Vacation protection plans worth it?

[djunemill]

does it make sense to purchase the vacation protection plan offered by the cruise line?

Edited November 17, 2009 by djunemill

[AZPam]

It's always smart to get travel insurance, if that's what you are talking about. I prefer to get mine thru insuremytrip.com but something is better than nothing. I always try to get a policy that is in first position so that I don't have to file a claim with my health or homeowners coverage first.

[Traveler353]

does it make sense to purchase the vacation protection plan offered by the cruise line?

 

Like all insurance only if you need to use it. If you do and don't have it you will be wishing that you had purchased it or some other travel insurance. Check out http://www.insuremytrip.com/ for a comparison of many different travel insurance policies.

[uppitycats]

does it make sense to purchase the vacation protection plan offered by the cruise line?

 

While I absolutely encourage you to get trip insurance, I really don't like buying insurance from the cruise line I'm travelling on. In all that small print are often "little details" that will end up denying you coverage for things you thought were covered.

 

If you google "travel insurance" you'll get directed to lots of sites. insuremytrip is one, and a good one, but there are others.

 

You need to think about what you want to insure. Here are some things to think about:

 

If anyone in your travelling group has a pre-existing health condition (which might mean you'd have to cancel your cruise), you need to be buying insurance NOW, to cover it. Most of the time you can't get this insurance unless you've bought it within 10 days of booking your cruise (TravelEx and a couple of others extend that deadline to 21 days or so.)

 

Are you leaving anyone at home that -- if they became ill (or worse!), you'd want to leave your cruise and get home to care for them?

 

Are you driving any distance from home to the port?

 

Health in general: most health plans do not cover health care costs outside of the US. While you may be healthy, there is always the chance of accident, injury, sudden illness, etc. Even basic health care on the ship is very expensive. If you need coverage and are sent somewhere, it can run hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. And if you should become really sick and have to be medi-vacked from the ship...start at around $30,000 and go up!

 

What about costs of pre-or post-cruise days .. if you fly in early and stay overnight -- but should have to cancel, are there costs that you might have that aren't retrieveable (like hotels, travel on the ground, car rentals. Sometimes these can be cancelled with a 24 hour notice, but sometimes not.)

 

Flight delays or cancellations, becoming increasingly a problem, and particularly so in bad weather.

 

---

If you do your homework you can find relatively inexpensive insurance to cover most of these issues, and probably others I've forgotten about!

[Arwenmark]

No it is NOT worth it to buy the protection plan from the cruiseline, nor from a TA. but YES it is very important to buy travel insurance. Try a place like insuremytrip.com which offers comparison and purchase of many different companies and policy types.

 

Remember not only are you insuring your own trip expenses and health, evacuation, etc. but if you have any family members at home that something might happen too. you need to be concerned about the pre existing condition clauses of most policy's and get your insurance within the prescribed time line to be covered.

So if your mom at home has a heart attack while you are on the cruise, and you want to get home, you are covered etc.

[bumpycruiser]

I booked our family cruise about 3 months ago for Jan 2010 and it just hit me what if the weather delays our flight. I've booked everything on my own so dont have a travel agent to assist. We fly in to our city of embarkation the night before the cruise leaves. If our flight is snowed in, how would we meet up with the ship and does the travel insurance assist? My kids do not have passports either so I'd love any advice. This is our 4th cruise, but we've always flown in at least 2 days prior to the ship leaving.

[PrincessCarolyn]

It's always smart to get travel insurance, if that's what you are talking about. I prefer to get mine thru insuremytrip.com but something is better than nothing. I always try to get a policy that is in first position so that I don't have to file a claim with my health or homeowners coverage first.

 

 

Thanks Pam!

I'm NOT the OP but I took your advice on insuremytrip.com (I called one other place too) but Insuremytrip.com gave me insurance that covers all medical/evacuations, etc. The only thing I don't have is the insurance that would cover the cost of the cruise if you couldn't go last minute- I'm going on my cruise if I'm breathing LOL

 

Cost of insurance to cover me door to door while on vacay: $14!!!!!!

Cost for hubby: $21!!!!

 

For an 11 day cruise, this 35$ is peace of mind.

Thanks for the tip!

[imsulin]

Thanks Pam!

I'm NOT the OP but I took your advice on insuremytrip.com (I called one other place too) but Insuremytrip.com gave me insurance that covers all medical/evacuations, etc. The only thing I don't have is the insurance that would cover the cost of the cruise if you couldn't go last minute- I'm going on my cruise if I'm breathing LOL

 

Cost of insurance to cover me door to door while on vacay: $14!!!!!!

Cost for hubby: $21!!!!

 

For an 11 day cruise, this 35$ is peace of mind.

Thanks for the tip!

 

Sounds almost too cheap! Insuremytrip isn't your insurance holder. It's a website that gives you information and pricing on numerous trip insurance companies, from which you make a selection. What company did you choose? Why didn't you buy a policy that also covered trip cancellation? Sorry, but I've paid more for better coverage.

[Sheffie]

We have always gotten trip insurance through an agency other than the cruise line. Last year our $144 was well spent when my DH fell off a ladder and shattered his pelvis. The insurance company picked up every penny we were out. You never know what will happen.

[uppitycats]

Thanks Pam!

I'm NOT the OP but I took your advice on insuremytrip.com (I called one other place too) but Insuremytrip.com gave me insurance that covers all medical/evacuations, etc. The only thing I don't have is the insurance that would cover the cost of the cruise if you couldn't go last minute- I'm going on my cruise if I'm breathing LOL

 

Cost of insurance to cover me door to door while on vacay: $14!!!!!!

Cost for hubby: $21!!!!

 

For an 11 day cruise, this 35$ is peace of mind.

Thanks for the tip!

 

I think you really need to carefully read that policy. I've not found any trip insurance that is that cheap. And why wouldn't you buy insurance that could cover the cost of your cruise if you couldn't go last minute? That a major reason to buy it in the first place!!

 

What does your insurance actually cover??

 

And you couldn't have bought it from insuremytrip They're only an insurance estimator site. What company did you buy it from?

[uppitycats]

I booked our family cruise about 3 months ago for Jan 2010 and it just hit me what if the weather delays our flight. I've booked everything on my own so dont have a travel agent to assist. We fly in to our city of embarkation the night before the cruise leaves. If our flight is snowed in, how would we meet up with the ship and does the travel insurance assist? My kids do not have passports either so I'd love any advice. This is our 4th cruise, but we've always flown in at least 2 days prior to the ship leaving.

 

Passport: If your kids don't have passports, make sure you have certified birth certificates for each of them...not copies, with that "raised seal" on them. And make sure that you've booked airline tickets in their names and their names match what is on the birth certificate.

 

Insurance: Yes, travel insurance -- presuming you buy this portion (you can buy various segments) would cover flight delays, cancellations, postponements. As for getting to the ship -- yes, again if you buy the right coverage, travel insurance will pay for you to get to the next port to meet the ship, if at all possible.

 

insuremytrip.com is a good place to start. There are other sites too. If you put "trip insurance" (without the quotes) into a search engine, you'll come up with several. I've used TravelGuard and TravelEx. I've never had to make a claim, but they do offer good coverage.

[Canuker]

Many people buy travel insurance based soley on the seller's marketing info. Sometimes even that is all but non-existent.

Insurance is only as good as it's coverage and re-imbursement when needed.

Example: what if the travel agent goes broke?

 

Like so many things in life that we find out are not what we wanted/expected, read the fine print first.

If it doesn't make sense, why would you buy it?

Devil's in the detail.

 

People wouldn't sell insurance if they didn't think they could make money out of it.

[cruiseco]

I think you really need to carefully read that policy. I've not found any trip insurance that is that cheap. And why wouldn't you buy insurance that could cover the cost of your cruise if you couldn't go last minute? That a major reason to buy it in the first place!!

 

What does your insurance actually cover??

 

And you couldn't have bought it from insuremytrip They're only an insurance estimator site. What company did you buy it from?

 

If all you're looking for is medical and emergency evacuation coverage and don't need/want the cancellation coverage (as the poster stated) insuremytrip certainly has plans in that price range.

[cruisemom42]

I booked our family cruise about 3 months ago for Jan 2010 and it just hit me what if the weather delays our flight. I've booked everything on my own so dont have a travel agent to assist. We fly in to our city of embarkation the night before the cruise leaves. If our flight is snowed in, how would we meet up with the ship and does the travel insurance assist? My kids do not have passports either so I'd love any advice. This is our 4th cruise, but we've always flown in at least 2 days prior to the ship leaving.

 

A word of caution: If you miss your sailing and the next port is a foreign port, I'm pretty sure that you will not be allowed to fly to that port from the US if your kids do not have passports. If that port is San Juan or one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, it's not an issue. (Well, at least not as regards passports....:cool:)

[Jade13]

does it make sense to purchase the vacation protection plan offered by the cruise line?

 

For us it did with HAL. But we got their Platinum which is vacation protection plus real insurance kicks in at 24 hours prior to departure.

 

My stepdaughter decided she wasn't going with us 31 days before our departure to Rome. We lost $44.00 and the rest cash back on our credit card. Those Cancel for Any Reason plans are good for those with children and pets.

[Jade13]

Thanks Pam!

I'm NOT the OP but I took your advice on insuremytrip.com (I called one other place too) but Insuremytrip.com gave me insurance that covers all medical/evacuations, etc. The only thing I don't have is the insurance that would cover the cost of the cruise if you couldn't go last minute- I'm going on my cruise if I'm breathing LOL

 

Cost of insurance to cover me door to door while on vacay: $14!!!!!!

Cost for hubby: $21!!!!

 

For an 11 day cruise, this 35$ is peace of mind.

Thanks for the tip!

 

How old are you and which policy? How much medical insurance, etc? I want more details.

This is Medical and Med Evac only, correct? No trip interruption, etc.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Jade13

[Jade13]

I think you really need to carefully read that policy. I've not found any trip insurance that is that cheap. And why wouldn't you buy insurance that could cover the cost of your cruise if you couldn't go last minute? That a major reason to buy it in the first place!!

 

 

Because they are willing to loose the cost of the cruise, just not medical or $25,00 plus in medical evacuation.

[blindrid]

We always buy it but not from cruise line as we want everything insured as we don't buy line air travel.

 

We use www.tripinsurancesstore.com as they are pretty knowledgable and easy to contact for questions either by phone or email. Read your policy and ask questions BEFORE you leave instead of finding out a quirk when you need it.

[bumpycruiser]

thanks all--I've applied for the kids passports and the insurance part is next. thanks for all the great advice.

[SOS123]

We bought the Pricess Protection Vacation plan for a trip we took in May of 2016 have NEVER filed a claim in 30 years of cruising. My wife lost her prescription glasses and a Pandora bracelet while on our 14 day cruise. She went just about daily to the front desk to see if either had been turned in, no luck.

 

Got home and filed a claim. Now after several months (it's late July) they have denied both claims. They tell us they require "proof" of the loss1 Proof! Like the 10 times we went and asked if the items had been turned in?

 

This insurance company is a fraud and will take your money no questions asked but when filing for a claim will not reimburse.

 

DO NOT .....I repeat DO NOT take out their insurance.

[cb at sea]

Here's the deal...if you can absorb the cost of a lost vacation, or any part of it...you don't need insurance. If losing some or any of the money you've paid will hurt you financially, then you need the insurance.

[TC1957]

does it make sense to purchase the vacation protection plan offered by the cruise line?

 

We bought insurance for our upcoming cruise...primarily for medical reasons...but it does cover everything should we not be able to go. Before anyone can tell you if you should buy travel insurance (in general) you need to give us absolute answers to two questions:

 

1) Will you, or anyone that would be covered, get sick or injured severely enough to make if impossible to travel on those dates?

 

2) Will anyone get sick or injured at any point during the vacation and need evacuation and/or significant medical attention?

 

If both of those answers and no...and you are positive one cannot change to yes...then you would probably be safe not having insurance.

 

As for purchasing from the cruise line...I have been told not to get it from them by more than one TA. One even said it was not like an extended warranty on a new car. In that industry, third party companies often disappear leaving the buyer with nothing...while companies like Toyota, Ford, GM, etc...will probably be around for the next few years. However, the cruise line will structure their coverage to protect them as much, if not more, than it protects you.

[pris993]

Only you can decide if it is worth it.

 

We have been cruising since l983, my dh is 83, I will be 70. We never bought travel insurance. We self insure our travel expenses, ship, air, hotels etc.

 

After I turned 65... with my dh nearing 80 we started to purchase medical and emergency evacuation insurance only. We are both in excellent heath. But at our age it makes sense.

 

Luckily in all our years of travel, we have had only minor health issues come up: colds, insect bite, ear infection, skin rash.... we are rarely ill at home too.

 

I now annually purchase medical and emergency evacuation insurance from Travel Guard - actually it is business travellers insurance that any one can buy; for $500 for the two of us for the year.

[Shorex]

This thread was revived from 2009 to complain about personal property loss of a bracelet and glasses while on a cruise. It would never occur to me that personal property (other than lost baggage) would be covered by travel insurance. It's also the poster's very first post on CC. Welcome to CC.

[widallas]

We always thought travel insurance was an unnecessary thing, but one year purchased it to cover flights and wound up have to cancel a trip due to my mom passing away...it was a terrible time, and knowing that we at least recouped what would have been thousands in flight money was a welcome relief at that time.

 

A few years later my teen son had a cerebral aneurysm -- thank God he had surgery and has since recovered but we had to cancel another scheduled trip home, and insurance saved us almost all of our costs.

 

For us, it's something we just budget for...small upfront protection that we hopefully don't need again. We purchased for our upcoming cruise but through the same vendor we have used before, not through the cruise line...better price.

 

 

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