TRAVEL INSURANCE QUESTION - ALASKA CRUISE

[meldal]

I know this topic has been discussed many times, but please help.

 

I would like advice on buying travel insurance.  We booked an Alaskan cruise for next May (Voyage of the Glaciers (Southbound Whittier to Vancouver).  I am purchasing the Princess Platinum coverage (at the standard rate because we are Platinum members) - because of the "cancel for any reason" benefit.  However, I find the emergency medical ($20,000 max) and sickness ($20,000 max) very limited.

 

My husband and I have Medicare and secondary supplemental plans.  Medicare doesn't cover us in Canada and our supplemental insurance pays only 80% up to a lifetime maximum of $80,000 for emergency medical outside the US).

 

1)  Should I buy an additional trip insurance plan from (for example) AIG, Nationwide, or Allianz - or should I just purchase a medical insurance plan like GeoBlue which provides more generous medical coverage for single trips (but provides fewer other coverage benefits)? Also, I do have a yearly emergency transportation/evacuation membership through MedJet.  Or should I even bother buying additional insurance for this trip since we will only be in Canada less than a day - from the ship to the airport in Vancouver?

 

I understand that Canada is the only international country we will be visiting on this trip; however, accidents and medical events can happen.  We want to be prepared.  

Any advice will be much appreciated.

[newmilford]

Yes buy the Princess travel and add on GeoBlue. We are doing that as well. Cost effective way to be safe on medical and evacuation coverages.

[LACruiser88]

@meldal  I might suggest you peruse the Cruise Insurance Forum here on CC, a link below.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

[meldal]

Thank you so much for the advice.  I will look right now.

[cr8tiv1]

I am working with AON (Princess Vacation Package).  I had to use the Medical Center onboard the Caribbean Princess.  I do not have any serious medical issues.  I do have Medicare (Primary) and another Secondary (not supplemental) insurance.  

 

Just spoke to an AOL representative today.  I will be reimbursed by AON for anything Medicare and my Secondary do not cover.  

 

Granted, my secondary is expensive but covers a whole lot. Therefore, I do not purchase additional insurance policies above Princess.    

[Torfamm]

We have an annual policy with GeoBlue and a MedJet membership, In my opinion, a lot depends on whether you’ll have any other trips during the year. You might want to compare options on a site like insuremytrip or squaremouth

[Rick&Jeannie]

In addition to the Princess Platinum coverage I have an annual policy from Blue Cross...GeoBlue Trekker. Very reasonably priced. 

[LeeW]

Do you feel you need extra insurance while traveling in US?  Basically the entire cruise is in US.  However you might need transport home.  If you had to leave the ship Princess might pay to send you to an Alaskan hospital which is likely already in your Medicare network.  Check the Platinum  policy to see if it repatriates you home.

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Do you feel you need extra insurance while traveling in US?  Basically the entire cruise is in US.  However you might need transport home.  If you had to leave the ship Princess might pay to send you to an Alaskan hospital which is likely already in your Medicare network.  Check the Platinum  policy to see if it repatriates you home.

I often do pre or post cruise in Canada and buy GeoBlue for that.

[dickinson]

If you have any pre-existing conditions then Princess insurance for medical may not be right for you.  We go through trip insurance store.  We call them and discuss with them.  Many people on here use them.  this thread will probably be moved to the travel insurance subforum.  Someone up above gave you the link.  I hope you get a lot of info there.

[Boiler Cruiser]

I would not buy travel insurance for a cruise from the cruise line itself.  For me, it's like inviting the umpire to make the rules and enforce them.  In an insurance situation, you want a fully neutral party to make the judgement about what is covered and what is not.

 

I always buy my travel insurance from a third party, such as Allianz.  Such a company has no connection to the cruise line or the airline.  They also provide much better coverage for medical (beyond and in addition to Medicare).  They also cover pre-existing conditions.

 

Third party insurance also covers hotel, transportation (including airfare) and provides coverage if anything goes awry during your entire trip.

 

For this reason, I recommend highly that you get third party travel insurance, NOT the insurance offered by the cruise line.  Your TA will have a number of options.  Mine has been Allianz for a number of years, which I get from my TA.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I always buy the cruise line insurance...but mainly to "protect my investment". It's just comforting to know that I *should* at least get FCC should I have to cancel. I depend on GeoBlue Trekker and MedJet (and Medicare if we're on a domestic cruise).

[Babr]

Cruise line insurance can be an acceptable choice especially as one ages. The premium is based on percentage of fare, not age as third-party insurance is.

 

There is no need to be overly concerned that the claims will not be fairly settled. Princess is merely selling a policy with their name on it as another stream of revenue. Nationwide underwrites the policy, and AON administers the claims. Princess has nothing to do with it once you’ve bought the policy.

[Coral]

32 minutes ago, Babr said:

Cruise line insurance can be an acceptable choice especially as one ages. The premium is based on percentage of fare, not age as third-party insurance is.

 

There is no need to be overly concerned that the claims will not be fairly settled. Princess is merely selling a policy with their name on it as another stream of revenue. Nationwide underwrites the policy, and AON administers the claims. Princess has nothing to do with it once you’ve bought the policy.

It is acceptable as long as your medical costs are not over $20K or if you have medical coverage elsewhere. $20K does not get you far medical wise.

 

If you don't have medical coverage outside of the US - it is an awful plan.

[Babr]

Indeed. It would not be suitable for someone with Medicare alone or even one of those MediGap plans with a lifetime limit of $50,000 for foreign travel.

 

It could work for someone with a Medicare Advantage plan. Even at out-of-network rates, the $20,000 could cover co-pays or other out-of-pocket costs.

[NavyVeteran]

56 minutes ago, Coral said:

It is acceptable as long as your medical costs are not over $20K or if you have medical coverage elsewhere. $20K does not get you far medical wise.

 

If you don't have medical coverage outside of the US - it is an awful plan.

It may still be OK for an Alaska cruise with only one port in Canada. Each person needs to look at the coverage and their own situation.