Who to buy Travel Insurance from - Cruise line or independent provider?

I'm sailing on Oceania and found their insurance for a 10day cruise more expensive than I've bought in the past. My greatest concern is my in-laws (80/82y.o.).

I found great coverage w/o pre-existing conditions for half the price (cancelation and medical coverage). Any thoughts?

The cruise line insurance u is rarely the best choice - most notably the cruise line often excels only for older passengers with pending conditions that need to be covered.

For private insurance I find insuremytrip.com to provide the most variety of choices and to be the most accurate about the coverage they offer.

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My greatest concern is my in-laws (80/82y.o.).

I found great coverage w/o pre-existing conditions for half the price (cancelation and medical coverage). Any thoughts?

If your greatest concern is your in-laws, then "pre-existing" coverage is a must whether they are traveling with you or not.

It is imperative to have travel insurance. We have seen passengers having to be taken off by helicopter due to medical issues and that won't come cheap.

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See Travel Insurance Primer for Cruise Travelers and When Bad Things Happen to Good Cruisers: Will Insurance Protect You?.

The two big reasons why I have travel insurance is out-of-country medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation. A medical evacuation can cost big time. I also never get the insurance through the cruise line because, quite frankly, the cruise lines look out for themselves. Instead, I get my coverage through AAA which uses Alianz.

. I also never get the insurance through the cruise line because' date=' quite frankly, the cruise lines look out for themselves. .[/quote']

 

Curious to know where this information comes from. Is this fact? or conspiracy?

 

I don't usually purchase insurance through the cruise line either. More for cost of coverage reasons versus thinking the cruise line has a financial interest in coverages and whether to pay claims or not.

 

Carnival insurance is underwritten by Nationwide and/or Transamerica Casualty depending on where one resides.

Royal Caribbean is underwritten by Archer or Transamerica Casualty depending on where one resides.

Princess is underwritten by Nationwide or Transamerica Casualty.

 

The cruise line probably makes a commission off the policy, but so does anybody who sells a policy. Even Steve at Tripinsurancestore makes a commission.

 

 

Why would a cruise line policy make sense?

1. No age limit on pricing

2. Cancel For Any Reason for no additional costs

 

Why not cruise line policy

1. Usually no pre-exsisting coverage

2. Lower medical limits and usually secondary.

3. Lower evacuation coverages.

Curious to know where this information comes from. Is this fact?

Read through any cruise line Terms & Conditions. There are all sorts of exclusions and limitations in that contract. Note that I'm not saying that there aren't any good reasons behind those T&Cs, only that they protect the cruise line. Now, apply that mentality to the insurance offered through the cruise line, and you understand why I will go with a third party provider.

Now' date=' apply that mentality to the insurance offered through the cruise line, and you understand why I will go with a third party provider.[/quote']

 

Makes zero sense, but if it makes you feel better,,, whatever! :confused: where did I put my tinfoil?

We use our Chase Sapphire Visa card which has special travel insurance included when you pay with the card. Or we use squaremouth but read the policies word for word....some are very slippery.

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Makes zero sense, but if it makes you feel better,,, whatever! :confused: where did I put my tinfoil?

I ended up getting better coverage with no pre-existing conditions at less than half the cost through squaremouth - thank you everyone.

We use our Chase Sapphire Visa card which has special travel insurance included when you pay with the card. Or we use squaremouth but read the policies word for word....some are very slippery.

 

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Remember, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa card does NOT cover preexisting conditions.

RB

Remember, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa card does NOT cover preexisting conditions.

RB

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It is imperative to have travel insurance. We have seen passengers having to be taken off by helicopter due to medical issues and that won't come cheap.

 

 

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I may be wrong but I believe that most helicopter evacuations are done by governmental organizations such as the US Coast Guard or the equivalent thereof in another country. They do not charge for the evacuation. Now when you get on shore and are deposited in a hospital or you have to be transferred to a hospital that offers a higher level of medical care, then the costs rise.

I am not saying that travel insurance is unnecessary but the reason that you are giving for needing it is probably incorrect.

DON

donaldsc

Well, that may be the case in the US and also in the UK, but it's not in many European countries where even if you didn't pay for a helicopter, you would pay a princely sum for an ambulance.

I'd much rather have the peace of mind that we are not going to be landed with a hefty bill, wherever we are.

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It is imperative to have travel insurance. We have seen passengers having to be taken off by helicopter due to medical issues and that won't come cheap.

 

 

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The pax doesn't pay for the helicopter. It's courtesy of a Uncle Sam if it's US Coast Guard

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Maggie cruises

I don't think the US coastguard operates from Santorini or Lerwick.

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Maggie cruises

 

I don't think the US coastguard operates from Santorini or Lerwick.

 

 

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But US have plenty of bases all over the world and it's a total misconception if you think that pax being airlifted off will be getting a bill or if they do will be forced to pay it

However....

If you need evac...you get evac from a ship...period ...and no pax will have to pay upfront regardless of having travel insurance or not. Please think clearly here ok....and also remember that socialized medicine (for hospital costs) exists in many places...

The costs to the pax will involve any medical on land and on board ship and the return to your home and costs associated for your travel party ...not the evac from the ship and quite possibly not any hospital costs in say a country like Italy ....however one still needs travel insurance anyway.

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Maggie cruises

Unless the passenger is an EU citizen with an EHIC card it's very unlikely they would get free medical treatment in any European country. I very much doubt the US coastguard would be evacuating anybody from a cruise ship or RTA in Europe.

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Maggie cruises

 

Unless the passenger is an EU citizen with an EHIC card it's very unlikely they would get free medical treatment in any European country. I very much doubt the US coastguard would be evacuating anybody from a cruise ship or RTA in Europe.

 

 

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The medical portion of their travel insurance would cover any hospital costs etc in Europe wouldn't it?

However are you saying that a non eu citizen would not get emergency care in Europe if evac from a ship for say a heart attack?

Care would be withheld until ability to pay was determined?

Regardless...I've posted that yes you DO need travel insurance I am not against that...but...logical thought overcomes me sometimes..so...can you answer with complete confidence based on facts...

1. That emergency medical care would be withheld in a foreign country?

2. Have you any concrete evidence that any pax was charged...and forced to pay ....for a ship evac in the Med?

3. If so, what was that cost and how and when was the pax made to pay?

:4. Do you have evidence that a med evac was refused for an emergency because they didn't have travel medical evac insurance? If so...does the cruiseline just let you die? Or do they use their brains and get you evac?

5. Do you not know that the USA has reciprocal agreements with other countries?

6. Do you really think the nationality and ability to pay must be confirmed ahead of time?

And most importantly.....

7. Are you saying the ship would not arrange a Med evac for a pax without insurance? If pax were unconscious and traveling solo they would have no way to determine this would they?

Disclaimer: I advocate buying travel insurance...but I'm never going to buy into the theory that any hostipal would deny emergency care or any country would refuse a medical evac...or worse....any cruiseline would refuse to call a medical evac based on ability to pay. The us coast guard would evac a non us citizen so why is it such a stretch that another country wouldn't.

I also realize that no...a pax does NOT ...want to be stuck in a dump of a hospital in the third world....so....

That's why you buy travel insurance so they send a nurse to get you stabilized and advocate for you and get you brought home and to pay your bills.

However...in an emergency...you WILL be taken off the ship be it be chopper or emergency port stop and you WILL be cared for in a hospital. You will be able to get home...but really...they cannot get $50,000 from you on the spot for the chopper if you are not insured.

There are lots of theories out there but I'd really like to hear a first hand account of a pax who got stuck with $100,000's in Med bills and what the foreign country did to recover payment. Did they put a Lien on your home? Did they put you in jail in the foreign country?

Or perhaps did they treat you and send you on your way?

If I hear real documented stories then I stand corrected but somehow I think that it's going to be difficult to find a person whose life was destroyed financially because of a chopper evac from a ship.

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I'm not prepared to answer a questionnaire. What I'm saying is that you need travel insurance to cover any medical costs whether they be from an evacuation or land holiday if you are in a foreign country. Not too difficult to understand.

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I'm not prepared to answer a questionnaire. What I'm saying is that you need travel insurance to cover any medical costs whether they be from an evacuation or land holiday if you are in a foreign country. Not too difficult to understand.

 

 

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I've posted that I agree that you need medical travel insurance as well...did you not read that?

However....a person will be evac from a ship regardless of wether they bought insurance or not

The ship is not going to ignore your medical emergency because you don't have insurance

And it important to note that an evac from a ship to a hospital in Rome or Barcelona or wherever is NOT the same thing as transporting a sick or injured patient back to their home

You WILL be taken off the ship regardless of insurance or not and you WILL get emergency treatment ...

The problem WILL arise when you need to get home from that land based hospital

So in conclusion...evac from ship IS NOT the financial crisis...it's the AFTERMATH that is

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