Deposit may be lost because of travel Insurance

beancounter1968

Hi

Hoping someone may be able to advise me.
My Dad is in his late 70s and booked a cruise with Fred Olsen last Friday for departure in May. Following enquiries with various insurance companies, he got the call today that he cannot get insurance without paying a small fortune (£800) because he is an A to Z of various health conditions. He rang Fred Olsen and they have basically told him that he will lose his £400 deposit. The terms and conditions support this but it seems really Seems really unfair given that the booking has only just been made.

Any pearls of wisdom on how I may be able to help Dad would be most appreciated.

Thanks

HappyMJ

beancounter1968 wrote: »

Hi

Hoping someone may be able to advise me.
My Dad is in his late 70s and booked a cruise with Fred Olsen last Friday for departure in May. Following enquiries with various insurance companies, he got the call today that he cannot get insurance without paying a small fortune (£800) because he is an A to Z of various health conditions. He rang Fred Olsen and they have basically told him that he will lose his £400 deposit. The terms and conditions support this but it seems really Seems really unfair given that the booking has only just been made.

Any pearls of wisdom on how I may be able to help Dad would be most appreciated.

Thanks

He can get insurance.

Take out the travel insurance at £800 and go on holiday.

£800 is the going price for Travel Insurance for someone with a list of A-Z of health conditions. Try shopping around but don't wait too long as you won't be covered if you need to cancel before you take out the policy.

bluenoseam

beancounter1968 wrote: »

Hi

Hoping someone may be able to advise me.
My Dad is in his late 70s and booked a cruise with Fred Olsen last Friday for departure in May. Following enquiries with various insurance companies, he got the call today that he cannot get insurance without paying a small fortune (£800) because he is an A to Z of various health conditions. He rang Fred Olsen and they have basically told him that he will lose his £400 deposit. The terms and conditions support this but it seems really Seems really unfair given that the booking has only just been made.

Any pearls of wisdom on how I may be able to help Dad would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Tell him that next time he gets a bright idea like travelling he's got to think of the practicalities of that bright idea - checking out travel insurance PRIOR to booking is always smart. Like many others with previous issues with health I always check how much it'll be prior to booking a holiday.

In the end your Dad signed indicating that he was happy to proceed under the conditions laid out, so he's going to have to deal with that.

Happytravelling

I'm afraid it's either forfeit the £400 deposit or stump up the £800 for insurance.

The only exception I can think of is if your father wasn't of sound mind to make such a decision, but I think it this was the case you would have said as much.

If he can get the £800 without it causing too much hardship in future, I'd strongly encourage your dad to go for it and to thoroughly make the most! After all, the cost of insurance isn't going to be cheaper next year, so if he wants to go on a cruise, he'll need to pay the premium.

It used to be that Age UK could recommend providers of travel insurance for pensioners, that might be worth a try in case they come up with someone that could beat the £800.

Voyager2002

He could also contact Fred Olsen and ask if they can offer insurance. If they refuse then he might be in a stronger position... but I think that since he would like to take that cruise he should put his effort into finding the most reasonable price possible for the insurance, and then concentrate on enjoying that cruise.

littlereddevil

Are there no conditions on the cruise booking that you have to have insurance for the trip? Maybe get out this way

Voyager2002

littlereddevil wrote: »

Are there no conditions on the cruise booking that you have to have insurance for the trip? Maybe get out this way

No, because he does have access to insurance: he just doesn't like the price.

whitewing

Pay the insurance (maybe family could contribute as a birthday present), factor it in to the overall cost of the holiday and have a wonderful time.

It is only finding a way to take the sting out of the reality of the cost that is the issue.

(Also check out the 'recommended by Which?' travel insurance companies. I have mental health conditions and I got cover a couple of years ago - can't remember the name and hadn't heard of it before but I was pleased with it. Paid £30 more for my insurance than my husband's but the peace of mind was great. It was an online company so I wouldn't have necessarily chosen it without researching).

Kynthia

Maybe try the Insurance part of the forum to see if anyone can suggest cheaper insurers?