Travel Insurance Questions

Good morning,

DH and I have always driven to our ports so we really didn't feel the need to purchase travel insurance. After reading about so many problems on CC and flying to Miami for our cruise next summer, we decided not to take the chance. PVP is new and couldn't answer our questions so I thought I would post here before going back to Carnival.

Do we have to book our flights through Carnival for them to be covered under their trip insurance?

Can we fly in a few days early and still have coverage? We want to visit relatives in Fort Myers.

Will the insurance cover car rentals too in case of cancellation?

What insurance would you recommend instead of Carnival since we want to include some fun time outside our cruise?

Since I booked directly with Carnival, they allowed me to add the insurance without paying in advance, with the option to cancel.

Thank you very much!

*** After reading further, I saw where someone mentioned annual trip insurance. I would love to hear more about recommendations and experiences. We plan to take at least 1 diving trip next year too. ***

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You can check http://www.tripinsurancestore.com and try the online quote. Coverage is the travel period you want covered, from/to home, including options for car rental. You can then compare it with Carnival's.

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I would suggest that you ask your PVP to get those answers for you. They have almost immediate access to the appropriate people at Carnival who can provide the answers to your questions. If they do not help you, request a PVP who can answer the questions. That is their job. You will get to many answers here that really are not completely correct. AA really basic one is that the insurance policy through Carnival will be different after some date in December of 2017.

I would suggest that you ask your PVP to get those answers for you. They have almost immediate access to the appropriate people at Carnival who can provide the answers to your questions. If they do not help you, request a PVP who can answer the questions. That is their job. You will get to many answers here that really are not completely correct. AA really basic one is that the insurance policy through Carnival will be different after some date in December of 2017.

Thank you. He was going to get back with me with those answers but hasn't yet.

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Also try http://www.insuremytrip.com- lots of good plans there.

I do know that with regular (non-Carnival) insurance they advise you to talk to one of the counsellors to make sure you get a plan that would cover things like airfare, car rental, hotel, pre- or post-cruise extra days... all those things CAN be covered by an external policy, you just need to find the right one (and be advised you may need to pay a lot more for it!)

I too would love to hear more about the annual insurance plan!

We have purchased the insurance ever since a young lady passed away suddenly on one of our ships. My guess is she was in her 30's, and appeared to have had a heart attack while re-boarding in Jamaica. It was gut wrenching. The murmurs around the ship were about the high cost to her family of returning her home.

So now, that is now my concern. We are healthy, but you never know. Plus, in case we get sick or injured out of the country, it will pay our medical bills that our insurance might not cover in a foreign country.

I've been buying it through the cruise lines, as we almost always drive to port. I plan to shop next time. Thank you to everyone for the links.

Consult an insurance professional.

You list excellent questions and there are different strategies to cover different parts/exposures on your trip.

There are different reasons for insuring the entire trip (when you leave your home) or just insuring the cruise part.

And yes, an annual plan will cost less than a per trip plan if you're traveling multiple times in a single year (12 mos period).

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We go thru insuremytrip.com. We have purchased an annual policy for years since I travelled internationally for about 20 years for work and we travel to Europe to visit family at least once a year. Throw in a vacation or two and it's a bargain. I've seen absolute nightmares with people stranded so never travel without it. There are several options to choose from. My advise is to sit down and be honest about your travel plans for next year. Check your Insurance plans and any credit card coverage. Breakeven for us is 1 Europe and 2 North American trips. We do purchase Medical and Evac in our plan. Do some math and you'll find the best match for you. Safe journeys

We usually check insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com. Trip insurance is not just about flying issues....

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We always drive to port for our cruises and always purchase travel insurance...medical emergencies can and do happen to all ages and all kinds of people....medical bills can bankrupt your family in a very short time...and as another poster mentioned....god forbid you or someone you are with has an accident (like a fall) and dies...the cost of returning ones remains is very high and exactly who would you like to burden with that expense while your family is grieving and disoriented at that time???? Travel insurance is NOT just for flying expenses....

Your Carnival PVP will inform but in general the cruise line insurance is inferior to comprehensive travel insurance you get when you go direct to the provider.

CONS w/ cruise line insurancce:

-Cruise line usually only covers the travel items that they sold you, not additional pre /post travel items.

-Cruise line insurance is conflict of interest --they are insuring their asset.

-Generally, cruise line insurance is more expensive than direct options

-Cruise line insurance is usually 'postpone' insurance for the cruise, meaning you cannot get your $$ back if you cancel.

Direct travel insurance:

-the comparison sites like insuremytrip and tripinsurancezone help to identify the provider but best to book directly bec if you have a claim, you will be working directly with the travel insurance provider.

-We found GENERALI Travel Insurance (used to be CSA) on the comparison sites; GENERALI has the best pre existing conditions clause (covered until final payment) and the best medical coverages --with no out of pocket up to $1000--meaning you wont need to submit a claim. Generali/CSA works directly with the medical facility. Their website http://www.generalitravelinsurance.com has the details but we found their Customer Service agents offered the best advice of which plan to buy and what to insure.