Should I get the insurance with the cruise line or an independent travel company

[Ivy86]

:confused: Not sure....

[Desertbelle]

From what I have heard there are serious limitations with the cruise insurance you get from the cruise line. I would suggest you look around at travelers insurance, which will cover not only the cruise, but airfare, luggage, health, emergency transportation back home if health issues come up, etc. We have used different companies over the years and all seem good. You can compare some of the companies and their coverages at http://www.insuremytrip.com/

[enidcruiser]

We have always bought the insur from the cruise company but they are right, there are limitations.

I called the insurance companies that I found recomended on Cruise Critic and got all my questions answered.

The main one was "Cancel For Any Reason".

 

Go to this link and check them all out. There is a comparison sheet to check out the options and prices.

www dot tripinsurancestore dot com/supplier dot shtml

 

You can ask all the questions you want and they recommend and explain all the differences.

We bought ours through one of the companies and the price was very reasonable.

[donaldsc]

Do you want lousy coverage for a lot of money (cruise line) or much better coverage tailored to exactly what yo need for much less money (independent)?

 

DON

[wieslaw]

:confused: Not sure....

 

Hi,

I had the same question and asked for some help in another area of this board (Cruise / Travel insurance http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635 ). Some knowledeable people about insurance coverage pointed out some big differences in the limits what some insurances cover, especially in the medical and evacuation costs , and what the RCI's Cruise Care covers in that area ....... 10 or 25 thousand does not go very far, when medical costs are so high.

look at this link what the RCI's Cruise Care offers :

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/RCICruiseCare.pdf

 

and compare it with other travel insurance plans.

It might costs you more if you are older but it might be worth it ......... if something bad did happen.

[Mark_K]

One size never fits all - You should compare coverages, limitations, costs, advantages, disadvantages, etc. for you and your particular circumstances and choose accordingly.

[Teeara]

From what I have heard there are serious limitations with the cruise insurance you get from the cruise line. I would suggest you look around at travelers insurance, which will cover not only the cruise, but airfare, luggage, health, emergency transportation back home if health issues come up, etc. We have used different companies over the years and all seem good. You can compare some of the companies and their coverages at http://www.insuremytrip.com/

 

I always use them to get my insurance. I love being able to compare policies. I would never get the insurance provided by the cruise lines.

[Ivy86]

Thanks for the replies! I will take a look at the website to compared benefits and prices.:)

[philnpen]

It doesn't matter, just as long as you have insurance that will cover last minute cancellations with cause, return to home expenses, and any other covered losses.

 

I recently read about a family of four on a cruise with no insurance at all. As the ship was docking at an island the father experienced a minor heart attack (it was not very serious in the long run). The ship sent a nurse and a rep from the line to the hospital with the family. When it became apparent the man would have to stay for a couple of days the rep called back to the ship and the room steward packed up their bags and they were sent to the hospital. The family did not have trip insurance and were charged for the ship's doctor's time, their hotel stay waiting for clearance to travel home, and their air-fare. Don.t know if their health insurance covered the hospital charges since that was still being disputed.

[cruiseco]

Do you want lousy coverage for a lot of money (cruise line) or much better coverage tailored to exactly what yo need for much less money (independent)?

 

DON

 

 

For those in the upper age brackets, the cruise line plans, because they don't take age into account, can be much less expensive than third-party plans. And one nice feature many cruise plans are coming out with is a "Cancel For Any Reason" benefit at no additional charge. For many cruisers, especially those doing close-in sailings such as to the Bahamas, the cruise line plans can be perfectly acceptable. Definitely look at other plans but don't dismiss the cruise lines out of hand without first comparing the benefits and cost.

[pmjnh]

We chose to purchase the plan recommended by our TA, which was not the cruise company plan. the TA said that it was a much better plan than the ship's. It also gave us the option of including our entire trip, which included an extensive road trip after the cruise. I am not sure if we would have been able to cover the entire trip with the cruise plan or not.

[Ivy86]

We chose to purchase the plan recommended by our TA, which was not the cruise company plan. the TA said that it was a much better plan than the ship's. It also gave us the option of including our entire trip, which included an extensive road trip after the cruise. I am not sure if we would have been able to cover the entire trip with the cruise plan or not.

 

Which company you used?

[#1TravelMom]

I would HIGHLY recommend travelguard. I just helped a couple file a claim after cancelling a very expensive cruisetour to Alaska -$8000 range. I told them to be prepared that it may take many weeks or even months and lots of paperwork and phone calls. I can't say enough about how wonderful the rep was. She was so helpful to make sure all documentation was submitted properly. The process was so easy - I'm almost in shock. They had there check in less than 3 weeks.

 

After hearing so many stories of cruisers who fight with the travel insurance companies - I can say Travelguard really impressed me. I guess it's like car insurance - you don't really know how good it is until you need it!