Travel insurance why bother

[cyberterry]

going on ventura july to med.

is travel insurance really necessary

[kevinyork]

You have opened a thread twice with this question so may need to check both for replies.

 

I think being on a cruise does give people a feeling of safety and could lead many to think that they dont need travel insurance. However as soon as someone needs medical attention, however minor, then this will incur a considerable cost. Onboard medical treatment is all chargeable. If illness occurs at sea and a passenger needs airlifting then the fee could be astronomical plus there is the cost of flying someone back home who has been injurred or needs to continue their medical care back in the UK or worse needs repatriation should the unthinkable happen. Whilst on a med cruise most of the countries should be signed up to the reciprocal EU health care service this wont cover you if you fall in on ship.

 

My advice would be that insurance is absolutely essential. Its also important that if you already have insurance say on an annual policy that you check it covers cruises. Some charge an extra fee for customers going on cruises mainly due to the possible cost of an airlift!

[Jammy Bun]

Is it not a condition of booking that you have adequate travel insurance?

 

I personally wouldn't dream of doing a cruise without insurance. On our last cruise I contracted the Norovirus. You are obliged to report any such illness whilst onboard, which leads to a visit from the ship's doctor or nurse - and on some cruise lines (P&O included) this incurs a charge. $110 in my case (on Grand Princess), some of which I was able to recoup from the travel insurance. Just imagine if I'd fallen and broken my leg whilst onboard, or had a heart attack... charges would run into thousands of pounds even if I wasn't airlifted off!

[ovccruiser]

Any insurance, why bother? It is not untill you need their services you realise why you bother. House get burgled, all contects lost, no insurance no money. Same with holiday, suitcase goes missing, work out how much to replace all your clothes, let alone accident or worse. You could take a calculated risk and not bother and you may be a few quid in pocket or you may be unlucky and break your arm, no medical insurance, big credit card bill. You pays your money and takes your choice or chance

[capasamari]

Any gastro-intestinal problems reported to the ship's doctors on Thomson cruises are treated free of charge. Do P&O charge for this?

 

Carol x

[Jammy Bun]

Any gastro-intestinal problems reported to the ship's doctors on Thomson cruises are treated free of charge. Do P&O charge for this?

 

Carol x

 

I believe so, yes. :( I can only speak with certainty about Princess, as I have personal experience of it, but I'm fairly sure that the whole Carnival brand have the same policy.

 

A bad policy in my opinion, as it leads to people not bothering to report their illness. So you do the right thing, report your illness and get charged over $100 for it AND are confined to your cabin for 48 hours - or do the alternative and don't report it, you're quids in and also free to move about the ship spreading the germs further.

[tom_uk]

All insurance is a waste of money - right up to the instant that it becomes essential. I dutifully paid my house contents insurance for decades, watched it get ever more expensive, and never made a claim. Then I was burgled, and when I totted up the cost of what had been taken it was over £8,000! Fortunately I did still have the insurance, and the insurance company replaced everything.

 

As regards travel insurance, I would certainly never be without it. The chances of suffering a major accident, or illness, are small, but that chance can happen. As others have said, the cost of an air ambulance is horrific. We just buy an annual policy that covers both of us.

 

One thing - make sure you take your EHICS card with you. That will at least allow you to be treated in an EU country on the same basis as that country's own citizens.

[Freecall]

Any gastro-intestinal problems reported to the ship's doctors on Thomson cruises are treated free of charge. Do P&O charge for this?

 

Carol x

 

Cunard are free as well (unfortunately I know from experience)!

[davecttr]

Current P&O brochure page 238. All passengers must have valid travel insurance.

[terrierjohn]

I believe so, yes. :( I can only speak with certainty about Princess, as I have personal experience of it, but I'm fairly sure that the whole Carnival brand have the same policy.

 

A bad policy in my opinion, as it leads to people not bothering to report their illness. So you do the right thing, report your illness and get charged over $100 for it AND are confined to your cabin for 48 hours - or do the alternative and don't report it, you're quids in and also free to move about the ship spreading the germs further.

Incorrect, Princess gives free medical assistance for any Noro type illness, so maybe P&O are the same.

[DamianG]

I had a mild case of norovirus on Oriana and was confined to the cabin for 48 hours. There was no charge, in fact the reception sent flowers and we were entitled to free dry cleaning for a couple of days.

[jeanlyon]

A friend of mine was seriously injured in a fall, broke his pelvis and had to be flown out on a Casevac aircraft to Gatwick. The travel insurance was absolutely essential. How could anyone go without it.

[EOS-User]

A $50k hospitalisation bill for my wife last year was justification enough for the case for travel insurance!

 

'Nuf said!

[KarenR_UK]

Incorrect, Princess gives free medical assistance for any Noro type illness, so maybe P&O are the same.

 

I'm fairly sure that P&O do now charge - it changed recently

 

From http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/health/7862131.Norovirus_outbreak_on_Oceana/

 

Passengers were left furious after they discovered they had to pay for treatment on board. A spokesman for the cruise company said the fees should be reclaimed through travel insurance policies as they were no longer free on board following a change of policy.

 

I agree it doesn't exactly encourage the reporting of it IF it is possible to get away with it (having never knowingly had it, I don't know if that is possible or not)

[C at Sea]

It always makes me smile when we have to fill in the forms before getting on board asking whether or not we've had vommitting etc! I wonder if anyone actually puts "yes"!

[LibraLass41]

....and don't forget travel insurance also covers cancellation, what if you were ill before you set off for Southampton, and just couldn't drive down ? A balcony cabin for 2 to the Med costs £4,000 want to loose that money for the sake of a travel insurance policy for a couple for annual insurance for less than £100?

 

Maddness.

 

PS. There are deaths and accidents on nearly every cruise....one cruise I was on a a man holding two ladies hands all fell down the theatre stairs in stormy weather!

 

A visit to the Dr for sea sickness alone can cost £50....

[Brayman]

As my TA said once - "No Travel Insurance - no Cruise"

 

That sort of forced my hand since we normally only holiday in the UK and never before have taken out Travel Insurance. Thankfully cruising allows me to take OH to foreign shores and having to pay the insurance is worth it.

[HomelessBear]

You just never know what will happen and when. As I have two life threatening allergies, I wouldn't dream of travelling without insurance - the cost of being medi-vac'd off the ship or having treatment in a foreign hospital (or in the ship's hospital for that matter!) would be far too much to even contemplate me paying for myself.

 

Insurance also covers you for lost or damaged luggage, cancellation and other things that just may go wrong. I wouldn't take the risk.

[annieuk]

Just a month before we were due to go on Queen Victoria for a short cruise last year I broke my ankle. We had paid for the cruise in full. We had an annual travel policy I was able to claim back the full cost of the cruise without any problem. You need travel insurance from when you've booked the cruise - certainly before you pay your balance or you won't be covered.

 

Carole

[LibraLass41]

Ummm bit he's sailing this month? So has he not get any then?

[Beckyfaye-2008]

Travel Insurance is compulsory with P/O (its in the brochure), they also want details of that insurance before you travel.

P&O also now charge for any Noro Viro treatment on board, and you have to claim it back via your Insurance company.

I know somebody who's husband had a heart attack, whilst on a cruise, would have cost a fortune had he not been insured, thankfully he is recovering but slowly.

[suenruss]

Many holiday / cruise companies now ask you to give details of your insurance (if not taking theirs). Even if they don't insist on it, why would you not take insurance out - anything could happen before or on your cruise. My personal opinion.

[Merlin7]

Just plain stupid not to take out travel insurance for any holiday abroad, IMO, unless money is no object, because you will lose out big time financially, on the deposit for a long cruise and even more so, if you have paid the final balance, on a cruise of any duration.

 

We have seen passengers offloaded for medical reasons at some of the most god forsaken places in the world. The banks of the Panama Canal being one, where 2 passengers were stretchered off.

 

TG we had insurance when we had to cancel a world cruise AFTER paying the final balance.

[Marmaduke]

Even if money is no object, after a stroke or heart attack you might not be in a position to sign any cheques or quote credit card numbers !

[lynbee]

I went on Ventura to Norway last year and it cost me £5.95 for insurance for one week from Direct Travel Insurance!

 

There's no way I would travel abroad without it - I normally have annual insurance with my husband through Direct, but this was a special trip for my Mum's 80th and booked the year before so I got my own insurance.

 

The day before we arrived back a passenger was taken seriously ill and had to be airlifted off the ship in the middle of the North Sea by RAF rescue helicopter.

 

What if you were ashore and involved in an accident? How would you get yourself back to the ship, or back to the UK? What if you develop an infectious disease a few days before you're due to sail (something like mumps for instance).

 

Yes, the EHIC card covers you for medical treatment in EU countries (and a few non EU places where our NHS has a reciprocal arrangement) but you'll find it only covers you for the same treatment as the locals get, which may mean queuing for some time to see a doctor, and minimal medical treatment for free.

 

As far as I'm aware if you see a doctor on a P & O ship you have to pay.

 

So many "what ifs" so surely it's worth your while to shell out a few more quid on insurance as you've already paid a lot for your cruise.