Best travel insurance? cruise is requiring us to purchase

[Jesstache]

What is the best way to purchase travel insurance that you've found?  We booked a cruise through Star Clippers to celebrate reaching FIRE and they are requiring us to purchase travel insurance that covers the cost of the cruise and it also has to cover "covid related issues" specifically.  We'll be in France, Monaco, Corsica and Italy with connecting flights going through Germany originating from the west coast US.  Our 8 yo and 11 yo kids will also be traveling with us. 

I see from past threads people don't recommend World Nomads but do recommend Allianz but these all seem to be pre-covid.  Any other ideas, AAA/opening a cc with coverage (that also has a bonus)?  We booked and already paid for the trip on a regular old Chase Freedom Unlimited and that is all we have for credit cards.  We normally wouldn't get travel insurance, we're FatFIRE at this point but it's required to board the ship.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Allianz is expensive, but purportedly reliable. We buy this when we go to Europe.

World Nomads, not so much.

When evaluating travel insurance (or any insurance) read reviews from people who actually tried to collect on a claim, rather than people who were delighted that some company agreed to insure them for skydiving while juggling chainsaws over an erupting volcano. 

[Freedomin5]

Even with Allianz, you have to specifically purchase a plan that covers COVID and that covers COVID contracted during non-essential travel. Which I imagine would be quite expensive since the risks of contracting COVID on a cruise is higher than say, spending the week at a remote cabin.

[exterous]

What the 'best' insurance is depends on your goals with the insurance. Looking for the cheapest option that satisfies the cruise lines requirement is going to be a different selection than one that allows for Cancel for Any Reason. CFAR could be important if you are concerned about government boarder closures since many (most?) other insurance plans won't cover. I am not aware of a credit card insurance coverage that would cover border closures or quarantine housing\food costs if you test positive and have to quarantine somewhere away from home.

And not all COVID coverage is the same. For example in the fine print (which you might need to call to get or read the recent reviews) some insurance plans may require a positive PCR test result from a Doctor 48 hours before your trip starts to cover a COVID cancellation. So a test from CVS or Walgreens wasn't accepted as a valid reason to get money back. Also, the 48 hours before departure could be problematic because of country testing requirements which may require a more recent test (depending on flight duration) for eligibility for entry leaving a gap in that case where you are uncovered essentially.

Squaremouth and Insuremytrip are some decent places to search for plan options. But, if you really care about the insurance itself and not just checking a box so you can cruise, read the recent reviews and the fine print. I went through this exercise for a trip for my mom and it appears many providers have T&C around their COVID coverage that could easily leave you in the lurch (See the above 48 hour requirement from a Doctor)

That trip hasn't happened yet so this is not a review having used the product just a review of reading T&C and reviews but TinLeg Gold had the best (ie least restrictive) COVID coverage that I found for a price we were willing to pay. YMMV and please make sure it matches what you want but just mentioning in case that could save anyone some time since there are a lot of options with a lot of different coverage levels

[Jesstache]

What the 'best' insurance is depends on your goals with the insurance. Looking for the cheapest option that satisfies the cruise lines requirement is going to be a different selection than one that allows for Cancel for Any Reason. CFAR could be important if you are concerned about government boarder closures since many (most?) other insurance plans won't cover. I am not aware of a credit card insurance coverage that would cover border closures or quarantine housing\food costs if you test positive and have to quarantine somewhere away from home.

And not all COVID coverage is the same. For example in the fine print (which you might need to call to get or read the recent reviews) some insurance plans may require a positive PCR test result from a Doctor 48 hours before your trip starts to cover a COVID cancellation. So a test from CVS or Walgreens wasn't accepted as a valid reason to get money back. Also, the 48 hours before departure could be problematic because of country testing requirements which may require a more recent test (depending on flight duration) for eligibility for entry leaving a gap in that case where you are uncovered essentially.

Squaremouth and Insuremytrip are some decent places to search for plan options. But, if you really care about the insurance itself and not just checking a box so you can cruise, read the recent reviews and the fine print. I went through this exercise for a trip for my mom and it appears many providers have T&C around their COVID coverage that could easily leave you in the lurch (See the above 48 hour requirement from a Doctor)

That trip hasn't happened yet so this is not a review having used the product just a review of reading T&C and reviews but TinLeg Gold had the best (ie least restrictive) COVID coverage that I found for a price we were willing to pay. YMMV and please make sure it matches what you want but just mentioning in case that could save anyone some time since there are a lot of options with a lot of different coverage levels

Hey thanks for the detailed reply and recommendations.  Part of me just wants to check the box since we would have bought 0 coverage if the cruise line didn't require it.  Another part of me is saying, "well, If I have to buy this, it might as well be something that might actually be worth buying if I need to make a claim" 

I'm going to have to look closely at the COVID specific terms and conditions of whatever we choose.  PCR Testing timelines are already the main thing I'm sweating about making it on the boat since the way the flights worked out, we'll need to leave home 2 days before of the cruise.

[cool7hand]

Doesn't anyone else find the requirement of travel insurance troubling?

[Sibley]

Doesn't anyone else find the requirement of travel insurance troubling?

Not really. By definition, going on a cruise is optional. If you don't want to buy travel insurance, then don't go. Also, given the extent of the covid related travel interruptions that have hit the cruise industry it really does make sense for them to require it. The odds of a problem are pretty high and the odds that the majority of their passengers will be sensible and organized enough to plan for a problem are pretty low.

Now, if that requirement is still in place in a few years once covid has really become endemic, that's a different situation. I don't know how they handle flu season but it should ultimately move in that direction. However if they retain unnecessary requirements (unnecessary being determined by the market), then the industry will suffer. Since I presume the cruise industry is just as greedy as all the others, it'll work itself out.

[Jack0Life]

Doesn't anyone else find the requirement of travel insurance troubling?

YUP.
Most the big cruises are offering full refunds/credit for future cruises if you catch Covid right before the trip.
I wouldn't be going on any cruises that doesn't offer this,

[cool7hand]

Doesn't anyone else find the requirement of travel insurance troubling?

YUP.
Most the big cruises are offering full refunds/credit for future cruises if you catch Covid right before the trip.
I wouldn't be going on any cruises that doesn't offer this,

Exactly

[jinga nation]

I've used https://www.squaremouth.com/ several times for insurance on family trips to African countries. Came in handy, they reimbursed promptly for medical care (kids got sick, one of us had an eye infection from dust). We've always picked basic policies about $200/trip, each trip being 2-4 weeks.

[Rdy2Fire]

I purchased an annual Allianz plan this past year, it was affordable and covers COVID as well. Might not make sense for a single trip, cost wise, but if you're planning a couple trips over 12 months could make sense