Cancelling Cruise Insurance and Purchasing Annual Travel Policy

[dream2cruise]

Is it possible to remove/cancel cruise insurance on a booked cruise and purchase annual travel protection which has better coverage?

 

We have a 12-night cruise booked for February of 2025 and are looking to book another cruise that would be within 6 months.  We also do a lot of road trips to visit family across the US.  I am thinking about purchasing an annual policy for travel protection.  When we booked the 12-night cruise, we added the cruise insurance offered by Royal Caribbean.  We have not made the final payment yet.  Is it possible to remove the cruise insurance from the booking and have the annual policy cover the trip?  Of course, we will need to validate that the annual policy will cover the existing booking.

 

Thanks for words of wisdom from those who have done this.

[terry&mike]

We have purchased an annual travel insurance policy (GeoBlue Trekker Essential) for many years, and supplement this coverage with the insurance benefits from our Chase Sapphire Reserve card. We purchase our plan through Steve at tripinsurancestore.com, he has a website filled with great information. 

 

For us, our biggest concern is an expensive medical issue in a foreign country, and things that can have a big impact on us financially, the things that could get into the six figures. We are not concerned for things that we could recover ourselves from financially if an issue occurred, such as cancelling a trip, delays, interuption; while that can be unpleasant, it is not a financial burden.  

 

We travel internationally for a large portion of the year, and this has worked well for us. But I believe everyone has to assess their risk tolerance, and what is important to them when they make insurance decisions. 

 

Also, you'll want to study the coverage to see you are getting a plan that meets your needs, as many of these annual plans do not cover you in the US (and you mentioned US travel), but you likely have a primary insurance plan. 

 

You should be able to remove the insurance plan from your cruise booking, if that is what you choose to do. 

[rjrpar]

4 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

We have purchased an annual travel insurance policy (GeoBlue Trekker Essential) for many years, and supplement this coverage with the insurance benefits from our Chase Sapphire Reserve card. We purchase our plan through Steve at tripinsurancestore.com, he has a website filled with great information. 

 

For us, our biggest concern is an expensive medical issue in a foreign country, and things that can have a big impact on us financially, the things that could get into the six figures. We are not concerned for things that we could recover ourselves from financially if an issue occurred, such as cancelling a trip, delays, interuption; while that can be unpleasant, it is not a financial burden.  

 

We travel internationally for a large portion of the year, and this has worked well for us. But I believe everyone has to assess their risk tolerance, and what is important to them when they make insurance decisions. 

 

Also, you'll want to study the coverage to see you are getting a plan that meets your needs, as many of these annual plans do not cover you in the US (and you mentioned US travel), but you likely have a primary insurance plan. 

 

You should be able to remove the insurance plan from your cruise booking, if that is what you choose to do. 

We have the same GeoBlue plan for the same reasons.  Have not bought cruise insurance since.

[sep120]

When did you first put down a deposit on your cruise in February 2025? If your main concern is having medical coverage in the event of a large medical cost, my understanding is that any costs related to any pre-existing conditions will only be covered if you purchase the insurance within 14 days of your first payment for your trip. I wouldn't cancel the insurance you already bought (providing you bought it near to the time you put down a deposit) and get a new plan unless you're still within that 14 day period.If you're not, I'd keep the existing plan and buy the annual plan for trips after your February trip.

[dream2cruise]

2 hours ago, sep120 said:

.. my understanding is that any costs related to any pre-existing conditions will only be covered if you purchase the insurance within 14 days of your first payment for your trip. 

We don't really have any pre-existing conditions except, perhaps, history of kidney stones for one person.  We are more concerned about catastrophic unexpected medical problems or a family emergency requiring us to cancel or cut short a trip.

[dream2cruise]

3 hours ago, terry&mike said:

For us, our biggest concern is an expensive medical issue in a foreign country, and things that can have a big impact on us financially, the things that could get into the six figures. We are not concerned for things that we could recover ourselves from financially if an issue occurred, such as cancelling a trip, delays, interuption; while that can be unpleasant, it is not a financial burden.  

The six-figure impact is the major thing we see wrong with cruise insurance plans.  Medical evacuation and repatriation could be devastating to the savings account.

[orville99]

5 hours ago, sep120 said:

my understanding is that any costs related to any pre-existing conditions will only be covered if you purchase the insurance within 14 days of your first payment for your trip.

Insurance purchased through the cruise line doesn’t go into effect until the cruise is paid in full, and that date is the pre-existing condition cut off marker. You can add or remove insurance at any time prior to the final payment date without any negative impact.

[LeeW]

Some folks will tell their TA or booking agent to purchase insurance when they book the cruise.  This works if there is a possibility of a change in medical status between then and final payment.  In general, as orville99 says, the insurance isn't actually purchased until final since the only expense up to that point is the deposit.  You can certainly ask your agent to remove insurance up to final.

Edited July 30 by LeeW
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[MeHeartCruising]

To the OP, I purchase an annual travel insurance policy (also through GeoBlue) for my international trips.  So I am a fan of doing that.  However, I don't believe the policy that I purchase covers domestic travel.  It is only for international travel.  I need to use my own health insurance for domestic needs.  Be sure to understand the policy coverage before you purchase.

[sep120]

4 hours ago, dream2cruise said:

The six-figure impact is the major thing we see wrong with cruise insurance plans.  Medical evacuation and repatriation could be devastating to the savings account.

Yes, that would be my primary reason for getting travel insurance, too. But, I figure you don't know ahead of time whether whatever medical catastrophe occurs might be related to something you've been treated for in the past, so I want to be covered in the event that there's any (real or plausible) connection that an insurer might want to use to get out of paying.

[sep120]

53 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Insurance purchased through the cruise line doesn’t go into effect until the cruise is paid in full, and that date is the pre-existing condition cut off marker. You can add or remove insurance at any time prior to the final payment date without any negative impact.

I'm pretty sure the pre-existing conditions waiver is based on the first payment, not the final payment. At least, that's what I read for the Allianz single-trip policies I bought.

[orville99]

Just now, sep120 said:

I'm pretty sure the pre-existing conditions waiver is based on the first payment, not the final payment. At least, that's what I read for the Allianz single-trip policies I bought.

In more than 100 cruises amongst various cruise lines, that has not been our experience. Prior to final payment date, the entire cost of the cruise (less any nonrefundable deposits is returned if you cancel. Cruise insurance coverage doesn't become effective until after final payment date when you would be in the "penalty" phase of the booking.

 

Some policies bury a codicil in their policy language that defines "pre-existing" as a condition that exists prior to the coverage taking effect, and may very well define that as x number of months prior to the effective date of the policy, but the policy itself is not in effect until final payment date has passed.

[orville99]

50 minutes ago, sep120 said:

I'm pretty sure the pre-existing conditions waiver is based on the first payment, not the final payment. At least, that's what I read for the Allianz single-trip policies I bought.

Just re-read RCL's Travel Insurance policy, and pre-existing is defined as 60 days prior to purchasing the policy. RCL defines the purchase date of the policy as the day after all fees/deposits/payments for the cruise are made in full, and the policy doesn't go into effect until you actually start your trip - i.e. drive to the airport to board a plane to the cruise.

[fpcruiser]

3 hours ago, orville99 said:

Insurance purchased through the cruise line doesn’t go into effect until the cruise is paid in full, and that date is the pre-existing condition cut off marker. You can add or remove insurance at any time prior to the final payment date without any negative impact.

I called Royal a couple of months ago to cancel their insurance so I could buy annual insurance. I was told NO refund.

[orville99]

16 minutes ago, fpcruiser said:

I called Royal a couple of months ago to cancel their insurance so I could buy annual insurance. I was told NO refund.

Before or after final payment date? We have cancelled prior to FPD with no issues or pushback.

[pcur]

5 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

To the OP, I purchase an annual travel insurance policy (also through GeoBlue) for my international trips.  So I am a fan of doing that.  However, I don't believe the policy that I purchase covers domestic travel.  It is only for international travel.  I need to use my own health insurance for domestic needs.  Be sure to understand the policy coverage before you purchase.

My GeoBlue Trekker insurance for 2024-2025 includes medical evacuation:

 

Emergency Medical Transportation
Deductible is not applicable. Maximum Benefit per Trip Period for all Evacuations up to $250,000

 

I also consider cruise line travel insurance the worst type of travel insurance. It only covers you for the one trip, while my GeoBlue is for a year at $189.

 

When I switched to GeoBlue I called Cust Service and talked to them. I was told any time I was 150 miles or more away from home, the policy would cover me.

 

My home coverage is fine anywhere in the world, but outside of the HMO's coverage areas, I have to pay and be reimbursed, unless the provider agrees to accept coordination of benefits with my HMO/Medicare. Most US providers will accept Medicare coverage, so it's the non-Medicare covered costs I would have to be reimbursed. I would then use Geo-Blue if I was more than 150 miles from home AND outside any of my HMO coverage areas.

Edited July 31 by pcur

[MeHeartCruising]

11 hours ago, pcur said:

My GeoBlue Trekker insurance for 2024-2025 includes medical evacuation:

 

Emergency Medical Transportation
Deductible is not applicable. Maximum Benefit per Trip Period for all Evacuations up to $250,000

 

I also consider cruise line travel insurance the worst type of travel insurance. It only covers you for the one trip, while my GeoBlue is for a year at $189.

 

When I switched to GeoBlue I called Cust Service and talked to them. I was told any time I was 150 miles or more away from home, the policy would cover me.

 

My home coverage is fine anywhere in the world, but outside of the HMO's coverage areas, I have to pay and be reimbursed, unless the provider agrees to accept coordination of benefits with my HMO/Medicare. Most US providers will accept Medicare coverage, so it's the non-Medicare covered costs I would have to be reimbursed. I would then use Geo-Blue if I was more than 150 miles from home AND outside any of my HMO coverage areas.

 

My current GeoBlue Trekker policy includes the following statement in it the detailed document provided at the time of purchase.  See item number 3.  But, perhaps I'm misunderstanding things.

 

VI. Exclusions and Limitations: What the Plan does not pay for

Excluded Services

The Plan does not provide benefits for:

1. Any amounts in excess of maximum amounts of Covered Expenses stated in this Plan.

2. Services not specifically listed in this Plan as Covered Services.

3. Expenses incurred in the Home Country.

... (the list goes on).

 

 

[Winemaker_1]

On 7/31/2024 at 8:21 AM, MeHeartCruising said:

 

My current GeoBlue Trekker policy includes the following statement in it the detailed document provided at the time of purchase.  See item number 3.  But, perhaps I'm misunderstanding things.

 

VI. Exclusions and Limitations: What the Plan does not pay for

Excluded Services

The Plan does not provide benefits for:

1. Any amounts in excess of maximum amounts of Covered Expenses stated in this Plan.

2. Services not specifically listed in this Plan as Covered Services.

3. Expenses incurred in the Home Country.

... (the list goes on).

 

 

You're right.  GeoBlue dos not cover within the US.  Your primary insurance is expected to pick that up.  It's in the FAQ:

 

However, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, there is some modest emergency medical and dental coverage if you're 100 miles or more from home up to $2500.

Edited August 14 by Winemaker_1

[wncretired]

I purchase the GeoBlue Trekker Essential annual policy. Have the AMEX Platinum for what they cover. I also purchase MedJet annual policy. IMHO, this is far better than any medical evacuation policies out there. Most med evacuation plans only take you to the nearest hospital that is qualified to meet your needs. MedJet will pick you up anywhere in the world and take you to the hospital of your choice. I.e. they will pick me up in Italy and bring me back to North Carolina if I wish. 

[klfrodo]

13 hours ago, wncretired said:

. MedJet will pick you up anywhere in the world and take you to the hospital of your choice. I.e. they will pick me up in Italy and bring me back to North Carolina if I wish. 

With some limitations. Must be a commercial airport. You must be admitted as an in-patient at a hospital.

 

A clinic in Rwanda via helicopter isn’t going to happen.