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CB Travel and Vacations Review of Viking Ocean Cruises and TripMate
Viking Ocean Cruises and TripMate

Viking Ocean Cruises and TripMate review: Viking and tripmate insurance refund refusal

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11:07 am EDT
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Booking Number 6307876
My wife and I planned the Viking Homeland Ocean cruise twice, in August 2020 and June 2021, only to have to cancel each time due to COVID. Both times, we were careful to follow cancellation terms which allowed a full refund up to 120 prior of embarking, and to purchase travel insurance, as recommended by the Viking representative, with Viking's partner, TripMate, including the Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) provision.

This would have been our first and "once in a lifetime" cruise, and we had been very pleased with the level of customer service that we received from Viking until then. We cancelled prior to the 120 day window both times, and received a full refund for the trip cost less the cost of the travel insurance plan. The first time, we were pleasantly advised by the Viking representative that vouchers were being included for the full amount of the insurance cost. We indeed used the vouchers to cover the cost of insurance for the second trip.

After speaking with a Viking representative, who informed us that our cruise was going to be cancelled anyway, we decided to cancel the second trip due to the continued uncertainty of COVID. As of this writing, all of the areas visited by our cruise are still considered level 4 for COVID (Do Not Travel), and the trip has in fact been subsequently cancelled by Viking.

Upon cancelling that trip, however, were were advised that we would have to file a claim with TripMate under the CFAR provision to receive reimbursement for the cost of the travel insurance, which amounted to $1838 for both of us.

We did so, and TripMate promptly denied the claim. Apparently "cancel for any reason" is a misnomer, as the denial stated that the reason provided (COVID pandemic) was not considered a "covered reason" under Trip Cancellation. They instead provided a $100 voucher for each of us.

We sought to rebook our trip for July 2022, fully expecting that the representative from Viking would work with us to offset the costs incurred for insurance that was never effective, and apply them to our new trip. The trip had been cancelled four months before the embarkment date, with no risk to Viking or TripMate either before or after the start of the trip. Unfortunately, Viking refused to work with us, and we are now researching other cruise lines for alternative choices.

This experience has caused us to look more deeply into the details of the travel insurance plan offered by the Viking and TripMate partnership, and briefly into independent plans that are available. To travelers that may be as unfamiliar with the coverage as we were, we would advise the following:

The travel plan consists of two parts, A and B. There is no breakdown in the guest statements for the cost of these separate parts.

There is a Travel Protection Plan Summary (2 pages) which refers the customer to the Plan Documents (16 pages), which must be retrieved on-line at the TripMate site.

Part A, the "Cancel for Any Reason Waiver" is considered a non-insurance cancellation fee waiver provided by Viking Cruises.

Part B is a list of Travel Insurance Benefits underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, and including a list of post-departure benefits such as trip interruption, medical expenses, evacuation, etc.

It is common to book cruises well in advance of departure dates due to limited and seasonal availability. Full payment is typically required within several weeks of booking.

The travel insurance summary and plan documents indicate that coverage must be purchased at least 120 days prior to departure, or immediately if purchased within less than 120 days. The policy can only be cancelled within 10 days of receipt. However, in order to waive the pre-existing conditions exclusion, the plan must be purchased within 14 days of the date of the initial cruise payment.

Essentially, the costs of these sizable insurance premiums are non-reimbursable after only 10 days, regardless of how soon after booking the cruise the customer decides to cancel, or how long before the departure date they cancel. This is apparently the case with or without purchasing the CFAR option.

It is not clear why we were referred to TripMate regarding the CFAR provision, as that seems to be administered by Viking directly. Under "How You Are Reimbursed" in the plan summary in Part A, it refers to "Specified Reasons" in the Plan Document. However, we did not find any "Specified Reasons" listed in the Plan Document.

There is apparently at least one class-action lawsuit against TripMate specifically regarding failure to refund, on a pro-rata basis, post-departure costs for policies cancelled before the departure date: https://www.classaction.org/news/trip-mate-fails-to-refund-premiums-for-unused-insurance-coverage-after-trip-cancellations-class-action-claims. Other complaints can be found by web search.

Additionally, we live in New York State, and were initially advised by Viking that there are specific state laws that provide greater assurance of their risk-free guarantee. We have found NY Insurance Circular Letter No. 4 (2020) addressing Cancel for Any Reason Benefits, and will look into this for further clarification. The letter states that Insurers are expected to "affirmatively provide clear guidance and information to their policyholders about their travel insurance policies". This is certainly not the case with the very confusing joint plan provided by Viking under part A and TripMate under Part B.

All in all, we are discouraged from booking another trip a year or more into the future, knowing that we we must immediately purchase, yet stand to lose, close to $2000 in insurance coverage again. Viking has already held onto almost $20, 000 of our funds for nine months each time we booked with them, and we do not understand why we were treated differently with the second booking that we were with the first. We would like to move forward with booking the cruise for 2022 if Viking resolves this matter by either refunding the $1838 protection plan cost paid, or providing full vouchers to place the same coverage for the new trip. Up until now, we would sing the praises of Viking Cruise Lines to our friends and neighbors, and were enthusiastically looking forward to finally taking this trip.

Desired outcome: Refund or voucher for next trip for $1838 insurance cost

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