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Insurance - what "cost" and time frame to use?


Fred567

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I'm looking at online quotes and they ask for "trip Cost" and dates- What do I include here?

My trip would consist of flying in, hotel 1 night, cruise 7 days with 6 days excursions, return to port, car rental drive to Orlando hotel for another 3days then fly home. ( 12 days total)

I really am only concerned with  the fly in and cruise and excursions - the car/orlando/hotel- is not an issue

So what do I include in that "trip cost" and dates? do I have to include everything? 

Can I just use the dates until the cruise ends  and not worry about anything after that?

do I include the excursion pricing and dining and drink packages?

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Hi @Fred567, welcome to the RCBlog forums!

Part of the consideration nowadays is when your trip is happening. I'm assuming you just booked and it's some time next year, but even so you need to consider the risk that Cover-19 is going to flare up again at that time and start causing havoc all over again.

You can, given what you described, just put the cruise portion of your trip duration as the "trip cost" -- this would include the cruise fare, flight in, excursions you bought either through the cruise line or directly through a third party, and all on-board packages like drinks / dining / internet. The true full cost of your cruise vacation. As long as the cruise doesn't leave you stuck somewhere or having to fly home on an emergency, you're good.

But what if the ship gets put into quarantine? Even if Covid-19 doesn't come back in a bad way, what if you end up injured and unable to call the car rental place and the hotel to cancel the reservation and avoid no-show charges? What if there is a storm that ends up canceling your flight home and you have to pay a change fee, or stay a few extra unplanned nights? What if you end up hospitalized on the next-to-last day in Orlando? What if your luggage gets permanently lost on the return flight and you have to now go and buy a partial new wardrobe?

Even though the odds are really good that the last 3 days of your trip will come and go without a hitch, it's still a good idea to include those costs and time as part of the policy; maybe just the penalty charges for failing to cancel in time, but put something down for that as part of the total, along with the cost of your flight home. And put the day you fly home as the actual last day of your trip. The policy will not cost that much more to add a few extra days and $500-$700 additional, and you'll have the peace of mind knowing that you've got coverage for anything it covers for the whole trip.

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When I purchase my trip insurance I put in the cost of the cruise, and then when I purchase the remainder (flight/hotel/excursions), I contact the insurance company and add those on.  I could just use the cost of the deposit and add the rest when I pay the remainder of the cruise as well.  The reason I don't do this is that in order to qualify for Cancel for Any Reason I must use the full cost of the cruise, and I have to purchase it within 14-15 days (depending on the policy).   If I miss the 14-15 day window I lose the CFAR coverage, so at that point I just wait (since I book refundable deposits anyway).  

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Totally agree with what @JLMoran stated. 

Use the day you leave your house as the trip start date and the day you expect to return home as your end date.  This will cover the entire length of your trip and allow for coverage if something happens that requires an extension.  If you only put the end date as the end of the cruise then your flight home isn't covered.

As for trip costs, include the costs of everything.  A couple hundred dollars in total trip cost won't amount to much when it comes to the insurance premium.  This amount is what substantiates your policy limits for coverage and some of the coverages will only pay up to that limit.  Consider there may be extra costs if you get stick somewhere and have to pay to extend your stay or travel home on a different, last minute flight for any reason.  Including the hotel and travel expense to/from the cruise will help give you the higher claim limit.

Also remember this is only an ESTIMATE that you provide to the insurance company.  When I had to file a claim, my first step was substantiating our coverage amount with actual receipts and proof of payment for the entire trip.  Then from there I had to provide the proof of the loss to actually make the claim.

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11 hours ago, Fred567 said:

I'm looking at online quotes and they ask for "trip Cost" and dates- What do I include here?

My trip would consist of flying in, hotel 1 night, cruise 7 days with 6 days excursions, return to port, car rental drive to Orlando hotel for another 3days then fly home. ( 12 days total)

I really am only concerned with  the fly in and cruise and excursions - the car/orlando/hotel- is not an issue

So what do I include in that "trip cost" and dates? do I have to include everything? 

Can I just use the dates until the cruise ends  and not worry about anything after that?

do I include the excursion pricing and dining and drink packages?

I just purchased insurance for my next cruise yesterday.. now my trip isn't until 2022, all I did was pay for the cruise part now.. and I just need to call back and add on the flight/ hotel, extras.. the insurance agent just told me to call back and you can add to your insurance plan anytime.. 

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12 minutes ago, CFL said:

I’m not the original poster but this is a great thread! I had no idea that you could call and add to your insurance at a later time!

Me neither. I never get insurance until the cruise, flight AND hotel are booked.

 

2 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I contact the insurance company and add those on. 

Thank you. Good to know for the future.

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Lots of good info above, brings me to 1 more question.. using the actual fly leave date to return fly date and including all expenses, how would it work if the ship got quarantined at sea 2 weeks?

I assume the insurance only kicks in for the days/expenses missed after it SHOULD have returned to port?  so if medical expenses were incurred during AND after the coverage date, would they be covered?  the thinking is, if I had the extra 3 days coverage supposedly in Orlando, but stuck on ship for 2 weeks instead ( making 11 days past coverage), would any associated expenses up to the amount insurance coverage still be paid since the "illness" would have started within the coverage date? (I hope that makes sense)

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1 hour ago, Fred567 said:

Lots of good info above, brings me to 1 more question.. using the actual fly leave date to return fly date and including all expenses, how would it work if the ship got quarantined at sea 2 weeks?

I assume the insurance only kicks in for the days/expenses missed after it SHOULD have returned to port?  so if medical expenses were incurred during AND after the coverage date, would they be covered?  the thinking is, if I had the extra 3 days coverage supposedly in Orlando, but stuck on ship for 2 weeks instead ( making 11 days past coverage), would any associated expenses up to the amount insurance coverage still be paid since the "illness" would have started within the coverage date? (I hope that makes sense)

As soon as you know, you notify your insurance company and you can extend your coverage date.  We had to do this with a hurricane-delayed cruise (adjusted the start date to be later once we booked new flights).  You are purchasing coverage for the trip and you get coverage from the second you leave your house until when you return home.  If this is extended for whatever reasons (quarantine, needing medical coverage away from home and being hospitalized, travel delays, etc.) then your coverage gets extended.  

Example of policy language:

Quote

The coverage period ends at 11:59 pm local time on the Coverage End Date unless you are on a trip. If you are
on a trip on your Coverage End Date, your coverage will end the earlier of:
1. The day you arrive at your point of origin or primary residence; or
2. Seven days after the Coverage End Date.


However, if your return travel is delayed due to a covered reason, we will extend your coverage period until the
earlier of:
1. You are able to return to your point of origin or primary residence; or
2. You arrive at a medical facility in the U.S. for further care following a medical repatriation or trip
interruption.

 

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1 minute ago, Floski said:

Kind of a newbie question, but does it really matter when you purchase insurance?

I booked last spring, but didn't opt for insurance until January (I believe).  Would I have

gotten better rates had I purchased sooner?

Not sure about the rates, but some riders, specifically, Cancel for Any Reason, can only be added if the policy is activated within a certain number of days of booking.   I think that length of time varies but is generally around the 14 day mark, I think.  So if you specifically want Cancel for Any Reason (which really ISN'T ANY reason) then you have to purchase it pretty quickly after booking.

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1 hour ago, Floski said:

Kind of a newbie question, but does it really matter when you purchase insurance?

I booked last spring, but didn't opt for insurance until January (I believe).  Would I have

gotten better rates had I purchased sooner?

It depends what kind of insurance you want., so I used to use a TA for everything.. and he would always book my insurance within 14days of the initial cruise deposit...for me I want cancel for any reason insurance.. , so I learned the hard way last year ( when I booked the cruise by myself..and  I didn't book my insurance right away, but it worked out.).. that there were only 2 options /Insurance companies that offered it after the 14days..  so if you want more insurance plan choices,  purchase the insurance within 14days of deposit.. 

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6 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

When I purchase my trip insurance I put in the cost of the cruise, and then when I purchase the remainder (flight/hotel/excursions), I contact the insurance company and add those on. 

I always purchase the insurance on cruises 6 nights or longer because the cost is worth it for cruises so far out. But I agree with the general consensus here on this thread. I suppose it really comes down to at what cost would it no longer be worth it to you? Side question, are you going to Disneyworld during your 3 days in Orlando? Have you been to DW before?

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3 hours ago, Floski said:

Kind of a newbie question, but does it really matter when you purchase insurance?

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Not sure about the rates, but some riders, specifically, Cancel for Any Reason, can only be added if the policy is activated within a certain number of days of booking.   I think that length of time varies but is generally around the 14 day mark, I think.

Same if you require a waiver for any pre-existing conditions -- if you don't book within 14 days, you either can't get a waiver at all or (if the insurance company offers the option) you have to pay a rather significant premium bump to get a separate rider added for that. If you don't have the waiver, you have to stay clear of all complications / issues related to your pre-existing condition for (at least) 6 months before you're eliglble to make a claim for that condition from trip insurance.

Generally speaking, long-term conditions like Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Asthma, MS, clinical depression, etc. that are already managed by a doctor and / or with medication, and that are considered "under control" (no flare-ups / hospitalizations / medical emergencies for some minimum time, usually 3-6 months), won't fall under a pre-exisiting condition exclusion. But you have to read the policy language carefully to make sure of that, as well as any minimum time they require to be considered "under control".

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Thanks again for all the responses. I ended up getting an Annual insurance from "April Travel Protection" - the cost was only a little more than buying it for the1 trip and gives me coverage for multiple trips for the next year.

I have a few days to cancel, so if anyone knows of a reason this is bad or has bad experience with the company please let me know.

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