Should I have cruise line insurance or other?

[WanttoCruise2015]

We are cruising Jan 1 2017 out of Galveston on Carnival Breeze but travelling from Vancouver British Columbia. I am trying to figure if it is best to get the insurance through the cruise line or another way? Currently I have the Carnival Insurance added for our trip but was told by family its too expensive and can get cheaper insurance and that carnivals is not worth the cost.

 

The reason I bought insurance is they say they have to help us make sure we get to the cruise ship (flying in day early anyways and have personally booked at the HI on the beach) and I booked the flight through them as flexible fare. Plus they stated if we cancelled for valid reason we would get bulk refunded and if any other reason then it would be future cruise credit ? (Sorry dont remember exactly it was either that or certain portion back depending on how far out cancelled).

 

I would want the insurance to cover for any reason and cover our butts with everything so is Carnivals truly the best option or does any inclusive insurance work? None of us have pre-exist medical conditions....

 

I believe I also have insurance with my credit card as well as through my work plan.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Check with online brokers like InsureMyTrip or SquareMouth. But, buy the insurance directly from the insurance company you select since some online broker specifics may have more limitations despite the same price (call and compare - especially regarding max trip length and max cruise cost).

 

Why would you buy insurance from the company that could possibly default and be the subject of your claim? Never buy a cruise line's insurance.

 

You may think you have no "pre-existing conditions." But, if you visited a doctor during the "look back period," what happened at that visit could be problematic - yes, even just advice or a new prescription.

 

The best credit card travel insurance coverage comes from companies like Chase (in particular, look at their United Airlines Mileage Plus Explorer VISA). BUT, note that travel savvy credit cards require that you pay for the various travel elements with that card AND coverage disappears with "preexisting conditions."

Also check to see if your regular health insurance covers all family members outside of your home country. And be aware of the potential impact of co-payments on things like medevac (10% of $100k is a chunk of change).

Finally, if you buy a comprehensive policy (trip and health supplement), be cautious about cheap prices (like less than 7-8% of your trip cost) - a sure sign something is missing from the equation.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[sparks1093]

Check with online brokers like InsureMyTrip or SquareMouth. But, buy the insurance directly from the insurance company you select since some online broker specifics may have more limitations despite the same price (call and compare - especially regarding max trip length and max cruise cost).

 

Why would you buy insurance from the company that could possibly default and be the subject of your claim? Never buy a cruise line's insurance.

 

You may think you have no "pre-existing conditions." But, if you visited a doctor during the "look back period," what happened at that visit could be problematic - yes, even just advice or a new prescription.

 

The best credit card travel insurance coverage comes from companies like Chase (in particular, look at their United Airlines Mileage Plus Explorer VISA). BUT, note that travel savvy credit cards require that you pay for the various travel elements with that card AND coverage disappears with "preexisting conditions."

Also check to see if your regular health insurance covers all family members outside of your home country. And be aware of the potential impact of co-payments on things like medevac (10% of $100k is a chunk of change).

Finally, if you buy a comprehensive policy (trip and health supplement), be cautious about cheap prices (like less than 7-8% of your trip cost) - a sure sign something is missing from the equation.

 

I can't add too much to this. www.insuremytrip.com will allow you to compare policies side by side and from what I've read their customer service if you have any questions is excellent.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I can't add too much to this. www.insuremytrip.com will allow you to compare policies side by side and from what I've read their customer service if you have any questions is excellent.

 

 

It's a good place to start looking. But, do realize that most, if not all, of these brokers (e.g., InsureMyTrip, SquareMouth, etc) don't necessarily list ALL of the appropriate policies). For example, InsureAndGo offers cruise specific policies that appear in SquareMouth listings but not in InsureMyTrip. Going directly to the InsureAndGo company website will also find the cruise versions. And, as aforementioned, the brokers may have more restrictive policy limitations than the actual insurer does (coverage max for trip length and/or cost).

[rockdoctor]

IMHO, cruise insurance depends on how you get your air. Carnival insurance is based on cruise value, and covers air at no additional cost. If you get your own air, you cannot use CCL insurance for it.

[jonpgh]

hellohello

[terracool]

I reluctantly buy the more-expensive cruise line insurance when I cruise solo. From what I understand, if something happens to you health/injury-wise, the ship will check for insurance purchased from them but would have no way of knowing if you purchased private insurance. Because there won't be anyone with me to tell someone I have insurance, I buy the ship's version so someone will know that I have it in the event of a health issue.

 

When I travel with others who will be around if something happens, I buy private insurance from one of the sites mentioned above. They will also sell health-only insurance if you have a trip that is so cheap that it's not worth insuring (ie, flying with awards points instead of cash).

 

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Edited April 11, 2016 by terracool

[sparks1093]

It's a good place to start looking. But, do realize that most, if not all, of these brokers (e.g., InsureMyTrip, SquareMouth, etc) don't necessarily list ALL of the appropriate policies). For example, InsureAndGo offers cruise specific policies that appear in SquareMouth listings but not in InsureMyTrip. Going directly to the InsureAndGo company website will also find the cruise versions. And, as aforementioned, the brokers may have more restrictive policy limitations than the actual insurer does (coverage max for trip length and/or cost).

 

Thanks for the tip!:)

[Slugsta]

I reluctantly buy the more-expensive cruise line insurance when I cruise solo. From what I understand, if something happens to you health/injury-wise, the ship will check for insurance purchased from them but would have no way of knowing if you purchased private insurance. Because there won't be anyone with me to tell someone I have insurance, I buy the ship's version so someone will know that I have it in the event of a health issue.

 

When I travel with others who will be around if something happens, I buy private insurance from one of the sites mentioned above. They will also sell health-only insurance if you have a trip that is so cheap that it's not worth insuring (ie, flying with awards points instead of cash).

 

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I have always found that the cruise personaliser asks for details of insurance, including emergency contact numbers.

[Kartgv]

A lot depends on where you're going. Once we did both types of insurance - a 29 day Princess South Pacific cruise round trip out of Los Angeles with many sea days and calls at ports where the quality of medical care was questionable. We did the cruise line insurance for immediate assistance and all the extras, but found their coverage for medical evacuation to be insufficient for peace of mind. We added the extra evacuation for somewhere around $300-$400 and felt much better.

 

As it turned out - there was an medical emergency onboard that caused the ship to turn back to a small island in the French Marquesas to evacuate a young crew member with a ruptured appendix. Once on the island, he was flown somewhere else for treatment once stabilized. Because it was a crew member, the cruise line probably covered all costs, but I'd hate to think what that trip would have cost if it had been a passenger.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Kartgv

[BlazinSunsets]

I agree with squaremouth. I was looking around for insurance and one of the huge parts of the cost is the 'cancel trip insurance'. I'm 95% sure I wouldn't need that one and squaremouth let me uncheck it, it dropped the prices quite a bit.

[WanttoCruise2015]

IMHO, cruise insurance depends on how you get your air. Carnival insurance is based on cruise value, and covers air at no additional cost. If you get your own air, you cannot use CCL insurance for it.

 

 

I booked the air through them as well because they had flexible fare where it could be added into the cruise cost.

 

This is our very first cruise and I thought booking everything through them would be easier. Only thing Carnival doesn't do is hotels....