Is trip insurance worthless?

I've read comments on this board today that seem to say just that: The insurance companies won't reimburse you in the case of cancellation even for a legitimate cause. I'd love to stop buying trip insurance!

That has to be the silliest thing I've read on here all day.

Every insurance policy is different, review and understand the covered reasons for cancellation before purchasing your insurance. Insurers have employees to determine whether a claim is covered or not. The insurance company I predominantly work with has always refunded my clients money when their claims were for covered reasons.

Opinions of whether or not the reason for cancellation is legitimate is far from whether it is an insured reason for cancellation.

I advise all of my clients to purchase insurance, even if they do not purchase it from me. I always purchase the insurance too, just because I'm a cruise TA doesn't mean that I can predict what will happen before or during my cruise...

I've read comments on this board today that seem to say just that: The insurance companies won't reimburse you in the case of cancellation even for a legitimate cause.

The problem that the complainers have is usually that they would like their insurance policies to pay out for reasons that their policies don't cover - and often they would like payments for reasons that no insurance policy will cover.

I, personally, wouldn't travel anywhere without proper travel insurance. I'm not prepared to gamble with thousands of pounds or dollars worth of holiday payments. Fortunately, I've not yet had to claim on the cancellation part of my policy.

Not if you are over 65, could easily get sick or injured on a cruise and require expensive medical evacuation. For that reason alone, I would never travel without insurance.

A few cruises bach my DH got a terrible upper respiratory cold-we were supposed to fly to FL to catch the ship. He was unable to go so we had to cancel. We had the insurance and I believe we got all our money back.

I found this little blurb today on the website for our local paper where two people were airlifted from the Dawn off the coast ov Va/Nc. The link is here: http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-37901bf0dec13,0,7426007.story?coll=dp-briefs

I'm a diabetic and you just never know....

Have never had to cancel a cruise so far so don't have experience in that area....

I once got hurt onshore (nasty cut), the doctor onboard saw me, the bill was added to the onboard account, I got a receipt from the onboard doc, and had to submit it to the cruise insurance company and was reimbursed, no problem.

Would never travel without it!!!!

Mary

It's certainly worthless if you don't take it.... You really just have to answer two questions:

Am I prepared to lose all my money if I or my family gets ill? Do I mind buying a one way ticket home and losing the balance of my holiday if an emergency pops up?

If you answer "yes" then by all means- decline the insurance!

On another trip-not a cruise-we went to Bali and my DH got sick again. All of our bills relating to the illness were covered.

Get the insurance!

We have never purchased the insurance and have never needed it. Even if at some point we would need it, we've saved enough over the many years we've

cruised to make up the difference. Others we have cruised with always take the insurance, and they too, have never needed it. Just my opinion.

We had to cancel a Panama Canal cruise 2 days prior to sailing date. DH had to have immediate surgery. We got a full refund, so I'm a true beliver in insurance.

Rarely do you need travel insurance....knock on wood...but when you do it more than covers all of the previous premiums you have paid in the past along with the actual claim at the time. Travel insurance is quite inexpensive for the amount being covered.

PE

We have never purchased the insurance and have never needed it. Even if at some point we would need it, we've saved enough over the many years we've

cruised to make up the difference. Others we have cruised with always take the insurance, and they too, have never needed it. Just my opinion.

Get medevac'd just once, and you'll find out if you've really "saved enough."

I have had to use trip cancellation insurance twice - in both cases I was darned glad I had it. Of course you still can't cancel a trip for "any" reason but if anything major goes wrong in your life (death of a family member, sudden major illness) you will be glad you have it. Of course you should read the policy to determine what is covered. Note there are TWO basic types of insurance (although many plans cover both):

Trip cancellation/Interruption insurance

Medical Insurance

I would not leave home without both.

The answer to "do I need ________ insurance?" (fill in the blank with auto, homeowers, travel, etc) is, "how much can I afford to loose."

I also have life insurance which my wife hasn't had to use .... yet!

Regards, captgeo

That has to be the silliest thing I've read on here all day.

Every insurance policy is different, review and understand the covered reasons for cancellation before purchasing your insurance. Insurers have employees to determine whether a claim is covered or not. The insurance company I predominantly work with has always refunded my clients money when their claims were for covered reasons.

Opinions of whether or not the reason for cancellation is legitimate is far from whether it is an insured reason for cancellation.

I advise all of my clients to purchase insurance, even if they do not purchase it from me. I always purchase the insurance too, just because I'm a cruise TA doesn't mean that I can predict what will happen before or during my cruise...

Are people who work in the insurance industry so out of touch that they don't realize that most people feel that insurance companies happily collect premiums, and then have a battery of lawyers who figure out how to get out of paying claims.

I don't buy insurance because I have more confidence that I will be able to walk onto the Dawn in New York within 10 minutes than having an insurance company pay off for what I perceive the policy covers.

That's the truth, whether it's trip insurance, homeowners insurance or auto insurance.

QUOTE=cantwaitt]

I don't buy insurance because I have more confidence that I will be able to walk onto the Dawn in New York within 10 minutes than having an insurance company pay off for what I perceive the policy covers.

The trick is to read the policy VERY carefully before buying and if you have any questions - get them answered by the insurance company before you buy and do not assume that your perception of what is covered agrees with theirs. No insurance company can cover everything and stay in business - which is why they only cover fairly catastrophic events that are unlikely to occur to many people. BTW I have had worse experiences with Home insurance claims than travel insurance claims. Both my travel insurance claims were paid up in full.

In one case my co-traveller lost her job (amazingly this was covered in the policy). We both received out money without problems. In the second case the airline I was booked with went bankrupt. Once again our claim was completely settled.

Re: medical travel insurance - so far I have had no claims but a friend became seriously ill in Australia and had to be treated there and then flown back early - the insurance company covered him and arranged a flight back, complete with medical attendant.

It is a personal decision but I know I saved thousands of dollars because I was covered and my friend probably saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.

When I cruise out of USA alone I rarely buy travel insurance. Unless the cruise starts/ends in a foreign country and I'll be spending a bunch of time there beyond the cruise.

When I travel with elderly relatives I always travel with insurance.

I recommend CSA

insuremytrip. com is a great site.

It gets quotes from many differant companies and you can compare what each policy offers very easily

I am traveling with my elderly in-laws in february. My father in law recently had a pacemaker put in.

But, insurance companies don't pay for prior existing conditions going back six months from the day the policy is taken out.

chances are if my father in law couldn't go, it would be heart-related, and I;m sure the insurance company will make sure whatever the condition is they will relate it to whatever required the pacemaker.

We passed on the insurance.

I also have taken more than 20 cruises and overseas vacations. I never took insurance. So, from saved premiums, I'm ahead of the game already.

We have never purchased the insurance and have never needed it. Even if at some point we would need it, we've saved enough over the many years we've

cruised to make up the difference. Others we have cruised with always take the insurance, and they too, have never needed it. Just my opinion.

There is a difference betewen cruise insurance and trip insurance...one covering just the cruise and the time on the ship and the other covering the entire travel time and related expenses. A close friend of mine had his grandmother from the Netherlands staying with him. To make a long story short...she passed away. Her trip insurance paid to fly her body back home. Any major medical emergency could set back most people for years. I'm not able to absorb a $20,000 air ambulance bill.

Do you carry full coverage on your cars, or just what the law requires?

I am traveling with my elderly in-laws in february. My father in law recently had a pacemaker put in.

 

But, insurance companies don't pay for prior existing conditions going back six months from the day the policy is taken out.

 

chances are if my father in law couldn't go, it would be heart-related, and I;m sure the insurance company will make sure whatever the condition is they will relate it to whatever required the pacemaker.

 

We passed on the insurance.

 

I also have taken more than 20 cruises and overseas vacations. I never took insurance. So, from saved premiums, I'm ahead of the game already.

Stating that insurance companies do not pay on conditions going back 6 months is incorrect information for most insurance policies. The one we sell covers pre-existing conditions if purchased at deposit. Other wise the "pre-existing" clause concerns things treated in the previous 60 days not 6 months. You should look very carefully at what you are buying as they are NOT all the same.

Many of the cruise line's offer policies that give you a voucher for a large percentage off future travel even if it is a non-covered reason.

Travel insurance is much like every other type of insurance. The company selling the insurance has to price it out in such a way they can pay the expenses and make a profit. Meaning if you can afford to self insure statisticaly your going to be better off. On the other hand if you can't afford to self insure your better off with the insurance if you can't cover the costs you might incur.

My wife and I are young, were sailing 100% in the US (Hawaii itinerary) we have medical insurance that will cover us in most instances and we can afford a catistrophic event and to lose our trip if need be. So for us we roll the dice and opt not to choose insurance.

I can promise you every time you cruise and don't need the insurance you have made the right decision. Every time something happens that would be covered and you don't have insurance and it costs you more then the policy you have made the wrong choice. You are best served if you own a crystal ball for these kinds of things.

Sadly, I haven't saved enough ($50,000 per person) in purely discretionary funds to cover $150,000 for medical evacuation and treatment if our family of three were injured or bacame ill on a cruise. Nor do we limit ourselves to vacationing in the US.

DH and I are in our forties, hardly infirm, but realistic. I have seen injuries on trips (scooters in Bermuda, jetskis in Jamaica) that have resulted in extensive medical care and evacuation. A passenger once reacted badly to some anti-seasickness medicine and was airlifted by helicopter from the ship in heavy seas. And on one sailing alone there were two medical emergencies. On at least one sailing, a passenger had to be left behind for further medical attention.

We both work in insurance (:eek: ) but not in the industry selling travel and trip cancellation insurance. As such, we understand you can overinsure just as easily as underinsure. Our vacations have been paid for, and if we lose that money, so be it. It's the potential of catastrohphic medical bills that causes us to purchase the travel insurance, even if we waive coverage for the cost of the trip.

We also have a medical plan that covers us within the US. I can't imagine risking our future by going bare in either instance.

I was recently discussing with a friend her upcoming cruise, and her family plans for jetskiing in Mexico. When queried as to whether she had purchased travel insurance, her response was that it isn't needed. After all, they have plenty of assets because their house is paid for. Hmmmm, I'm not willing to gamble the roof over my head when I can purchase relatively inexpensive insurance to cover injuries and repatriation.

No one goes on vacation anticipating being injured or becoming ill. They call them accidents for a reason.

Wishing all a safe, stressless sailing, and a terrific New Year!

Carla

Travel insurance is much like every other type of insurance. The company selling the insurance has to price it out in such a way they can pay the expenses and make a profit. Meaning if you can afford to self insure statisticaly your going to be better off. On the other hand if you can't afford to self insure your better off with the insurance if you can't cover the costs you might incur.

 

My wife and I are young, were sailing 100% in the US (Hawaii itinerary) we have medical insurance that will cover us in most instances and we can afford a catistrophic event and to lose our trip if need be. So for us we roll the dice and opt not to choose insurance.

 

I can promise you every time you cruise and don't need the insurance you have made the right decision. Every time something happens that would be covered and you don't have insurance and it costs you more then the policy you have made the wrong choice. You are best served if you own a crystal ball for these kinds of things.

Hawaii has excellent medical care so the chances you will need to be evacuated back to the mainland is very small. I have sometimes purchased insurance sometimes I don't. I don't buy it going to Canada or the Bahamas. Otherwise I buy it. Most Us insurance won't cover outside the uS(in fact mine does but I wouldn't want to pay an evacuation cost to the US). I have bought evacuation coverage seperately(for a yearly policy). Travel insurance is highly profitable to those that write it. If you notice they ask which state you live because depending on how aggressive(I hope that this is the right word) your insurance commissioner is, sometimes it increases the cost(NY's are very aggressive and consumer friendly-hence the higher cost). Its also true that not all insurance companies are bad just as not every doctor is good or every lawyer is an ambulance chaser(some one has to drive the ambulance after they are disbarred)