Happy Thanksgiving! I know I’m a little early but everyone should spend some time with their friends and of course our families. One never knows what may happen between now and next year. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful for what we have. I know I am very thankful for all my clients, good friends and my family.
While I’m on the path of thankfulness, I want to elaborate on a subject I wrote about back in August: the importance of travel insurance. Readers have asked “What insurance company do you use?” I use the insurance company that my vendors offer. Yes, I can use an outside company, but the only difference is the price. I mainly sell Royal Carribean and Celebrity cruises and their insurance company does not price the insurance by your age. Outside companies will. So, if you and your husband are taking one of your grandchildren on the cruise, the pricing will be the same for both of you, but because the child is the 3rd person in the cabin, their price is usually less because their cruise fare is less money. So, if you and your spouse are 75 and 65, your price will be the same. Hope this info was helpful.
Next, many of you have told me that trip insurance is a waste of money or that you never got a refund from the cruise lines or the insurance company. I always ask that person if they contacted the cruise lines to cancel and filed the claim or did their travel agent file it for them. Most said they had to file the claim because they make their own reservation. That is usually where the problem starts.
You, the traveler, don’t know where to begin and often just forget about it. When you book through a travel agent – like me – we should be the one to contact the cruise line or venue to cancel the trip and get a cancellation confirmation. Once that is done, there is a process to be followed. If it is a medical reason, which it often is, I will send you a medical form for your doctor to fill out. At that point, I also ask my clients for a copy of their credit card statements showing the dollar amount and date of their initial deposit and final payment. I will also need your confirmation from the venue/cruise lines showing you did purchase the trip insurance. If I was your agent, then once I have all the necessary documents, I will start the process for your claim by sending all those documents to them. It usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks for you to get your money from the insurance company. Now in the meantime, the venue has to, by law, refund you back the cost of your taxes/fees and your gratuities. You will not get reimbursed for the trip insurance. Both of the cruise refunds go back to your original credit card unless the venue states they will send you a check.
Just to let you know, I have been in the business for over 40 years. I have learned a lot over the years and a lot has changed over the years. But I treat my clients like I would want to be treated. When you cancel a trip due to illness or death, you have a lot on your mind and the last thing you need to worry about is making a claim. I know because I have been in that situation myself.
Just in the past month I have had to help two couples with their claim. Both were going on a Celebrity cruise and both of their husbands had medical issues. I told them what I needed and they both got 99% of the money back (the difference being the cost of the travel insurance which is not refundable). Both of their cruises were over $7,000 per reservation.
So, the purpose of this article is to remind everyone that it is so worth getting trip insurance. A person could be healthy one day and the next be sick or break a bone or maybe worse. You know the saying “Penny wise – Dollar foolish”. Please don’t be that person. One day you may regret that decision.
Be good, have fun and let’s travel together!
For more information on any of my trips and cruises, make sure you go to my updated website, www.carols-trips.com. To book a trip, contact Carol Cane, Travel Professional, at 352-787-9253. Carol’s Trips, LLC is a full-service travel agency.
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