DAN and AIG travel insurance absurd response ; Sinking boat not covered!

[smaus]

For liveaboards in particular, in my research, many travel insurance policies do actually have cover age for what's considered "missed connections" if your flight is delayed and you miss your liveaboard. They also cover mechanical breakdown of the board and insolvency of a travel supplier. Between DAN dive insurance and other travel insurance policies, you can get the same lost diving days and lost/delayed baggage for sporting equipment.

The key difference I've found in sample policies is that only Dive Assure seems to offer (with purchase of their Liveaboard Rider) coverage for a boat sinking. While a mechanical breakdown could be the cause of a boat sinking, it's not necessarily the only potential cause. I could've opted for Dive Assure travel insurance for a non-diver with the liveaboard rider to complement my DAN insurance but for $100 more, I just went with the diver option with Dive Assure. For non-liveaboards, I've gone with Travel Guard, which is more expensive than DAN/Generali with slightly less coverage but (for medical and evacuation) but reviews have reported that they are less stingy on paying claims.

Dive Assure https://diveassure.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DiveTravel-DOC-USA.pdf:

Liveaboard Rider (Optional) Additional coverage for liveaboard trips, when purchased in addition to a Deluxe or Elite program. Coverage includes also the following:
• Trip cancellation coverage due to a missed connection resulting in missing the liveaboard or in additional cost to join it. Coverage: up to 90% of trip cost or the maximum specified by the declared trip value.
• Trip cancellation coverage for missing liveaboard departure due to airline delays.
• Trip cancellation due to sinking of liveaboard boat.
• Coverage for lost diving days due to the following: o Medical inability to dive
o Weather conditions not enabling diving/sailing
o Diving accident to other passenger on boat causing the boat to abort planned diving.
o Expenses not reimbursed by the tour operator for Mechanical breakdown to liveaboard boat causing evacuation of passengers and/or aborting trip.
o Expenses not reimbursed by the tour operator for default /mechanical breakdown to air supply

 

[wnissen]

• Trip cancellation due to sinking of liveaboard boat.

The weird thing about that not typically being covered is the absolute rarity of the event. Obviously the traveler doesn't have any way of knowing whether a commercial boat is going to sink, and it happens on what, one in a million trips? Should add at most a penny to a policy. I really hate it when the insurance company makes me responsible for things I have no responsibility for.

 

[rjack321]

The weird thing about that not typically being covered is the absolute rarity of the event. Obviously the traveler doesn't have any way of knowing whether a commercial boat is going to sink, and it happens on what, one in a million trips? Should add at most a penny to a policy. I really hate it when the insurance company makes me responsible for things I have no responsibility for.

Well not lately! Fires and sinkings seem to be proliferating

 

[ThatDogDontHunt]

For liveaboards in particular, in my research, many travel insurance policies do actually have cover age for what's considered "missed connections" if your flight is delayed and you miss your liveaboard. They also cover mechanical breakdown of the board and insolvency of a travel supplier. Between DAN dive insurance and other travel insurance policies, you can get the same lost diving days and lost/delayed baggage for sporting equipment.

The key difference I've found in sample policies is that only Dive Assure seems to offer (with purchase of their Liveaboard Rider) coverage for a boat sinking. While a mechanical breakdown could be the cause of a boat sinking, it's not necessarily the only potential cause. I could've opted for Dive Assure travel insurance for a non-diver with the liveaboard rider to complement my DAN insurance but for $100 more, I just went with the diver option with Dive Assure. For non-liveaboards, I've gone with Travel Guard, which is more expensive than DAN/Generali with slightly less coverage but (for medical and evacuation) but reviews have reported that they are less stingy on paying claims.

Dive Assure https://diveassure.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/DiveTravel-DOC-USA.pdf:

Liveaboard Rider (Optional) Additional coverage for liveaboard trips, when purchased in addition to a Deluxe or Elite program. Coverage includes also the following:
• Trip cancellation coverage due to a missed connection resulting in missing the liveaboard or in additional cost to join it. Coverage: up to 90% of trip cost or the maximum specified by the declared trip value.
• Trip cancellation coverage for missing liveaboard departure due to airline delays.
• Trip cancellation due to sinking of liveaboard boat.
• Coverage for lost diving days due to the following: o Medical inability to dive
o Weather conditions not enabling diving/sailing
o Diving accident to other passenger on boat causing the boat to abort planned diving.
o Expenses not reimbursed by the tour operator for Mechanical breakdown to liveaboard boat causing evacuation of passengers and/or aborting trip.
o Expenses not reimbursed by the tour operator for default /mechanical breakdown to air supply

Check the fineprint of your policy for "Common Carrier" coverage and exclusions.

A LOB is a cruiseship. Many (most, all?) products include cruiseships as a Common Carrier.

My current policy has different benefits for bankruptcy, insolvency or quarantine of a Common Carrier, but has no exclusions. The benefits are mostly coverage of non-refundable payments.

Your coverage, exclusions and benefits will differ...