How many cruise without travel insurance

[marci22]

I was buying it about 50% of the time until our 2010 cruise when my son had a medical emergency 1 week before we were supposed to leave. ER doctor told us to cancel. That trip was >9k and I felt sick. Ended up we went to a specialist who cleared my son for travel and we were fine.

 

We always buy preexisting condition coverage and that is cheaper if you buy it within 14-30 days (depending on policy) of initial trip payment. A few plans sell it if you buy within 24 hours of final payment, but it is usually a lot more expensive then.

 

You just never know what weird thing is going to happen right before you are supposed to leave (or while you are onboard...).

Edited March 27, 2014 by marci22

[FunCruiser56]

We do buy travel insurance. It is a small price to pay for something you hope will never happen, just like car or homeowners insurance.

Last cruise sailing Hawaii and I keep noticing this sharp pain on my head, not enough to go to the doc then when we are 3 days from land I wake up and my face is drooping on one side- my DH thought I had a stroke. :(

A trip to the med center on the ship, hooked up to heart leads/monitor. I found out I had a case of shingles that caused Bells Palsy. Not life threatning my any means but scary. Doc gave me meds. And I was presented with a $500 bill .

Now I was very thankful that it was not a serious thing and also thankful I had insurance that would cover this. It also paid for my followup appt after I got home. So $650 paid back to me. Not an amount that would break the bank but still worth the $200 it cost me for the insurance.

Have you ever looked at the cost to be airlifted? that would break the bank for sure.

 

Bev

[bayportkat]

I've found it worth the peace of mind, from both a cancellation and a medical perspective. Having said that, we seldom bought trip insurance when we were younger.

 

Speaking of, I'm putting together a trip in May that includes a short cruise, Universal Studios/Harry Potter, and a conference. Does anyone know of a good insurance site to piece that together insurance purposes? I've already paid for the airfare, the cruise and the Universal Studios hotel package (includes tickets) and did not take any individual insurance as I believe it will be cheaper to cover the entire trip.

 

We got ours from CSA. They go by the cost of the trip from start to finish. They have a few different policies as well. We have used the policies as well and have been happy. We did a trip like you mentioned-flights, house rental, car rental, Disney tickets and Universal tickets-all was covered in case we needed to cancel for some reason because most was prepaid and non refundable.

 

 

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[Shmoo here]

We use http://www.insuremytrip.com/ and https://www.squaremouth.com/ for researching policies for trips.

 

Our first cruise we didn't get insurance (didn't know any better). Since then, we've bought insurance on most of our cruises. The only exceptions were our Mexican Rivera cruises. We booked them last minute (about 2-3 months out) for a good price and were willing to accept the loss if we didn't make the cruise. And, while we didn't get medical/evacuation insurance on those either, we knew we would be close enough to home to call someone to come get us, if necessary.

 

Our upcoming cruise, we've only purchased the medical/evacuation coverage, since we're OK with losing the cost of the trip itself.

 

I think there are a lot of people who just think "I have health coverage, I'm OK." But aren't aware that most US health plans (including Medicare) do not cover "out of country". And once you step onboard the ship you are considered "out of country".

[kelmac]

We self-insure for the trip. Our regular health insurance covers us everywhere and we have a small evac/medical emergency policy purchased yearly. ($170)

 

Insurance companies are rich for a reason. We travel ten to twelve weeks of the year, with 3 or 4 cruises thrown in there. We've saved 20 to 30 thousand dollars by not buying trip insurance. In 51 cruises, I've never had a problem.

 

My wife had an knee injury in Hawaii one vacation, and all we paid was a small co-pay that we would have paid for at home.

 

Unless you have major medical problems, or are very elderly, or only take an expensive "trip of a lifetime", insurance is not necessary.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[SparkleBee]

check with your credit card company. I have full travel insurance benefits with my credit card so didn't have to buy any. it's a great option!

[greatam]

check with your credit card company. I have full travel insurance benefits with my credit card so didn't have to buy any. it's a great option!

 

I suggest you totally check your benefits. While you may get some help rearranging your trip and may get your money back for air or cruise IF you purchased it with a specific credit card, depending on the VERY limited insurance coverage with a credit card is generally very foolish. MOST have NO or very limited medical and evac coverage. And those are the big ticket, bankruptcy inducing expenses unless you are wealthier than most of us. Here's an article that points out all the downfalls to depending on credit card insurance for travel insurance. http://thepointsguy.com/2013/07/does-your-credit-card-give-you-adequate-travel-insurance-coverage/

 

And the KEY point about almost ALL credit card insurance:

 

"As I note above, while none of these is actual travel insurance coverage and you will be billed for any trip cancellation, changes, medical issues or other contingencies that come up, it’s nice to know that you have a team of assistants at the touch of a button who can help you make the arrangements you need."

 

I travel worldwide for business more in a year than a lot of people travel in their lifetime. I know I sure wouldn't depend on ANY of the many credit cards I possess to get me out of a medical emergency or a medical evacuation financially. Hand holding, yes. MONEY in my pocket to cover the expenses-not that I can find.

[Lerin]

Of every vacation we take, both land and cruise, we now get insurance about 50% of the time.

Only once did we have an issue and of course it was a situation that insurance wouldn't cover. :mad: Since then we've purchased it less and less...

[lattelady]

Thanks for the suggestions above. Someone mentioned USAA and as we are members I used their referral discount. The quote was definitely cheaper than the others I found so I went with them. USAA has never steered us wrong.

[Laughing Angel]

I always get insurance, because you never know.

 

I have never had to use the coverage, but I've been on board ships where passengers have had accidents during excursions, health problems, and emergencies back home. International medical transport, a prolonged hospital stay in a foreign country, or many other travel issues can cost a fortune, and the price of the coverage is worth it for me.

[HeatherC430]

I've only booked the travel insurance for ONE of my 12 cruises, and it was for Alaska - the ONLY reason we did was because of how much everything cost (cruise, airfare, hotel for pre-cruise stay, excursions) - it was BY FAR our most expensive cruise and I wasn't willing to loose that money if something happened. Our normal Caribbean cruises are too expensive that I wouldn't be devastated if something happened and we couldn't recoop our money. For us, once we book a cruise, there's almost nothing that will stop us from going. For us, it's not worth the added cost and we've never had a problem. Maybe as we get older, this will change...but for now we don't have any desire to book it.

 

With that being said, I have an expensive land-based trip to Spain/Morocco for summer of 2015 planned & I did book the travel insurance for that for a number of reasons.

[Carolin]

buy the best travel insureance you can afford. Why? You never know when your going to need it. I got lucky. I was home from my cruise one week when I had a seizure.. out of the blue. I was in the hospital for a week and will have to go back in to get everything fixed. I can't even imagine how this would have played out at one of my ports. Heck.. I watched a person get air lifted out of Labedee while we were there. That could have been me. That is one expensive trip to a hospital. I don't even know where the person got air lifted to. Just saying.. that extra $200 dollars could save you thousands of dollars if needed. better safe then sorry is my motto.

[dwjoe]

You have a strange view on life if you think that's "silly". If I pay several thousand dollars for something and don't use it, I wasted that money. That isn't very smart. Contrary to your opinion, I would lose much more than just the experience. If you can afford to throw money away, then bravo for you. But for many of us, we believe fiscal responsibility involves actually getting real value for our money.

 

Besides, if we get reimbursed for a cruise that we had to cancelled, now we have the funds to book another cruise at a fraction of the cost of a new cruise. That makes perfect sense to me.

I don't agree that the poster you quoted "has a strange view on life". They have a rational position of only buying insurance for risks that they can't afford to absorb on their own. It has nothing to do with "fiscal responsibility". It has to do with taking personal responsibility for some risks as opposed to paying extra to an insurance company.

 

I don't buy trip cancellation or interruption insurance because I should be able to afford the loss of the cruise and/or flights home for a cruise to the Caribeean which usually runs us about $5k. Now, if we were talking a $20k cruise that we'd saved for years for, then I might buy cancellation insurance.

 

I don't buy medical insurance because I'm covered for international expenses as out-of-network on my existing medical plan. I'd have to pay the coinsurance but my expenses there would be capped as well.

 

The one insurance I'm always careful to buy is medical evacuation. That expense could run $25k, $50k, or even $100k depending on where you are in the world. I can't afford to cover that, so I get insurance for it.

 

I notice a lot of people told the OP "always buy travel insurance". But reading the OP closely you see that they are already covered for medical and cruise costs. I would advise the OP to read their medical coverage details carefully to see what exactly is covered for international expenses for their particular situation, and assess what their out-of-pocket costs might be, before buying an additional medical policy. They are already covered for cruise costs.

 

There is no need to be buying double coverage, it is a waste of money. It seems to me that medical evac coverage is the main thing that OP needs.

Edited March 28, 2014 by dwjoe

[dwjoe]

2. Med Jet Assist WILL get you to the hospital of your choice anywhere in the world but there are certain conditions.

 

What they won't do: evacuate you from a ship, evacuate you from the jungle of Cambodia, evacuate you from Antarctica, evacuate you from Machu Pichu, evacuate you from a safari in Africa. You MUST be in a hospital and doctor certified to be evacuated. This from FIRST hand experience in Cambodia. Got very, very sick in Phnom Penh. Didn't want to have to go to the hospital there. My travel insurance wanted to evacuate me to Japan. Med Jet could not help unless I actually went to the hospital in Cambodia. Finally made arrangements to hire a private nurse and driver to drive me to Saigon and my travel insurance made all the arrangements to get me into the Aussie hospital there without ANY money upfront. I thought I would have to pay for the nurse and driver out of pocket which was fine-cheaper than most deductibles on regular insurance policies. My travel insurance (Travelex) even paid for that. Med Jet contacted me AFTER I was admitted to the Aussie hospital and was more than willing to get me to the USA if I wanted to go. But they would have NOTHING to do with getting me out of Cambodia UNLESS I went to the hospital (I would have probably gotten sicker). Just an FYI that Med Jet is a great service at a very reasonable price. But there are a lot of people who believe they will evacuate you from a cruise ship (or the jungle or a safari in Africa). They won't.

Thanks for posting your first hand experience, it is great information.

 

Interesting that even MedJet (which I've read is the "gold standard" in medical evacuation) won't airlift you off a cruise ship. I just did some quick checks on insuremytrip.com and none of the evac policies cover airlift from a cruise ship. Thank G-d for the Coast Guard!

[mickeyboy7]

I HATE insurance...these companies are not in business to lose money, BUT, I never sail without it. Have you seen the costs of medical care/and/or transportation for missed connections, etc? Or do you have elderly relatives that can have a serious problem forcing you to cancel your trip? Peace of mind is worth a few bucks.

[hrmkr]

I am so glad I had travel insurance on my last "attempt" to cruise. I was flying out the same day of the cruise. Trying to leave Baltimore, MD to fly to Jacksonville, FL. The plane had a frozen water line and the airline kept delaying the flight. Eventually, it was delayed past the point that I could get on the ship.

 

I was lucky that I chose the Travelex insurance that covered mechanical issues not just weather related. It may have been tricky to get Delta to write that "due to the cold weather, the plane's water line froze". it was very simple for them to write "Flight was delayed beyond 4 hours due to mechanical reasons".

 

I literally just submitted the claim a few mintues ago. I spoke to the insurance company with some questions and they said my claim was cut and dry and would take about 2 weeks to process. Always make sure you include ALL documentation to ensure it is easy for the claims person to process the claim.

[boogs]

I don't agree that the poster you quoted "has a strange view on life". They have a rational position of only buying insurance for risks that they can't afford to absorb on their own. It has nothing to do with "fiscal responsibility". It has to do with taking personal responsibility for some risks as opposed to paying extra to an insurance company.

 

You need to reread his comment that I was replying to:

 

"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."

 

What he said was that it's no big deal to lose the money that we paid for the cruise since we "already paid" it - all we lose is the "experience". And then continues to defy rational logic by justifying the ignoring of a financial loss by saying we won't have to spend even more on "a big onboard spending bill". How does that make any sense? That kind of thinking is indeed a strange view on life.

 

Any time someone tells me that protecting myself is "Silly", I have the right to think they have a skewed view on how to live. If it was "silly" for him, fine. But to make a blanket statement as if it applies to everyone is overreaching. His statement was insulting to those of us who purchase coverage by implying that we ourselves are "silly" people for doing so.

Edited March 28, 2014 by boogs

[greatam]

I don't buy medical insurance because I'm covered for international expenses as out-of-network on my existing medical plan. I'd have to pay the coinsurance but my expenses there would be capped as well.

 

 

 

You are very fortunate to have an insurance policy that covers out of the USA. I would suggest you check that coverage because Obamacare has forced insurance companies going forward with renewals to curtail a lot of international coverage and the deductibles on out of network are going sky high.

 

Our company BCBS had limited international coverage in 2013 (enough for a quickie weekend trip to London, NOT enough for a 4-5 day business trip or a two week vacation). But it was something extra for the employees who could decide if they wanted to use their own insurance or buy a travel insurance policy for personal travel.

 

Now we are being asked to pony up an additional $330 PER EMPLOYEE PER MONTH if we want the same limited out of network international coverage. And the deductible for out of network international has gone up to $10,000. NO EVAC coverage at all.

 

I can buy a lot of travel insurance for that money. And why would we pay for those employees who NEVER leave the USA (about 65%)? We are still trying to decide which is the best way to go for our company. Guess we got another year (the date is like a swinging plumb bob) but BCBS already changed their policy so we now have to go through the tedium of examining other company's offerings.

[dmk]

You can't compare travel insurance with home owners or auto. With auto or home owners, you have a liability issue to worry about. If an outsider gets injured, they could sue you for everything you have. As a traveler, you are the only issue in play. It could be expensive but not a life changing event, at least not for me.

I do have home owners and auto insurance but not travelers. I'm willing to roll the dice.

 

Well, good for you that you've never had a medical issue! I hope that you go through life without any medical life changing event.

[lrm]

We always buy travel insurance when we go on "major" trips...especially cruises. We have HMO coverage--and they will not cover us away from home. We also know that our credit card covers some things--but not enough to give us peace of mind. We go on vacation to get away---we don't want to worry about anything.

[momofmeg]

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.

 

We started buying insurance after hubby had emergency gall bladder surgery just 3 weeks before our cruise. He was better by the cruise and was able to go, (although he had to watch what he ate) but I could not help but think what if his attack had come 3 weeks later. The way he always pigged out on cruises back then it could have easily happened.

 

The year before his father had died suddenly at age 66 from a stroke, just 2 days after his yearly checkup and getting a clean bill of health from his doctor. We had to cancel a land trip when that happened but since it was to be a car trip, all we lost was one night's hotel bill cost.

 

Between those 2 things happening we decided it was time we bought insurance. We were still in our mid forties at the time.

 

 

I read a thread at a cruise forum (maybe it was here?) some years back where a guy had a heart attack at age 42 a week before his cruise and missed his trip. He was mad at HAL because they would not give him a free cruise to replace the one he missed. He said he never bought insurance because he had always been healthy. Lol how ironic! and he did not even realize how funny that statement was. I told him I was sorry he had been ill but that he should be thankful he did not have his attack until a week later on a ship out in the middle of the ocean as the cost in $$ would have been much more than a lost cruise.

[momofmeg]

We always buy travel insurance when we go on "major" trips...especially cruises. We have HMO coverage--and they will not cover us away from home. We also know that our credit card covers some things--but not enough to give us peace of mind. We go on vacation to get away---we don't want to worry about anything.

 

We bought it even for cruise last fall which was ports in California, except one day in Ensenada which is only 60 or 70 miles below San Diego. That trip cost us I think was about $3500 all together and we paid $150 for the two of us. Granted we were close enough to the US, it should not have been a big expense but we felt like what was $150 more after spending $3500?

 

On our rollcall was couple that the wife had a gall bladder attack and was taken off at the last port, Ensenada, and driven in an ambulance to San Diego. We had been there the day before-lol! and they had thought about leaving the cruise then because she felt unwell.

 

They had trip insurance and with the money they got back from the insurance for the last 2 days of the cruise they booked a little 4 day and took it in December in order to "finish" their cruise.

 

Even though as of yet we have not had to use it, I feel it is well worth the peace of mind.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We have collected 5 times ..

[MsViola]

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.

 

Would you mind sharing the company you use? I have been looking for a comprehensive "annual" policy so I don't have to purchase it for each trip.

 

I know first hand how a little accident can lead to BIG medical bills. BCBS and AFLAC accident policy were life style savers. Greatfully, I was blessesd to be injured in the states on a land vacation. I cringe when thinking how much it would have cost if it had happened while cruising out of the country. Most people don't think about costs of therapy, lost time from work, etc. when they think about illness and injuries. It can add up fast!

 

Accidents can and do happen to people of all ages.

 

Thank you!

[Hlitner]

We do a lot of travel and cruising, and buying trip insurance would just not make much sense. In any one year we spend at least 70 days on cruise ships and the cost of just insuring cruises (not considering our trips on land) makes little sense. We do purchase an Annual Travel Medical Policy (only $350 a year for both of us) which provides $250,000 of Medical coverage and $500,000 of Med Evacuation coverage. As to cancellation, we simply self-insure and are willing to take the risk of losing out because we have to cancel. By not having bought typical trip insurance we are now ahead by over $100,000 which is the least amount we have saved by NOT buying trip insurance over the past 40 years. If we had to cancel a trip and lost $10-$20,000 we would still be well ahead.

 

Insurance is about risk and each person needs to carefully assess the risk they are willing to take versus the cost of defraying some or all of the risk. We also warn most folks that most of the cruise line Trip Policies are woefully inadequate in terms of Medical coverage. Keep in mind that it does not take a lot of medical issues to quickly run-up a $50-$100,000 bill. We think that anyone who travels without at least $100,000 in medical coverage (many have this kind of coverage from their normal med plans) is taking a huge risk. And those on Medicare need to understand that Medicare pays ZERO for medical coverage outside the USA.

 

Hank