At SeasTheDayAndCruise.com, our goal is to help travelers enjoy every journey with greater confidence and peace of mind. Whether you are embarking on your first cruise, exploring an international destination, or taking a well-deserved vacation, unexpected events can occur despite careful planning.

Travel insurance is designed to provide financial protection when unforeseen circumstances disrupt your trip. Coverage may include trip cancellation or interruption, emergency medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, lost or delayed baggage, travel delays, and other covered situations. These benefits can help reduce the financial impact of events that are beyond your control.

Many travelers assume that their personal health insurance or credit card benefits provide complete protection while traveling. However, coverage often varies, especially outside your home country or while traveling by cruise ship. Reviewing your existing coverage and comparing travel insurance options before departure is an important part of responsible trip planning.

Because every traveler's needs are different, we encourage you to carefully review the policy details, coverage limits, exclusions, and terms before purchasing any travel insurance plan. Selecting the right policy can provide valuable protection for your specific itinerary and travel style.
As part of out commitment to providing helpful travel resources, SeasTheDayAndCruise.com may feature travel insurance providers that we believe offer quality products and services. Our objective is to educate travelers and help them make informed decisions before they depart.

A memorable vacation begins with thoughtful preparation. We believe that travel insurance is an important consideration for virtually every trip allowing you to focus on creating wonderful memories while knowing you have protection should the unexpected occur.

Being prepared for the unexpected. We all have insurance for all manner of things. We have insurance on ourselves, property, automobiles.......why? The short answer is for 'peace of mind'. We do not know if our particular situation will be covered. But, we feel that it is necessary. And, in my opinion, it is worth the expense. And, I am focusing on travel insurance in particular.

I have no doubt that you have read about, heard about or perhaps know about someone who was caught unprepared by an event that may have involved some insurance coverage, but opted not to have it. It can have a devastating effect on a persons' personal financial situation being in an unfortunate travel related situation with no recourse of expenses paid.

In my Guide, Booking to Boarding, that can be found on my website, https://seasthedayandcruise.com, I emphasize the consideration to be given to travel insurance. Choosing travel insurance requires some critical thinking about the 'what ifs' of travel. It required that you review your itinerary closely and then write down the questions related to a particular situation. Since the field of travel insurance is a competitive field, having the questions to ask a travel insurance professional is very important as is the responses to your questions. A travel insurance professional is in the business of providing the insurance options that best suit your needs.

When I travel whether by cruise or plane, I purchase travel insurance. There are several from which to evaluate. This is a good starting point to learn about what your needs are regarding your travels. It will vary from traveler to traveler as to the varying needs depending on the where, when and by what means the traveler is doing. I am not an expert in the field of travel insurance; Allianz is one Company I use and have been traveling with the 'peace of mind' of knowing they have m y back for covered expenses. One of the key components of this transaction is documentation.

If, during your travels, there are situations where you incur extraordinary expenses, travel insurance may or may not cover you. At times, you may have to spend quite a bit of time acquiring that documentation to support your claim. One time, I requested reimbursement for a hotel due to an airline flight delay. The airline would only pay a certain amount and the hotel / was at cost more. So, I needed that documentation plus the reason, in writing, regarding the 'cause' for the flight delay. In my case, it was due to a mechanical issue. It took quite some time to get to the right person at the airline to generate a letter explaining the situation regarding the flight delay in order for my claim to be processed.

In my opinion, an important part of your travel insurance policy is one that includes medical coverage and emergency transportation coverage. I believe that in many instances, a traveler will have to bear most of the expenses incurred upfront. This alone can b e a shocking event. Having the appropriate medical/transportation inclusion of your policy would be worth the price of the premium.

However, I cannot overemphasize that the purchase of travel insurance is not a 'buy it and forget it item'. The following is an example that make it necessary to ask some pointed questions about your particular situation before traveling.

A Canadian traveler, Bahoz Ali, faced a $147,000 medical bill when Manulife denied his emergency claim in 2024. The insurer argued the medical condition was tied to a pre-existing condition and wasn't stable in the period leading up to his trip, even though a clinic had previously cleared him to fly. Bahoz Ali was not on a cruise. He and his girlfriend flew to Cancun, Mexico on vacation. It was just a day o r two after arriving to Mexico that Ali experienced health issues resulting in hospitalization in Mexico for several days before emergency medical air transport back to Canada.

The Family has argued that the seizures and extreme medical conditions Ali experienced in Mexico were unrelated to the fl u like symptoms h e presented to the clinic prior to the trip. The insurer, Manulife, however stands by their denial citing that Ali's visit violated the policy's 90-day "stability period" for pre-existing conditions. The insurer links the two events.

So, how did Manulife even know of Ali's visit to the clinic prior to his trip? started with the high dollar amount of the claim. Apparently through a consent agreement built into the insurance policy paperwork. When Ali bought his policy o r submitted his initial claim paperwork, he signed a mandatory waiver. His signature granted the insurer legal permission to request past health files, consultation notes, primary care physicians and prescriptions histories. His claim was denied due to having symptomatic condition within the policy's strict 90-day stability window.

The statement provided by Manulife puts the issue into perspective. "Manulife can confirm that medical records indicate that prior to travel, Mr. Ali was experiencing symptoms and had sought medical care related to a pre-existing condition. Under the policy, this condition fell within the three-month stability period prior to departure. Since the condition was known at the time of travel based on the prior medical care, this affected how coverage was applied." "This situation underscores the importance of understanding travel insurance coverage, as policies contain specific terms, conditions, and exclusions. Manulife encourages travelers to carefully review their policy and share relevant medical information in advance, including if there are any changes since the time of purchase. Our insurance support teams are also available to answer questions to help policy holders have a clear understanding of their coverage."

Now, although this is not a cruise related example, the point to be made is that a passenger should evaluate their own health status and to ask questions related to coverages and any 'stability window'. As you can see, hospitalization and transportation in a foreign country can generate extreme expenses. So, it is best to have the best available answers to possible situations before travel.

Mr. Ali' claim and appeal has been denied twice and as of June, 2026, it has yet to be resolved other than the insured' denial.