sewgood]

1 hour ago, queenslander said:

 

I am on a cruise later this year to NZ on Majestic Princess. Would I need proof of insurance for that one? 

Not needed for NZ but be aware you are not covered medically on the ship if you need their services.

Medicare doesn't even cover you in Australian waters.

[queenslander]

13 minutes ago, sewgood said:

Not needed for NZ but be aware you are not covered medically on the ship if you need their services.

Medicare doesn't even cover you in Australian waters.

Thank you. I always take out insurance cover even for Australian cruises but not sure they all cover Covid. 

[datone]

On 8/12/2023 at 5:29 PM, Ozwoody said:

At present only ANZ, Westpac, and St George, possibly NAB, give free Credit Card travel Insurance, that covers Covid, which I believe is the cruise insurance required.

Which ever one your with, check with them for covid cover on a cruise.

Hopefully yours will, it will save you a lot money if they do.

Bank of Queensland credit card insurance now covers Covid.

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, datone said:

Bank of Queensland credit card insurance now covers Covid.

Thanks for that update on the BOQ, have updated my Credit Card comparison spreadsheet.

 

Regards

John

 

[Porky55]

We are currently on the WC 2023 and as part of our boarding, we had to provide evidence of Travel Insurance and we aren't going to New Caledonia. Also asked for Travel Insurance documents on a majestic cruise to NZ in Dec 22.

 

Dont know about anyone else, but I wouldn't want to be the passenger in the terminal testing the validity of the Travel Insurance requirements before boarding. We always get Travel Insurance regardless of destination.

[Aus Traveller]

6 hours ago, Porky55 said:

We are currently on the WC 2023 and as part of our boarding, we had to provide evidence of Travel Insurance and we aren't going to New Caledonia. Also asked for Travel Insurance documents on a majestic cruise to NZ in Dec 22.

 

Dont know about anyone else, but I wouldn't want to be the passenger in the terminal testing the validity of the Travel Insurance requirements before boarding. We always get Travel Insurance regardless of destination.

Wow! I wasn't asked about travel insurance when I boarded the WC in Sydney. BTW, I was using the ANZ credit card travel insurance.

[lyndarra]

A poor Aussie bloke is in hospital in Bali after a scooter crash. The hospital want $65k for an operation paid upfront. Thought he was covered by CC insurance. BIG mistake. He didn't check the fine print, well, it's not really fine print but an exclusion. Riding scooters is not covered.

Edited August 19, 2023 by lyndarra

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

A poor Aussie bloke is in hospital in Bali after a scooter crash. The hospital want $65k for an operation paid upfront. Thought he was covered by CC insurance. BIG mistake. He didn't check the fine print, well, it's not really fine print but an exclusion. Riding scooters is not covered.

I have read that with some travel insurance policies (not the credit card ones), travel by motor scooter isn't covered unless the person pays extra. There was a news article about a young Australian man who was caught by this clause. Whatever insurance a person is thinking of using, they need to research the terms and conditions.

[lyndarra]

5 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

I have read that with some travel insurance policies (not the credit card ones), travel by motor scooter isn't covered unless the person pays extra. There was a news article about a young Australian man who was caught by this clause. Whatever insurance a person is thinking of using, they need to research the terms and conditions.

My CC conditions allows motorcycle use under 250cc by licenced rider. However, last time I looked, it had a no cover exclusion for Bali. I had to take out a seperate policy for my ill fated motorcycle tour of NZ, IIRC about $135, as I was riding a 1200cc bike. I had a crash and it was fully covered including a business class flight to return to Oz as I required extra leg room due to my my left leg being in a cast.

Edited August 19, 2023 by lyndarra

[Tripmode33]

9 hours ago, lyndarra said:

A poor Aussie bloke is in hospital in Bali after a scooter crash. The hospital want $65k for an operation paid upfront. Thought he was covered by CC insurance. BIG mistake. He didn't check the fine print, well, it's not really fine print but an exclusion. Riding scooters is not covered.

I'm always amazed that these 'poor Aussies ' are still ignorant of the scooter rules on almost all policies. There have been dozens and dozens of news articles regarding scooter accidents not covered over past few years. Do they never read the news???  

A few policies do cover you if you have a motorcycle licence in Australia and hire a scooter overseas, but generally it's definitely a no-no when travelling these days.

[lyndarra]

I'm a motorcyclist of fifty years experience and there's no way I would ride a scooter or any bike in Bali. Too many crazies.

[subaru94]

On 8/12/2023 at 4:59 PM, Ozwoody said:

At present only ANZ, Westpac, and St George, possibly NAB, give free Credit Card travel Insurance, that covers Covid, which I believe is the cruise insurance required.

Which ever one your with, check with them for covid cover on a cruise.

Hopefully yours will, it will save you a lot money if they do.

 

Otherwise you will need to get cover from a travel insurance company.

 

Best of luck

John

NAB also give Credit Card travel insurance proof, we had it done on a cruise we did this year that went to Fiji.