travel insurance -when to buy

[njs]

I know this was covered a few months ago but my search forum is not working. There was a debate about when is the best time to buy travel insurance, esp with pre-existing conditions

Just booked inspiration 4/23 and asked about the carnival vacation protection and pvp said not to book it until final payment feb 21. Is that right or should I have payed for it with cruise downpayment

[jleq]

They're correct. That being said, I'd recommend buying a policy from a firm other than the cruiseline. They tend to be expensive. One such site is insuremytrip.com. If you want coverage for "preexisting conditions", you usually have to buy a policy there 14-21 days after deposit.

 

The individual policies have specifics

[jleq]

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[jleq]

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[njs]

They're correct. That being said, I'd recommend buying a policy from a firm other than the cruiseline. They tend to be expensive. One such site is insuremytrip.com. If you want coverage for "preexisting conditions", you usually have to buy a policy there 14-21 days after deposit.

 

The individual policies have specifics

 

Thanks for the answer

Carnival's policy was only $59 pp - that seemed cheap to me (5Day) but I will look into the site you suggested. Im in Canada and have usually used cruiseline but havent been told before not to pay for it at time of deposit( I have heart/ bp problems and a few joint replacements so am interested in coverage for pre-existing conditions)

[iamtrustworthy]

I know this was covered a few months ago but my search forum is not working. There was a debate about when is the best time to buy travel insurance, esp with pre-existing conditions

Just booked inspiration 4/23 and asked about the carnival vacation protection and pvp said not to book it until final payment feb 21. Is that right or should I have payed for it with cruise downpayment

 

Hi njs,

 

There are a few trip insurance companies that let you get your coverage until 24 hours after you make your final payment to cover pre-existing conditions.

 

Go to www.google.com and search for "trip insurance". You'll find some good comparison sites that offer reputable companies.

 

I hope this helps.

[njs]

Hi njs,

 

There are a few trip insurance companies that let you get your coverage until 24 hours after you make your final payment to cover pre-existing conditions.

 

Go to www.google.com and search for "trip insurance". You'll find some good comparison sites that offer reputable companies.

 

I hope this helps.

 

thanks for the help - I'll check it now

[njs]

sorry double post

[Iamthesea]

Hi,

 

My college age daughter booked a spring break cruise two days ago. I would like to purchase insurance for her and am encouraging her friends to do so. Of course, with only 5 weeks before the cruise, the final payment is made.

 

The following details apply to DD. What insurance policy do you recommend for her?

 

1. There should be no problems with pre-existing conditions.

 

2. The girls are making a 6 hour drive down - a night ahead of embarkation, and staying at a hotel near the port.

 

3. The girls will only have birth certificates, so no flying can be made to meet a ship should they miss it. (Please don't lecture about expediting a passport. We do not want to take the chance of not getting it back in time...and worse not having the birth certificate!)

 

4. I would like for DD to have illness/emergency care and evacuation insurance.

 

5. Perhaps luggage/theft protection in case luggage is dumped in the ocean or stolen from car to ship or ship to car.

 

6. Most importantly, the girls will need trip cancellation insurance in case of illness, illness/death of a family member or they get snow bound (we are talking early March in TN) or have car problems causing them to miss the ship because they will not be able to fly to the next port.

 

Have I missed anything? Thank you! ;)

[MamaParrotHead]

and most of the policies I saw said that you had to buy them within 10-14 days of booking your vacation if there was a pre-existing condition you wanted to have covered.

[MamaParrotHead]

Hi,

 

My college age daughter booked a spring break cruise two days ago. I would like to purchase insurance for her and am encouraging her friends to do so. Of course, with only 5 weeks before the cruise, the final payment is made.

 

The following details apply to DD. What insurance policy do you recommend for her?

 

1. There should be no problems with pre-existing conditions.

 

2. The girls are making a 6 hour drive down - a night ahead of embarkation, and staying at a hotel near the port.

 

3. The girls will only have birth certificates, so no flying can be made to meet a ship should they miss it. (Please don't lecture about expediting a passport. We do not want to take the chance of not getting it back in time...and worse not having the birth certificate!)

 

4. I would like for DD to have illness/emergency care and evacuation insurance.

 

5. Perhaps luggage/theft protection in case luggage is dumped in the ocean or stolen from car to ship or ship to car.

 

6. Most importantly, the girls will need trip cancellation insurance in case of illness, illness/death of a family member or they get snow bound (we are talking early March in TN) or have car problems causing them to miss the ship because they will not be able to fly to the next port.

 

Have I missed anything? Thank you! ;)

 

Go to http://www.insuremytrip.com. They lay everything out and the rates are really, really reasonable. Hope that helps!

[truecruiser]

i don't always do this, but i prefer to wait to add my trip insurance until the penalty phase sets in or until final pymt is due. b/c if you have to cancel b/4 those times, your deposit is fully refundable. trip ins, however, is non-refundable. so you will definitely lose that $ if you have to reschedule or cancel your cruise. w/ me i buy ins for 5 so it adds up, and is worth the wait.

[Iamthesea]

Go to http://www.insuremytrip.com. They lay everything out and the rates are really, really reasonable. Hope that helps!

I have been reviewing the policies and I am totally confused. We usually have our TA do this for us, however she has just retired and I have booked everything myself. I just can't get the insurance figured out.:confused:

 

Updated Questions: OK, I am trying to fill out this insuremytrip.com form.

 

Trip cost - I have included the cost of the cruise pp, 1/4 the hotel cost for my DD, and 1/4 gas money. Do I include food down and back? How about expenses on the cruise (in case of trip interruption) like gratuity, tipping, etc?

 

Medical - How much do I put in the blank? $50,000, $100,000, etc.?

[MamaParrotHead]

I have been reviewing the policies and I am totally confused. We usually have our TA do this for us, however she has just retired and I have booked everything myself. I just can't get the insurance figured out.:confused:

 

where is she travelling from?

how old is she?

how much was her cruise fare?

deaprture date, return date?

[Iamthesea]

where is she travelling from?

how old is she?

how much was her cruise fare?

deaprture date, return date?

 

Where is she travelling from? Tennessee to Mobile, AL

How old is she? 22

How much was her cruise fare? Her share of the fare is $408

Departure date, return date? 3/11 - 3/18 (I included a day prior and a day post for travel.)

 

BTW - We prefer Travelex, TravelGuard or CSA

[MamaParrotHead]

Where is she travelling from? Tennessee to Mobile, AL

How old is she? 22

How much was her cruise fare? Her share of the fare is $408

Departure date, return date? 3/11 - 3/18 (I included a day prior and a day post for travel.)

 

BTW - We prefer Travelex, TravelGuard or CSA

 

I think the TravelEx "Travel Plus" policy looks good. It has decent limits on all of the above and is $43. JMHO from looking at what you want and what's available (that's with $500,000 coverage).

[Iamthesea]

From what posters on this forum are recommending, I am tending to agree with you. I am going to go read over everything before purchasing.

 

Thank you sooooo much!!! :)

[Iamthesea]

Ok, having trouble with this one:

 

Delay must be five (5) hours or more and certified due to the following reasons:

1. delay of Common Carrier (which is certified by the Common Carrier);
   
2. a traffic accident while enroute to the point of departure (substantiated by a police report);
   
3. documented weather condition preventing You from getting to the point of departure;
   
4. Organized Labor Strike, natural disaster, Terrorist Incident, riot or You or Your Traveling Companion being hijacked or quarantined;
   
5. lost or stolen passports, travel documents or money (substantiated by a police report).

If ship leaves at 4:00 pm and you are stranded on the highway from a car accident or snow storm around 10:00 am the same day, you are covered if you cannot get to the ship on time because you are more than 5 hours out. Is this right?

 

Say the ship leaves at 4:00 pm and you have a car accident at 2:00 pm - on the way to the ship. Does the above policy mean you are not covered if you miss the ship? What am I not getting?:confused:

 

I have another question, but let's get through the first one. :D

[MamaParrotHead]

Go back to the insuremytrip.com screen and look in the upper right hand corner. There's like a customer service line or live help chat feature up there. I'd contact them and let them clarify for you.

[cruiseco]

 

Updated Questions: OK, I am trying to fill out this insuremytrip.com form.

 

Trip cost - I have included the cost of the cruise pp, 1/4 the hotel cost for my DD, and 1/4 gas money. Do I include food down and back? How about expenses on the cruise (in case of trip interruption) like gratuity, tipping, etc?

 

Medical - How much do I put in the blank? $50,000, $100,000, etc.?

 

Rule of thumb: You can only insure those items that are 1) pre-paid, and 2) non-refundable.

 

None of those planned expenses such as gas and food on the drive down are pre-paid -- if she cancels she wouldn't be out that money anyway so she can't claim it if she cancels.

 

If the tips are-pre-paid I believe they are refundable if the trip is cancelled so you wouldn't be able to claim those either.

 

If it's not pre-paid and non-refundable don't include it in your calculations. You'd hate to bump yourself into a higher trip cost/premium bracket for something you can't file a claim for anyway.

[cherylandtk]

Iam The Sea,

Another site to check which helps sort through the mess (IMO easier than the site already mentioned) is tripinsurancestore.com.

 

I just want to point out that in searching for what you want DD covered for, item #4 focus more on illness and local emergency care coverage; DD will not be able to use the evacuation part of any insurance until she has a passport. (Not lecturing, just pointing out the obvious limitations).

 

As for your 5 hour delay questions; it depends on how long the delay lasts, not when the delay starts. 2 pm car accident, no injuries, but 2 hour delay makes you late for ship, not covered. 2 pm car accident, taken to hospital and stay overnight, covered. (Note that most delay coverages are only ~$500 however, so you may or may not incur expenses above and beyond that. In daughter's case, she is unable to fly to next port, so even if there was a covered delay, she would get $500 and no trip). Highways would have to be closed for 5+hours for it to count as a covered weather delay.

[cruiseco]

 

Updated Questions: OK, I am trying to fill out this insuremytrip.com form.

 

Trip cost - I have included the cost of the cruise pp, 1/4 the hotel cost for my DD, and 1/4 gas money. Do I include food down and back? How about expenses on the cruise (in case of trip interruption) like gratuity, tipping, etc?

 

Medical - How much do I put in the blank? $50,000, $100,000, etc.?

 

Rule of thumb: You can only insure those items that are 1) pre-paid, and 2) non-refundable.

 

None of those planned expenses such as gas and food on the drive down are pre-paid -- if she cancels she wouldn't be out that money anyway so she can't claim it if she cancels.

 

If the tips are-pre-paid I believe they are refundable if the trip is cancelled so you wouldn't be able to claim those either.

 

If it's not pre-paid and non-refundable don't include it in your calculations. You'd hate to bump yourself into a higher trip cost/premium bracket for something you can't file a claim for anyway.

[Iamthesea]

You have all been very helpful! ;)

 

I just want to point out that in searching for what you want DD covered for, item #4 focus more on illness and local emergency care coverage; DD will not be able to use the evacuation part of any insurance until she has a passport. (Not lecturing, just pointing out the obvious limitations).

Not true! I don't think that a life threatening injury or illness would be ignored and the patient denied evacuation to the nearest ports hospital.

It can be done under extenuating circumstances. Read below:

 

Carnival strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation; and allow guests that must debark the ship before their cruise ends to fly back to the U.S. without significant delays and complications.

 

Q. What happens to U.S. citizens who attempt to re-enter the country without a passport or an alternative travel card?

Under the law, the new documentation requirements may be waived under certain circumstances. These exceptions include individual cases of unforeseen emergency and individual cases based on “humanitarian or national interest reasons.” In addition, the State Department has processes to assist U.S. citizens overseas to obtain emergency travel documentation for those with lost or stolen passports.

For the general public, people who apply for entry but do not have appropriate documentation will be referred for secondary screening at the port. In secondary, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will evaluate any evidence of citizenship or identity the individual may have and will verify all information against available databases. However, to prevent delay at the ports of entry, we would encourage all U.S. citizens to obtain the appropriate documents before they travel.

[Iamthesea]

I still do not know what to put as a "medical limit" on the quotes page of insuremytrip.com?

 

Also, if the cruise is going to Cozumel and Calica, is that considered Mexico or the Caribbean as a primary destination for the cruise?

[KruznKel]

I still do not know what to put as a "medical limit" on the quotes page of insuremytrip.com?

 

Also, if the cruise is going to Cozumel and Calica, is that considered Mexico or the Caribbean as a primary destination for the cruise?

 

I always purchase insurance after I purchase the airfare portion.. that is usually before final pymt is due..

 

As for your questions above I would call the company you are thinking to book with and ask them.. I do believe for my Western trip I insured us as Caribbean. As for the medical coverage I can't answer as I have medical coverage thru my employer but it seems all the policies that I look at come with medical on top even tho I don't need it.