Travel Insurance?

[Hanna1313]

Travel Guard was the same company that my TA wanted me to get insurance from...

But its to late Im told..

[spacepotatoes]

Travel Guard was the same company that my TA wanted me to get insurance from...

But its to late Im told..

 

You should still be ok. We booked our most recent cruise last August and didn't get around to purchasing insurance until just before final payment in January because we wanted to have a more accurate idea of the total cost that we were insuring. In our case, we didn't need medical but cancellation/delay/interruption was important to us. It worked out just fine. We used the insuremytrip website. Good luck!

[patseacruiser]

Listen to Ken. He knows insurance. It's not too late to get your insurance but don't procrastinate any more than you have. Seems your TA should know where to get insurance or since it's an online agency they just are pigeonholed into what they sell.

[Mrsg324]

I would call around & find insurance. The only draw back is that not booking it within so many days of your deposit, you will not have coverage for pre-existing conditions.

[patseacruiser]

You can have pre-existing coverage if booked through CSA travel pro freestyle luxe, however, the OP doesn't indicate they have any pre-existing conditions. Although someone once said to me they had none and then when they filled out their passenger forms had Rx's for peripheral artery disease so they needed seats with more leg room, etc. I said I thought you had no pre-existing conditions and they said oh they forgot about that.

[Mrsg324]

You can have pre-existing coverage if booked through CSA travel pro freestyle luxe, however, the OP doesn't indicate they have any pre-existing conditions. Although someone once said to me they had none and then when they filled out their passenger forms had Rx's for peripheral artery disease so they needed seats with more leg room, etc. I said I thought you had no pre-existing conditions and they said oh they forgot about that.

 

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I though all the plans cancelled out the pre-existing if you didn't book the insurance within so many days of the initial deposit.

[Ken076]

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I though all the plans cancelled out the pre-existing if you didn't book the insurance within so many days of the initial deposit.

 

True - except (as Pat indicates above) for CSA Freestyle and CSA Freestyle Luxe which both allow you to purchase up to Final Payment with "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions".

 

Even if you "think" you have no pre-existing conditions, having the waiver should expedite any claim, as the Insurer won't be requesting/going-through old records trying to find a pre-existing condition. Having PRIMARY should further expedite any claim, as the insurer doesn't have to go through Coordination of Benefits process.

 

Ken

[Donh44]

I never bought the insurance before but will now. Don't want the risk of having to be medivac'd from a ship or a foreign port. Not worth the risk and the cost is trivial compared to what it would cost if I had to pay out of pocket. It also covers other instances, like lost or damaged luggage unfortunate events that may cause one to miss their cruise or not make it in time for departure, etc. Think about it.

[Hanna1313]

Thank you for the help... As said the TA could not give me the insurance after 10 days from booking and paying.. that was with Travel Guard..

On your advise I contacted Travel Guard on my own and was able to get the gold package for less then I would have paid for it with my TA !!!

With my agent had I taken it at the time of booking it would have cost me $240.00.

I paid today for the same package $184.00 !!!

Thanks for your help....:)

[Umbarger]

Thank you for the help... As said the TA could not give me the insurance after 10 days from booking and paying.. that was with Travel Guard..

On your advise I contacted Travel Guard on my own and was able to get the gold package for less then I would have paid for it with my TA !!!

With my agent had I taken it at the time of booking it would have cost me $240.00.

I paid today for the same package $184.00 !!!

Thanks for your help....:)

 

Great job!!!! Now you can relax and have a great trip. You probably won't need the travel insurance but it is nice to have in case of the unexpected.

[SteelerCruiser]

... then check out a 3rd party like insuremytrip.com or travelguard.

[deckguy]

Travel insurance is important but not always a slam dunk when it comes to getting a claim paid.

 

Keep careful records and a paper trail.

 

We filed a $7,500 claim last year (WELL documented) and after 9 months and 3 denials, we got our state's department of insurance involved and it was then paid in full within 2 weeks.

 

Not to scare...some get paid quickly....just be prepared.

[hubofhockey]

Travel Guard's gold coverage is cheaper and better than what you'll get from cruise line or TA.

[Havingfun2010]

Wow you all got travel insurance ! who knew !

Ok ill get it before I go,, thanks for the input,

 

I never buy it. Not worth it. The more you travel, the more you save, until the point that you can become self-insured with the savings. I also never buy service contracts, extended warrenties, or any other "special" one time policy, because they all have the same purpose, to take money, to cover the cost of "fear". Check your health insurance policy, you might be covered. I am. Maybe I might have to pay out of pocket, but I am covered. If I have to cancel my trip, not a problem, I already saved that amount of money. The same goes for credit cards, and the constant reminders that you must buy the insurance just in case you lose a job! It's about fear and making money. Look at auto insurance. If you total your car, once every 5 years, you will happy with the insurance, but if you total you car once in your life, you will never make up the money you paid into it.

[patseacruiser]

That's not true. There are different and better policies. TravelGuard Gold doesn't even work for me if I'm leaving the country with a $25,000 max benefit. I know someone who had a heart attack in Rome - $100K later what would that have gotten him?

[cpellman]

Has anyone used InsureMyTrip.com?? If so which carrier have you used.

[deckguy]

....."but if you total you car once in your life, you will never make up the money you paid into it. "

 

 

....and if you total your car once in your life AND IN THE PROCESS, kill a family of four...you will lose all that you have and spend the rest of your life in prison.

 

Do you SERIOUSLY not carry auto insruance??????

 

 

 

If, for instance, you travel abroad and need to be air lifted back to the states, the total tab can be in the 100's of thousands.

 

There are some risks that pencil-out worth taking on yourself, but to broad brush the avoidance of travel insurance entirely is simply idiotic.

 

While I had a less than pleasant experience in filing a claim (see my previous post) I would never forgo travel insurance entirely.

[Havingfun2010]

....."but if you total you car once in your life, you will never make up the money you paid into it. "

 

 

....and if you total your car once in your life AND IN THE PROCESS, kill a family of four...you will lose all that you have and spend the rest of your life in prison.

 

Do you SERIOUSLY not carry auto insruance??????

 

 

 

If, for instance, you travel abroad and need to be air lifted back to the states, the total tab can be in the 100's of thousands.

 

There are some risks that pencil-out worth taking on yourself, but to broad brush the avoidance of travel insurance entirely is simply idiotic.

 

While I had a less than pleasant experience in filing a claim (see my previous post) I would never forgo travel insurance entirely.

 

I don't believe that I said I don't have insurance, what I said is that most cases you will file a claim that will pay you back less than you paid in your life. The point is, most insurance policies will never pay what you pay into it, and most will not pay "100's of thousands" to airlift you back, if medical facilities are available. Every person that sells insurance of any kind, will sit down, and tell you all the what ifs. What they don't tell you is how hard they will try not to pay the claim, or what the real odds are that you will need it. It's also like medical insurance. In my working life time, at today's rates, between what I pay, and my company pays, I will put in around $500,000.00 in premiums. An occasional minor operation, and routine visits will not tap that out. However, there is a slim odds something major will happen, as one gets older. At that time, you will no longer have the "good" insurance, and instead have medicaid/medicare. Insurance is, and always will be about making money. Financial advisors will tell you, to only buy insurance on the items that you can not afford to risk losing. So the cost of a cruise, or an extended warrenty is usually not warranted, but if you are currently have a medical problem, or family member does, than it might be worth it. So it's about risk, your risk, and the insurance industry will sell you on your fears, although the odds are slim to none.

[soazlaney]

Not quite two weeks ago we were airlifted from Puerto Quetzal Guatemala by Travel Guard. The policy was Travel Guard Gold. They sent a plane, pilot, co-pilot, Doctor and nurse to bring us to a hospital in our home city after my husband fell in our cabin breaking his hip and leg. I have no idea what all that cost. Our coverage was primary so they took care of everything.

 

The insurance company coordinated with the ship to make all the arrangements. I can not describe to you how scared I was and how much better I felt once I realized I was not going to have to figure all that out on my own. In fact all I was responsible for was comforting my husband and packing our luggage (and NCL offered to do that too).

 

I have always bought the insurance mostly for the peace of mind. I never thought that we would be the 1 in ??? that experience a disaster. This was definitely the best $ we have ever spent. Without this insurance we would have been in a hospital in a foreign country, my husband facing a serious surgery, not speaking the language and with a cell phone that didn't work.

 

If you decide not to buy insurance because you think it is a waste of money, I wish you better luck on your vacation than we had on this one.

On second thought we had pretty good luck considering all the possibilities that were going through my head after the accident and before I spoke to the insurance company.

[deckguy]

Not quite two weeks ago we were airlifted from Puerto Quetzal Guatemala by Travel Guard. The policy was Travel Guard Gold. They sent a plane, pilot, co-pilot, Doctor and nurse to bring us to a hospital in our home city after my husband fell in our cabin breaking his hip and leg. I have no idea what all that cost. Our coverage was primary so they took care of everything.

 

The insurance company coordinated with the ship to make all the arrangements. I can not describe to you how scared I was and how much better I felt once I realized I was not going to have to figure all that out on my own. In fact all I was responsible for was comforting my husband and packing our luggage (and NCL offered to do that too).

 

I have always bought the insurance mostly for the peace of mind. I never thought that we would be the 1 in ??? that experience a disaster. This was definitely the best $ we have ever spent. Without this insurance we would have been in a hospital in a foreign country, my husband facing a serious surgery, not speaking the language and with a cell phone that didn't work.

 

If you decide not to buy insurance because you think it is a waste of money, I wish you better luck on your vacation than we had on this one.

On second thought we had pretty good luck considering all the possibilities that were going through my head after the accident and before I spoke to the insurance company.

 

 

Havingfun2010: Your quote is, "and most will not pay "100's of thousands" to airlift you back, if medical facilities are available." Your claim simply doesn't hold water. Doesn't make sense....at all.

 

The reply just posted is a classic case of how the medivac-covered services kick in. I had a close friend experience a similar situation (though even more serious) while traveling the Baltic and YES it was in excess of $100k (about $120k as I recall). They DON'T try to find local available medical facilities. They provided the airlift service almost exactly as this poster described.

[hubofhockey]

I never buy it. Not worth it. The more you travel, the more you save, until the point that you can become self-insured with the savings. I also never buy service contracts, extended warrenties, or any other "special" one time policy, because they all have the same purpose, to take money, to cover the cost of "fear". Check your health insurance policy, you might be covered. I am. Maybe I might have to pay out of pocket, but I am covered. If I have to cancel my trip, not a problem, I already saved that amount of money. The same goes for credit cards, and the constant reminders that you must buy the insurance just in case you lose a job! It's about fear and making money. Look at auto insurance. If you total your car, once every 5 years, you will happy with the insurance, but if you total you car once in your life, you will never make up the money you paid into it.

 

It must be nice to be bullet proof without elderly parents at home or kids. What if you lose your job? Still want to take that cruise? How about a plane that has to stop in Dublin before it gets to Barcelona and either you or your luggage don't make a connection? I'm paying $289 to protect my $13,000 vacation this summer. That's a couple percent for peace of mind that has real value to me.

[deckguy]

It must be nice to be bullet proof without elderly parents at home or kids. What if you lose your job? Still want to take that cruise? How about a plane that has to stop in Dublin before it gets to Barcelona and either you or your luggage don't make a connection? I'm paying $289 to protect my $13,000 vacation this summer. That's a couple percent for peace of mind that has real value to me.

 

 

I'm with you Ljberkow. My $230 investment last year ultimately paid me $7,500 in travel interruption delay benefits last year. (any guess what last-minute Europe plane tickets cost when your flights get canceled and you need to purchase on the spot?...horrendous!)

 

It WAS a pain to get my particular claim paid (see my earlier post) but it did get paid.

 

"Havingfun2010" will be the very first in line to bitch when he's in a bind, that he's been wronged, that life's not fair....on and on. Some people simply don't get it.

[sunnisuzi]

Any specific insurance/company recommended by anyone?

[deckguy]

Any specific insurance/company recommended by anyone?

 

Through Insure My Trip, our friends have used Travel Guard which is who we are using on an upcoming Europe trip. This is NOT to be confused with "Travel Ex" which is the carrier we used last year. We fought with Travel Ex for 9 months in getting a $7,500 claim paid. After 3 denials we got our state's department of insurance involved and the claim was finally paid-in full within a couple of weeks. Our friends, who then traveled with us at that time, had their claim with Travel Guard paid promptly.

 

Everyone's situation is different, some good some bad but I've seen many good reviews for Travel Guard.

[nbsjcruiser]

My travel agent keeps pushing me to take travel insurance for my cruse....

we leave on the Miracle this Thursday from NYC... I have no reason to cancel my trip so why is travel insurance important? and do you all get it also?:confused:

 

I'll tell you my story and then you can decide what is best for you.

 

On our cruise on the Valor in March of 2010 we arrived at the airport in Portland Maine to find that all flights were cancelled due to a massive Northeast storm. We were told that the next flight out for us would be 2 days later. No way that was going to work - we'd miss our cruise. So instead, we hopped a cab and took off to Boston which was not experiencing the bad weather. The cost of that cab ($180) and all of our meals were covered by our insurance. We were unable to land in Miami as planned but instead had to land in West Palm Beach and then took a limo to Miami, arriving at 2AM. The cost of the Limo ($200) was covered by our insurance. When we arrived at West Palm Beach, our luggage did not. 12 hours later we were still missing it and so we called our insurance carrier who approved a $500 shopping spree for all 3 of us. Total cost because of the flight issues: Approximately $2000 - all covered by insurance.

 

On our cruise on the Destiny this past fall I was hit by a wave in Bahamas and broke my collarbone at 2PM in the afternoon. The ship's doctor insisted I go to a hospital to be seen by a surgeon. Because I had insurance I was able to elect to go to a private hospital and be seen right away instead of waiting hours in a public hospital and missing the departure of our ship at 5PM. I was in the hospital, confirmed I was ok to travel and back on the ship at precisely 4:59PM. Cost:$1500. Cost to me after reimbursement - nothing.

 

Now some people roll the dice when they travel and that's fine, but we've been on 9 cruises and purchased insurance every time. Imagine just for a minute if I had needed surgery in Bahamas. How much would that have cost? Imagine missing your cruise because you had no way of flying out of Portland to make your cruise? Insurance buys you piece of mind but it also buys you options and I like options.