cruise insurance vs. travel insurance

We have always bought the cruise line's insurance and have had to use it on three different occasions. Now I am wondering if it is better to go another route and buy insurance that covers our entire trip (going and coming). Any help will be much appreciated.:)

From the T&C of Celebrity's CruiseCare Travel Insurance....."CruiseCare Travel Insurance provides cancellation and interruption protection for independently booked air...."

Also, CruiseCare is based on the cost of the trip...not the age of the traveller. I know firsthand that buying age-based insurance for my 88 and 85 year old parents is very very expensive. But with X's the cost is the same regardless of age.

Here is a link to the CC discussion area on cruise insurance. I have found it quite helpful in the past.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

Depending on your age might be cheaper to get travel insurance. We always add days on before or after a cruise and I don't think cruise insurance wouldn't cover the extra days. We always buy at first the trip insurance to cover the cruise then we are able to increase our coverage as we add other things to the trip(air, extra days, land portions not part of the cruise.) Also trip insurance will cover shore excursion not booked through the cruise line. Don't know if cruise line insurance will cover independent shore excursions if canceled because you can't make the scheduled port.

Stopping by this thread to quickly mention that you may already have the coverage you need. Check the benefits provided by your credit card(s). We have good coverage through Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Betsy

Folks should always assess their individual needs and then shop around for the best insurance that meets these needs. For example, the Celebrity Cruisecare policy gives a lot of coverage for cancellation but only $10,000 of Medical coverage. That level of medical coverage (typical of policies sold by most of the mass market lines) is totally inadequate for those without other medical coverage outside their home country. But many do not care about the medical coverage and are just seeking to insure the cost of the trip.

Ironically, the most you can lose without trip cancellation insurance is the cost of the trip. But when it comes to medical issues, your potential liability is nearly unlimited. In fact medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the USA,.

Hank

Please be sure that the amount of medical and evacuation insurance is high enough for your needs. Keep in mind that you could be in a non-us hospital for a number of weeks...and you might need "evacuation" to get back to the US with medical help. We do not take Celebrity's insurance....we buy from one of the many other companies for what we consider a better policy for our needs.

Stopping by this thread to quickly mention that you may already have the coverage you need. Check the benefits provided by your credit card(s). We have good coverage through Chase Sapphire Preferred.

 

Betsy

What type of limits on the medical and evacution benefits?

Our understanding is that Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent card for frequent travelers. But, to the best of our knowledge, it provides zero medical/evacuation coverage. The card does (or used to have) decent cancellation protection. But we like to pose a challenge to those who think they have decent coverage. So here is the scenarios. Assume you have a heart attack while on a cruise/trip and are taken to a hospital in a foreign land. You need extensive tests, surgery, etc. and do fine. After 10 days in the hospital you are presented with a $30,000 medical bill (in a foreign language)! You are also told that it is not medically advised for you to fly home on a commercial jet since you need additional rest and treatment. So, given this scenario how is your coverage?

Hank

Our understanding is that Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent card for frequent travelers. But, to the best of our knowledge, it provides zero medical/evacuation coverage. The card does (or used to have) decent cancellation protection. But we like to pose a challenge to those who think they have decent coverage. So here is the scenarios. Assume you have a heart attack while on a cruise/trip and are taken to a hospital in a foreign land. You need extensive tests, surgery, etc. and do fine. After 10 days in the hospital you are presented with a $30,000 medical bill (in a foreign language)! You are also told that it is not medically advised for you to fly home on a commercial jet since you need additional rest and treatment. So, given this scenario how is your coverage?

 

Hank

Great examples Hank. Our neighbor was medevacked from Aruba to Illinois two winters ago. Cost= $75,000.00

Our neighbor was medevacked from Aruba to Illinois two winters ago. Cost= $75,000.00

This is the reason to subcribe to Medjet.

https://medjetassist.com/

Thankfully, never had to use it. The big difference between this and medical evacuation coverage on credit cards or other insurance policies is that Medjet will take you to the hospital of your choice. Others bring you to the nearest appropriate medical facility, which could be thousands of miles away from your home.

This is the reason to subcribe to Medjet.

 

https://medjetassist.com/

 

Thankfully, never had to use it. The big difference between this and medical evacuation coverage on credit cards or other insurance policies is that Medjet will take you to the hospital of your choice. Others bring you to the nearest appropriate medical facility, which could be thousands of miles away from your home.

The way I read Medjet is "if you are hospitalized". How does this help, if at all, with a medical evacuation from a ship in the worst case?

The way I read Medjet is "if you are hospitalized". How does this help, if at all, with a medical evacuation from a ship in the worst case?

Good question, because MedJetAssist does *not* apply in this case.

If you are evacuated by a ship and then admitted to a hospital as an inpatient (not just ER), THEN MedJetAssist will take you to the hospital of your choice.

Regular travel/medical insurance that applies for the area/country/ship where you are would be needed for the first part of the above scenario, including charges for onboard medical care.

GeezerCouple

I posted this under another thread over a week ago.

I prioritized what was really important to ME coverage-wise and chose a plan that was heavy on medical and evacuation, with a 60-day look back for pre-existing conditions.

I zeroed-out the actual trip cost. I did realize that by doing so that I would not have cancellation or interruption coverage, etc. I do have coverage through my credit card which makes up for my zero-ing out my trip costs with the 3rd party plan. Doing that saved me money without sacrificing an adequate medical/evacuation amount ($100,000 medical, $1,000,000 evacuation).

I also paid an extra $25 to upgrade from secondary to primary as, I noted previously, I am traveling by myself. Total I paid (including the $25 upgrade) was around $74. There was also some coverage for baggage included in the upgrade - I think up to $500.

Seeing someone evacuated from the ship during my last cruise put a little scare into me. "What if" (fill in the blanks). The peace of mind is worth it.

The way I read Medjet is "if you are hospitalized". How does this help, if at all, with a medical evacuation from a ship in the worst case?

The likelihood of private helicopter evac from a ship is really quite remote. It would fall into the category of "too rare to worry about." Most evac from a ship will be by a Coast Guard, who are experts on this, and you wont be billed for it.