Final Payment Time...Cruise Insurance Vent.....

[Krazy Kruizers]

For years we always bought cruise and health insurance. And for years we never had to use it until 2002 -- we started cruising back in the 80's. DH's mother died in 2002 just days before we were to leave on a cruise.

Our next time to use the insurance was in 2010 -- major snow storm damaged our house very badly.

2011 -- I fell and broke my wrist in 2 places the night before we were to fly out.

2012 -- major snow storm shut down Charlotte and Atlanta -- our connecting airports for 4 days. We had already booked to arrive 3 days pre-cruise -- but even that didn't help as we were so far down on the list of people that had to be taken care of before us. Cruise was to start on a Sunday and the soonest we could get to Tampa would have been late Tuesday.

[wwcruisers]

It isn't the amount, it's generally very reasonable and we can easily afford it, but it's that we have purchased it 23 times and never used it once....and for that, I am grateful.

 

I so wanted to skip it this time, but felt the weight of the WHAMMY hanging over my head and agreed to pay for it one more time. :D

 

Margie -- maybe this will make you feel a little better -- the one time in 12+ years of cruising that we forgot to buy trip insurance, was the one time we needed it. :eek:

 

We still refer to it as our "lost luggage cruise" -- bags didn't catch up to us till half-way through the cruise, and we didn't even expect them, then. So, we had to run out and buy what we could, in the few hours before the ship sailed. And, even with trip insurance, we would have incurred that out-of-pocket cost. The difference is that we could have filed a claim to be reimbursed, if we'd had insurance. We've never neglected to purchase it again. :o

 

So, I can sympathize about the added cost of insurance, and how it adds up. But, you never need it -- 'til you do! ;)

[Marseydotes]

Now that hubby has passed the "70 year old" mark, the cost of insurance is nearly double what it was. Does anyone know if you can purchase medical-only insurance? I would hate to "eat" the cost of a cruise, but am willing to gamble there-- but cannot take on a medical evacuation or major medical expenses overseas.

[BlueRiband]

As with any kind of insurance, whether it's on a television set or on a cruise, it all depends on your tolerance for risk and your ability to pay out of pocket if the "if" happens. Do I insure a weekend train trip? No. Three weeks involving transatlantic crossings and overseas ports? You bet.

 

Some choose not to insure because they have made your same calculation. The cumulative premiums add up to a cruise or two and they would rather spend that money on other things. Fine, their calculated choice. Unfortunately these are the cases that go running to the news media if they do lose their fare. I recall a case posted here where a family cancelled their NCL cruise when their young son needed cancer surgery and treatment. Evidently they didn't buy insurance and complained of how greedy and heartless was NCL for not giving them a free do-over.

[buggins0402]

For cancellation we use a credit card that has cancellation benefits (Chase United Air)...but it does not cover pre- existing health issues. Those really aren't a concern for us, any health issue we have has been controlled by meds...with no change. And, cancellation is the least of our concerns because we can easily underwrite the cost of the cruise ...it's really a lost opportunity cost in the end.

 

For medical, we buy a GeoBlu policy. Those costs could be significant and really be a hit on our bank account. But, some people have medical coverage o/s the US...therefore they might only need evacuation insurance on the medical side.

[sail7seas]

For about the 23rd time I just paid off my upcoming cruise and added cruise/trip insurance. I am reminded that we have never, not one time, claimed a single thing!! We have paid enough money in cruise insurance to have paid for another cruise, maybe two. But, we are scared to death to not get insurance because, for sure, if we don't get it this time, this will be the cruise where I break both my legs and need air evacuation home or we will miss the ship in Belize and it will cost us $10,000 to get back to the ship or home!! UGH!!!!

 

Anyone else go through this misery at final payment time??

 

Our 19th cruise will be in January, plus we have flown all over Europe. We have never bought any type of trip insurance and we are way ahead even if something were to happen this time. We do what we can to mitigate risk like arriving a day early when we cruise from a distant port, but in the end we are "self insured." We don't buy extended warrantes on appliances or cars either.

 

 

Our first number of cruises, we always purchased the insurance.

Premiums were very low and we didn't give it much thought.

We had excellent health insurance in those years that paid anywhere in the world and we had evacuation insurance from a separate source.

 

When the price of insurance increased and the terms changed, we chose to stop carrying cancellation/trip interruption insurance and for years did not.

 

We were 'at risk' of losing the price of a cruise if we had to cancel during penalty phase for probably the first 4 or 5 uninsured cruises. At that point, we were just about at break even.

 

We cruised in Suites always and after about 50+ or more cruises we only had our usual medical coverage and evacuation, we soon were many thousands (tens of thousands) of dollars ahead of the game. At that point, while we would have hated to lose the money were we to cancel a cruise, we knew we still had made an excellent choice for US, as it worked out. I would not begin to tell anyone else it is a good choice for them.

 

We then went on Medicare and now I always purchase medical insurance for out of country as that is a huge risk. Until my DH passed away, I never bought trip cancellation coverage but now that I am traveling either on my own or with friends, I think it wise for me to now have insurance.

 

No question we got lucky but we were willing to lose the price of the cruise(s) as we knew we could afford it or we would not have booked the cruise to begin with.

 

[SPacificbound]

Now that hubby has passed the "70 year old" mark, the cost of insurance is nearly double what it was. Does anyone know if you can purchase medical-only insurance? I would hate to "eat" the cost of a cruise, but am willing to gamble there-- but cannot take on a medical evacuation or major medical expenses overseas.

 

That is what we buy, medical and medical evacuation, which I keep annually with MedJet.

[SPacificbound]

For anyone with Medicare, it does not cover you once you leave the US.

[NMLady]

Our 19th cruise will be in January, plus we have flown all over Europe. We have never bought any type of trip insurance and we are way ahead even if something were to happen this time. We do what we can to mitigate risk like arriving a day early when we cruise from a distant port, but in the end we are "self insured." We don't buy extended warrantes on appliances or cars either.

 

Do you at least buy insurance that will cover hospitalization and med-evac? Those are the important things to cover.

[dioxide45]

Insurance is something you buy and hope you never have to use it.

 

We buy travel insurance any time we travel outside the US, mainly for the medical coverage. With cruises, you have a lot of flexibility on cancellation since you can often cancel up to 30-90 days before the cruise and get a full refund. So having it for trip cancellation isn't important. I guess we could pickup a medical only policy, but we usually only travel outside the USA once a year. Whether on a land based vacation or cruise.

[Just_Westy]

We have only had to claim travel insurance once and that was after being robbed in Bali 25 yrs ago. I allways have trip insurance especially when travelling to the US however my Platinum Visa card now gives us enough cover for holidays if I pay for everything on it.

 

cheers

Paul

[FTLcruisers]

We wouldn't think of cruising without insurance since we have had 2 cruises that had to be cancelled due to emergency hospitalizations - one was 2 weeks before our cruise and the other was 2 days before we were supposed to fly to Hong Kong to spend a few days prior to the cruise.

 

Think of it like car insurance - fortunately neither my husband or I have been involved in any accidents in many years but I pay my premiums!

 

Marianne

[FlyerTalker]

One word.....MedJet.

 

I was once told that life insurance is a wager that you make with the insurance company....one that you hope you lose. Same with other forms of insurance...it's wagering to hedge against loss.

 

Cancellation coverage is probably an unwise wager if you wait to the last minute to make payment. Far shorter time frame, so "self-insuring" makes more sense. OTOH, if you pay off a year out, then cancellation coverage makes sense.

 

In addition, be sure to only buy what you reasonably need. Medical, evac, trip interruption, lost luggage....those make a lot of sense. Cancellation - depends on your situation and the time frame. Also, is it best to buy through the cruiseline? Often their policies really don't help much. And, of course, remember that "insurance" is only to reimburse against actual financial losses....not to "get me to the ship" or "I lost days of my trip". Actual, documented losses.

 

Shop around. Learn about policies. Become an informed consumer and know the right coverage FOR YOU. For your situation. For your risk tolerance. For your financial condition.

[swomom]

We now just factor in insurance as part of the trip cost. I am not nearly as concerned about being reimbursed for the trip as for medical evacuation or repatriation. Through having a wonderful TA also learned that insuring upfront covers any pre-existing conditions...and if you are "linked" with them you are all covered if one person in your group cannot go. We also discovered that we were fully covered when a trip planned with our son, who is active-duty military, had a change of orders and the entire trip had to be re-scheduled. Did not lose a penny. Just a note...yes it is expensive, especially as we get older (sigh)..and we always insure privately, not through the cruise line. Ultimately it depends on your personal comfort level.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Our 19th cruise will be in January, plus we have flown all over Europe. We have never bought any type of trip insurance and we are way ahead even if something were to happen this time. We do what we can to mitigate risk like arriving a day early when we cruise from a distant port, but in the end we are "self insured." We don't buy extended warrantes on appliances or cars either.

 

 

So, no international med coverage or med evac? Familiar with the term "pennywise and pound foolish?"

[Porthopper101]

Our 19th cruise will be in January, plus we have flown all over Europe. We have never bought any type of trip insurance and we are way ahead even if something were to happen this time. We do what we can to mitigate risk like arriving a day early when we cruise from a distant port, but in the end we are "self insured." We don't buy extended warrantes on appliances or cars either.

 

 

I had an accident three weeks before our cruise. Without the insurance we would have lost $75,000.00. It was a 120 days WC on the Queen Mary 2. Things happen.

 

M

Edited September 5, 2015 by Porthopper101

[pris993]

For about the 23rd time I just paid off my upcoming cruise and added cruise/trip insurance. I am reminded that we have never, not one time, claimed a single thing!! We have paid enough money in cruise insurance to have paid for another cruise, maybe two. But, we are scared to death to not get insurance because, for sure, if we don't get it this time, this will be the cruise where I break both my legs and need air evacuation home or we will miss the ship in Belize and it will cost us $10,000 to get back to the ship or home!! UGH!!!!

 

Anyone else go through this misery at final payment time??

 

My DH and I, 83/68 yrs, we self insured until 3 years ago, we have been cruising since 1982, 50+ cruises, lost count, all over ... Mexico, Hawaii, Carribbean, Alaska, Northern Europe, western and eastern Mediterranean. In all those years my DH had an insect bite in St Thomas and I got an ear infection. We never missed a flight or a ship, we never lost any luggage, had a piece delayed once enroute from Paris to Rome that showed up a day late.

 

But at our age, things do happen, so finally started buying trip insurance to cover med and emergency evac when I turned 65. Initially started to buy thru my TA, purchased at the point of final payment since we were not really trying to insure the trip and we are both in good health. We bought at the last minute since we are retired and often book, cancel and book something else, so did not want to buy insurance with initial deposit. The TA's Life Guard package price took a big increase when insurance companies adjusted prices after Obama care came on board. Given the increased price, I decided to call Life Guard myself... found I could buy "business travelers" insurance on an annual basis for the two of us for $518, covers the basics... as compared to buying insurance per trip. I think this is a good way to go, have some basic cover for emergencies and other travel issues that could come up for a reasonable price.

 

We will keep traveling as long as our health is good. We are booked on the QM2 for 14 days this month, will go on the Grand Princess in December for 10 days and next March we are flying to Paris and Televiv for 2 weeks... this one insurance package has us covered for all 3 trips. Obviously it has limits, if one was to use it, then you might buy additional coverage but so far we are like you never had a claim... thank God.

[sail7seas]

So, no international med coverage or med evac? Familiar with the term "pennywise and pound foolish?"

 

With exception, most of us don't worry so much about the loss of the price of the trip as that is a known number and most would not book if they could not afford that amount of money.

 

The unknown potentially huge medical bills are what worry many of us. An uninsured accident or serious illness can severely impact most of our finances. A lengthy hospitalization in an ICU in some foreign hospital can be a tremendously expensive event. IF the doctors decide you are stable enough to be flown home, the price of that medical evacuation can be very high.

 

We chose to not insure our trips but we always made sure to have medical and evacuation/repatriation coverage. That can be bought for quite low premiums. The cancellation coverage is what boosts the price, at least that been my experience.

 

Why take that risk when a policy can be such short money?

 

[Desertbelle]

I was unaware that you could by a yearly separate traveling insurance policy. We travel about 4-6 weeks a year, all over the world, so it seems like a less expensive and smart thing to have. I am so glad I started this topic because I learned something new and useful! Thank you.

 

Now, who do you buy this type of insurance from? AAA? My home owners? (State Farm) or are there insurance companies that only do traveling insurance policies? Any recommendations?

[buggins0402]

I was unaware that you could by a yearly separate traveling insurance policy. We travel about 4-6 weeks a year, all over the world, so it seems like a less expensive and smart thing to have. I am so glad I started this topic because I learned something new and useful! Thank you.

 

Now, who do you buy this type of insurance from? AAA? My home owners? (State Farm) or are there insurance companies that only do traveling insurance policies? Any recommendations?

 

GeoBlu has annual medical travel medical policies - medical and evacuation only, not trip cancellation. Those only cost a couple hundred for the year. If you want some cancellation and other trip non medical, get a Chase United or Sapphire card and use that to charge the trip. AA Citi card also has some travel insurance benefits...but they are a bit more limited than the Chase benefits.

[Guest maddycat]

I was unaware that you could by a yearly separate traveling insurance policy. We travel about 4-6 weeks a year, all over the world, so it seems like a less expensive and smart thing to have. I am so glad I started this topic because I learned something new and useful! Thank you.

 

Now, who do you buy this type of insurance from? AAA? My home owners? (State Farm) or are there insurance companies that only do traveling insurance policies? Any recommendations?

 

I buy our insurance through the Trip Insurance Store. I call and discuss our needs with one of their agents. They recommend the policy which is best for us. They're really very knowledgeable and helpful.

 

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/index.shtml

 

You might want to read/post on the cc insurance board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[margob111]

I have always purchased trip insurance and actually ended up using it when my hubby got sick on our last cruise. Not only did I get reimbursed for the doctor and prescriptions, I also got reimbursed for an excursion he missed and 3 days he was confined to our cabin so I will always get it. I think I had to submit the bills to both insurances (we have Blue Cross and Kaiser) and then submit the denials and bills to get reimbursed by the cruise line insurance.

 

Pris993, which Grand trip are you on in December? We are on the December 30 cruise to Mexico and also live in San Mateo.

 

Buggins0402, what benefits can you get using a Chase card? I have one and have purchased insurance through the cruise line but after reading this thread may look elsewhere....have to figure out where to purchase it from.

 

Margaret

[Desertbelle]

I buy our insurance through the Trip Insurance Store. I call and discuss our needs with one of their agents. They recommend the policy which is best for us. They're really very knowledgeable and helpful.

 

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/index.shtml

 

You might want to read/post on the cc insurance board.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

I never had a question on how to buy trip insurance...we have tried different websites and companies over the years and have settled on a company we have used 8-10 times and we are very happy with them.

 

It's this yearly travel policy that has been discussed earlier that I am currently considering because it seems to make so much more sense than buying a policy for every trip.

[pris993]

Travel Guard offer an annual business travelers insurance.. just purchased an annual policy for $518 for myself and DH.

 

Covers:

 

Emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains $500,000

Escort maximum $25,000

Accident Sickness Medical $50,000

Security Evacuation $100,000

Trip interruption (return air only) $2,500

Trip delay $1,500

Missed connection $500

Baggage and personnel effects $2,500

Bag delay $1000

Accident Death & Dismemberment $50,000

[Hlitner]

No misery here. After around 100 cruises (several years on ships) we have never bought trip insurance. So we are ahead of the game by over $100,000 (quite a few of our cruises were very long trips). We do buy an annual travel medical policy (which gives us $250,000 of med and $500,000 of trip evacuation) and that policy costs us about $350 a year (total cost per couple) and covers the first 70 days of every trip we take throughout the policy year. As to cancellation, we simply take our chances which those in the insurance industry call self-insurance. We find the risk on cancellation to be minimum, and since we are paying for the trip anyway...the worst that happens is we are out of the cost of the trip. But our medical policy actually gives us a lot more coverage then nearly any trip insurance...for a fraction of the cost.

 

Hank