Travel Insurance Mandatory?

Hi all, for my upcoming Princess Cruise I bought it through the UK (in the past I bought through US but I now live in the UK). When filling out the online passenger check-in information just now it says that as part of the UK passenger contract that it is mandatory to have travel insurance.

In the past, I've never been asked for it. Is it really necessary to have? And at the port when you check in to board, has any UK passengers ever been asked for confirmation of their health insurance? My credit card provides some coverage, but not as high/premium a coverage as the passenger contract is asking for.

Never been asked if I had health or travel insurance. Have not seen it being mandatory

never been asked if i had health or travel insurance. Have not seen it being mandatory

uk.

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Is mandatory for UK. We've always used the travel insurance provided by our 'fee paid' current account and underwritten by a major insurer. No problems entering the details on the Cruise Personalizer and never been asked for proof at embarkation. Though I do have a copy downloaded on my iPad.

As we're getting that bit older, have started looking at other options to ensure we're fully covered. You hear all too often about the accident/illness abroad, the cost of treatment and the resulting repatriation issues. Better safe than sorry.

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Mandatory or not I would not travel without adequate travel insurance. One accident or illness could cost plenty, including hospital costs, hotel charges for family, plane fares, medical evacuation, emergency at home requiring you and family to leave the ship and fly home and more.

If you really don't want to buy travel insurance, check the benefits your credit card provides. Some credit card companies include limited travel insurance to their cardholders. I know the Princess Visa card from Barclays offers travel insurance as a benefit.

Mandatory or not I would not travel without adequate travel insurance. One accident or illness could cost plenty, including hospital costs, hotel charges for family, plane fares, medical evacuation, emergency at home requiring you and family to leave the ship and fly home and more.

Agree. We have an annual policy and had to fill in the name of our insurer plus their 24 hour medical assistance number on our cruise personaliser. We have seen a medical evacuation on one of the two cruises we have sailed on previously and I wouldn't like to think how much that, plus getting home once stabilised, would cost.

I would never travel without purchasing travel insurance. Last cruise I went to medical center and had a $1800 bill.

Mandatory or not, I strongly suggest you purchase it. In my years of travel, I have heard a few horror stories from folks who didn't buy it and $30,000.00 later, they regretted their decision. If you get sick and need to be airlifted to a decent hospital, will cost major bucks. The insurance is so affordable, so don't crimp there.

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It is my understanding that the UK has different laws etc with regards to consumer protections. With that being said, I believe it is mandatory in the UK to have travel insurance. For people in the US, its just a good idea.

Won't travel either without a travel insurance. Premium just a small percentage of cruise fare.

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Thanks all for the responses. Will definitely be getting travel insurance now.

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Agree, don't leave home without it. However, buy 3rd party rather than cruise line. Cruise line only covers what they sell you while 3rd party is "door to door" and often about the same price. Even if it is more, it won't be that much and you will be covered for any arrangements you make like air, hotels, private excursions.

It is my understanding that the UK has different laws etc with regards to consumer protections. With that being said, I believe it is mandatory in the UK to have travel insurance. For people in the US, its just a good idea.

It's not mandatory in the uk to have travel insurance but I'd definitely recommend having it. We have an annual worldwide policy inc cruise that covers our pre existing conditions. It's not just about health but having yo cancel for other reasons inc family illness or as we recently had a break up in the family and 1 not coming

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Insure what you cannot afford if it occurs. If a large bill at the medical center or worst case an evacuation would take away your ability to have food and shelter - insure it. But be wary of over - insuring.

Take care.

It's not mandatory in the UK to have travel insurance but it is a requirement of Princess that UK passengers have it and that they enter the company details on the online cruise documentation. I can't recall ever having seen any stipulation as to the amount of cover though. I can't understand why anyone would go off on a cruise or other vacation to another country without adequate insurance. Repatriation costs can be horrendous.

.... However, buy 3rd party rather than cruise line. Cruise line only covers what they sell you while 3rd party is "door to door" and often about the same price. Even if it is more, it won't be that much and you will be covered for any arrangements you make like air, hotels, private excursions.

Probably true UNLESS you're age 70+. All the 3rd party policies we've found factor in age and the older you get the more expensive it gets. Cruise line insurance (at least for Celebrity, Princess, and Oceania) does not factor age into the price - it's strictly a percentage of cruise cost. The down side of the cruise line insurance is that you can't customize your coverage and the amounts usually offered for medical and evacuation are pretty low. We're solving that problem by adding a separate low cost annual policy to cover additional medical and evacuation.

... Cruise line only covers what they sell you while 3rd party is "door to door" and often about the same price. ...

The cruise line certainly doesn't cover any flights you purchased on your own but Princess insurance does cover you door-to-door medically and also provides some trip delay and baggage benefits.

Hi all, for my upcoming Princess Cruise I bought it through the UK (in the past I bought through US but I now live in the UK). When filling out the online passenger check-in information just now it says that as part of the UK passenger contract that it is mandatory to have travel insurance.

 

In the past, I've never been asked for it. Is it really necessary to have? And at the port when you check in to board, has any UK passengers ever been asked for confirmation of their health insurance? My credit card provides some coverage, but not as high/premium a coverage as the passenger contract is asking for.

Sure, I guess you could skip the insurance, but please don't come back & tell us your hardships if something goes wrong & you lose money & a lot of other issues. It's common sense!

As a recent cruise ship nurse I wish insurance was mandatory for everyone. I don't even go over the border to the US without travel insurance. And I've assisted in too many medivacs and medical disembarkations where passengers have no insurance. I might write a book one day

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Buy the travel insurance! Last year we were on day 2 of a 12-day British Isles cruise. I crashed my motorized scooter on the gang plank returning to the ship after our shore excursion. I shattered, not fractured, my left hip and fractured my pelvis. I spent 27 days in Irish hospitals as they tried to decide what they wanted to do. It was finally decided to return me to the states on a private air ambulance -- seventy two thousand dollars and travel insurance only paid fifty thousand dollars, the rest was paid from a ******** account our children started and retirement account.

I don't know what we would've done without our travel insurance. Our experience has been a lesson for all of our traveling friends and family to always buy travel insurance.

Last Alaska cruise (14 day back to back) had ambulance remove a passenger at every port, and two in Whittier. One in Whittier didn't make it onboard from land tour.

The cruise line certainly doesn't cover any flights you purchased on your own but Princess insurance does cover you door-to-door medically and also provides some trip delay and baggage benefits.

You are correct. The other poster was correct in that once you get of a certain age, third party is more expensive because of the age/cost factor where cruise line is "one size fits all." If I'm just going to Mexico leaving from a local port, then I'll get cruise line as I have no airfare involved and the rather low medi-vac will cover the expenses for the most part if necessary. But, if I'm going where my airfare is expensive, medi-vac can exceed 50K, or have pre-paid or non-refundable things booked, then the extra cost is worth it. When I had "ankle biters" going with me, some policies covered them for free if they shared a cabin. Cruise line does not.

Like another poster said, you insure what you don't care to lose. Also, I want pre-existing coverage which I can get with no "look back" if I get it within a couple of weeks of deposit.

My wife got sick one time on our cruise by the time we got home the total bills were over 10K.

Tony