My wife wants to do a holiday abroad on a cruise later this year, but I'm wondering if anyone on here can point me in the direction of insurance in the UK which you've used with your loved ones with this condition please. Would it need to be a specialised company or just a standard holiday insurance company?
Thanx
AllClear are the only ones who will insure me. It’s costly but at least I know they will. (Have spent hours on the phone trying to get better prices only to be told that I’m uninsurable at the end!) Good luck!
Hello Derek
Jackie and I travelled extensively prior to Covid, unfortunately the insurance company we used isn't around anymore. There is a very helpful travel factsheet on the MSA Trust website which may be found here: msatrust.org.uk/wp-content/...
Don't forget to post back here if you find an insurer worth recommending to everyone else.
Take care, Ian
Hi
I am doing a cruise and found staysure cover for MSA as a pre existing condition.
We did a week's Med cruise in September 2022. Sailed with Cunard's Queen Elizabeth ship - mainly as it carrys a smaller number of passengers (2,000 as opposed to the bigger ships with 4, 5 or even 6,000 sometimes!) I personally still found it quite a lot of walking around the ship, averaging around 6-7,000 steps per day....cabin to restaurant and decks etc. Thoroughly good service though and well looked after on board a beautiful ship! Do it now if your wife wants to. we used Allclear Travel Insurance who have MSA listed as a condition. You can't get annual cover policy we found so just took out their single cover for cruise. We've just booked a river cruise on Danube for June & we've done the insurance again with Allclear! Any other questions just ask away! Main thing is enjoy your cruise together !
Hi and thanx for reaching out, we have a bank account insurance and that is through Allianz but they don't seem to have the condition listed online so I may have to phone......... that could be a long process. So far I've paid the deposit for a 14 night P&O cruise at the end of Oct this year on a ship called Arvia from Southampton to Barbados and a flight back to Manchester after (paid £100 extra) I'm wondering if I should 1) Contact P&O and see what their facilities are like for the condition 2) Ask them about the flight also as I'm sure I'd need assistance at the airport in Barbados and 3) Find an insurance company that covers me for if Jackie isn't well enought to even go let alone when we go on holiday.
Thanx again
Sounds fab cruise! Try your bank cover, if no joy Allclear! Try to buy your insurance soon, as youve already paid the deposit, so your covered in case circumstances change between now and the holiday. My husband was covered on same policy, so he was covered too if I couldn't travel, so you definitely need to check/have that. I think all ocean cruise ships have a Dr on board & a medical room, but obviously depends on how your wife is, doubt they will have even heard of MSA though! River ships have no medical facilities or dr! yes to special assistance at all airports - i used for 1st time this year, made both our lives so much easier at airports, took the stress & strain away & the luggage! dont forget usually lots of walking or standing at airports, so youll both avoid that! think youll have to liaise with p &o anyway as all passengers probably have to complete a medical declaration & advise them of any mobilty aids, walker, wheelchair etc. hope that helps.
This is so helpful, Derek ^^^
We went on our first accessible holiday to Cape Verde and they were great. Speak to the accessibility team to sort seats and assistance. And speak to P&O about accessibility on ship x Enjoy!
I would be interested to hear how you get on with a river cruise, with regard to the accessibility round the boat/cabin and transferring to shore with wheelchair/walker. Look forward to your posting some info.
We used one of the companies recommended by the MSA Trust (Staysure, I think). As it happened, my husband was not well enough to travel by the time the holiday came round. Our GP wrote a letter to that effect and we got our money back (or most of it). It’s important to use a specialist underwriter and not rely on annual travel insurance included with a current account. I should add we enjoyed holidays subsequent to that incident! Get booking…
We use celebrity for our cruise last year. They were really helpful. When we booked we book special assistance for the flights and the cruise company have a specialist disabled form you fill in that provides them information about the equipment they can provide. Peter was in an electric wheelchair which we took with us on the plane. As far as the travel insurance was concerned, we just picked one and paid for a single trip. You'll enjoy it. If you are still mobile it might be worth booking a wheelchair or take one to take the pressure off. Enjoy. Xx
Just an update on the Insurance cover, contacted Allclear and was quoted for £16 million worth of cover for medical treatment and possible repatriation if sadly Jackie passes (god I hope she doesn't), it also covers 5 electrical items too. They went through a thorough medical questionnaire and asked about her medication and other medical conditions, the price was around £780 and was only a single policy as we couldn't get a Multiple policy because my wife has a terminal diagnosis. Is £780 a reasonable price for a 14 day cruise???
Just insured Adrienne and myself via Saga. £497 for a weeks cruise in August. Most others quoting £670 upwards.
you might be able to get it cheaper as for the purposes of the insurance policy terminal is when death is expected within 12 months
Hello all, just an update on my update. We had to change the destination of the holiday as a Cruise then flight back from Bahamas was just gonna be too much of a thing for my wife. So we contacted P&O and they changed the holiday to a Cruise from Southampton back to Southampton so that was better, we only paid £10 extra which was good. We also contacted Allclear and the quote went down from almost £800 to just over £200 as we changed the destination to a Canaries and Greece holiday........ I think because it didn't have a flight too made the difference. This was done a few weeks ago, but sadly my wife has recently been in the Hospice for 2 weeks of medication support and too be honest we thing ANY foreign holiday will be impossible due to how she's deteriorating. So now the job for me is to contact P&O and the insurance and see if I can cancel without losing my deposit. At least I won't have to pay the full holiday price, I'm now realising how this condition is changing our ability to make ANY future plans.We're currently away in a Lodge in Scotland for the first of our 3 UK holidays with myself, friends and Parents/Family that Jackie wanted to do while she could. Thanks for all your input/help, stay strong.
have a wonderful time, Derek & Jackie! X
So sorry to hear Jackie has been poorly, hoping some time away in Scotland with yourself, family & friends will be a treat for you both to recharge. Such a shame you couldn't get to the Bahamas, but it is such a long flight! Probably the difference in insurance price is down to destination; the Caribean doesn;t have the best of health care and it's a long way from home, in cold Blighty, so perhaps a European destination is viewed as more accessible to health care facilities and getting someone home easier to UK if needed for more appropriate care? My sister's husband was poorly in Barbados (MSA unrelated) and it cost over £20,000 to get home as he'd not declared something about a previous hospitialisation to the insurance company, so they wormed their way out of paying! Enjoy Scotland, and as many UK breaks as you and Jackie can manage. Sending hugs. 😊
we are insured through our bank with pre existing MSA. Lloyds
Stairlifts
Mum newly diagnosed with MSA-P and we are all struggling
New diagnosis
