Celebrity CruiseCare Insurance

[lawgeek]

Has anyone purchased the CruiseCare insurance offered by Celebrity. I guess I would be particularly interested in any experience anyone has had with making a claim. I am not a big insurance fan, but my DW wants to purchase this. Personally, after reading the policy, I believe the coverage is very limited.

 

Any opinions in this regard are very welcome!

[Jade13]

We are using it for a second time but have never made a claim. It is cheap (DD and her friend in a separate stateroom are only $29.00 each and many private policies start at $99.00), and we have medical we can use out of network. This would cover our deductible plus $25,000 in Medivac which I would hope would be enough in the Caribbean.

[hancock]

You are right, it is a very limited policy. Check out http://www.insuremytrip.com

http://www.totaltravelinsurance.com and http://www.squaremouth.com

 

There are so many unforeseen circumstances that can occur. It is a VERY GOOD IDEA to get travel insurance.

[eandj]

Don't waste money purchasing a generic policy that doesn't offer enough for your personal insurance needs. Fortunately most don't need to use it. However, $25,000 evacuation would not be sufficient, unless you are happy with the nearest hospital. And in the Carib, there aren't any that I would want to spend time at. ;) We buy evac. that will give us choice of hospitals and fly us home if needed.

 

Things like luggage loss, delayed flight are not a priority to us. We will however look at preexisting conditions ( for us and relatives at home).

 

It's all what you NEED as far as limits. If you can self insure, then no, don't bother with any insurance.

[Gonzo70]

It is wise to spend a few extra $$$ to get insurance - the main reason being for health emergencies that your normal insurance might not cover. Most policies will not cover an emergency air evac off the ship and this can easily cost enough to bankrupt most people.

 

It is also wise to not buy the insurance through the cruise line; there are cheaper policies available that cover more for less. Check out insuremytrip.com to research policies. I personally have found Tru Travel to provide a lot of coverage for a very low price.

[emptynest1]

We always get insurance through Celebrity and have not had to use it for medical. (Cross fingers we never do) ,but when my suitcase was destroyed by the forklift, insurance was easy to file and we were paid for a replacement bag and the pair of shoes that were ruined.

No problem and quick.

[Jade13]

Don't waste money purchasing a generic policy that doesn't offer enough for your personal insurance needs. Fortunately most don't need to use it. However, $25,000 evacuation would not be sufficient, unless you are happy with the nearest hospital. And in the Carib, there aren't any that I would want to spend time at. ;) We buy evac. that will give us choice of hospitals and fly us home if needed.

 

Things like luggage loss, delayed flight are not a priority to us. We will however look at preexisting conditions ( for us and relatives at home).

 

It's all what you NEED as far as limits. If you can self insure, then no, don't bother with any insurance.

 

We also usually purchase insurance with pre-existing (CSA) for our longer and more exotic destinations, such as recent Azamara in Asia. However, for short cruises such as Century 4 and 5 night we feel that Celebrities policy should be sufficient. If not, Celebrity will have a big problem from all of the complaints. Btw, this cruise only goes to Key West & Cozumel, so risk is one day in Cozumel. We are mainly interested in the $25,000 in Medivac, enough money to cover our out of network deductible which is now $1,000.00pp and protecting the cost of the cruise. Last time we looked it also included something like $500.00pp for flight delay but not sure if they would allow us to board in Key West if we missed the ship in Miami.

[Gonzo70]

We are mainly interested in the $25,000 in Medivac, enough money to cover our out of network deductible which is now $1,000.00pp and protecting the cost of the cruise.

 

Do you know for sure that your health insurance would cover a Medivac? Very, very few policies do so. $25,000 for Medivac coverage is on the low side. It may be enough to get you to the nearest hospital, but certainly not enough to get you to a hospital near home from there.

[AWorldCruise4Me]

Cruise insurance is very important. However, which policy to buy depends on your circumstances, destination etc. I've bought insurance from both the cruise line and from insuremytrip.com. I've also bought from the cruise line and supplemented with an additional policy when I thought I needed it.

 

There are so many considerations that go into what is the right policy that with the information provided no specific advice can be given other than you have to be sure your covered for medical evacuation from the ship. How much coverage you need depends on where your going. Even if your young and healthy you still need to have the evac. coverage as many things could happen that have nothing to do with your physical condition.

 

Cheers!

Michelle

[sailor2010]

What shocks me most is what they will reimburse you. Our trip is $3600+ and the max they will insure it for is $1900. I looked at some of the most expensive plans. I guess something is better than nothing...

[Gonzo70]

What shocks me most is what they will reimburse you. Our trip is $3600+ and the max they will insure it for is $1900. I looked at some of the most expensive plans. I guess something is better than nothing...

 

Go to insuremytrip.com

 

There are so many insurance companies out there. You can get outstanding coverage at a low price. Do not just look at the cruise line's policy - that will only insure that you way overpay and receive limited coverage! When you buy insurance from the cruise line, they are jacking up the price and making a profit. It is very easy to spend a few minutes researching some policies yourself and cut out the middle man.

[Dancing Shoes]

It is wise to spend a few extra $$$ to get insurance - the main reason being for health emergencies that your normal insurance might not cover. Most policies will not cover an emergency air evac off the ship and this can easily cost enough to bankrupt most people.

 

It is also wise to not buy the insurance through the cruise line; there are cheaper policies available that cover more for less. Check out insuremytrip.com to research policies. I personally have found Tru Travel to provide a lot of coverage for a very low price.

I also purchased a policy through Tru Travel. Saved me almost 50% over Celebrity's, and they had better medical evacuation (1 million). Didn't have to use their claim service.:rolleyes:

[Jade13]

I also purchased a policy through Tru Travel. Saved me almost 50% over Celebrity's, and they had better medical evacuation (1 million). Didn't have to use their claim service.:rolleyes:

 

I used them once for a shortie CruiseTo NoWhere. Unless they have a new product at the time they did not cover pre-existing conditions.

[Jade13]

Do you know for sure that your health insurance would cover a Medivac? Very, very few policies do so. $25,000 for Medivac coverage is on the low side. It may be enough to get you to the nearest hospital, but certainly not enough to get you to a hospital near home from there.

 

No, our policy does not cover MediVac, otherwise I probably would not bother with secondary insurance.

[bigreckster]

Having had to cancel two Celebrity cruises in the last couple of years (Father in law died/wife was hospitalized), we always purchase insurance and always do so through insuremytrip.com comparisons. We received full restitution in a very prompt manner from TravelGuard at much less than the cruise line premium would have been and even our TA's lost commission was covered! The cruise lines often don't cover things completely and will offer a credit for a future cruise instead of an outright reimbursement. As others have stated, you never realized what a Medvac emergency or other contigencies will cost/what is covered in the "fine print" until that unlikely event when you need to place a claim. With an 87 yr. old parent at home, we always want to have insurance in place when we travel! You only have to have one claim for literally tens of thousands of $$ to realize like we did that it was the wisest invenstment we ever made!:)

[Gonzo70]

I used them once for a shortie CruiseTo NoWhere. Unless they have a new product at the time they did not cover pre-existing conditions.

 

They currently do have policies that cover pre-exisiting; I believe the insruance must be purchased within 14 days of booking the trip in order to purchase the policy that covers pre-existing.

[bug_dan]

We were on a cruise in January 2010 on Celebrity's Mercury to the Caribbean. On the first day at sea, my wife fell and broke her hip while we were in our cabin. We had purchased Celebrity's Cruise Care Insurance. We were extremely fortunate that our first stop was St Thomas, so my HMO covered some of the Hospital and Surgeon's bills. As you may or may not know, HMOs usually have contracts with the health providers in a specified area.

While they may pay for emergency services outside their area, they may only pay what they would usually pay a provider in their own area. As an example, the surgeon's bill was a little over $5000 and the HMO only paid $1000, leaving us liable for the balance. This along with the bill for the ship's hospital services quickly got us to the $10,000 medical limit of the Cruise Care Insurance. We are still waiting for the final disposition of the hospital bill to file the claim.

 

Also you should be aware that like insurance everywhere, the older you are, the more expensive it might be, so a Travel Guard policy with some benefits much better than Celebrity's Cruise Care for us(in our 70s) would be closer to $300 compared to $118 for Celebrity's. Also with Celebrity's policy, if you cancel before final payment, there is no charge for the Insurance, with Travel Guard you would lose the cost of the Insurance.

 

I was particularly impressed with the travel arrangements the insurance made for us to get us home from St Thomas. The surgeon recommended that my wife be accompanied by a nurse and On Call made all the arrangements. I had to pay for my hotel and airline ticket, but everything else was handled by On Call.

 

Finally wanted to add that Roy Schneider Medical Center in St Thomas provided excellent care for my wife. Sorry to be so long winded:D

[eandj]

I used them once for a shortie CruiseTo NoWhere. Unless they have a new product at the time they did not cover pre-existing conditions.

 

 

I just bought Tru Travel for our river cruise come fall. Yes they offer pre-existing. You pay I believe it was $25.00 more. Their rates saved us about 200$. Where they skimp is on coverage of luggage contents, delayed flight ( food and hotel) and those types of things. Actually the small items. The medical coverage is not great, but our insurance has high coverage out of the country. And if we wanted, we could add to that. The medical evac. is impressive and cancelation due to terrorism is good for Europe. (We are going thru Heathrow)

[lawgeek]

We were on a cruise in January 2010 on Celebrity's Mercury to the Caribbean. On the first day at sea, my wife fell and broke her hip while we were in our cabin. We had purchased Celebrity's Cruise Care Insurance. We were extremely fortunate that our first stop was St Thomas, so my HMO covered some of the Hospital and Surgeon's bills. As you may or may not know, HMOs usually have contracts with the health providers in a specified area.

While they may pay for emergency services outside their area, they may only pay what they would usually pay a provider in their own area. As an example, the surgeon's bill was a little over $5000 and the HMO only paid $1000, leaving us liable for the balance. This along with the bill for the ship's hospital services quickly got us to the $10,000 medical limit of the Cruise Care Insurance. We are still waiting for the final disposition of the hospital bill to file the claim.

 

Also you should be aware that like insurance everywhere, the older you are, the more expensive it might be, so a Travel Guard policy with some benefits much better than Celebrity's Cruise Care for us(in our 70s) would be closer to $300 compared to $118 for Celebrity's. Also with Celebrity's policy, if you cancel before final payment, there is no charge for the Insurance, with Travel Guard you would lose the cost of the Insurance.

 

I was particularly impressed with the travel arrangements the insurance made for us to get us home from St Thomas. The surgeon recommended that my wife be accompanied by a nurse and On Call made all the arrangements. I had to pay for my hotel and airline ticket, but everything else was handled by On Call.

 

Finally wanted to add that Roy Schneider Medical Center in St Thomas provided excellent care for my wife. Sorry to be so long winded:D

 

Thanks to all for the input. I really appreciate this. I also particularly like reading your experiences with Cruise Care. Unfortunately, the point was moot shortly after I posted as my wife added Cruise Care before we had a chance to fully discuss. Oh well..it will at least be better than nothing should something go wrong. I am releatively heavily insured otherwise and may find other coverage if necessary.

 

Once again, thanks all as this was very informative!

[AAAAmerican]

lawgeek<

 

As you well understand, know what you want, seek it, read everything and read it again.

 

On Insurance Never Buy a Cruise Lines Insurance. Not because they do go Chapter 11 and one recently went 7 too.

 

That one left passengers on the Dock and without a policy either... self underwriting as Federal express does on vehicles ( FDX :NYSE )

 

 

On policies your best are called Primary as they pay you first so you do not have to go through hoops..

 

 

I usually use this one which has the Largest DATA Base and free comparisons.

www DOT

squaremouth.com/20110

 

 

Make sure the carrier is in good financial standing in your State and/or Country of Residence.

 

Compare what each firm is offering you and what your possible needs are in addition to standard ones.

 

Does it cover youall in other countries. Mexico even a NAFTA Member does not, etc..etc...!

 

Yes READ and re-read everything. As you well know it is the details which do matter most.

 

 

 

[bug_dan]

lawgeek,

 

I'm really not sure that you still couldn't cancel the insurance as long as you haven't yet made final payment. The insurance really isn't in effect until your final payment is made as up to that time if you cancel, you would get back your deposit.

 

Just wanted to point out how tragedy can strike. When my wife fell she was walking from the bathroom to the bed in the cabin, starboard to port direction. A wave hit the ship causing it to list sharply to starboard, sending my wife backward and down. If that wave had hit 15 seconds earlier or later, she probably would not have fallen. Definitely don't travel without insurance:)

[Jade13]

 

 

 

On policies your best are called Primary as they pay you first so you do not have to go through hoops..

 

 

 

 

Primary is not best for everyone. We always get Secondary because if used will go towards our Primarys deductible.

[eandj]

Thanks to all for the input. I really appreciate this. I also particularly like reading your experiences with Cruise Care. Unfortunately, the point was moot shortly after I posted as my wife added Cruise Care before we had a chance to fully discuss. Oh well..it will at least be better than nothing should something go wrong. I am releatively heavily insured otherwise and may find other coverage if necessary.

 

Once again, thanks all as this was very informative!

 

 

The policy should have a few days grace period, so if you want something else, you should be able to cancel the sale. ;)