RCI - Cruise Insurance Question

[Doc2725]

Hi RCI family - Question about cruise insurance. How late after booking can it be purchased? We have a cruise in December, and I was thinking it might be a good idea to buy it. However, I seem to remember hearing that it needs to be bought within the first 48 hours after booking. Can anyone clarify for me? I reached out to my TA, but haven't heard back. TIA. 

[time4u2go]

What insurance company are you buying it from?  Different ones have different rules.

[Doc2725]

To be honest, I am not sure. I booked through Cruises & More. Do you have an insurance company that you have used? 

[1025cruise]

The issue with insurance is that if you want certain coverages, ie Cancel for Any Reason, and Pre-Existing conditions coverage is that it must be purchased usually within 2 weeks of initial deposit. Seeing that you are claiming to be from NY, I don't believe you are allowed coverage for cancel for any reason due to state law.

There is an insurance forum right here on CC that should be able to assist.

[Doc2725]

10 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

The issue with insurance is that if you want certain coverages, ie Cancel for Any Reason, and Pre-Existing conditions coverage is that it must be purchased usually within 2 weeks of initial deposit. Seeing that you are claiming to be from NY, I don't believe you are allowed coverage for cancel for any reason due to state law.

There is an insurance forum right here on CC that should be able to assist.

Got it - thank you very much. We aren't planning to cancel - it's more if the itinerary is changed due to a hurricane, we would likely want to reschedule. 

[Babr]

28 minutes ago, Doc2725 said:

Got it - thank you very much. We aren't planning to cancel - it's more if the itinerary is changed due to a hurricane, we would likely want to reschedule. 

Hurricane season ends in November, but there are other reasons to buy travel insurance.

 

Check your existing health insurance to see how it covers you when you travel in case of illness or accident.

[SbbquilterUT]

We opt to use an outside travel insurance company because the coverage is much more expansive - includes issues with travel and luggage that the cruise line does not.  There is a good site to compare options - Insure My Trip.

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Doc2725 said:

Got it - thank you very much. We aren't planning to cancel - it's more if the itinerary is changed due to a hurricane, we would likely want to reschedule. 

Not a covered reason once the NHC names a storm

[luckyinpa]

https://tripinsurancestore.com/

 

enter date of deposit. cruise etc and you will see what you are eligible for. i stopped getting CFAR so you just need to buy after final payment since you really are just protecting your full cruise payment and things like air/hotel etc.

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

Got it - thank you very much. We aren't planning to cancel - it's more if the itinerary is changed due to a hurricane, we would likely want to reschedule. 

I think that would fall under CFAR which I don’t think is available in NY. If the ship sails insurance won’t kick in. Maybe you’d get some $ back if you sailed but some ports were missed, based on coverage.

[taglovestocruise]

5 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

Hi RCI family - Question about cruise insurance. How late after booking can it be purchased? We have a cruise in December, and I was thinking it might be a good idea to buy it. However, I seem to remember hearing that it needs to be bought within the first 48 hours after booking. Can anyone clarify for me? I reached out to my TA, but haven't heard back. TIA. 

We usually use insure my trip or trip insurance store and purchase the policy a week or so before sail date.

Edited September 15, 2023 by taglovestocruise

[Baron Barracuda]

Selecting the best travel insurance policy for you can be daunting.  Policies may appear similar but beware the fine print.  When we have questions I call Insuremytrip.  Good people who have never steered me wrong.

[mikefromny]

Fellow NYer here. Companies do offer CFAR, but usually only within the first 14 days of the initial deposit. Also, in the future, it is very important to buy the insurance within the first 14 days of the deposit because otherwise, most policies have an exclusion for pre-existing conditions. Also, I don't believe a non-CFAR would cover you if the cruise line changed the itinerary but did not cancel the cruise (for any reason). The cruise contract gives them this option and you will not get anything from them to give to the insurance company showing that the cruise was canceled.

 

Also, RCL does not offer insurance to NY passengers.

Edited September 15, 2023 by mikefromny
Add RCL doesn't offer in NY

[mikefromny]

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Not a covered reason once the NHC names a storm

I've never seen that in any NY policy. Weather is a major driving force of these policies (especially for non-cruise travel).

[c-leg5]

9 minutes ago, mikefromny said:

I've never seen that in any NY policy. Weather is a major driving force of these policies (especially for non-cruise travel).

It isn’t that it isn’t covered (and that in itself depends on the policy) you cannot BUY insurance to cover a hurricane once it has has been named. Just like you can’t insure against an illness after the fact.

[mikefromny]

3 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

It isn’t that it isn’t covered (and that in itself depends on the policy) you cannot BUY insurance to cover a hurricane once it has has been named. Just like you can’t insure against an illness after the fact.

While that would make sense and most property insurers will put binding moratoriums in place in these situations, Allianz seems to be allowing me to insure a cruise to Canada that leaves tomorrow. Go figure. Your logic is 100% correct and also explains the pre-existing conditions exclusion but they don't seem to be applying it to hurricanes.

[Babr]

19 minutes ago, mikefromny said:

While that would make sense and most property insurers will put binding moratoriums in place in these situations, Allianz seems to be allowing me to insure a cruise to Canada that leaves tomorrow. Go figure. Your logic is 100% correct and also explains the pre-existing conditions exclusion but they don't seem to be applying it to hurricanes.

 

The Allianz website states that foreseen events - named storm, for instance - are not covered. You still have coverage for unrelated events and medical. Be aware that your coverage begins the day after they receive payment.

[mikefromny]

13 minutes ago, Babr said:

 

The Allianz website states that foreseen events - named storm, for instance - are not covered. You still have coverage for unrelated events and medical. Be aware that your coverage begins the day after they receive payment.

Their website may say that, but their NY policy doesn't (at least I can't find it). I agree it should. You should not be able to buy the insurance only after knowing you need it.

2023-06 Allianz Classic Plan with Trip+.pdf

[Babr]

26 minutes ago, mikefromny said:

Their website may say that, but their NY policy doesn't (at least I can't find it). I agree it should. You should not be able to buy the insurance only after knowing you need it.

2023-06 Allianz Classic Plan with Trip+.pdf 745.1 kB · 4 downloads

Link did not work, but if this is the Classic Plan with Trip Cancellation, scroll down to page two under Cancellation. Look for the question, “What risks are insured.” Notice the sentence in bold.

[Ashland]

Call the Trip Insurance Store...Steve (often a contributor here on CC) or one of his associates will get the best policy based on your specific personal needs.

 

888 407-3854

[mikefromny]

14 minutes ago, Babr said:

Link did not work, but if this is the Classic Plan with Trip Cancellation, scroll down to page two under Cancellation. Look for the question, “What risks are insured.” Notice the sentence in bold.

I do see it now and it makes total sense. It's interesting that it applies to the Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion Waiver too, since if you know someone is terminal then it is "foreseeable." I'd hate to have to test how closely they'd investigate that one. Luckily, any claim I've had to file with them has gone through smoothly.

[BirdTravels]

8 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

Got it - thank you very much. We aren't planning to cancel - it's more if the itinerary is changed due to a hurricane, we would likely want to reschedule. 

Insurance covers your losses. They do not allow you to randomly "reschedule" a cruise.

 

That is a cancellation for a non-covered reason - so you would need to have a Cancel for Any Reason endorsement. 

 

If you cancel for any reason, your reimbursement will take several months. So you have to front the costs of a couple of cruises. 

[mikefromny]

On 9/15/2023 at 6:06 PM, BirdTravels said:

Insurance covers your losses. They do not allow you to randomly "reschedule" a cruise.

 

That is a cancellation for a non-covered reason - so you would need to have a Cancel for Any Reason endorsement. 

 

If you cancel for any reason, your reimbursement will take several months. So you have to front the costs of a couple of cruises. 

On 6/5 we filed a claim to cancel one of us from a cruise of 8 leaving on 6/9. We had the money in our bank account on 6/14. The key is to have ALL of the paperwork they need when you file the claim.

Edited September 17, 2023 by mikefromny

[Doc2725]

Thanks, all. We purchased through Royal Carribean. It covered the most and provided the largest reimbursement rates. 

[Ashland]

9 hours ago, Doc2725 said:

Thanks, all. We purchased through Royal Carribean. It covered the most and provided the largest reimbursement rates. 

Really ??