Travel Insurance

[david63]

P&O have said what will be required therefore I would have thought it your responsibility to ensure your policy covers what is required.

I don't think that anyone is disagreeing with that but the issue is proving it.

I wonder if maybe there are things going on that we are not aware of - perhaps the insurance companies have been told/agreed/decided that their schedules will be in a clear format highlighting these points.

Nonetheless whatever is adopted it will be a nightmare at check-in

[Manoverboard]

Bank Insurers tend to be paperless but all are underwritten by, say Norwich Union, therefore one contacts them and requests a Certificate of Insurance containing the inclusions ... seemples, albeit at your own cost.

[Midlandslass]

It's been a few years since I cruised with P&O, and I could be mistaken, but wasn't there somewhere on on-line check in where insurance details had to be entered?
We cancelled our worldwide annual insurance last year after our June cruise was cancelled and this years cruises are all with Saga who include insurance (for a fee).
Surely there must be an insurance database holding this information similar to the motor insurers database which you can be checked against?
Otherwise I agree actual check in is going to be long and tedious.

[Stephen]

It's been a few years since I cruised with P&O, and I could be mistaken, but wasn't there somewhere on on-line check in where insurance details had to be entered?
We cancelled our worldwide annual insurance last year after our June cruise was cancelled and this years cruises are all with Saga who include insurance (for a fee).
Surely there must be an insurance database holding this information similar to the motor insurers database which you can be checked against?
Otherwise I agree actual check in is going to be long and tedious.

Yes there is, but they are just basic details such as name of insurance company, emergency contact number and name of a family member who can be contacted.

[Midlandslass]

It's been a few years since I cruised with P&O, and I could be mistaken, but wasn't there somewhere on on-line check in where insurance details had to be entered?
We cancelled our worldwide annual insurance last year after our June cruise was cancelled and this years cruises are all with Saga who include insurance (for a fee).
Surely there must be an insurance database holding this information similar to the motor insurers database which you can be checked against?
Otherwise I agree actual check in is going to be long and tedious.

Yes there is, but they are just basic details such as name of insurance company, emergency contact number and name of a family member who can be contacted.

It might be helpful if more pertinent information is collected at this point which could all be checked pre cruise

[Stephen]

It's been a few years since I cruised with P&O, and I could be mistaken, but wasn't there somewhere on on-line check in where insurance details had to be entered?
We cancelled our worldwide annual insurance last year after our June cruise was cancelled and this years cruises are all with Saga who include insurance (for a fee).
Surely there must be an insurance database holding this information similar to the motor insurers database which you can be checked against?
Otherwise I agree actual check in is going to be long and tedious.

Yes there is, but they are just basic details such as name of insurance company, emergency contact number and name of a family member who can be contacted.

It might be helpful if more pertinent information is collected at this point which could all be checked pre cruise

That's OK if you already have insurance in place, but if your insurance isn't scheduled to start until literally a few days before you travel then I can't see it working. And if contacting travel insurance companies is anything like trying to contact P&O then the cruise will have been and gone by the time all passenger docs have been checked.

Personally, I think it will be just a quick glance of your insurance docs at check-in. The check-in staff will know exactly what they are looking for rather than having to scan the whole document, hopefully not adding too much more time at check-in. Time will tell.

[david63]

I have had further emails today as amendments to my booking and on reading it again (carefully) there is one paragraph that might be highly significant

You must also ensure your policy includes cover for travel, cancellation and curtailment

Does this mean that in future any cruise that are cancelled due to Covid (or anything else) then P&O will not be refunding the cost but we would have to claim off our insurance?

If that is the case then it could make a significant difference about when to buy insurance and when to book a cruise as it would mean that even the deposit would not be refundable. If deposits return to a high level (10% - 15%) then that can be a sizeable amount for some cruises/cabin grades and if you use single trip insurance you can usually only buy that 12 months in advance but the cruise can be on sale some 18 months or more ahead of sailing.

Also it has now changed from being £2million to $2million - good to see that Carnival's IT has not improved

[towny44]

Yes there is, but they are just basic details such as name of insurance company, emergency contact number and name of a family member who can be contacted.

It might be helpful if more pertinent information is collected at this point which could all be checked pre cruise

That's OK if you already have insurance in place, but if your insurance isn't scheduled to start until literally a few days before you travel then I can't see it working. And if contacting travel insurance companies is anything like trying to contact P&O then the cruise will have been and gone by the time all passenger docs have been checked.

Personally, I think it will be just a quick glance of your insurance docs at check-in. The check-in staff will know exactly what they are looking for rather than having to scan the whole document, hopefully not adding too much more time at check-in. Time will tell.

I love your confidence in the check in staff knowing what to look for,and being able to find it. They never give me the impression that they are anything but temps struggling to cope.

[Stephen]

I live in hope John. They've got sixteen months to perfect it before I travel.

[Ray B]

The big thing is I am the wrong side of 70, and passing that milestone the travel insurance price rose somewhat.
Is this going to mean another rise in the cost of insurance?

[Manoverboard]

The easy option is to cruise with Saga using their own Insurance cover

[Quizzical Bob]

They wouldn’t need a scannable card. Just a note of approval against your booking.

My insurance certificates are always paperless and run to several documents and lots of pages. The important information is in the schedule. They could be emailed to P&O beforehand but it will involve a lot of work for somebody somewhere.

In theory you might arrange your insurance on the morning of the cruise.

QB does your schedule cover all the bits of info that P&O are asking for, I'm fairly certain mine doesn't.

My usual policy is an annual worldwide policy with the cruise addition tacked on. I haven’t renewed it so far this year because until recently there was no hope of going anywhere. It’s bound to be more expensive this time though.

I’ve just had a look at the P&O site and they do seem to be asking for a lot particularly the bit about making sure that cruises are specifically mentioned especially curtailment. This seems to me to show that P&O would want you to claim on your insurance if they cut a cruise short rather that relying on them to cough up.

On another note our GHIC cards arrived last week. These replace the EHIC and are easily applied for online. There is no charge so make sure that you use the official government website.

[Pam + Neil]

When we cruised with SAGA in January 2020 we opted out of their insurance for a reduction in fare as we held our own Annual worldwide policy. Based on the discussion on the forum I think they would be our first choice taking their insurance when we are ready to book another cruise. It's all started to get complicated with P & O.

[Manoverboard]

Is it possible that P&O will introduce an Insurance ' Option ' to include all the things they require ?

[david63]

Is it possible that P&O will introduce an Insurance ' Option ' to include all the things they require ?

All things are possible.

If Saga is anything to go by then the cost of doing it would not be that great - what is it Saga give you with your own insurance £35? So that probably means that it would be an average of £50 per person per cruise added to the price.

However I can just imagine the moans now.

The more I think about this the more I am coming to the conclusion that it has not been thought through and is something concocted by the bean counters in the USA with total disregard to the practicalities.

[Quizzical Bob]

Is it possible that P&O will introduce an Insurance ' Option ' to include all the things they require ?

I think you can guarantee it.

[towny44]

Is it possible that P&O will introduce an Insurance ' Option ' to include all the things they require ?

I think you can guarantee it.

I thought they already offered insurance via Holiday extras?

[Quizzical Bob]

Is it possible that P&O will introduce an Insurance ' Option ' to include all the things they require ?

I think you can guarantee it.

I thought they already offered insurance via Holiday extras?

I’ve seen that option but we’ve never used it. Call me an old cynic but I wouldn’t be surprised if they see an opportunity to squeeze some more juice out of us lemons.

[david63]

Call me an old cynic but I wouldn’t be surprised if they see an opportunity to squeeze some more juice out of us lemons.

I suspect that P&O get a referral fee from Holiday Extras but I doubt that it will be a significant revenue stream.

just out of interest I did a quote from HE the other day and it came out at over £100 more than I am currently paying with a reduced level of cover. The cancellation cover was only £2k

[Manoverboard]

We used to use ' HE ' for Soffitel Hotels, much cheaper than booking direct .... just saying

[oldbluefox]

Why could this information not be held on a bar code on your phone? Easy then for the check in staff to scan. Just asking......

[Manoverboard]

Why could this information not be held on a bar code on your phone? Easy then for the check in staff to scan. Just asking......

Not all P&O cruisers will have an appropriate phone ... perhaps

[david63]

Why could this information not be held on a bar code on your phone? Easy then for the check in staff to scan. Just asking......

Firstly you would need all the insurance companies to agree the format and then change their systems to produce the bar code - so come back in 10 years when that has been achieved.

Then P&O (with the help of their IT department) would need to have a system to read it - so come back in another five years.

Any more bright ideas

[david63]

Not all P&O cruisers will have an appropriate phone

Then they will have to get one, or else find someone else to cruise with - simples

[towny44]

I think you can guarantee it.

I thought they already offered insurance via Holiday extras?

I’ve seen that option but we’ve never used it. Call me an old cynic but I wouldn’t be surprised if they see an opportunity to squeeze some more juice out of us lemons.

I agree, I consider buying insurance from the cruise line versus DIY is a bit like doing a ships shore excursion or using an independent operator, doing it via the cruise line will always be more expensive.
Saga may well be different because their owner is also involved in insurance, so the synergy might mean they are content with only one part of the company making a profit on travel insurance.