Insurance

[mayinindy]

I'm looking at buying insurance for my cruise for the first time. I have read other posts/boards about this as well as have gone to a couple of sites to compare plans. I'm still overwhelmed buy all of the different options and what is covered. What do you experienced cruisers typically look for in travel insurance? Those traveling with me are in our 30's with no health issues and are flying to the port. Any tips would be helpful!

[Clarea]

What's most important to me is adequate medical evacuation insurance.

[bluebeard39]

I'm looking at buying insurance for my cruise for the first time. I have read other posts/boards about this as well as have gone to a couple of sites to compare plans. I'm still overwhelmed buy all of the different options and what is covered. What do you experienced cruisers typically look for in travel insurance? Those traveling with me are in our 30's with no health issues and are flying to the port. Any tips would be helpful!

Don't forget to look at the policy that the Cruise line Offers.

[robin13]

What's most important to me is adequate medical evacuation insurance.

 

I agree with Clarea but I also always go for primary insurance instead of secondary. Not many offer that so you really have to look closely at the fine print.

[bouhunter]

I agree with Clarea but I also always go for primary insurance instead of secondary. Not many offer that so you really have to look closely at the fine print.

 

I agree. The price is usually comparable for a policy that offers primary medical, and it would eliminate the hassle of going through your own policy first to see what they would cover. We had a small mishap years ago that cost 300.00 at the ship medical facility, trip insurance paid it no questions asked and we didn't have to deal with Blue Cross paperwork:)

[trihawks1]

We purchased the cancel for any reason insurance which costs more, but worth it. We got quotes from the cruise line, our credit card that is military type, and a big box store. I wanted medical evacuation too. Four were in late 20/early 30. Then my DH and I are 55. We insured the amount to cover airfare, cost of cabin including taxes and gratuities, and hotels the night before. Because there are 6 of us it made sense to get the insurance especially cancel any reason. You never know when an illness, surgery, work related changes, etc happen...I would rather pay for insurance vs being out over $6000 out of pocket. We went with the best level of coverage and cost. Remember you only have so many days to get the insurance after you pay the deposit and every company differs on the amount of days to do this.

[time4u2go]

You should really first check to see what your existing insurance covers. No need to unnecessarily double-insure.

[Lou33]

I also always go for primary insurance instead of secondary.

 

Does your health provider cover you when you are out of the country? If not, is that the main reason that you buy travel insurance?

 

Remember, if your health provider does not cover you when you travel, then the question of primary vs. secondary insurance is irrelevant. If you are not covered by your health provider then your travel insurance is your "only" insurance, and therefore it becomes your primary insurance.

[boscobeans]

This is the basic coverage we generally look for.

 

ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS MEDICAL EXPENSES $20000.00 Per Insured

ACCIDENTAL DEATH/DISMEMBERMENT $50000.00 Per Insured

BAGGAGE AND PERSONAL EFFECTS $1000.00 Per Insured

BAGGAGE DELAY $500.00 Per Insured

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION $50000.00 Per Insured

LIVETRAVEL ASSISTANCE Included Per Insured

MISSED CONNECTION $500.00 Per Insured

 

TRIP CANCELLATION 100% Trip Cost Per Insured

TRIP DELAY $500.00 Per Insured

$150.00 Payout Limit Per Day

 

TRIP INTERRUPTION 125% Trip Cost Per Insured

PRE-EXISTING CONDITION WAIVER Included Per Insured

 

bosco

[mistshar]

If you are using a TA, you may be able to get it for less. That is how we do it and we don't have to buy it until just before final payment is made and it still covers pre-existing. We had to use it this past April. My DH got very ill 4 days before we were to leave and they paid everything we were out.

[Ren1216]

What's most important to me is adequate medical evacuation insurance.

 

This is one of the deciding factors for which coverage I choose as well, I prefer a policy with a cap of at least $250k (or 1 mil if the price is reasonable).

 

If you are using a TA, you may be able to get it for less. That is how we do it and we don't have to buy it until just before final payment is made and it still covers pre-existing. We had to use it this past April. My DH got very ill 4 days before we were to leave and they paid everything we were out.

 

This is also the case for me (for the first time) on my upcoming cruise. My TA uses one insurance company exclusively (CSA). The rate is good, the coverage is good, and pre-existing conditions are waived so long as I purchase the policy with 24 of making FINAL payment (most require purchase with X days of deposit). I know that last bit may not apply to your situation, but I added it for others who might benefit from checking with their TAs.

 

You said you are flying to your departure port... whichever policy you choose, be sure to add the cost of your airfare (not including baggage fees) to the cruise fare for a total trip cost when calculating the amount of coverage you need.

 

If you don't have a TA, then I'll suggest another online agency in case it isn't one you've already looked into: Insure My Trip (dot com) was our agency of choice for the past 10+ years, never a problem, competitive rates and great customer service when I called with questions (which was been numerous times). This site also shows ratings for each carrier based on customer satisfaction.

 

If you need more specific info, I'm happy to try and help you sort it out... feel free to email me at this screen name @ sbcglobal dot net.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Ren1216

[SRQSally]

I use a well known company..guess can't post the website...call them

and tell them what type of trip you're taking and they'll give you

advice...otherwise on the website way too many options.

 

insuremytrip is the start of it.

[Ren1216]

For reference, here are the details of the policy I selected via my TA for our next cruise:

 

Trip Cancellation: 100% of Trip Cost

Trip Interruption: 150% of Trip Cost

Travel Delay ($150 per person daily limit applies): $1,000 Per Person

Missed Connection: $500 Per Person

Baggage Coverage: $1,000 Per Person

Baggage Delay Coverage: $200 Per Person

Medical and Dental Coverage: $50,000 Per Plan

Emergency Assistance and Transportation: $250,000 Per Plan

Rental Car Damage: $25,000 Per Plan

Accidental Death and Dismemberment: $100,000 Per Person/ $250,000 Per Plan

 

I bought separate policies for each passenger (8 of us), even husbands and wives, so every person gets the full benefit of each coverage limit. The cost difference of separating the policies was only the $6 service fee.

[cb at sea]

if you can afford to eat the cost of your vacation, without losing your home, car or kids...you really don't need insurance to cover the trip. If you have medical issues or possibility of medical issues, then some sort of medical/evacuation ins. is a good thing to have. Your normal insurance won't cover you out of country.

It's all about what you can afford and how much risk you're willing to take.

[Lou33]

Your normal insurance won't cover you out of country.

 

Do you mean the insurance from your health provider? Many do. We were always covered by my health provider from work when we traveled out of the country. Just like at home, with no exclusions or limitations. Even medical evacuation. Many of my friends and family are also covered by their health providers when they travel.

 

Of course the important thing is to check first before you travel.

[Gwendy914]

I have found that Steve at Tripinsurancestore.com is very helpful also. It can be quite confusing but he seems to know what is what.

[Guest maddycat]

We purchased the cancel for any reason insurance which costs more, but worth it. We got quotes from the cruise line, our credit card that is military type, and a big box store. I wanted medical evacuation too. Four were in late 20/early 30. Then my DH and I are 55. We insured the amount to cover airfare, cost of cabin including taxes and gratuities, and hotels the night before. Because there are 6 of us it made sense to get the insurance especially cancel any reason. You never know when an illness, surgery, work related changes, etc happen...I would rather pay for insurance vs being out over $6000 out of pocket. We went with the best level of coverage and cost. Remember you only have so many days to get the insurance after you pay the deposit and every company differs on the amount of days to do this.

 

You only need to insure non-refundable amounts. Taxes and prepaid gratuities will be refunded by the cruise line if you cancel the cruise before embarkation. In many cases you can cancel hotel reservations up to 24 hrs. prior to the reservation date.

[Guest maddycat]

This is the basic coverage we generally look for.

 

ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS MEDICAL EXPENSES $20000.00 Per Insured

ACCIDENTAL DEATH/DISMEMBERMENT $50000.00 Per Insured

BAGGAGE AND PERSONAL EFFECTS $1000.00 Per Insured

BAGGAGE DELAY $500.00 Per Insured

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION $50000.00 Per Insured

LIVETRAVEL ASSISTANCE Included Per Insured

MISSED CONNECTION $500.00 Per Insured

 

TRIP CANCELLATION 100% Trip Cost Per Insured

TRIP DELAY $500.00 Per Insured

$150.00 Payout Limit Per Day

 

TRIP INTERRUPTION 125% Trip Cost Per Insured

PRE-EXISTING CONDITION WAIVER Included Per Insured

 

bosco

 

For reference, here are the details of the policy I selected via my TA for our next cruise:

 

Trip Cancellation: 100% of Trip Cost

Trip Interruption: 150% of Trip Cost

Travel Delay ($150 per person daily limit applies): $1,000 Per Person

Missed Connection: $500 Per Person

Baggage Coverage: $1,000 Per Person

Baggage Delay Coverage: $200 Per Person

Medical and Dental Coverage: $50,000 Per PlanEmergency Assistance and Transportation: $250,000 Per Plan

Rental Car Damage: $25,000 Per Plan

Accidental Death and Dismemberment: $100,000 Per Person/ $250,000 Per Plan

 

I bought separate policies for each passenger (8 of us), even husbands and wives, so every person gets the full benefit of each coverage limit. The cost difference of separating the policies was only the $6 service fee.

 

My travel insurance policy covers $100,000 in medical and dental. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything under that amount.

[Ren1216]

My travel insurance policy covers $100,000 in medical and dental. I wouldn't feel comfortable with anything under that amount.

 

I should have noted that everyone in my party has private insurance that will cover any medical expenses while traveling outside the country. So in our case, the medical portion of our travel policy is a secondary coverage. If you have private insurance, definitely call and ask about this. If you do not have coverage outside of the country, you may wish to consider higher coverage amounts.

[Lou33]

You only need to insure non-refundable amounts. Taxes and prepaid gratuities will be refunded by the cruise line if you cancel the cruise before embarkation. In many cases you can cancel hotel reservations up to 24 hrs. prior to the reservation date.

 

That's a good point. The cruise line will also refund the port charges, same with any prepaid excursions. Your travel insurance will not reimburse you for anything that would be refunded. You can't double dip. So it doesn't make sense to insure anything that will be refunded because you will never see any benefit from paying that extra premium.

[time4u2go]

if you can afford to eat the cost of your vacation, without losing your home, car or kids...you really don't need insurance to cover the trip. If you have medical issues or possibility of medical issues, then some sort of medical/evacuation ins. is a good thing to have. Your normal insurance won't cover you out of country.

It's all about what you can afford and how much risk you're willing to take.

 

I'm not sure it's wise to make such a blanket statement. Our normal insurance covers us out of the country.

[mayinindy]

Thank you so much for all of the advice. It is really appreciated!

[Happy2cruise]

I have found that Steve at Tripinsurancestore.com is very helpful also. It can be quite confusing but he seems to know what is what.

Totally agree:)

[Dakota0307]

I'm looking at buying insurance for my cruise for the first time. I have read other posts/boards about this as well as have gone to a couple of sites to compare plans. I'm still overwhelmed buy all of the different options and what is covered. What do you experienced cruisers typically look for in travel insurance? Those traveling with me are in our 30's with no health issues and are flying to the port. Any tips would be helpful!

 

Check ouT Travelers Insurance. I always purchase their GOLD. Have Travelers go over details. They provide wonderful customer service. Insurance is a must!

[donaldsc]

Don't forget to look at the policy that the Cruise line Offers.

 

Which will almost provide more useless coverage, less useful coverage and will cost more than 3d party insurance that you can tailor to fit your specific needs.

 

DON