Need suggestions for Best Travel Insurance

[br7210]

can i please get some suggestions for the best travel insurance (not thru carnival)???

[auburn77]

can i please get some suggestions for the best travel insurance (not thru carnival)???

 

Go to insuremytrip.com. It has several packages from reputable insurers at very reasonable rates. It gives you quotes so that you can compare.

[murphyriley]

I recently purchased insurance through Travelguard for about half the price that Carnival quoted me. Initially, I checked out pricing on insuremytrip.com which was great. When I decided on Travelguard, I had a few questions so I called them directly. The quote that they gave me over the phone was even cheaper than what showed up on insuremytrip.com. I am very happy because I got much better coverage and a much better price than what Carnival was offering.

[br7210]

we are not so much concerned about the trip cancellation policies, more concerned about the medical and medical evacuation part of the insurance...how much coverage should we have?

[mimgan3]

Go to insuremytrip.com. It has several packages from reputable insurers at very reasonable rates. It gives you quotes so that you can compare.

 

Above poster is right insuremytrip, great site, give you multiple choices to compare and choose from. have a great cruise.

 

Mimgan

[klfrodo]

we are not so much concerned about the trip cancellation policies, more concerned about the medical and medical evacuation part of the insurance...how much coverage should we have?

 

Depends on where you're goin on the cruise.

If the US Coast Guard medevacs you, the cost is zero.

If the US Coast Guard medevacs you and takes you to the Bahamas and then you need medevaced back to the States after you are stabilized, do you want to go to the nearest hospital in the satates? or do you want to be medevaced back to the closest hospital where you live?

What if there is a death involved? Do you want insurance to pay for your remains to be repatriated?

 

If you're cruiseing the med, $1M would be minimum. Caribbean, $500K would be minimum. This is all based on personal needs or desires.

 

Be aware that if you require hospital care, you don't just walk ( or get carried) in and present your insurance card and think it's all taken care of. Travel insurance works on reimbursement. You pay up front, then file a claim for reimbursement.

SOME not all insurance companies will provide or fax a letter of proof of ability to pay so medical care can be provided.

Not all countries will provide life saving measures without proof of ability to pay.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We use Access America

[Ken076]

we are not so much concerned about the trip cancellation policies, more concerned about the medical and medical evacuation part of the insurance...how much coverage should we have?

 

IMP Carnival's $10,000 Medical is inadequate and their $30,000 MedEvac is pretty marginal. The company that coordinates these services for Berkely and other Insurers recommends $50,000 - $100,000 as the minimum for Medical and for MedEvac in Caribbean and West coast cruises. MedEVAC is (has to be) coordinated by, and paid for, via the Insurer's 800 number. With most Policies the coverage is for transport to the "nearest adequate facility".

 

You really should purchase your Policy w/in 14-21 days of Cruise Deposit so you can get "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions". As pointed out above a number of Policies offer a "Hospital Guarantee" generally around $5000 if necessary to get admitted to a Hospital. CSA (which can be purchased up to Final Payment and still get Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions) has a network of providers that may or may not accept the Insurance. If you have BCBS with out-of-country coverage, their out-of-country coverage has a network that will accept their insurance. The ship's infirmary does not acept insurance. In shopping, also note that some Policies only cover your emergency medical expenses DURING your trip; others provide coverage for any continuing expenses for 6 months to 12 months after your arrival home.

 

Make sure you check your personal Health Insurance for possible "out of Country coverage"!!!!!!! If your personal Health Insurance includes decent "out of country" and Medical Transport, you can consider purchasing any of the "Lite" Polcies for other coverages, or look at possible Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Baggage Loss/Damage/Delay coverage from you Credit Card that you charged your cruise to.

 

 

ken

[pe4all]

Depends on where you're goin on the cruise.

If the US Coast Guard medevacs you, the cost is zero.

If the US Coast Guard medevacs you and takes you to the Bahamas and then you need medevaced back to the States after you are stabilized, do you want to go to the nearest hospital in the satates? or do you want to be medevaced back to the closest hospital where you live?

What if there is a death involved? Do you want insurance to pay for your remains to be repatriated?

 

If you're cruiseing the med, $1M would be minimum. Caribbean, $500K would be minimum. This is all based on personal needs or desires.

 

Be aware that if you require hospital care, you don't just walk ( or get carried) in and present your insurance card and think it's all taken care of. Travel insurance works on reimbursement. You pay up front, then file a claim for reimbursement.

SOME not all insurance companies will provide or fax a letter of proof of ability to pay so medical care can be provided.

Not all countries will provide life saving measures without proof of ability to pay.

We use Travelguard. After getting travel insurance for many, many trips and cruises we actually used it in December. Just received our re-imbursement yesterday - ended up getting back every penny we layed out - air, hotel, meals getting back to U.S., -plus re-imbursement for the 3 days of the cruise we missed! It was a mess being in a Belize hospital - but TG walked us thru every step of the mess. I truly don't know what I would have done without travel insurance. Yes, we had to lay out EVERY PENNY in advance to the hospital. (always have a credit card cleared for use out of the country) Yes, we had to put the claim thru our private insurance when we got back - hence the delayed check from Travelguard. (NY is one of only a handful of states which requires private insurance to be filed first - TG won't even "sell" me a policy in which TG is "first.") After we filed the claim with TG, we had a check in hand in 2 weeks! BTW - our cost was around $300 to cover 4 adults for this cruise - got back the $5,000 we layed out over 3 days. And this wasn't for one of the two of my family who have pre-existing conditions - this was for my "healthy" dd!

[happy cruzin]

Another vote here for Travelguard!!

 

Less expensive than Berkley (Carnival) and if it's purchased within 15 days of your initial trip deposit the pre existing medical conditions are waived!

[gonole1972]

I had Travelex and they have been great since my emergency appendectomy in San Juan four weeks ago. Never made it onto the ship and all our cost are being reimbursed including cruise fare, all medical, extra days at the Marriott Resort for my wife to stay, with all her meals. Travelex coordinated all care and flight back to Tampa. Even booked us back first class without having to use my miles.

I get Travelex for all our kids and grandkids now. Could save you thousands of dollars. I purchased $500k for medical and $50k for emergency transportation.

[BeadedGoblets]

just purchased traveled insured's policy and am hoping we won't have to use it, but if we do, hoping we'd have the good coverage mentioned in this thread. it's a small price for peace of mind!

[cruisin53]

We purchased through Travel Guard for our upcoming cruise. We bought their Gold plan. Cost was 55.00 each and seems to have everything we wanted.:)

[pe4all]

We purchased through Travel Guard for our upcoming cruise. We bought their Gold plan. Cost was 55.00 each and seems to have everything we wanted.:)

Travelguard gold is what we purchase for cruises (out of country) We purchase travelguard silver if in country - easier hospital access - don't need to worry as we are in the U.S.

[Sundiego]

If anyone in your party is a veteran (not retired military, just any service), you can purchase "Travel Insured" insurance through the USAA site. We usually select the "Worldwide Trip Protector" option and compared with other travel insurance sites, the premium is a tad less thru USAA.

[Sundiego]

We use Access America

Our friends always get Access America. We cruised with them in January 2010 and the husband came down with a bad respiratory flu type sickness. They incurred extra expenses (ship's doctor, had to incur extra travel expense flying home, etc.) Access America was very easy to deal with and paid every last extra expense, no hoops to jump through.

[jordanaire]

Try squaremouth.com. I use it all the time! They offer different insurance companies so that you can compare each. Works for me!

 

:cool:Bill

[KCCruisin']

I've used Access America and Travelex, I've never had an occasion to need to make a claim, but I think it's important to mention that when you are comparing, make sure you know whether it's a secondary policy or primary. I like to purchase primary policies that payout regardless of my own personal insurance. Just a thought ;)

[br7210]

all of you have given us many things to consider & appreciate all the suggestiions!! we will be looking at each of them & comparing to find the best for us.

[SunshineOnTheBrain]

We use CSA Travel Protection and unfortunately had to put a claim in. They could not have been better. We rebooked the trip, the airfare was $200 less per person so we were issued vouchers. The insurance company told us that if we didn't use the vouchers within the airline alotted time...one year...that we were entitled to the refund for the difference.

 

Exactly one year to the day the CSA Travel Protection called us to verify that we didn't use the voucher for the difference in the airfare. Seven days later we received two checks (one for each of us) as a refund. It couldn't have been easier.

 

We will use them now everytime.