Importance of Travel Insurance

I am so sad that I had to cancel my 18 day South Amercian cruise in April. After making my final payment the end of January, I was told on February 2 that all office jobs at Macys in San Francisco were being moved to Cincinnati and New York, and we were all out of work in April. That is a total of 1600 jobs! I could not believe that after working there for 40 years, I was losing my job! I immediately called and cancelled my cruise, but the cancellation fee was $1000. Thank God I had purchased the travel insurance and being laid off was covered in the policy. I am hoping to book this cruise sometime in the future, but am thankful for the insurance.

Carolyn

Good for you, Carolyn. Sorry about your no-job situation, but having the insurance got you at least your money back. Our next cruise is insured with AIG and we are sitting here with bated breath, wondering whether they'll still be in business next spring. We'll not travel without med-evac insurance.

im so sorry that you lost your job. i hope you find something else soon. and yes i agree that the insurance is a neccesity. good luck too you.

Yes, so true. The insurance is so important! I'm worried that we didn't get it this time and now medical problems have cropped up. Please fellow cruisers, spend the extra dollars; it's well worth it!

Awe, I am sorry that life is icky for you right now :(.

Yes, I can't stress enough the importance of trip insurance. You truly never know what could happen.

I'm sorry that you had to cancel your trip but glad that you had coverage that helped to soften the blow.

Take care.

Gina

I am so sad that I had to cancel my 18 day South Amercian cruise in April. After making my final payment the end of January, I was told on February 2 that all office jobs at Macys in San Francisco were being moved to Cincinnati and New York, and we were all out of work in April. That is a total of 1600 jobs! I could not believe that after working there for 40 years, I was losing my job! I immediately called and cancelled my cruise, but the cancellation fee was $1000. Thank God I had purchased the travel insurance and being laid off was covered in the policy. I am hoping to book this cruise sometime in the future, but am thankful for the insurance.

Carolyn

I'm so sorry about your job Carolyn. And thank God for the insurance. I hope that you find another job quickly and can book that next cruise very soon.

Good luck to you.

CG

OP, I am so sorry that you have lost your job. I hope you do find something else quickly.

Best wishes to you. And I agree, insurance is so very vital.

Yes, so true. The insurance is so important! I'm worried that we didn't get it this time and now medical problems have cropped up. Please fellow cruisers, spend the extra dollars; it's well worth it!

Well, I've called the doctor to see about the test results. No return call yet. Thank you to all who have kept my spirits up during this time. You have made me laugh (and cough) my way through the weekend!:) The doctor's office is open until 8 tonight; maybe I'll hear something. Meantime, my arms look like somebody's been beatin on me!

Thanks to all for your posts!

Meantime, my arms look like somebody's been beatin on me!

 

Did you tick Chris off?? hehehehehhe

Did you tick Chris off?? hehehehehhe

Oh, Terry! Another cough attack! :D

Well, the doctor called but does not have any results yet. It was funny; I was on the phone with my 92 year old neighbor when the doctor called. "Mac" and I check in almost every night. It kind of puts things in perspective.

He says he is going to move to an assisted living place down around Austin in 2-3 months to be closer to his daughter. I guess that will give me a reason to take a "road trip"!:) But, I sure will miss his home grown tomatoes. He outdoes me every year!

Hello !

I would like to ask which insurance do you buy. Do you buy through NCL?

Thanks so much for your help.

Hate to 'butt in' here, but I just purchased insurance for our 'first' cruise on NCL, which happens to be a 15 day TA in April 2010, from MIA to Dover, with a 3 day 'short break' added at the end..!:)

I always use www.insuremytrip.com but research thru www.cruiseinsurancestore.com as well..:p Both sites are very helpful, and you can pick the coverages that you feel are best for your situation..!!:D You can also call them, and they are more than happy to 'guide you' thru the process...;) Good luck...

Hate to 'butt in' here, but I just purchased insurance for our 'first' cruise on NCL, which happens to be a 15 day TA in April 2010, from MIA to Dover, with a 3 day 'short break' added at the end..!:)

 

I always use www.insuremytrip.com but research thru www.cruiseinsurancestore.com as well..:p Both sites are very helpful, and you can pick the coverages that you feel are best for your situation..!!:D You can also call them, and they are more than happy to 'guide you' thru the process...;) Good luck...

Is the insurance that NCL offers different from these sites? Should someone not buy from NCL? Or do they (NCL) offer good ins?

Is the insurance that NCL offers different from these sites? Should someone not buy from NCL? Or do they (NCL) offer good ins?

I believe we have purchased from several companies. The main thing for us is the "cancel for any reason" clause. I guess it's best to shop, compare, and read the small print.

I believe we have purchased from several companies. The main thing for us is the "cancel for any reason" clause. I guess it's best to shop, compare, and read the small print.

I guess I'm in my own little world cause I had no idea you were ill till I read this thread.

Just want to wish you the best and hope that the test results and some resolution comes soon...and you make your cruise as planned.

Keeping the good thoughts coming.

CG

I guess I'm in my own little world cause I had no idea you were ill till I read this thread.

 

Just want to wish you the best and hope that the test results and some resolution comes soon...and you make your cruise as planned.

 

Keeping the good thoughts coming.

 

CG

Thank you CruisnGram for your good thoughts.:) Just wish they'd tell me what's wrong.

To previous posters with insurance advice...Chris says most of our insurance has come from insuremytrip.com. Just what everybody recommended. Chris says it isn't too late to purchase it for me, even with a pre-existing condition. It will just cost alot more. I hope she's right.

Hate to 'butt in' here, but I just purchased insurance for our 'first' cruise on NCL, which happens to be a 15 day TA in April 2010, from MIA to Dover, with a 3 day 'short break' added at the end..!:)

 

I always use www.insuremytrip.com but research thru www.cruiseinsurancestore.com as well..:p Both sites are very helpful, and you can pick the coverages that you feel are best for your situation..!!:D You can also call them, and they are more than happy to 'guide you' thru the process...;) Good luck...

I agree.. insuremytrip.com has always done good by us.

Is the insurance that NCL offers different from these sites? Should someone not buy from NCL? Or do they (NCL) offer good ins?

I have never heard good or bad, or at least much of either good or bad, about the insurance offered by NCL. We just like the choices offered from places like the ones mentioned above.

Thanks for the answers. I really wasn't aware of all of those options until I clicked on those websites. There were a lot of choices.

The biggest thing with the cruiseline insurance is the price is usually higher, unless you are "older" and then it could be less expensive than some other policies. I usually use http://www.STATravel.com as the policy for any age (8 day coverage) is $48. I believe they use Berkely which is what the cruiselines usually use.

Hello !

 

I would like to ask which insurance do you buy. Do you buy through NCL?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/

Very knowledgeable, helpful and sold us only what we needed.

We were told once by a very good TA to always book independent travel insurance, never take the policy through the a cruiseline. We use insuremytrip.com and have always been pleased, of course, we have never had to use it either! I always look at it as the best money ever spent for something that you don' use. It's a peace of mind kind of thing. With two Moms in their 90's, a very unstable job market, and a baby Grandaughter, there are just too many things that could happen to disrupt a trip--not to mention the two aging prime suspects going!

We were told once by a very good TA to always book independent travel insurance, never take the policy through the a cruiseline. We use insuremytrip.com and have always been pleased, of course, we have never had to use it either! I always look at it as the best money ever spent for something that you don' use. It's a peace of mind kind of thing. With two Moms in their 90's, a very unstable job market, and a baby Grandaughter, there are just too many things that could happen to disrupt a trip--not to mention the two aging prime suspects going!

Hi, I must admit that I first learned of cmh's bad luck when I joined the 18 day Santiago to LA cruise that she had to cancel. Carolyn, you have my wishes for a quick, successful job search.

Poconolady, I agree with your advice about using an independent agency vs. the cruise line. However, when I had a claim about 2 years back, it turned out that the insurance co. had a clause that exempted travel awards (like Compass Rewards) from coverage. So they pay off on only what you have spent in real dollars, not on anything bought with air miles, etc. I am not sure how widespread this practice is but guess that it could be common since this was a big carrier, AIG. For our pending cruise, we took the NCL insurance as the cruise consultant assured me that the receipts that NCL furnishes just show the total amount of the cruise with no mention of rewards.

Smooth sailing, Howard

I have only been on 2 cruises and used the insurance through Celebrity Cruise line but never thankfully had to make a claim. I purchased trip insurance for an upcoming 10 night Princess cruise and used Access America. If you have kids under 18 their insurance is free . After doing a lot of reading on the internet about people who have filed claims from various insurance companies I see you really have to document every penny you spent to submit to the insurance company. They consider a lot to be pre existing for medical and do not pay out. They will not pay if your trip is canceled due to a hurricane if the hurricane has been named already. If it is named that means you knew a hurricane was in the area. If you have to cancel a trip because your parent died of cancer that is a pre existing condition, they will not pay.

Many companies will give a waiver if you buy the insurance quickly (generally within 10 days) after putting down your initial deposit. They may or may not extend the waiver to close family members.

Smooth sailing, Howard