Category: Plans & Coverage

Cruise Booking

Comprehensive plans, Unlike hotels, cruise prices are listed per person, not per cabin, with rates based on two people occupying a stateroom. When you quote and insure through InsureMyTrip, you’ll be asked to enter the total trip cost for all people. You won’t need to divide stateroom costs between travelers. Post fees, taxes, and other add-ons paid for at the time of purchase should be included

Airline Costs

If you are flying to your port of arrival, include the costs of airfare there, and home, into your total trip cost. If you or the cruise line cancel this trip, you may not be eligible to cancel flights or could experience costs in rebooking the airline tickets. You may need to read up on the rules on insuring frequent flyer miles.

Transfers

The costs to shuttle, bus or taxi, for both embarkment and disembarkment can be added to your total trip cost. You can add in any pre-paid parking fees if you’re driving into the port from home or with a rental car.

Include Packages

Pre-paid costs include dining upgrades, unlimited soda options, and drink packages.

Include Excursions

When you put money down on an excursion, insure those costs. Some cruise focused insurance plans have unique options for excursions, allowing you to be reimbursed if you’re diverted from a port where your pre-paid event was scheduled, and you are not eligible for a refund. If you included the excursion in your costs, you might be eligible for some reimbursement!

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Remember this; insure any money that would be lost if you had to cancel your trip the day you would have stepped out the door to start your journey. You can, and should, add any additional trip cost to your plan after you’ve made your travel insurance purchase, but depending on the amounts, it may result in a change in premium due to some benefit levels increasing. To maximize your benefits while limiting your financial exposure, purchase a plan as soon as you make your first trip payment or book your flights.

When in doubt about a cost or situation, ask an InsureMyTrip representative by phone, or on the sites chat feature, for more details.

Now that you know what to insure, we recommend reading up on the coverages you’ll want to consider when insuring your cruise.

We all know anything can happen while you are traveling – but what if a computer outage disrupts your travel plans?

The good news is – travel insurance may be able to help in the event of tech outages and IT system failures that affect flights and travel – especially plans that include Travel Delay and Missed Connection coverages.

These Coverages are Included in Most Comprehensive Plans

Travel Delay is designed to provide reimbursement for expenses related to covered delays that meet the required number of hours, such as meals, transportation, and accommodations if an overnight stay is required.

Missed Connection is designed to provide travelers with coverage if a delayed flight (for example, 3 hours or more) causes a traveler to miss a cruise or tour departure.

Policyholders also have access to emergency assistance services, which may help rebook flights or find other services needed during a travel delay caused by an IT system outage.

If you need to file a claim, InsureMyTrip can help. While we do not handle claims directly (those are handled by your travel insurance provider), we have some tips to help expedite the travel insurance claims process:

1. Know your plan: Carefully read the wording in your policy to understand coverage details and the claims process.
2. Have documents ready: You’ll need to show proof of purchases or money lost due to the delay. So, compile receipts and proof of expenses to accurately be reimbursed – including
   • Receipts and itemized bills for all expenses
   • Unused travel tickets and proof of payment for those tickets
   • Proof from the airline that your baggage was lost or delayed
3. File your claim right away: If there is a major computer system or tech outage, claims may take additional time to process because of volume, so don’t wait to file a claim. Some plans may even have cut-off dates.
4. File online: Submit a claim on the provider’s online portal, when possible. This can help speed things up and allow you to check the status of your claim. If it has been more than three months without a decision, InsureMyTrip representatives can help contact the provider to see what’s holding things up.

If you have questions or want to ensure your policy will cover you in the event of disrupted travel, please contact our Customer Care team at 800-487-4722.

A top concern for summer travelers is the weather. Summer is prime time for hurricanes, extreme heat, and more recently, wildfires. Hot, dry conditions have sparked wildfires around the world – causing travel issues even in destinations not directly impacted by fire.

When considering travel insurance during wildfire season – the best advice we can give is this: purchase a policy before a fire is sparked. If a wildfire that affects your trip is known before you purchase a plan, your coverage may be extremely limited.

Wildfires and Travel Insurance Coverage

If you’re traveling to a destination prone to wildfires, or you’re concerned about a wildfire impacting your trip – it’s important to first see if wildfires fall under the definition of “natural disaster” on a policy.

It is important to read through and understand a travel insurance policy before purchasing it. Some providers may cover a wildfire like any other natural disaster, others may specifically call out wildfires in the coverage or definition section.

Your Accommodations or Primary Residence if Damaged by Wildfire

If you cannot travel because you need to tend to damage done to your primary home, you may be eligible for reimbursement due to cancellation or interruption of your trip.

There may be coverage under “Trip Interruption” (going home early) if a wildfire causes damage to the accommodations at your destination, making it uninhabitable.

Your Destination is Under Evacuation Order Due to Wildfire

If there is a mandatory evacuation at your destination where local authorities are saying you should leave due to danger posed by the wildfires – you may find coverage under “Trip Interruption” or “Trip Cancellation.”

Accommodation Cancels a Reservation because of Wildfire Damage

If a wildfire causes damage before your arrival date, a hotel, resort, or vacation rental may cancel your reservation because it’s devastated and made uninhabitable by a storm. Travel insurance plans typically provide coverage for this.

Reimbursement for this can help if the accommodation you selected does not provide a full refund for your pre-paid reservation.

Flights are Grounded Due to Smoke from Wildfires

Some travel insurance plans may offer coverage in the event smoke from wildfires causes flight delays. We saw this in the summer of 2023 – when Canadian wildfires impacted air traffic in the U.S.

Some providers may consider the smoke a “weather event” and cover cancellation, interruption, or delays if the flights are delayed for the required amount of time.

Plans may also offer coverage under “Trip Delay” if flights are grounded due to wildfires or smoke and travelers must purchase additional meals or overnight accommodations.

Fear of Wildfires Impacting a Trip

Canceling a trip because you’re worried a wildfire might ruin your trip is not a covered reason. For the flexibility to cancel a trip for a reason like fear, you should consider adding the Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option to your travel insurance policy.

If all eligibility requirements are met, CFAR allows travelers to cancel a trip, at least 48 hours (2 days) before departure, for something other than a covered reason and receive reimbursement of up to 50%-75% of the total, prepaid, non-refundable trip costs.

Wildfires and Limitations of Airline Cancellation Policies

Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight due to bad weather or a wildfire, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight. Airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight due to a natural disaster.

Travelers concerned about protecting pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses should consider travel insurance.

Medicane is a rare hurricane-like storm that can impact European destinations. Medicane (Mediterranean + hurricane) is similar in structure to a hurricane or typhoon. In September 2018, a huge medicane storm called Zorbas brought heavy rains, flash flooding, toppled trees, mudslides, and strong winds to Northern African and parts of the Mediterranean. The violent nature of the storm also led authorities in affected countries to urge civilians to exercise caution and avoid travel. These Mediterranean hurricane-like storms can last several days before losing strength.

Mediterranean “Hurricanes” Impact on European Travel

A medicane or what some describe as a “Mediterranean hurricane” is a concern for travelers and can affect European vacations and trips. Here are some common travel concerns for those in a destination that may experience a medicane:

• Flight delays and cancellations
• Train delays and cancellations
• Halted tours
• Stopped ferry service, detoured cruise ships and boats
• Damage to vacation destinations
• Canceled activities
• Less enjoyable travel experience

Travel Insurance for Medicanes

Medicanes can result in trip delays, interruptions, and cancellations. Travel insurance is designed to cover unforeseen events. For those who purchase travel insurance prior to a medicane there may be coverage in the event bad weather puts a trip in jeopardy. Here are some examples of how a traveler may receive reimbursement of any pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses if they must cancel a trip due to severe weather-related issues that are covered under the trip cancellation benefit:

Flights are grounded: Many plans may cover a traveler when common carriers such as airlines or cruise lines cease service due to weather, including medicanes. The cessation of services must be for a certain number of consecutive hours, usually 24-48.

Hotel or resort is impacted: Many plans may cover a traveler when a hotel, resort, or vacation rental is devastated and made uninhabitable by a storm.

Cancel for Any Reason Insurance Can Help

CFAR is an optional benefit of travel insurance. This coverage offers the opportunity to cancel travel plans for reasons other than those listed as “covered reasons” on a policy. There are specific eligibility requirements:

• Depending on the policy, it is only available within 10-21 days of your initial trip payment.
• You must insure 100 percent of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip cost.
• You must cancel your trip with the travel suppliers at least 48 hours before the departure date.
• This benefit typically covers between 50-75 percent of your trip cost and vary by plan.

Also, travelers can still purchase comprehensive travel insurance for coverage unrelated to the medicanes, including emergency medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, and baggage protection. Trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage are also available for covered unforeseen circumstances unrelated to the storm.