Vacation insurance - a cautionary tale.

[DarthVader]

I wanted to provide my experience with Disney's promoted vacation insurance. There are plenty of other options out there and my experience with Disney's is may not be the same from another company.

TL;DR: Don't go with Disney's recommended Travel Insurance - my case has been opened since January and its been an awful experience.

So, as some of you know, I've posted about my February 2022 vacation, but for many reasons I opted to cancel it. I booked it through disney and we were to stay at POR. When booking I purposely made it a point to ask about the coverage of the insurance the rep was pushing for me to buy. I asked about covering the airfare since I was not going to book it through Disney, and they stated it still would be covered.

What I've not detailed in this forum, though I might have mentioned it, but my wife was laid off right before the Thanksgiving holiday (talk about a cold and heartless move). Given the exceedingly high cost of the vacation (heading north of $12,000 dollars) we felt that its best to cancel and reschedule a vacation in the summer when it was likely she'd be working. Disney refunded the resort costs but we needed to file a claim for the air fare.

I submitted our claim to insurance company Disney uses (https://aontravelclaim.com/) Late december/early January. At every step of the way, they've dragged their feet, been slow to respond and resistant to paying. The point of contention is that unemployment was the reason, and we supplied the layoff letter/ They require proof of continual employment for an entire year, so I needed to supply redacted W2s, pay stubs, and now they're asking for a letter from her prior employer. Not the one that laid her off but the one before that.

If I say that it takes 4 weeks for them to respond, I'm not over exaggerating. You can call the help/support line but that doesn't bring you to your adjuster, only someone who will say they will pass on your request. You can use the online email webform to try to communicate but you'll get an email response saying that you should try calling.

I have a very real sense of dread that this claim will be denied on some minor technicality. I am posting this as a cautionary tale. If you're planning on a vacation and you're considering insurance, then I'd not use Disney's, its been a horrible experience. Find one that has very good reviews, and a good reputation for quick responses.

This has been open 4 months and I know it will be at least another month if not longer before I see resolution, even if that resolution is not in my favor.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Unfortunately it may not be only a Disney experience.
I an currently fighting with Travelocity over their double speak and bs claims on their travel insurance.
I had to cancel a trip due to one of the ladies who was going had a mom who got sick and has since passed away.

I'm fighting to get my Cash back for my airline tickets

Best of luck

 

[DarthVader]

Unfortunately it may not be only a Disney experience.

No question and please don't take my post as some sort of anti-disney rant.

My point is that because Disney is promoting this, doesn't mean you'll get the same level of customer support we've come to expect from Disney. Quite the contrary, you'll be better served to do your own leg work and find one that matches your budget and expectations.

 

[eliza61nyc]

No question and please don't take my post as some sort of anti-disney rant.

My point is that because Disney is promoting this, doesn't mean you'll get the same level of customer support we've come to expect from Disney. Quite the contrary, you'll be better served to do your own leg work and find one that matches your budget and expectations.

Oh no, not at all. It's frustrating

 

[G00fyDad]

You'd have this fight with any travel insurance company. But there are two options. #1 - Don't take insurance and risk the $$ invested. #2 - take the insurance and fight to maybe recoup some $$. Either way it sucks when things like this happen. I hope things get squared away for you soon.

 

[DarthVader]

You'd have this fight with any travel insurance company.

I have to believe there are travel insurance companies that won't take on average 4 weeks per upload of requested documents, to respond, that are available to talk, or chat, or email. I have no way of seeing my claim, the status of the claim, nor can I reach out to the adjuster. This company is bending over backwards in trying not to pay, I find that borderline unethical. I used to work for an insurance company and have a decent amount of background to know that not all of them work that way.

My point here is, don't assume that because its a disney promoted product, that you'll have smooth sailing and excellent customer support. Its not disney and the customer support is definitely lacking.

 

[G00fyDad]

I have to believe there are travel insurance companies that won't take on average 4 weeks per upload of requested documents, to respond, that are available to talk, or chat, or email. I have no way of seeing my claim, the status of the claim, nor can I reach out to the adjuster. This company is bending over backwards in trying not to pay, I find that borderline unethical. I used to work for an insurance company and have a decent amount of background to know that not all of them work that way.

My point here is, don't assume that because its a disney promoted product, that you'll have smooth sailing and excellent customer support. Its not disney and the customer support is definitely lacking.

I understand. I am just making the point that they will almost all do that sort of thing. I have had to file claims twice before for trips other places and it was the nightmare you are describing with this one.

 

[Imhere]

I have had to make a claim on travel insurance before. I was quite suprised how easy and quickly they handled my claim, AND, helped me during the episode.

Over the years I have always used the same company, that I probably can't mention here, to Insure My Trip.

 

[G00fyDad]

I have had to make a claim on travel insurance before. I was quite suprised how easy and quickly they handled my claim, AND, helped me during the episode.

Over the years I have always used the same company, that I probably can't mention here, to Insure My Trip.

 

[NelleBelle]

You'd have this fight with any travel insurance company. But there are two options. #1 - Don't take insurance and risk the $$ invested. #2 - take the insurance and fight to maybe recoup some $$. Either way it sucks when things like this happen. I hope things get squared away for you soon.

That's not necessarily true. We had a trip booked to New Zealand to attend the wedding of my best friend and luckily we booked with insurance. I was pregnant at the time and we knew that we would be traveling with a newborn when the trip date came about. Unfortunately, I delivered DS prematurely and fast-forward one month later, neither the baby nor I were medically cleared to travel out of the country. I filed a claim with the insurance company, had the pediatrician and OB's office fax the form and letters and within a few weeks our credit card was credited back the entire amount without any follow-up calls.

For sure there are definitely insurance companies that definitely make it extremely difficult to get your money back on your investment in your vacation. But every now and then you can have a positive experience and I'd still recommend getting the insurance for expensive vacations. And you're so right, it totally sucks when it happens. @DarthVader hoping this gets resolved for your family and you guys have a great vacation when you finally do take it!

 

[ChrisL101]

I went through this non-Disney related trying to get a measly $400 refund on event ticket insurance, same deal—every time supplied a document, wanted more documents, etc. Gave up which is, of course, what they want. Allianz was the insurer.

 

[James Norrie]

I'm sorry that you're having such a tough time with them, sounds like a frustrating and unpleasant experience.

That said, I know 2 insurance adjusters that work the travel industry, and both have said that with the amounts of Cancelled or Delayed Flights that have been happening, their workload has increased immensely. People are filing claims left and right because of terrible logistics and staffing in the airline industry, missed connections, restrictions popping back up due to the pandemic, etc. It's a tough time to navigate through all of this.

I helped my mother file a claim this past weekend because she Flew to see my sister and BIL and newborn Grandson in Ohio 2 weeks ago. She was stuck in the plane on the tarmac at BDL for 8.5 hours because the door seal was not operating correctly. They ended up cancelling the flight and putting her on the 1st out next morning. That flight was delayed because of an unruly passenger during boarding, which caused her to miss her connection from Detroit to Columbus, as well as everyone else on that 737 missing theirs. When she got to Columbus, her checked baggage never made it. It still hasn't turned up, now 2 weeks later...

 

[KsJoan]

I wanted to provide my experience with Disney's promoted vacation insurance. There are plenty of other options out there and my experience with Disney's is may not be the same from another company.

TL;DR: Don't go with Disney's recommended Travel Insurance - my case has been opened since January and its been an awful experience.

So, as some of you know, I've posted about my February 2022 vacation, but for many reasons I opted to cancel it. I booked it through disney and we were to stay at POR. When booking I purposely made it a point to ask about the coverage of the insurance the rep was pushing for me to buy. I asked about covering the airfare since I was not going to book it through Disney, and they stated it still would be covered.

What I've not detailed in this forum, though I might have mentioned it, but my wife was laid off right before the Thanksgiving holiday (talk about a cold and heartless move). Given the exceedingly high cost of the vacation (heading north of $12,000 dollars) we felt that its best to cancel and reschedule a vacation in the summer when it was likely she'd be working. Disney refunded the resort costs but we needed to file a claim for the air fare.

I submitted our claim to insurance company Disney uses (https://aontravelclaim.com/) Late december/early January. At every step of the way, they've dragged their feet, been slow to respond and resistant to paying. The point of contention is that unemployment was the reason, and we supplied the layoff letter/ They require proof of continual employment for an entire year, so I needed to supply redacted W2s, pay stubs, and now they're asking for a letter from her prior employer. Not the one that laid her off but the one before that.

If I say that it takes 4 weeks for them to respond, I'm not over exaggerating. You can call the help/support line but that doesn't bring you to your adjuster, only someone who will say they will pass on your request. You can use the online email webform to try to communicate but you'll get an email response saying that you should try calling.

I have a very real sense of dread that this claim will be denied on some minor technicality. I am posting this as a cautionary tale. If you're planning on a vacation and you're considering insurance, then I'd not use Disney's, its been a horrible experience. Find one that has very good reviews, and a good reputation for quick responses.

This has been open 4 months and I know it will be at least another month if not longer before I see resolution, even if that resolution is not in my favor.

The Disney insurance for the Galactice Cruiser is a joke. We had one of four of our party cancel - had signed doctors note. Got back a whopping $350 on a $1900 package and insurance cost $85. So don't bother. A JOKE and a SCAM.