Do you purchase cruise insurance?

[SailAways]

We would never even book a cruise without insurance.

 

Being seniors, we could be at a disadvantage. But, I do not believe anyone has a crystal ball which predicts when, where, or what type of emergency may occur in their lives.

 

Evacuation from a cruise ship alone could cost hundreds of thousands. Not many of us are prepared/or want to face this type of expenditure.

 

Spending a few hundred up front, at the time of booking, and knowing that we are covered entirely for any reason of cancellation, or evacuation or illness is money well spent for us. We use other than cruise line insurance, as the coverage is much better for us.

 

Some folks feel very comfortable without insurance of any type - not us.:)

[cruiserkelli]

When I started cruising, back in my 20's....I was very cocky..."I'm going on this cruise no matter what; even if they have to wheel me on the ship on a stretcher." I also felt that if someone in my family got sick or passed away I was still going to go...nothing would stop me from cruising. Now that I'm older (mid 40's, and wiser) and have lost dear family and friends to cancer and various other unexpected things, I realize that I need to be able to get back quickly should anything unexpected happen. Also, being on 2 cruises where folks were airlifted off the ship and finding out how expensive that is, I'm glad we purchase insurance now.

 

As you get older, you and your loved ones start to have all kinds of medical issues...some minor and some worse. Cruise line insurance very rarely covers pre-existing conditions so we always purchase from a TravelGuard or Access America or whoever my travel agency works with...they usually cover pre-existing conditions, which offers me more peace of mind.

 

Now I never travel without it....you live and learn. Hopefully, all of you who gamble like I used to won't learn the hard and expensive way. Happy, safe and healthy travels to all!! Kelli

[Ceenie]

Ditto on the insuremytrip.com. I got coverage for 2 covering just about everything we needed for $91 for our upcoming cruise to Alaska. I feel very secure now. Especially considering the cost of our trip and being that far away from home (and my kids).

[onemoretimeagain]

yes, i always purchase insurance. But be sure the insurance covers the type of emergency you might expect. There are different levels of insurance, such as the type that would fly you off the ship, and get you all the way home to your country, city, etc. There is the kind that will cover if someone you are traveling with cannot make the trip. I have already had to use my insurance once and it was well worth the cost. There are also different amounts of coverage, so be sure to check them out thoroughly and don't just accept the cruise line insurance without research.

 

Onemore

[*Luv2Cruz*]

We just started getting insurance on our last trip after my wife had surgery. It's a small price for peace of mind and if any emergency comes up we're covered!;)

[bklynangel]

thanks for the input

i always do incase I get sick on the ship. If your out of the US it can cost alot of money to fly back and it you don't have it, you might have to stay in the other country to pay the expense.

[bklynangel]

Don't worry OrangeKitty....you are no longer the only minority here. LOL We have never ever purchased insurance for any of our vacations either. This is our first cruise and are not purchasing it for this one either. I'm not worried about it one bit, and we'll gamble and take our chances. Odds are on our side, and for now I don't see the need to pay for something I've always taken a gamble on. Sure, "what ifs" can happen. And I can also get struck by lightening too. Not saying it'll never happen, but chances are slim. I'm willing to take that chance, and I don't dwell on it at all by us not taking out insurance. :)

I had a friend that had to pay 30,000 to get flown out because of an apendix attack and needed it to be taken out. I never gamble with the cheap cost of insurance compaired to the expense it can cost you.You can also land up in a hospital in another country and they usually dont release you until you pay. Some people have to have money wired to them and if no one has it...oh boy, you will be in trouble. I wasn't going to get insurance on my cruise in 07. I got sick on the ship with an allergic reaction from my meds. Thank god for insurance because they didn't take my home insurance. It cost 200.00 just for the first visit and that didnt include meds and testings.They usually put it on your on board account and then you get reembersed.

[Catz4001]

I always buy it...earlier this year my daughter and I took a 4 night bahama cruise...bought the insurance for $26 each.

When we got back to Miami, we couldn't get home due to snow in Atlanta.

They paid all expenses...room, food, car, gas. We stayed and enjoyed another couple days. and had the money in about 2 weeks.

Not major, but sure came out ahead.

[bowlegs2]

Living in Europe we are told by every TA to never travel to the USA without substantial Health Insurance.

 

For a few years we arranged single trip insurance and then 5 years ago discovered that it was only about 1/3 more to take out annual cover and this included any trip where we were away from home for more than 2 nights.

 

The cover we have is extensive and excellent with Medical Cover and medical repatriation of $20 million each. It covers not only us but gives us protection in the event of illness, accident or death to close family members which causes cancellation or curtailment, The cover includes $1950 per day for one partner in the event the other is hospitalised, In flight death or any personal accident, delays, missed connections, baggage (including $600 each for emergency purchases if necessary) , cash, legal fees to pursue claims, public liability for claims against us, plus many other benefits..

 

For 4 years we had never had to make a claim and it seemed had paid $2300 for peace of mind. Then in early 2007 3 weeks before departure I suffered sudden heart problems for the first time. The insurers were fantastic and with the minimum amount of inconvenience, paper work and delay made a full refund $13,400 for flights, pre paid hotels and cruise .Wow did that $2300 premiums seem value for money

 

Now the Cardio has given permission to start long distance travel again and so we have booked our first NCL cruise Western Caribbean. We have been invited to renew the cover - and jumped at it - even if my heart condition is excluded until there is a 2 year trouble free period - but all the other benefits still make it in our opinion excellent value at the annual rate of $570 for 2.

 

So for sure from personal experience we would never leave home without Travel Insurance.

 

An incident which we now look back on with amusement but which shocked us at the time - 6 years ago. A Caribbean cruise and 5 days before we disembarked an elderly gentleman had a massive heart attack and died beside the pool, Next morning when we docked his body was removed to be flown home. The wife stayed on board and told us all that she had looked forward to the cruise for so long and had paid for 10days so she was not going to miss the last 4 days!!! .

We often wonder if she claimed a 4 day refund for her husband. LOL. The alternative explanation she gave was that since they did not have insurance and she would be having to pay to get her husband body home why spend more money on air fare for herself. No surprise that this became the major topic for conversation for the final few days

[Travel Nymph]

We have done extensive traveling outside the US and never had travel insurance. Our Platinum card supposedly covers anything we've charged for reimbursement. (DH dropped our new camera and it too was covered)

 

Since reading these boards, we've changed our minds and now take the offered insurance and have our Visa card coverage as back-up.

[Wilcoam]

Honestly - my wife and I do NOT purchase any kind of Cruise Insurance or Extra Medical Coverage for our travel in North America - However we are in our late 30's/early 40's

 

BUT - when cruising in both South America - Europe - or Antartica we do get extra coverage - always PRIMARY - (IE: Non Cruiseline) which will cover all flights - regardless if purchased thru cruiseline or independant - all hotels (same thing) - and all pre cruise and post cruise travel

 

I very much reccomend websites like insuremytrip or/and others or highly do NOT reccomend cruiseline insurance (which pays or covers AFTER your prirmary insurer and IMO is orientated to get you to pay upon final booking without alot of coverage information)

 

Cruise critic offer lots of great info on Insurance Coverage if you use the search indexes - Good luck

 

jc

toronto

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[VJA]

Quick question --

 

We are going to be researching cruise insurance this week for our 9/7/08 cruise to Alaska, but my only concern on this trip is missing the boat because we are flying via United, and scheduled to arrive at the Seattle airport at 9:45 a.m. for a 4:00 p.m. ship's departure (and unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, we can't fly there a day earlier). This is starting to give me heart palpitations. United isn't exactly known for its reliability these days. However, we're doing it with FF Miles (trying to burn through them before UA goes under), which I'm afraid won't be covered.

 

1. Since the airfare is zero, will that be covered by our trip insurance, if we have to buy new tickets that morning to get us to Seattle on time?

 

2. If we miss the boat because of flight delays, we have to wait two days to catch up with it. Does travel insurance reimburse us for 2/7 of the cost of the cruise?

 

I have to stop worrying about this one contingency. As my friends who practice The Secret would say - I'm manifesting this reality. Still -- it is United. Res ipsa loquitur.

[beachchick]

Quick question --

 

We are going to be researching cruise insurance this week for our 9/7/08 cruise to Alaska, but my only concern on this trip is missing the boat because we are flying via United, and scheduled to arrive at the Seattle airport at 9:45 a.m. for a 4:00 p.m. ship's departure (and unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, we can't fly there a day earlier). This is starting to give me heart palpitations. United isn't exactly known for its reliability these days. However, we're doing it with FF Miles (trying to burn through them before UA goes under), which I'm afraid won't be covered.

 

1. Since the airfare is zero, will that be covered by our trip insurance, if we have to buy new tickets that morning to get us to Seattle on time?

 

2. If we miss the boat because of flight delays, we have to wait two days to catch up with it. Does travel insurance reimburse us for 2/7 of the cost of the cruise?

 

I have to stop worrying about this one contingency. As my friends who practice The Secret would say - I'm manifesting this reality. Still -- it is United. Res ipsa loquitur.

 

I understand your concerns. My mom is trying to burn through her United FF miles too.

 

We can't give truly accurate answers to your questions simply because it depends entirely on your specific contract and version through the specific insurer. There are so many insurers and so many choices of coverage that it would be wrong for any of us to say "yes" or "no" as an absolute answer. Your insurance contract should address some of these issues, but for the FF one, you'll probably need to contact the insurer (ask for the claims dept, not the sales dept!).

 

I will answer based on our experience. We have always used Travel Guard (sometimes the Cruise Tour and Travel with primary coverage and sometimes the ProtectAssist with secondary coverage). We have had two claims (one for medical when we had to come home early; one for bankruptcy of a cruise line). My mother has had one claim for medical.

 

1. Our specific experience was that TG reimbursed us the fee to change our FF flights, but it was not a situation where we had to buy replacement tickets. In almost all cases, the cost of replacement tickets in order to get you to your destination would be covered regardless of whether the original tickets are through FF. The trip delay coverage is not dependent on how much you paid or how you booked your original tickets. If United cancels your flight and you have to buy new tickets that morning, you will probably be covered for the cost of buying last minute replacement tickets. Remember that there is almost always a minimum amount of time that you must be delayed before the coverage kicks in.

 

Now, if you had to cancel your trip entirely, the insurer would almost certainly only reimburse the fee to have the miles returned to your FF account. That is exactly what happened with my mom when she had to cancel a whole trip. TG reimbursed the $100 to return the miles to her account.

 

2. Typically, yes (based on the TG contracts we've had, as well as the time we had to leave a 7-night cruise on day 3). We (both my DH and I) were reimbursed a pro-rated amount for the 4 days we had to miss. This should be detailed under the Travel/Trip Delay portion of your insurance contract. That's the section that will also tell you how much they will cover per day for lodging, meals, and reasonable expenses during your delay.

 

Okay, now what you should do is take a nice deep breath and think good thoughts. That will help you get in the right frame of mind and will send good vibes out into the universe to help you get to the ship on time.

 

Hope that helps a little bit.

 

beachchick

[VJA]

Beachchick -

 

You're awesome. Thank you so much!

[nautica34]

Afer reading all everyone's input on these boards I'm leaning more towards the insurance. I'm still confused on some of the coverages and the more quotes I get the more confused. The one the TA offered through NCL seemed like it covered a lot but also more expensive. Does anyone know how much the cruise company makes off of each purchase?

[VJA]

I just got off the phone with Deanna at TripInsuranceStore.com and I must say, they were wonderful. Comparing policies right now and I'd love to ask the experts for advice.

 

Between the Travelex TraveLite policy and the Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector Plan, which do you think offers better service? One is $304 and one is $350 (both for primary coverage), so price isn't really a factor, especially if one company is significantly more responsive than the other.