Best policy for familes?

[Tamsin72]

Thanks in advance for all your help. The information is overwhelming to try to sort through. I'm hoping someone can give me a few starting points.

 

Here are our stats:

 

5 people sailing, 2 adults, three kids 11, 11, 8

 

Two of the kids have asthma and food allergies.

 

The 5 day cruise is super cheap and we're driving to the port, so I don't really care about a refund on the cruise if we don't go. I can eat that cost. Airfare in not applicable.

 

What really worries me is if one of the kids gets sick onboard and needs to be airlifted off the boat. Do they airlift a parent too?

 

What if one of the kids gets sick in the Bahamas and needs to stay in the hospital? Does the insurance pay for a parent to stay behind with the child?

 

Are there any other questions I should be asking? I don't even know what to ask.

[cruiseco]

 

What really worries me is if one of the kids gets sick onboard and needs to be airlifted off the boat. Do they airlift a parent too?

 

 

That's 100% up to the pilot. No guarantees that that would happen.

 

 

What if one of the kids gets sick in the Bahamas and needs to stay in the hospital? Does the insurance pay for a parent to stay behind with the child?

 

Most plans don't directly address that issue as part of the emergency evac coverage, although they are very good about taking care of the children if YOU are hospitalized. The following is from Travelex which is pretty typical:

 

"Transportation of Dependent Children: If You are in the Hospital for more than seven (7) days, the authorized assistance company will return Your dependents, who are under eighteen (18) years of age and accompanying You on the scheduled Covered Trip, to the domicile of a person nominated by You or Your next of kin with an attendant if necessary. Transportation to Join You: If You are traveling alone and in a Hospital alone for more than seven (7) consecutive days or if the attending Physician certifies that due to Your Injury or Sickness, You will be required to stay in the Hospital for more than seven (7) consecutive days, upon request the authorized assistance company will bring a person, chosen by You, for a single visit to and from Your bedside provided that repatriation is not imminent. "

 

You're more likely to find what you need as far as additional expenses in the trip interruption benefit. This is from that same Travelex plan:

 

"TRIP INTERRUPTION

The Company will pay for the following:

 

(a) Unused, non-refundable land or sea expenses prepaid to the Travel Suppliers;

 

(b) The airfare paid less the value of applied credit from an unused travel ticket to return home, join or rejoin the original Land/Sea Arrangements limited to the cost of one-way economy airfare or similar quality as the originally issued ticket by scheduled carrier.

 

The Company will pay for reasonable additional accommodation and transportation expenses incurred by You (up to $100 a day) if a Traveling Companion must remain hospitalized, or if You must extend the Covered Trip with additional hotel nights due to a Physician certifying that You cannot fly home due to an Accident or a Sickness but does not require hospitalization.

 

In no event shall the amount reimbursed exceed the maximum benefit shown on the Confirmation of Coverage."

 

So your trip is interrupted due to an illness or injury to a traveling companion (the child). The trip interruption coverage would:

 

1) Reimburse you for the value of the days of the cruise you're missing.

 

2) Pay for your return flights home from, in this case, the Bahamas.

 

3) $100 day for expenses (hotels, meals, phone calls, etc)

 

If the whole emergency dragged on past seven days they would also -- under the emergency evac coverage -- pay to get the other kids home accompanied by an attendant if necessary.