Cruise Insurance

[Archipelago]

Fellow posters : When you purchase Insurance for your voyages do you wait until the final payment is due ..or do you purchase in advance ? How far in advance do you purchase insurance if you purchase in advance ? Wondering how others do !

 

[Port Power]

2 hours ago, Archipelago said:

Fellow posters : When you purchase Insurance for your voyages do you wait until the final payment is due ..or do you purchase in advance ? How far in advance do you purchase insurance if you purchase in advance ? Wondering how others do !

 

I always purchase travel insurance at the time of paying the deposit.  Well, I don’t actually purchase, because I use credit card insurance and pay the deposit with that platinum credit card.  And yes, I have needed to claim several times and there have never been problems.

 

However, up until the various penalty phases come into play, there is probably no point in buying travel insurance.  When you reach the penalty phases or pay for your flights, you definitely should purchase travel insurance.  Just my opinion.

[Tex1]

Most policies require you to purchase with in 14 days of initial deposit if you want coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Tex1 said:

Most policies require you to purchase with in 14 days of initial deposit if you want coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

Some but not all.  This is where a chat with Steve of the Insurance Store is worthwhile.  There are many subtle variations among policies (even from the same company) and he can find a policy that is best suited to the needs of your particular trip.

[billc23]

17 hours ago, Archipelago said:

Fellow posters : When you purchase Insurance for your voyages do you wait until the final payment is due ..or do you purchase in advance ? How far in advance do you purchase insurance if you purchase in advance ? Wondering how others do !

 

Yes... but I purchase a minimum amount ($500/pp) to lock in the pre existing condition waiver. A month trip is around $150 for the minimal amount and it makes no sense to insure for more if you are not in a penalty phase. Then I add more to the policy as I enter various penalty phases of the trip that exceed my credit card insurance. I agree that a chat with Steve of the Insurance Store is worthwhile. 

[Woodrowst]

20 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Some but not all.  This is where a chat with Steve of the Insurance Store is worthwhile.  There are many subtle variations among policies (even from the same company) and he can find a policy that is best suited to the needs of your particular trip.

I have used the website InsureMyTrip (www.insuremytrip.com) for decades and have been very pleased with the range of options that come up.  I have found that virtually every policy I have purchased that waved pre-existing conditions required purchase within 14 days of making the deposit with the cruise line.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Woodrowst said:

I have used the website InsureMyTrip (www.insuremytrip.com) for decades and have been very pleased with the range of options that come up.  I have found that virtually every policy I have purchased that waved pre-existing conditions required purchase within 14 days of making the deposit with the cruise line.  

Maybe that's a limitation of InsureMyTrip?  My travel agents (all of them) use Allianz which allows you to waive pre-existing conditions right up to final payment date.  [But you must be insurable on the day you buy the insurance, no matter which policy – so if you defer you are taking a risk at least as regards your early non-refundable payments.]

 

This doesn't really apply to me, because no matter where I buy trip insurance – cruise line [usually not a good idea except that Silversea and some others link you to Allianz so you get the full Allianz protection at a lower-than-retail price]; travel agent; or an insurance broker – I always take out a minimum-coverage policy on the day of the first deposit.  This locks in the pre-existing coverage and also locks in my age, as often the price is based on your age – and that is always IME your age on the day of starting the policy, not your age at the time of the trip.

 

What I like about dealing with Steve at www.tripinsurancestore.com is that he answers the phone and chats with you.  Even though I am very computer-savvy, dealing with Steve allows him to process my information and probe any details that might be important even though I don't recognize that.  [What you don't know is what bites you in the...]  When he suggests a policy as best for that particular trip [and each time it has been a different company because my particulars differed] I know it's the right one for that trip.

 

The difference in price between trip insurance policies isn't that great.  The difference in coverage – if it affects the claim you need to make – is priceless.  The more you know about the details of the coverage, the less risk.

[WesW]

Absolutely concur, have used Steve Dasseos (owner of the trip insurance store) for a decade+ when purchasing travel insurance.  He/his TIS (Deanna/Kim) team are personable, exceptionally knowledgeable, and drill down to your personal travel insurance needs for most optimum travel insurance policy. 

[Archipelago]

Thank You all very much !

[spinnaker2]

I echo the admiration for Steve and his team!!!

[MarkWiltonM]

I have bought Allianz policies on insuremytrip.com. I checked out www.tripinsurancestore.com a couple of times but there were fewer policies and providers to choose from and the policies were two to three times what I was finding on insuremytrip.com. I am a stickler for details and always read the benefits and policies when comparing, so I feel confident I wasn't missing anything. (I have nothing against "Steve and his team"; I'm sure they are wonderful people.)  

[chrism23]

I have a later thread on this.  Just this week I received $34,000 from Allianz for a last minute cancellation.  For complex medical reasons which they might have fought.  From start to finish the process took less than 2 weeks.  My CC was a great help.  SS could not have a better partner than Allianz as their insurer.    

[Dolcevita Diva]

On 8/23/2024 at 7:19 AM, WesW said:

Absolutely concur, have used Steve Dasseos (owner of the trip insurance store) for a decade+ when purchasing travel insurance.  He/his TIS (Deanna/Kim) team are personable, exceptionally knowledgeable, and drill down to your personal travel insurance needs for most optimum travel insurance policy. 

 

Another recommendation for Steve and his team here.  You need to identify what you most wish to insure for.  In the past, my main concerns were possibly having to cancel due to a very elderly mother or for work reasons. 

 

More recently, my chief concerns were a) whether I might need to cancel due to a potential hurricane (most policies only cover if your residence or destination have been hit by a hurricane) or b) if a senior pet became ill.  Hours of combing through policies online did not turn up a policy that addressed either of those concerns, but Steve recommended a policy that covered both of those concerns. 

 

Edited Wednesday at 02:10 PM by Dolcevita Diva