Why You Need Travel Insurance!!! (My Story on the Crown)

[Elitein85days]

It's beyond my comprehension how someone would have a credit card with that high a credit line. I certainly don't know anyone that has that! Well, actually I have an older couple friends who might have that kind of limit.

 

Our Amex occasionally has a seven figure balance every month that's paid in full at the end of the month. High limit CC's exist.

[USN59-79]

Our Amex occasionally has a seven figure balance every month that's paid in full at the end of the month. High limit CC's exist.

Are you really saying that you occasionally pay a million dollar credit card bill at the end of the month? As we would say in the Navy "Surely you jest, sir."

[Woobstr112G]

Hi everyone!!

Just thought I'd share my story about what happened to me on a recent cruise on the Crown Princess.

It was a great cruise to Mexico, but with 2 nights left I went up to Skywalkers with a couple of friends. I wasn't dancing at first then they asked me to join. Within 3 minutes I went to turn, both feet STUCK to the dance floor and I went crashing down and landed on my left wrist. I bounced right back up and moved my wrist thinking I had maybe sprung it. But when it moved in 5 directions at once I knew it was broken!! :eek::eek::eek:

I immediately went down to Medical on Deck 4 and 2 doctors and a nurse tended to me all night, putting me to sleep to reset the arm and put a cast on. They took very good care of me. But when we went to settle our account we had been billed almost $4000 USD for medical services!! In case you don't know, they do not accept insurance of any kind and you must pay this before you disembark.

So we have travel insurance and we have submitted all the bills, waiting and praying they reimburse it all. I'll come back and update once we know.

But just wanted to remind everyone that accidents happen in the flash of a second......GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!!

 

Never leave home without it.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Elitein85days]

Are you really saying that you occasionally pay a million dollar credit card bill at the end of the month? As we would say in the Navy "Surely you jest, sir."

 

That is correct. We have a good relationship with Amex.

[Treven]

That is correct. We have a good relationship with Amex.

Would you add me to your card?

[caribill]

 

In fact, I've heard of stories where people can't pay their onboard account at the end of the cruise. Apparently the company just makes some kind of arrangement to collect the funds however they can until they get their money.

 

Not sure how accurate those stories are unbder normal circumstances.

 

If you are using a credit/debit card with Princess they put a hold for the new charges each day. If you reach your limit on the card, they will cut off your ability to charge unless you provide them with an alternate method of payment.

 

If you have a cash account on board, you must put a deposit down at the start of the cruise and if it gets used up, they will contact you for more $$$ before you can charge more to your on board account.

 

Now if you suddenly buy $5000 worth of jewelry and do not have enough credit/cash to take care of it once the charge is made, then I could see a problem happening.

[hansi]

So I guess that we should hold on to those credit cards we have with a $40K credit limit if for no other reason than in the event of a medical emergency overseas. ;)

 

Here in the UK, all travel insurance has to include 24 hour emergency assistance which can be contacted by Princess if the charges become so much that you do not have the means to pay for it or have to be evacuated, then the insurance company will guarantee payment so you don't have to have ridiculous amounts of credit available.

[Elitein85days]

Would you add me to your card?

 

I think I'll have to say no.

[Pushka]

Here in the UK, all travel insurance has to include 24 hour emergency assistance which can be contacted by Princess if the charges become so much that you do not have the means to pay for it or have to be evacuated, then the insurance company will guarantee payment so you don't have to have ridiculous amounts of credit available.

 

 

Yes. My understanding also. In Australia.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Hawka]

They dont accept travel insurance as payment? Thats absurd. Many will not have $4000 free funds on their card. Insurance Policies in Australia require pre authorisation on large (>$1000) hospital bills.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

am not sure if i heard this before my cruise but during it i did as someone i met had to go to the medical room, like the doc's you do have to pay than claim, unless they bulk bill, [in australia] , same as ship though they don't bulk bill, my friends bill for the one visit was $400 though they wanted to see her again not sure what it cost in the end , there was someone staying the night as they were badly sea sick [i think] ,

[must have been sensitive as i didnt think my cruise was that rough],

they were already over $1000 for a nights stay and what ever they had done

Edited March 26, 2016 by Hawka

[Hawka]

Always have to pay upfront and then reclaim no matter where in the world that I have been to. Only place I never had to was the UK even though we had travel insurance and we offered. They didn't know how to process the claim and said as we were expats they would let us have the services for free

 

By the way I work as a cruise ship nurse and can't believe the number of people who travel without insurance.

 

Terry

same whether on a ship or elsewhere heard stories of people having ended up in hospital in Bali , now from what i hear it is cheap to go there etc yet no insurance then they groan when they have a $30,000 bill for a broken leg and whatever else they got when they ended up in hospital there and they want people that they don't even know to help them pay it when a simple travel insurance plan would have been so much cheaper than that

[Hawka]

Here in the UK, all travel insurance has to include 24 hour emergency assistance which can be contacted by Princess if the charges become so much that you do not have the means to pay for it or have to be evacuated, then the insurance company will guarantee payment so you don't have to have ridiculous amounts of credit available.

 

would hope that all insurance companies have this in case of those bills that go above and beyond figures that you could not afford to pay up front for , will remember to ask that question next time i need to buy insurance

[LoriPhil]

To clarify, doesn't' the medical evacuation on Princess or Travel Guard insurance include flights home to a chosen hospital for care - even if overseas?

[crochetcruise]

This will be covered - it is cut and dry accident on the ship. She had no pre-existing conditions about her wrist.

 

The things I wonder about is the person who has high blood pressure and is being treated for it and has a heart attack or someone with high cholesterol and has a heart issue. Or someone who falls and breaks something due to low blood sugar..... These are the tricky ones.....

 

I have multiple handicaps, some of which I am being treated/monitored for-Legal Blindness, Osteoporosis, Asthma. When I booked my cruise, I purchased International Travel Insurance the same day, the TA DIDN'T know that I needed it for an Australian Coastal Cruise, so I showed her the Princess Cruises brochure. I take the attitude-better to spend several hundred $$$ on insurance, than have to pay thousands of $$$$ and ruin any future chance of affording a cruise!

 

I disclosed all known medical conditions at that date, and if diagnosed with any new conditions, would disclose the new information and attempt to have them included, knowing it would be an extra cost. Peace of mind is priceless!

[tml1230]

threads like this are always helpful , and serve as a reminder to folks who travel…it reinforces and supports my cautious attitude towards travel.I developed this attitude at 55 years of age, which in hindsight was stupid. i should have been buying travel insurance at 30, when we first started traveling abroad.

 

Like others have mentioned ,we always take some high credit line credit cards... i always assume in an emergency outside of the U.S.…. my boyish charm and innocent smile won't work in convincing a medical professional somewhere to "bill me" for services OR accept my travel insurance documentation as payment.

 

OK i gotta ask here… tell the truth...am i the only person who had to google HELOC card?

[Hawka]

no but i haven't googled it yet been busy, i have not heard of them in Australia either

[Hawka]

To clarify, doesn't' the medical evacuation on Princess or Travel Guard insurance include flights home to a chosen hospital for care - even if overseas?

 

i would think any comprehensive travel insurance would cover that

[PescadoAmarillo]

To clarify, doesn't' the medical evacuation on Princess or Travel Guard insurance include flights home to a chosen hospital for care - even if overseas?

 

No. It will provide money toward evacuation to the closest appropriate hospital equipped to treat the issue but not to a hospital of your choice. And it might not include enough money...depends on the policy.

 

MedJet Assist for one will evacuate you to a chosen hospital. There are others too, but Princess Vacation Protection is not among them.

[Happy2cruise]

Here's a story that's even worse than the $4,000 ship bill. On our recent Panama Canal cruise, a woman got very ill. The doctors on board had no idea what was wrong with her and when we got to Aruba an ambulance came and got her. The family went with her. Upon entering the hospital registration, the hospital demanded $5,000 CASH to admit and see her. Of course they didn't have the money on them so they returned to the ship and some how got the money and went back to the hospital. In many foreign countries, they do not accept US health insurance or travel insurance - including MediCare. I would call my bank and have them wire the money if it came down to me getting the care of die. We always get TravelGuard and I have a lengthy printout from them as what to do in case of such a situation. They are there to help you in every case.

We always purchase TravelSafe which meets our needs and one of the advantages is "advance payment to a medical facility if needed to secure your admission". We also carry a copy of policy with us with all the phone#'s and info needed in case a situation arises.

[Blondilu]

Not sure how accurate those stories are unbder normal circumstances.

 

If you are using a credit/debit card with Princess they put a hold for the new charges each day. If you reach your limit on the card, they will cut off your ability to charge unless you provide them with an alternate method of payment.

 

If you have a cash account on board, you must put a deposit down at the start of the cruise and if it gets used up, they will contact you for more $$$ before you can charge more to your on board account.

 

Now if you suddenly buy $5000 worth of jewelry and do not have enough credit/cash to take care of it once the charge is made, then I could see a problem happening.

 

I actually read that here. Not the norm, I suppose. I can't imagine spending more than I have.

 

But, the nurse did tell me to say I couldn't pay this bill. I didn't do that, I thought it odd because they already had my credit card number. If there wasn't enough limit this month wouldn't they just keep charging it until they had their money? The point is that on the ship, at least, paying up front may not necessarily be required when you visit the Medical Center. Totally different story when ashore in a foreign country.

 

Anyway, as proven time and time again in all these posts: get Travel Insurance. Too bad they don't have insurance for your onboard account. :D

[USN59-79]

One thing that might not be known if you are retired U.S. military and use Tricare is that it pays for overseas medical services, unlike medicare. We were on a cruise around Africa a few months ago and DW had a cast removed and x-rays taken onboard the Ocean Princess. We filed a claim when we returned and they paid it minus $150. annual deductable.

[PescadoAmarillo]

One thing that might not be known if you are retired U.S. military and use Tricare is that it pays for overseas medical services, unlike medicare. We were on a cruise around Africa a few months ago and DW had a cast removed and x-rays taken onboard the Ocean Princess. We filed a claim when we returned and they paid it minus $150. annual deductable.

 

Up to 180 days at least. DH has an additional civilian federal government insurance on top of Tricare, plus travel insurance when we're out of the country.

[Pushka]

I have multiple handicaps, some of which I am being treated/monitored for-Legal Blindness, Osteoporosis, Asthma. When I booked my cruise, I purchased International Travel Insurance the same day, the TA DIDN'T know that I needed it for an Australian Coastal Cruise, so I showed her the Princess Cruises brochure. I take the attitude-better to spend several hundred $$$ on insurance, than have to pay thousands of $$$$ and ruin any future chance of affording a cruise!

 

 

 

I disclosed all known medical conditions at that date, and if diagnosed with any new conditions, would disclose the new information and attempt to have them included, knowing it would be an extra cost. Peace of mind is priceless!

 

 

Your TA needs to brush up on their knowledge.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[coo359a2]

One thing that might not be known if you are retired U.S. military and use Tricare is that it pays for overseas medical services, unlike medicare. We were on a cruise around Africa a few months ago and DW had a cast removed and x-rays taken onboard the Ocean Princess. We filed a claim when we returned and they paid it minus $150. annual deductable.

 

I know that Tricare will cover us for overseas medical services but curious on how overseas medical charges compare to what Tricare allows for each medical charge. Does Tricare pay overseas medical charges in full or just what they consider to be allowalbe charges for the procedure the same as they do in the US. We have always filed any ship's medical charges with our travel insurance not Tricare. So far, we have not had to use any "local" doctors or hospitals while cruising out of US.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I know that Tricare will cover us for overseas medical services but curious on how overseas medical charges compare to what Tricare allows for each medical charge. Does Tricare pay overseas medical charges in full or just what they consider to be allowalbe charges for the procedure the same as they do in the US. We have always filed any ship's medical charges with our travel insurance not Tricare. So far, we have not had to use any "local" doctors or hospitals while cruising out of US.

I haven't had to file a travel claim while having only Tricare since DH was AD, but I still had to file first with Tricare. I think that all they didn't pay was the regular co-pay, which I then submitted to travel insurance. There is a special Overseas Tricare department that cruise ship medical claims are sent to.

 

ETA: I received an email about the new Tricare Overseas portal in the past few months. It included a link to this YouTube tutorial. You might find this helpful.

 

Edited March 26, 2016 by PescadoAmarillo