Travel insurance

My husband and I are in our early 50's and to date have not purchased travel insurance when we cruise. I am part of another CC blog that almost everyone on there buys travel insurance. But, with that said they all cruise A LOT.

So, my question is, do you buy travel insurance when you cruise? Why or why not?

I know as we age, more is apt to happen but I also no longer want to be ignorant if we are pushing the limit.

We always buy travel insurance, because if something happens to one of us and we need emergency medical attention, I want the evacuation to a US hospital.

Bob, may I ask approximately how much it cost? Let's use the Jan cruise we are both going on.

I always buy travel insurance. Anyone, at any age, can have an accident. For most of us our "at home" health care does not cover you outside of the country.

Bob, may I ask approximately how much it cost? Let's use the Jan cruise we are both going on.

I've not purchased insurance for that cruise yet. However, I just paid $149 for both of us for a 7 day cruise coming in September. That covers the $2500 cruise cost, and $150K of emergency evacuation insurance.

We always purchase travel ins. We use TravelGuard. We would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it....We saw a young man break a bone on the ship and have to be medical transported by ambulence from port in Mexico and fly home, would want to pay out of pocket for that. Travel Ins is very affordable

We purchase travel insurance for every cruise. We have used it once on a B2B southern CAribbean cruise where we both got sinus infections half way through the 2 cruises. It paid what our Blue Cross/Blue Shield did not pay - deductibles, co-pays, prescriptions from the ship, etc. It was through CSA travel protection which is secondary to our primary helath insurance. We almost had to use the travel insurance for our first cruise as our son was diagnosed with a very low platelet count 3 days before the cruise. Luckily, the numbers came up and the pediatrician let him cruise with specific instructions for us to watch out for.

Travel insurance covers you if you have elderly parents and they get sick and you need to cancel the cruise as well.

If you take any prescription medicine for any kind of health condition, including high blood pressure, you are considered to have a pre-existing medical condition. If you do not purchase travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, they may not be covered. That would include anything related to high blood pressure such as suffering a heart attack or stroke. Pay close attention to what is and is not covered before buying a policy.

My husband and I are in our early 50's and to date have not purchased travel insurance when we cruise. I am part of another CC blog that almost everyone on there buys travel insurance. But, with that said they all cruise A LOT.

 

So, my question is, do you buy travel insurance when you cruise? Why or why not?

 

I know as we age, more is apt to happen but I also no longer want to be ignorant if we are pushing the limit.

Yes I do buy travel insurance for the medical, and have MedJet year round.

I don't buy the insurance to cover the trip itself.

Yes, of course we buy travel insurance. I don't see that it really has much to do with age. There are lots of reasons we may have to cancel a cruise due to work issues or family emergency. Anyone can lose luggage at any age. People can get sick or injured at any age.

Hi, Jackie,

We're cruising with you soon.

Yes, we always purchase trip insurance, and have had to use it several times.

As the other person said, to have pre-existing conditions covered, one must purchase the insurance within the first few days following the actual booking

date, which we always do. We are older than you, but age doesn't necessarily cause the need for care. As someone else pointed out, accidents do happen. Something could happen on the way to the port or on the way home, so include those days in your trip dates.

Due to heart issues, we have had to cancel 2 cruises after final payment, and we had full payment from the insurance company within 2 weeks of when we sent the required paperwork. We also have an annual Medjet evacuation policy. We purchase our insurance usually from Travel Guard.

Hope this helps. :)

Cruzin Lady

We always purchase it because "stuff" happens like this!

Coast Guard airlifts woman from cruise ship off Cape Cod

July 19...BOSTON— A Coast Guard helicopter stationed at Air Station Cape Cod airlifted a passenger aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship off the Cape Cod coast Friday night. The 19-year-old woman reportedly needed emergency treatment for apparent appendicitis.

On our first cruise from NYC we did not as it was last minute and an hour away. But while on this cruise we saw our first sea rescue and it opened our eyes. Over the years we've seen many more. Plus we travel to more exotic places. So we decided it was well worth it.

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We usually travel as a family group (8-12 people) and we all buy travel insurance, every time. Everyone has already pointed out all the that things can happen, both before you sail and during your vacation. Someone also made a good point that it's not just something happening to you that's covered... could be your parent, your child, etc. You could have a house fire. Loads of things can ruin your vacations plans, many of which are covered reasons for cancellation. The insurance is pretty affordable, and personally speaking, I don't want to lose the few thousand bucks I've paid if we have to cancel. Insurance covers whatever is non-refundable.

You asked about price, I can tell you what we just paid.... for my group, the price range was $126-185 per couple. Our age range is 44-88, and some of us have airfare to cover. Cost is determined by your total trip cost (cruise/airfare) and each persons age (possibly location too, but I'm not certain about that). For those under 70, it is almost always cheaper and better (higher coverage limits) to go with an independent carrier. For those over 70, the cruise lines insurance may be cheaper, so don't forget to consider that option (though they usually give you credit toward your next sailing instead of the refund you would get from an independent carrier).

Do look at policies that include pre-existing conditions waivers (may not be an option if you booked the cruise a while ago but are just now looking to insure it). If you have a travel agent, ask them which carrier they use. My current travel agent uses CSA, which others here have mentioned. We were allowed to wait all the way up until final payment to purchase the insurance, and still get the pre-existing conditions waiver (most carriers require you to buy their insurance within X days of making deposit). So shop around. In the past, we've always used InsureMyTrip (dot com) for our insurance needs. Great customer service, loads of carrier and policy options, plus customer satisfaction ratings are listed for each carrier. They have a toll-free number if you need some assistance. And you can always ask questions here, too.

We usually travel as a family group (8-12 people) and we all buy travel insurance, every time. Everyone has already pointed out all the that things can happen, both before you sail and during your vacation. Someone also made a good point that it's not just something happening to you that's covered... could be your parent, your child, etc. You could have a house fire. Loads of things can ruin your vacations plans, many of which are covered reasons for cancellation. The insurance is pretty affordable, and personally speaking, I don't want to lose the few thousand bucks I've paid if we have to cancel. Insurance covers whatever is non-refundable.

 

You asked about price, I can tell you what we just paid.... for my group, the price range was $126-185 per couple. Our age range is 44-88, and some of us have airfare to cover. Cost is determined by your total trip cost (cruise/airfare) and each persons age (possibly location too, but I'm not certain about that). For those under 70, it is almost always cheaper and better (higher coverage limits) to go with an independent carrier. For those over 70, the cruise lines insurance may be cheaper, so don't forget to consider that option (though they usually give you credit toward your next sailing instead of the refund you would get from an independent carrier).

 

Do look at policies that include pre-existing conditions waivers (may not be an option if you booked the cruise a while ago but are just now looking to insure it). If you have a travel agent, ask them which carrier they use. My current travel agent uses CSA, which others here have mentioned. We were allowed to wait all the way up until final payment to purchase the insurance, and still get the pre-existing conditions waiver (most carriers require you to buy their insurance within X days of making deposit). So shop around. In the past, we've always used InsureMyTrip (dot com) for our insurance needs. Great customer service, loads of carrier and policy options, plus customer satisfaction ratings are listed for each carrier. They have a toll-free number if you need some assistance. And you can always ask questions here, too.

This is an excellent post and excellent advice. We always buy insurance. My mother passed away 2 weeks prior to an expensive Med Cruise. When I needed to cancel, my TA contacted my insurance carrier and the forms were sent no problem at all. Took a huge load off my "overloaded plate."

A few things that I look at. Almost all policies have similar "covered" items like illness, evacuation, death of family member, etc. So for me, the choice comes from other "things," such as "cancel for any reason," "cancel for work," etc. I now tend to use Royal Caribbean's policy for the "75% cancel for any reason" clause. We are going to Rome in Sep. for a 10 night cruise. I work for an airline and travel on standby. There is always a chance I won't make it. No not getting on "standby" would not be a "covered" item. Thus "cancel for any reason."

Last year we sailed with my Navy pilot son and his wife. Due to circumstances in the world, there was a very real possibility that his Leave could be canceled and he'd be sent to sea. My TA found a policy that had a "military leave cancelled" clause. Not only did it protect him and his wife, but also (amazingly) me and my wife if we chose not to sail without them (didn't have to use it).

So, bottom line is look for the clause that will best cover your most likely issue if it is something that may not be typical.

My husband and I are in our early 50's and to date have not purchased travel insurance when we cruise. I am part of another CC blog that almost everyone on there buys travel insurance. But, with that said they all cruise A LOT.

 

So, my question is, do you buy travel insurance when you cruise? Why or why not?

 

I know as we age, more is apt to happen but I also no longer want to be ignorant if we are pushing the limit.

Most of the time, nothing bad happens, which is why you can buy travel insurance for a relatively low price. Like any other insurance, it covers you, when something does happen.

For me, one of the main reasons for having it is the medical evacuation coverage. I hope to never need an emergency medical transport, but if I did, I know that can quickly run into the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars. And if I am fortunate and don't need it, then the premiums I've paid help subsidize the cost of those less fortunate who did need it.

We purchase trip insurance whenever we have a large outlay of money that we could not get back if we cancelled: airline tickets, some sort of package deal, etc.

Age has nothing to do with it.

The thing that you have to work out is more related to the type of insurance there is. Too many people just lump "insurance" together and don't understand the difference.

Medical - covers the medical costs if you get sick/injured while on the trip. This is a per day cost if you're buying it for the trip specifically. Pre-existing conditions may not be covered (or if they are, the coverage will be expensive) if you buy for a specific trip. We don't buy this, because our extended health coverage through our employers had a travel health portion. With ours, pre-existing conditions aren't an issue, because it's ongoing coverage. Some people buy travel medical for a whole year, or a few months at a time. Then it covers all the short little trips you might make too.

Cancellation - something happens before the trip, to you or someone in your immediate family. We do buy this. It covers if something happens to one of us, one of our parents, even siblings I believe. You buy insurance for the cost of the trip - cruise, airfare, etc. You insure a trip for $5000, for example. Maybe the trip will cost $6000, then you'd only get back $5k if you cancel. But maybe your plane tickets are cancellable with a fee, so you'd only need to claim the fee, not the entire fare - you need to know what the cancellation policies are for the airfare so you buy an appropriate amount of insurance. Pre-existing conditions again can play into this.

Interruption - something happens while you're on the trip and you have to go home.

A lot of policies will link all of these together, and people merge them together in their minds. I got better at understanding this when we booked an NCL cruise and they tacked on insurance automatically. I read their insurance and we were paying for a lot of insurance we didn't need - we have medical through our group policy, we booked with a credit card that provides cancellation and interruption. So I called back and cancelled the NCL insurance.

Now, we use a credit card that only provides interruption, not cancellation. I still have medical through our group policy. So I buy cancellation insurance, which typically seems to come with interruption anyway, even though I don't really need it.

Clear as mud? :)

We always buy travel insurance, because if something happens to one of us and we need emergency medical attention, I want the evacuation to a US hospital.

Bob, this is a bit off topic. Have you noticed that when you request a guest & agent copy of a paid in full reservation that Cruising power is also sending a 3rd document - the Cruise Care. Was there a change that I missed?

Joanne

My wife and I purchased travel insurance for our Alaska cruise a few weeks ago. Five days before we were scheduled to leave her doctor advised her not to travel (at the time she was 17 weeks pregnant). She was/is physically fine and without issue(s) with the pregnancy, but the doctor felt that 10+ hours on a plane combined with a vacation in Alaska results in a great distance to urgent care should something occur. So, we cancelled our vacation. We had to make several (unhappy) phone calls, but all of our money has been returned. We just booked Anthem for July of 2016, and purchased travel insurance. I feel that spending a little extra is worth the cost because of the variables... better safe than sorry...

I might be in the minority but for a "simple" cruise I don't buy any insurance. Most items are covered already between credit card programs, and my personal medical insurance. Most insurance is bought out of fear of something happening, and that is the travel insurance industry.

However, if I'm spending 10K on vacation, than an extra $150.00 might be worth it. It comes down with level of risk, and finances.

I might be in the minority but for a "simple" cruise I don't buy any insurance. Most items are covered already between credit card programs, and my personal medical insurance. Most insurance is bought out of fear of something happening, and that is the travel insurance industry.

 

 

 

However, if I'm spending 10K on vacation, than an extra $150.00 might be worth it. It comes down with level of risk, and finances.

I don't think you are alone. I prefer to self insure as well. My husband and I are both fairly young (47 and 38, respectively) and in good health. Should we have to cancel we might be out a couple grand, but you can easily spend more than that on travel insurance for about, let's say, ten cruises. So I would rather take the chance that over time, the risk will eventually be less than what we would have paid to insure all our trips. I figure, the only reason why we would ever cancel is due to a death in the family or some serious illness to one of us, and in both cases I think that the money for our lost trip will be the last thing on our minds.

I might be in the minority but for a "simple" cruise I don't buy any insurance. Most items are covered already between credit card programs, and my personal medical insurance. Most insurance is bought out of fear of something happening, and that is the travel insurance industry.

 

However, if I'm spending 10K on vacation, than an extra $150.00 might be worth it. It comes down with level of risk, and finances.

You and I do this!

Our Chase Bank's Sapphire Visa just upgraded their travel insurance coverage last year, and it now provides up to $10,000 interruption and cancellation coverage (for standard reasons).

Our medical coverage covers all medical expenses worldwide, after our usual deductibles. This means we would pay no more than what we would pay if at home, but we pay the total up front when traveling and get reimbursed.

I did invest in an AirMed policy for a year from April 2014 to 2015, because that air evacuation can be pricey, and we were traveling a lot in that time period outside the US/Caribbean. Our medical reimburses this, too, but at $50k or more, I'd rather pay the $400 a year for the both of us and have it covered.

So, all we really need for travel insurance is the evacuation when we are overseas.

When you're retired and have Medicare, most likely you don't have medical insurance outside the US (Medicare supplement policies might include overseas coverage). We've bought insurance for the evacuation coverage, but as DW entered the Medicare generation we've also bought for the overseas medical coverage.

Cancellation coverage is more optional and if you go without you'll probably end up accumulating enough in premium money saved to pay for an infrequent cancellation. But a medical & evacuation policy typically is bundled with cancellation/interruption coverage.

You'll find that the cost of insurance depends on the non-refundable cost of the trip and the age of the travelers, but in my experience 5 to 7% of the trip cost is typical for a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

When you're retired and have Medicare, most likely you don't have medical insurance outside the US (Medicare supplement policies might include overseas coverage). We've bought insurance for the evacuation coverage, but as DW entered the Medicare generation we've also bought for the overseas medical coverage.

I've posted about this before. Our Senior Advantage coverage through Kaiser here in CA does include medical coverage anywhere in the world. Many of these plans do cover outside the US, but plain Medicare does not.

I might be in the minority but for a "simple" cruise I don't buy any insurance. Most items are covered already between credit card programs, and my personal medical insurance. Most insurance is bought out of fear of something happening, and that is the travel insurance industry.

 

However, if I'm spending 10K on vacation, than an extra $150.00 might be worth it. It comes down with level of risk, and finances.

Does your medical insurance cover you when you are out of the country? Most policies do not. That is why we always purchase trip insurance.