Travel Insurance still required?

[FatBoy20]

1 hour ago, david63 said:

At American rates!

 

The medical facilities on P&O ships are run by Carnival in the States

Staff are recruited via Southampton. Around £65 to see the Doctor (privately) is about the going rate with most Cruise Lines,

[Jennizor]

2 hours ago, newport dave said:

Never been asked to show my insurance upon boarding, so how would they know if I had any or not??

You need to confirm details of your insurance as part of your check in documentation prior to the cruise.

[newport dave]

2 hours ago, FatBoy20 said:

The "exorbitant fees" you quote are as a result of getting what is effectively private health care!

I know... 

[newport dave]

26 minutes ago, Jennizor said:

You need to confirm details of your insurance as part of your check in documentation prior to the cruise.

Quite easy to make up

[david63]

1 hour ago, FatBoy20 said:

Staff are recruited via Southampton.

They may be recruited via Southampton but they are employed by Carnival Corp in USA and the whole medical facility is run from the States.

[Orianababes]

Quite easy to make up
!!!

 

not quite so easy to make up the £1,400 bill I had to pay - or rather my insurance paid!

[9265359]

6 hours ago, newport dave said:

Never been asked to show my insurance upon boarding, so how would they know if I had any or not??

 

They know you have it as it is part of the 'tick the box' T&Cs - now if you choose to falsely declare you have insurance when you don't...

[majortom10]

4 hours ago, newport dave said:

Quite easy to make up

Yes but would be a silly thing to do if taken ill or have an accident or taken ill abroad or onboard.

[kruzseeka]

And there's always the possibility that something could occur (accident, illness, family emergency etc) which prevent you from travelling at all.  P&O won't refund your cruise cost so insurance is essential.  Friends have twice had to claim on their travel insurance when at the minute they were unable to travel. 

[tring]

7 hours ago, FatBoy20 said:

Staff are recruited via Southampton. Around £65 to see the Doctor (privately) is about the going rate with most Cruise Lines,

 

I saw a Dr on a Fred ship a couple of months back and the base price was more like £100, or a tad below that.  I saw a Dr on  P&O ship several years ago now and sure I paid more than £65 then.  I think you are being a tad optimistic, regards that price.

 

[indiana123]

I needed to see the Dr on our NCL cruise.  It wasn't urgent just precautionary.

 

Once in the medical wing it all happened very quickly with  ecg etc and  we were floored when we got the bill, it was astronomical.  A man in just overnight got a bill for over  £11,000.  Yes 11k!!

 

Then I noticed the price charged for a 'puffer'.  We looked it up and it retailed at £20.  The cost  on the bill was over 350 dollars.  I quickly telephoned the Doctor and explained there was a mistake on the bill (I was certain it was) and got a very frosty reply, in fact it was a definite no that is the price. Very blunt, end of conversation.  I tried to argue but they wouldn't have it.  It could have been a computer error at Head Office.

 

That could have been nasty with no Insurance.  Insurance for us every time, even when round Britain.

 

Incidentally we reported what we thought was a mistake to the Insurance Company so hopefully they sorted it out between them.

 

 

 

[9265359]

On 1/31/2024 at 12:43 AM, indiana123 said:

I needed to see the Dr on our NCL cruise. 

...

Then I noticed the price charged for a 'puffer'.  We looked it up and it retailed at £20.  The cost  on the bill was over 350 dollars. 

 

An American cruise ship with mostly American passengers.

 

Prices onboard will naturally follow 'home country' prices whether that is for drinks at the bar or medication from the doctor - and medication prices in America are eye-wateringly expensive compared to the rest of the world. 

 

 

[Ladyshopper23]

On 1/30/2024 at 10:04 PM, kruzseeka said:

And there's always the possibility that something could occur (accident, illness, family emergency etc) which prevent you from travelling at all.  P&O won't refund your cruise cost so insurance is essential.  Friends have twice had to claim on their travel insurance when at the minute they were unable to travel. 

I had to claim on our insurance for our New Years cruise, which we sadly missed. I spent Christmas in hospital following emergency surgery. Insurance (Barclays Travel Pack) very easy to claim and quick to pay out.

[Clodia]

I needed a nighttime doctor visit once on a ship. Cost was £300 callout plus £75 for meds.

My policy paid all but the £75 excess.  I only pay around £230 for an annual policy with cruise cover. That covers 10 million pounds medical expenses including helicopter evacuation and repatriation if necessary,  plus missed port and confined to cabin through illness cover.

I think it's worth it. 

 

[Fionboard]

54 minutes ago, Clodia said:

I needed a nighttime doctor visit once on a ship. Cost was £300 callout plus £75 for meds.

My policy paid all but the £75 excess.  I only pay around £230 for an annual policy with cruise cover. That covers 10 million pounds medical expenses including helicopter evacuation and repatriation if necessary,  plus missed port and confined to cabin through illness cover.

I think it's worth it. 

 

Good deal. I cannot get Worldwide for less than about £600. No serious conditions, just 75 years old!

[TRLD]

My understanding is if you are a UK resident you must have travel insurance that meets P&O requirements. If you are a US resident those requirements do not apply.

[TRLD]

On 1/30/2024 at 4:43 PM, indiana123 said:

I needed to see the Dr on our NCL cruise.  It wasn't urgent just precautionary.

 

Once in the medical wing it all happened very quickly with  ecg etc and  we were floored when we got the bill, it was astronomical.  A man in just overnight got a bill for over  £11,000.  Yes 11k!!

 

Then I noticed the price charged for a 'puffer'.  We looked it up and it retailed at £20.  The cost  on the bill was over 350 dollars.  I quickly telephoned the Doctor and explained there was a mistake on the bill (I was certain it was) and got a very frosty reply, in fact it was a definite no that is the price. Very blunt, end of conversation.  I tried to argue but they wouldn't have it.  It could have been a computer error at Head Office.

 

That could have been nasty with no Insurance.  Insurance for us every time, even when round Britain.

 

Incidentally we reported what we thought was a mistake to the Insurance Company so hopefully they sorted it out between them.

 

 

 

Cruiseline pretty much all charge manufacturer list price for drugs. Not the price negotiated by insurance companies or the price set by some national programs. Also keep in mind that the ships have to stock a wide variety of drugs, many of which will probably expire without being used.  Unlike a pharmacy on land that can get a supply pretty quickly and can keep a minimal stock on hand.

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, TRLD said:

My understanding is if you are a UK resident you must have travel insurance that meets P&O requirements. If you are a US resident those requirements do not apply.

Maybe it depends on how US passengers book, if via the US TA maybe you're right depends on their T&Cs, if via a UK TA then presumably they will be subject to the UK T&Cs

[kruzseeka]

4 hours ago, Fionboard said:

Good deal. I cannot get Worldwide for less than about £600. No serious conditions, just 75 years old!

Have you looked at Nationwide FlexPlus?   It is changing its insurers from UK Insurance to Aviva in May but with the bank account a £13 p.m. charge gives you annual world wide insurance. 

 

There is an age extension which covers 70+ and a medical screen which may incur additional charge but as you say you have no serious medical conditions there may be no or little extra to pay.  It includes cruise cover too (and AA Breakdown cover) though to be eligible to claim for a missed ports/cabin confinement is extra.  (And with the new insurer apparently payable per trip but no indication of additional premium yet - the current insurers charged £40 p.a.with no limit on number of cruises.) You can also get an extension for cruises longer than 30/31(?) days. 

 

You don't need to have FlexPlus as your primary bank account ie no minimum monthly payment in or need for direct debits being paid out. If you have a joint account it covers both parties.

 

Might be worth a look - if it's suitable for you there could be considerable savings on £600.  

 

 

 

[john watson]

Travel insurance starts to provide cover the moment you book it.  Generally it can only be taken up no earlier than twelve months before travel is completed.  If you leave it until a few days before travel a lot of benefits wont apply. e.g. if a member of the travel group has a serious incident preventing travel before you get insurance, it will be regarded as a pre-existing medical condition or incident therefore not covered by the policy.  People tend to think of it as health insurance but it often covers failure of the transport getting you to the ship.  Theft of cases or reimbursement of expenses relating to cases going missing. If you book Annual Insurance as opposed to single trip insurance and have short breaks or other cruises or general  holidays in UK or nominated geographical area you have cover for those trip too.

 

Regards John

[sandancer]

10 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

Have you looked at Nationwide FlexPlus?   It is changing its insurers from UK Insurance to Aviva in May but with the bank account a £13 p.m. charge gives you annual world wide insurance. 

 

There is an age extension which covers 70+ and a medical screen which may incur additional charge but as you say you have no serious medical conditions there may be no or little extra to pay.  It includes cruise cover too (and AA Breakdown cover) though to be eligible to claim for a missed ports/cabin confinement is extra.  (And with the new insurer apparently payable per trip but no indication of additional premium yet - the current insurers charged £40 p.a.with no limit on number of cruises.) You can also get an extension for cruises longer than 30/31(?) days. 

 

You don't need to have FlexPlus as your primary bank account ie no minimum monthly payment in or need for direct debits being paid out. If you have a joint account it covers both parties.

 

Might be worth a look - if it's suitable for you there could be considerable savings on £600.  

 

 

 

Maybe we will try again to get cover with Nationwide when our current policy is due to expire. We have banked with them for over 30 years and for many years have purchased travel insurance from them. This year they refused to cover my DH due to pre existing medical conditions. We had to go elsewhere and paid £1600 for an annual policy. This is not worldwide cover. Maybe Aviva will be more flexible. He does not have any life threatening conditions but is 80 this year. We wouldn’t even consider travelling without insurance, even on our British Isles cruise this year. 

[Fionboard]

11 hours ago, kruzseeka said:

Have you looked at Nationwide FlexPlus?   It is changing its insurers from UK Insurance to Aviva in May but with the bank account a £13 p.m. charge gives you annual world wide insurance. 

 

There is an age extension which covers 70+ and a medical screen which may incur additional charge but as you say you have no serious medical conditions there may be no or little extra to pay.  It includes cruise cover too (and AA Breakdown cover) though to be eligible to claim for a missed ports/cabin confinement is extra.  (And with the new insurer apparently payable per trip but no indication of additional premium yet - the current insurers charged £40 p.a.with no limit on number of cruises.) You can also get an extension for cruises longer than 30/31(?) days. 

 

You don't need to have FlexPlus as your primary bank account ie no minimum monthly payment in or need for direct debits being paid out. If you have a joint account it covers both parties.

 

Might be worth a look - if it's suitable for you there could be considerable savings on £600.  

 

 

 

Aviva would not quote. You have to be under 75! Wonder if this will affect any over 74s currently with Nationwide? 

[Eddie99]

39 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Aviva would not quote. You have to be under 75! Wonder if this will affect any over 74s currently with Nationwide? 

Really? (I’m not doubting you - just saying Really?). 
Do you know if it affects everyone, including existing policy-holders, or just new accounts?

Can you give me a link or a hint where to find this in black and white, so I can accept the new situation & make alternative plans?

Thanks in advance

 

[Eddie99]

I’ve read this through twice and the only (old) age reference I can see is that the automatic supplement for 70+ is removed

It says nothing about an upper age limit for cover?

(Double click to open)

Edited February 2 by Eddie99

[jeanlyon]

My husband is 85 and I am 77, we are covered by Nationwide Flex plus.