Travel Insurance
What is Travel Protection Insurance?
Travel Protection is vacation insurance and it's designed to protect your vacation investment in the event you must cancel due to unforeseen circumstances that may interfere with your ability to travel, or if things to go wrong while you are on your cruise.
Travel Insurance covers:
- Cancellations due to sickness, death, injury of you, a family member, domestic partner or traveling companion
- Travel delays due to inclement weather or natural disasters
- Bankruptcy of an airline, cruise line or other travel supplier, when this plan is purchased within 14 days of initial deposit
- Terrorism (domestic and international)
In addition, Travel Protection covers:
- All pre-existing medical conditions, when this plan is purchased with 14 days of initial deposit.
- Lost, stolen, or damaged baggage and personal effects
- Emergency medical expenses
- Expenses incurred if your travel is delayed
- Emergency transportation to an adequate medical facility, with an escort when medically necessary.
- If must cancel your cruise or incur expenses or penalties for any of the reasons covered above, Travel Protection Insurance will reimburse you for covered costs.
Should I buy Travel Protection?
We highly recommend you purchase Travel Protection Insurance. All cruise lines charge penalties if you must cancel your cruise within their penalty periods. And it is unwise to expect that they will make an exception, even under the direst circumstances. Travel Protection will refund these penalties if you cancel for a covered reason.
You should also buy Travel Protection because most Americans have little or no health care coverage when they travel outside the country. When you board a foreign-flagged cruise ship, you physically enter another country. For those who do have health coverage in effect outside the US, medical evacuation is not included. Airlift transportation from a ship to a qualified medical facility can cost thousands and thousands of dollars, and without travel protection, you have no coverage and pay out of pocket, often up front!
Travel Protection covers emergency medical transportation when necessary. Medical facilities on cruise ships and in resort destinations are extremely limited and may be inadequate for your condition. While the medical facilities on many of the newest cruise ships are state of the art, they are not hospitals. They are designed only to stabilize a patient until more comprehensive care can be obtained. It is not safe to assume that a cruise ship is equipped to treat every illness or injury. If you must be evacuated, your Travel Protection would cover the costs.
Cruise Line and airlines claim little responsibility when things go wrong. It is not the responsibility of the cruise line to connect you with the ship if you miss it. And if you're flying to the port of embarkation, the airline is obligated only to fly you there and may not be willing or able to send you somewhere else to pick up the ship. Travel Protection will reimburse you the costs incurred for missed connections and fly delays.
Any one of the above reasons is good enough to buy travel protection, but consider that every one of them applies to everybody all the time! The bottom line is that travel protection is the only way you may get your money back if you have to cancel your cruise.
What does a Travel Protection Policy include?
A typical travel protection policy includes three main benefits:
- Trip cancellation/interruption
- Major medical with medical evacuation
- Baggage protection
Most policies offer some type of travel delay coverage, but it may or may not cover delays to strikes or other labor problems.
The trip cancellation benefit is designed to reimburse you up to the total cost of your vacation in the event a medical emergency forces you to cancel under penalty with the cruise line. Trip cancellation benefits apply prior to the start of the cruise, while trip interruption coverage works for you after you have left home. If an emergency to anyone traveling, or to those immediate family members left behind, causes you to cut the trip short, trip interruption is intended to reimburse you for the missed portion of the vacation and the out-of-pocket expenses necessary to return home. Without these two important benefits, you have no recourse but to lose both cruise and the money you've paid for it.
Major medical and medical evacuation benefits offer you medical protection outside the area covered by your primary care provider without a deductible. In addition, emergency medical transportation, including helicopter airlift, is covered to transport you to a medical facility where you can be treated.
Baggage protection provides you with reimbursement for lost, stolen or damaged luggage. Most people do not consider the repercussions of taking a cruise without their clothing! Baggage benefits can provide you with the necessary cash to replace some of the missing articles so that your cruise is not a complete fashion emergency.
What does Travel Protection cover and not cover?
In general, the insurance portion of a travel protection plan covers medical emergencies, such as a death, illness or injury to you, your traveling companions and any immediate family members.
It is important to know that most cruise line travel protection policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions under the trip cancellation clause. A pre-existing medical condition is usually defined as one for which you have been treated within 60 days of purchasing the insurance. However, this exemption does not preclude your need for, or the validity of, the trip interruption and medical benefits.
Business and personal obligations are not covered for trip cancellation under the insurance portion of a travel protection policy, but waivers may be available through the cruise line that offer credits toward future travel if you must cancel for a non-medical reason.
In situations when only one member of the party is unable to travel contact us to learn what options are available without having to cancel the cruise altogether.
What is considered a "pre-existing" condition?
A pre-existing medical condition is one that existed during the 180 days (approximately six months) preceding and including the policy effective date. A condition is pre-existing if you:
1. Received a recommendation for a diagnostic test, examination or medical treatment; or
2. Took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine during the 180-day period.
Item 2 of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout 180-day period before coverage is effective under this policy.
Does travel protection cover a pre-existing medical condition?
This depends on the policy. Call us for options.
What happens if I get sick or hurt while I'm on the trip?
Travel protection can take much of the worry out of a bad situation by paying for the medical evacuation required to transport you to the nearest hospital. In addition, assistance services are included to verify coverage so that you can be treated immediately. The assistance services can also help you communicate with the doctors if you don't speak the same language.
Without the medical coverage included in a travel protection plan, you will be forced to pay out of pocket up front for medical treatment and medical transportation, and you'll be on your own dealing with the doctors and the hospitals in a foreign country.
Where can I obtain Travel Protection?
Cruise Connections offers Travel Protection, call us to discuss your particular situation.
How much does Travel Protection Insurance cost?
Travel protection premiums can be priced in a variety of ways and may depend on one or more of the following factors:
- Length of the cruise
- Cabin price including port charges, taxes and fees
- Total cost of the vacation
- Your age at the time of travel
Most travel protection is based on both the total cost of your vacation and your age at the time of travel, so the price fluctuates up and down as items are added to or deleted from your invoice.
The cruise lines use a variety of criteria to price their premiums. For example, Carnival Cruise Line prices its premium based on the length of the cruise, with longer cruises requiring a higher premium cost than short ones. Holland America Line determines its premium amount by calculating a percentage of the cost of the vacation. In addition, some cruise lines offer more than one level of coverage.
What's the difference between insurance and a waiver in the cruise line's policy?
Insurance offers cash reimbursement for cancellation due specifically to medical reasons. A waiver usually means that you can cancel for any reason whatsoever, but that a large portion of your payment will be held as a credit toward future travel.
Insurance covers you from the moment you leave home until the moment you return. A waiver usually stops protecting you a day or so prior to the start of the trip.
Many cruise lines offer a combination of both a waiver and insurance, which provides maximum flexibility for you by offering recourse for a wide variety of both medical and non-medical situations.
Are there alternatives to the Cruise Line's Insurance?
Yes. Call us for the possibilities.
When do I have to buy travel protection?
If you are making full and final payment on your cruise, and you are planning to take CruiseCheap.com's travel protection plan, you should accept the travel protection at the time of booking. However, you do have up to 14 days in which to make the payment and receive the benefit of the pre-existing medical conditions waiver.
If you have elected to purchase travel protection through one of the cruise lines, you must include the premium amount with your final payment. However, do know that there are a few cruise lines that require the premium to be paid with the deposit. If this is the case, your agent will advise you properly prior to booking.
Who can buy Travel Protection?
US citizens. Non-US citizens should obtain travel protection from a company doing business their home country, with one exception: CruiseCheap.com's Travel Protection can be purchased by Canadian citizens, but the medical benefits do not apply. Therefore, Canadians will be covered for trip cancellation/interruption and baggage.
What if I have to cancel and file a claim?
If you become ill or injured, first see a doctor. Then if you find that you need to cancel, contact CruiseCheap.com immediately. We will speak to the cruise line on your behalf, cancel your cruise and advise you on what to do next. Whenever possible, we will request the necessary forms to assist you in starting the claims procedure. You must complete the appropriate forms and return them to the insurance company with documentation to support your claim, so it's important to have visited the doctor first.
How do I make a decision about Travel Protection?
First, learn the cruise line's cancellation and refund policy so that you know what your penalties are and when they go into effect. Next, take a look at what insurance coverage you may already have in place and decide if it is adequate for you. Take the time to compare the cruise line's policy against CruiseCheap.com's Travel Protection Plan so that you can make an informed decision about which one is best for you.
Contact the insurance company directly if you have specific coverage questions. At CruiseCheap.com we are happy to assist you in understanding the general provisions of a travel protection policy, but are unable to actually determine how those provisions will apply to your personal situation.
If you are undecided, purchase travel protection. Before you think that nothing can happen to you, consider that 80 percent of those who cancel their vacation do so because of a medical emergency. Remember, travel protection is the only way to get your money back!
If I must cancel, when will I get my refund?
When you cancel, you must begin filing a claim with the travel insurance company. This involves paperwork. If you had to cancel for medical reasons, you will be expected to provide proof from physicians. If you experience travel delays or lost baggage, you'll be expected to provide copies of all receipts for expenses as well as a summary of events and actions taken to resolve your issues.
Upon reviewing all of the material you submit and upon approval, the insurance company will send your reimbursement check within 30 - 60 days of approval.
What if I have more questions?
If you have more questions about travel insurance, please give us a call at 1-800-248-7447.
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