How many cruise without travel insurance

[pspercy]

I started getting trip insurance when my parents got into mid-80s and higher - in case I had to cancel in an emergency.

 

Now, when cruising I buy trip insurance, mostly to get decent medevac coverage, just in case.

Edited March 27, 2014 by pspercy

[MaryL31]

I never go out of the country without travel insurance. I cannot imagine having a family member needing major medical care and having to worry about getting them back to the states. I don't mean to insinuate that good care cannot be found abroad, but even then, a loved one may require critical care for an extended length of time. I, for one, would want the option to come home without having to be in major debt. It is peace of mind and money well spent, IMO.

[Spurschick]

We do ours through travel guard

 

They rescheduled our flights when a home bound flight was cancelled due to weather and covered hotel accommodation and food allowance.

 

Also used when DD was taken ill onboard. They don't take us medical insurance on board they are out of network on everything. Insurance cost less than her medical bill.

 

Also very useful if you book flights/hotels cruise separate. Price is based on age and cost paid per person. They also cover kids free. Never paid more than $200 even for more expensive cruises.

 

You can do free quotes online as well

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

I know there are a lot of folks that travel with out because they have good medical coverage through their insurance. OK.....but what happens if your insurance doesn't cover the medical expenses that occurred while on the ship or in port at a foreign hospital?

 

We have top notch BCBS insurance that is very expensive but it does not cover using the ships doctor because they are not a BCBS provider, therefore it becomes an out of pocket expense.

 

Or what about needing to cancel a few days before the cruise because of an emergency.....you got in an accident on the way to work, or on the way to the cruise, family member passes away unexpectedly......your boss says at the last minute.... your job or the cruise?.... would be out the entire cost of your cruise if you cancel with in 7 days of sailing.....can you afford to lose that money?

 

Sooner or later, one day or another and it will happen to everyone.

 

Just posting a voice of reason....and speaking from experience!

 

***

[britty1]

Always buy insurance, never had to use it but I won't travel without it. :D

[gordiej]

Or what about needing to cancel a few days before the cruise because of an emergency.....you got in an accident on the way to work, or on the way to the cruise, family member passes away unexpectedly......your boss says at the last minute.... your job or the cruise?.... would be out the entire cost of your cruise if you cancel with in 7 days of sailing.....can you afford to lose that money?

Well, that's just silly. You already paid for the cruise. If something happens that you can't go on the cruise, then all you lose is the experience of the cruise. And you probably save yourself a big onboard spending bill...

If you want to "gamble" the odds that something comes up and you can't go and then you win $3k or whatever, by all means, but remember that the insurance industry is a for-profit one. Just like casinos. (Of course the equation could change if you are elderly or your parents are elderly.)

 

Medical is another story. If you have a decent insurance plan supplemented perhaps by a medical evacuation program (e.g., MedJet Assist), you should be fine.

[CRUISEMAMI]

This is what we do too.

 

We are most concerned with medical costs, as we can self-insure for the rest. So to keep the costs down, I choose the plan with the most medical coverage and medical evacuation, but insure for an amount much lower than the cost of the trip.

 

We were cruising to the Caribbeans, and my husband got real sick; he was at the ship medical facilities, for one day and one night; then we got transfer to a hospital in Jamaica; very thankful that we had insurance!

Still waiting for the travel insurance refund;

We had to pay upfront, and costed us, over 21,000$

 

 

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[mpoole3]

I'm 28 and have now completed 16 cruises and never once bought any trip insurance and honestly don't plan to ever buy it.

 

I figure life happens and that's what savings is for, but who knows maybe I'm doing it wrong...

[3CatsInMA]

We always get insurance through a 3rd party. We have excellent health coverage while in the U.S., but it will not cover us on a cruise ship or out of the country. My main focus is medical and evac coverage: I look for a limit of $1,000,000. Is that over kill? Yes, probably....but after my wife dealt with a major, life-threatening illness a handful of years ago I want the assurance that should something bad happen again, we can be relocated to the hospital of our choice. As far as I am concerned, it is the best $130 purchase I make, and am happy to never use.:)

 

By the way...it's true that you never know what is around the next corner. We were in our mid 30's when my wife's illness struck so I cringe when I read comments from people who think that they are invincible. Your life can change in a heartbeat no matter who you are...

[LMaxwell]

I'm 28 and have now completed 16 cruises and never once bought any trip insurance and honestly don't plan to ever buy it.

 

I figure life happens and that's what savings is for, but who knows maybe I'm doing it wrong...

 

You are entering the point in your life where you will start accumulating assets to protect. One Med-Evac flight could wipe out your savings and destroy the rest of your life. Insurance is a tiny amount to pay to avoid such catastrophes. I'll take the $30 plan and not gamble with potential financial ruin because I got hurt, injured, slipped, or fell on a ship or foreign island.

 

You read the stories on this site all the time...$30K, $40K, $50K medical bills and long term ruin. Just not worth it. You've been lucky so far but that's not a plan.

[graciekelli]

Never purchased travel insurance for any trip land or sea.

[LMaxwell]

Posts like this are always shocking to me. No one predicts an emergency out of country.

[jmf123]

We always purchase Travel Guard (Gold) which is comprehensive coverage (including pre-existing medical if purchased within 15 days of your initial trip deposit). And this plan includes children 17 and under covered at no additional cost. You can call them or get a quote on line at travelguard.com. Good peace of mind. :)

[katydyd]

Never bought it.

 

I like living on the edge.

 

I, also, as a general rule, fly in on the day of the cruise.

 

I'm telling you, I'm a rebel without a cause.

[Ourusualbeach]

We also self insure for the cost of the trip but never scrimp on medical. I pay $165 for an annual policy for the 4 of us.

 

Once on vacation to Florida about 9 years ago my son cut his finger. A trip to the ER and a follow up visit the bill was over $1500. Can't imagine having to deal with anything more serious.

[bigboffs]

As we travel a lot, we buy a yearly policy which is significantly cheaper than piece meal.. We are primarily concerned with medical issues, especially evacuation insurance that will take both of us to a hospital close to home (rather than the nearest "appropriate" facility offered by the cruise line), this is what we pay for.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I'll admit we never purchased insurance when we were young.

 

Now, yes we do. We have elderly parents and although healthy and active are nearing 70 ourselves. We've had to cancel 3 cruises/cruise tours because of parent.s health crisis, and the SARS epidemic in China.

 

Most important to us is medical/evacuation coverage; usually we do insure the cruise portion also. Yes, we could eat that loss, but we'd rather not.

 

And, even young people get sick and have accidents. Although not on a trip, my son's 37 year old best friend died last year--went into the hospital on Thursday, was gone by Monday; acute pancreatitis.

[Cruisin' Along]

Our online TA sells travel insurance at an extremely reasonable cost. I always buy it for cruises and travel abroad - it's worth the peace of mind should anything happen.

[Sarvowinner]

I'm covered by my Amex card. In the past, always bought travel insurance for international travel if not covered by the credit card. The ramifications of having to potentially stump up $100,000s for medical evacuation or hospitalisation are beyond our means.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Well, that's just silly. You already paid for the cruise. If something happens that you can't go on the cruise, then all you lose is the experience of the cruise. And you probably save yourself a big onboard spending bill...

If you want to "gamble" the odds that something comes up and you can't go and then you win $3k or whatever, by all means, but remember that the insurance industry is a for-profit one. Just like casinos. (Of course the equation could change if you are elderly or your parents are elderly.)

 

Medical is another story. If you have a decent insurance plan supplemented perhaps by a medical evacuation program (e.g., MedJet Assist), you should be fine.

 

 

I don't think it's silly, just logical.....some families can't afford to lose that kind of money......I've heard it all working in a call center!

 

***

[liljay6915]

Have never purchased it to date. I am young and healthy. DH,DS and I vacation appx 4-6 times a year and that adds up fast. We have a very good health plan and I feel like what we have saved by not buying it over the years exceeds what it would/will cost to buy it. Now, with age I am sure I will change my tune. If my husband or I ever face medical issues I will buy it in a heartbeat!

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

Have never purchased it to date. I am young and healthy. DH,DS and I vacation appx 4-6 times a year and that adds up fast. We have a very good health plan and I feel like what we have saved by not buying it over the years exceeds what it would/will cost to buy it. Now, with age I am sure I will change my tune. If my husband or I ever face medical issues I will buy it in a heartbeat!

 

 

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I'm young and healthy too. Strong as an ox. I vacation often. I always buy insurance because I have responsibilities that I won't allow to be unfulfilled, and assets I've worked far too hard for to risk, if I get sick or injured outside of the US and require 5 figure medical assistance.

 

If you can afford to pay for medical evacuation and not miss a car payment or mortgage payment, more power to you. But if you can vacation 4-6X per year and think the insurance is too much, well, shame on you. You have an obligation as a parent that I don't feel you are meeting. This is a free and open forum; you chose to post what you wanted and I'm free to respond with my feelings. I'm sorry if that is overly critical, I am not trying to be mean. But I am not sorry for the blunt message; you really need to examine your priorities and think twice next time regarding travel insurance. I sincerely hope you do NOT ever need it, but that if you DO, that you have it...

[Mary521]

We almost never buy it, we're in our early 30's with no medical problems. I did get it last yr when we cruised while I was pregnant. Don't plan to get it again until we have a reason to!

 

We fly in the day of too, even in Europe ;)

 

 

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[traveler279]

Have never purchased it to date. I am young and healthy. DH,DS and I vacation appx 4-6 times a year and that adds up fast. We have a very good health plan and I feel like what we have saved by not buying it over the years exceeds what it would/will cost to buy it. Now, with age I am sure I will change my tune. If my husband or I ever face medical issues I will buy it in a heartbeat!

 

 

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Waiting until medical issues arise and then getting insurance seems a bit reversed to me. Having insurance and THEN having issues seems better plan.

 

I did not get a note from my body two weeks in advance advising me I would be having a stroke when I was 31. It (the stroke) just showed up unannounced and unwelcome. Insurance covered the whole thing including brain surgery.

 

Just saying.....

[sfpen66]

We don't get the insurance. We have Tricare and they reimbursed us. My DH had to use the Medical Center on the Emerald Princess last year. It was not a problem getting our reimbursement.

 

 

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