InsureMyTrip Blog

As people book cruise travel, often they’re confronted with a series of options to “add on” products and services to their bookings.  Airfare deal sites, hotel sites, and cruise lines themselves may offer travelers the chance to quickly purchase a travel insurance policy along with their bookings — usually, this involves not much more effort than checking a box to accept the insurance and paying the additional fee, which is generally quite low.  It seems like a quick and easy way to purchase your insurance, without the hassle of doing research on various policies or having to shop around for coverage.

Of course, as with most things in life, if it seems too easy, it probably is.  Buying travel insurance isn’t meant to be a frustrating, convoluted process; but it IS supposed to be a process that involves a little bit of thought and self-evaluation.  No one insurance policy is guaranteed to offer the perfect amount of coverage, the right mix of benefits, and the best value for every single passenger on a cruise ship — but that’s what the “add-on” insurance is supposed to do.  You’re supposed to believe, when you check that box, that the cruise line or other supplier offering the insurance has somehow evaluated your needs and is going to give you the right kind of travel insurance coverage for your trip.  In reality, you’re going to get exactly the same policy every other person who checks that box is going to get — and it may not be right for you at all.

When travel suppliers offer insurance policies as an “add-on,” they usually have one standard type of insurance that is offered to everyone, regardless of specific individual needs.  These policies are generally crafted to offer a minimum baseline of coverage at a very low price, which makes them seem appealing to the average traveler who just wants to get his booking completed.  They also tend to favor the cruise line or travel supplier by not offering any coverage against financial default, and sometimes having a more narrowly defined set of criteria as to what constitutes a legitimate claim.

“Add-on” policies offered by travel suppliers are also nearly certain to be devoid of some of the more desirable, time-sensitive benefits many travelers look for in an insurance policy; things like Cancel for Any Reason coverage or Pre-Existing Conditions Waivers are rarely going to be included in the “one-size-fits-all” approach to travel insurance.  To get those specialized benefits, you would likely have to buy ANOTHER travel insurance policy on top of the standard-issue cruise line policy — one which would certainly offer all the benefits the cruise line is giving you, along with many other potential coverage options that could be very valuable to you.  Of course, the only way you’d be able to figure out which types of coverage you might want or need would be to look at all of the choices available — and checking the box doesn’t give you any choices.  Only by going to a third-party insurance provider, preferably an unbiased comparison company offering plans from a wide range of providers (like, ahem, maybe InsureMyTrip?), can you see what’s really available to you.

Might the cruise line’s insurance policy be just fine for some travelers?  It might.  Is there any way to know for sure whether or not you’re one of those travelers?  Only if you do your homework.  The bottom line is, you need to compare the options that are available out there and know what you want and need before you make any insurance purchase.  If you need help, our Customer Care Center is open 365 days a year to offer guidance and answer questions.  They’ll even help evaluate a travel insurance policy you purchased from someone else, to see if it’s the best fit for you.

If, like many other travelers at this time of year, you’re thinking about booking a cruise vacation, then it’s also a good time for you to review travel insurance and the benefits it can offer to you during your trip.  Cruising comes with a unique set of challenges that could potentially interfere with your carefully laid plans; fortunately, the right travel insurance policy will offer specific coverages that can help you get things back on track, financially and otherwise.

Unless you’re one of those lucky travelers who lives quite close to a port of call where you can just hop on your ship and start relaxing immediately, cruising is unique because it generally requires a fair bit of traveling before you really get to start your trip.  Whether by plane or some other mode of transportation, anyone taking a cruise will need to get to the ship on time, or else risk being left behind — and missing out totally on what was supposed to be a wonderful experience. Beyond taking basic precautions, such as making sure to arrive in your cruise’s departure city no later than the day before you’re scheduled to board the ship, what can you do to avoid (literally) missing the boat?  Travel insurance can’t stop your flights from being delayed or cancelled, and it can’t guarantee that you’ll be there to embark on time.  What it can do is help you recover quickly from the disappointment and stress of a missed cruise departure, so you can move forward with your plans as much as possible.

The benefits of travel insurance in the case of a missed cruise connection actually start to become evident before you even reach the dock and realize that your ship is gone.  If you’re delayed because of a late or cancelled flight, for example, most comprehensive travel insurance policies would offer you an array of benefits to help you with the associated costs — and headaches.  While specific benefits and terms vary by policy, in most cases, a flight delay of more than 5 or 6 hours would entitle you to seek reimbursement for any food, lodgings, or reasonable incidental expenses you may have incurred while waiting for the plane to take off.  Also, your travel insurance provider likely has a 24-7 assistance hotline, which you could call at any point in time to ask for assistance in getting seats on a different flight, researching other transportation options, or even finding lodgings for an overnight stay near the airport  if necessary.

If your transportation doesn’t get you to the cruise as scheduled, and the ship sails without you, your travel insurance provider may then be able to assist you in making the arrangements necessary to pick up the cruise at the next feasible port of call, so you don’t have to miss out on the entire experience.  You might also be able to file a claim for any additional expenses incurred as a result of making last-minute arrangements to meet the ship at another port.  Also, if you had pre-paid for any particular experience as part of your vacation — for example, a snorkeling adventure with a local guide at one of the ports of call — and had to miss it due to the unexpected change in your itinerary, you may be able to recoup those expenses, depending on the terms of your individual policy.

Coverage for a missed connection resulting from travel delay is just one of the many travel insurance benefits that are worth exploring if you’re booking a cruise vacation.  If you’d like more information about purchasing insurance for an upcoming cruise, or any other travel experience, make sure to speak with one of our licensed Customer Care experts at 800-487-4722.

Image courtesy of tvparty.com

At this time of year, it seems everyone’s traveling.  We’re all packing up to head off to Grandma’s house, or on that family ski trip, or getting ready to spend the holiday season someplace warm, tropical, and decidedly un-wintry.  I can’t help but notice that even iconic seasonal characters are all heading off on their own travels.  Frosty?  He’s got a refrigerated boxcar to catch.  Rudolph?  Only in charge of the fastest round-the-world trek ever.  Santa?  Not only Rudolph’s pilot, but traveling with a whole lot of luggage.  Even old Jack Frost is a nomad these days, showing up in the most unexpected places at the least convenient times, and bringing the winter weather along with him.

Fortunately, travel insurance really does have a solution for just about anyone, including our favorite holiday heroes.  Should any of them run into trouble on their travels, having the right insurance policy in hand could do wonders for them.  Dare I say…travel insurance could save the holidays?

If Frosty melts.  Let’s face it — he’s prone to this particular affliction.  If that refrigerated boxcar ended up in, say, Punta Cana instead of the North Pole, our frozen friend could wind up in a lot of trouble.  Medical Evacuation, preferably with the added Hospital of Choice benefit so Frosty could be quickly taken to a more Northern facility familiar with the needs of snowmen, might save Frosty’s life (not to mention his wallet, since evacuation flights are expensive; and as anyone who’s seen the television special knows, he hasn’t got money for a ticket).  Sadly, if it should happen that neither evacuation nor Santa’s December Wind could save our melted friend, we could only hope that he might have purchased an Accidental Death and Dismemberment policy to provide some financial help to Mrs. Frosty and the little snowballs.

If Rudolph’s nose goes out.  Even the brightest of LED lights doesn’t last forever.  While Rudolph might be most famous for having a nose that “blinks like a blinking beacon,” there might come a day when his signature feature is no longer so shiny.  Imagine the consequences of THAT grounded flight!  Fortunately for Santa and any elves who were also scheduled to be riding along as sleigh passengers, the 24-7 assistance providers at their travel insurance company would be able to help them with rebooking and more.  They could even potentially get reimbursement for an eggnog latte at the airport Starbucks, as long as the nose-related delay lasted longer than 5 or 6 hours.  Of course, if the flight were totally cancelled due to Rudolph’s malfunctioning muzzle,  Santa might be wise to check his travel insurance policy to find out whether or not he’s covered for “mechanical failures.”

If Santa’s sack goes missing.  Fortunately, a package policy would provide Santa with coverage for baggage delays in case the elves didn’t quite get things loaded up in time for take-off; if, unthinkably, the sack happened to be irretrievably missing, baggage loss coverage could help the guy in the big red suit replace all those toys.  Of course, gifts for every good child in the world might exceed the total coverage limit on your average travel insurance policy…but that’s another discussion.

If Jack Frost gets out of hand.  We like a guy with enthusiasm for his work, but sometimes, Jack’s a little TOO excitable.  If his antics have you snowbound when you ought to be traveling, or if his signature icy touch damages your cozy winter getaway lodgings to the point that they’re uninhabitable, travel insurance could help.  Trip cancellation coverage may be able to reimburse you for your lost trip if the winter weather causes airports to shut down, or if your home or destination are too badly damaged by storms.

Clearly, travel insurance has a little something to offer to just about everyone this holiday season.  If it hasn’t made it into a place of honor on your to-do list, it might be time to pencil in a phone call to our Customer Care Center in between baking the fruitcake and digging out your most festive theme sweater.  And yes, we’re even open on the holidays — just in case Santa needs to give us a call.