Do I need insurance if I live right by the port?

[BeachMartini]

Considering a Boston to Bermuda cruise in June. Wondering if I need insurance since I live in Boston and won't be flying. My health insurance seems to cover me in Bermuda. Guess I need to see if that applies to time at sea as well. No health issues to consider.

 

The only reasons I would think I need insurance would be due to weather, if one of us got sick or due to some family emergency that would prevent us from traveling.

 

If there is a hurricane near Bermuda, would the sailing get cancelled? Or maybe diverted to Florida? Would I have the right to cancel if I had insurance in either instance?

 

Does insurance cover family emergencies?

 

Any suggestions or types of policies that might work for me?

 

Thanks for your help!

[mellerswa]

Considering a Boston to Bermuda cruise in June. Wondering if I need insurance since I live in Boston and won't be flying. My health insurance seems to cover me in Bermuda. Guess I need to see if that applies to time at sea as well. No health issues to consider.

 

The only reasons I would think I need insurance would be due to weather, if one of us got sick or due to some family emergency that would prevent us from traveling.

 

If there is a hurricane near Bermuda, would the sailing get cancelled? Or maybe diverted to Florida? Would I have the right to cancel if I had insurance in either instance?

 

Does insurance cover family emergencies?

 

Any suggestions or types of policies that might work for me?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

If you have anyone in your family who is ill, and whose emergency might prevent you from cruising, it would be a very good idea to buy cruise insurance RIGHT NOW, and not from the company. No company policies that I know of cover pre-existing conditions--and that includes, most times, the pre-existing conditions of your relatives. Pre-existing conditions coverage is cheapest if purchased before the 14 day mark, but it can still be had relatively inexpensively before the 30 day mark, depending upon which policy you choose.

 

More than 30 days out from your initial deposit (but before 24 hours after your final payment), you can get pre-existing conditions coverage from CSA. Try here:

 

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/csa.shtml

 

Hurricanes are usually covered by travel insurance--check with your particular policy to be sure--I really like http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/ for a good comparison of polices.

[FLACRUISER99]

If you have anyone in your family who is ill, and whose emergency might prevent you from cruising, it would be a very good idea to buy cruise insurance RIGHT NOW, and not from the company. No company policies that I know of cover pre-existing conditions--and that includes, most times, the pre-existing conditions of your relatives. Pre-existing conditions coverage is cheapest if purchased before the 14 day mark, but it can still be had relatively inexpensively before the 30 day mark, depending upon which policy you choose.

 

More than 30 days out from your initial deposit (but before 24 hours after your final payment), you can get pre-existing conditions coverage from CSA. Try here:

 

http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/csa.shtml

 

Hurricanes are usually covered by travel insurance--check with your particular policy to be sure--I really like http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/ for a good comparison of polices.

HAL's does.

[6rugrats]

If there is a hurricane near Bermuda, would the sailing get cancelled? Or maybe diverted to Florida? Would I have the right to cancel if I had insurance in either instance?

It is rare for a sailing to be cancelled. If the ship sails, you can't collect from your insurance policy because you didn't want to go because of the storm. Cruiselines retain the right to change ports and you're pretty much stuck. You could end up with a cruise that just sailed around, as the ship won't sail into a hurricane. If you cancel just because you don't want to go, the only coverage for that is "cancel for any reason", and you won't get all your money back for that; usually only 50-75% of it.

 

 

Does insurance cover family emergencies?

What kind of family emergency? You'd have to read what was covered under the policy you were considering.

 

Any suggestions or types of policies that might work for me?

You may want to go to insuremytrip.com and read up on what types of travel policies are offered. When you find one that seems to suit your needs, call and speak with an agent to make sure you understand the policy before purchase.

[D4]

...The only reasons I would think I need insurance would be due to weather, if one of us got sick or due to some family emergency that would prevent us from traveling.

 

If there is a hurricane near Bermuda, would the sailing get cancelled? Or maybe diverted to Florida? Would I have the right to cancel if I had insurance in either instance?

 

Does insurance cover family emergencies?

 

Any suggestions or types of policies that might work for me?...

 

You might consider a policy that has a Cancel For Any Reason option (CFAR). I purchase Travelsafe with CFAR. It allows you to cancel for ANY reason at least 2 or more days before your travel date and get 75% cash back. (Note: If you cancel for a reason that falls under the regular coverages, those provisions apply.)

 

The benefit of this option is YOU get to decide what kind of event is justifies cancelling your cruise. This option requires you to insure all nonrefundable prepaid expenses and you have to purchase it within a short time after you make your first payment towards the trip.

 

If you got a great deal on the cruise, the CFAR option may not make sense for you. We live in Illinois so we always have airfare and cruise costs for the whole family so the total trip cost is pretty high.

 

On a different note, I advise everyone going on a cruise to consider purchasing trip insurance for the emergency medical evacuation coverage. Even young people in good health can need their appendix out or fall and break a limb that requires surgery. That can easily cost $50,000 or more.