We feel insurance is important when you are traveling out of the country. The expense just to get you off the ship and home if there is a medical emergency can be incredibly high. This really is a personal decision though. Some cruise lines are now offering a “cancel for any reason” provision either with the insurance they are offering or in conjunction with the insurance they offer. This means if you need to cancel the cruise for a non-covered reason and you are within the penalty period, there will be some concessions. Once the insurance company has denied your claim, you will have the ability to apply a percentage the penalty portion to a future sail date (not including the insurance cost).
Many of the policies offered through the cruise lines do not allow for coverage in the case of a pre-existing condition. The cruise lines that offer a “cancel for any reason” provision will still have you covered at least partially, but otherwise, you will want to know when the coverage takes effect (in many cases it’s when the final payment is made) and what will be covered. Otherwise, you may want to look at independent travel insurance.
We can help with independent travel insurance, like Travel Insured, Travel Guard and Allianz. Using an independent company can also be a good idea when you are combining a number of activities together. Let’s say you are doing back to back cruises with a pre and post stay. Booking through the cruise line you will need two policies (one for each cruise) and this likely will not cover your pre/post stay or airfare. With an independent contract, you can combine your entire trip together in one policy.
If you do want to be covered for any pre-existing conditions and are purchasing an independent policy, you will want to look into this very soon after the deposit is made on the cruise. Some will waive the pre-existing clause if you add within a certain number of days after the deposit is paid. The problem with an independent policy or any policy that is non-refundable once it is added to the cruise package is that if you change your date, you may very well have to pay for insurance coverage again.With some companies thought, we can do one date change if you have not incurred penalties.
Your travel consultant can get you quotes on various insurance plans, however, they cannot help you with determining which is best for your specific circumstances, including what may or may not be covered. For these questions, it is always recommended that you contact the insurance agency direct, before purchasing your policy.
