Insurance Yes or No

[rfkp]

Hello, my wife and I are taking our very first cruise next month, the 24th, on the Carnival Fantasy. My question is why do people get travel insurance? What does it cover. Is it worth the cost or is it just another way to make money. She lives in Florida about 10 min from Port Canaveral. I am in Iraq and will be traveling home for my R&R. I may be faced with a hold up here at the FOB (Forward Operating Base), BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) or points in-between,

since they close the airspace every now and then due to insurgent activity in the area? Thanks.

[gonna go cruising]

I have never purchased the insurance until now. I have realized that anything can happen to keep us from getting on board and I dont want to lose that much money with no recouse. Therefore I am looking into different policies and fast. You dont have alot of time after paying to book the insurance. Many have riders that disallow certain things, mine being the fact that I am flying USAir. You being in the military will be one you need to look into. I think you will find someone to cover it, but there are so many loopholes that I am wavering on which to get at this point. I am actually thinking going with Travelex because more tend to refer this one, but if I miss the ship due to air being delayed or cancelled, I get nothing back on the cruise. Therefore I think I would resort to vomiting to be too ill to go on and maybe collect the amount back anyway. At that point I think it would not take much for me to do so as I would be sick from missing the ship. Good luck. Check out insuremycruise.com as that is where many sent me to look at the different policies.

[psw]

abosolutely get insurance

[Seaside2358]

most definitely get the insurance. You can go to www.insuremytrip to check out options...

[bilgeboyPa]

I always get the insurance. Make sure to add the Air as well. It covers a ton of thing. Lost baggage, illness, cancellations, if you have to go back home early, if you get hurt and need to get airlifted. That could be 10 grand depending where you are. It is well worth the piece of mind. I know I always get it.

Hope it helps

 

 

Jeff

[Boo's Mom]

rfkp ~

 

You do want to purchase the insurance. It is indeed a small cost to pay to insure your trip.

 

Things do happen. You can read about these "things" all day long on these boards.

 

You do not need to buy an expensive police....check out the insuremytrip site referenced above.

 

:)

[springtxbill]

Especially with your situation of being half way around the world, get the insurance.

[bplazo]

We have been on three cruises and had to use our insurance twice.

[psychtobe]

i am so tempted....

 

but at least read the fine print and make sure military, acts of war/terror, etc., are not specifically excluded.

[zurmoly]

The one thing that sticks out for me is being sick to the point of having to be evacuated off the ship...about 20,000.00 depending on how far from shore you are. Yes, get insurance.

[rfkp]

Thank You, I will look into the insurance. I will be in good company aboard ship if everyone I run into is as helpful as you all are.

 

Robert

[LeeNHCruiser]

I just asked for quotes for trip insurance through Insuremytrip.com. how do you navigate through all the quotes?? What should I be looking for?

[madelinerose]

Yes. :eek:

[springtxbill]

I go through and select several in the lower price range to compare and then look at them side by side. Then you can start removing one after another after comparing each line item.:)

[tinkerme1]

I highly suggest TravelGuard Insurance.

 

Looking for insurance is a task, but worth the trouble. READ everything that is covered. What I like about TravelGuard is you can chose what you want to cover. Definitely cover AIR, and any medical that may go over what your personal medical insurance would provide. Some medical insurance doesn't even cover you if you are not within the US.

 

Acts of terrorism and pre-existing conditions will only be covered if you bought your insurance within a certain number of days after your initial booking!

 

Another point to remember, NEVER buy your insurance directly through the cruiseline or through your Travel Agent. Buy independently to assure that you will not lose the policy if the company goes belly-up.

 

Lastly, remember to check the Insurers Rating (insurance companies are rated on their credit worthiness) and many of the companies out there are actually backed by a different insurance company!

 

TravelGuard is excellent and you can't go wrong with them. I use them all the time.

[getaway101]

It's a no brainer.......get the insurance. We have had to use it twice and believe me I would rather be out the $89.00 for the ins. than the $3000.00 for the cruise :eek:

[DJErikD]

Robert,

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm forward-deployed to Bahrain and spend a significant amount of time up in Baghad, yet booked a cruise for a week after I'm scheduled to return.

 

I looked into various insurance and specifically wanted one with a military clause, god forbid I get held and have to stay here longer.

 

Travelguard (http://www.travelguard.com) has a couple of policies that cover military duty; Cruise Tour & Travel, Cruise Guard, and Pack & Go. I looked at some other insurer's policies, but they had exclusions for "leave cancelled due to war related situations." I liked the wording (or lack of) of the TravelGuard policy. Read the coverage documents of any policy you're looking at, and watch for key words like "armed forces" and "military."

 

We're most likely going with Travelguard's "Cruise Tour & Travel" policy, which features cancellation, interruption, missed connection, lost/delayed baggage, accidental death/dismemberment, medical coverage and medical evacuation, and is only $265 for the two of us. It's a small price to pay for some peace-of-mind, especially considering the hassles it would be dealing with Tricare during an OCONUS emergency.

 

- Erik

[rfkp]

Erik

 

Thanks for the info. Glad you are out of the the country. Things are heating up a bit here. Sure will be glad when the elections are over. Lets hope things will settle down afterward and these people take ownership of their country and the situation. I am at FOB Caldwell, east of Baghdad, safe inside the wire. Only concern is traveling, via Blackhawk, 2+ hours up and down the triangle. I just keep thinking about the cruise, and not what can go wrong. Thats what keeps me going.

 

Robert

[Boo's Mom]

rfkp ~

Are you in the US Military?

[rfkp]

Boo's Mom

 

Currently I am not in the military, I am prior service. I am a contractor working for KBR. I work in the carpenter shop here at Caldwell. We provide a wide range of services for the American Soldiers here. It's sad to say that there are not enough soldiers to do what needs to be done, so we pick up the slack. We provide the operation and maintenance services for the camp so the soldier is freed up to do the war fighter mission. The last thing they need to worry about at the end of their mission is to come back to the base to find their CHU's(Container Housing Units) in disrepair. We fix thier doors, windows, AC/Heater units, plumbing, locks, you name it we fix it. Lately we are dealing with the rainy season, so are having to deal with alot of leaky CHUs'. These units were bought from the local economy and came with a 30 day warranty. You can imagine the workmanship that stands behind a 30 day warranty. The soldiers seem to take their frustrations out on doors alot too. Thats Ok.

 

My wife, however, is in the Army and currently stationed at Patrick AFB, in Florida. She will retire next year, with thirty years of service. I am very proud of her, and proud of the men and women I have the privilege of serving here.

 

Robert

[Boo's Mom]

I am very proud of her, and proud of the men and women I have the privilege of serving here.

 

 

I also...am so very proud of our volunteer military!

 

It still is hard to believe that we are at war.

 

May the Lord Bless you and your wife....

 

Keep dry...and safe.

 

ps..I served 8 years in the Air Force...during the Gulf War.

[rfkp]

Boo's Mom;

 

Thank you for your well wishes and thank you for your service to our country (and too you Erik). It is in no small part due to you and all those who have served and are now serving that we are able to live in a country with so much to offer. We in America can truely call ourselves blessed and should be thankful for it. Being here has really made me appericiate the USA.

 

Sincerely

 

Robert

[CaribbeanBound]

Yes, get insurance, but there are right ways (and lots of wrong ways) to buy travel insurance!

 

I finally put all the details up on a web page.

 

Here are 14 things you should consider when buying travel insurance:

*****

Have a great trip!

[kitty9]

Robert, do your homework and talk to everyone because most cruise insurance does not cover acts of war and since Iraq is in a war zone, it won't be covered if you're traveling from there. Call a few major travel insurance companies and find out what their policies are. I just read an excellent article in the January issue of Conde Nast Traveler magazine about travel insurance and most people would be surprised by what insurance does not cover. Many people think that weather related delays are covered by insurance, but not in all circumstances. I was surprised by the acts of war comments in the article.

[DesrtDrmr]

rfkp,

DO buy trip insurance! I, too, think InsureMyTrip.com is the place to look. If, however, you are sailing on Holland America, their insurance covers ANY reason for canceling. That was the best insurance we have used, but when not on HAL, we have used various policies on InsureMyTrip, depending on our circumstances.

Best of luck to you and your wife. Our daughter and son in law are just back from Bahrain, and we are very glad to have them in Florida, instead............nephews in Iraq, doing contractor work, too.

You are all in our thoughts and prayers.....

Have a great cruise!