We offer just one piece of advice when it comes to travel insurance: You definitely need it.
We normally provide our clients with two different insurance quotes: one from the cruise line or tour operator, and another from a third-party insurance company (Roamright).
We provide copies of the Description of Coverage offered, but we cannot answer questions about the coverage or give advice about which one to choose.
At the same time, we always highly recommend consulting a licensed insurance agent for guidance. Insurance pros have access to a much wider variety of insurance plans and can give you knowledgeable advice about which one would be best for your unique situation.
We have occasionally frustrated our clients who are looking for a recommendation about which insurance is the best choice for them, but we refer them back to the written policy or to the insurance company.
There are two reasons we don’t give insurance advice:
- Our passion and expertise is travel, not insurance.
- As travel advisors we are required to offer travel protection, but we are not allowed to interpret the coverage.
Here is a bit of guidance to help you when you are speaking with an insurance pro:
Three Aspects of Travel Insurance
Most travel insurance policies bundle these three aspects together, but if you only wanted one of them, a good insurance broker can help you with that:
- Trip Cancellation. This covers you if you are unable to make the trip (for specified reasons). Without this coverage you are risking whatever you paid for the trip.
- Trip Interruption. This is for annoying things like flight delays or when your luggage goes missing. You are not mitigating much risk with this type of insurance, but it does make your life way easier, when things go wrong.
- Travel Medical. This is the critical one, and you are taking a significant risk if you leave home without this. It can cost you tens of thousands of dollars if you are caught without this type of insurance. There are no circumstances that I can ever see where I would leave home without this – including those who live near the Mexican or Canadian borders and may drive across for a few hours.
Here is some of the rationalization we sometimes hear from clients about insurance, and why they may want to talk to an insurance professional about the flaws in their logic:
“Health Care is Free in Europe/Canada/Australia/NZ”. It is true that in all other developed nations that health care is available to residents without a direct charge. This is NOT extended to visitors, who will pay (a lot) for medical attention. We often hear this from clients going to Alaska because some of those cruises start and finish in the United States. You will be in Canadian waters for most of that trip, and the small communities you visit in Alaska may require evacuation for a serious medical issue to the nearest major hospital – probably in Canada. They will undoubtedly be polite about it, but you will pay dearly.
“I’m insured on my credit card”. Check the fine print – you may or may not be covered, and there may be significant limitations to that coverage. Unfortunately, this probably means reading through a few hundred pages of legal double-speak, but if you’re relying on such coverage, make sure you know what’s in there (and what is not).
“I’ll just fly home if I have a problem”. This is truly asinine, and a really poor risk mitigation strategy. You are betting everything you own that if you become sick or injured, you’ll be able to fly across the world on a commercial jet.
Cancel for any reason?
One final thought on insurable reasons for cancellation. Most travel insurance policies will cover cancellation for specified reasons. Usually this means you or your travel partner are not well enough to travel, there’s a death in the immediate family, or some other unforeseen catastrophic event. People get into trouble when their version of “catastrophe” does not align with that of the insurance company. As a spoiler-alert, the insurance company (and their army of lawyers) is always going to win this argument. You will pay much more for a trip cancellation policy with a “Cancel for any reason” clause, but it might be worth it.
The pandemic has added to the complexity of travel insurance, underscoring the need to chat it though with an insurance pro.
To summarize:
- Always make sure your out-of-country trip is protected by insurance.
- Be informed about what you’re buying when you purchase insurance
- Consult an insurance specialist
This week’s travel opportunities:
Seabourn Canary Islands
This is a great opportunity to try a luxury small ship cruise for a great price. Seabourn just announced the Seabourn Encore will be running 10- and 11-day round trip cruises from Lisbon starting in February.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Canary Islands, they are a territory of Spain comprised of 8 islands off the northwest coast of Africa. The Canary Islands is a collision of cultures between North America, South America, Europe and Africa. It’s a popular destination for European sun-seekers and nature enthusiasts.
Here are the departure dates (all round-trip from Lisbon) with prices starting at just $3699 per person. On a per-day basis, this represents remarkable value on Seabourn:
- February 19th, 2022: 10-days
- March 1st, 2022: 11-days
- March 12th, 2022: 10-days
- March 22nd, 2022: 11-days
The Seabourn Encore holds only 600 guests, and the fare includes all taxes and fees, gratuities, beverages and specialty dining, onboard lectures and activities, and the legendary service and attention to detail that Seabourn is famous for.
Seabourn includes “An Evening with Sir Tim Rice” on all its cruises, where the Seabourn entertainers perform his classic songs in between pre-recorded explanations by Tim Rice himself. If you’d like to meet Tim Rice in person, he will be on the February 19th sailing. Perhaps you can have dinner with him at the Thomas Keller Restaurant (on board, included in your fare) and ask him about Elton John or Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
Oceania 2023 Itineraries
If you’re an Oceania fan, you’ll want to pay attention to this. Oceania had their highest booking day EVER a couple of weeks ago when they made itineraries for the new Vista ship available for booking.
Next week on Wednesday, October 6th, Oceania’s 2023 itineraries will be available for booking, and many of them will sell out quickly. These are posted on the Oceania website now if you want to get started on your “shopping”. If you’re worried about something selling out, let us know in advance of next Wednesday so we can get you in the queue.
American Queen Voyages
As of this week, “American Queen Steamboat Company” is now “American Queen Voyages”, consolidating their brand to include their Great Lakes and Atlantic Coast sailings on the former Victory Cruise lines, and their brand-new Ocean Victory expedition ship. We’ll have more on this in the weeks to come.
Today, I’ll talk about their Fall 2022 Sale for sailing on the Mississippi River System, and the Columbia River in Washington & Oregon:
- Memphis to New Orleans – 9-days. Music, Cajun Food, American History – it’s all on this itinerary. These are offered all year round, and many of those departures early and late in the season are included in the fall sale from $1699 per person.
- Minneapolis to New Orleans – 16-days. Talk about getting to see the whole country! This itinerary is only offered in summer and fall, will prices starting at $4699 per person.
- Portland OR to Spokane WA – 9-days. Retrace Lewis & Clark’s route, visit one of the many wineries on the Columbia, or maybe just sit back and take in the scenery and wildlife. These cruises run from March through November, with prices starting at $2149 per person.
American Queen always include a hotel night before embarkation, transfers to the ship, an open bar on the ship, shore excursions in every port, Wi-Fi on the ship, and no passport issues!
Have something to say about this?
Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/3106970162918810
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
