HOw do you decide which travel insurance to buy?

So I am thinking I need to get some travel insurance just in case one of us comes down with the flu before our cruise Nov 13. Carnivals travel insurance seemed pricey to me so I did a search. I came up with trip insurance that covers air and cruise for as low as $62 for everyone up to over $150 for everyone. How do I decide? I have never gotten travel insurance before so I have no clue what to look for.

i use what the cruise line offers since i usually book with the cruise line. it is usually only a few dollars more than other company's and it is just added on too the cost of the cruise. i make payments on my balance and everything is taken care of at the same time. it is easier for me and i dont have to worry about it. good luck and have a great cruise. :)

We always get the Carnival insurance.

A lot of people here recommend using insuremytrip.com. Gives comparisons and prices from different companies.

So I am thinking I need to get some travel insurance just in case one of us comes down with the flu before our cruise Nov 13. Carnivals travel insurance seemed pricey to me so I did a search. I came up with trip insurance that covers air and cruise for as low as $62 for everyone up to over $150 for everyone. How do I decide? I have never gotten travel insurance before so I have no clue what to look for.

Read the policy choices carefully. Many do NOT have medical preexisting condition waivers. Many have small amounts (15K) for medical evac and medical coverage (15K). For the extra $15 per person for a week we get the 1 million evac and 250K medical coverage. My advice is to do the same. While missing the trip for some reason would be unpleasant, a medical emergency requiring a long evac and medical attention at a land based hospital while onboard can bankrupt many people in a blink of an eye.

So I am thinking I need to get some travel insurance just in case one of us comes down with the flu before our cruise Nov 13. Carnivals travel insurance seemed pricey to me so I did a search. I came up with trip insurance that covers air and cruise for as low as $62 for everyone up to over $150 for everyone. How do I decide? I have never gotten travel insurance before so I have no clue what to look for.

Select the coverage you are looking for, check the prices, then read EVERY WORD of those policies you are looking at, then buy the least expensive.

The most important thing is to read all of it, including exceptions and fine print.

Insurance bought through any cruise line generally costs more and covers less than "third party" insurance -- insurance you buy separately. You have to first figure out what you want to insure for, then make sure what you're buying will cover that!

You already mentioned getting sick before your cruise. Other things to consider:

1) getting sick or injured while ON the cruise and having to be evacuated off the ship -- the largest expense you might incur, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 or more.

2) travel to /from the airport, starting to the port and coming home.

3) air postponements, cancellations, re-routing -- anything having to do with air travel that will make you late for your cruise, or miss it entirely. Or at the other end, delays getting off the ship, causing you to miss your flight home.

4) weather delays while you're trying to get to/from the port

5) coverage for days that you might want to spend before or after your cruise, at the starting port or at the port you arrive back to (for example, we're flying to England, will spend a couple of days in London and Dover, then cruise to Oslo and spend a couple of days there before flying home. Insurance bought through the cruise line won't cover any of that.)

6) coverage for you to get home should someone in your immediate family become ill or otherwise need your personal attention

7) assistance in foreign ports, should you lose your passport, get injured, miss the ship, etc.

insuremytrip.com is one place to start looking, but there are other sites too. Just put "travel insurance" into a search engine, and several will pop up. Generally what I do is look around at possible insurance plans, then CALL the company and talk "live" to a representative, asking all these sorts of questions, and getting dollar amounts for the various levels of coverage.

Good luck!

We always go to insuremytrip.com and look at all the policies. I look for evacuation coverage.....I've heard that you could be charged between 50,000-75,000 for emergency evacuation. I also look at the company rating (A, A+, etc.).

I've always bought Access America (this one is also shown under insuremytrip.com) I've had to file two claims on two separate trips. One was a huge claim and one was very small. In both cases they stepped up to the plate and paid very promptly.

Insuremytrip is one of the better sites. We have been using this site for land as well as cruise. Cruise ship's insurance is terribly high and covers little. You can even talk to an agent with http://www.insuremytrip.com if it makes you feel better.

Good luck.

Thanks everyone, I will check out insuremytrip.com. I work in an elementary school and we have already have 3 staff members out sick for a week with the "flu" so I would rather be safe than sorry and get the insurance. Thanks again!

I have purchased insurance for our last three cruises from http://www.tripinsurancestore.com. They have several choices that they recommend and also some very personable people to talk to on the phone. The owner will answer any question you have and is very knowledgeable.

Smitty

Make sure you know what is not covered. Many out of country medical policies exclude alcohol related injuries, hazardous activities and pre existing conditions.

You need to know what is not covered more than you need to know what is covered.

I never purchase the "cheapest" anything. I don't buy the cheapest house, cheapest clothes, cheapest food or cheapest holiday. Why would I purchase the cheapest insurance policy?

:):):)