Insurance thru your TA or ??

[rowval]

We have been using our TA for our Travel insurance needs, Im now wondering, since we seem to be doing more & more cruises-what do others do? Thanks in advance

[trainnut]

I always get the information about costs and coverage from my TA, then do comparisons using the Internet. So far, I have always (well, my last 7 cruises) ended up going with a different vendor than the TA. I often use insuremytrip dot com, as I can see a LOT of companies' policies at once.

 

Whatever you do, make sure the actual carrier is reputable, has good claims service, etc. So ask your TA who they actually use for the insurance, then research!

[MartinsCruise]

We get the insurance on our own. In fact we stopped using TA's a while back. Some of the benefits of dealing direct with the airlines and cruise lines outweigh any OBC's etc.

 

Doug

[eandj]

A TA's policy can be pretty generic. Do the research and find the policy that best fits your needs at the time. Some coverages are pretty meaningless to us. A couple others are darn important. So if we are going to choose to buy insurance rather than self insure, we make sure our needs are covered by the best rated company for the best price.

[jacketwatch]

I usually go to www.insuremytrip.com. You will find way more options and plans and its cheaper as well.

[Gonzo70]

There are so many policies it is prudent to spend a little time researching what is best for you (I use insuremytrip.com). That way you can find the coverage that suits you best and often find a good price. To me this is better than blindly accepting whatever policy the TA is affiliated with.

[Wine-O]

If you are a USAA member, Travel Insured will give you a good price + a discount.

[FunForUs]

You can also try tripinsurancestore.com -- they have a lot of information on their site plus you can call and talk to someone if you need more help.

[ccletzgo]

one thing positive I can say about celebrity's insurance is that "Cancel for any Reason" will get you a future cruise certificate. If you purchase cancel for any reason insurance its pretty expensive else where. Celebrity's is cheap. Its a personal thing because everyone's insurance needs are different..

[PatriciaF]

I thought Celebrity's policy for $119 including Choice Air cost was a great bargain--some of the coverage wasn't as much as I would like, but you also have coverage through the credit card you used to pay for the reservation for evacuation, medical, and a few others things.

 

Plus--cancel for any reason--what a bargain.

 

My TA also recommends another online travel insurance company, but for very similar coverage, it was 3 times the cost. I don't think we are really old (my dad is 94!), but both being 61 pushed the cost up really high.

[buggins0402]

We have been using our TA for our Travel insurance needs, Im now wondering, since we seem to be doing more & more cruises-what do others do? Thanks in advance

 

Do note that one of the things you are insuring against is bankruptcy/non-payment by your TA, so if you buy from the same source you won't get this protection.

[Yankee Doodle]

This past January we took our family on a cruise on the Explorer. My DIL has many health issues so health insurance for existing conditions was a must. If I purchased the trip insurance from someone other than my TA, I would have had to purchase no later than 14 days after booking the trip. My TA offered existing condition coverage which we purchased a day prior to FINAL payment. If something prevented my DIL from going on the cruise prior to final payment, we would have been out the insurance money spent if it was purchased when BOOKING.

 

My TA gave us a comparable price, so in our circumstance it seemed like the best option.

 

Nancy

[jsargent34]

It is incredibly important to note that what the cruiselines offer IS NOT travel insurance, it is travel protection. You may think as many do there is no difference, but the differences though few are MONUMENTAL.

 

Having worked for two of the four "big" travel insurance companies, I have no doubt run into many examples where the cruise line protection/waiver plan falls far short.

 

Some have very accurately pointed out that a traditional travel insurance policy is usually more expensive than the cruiseline waiver... That should be a "sign" if you will that you are not getting a comparable product.

 

Remember this, should you purchase your own airfare as many do - the cruiseline waiver product have no protection for missed connections, travel delays or lost baggage. There are quite a few things additionally where there are major differences, but just bear in mind that a cruiseline "protection plan" is 100% an "apple" to the "orange" known as a traditional "travel insurance plan" (e.g. CSA, Travel Insured, Travelex, Access America...).

 

Like all things, you do get what you pay for - but there is always a situation where there is a right product out there for everyone... and for some a cruiseline protection plan may be that product in limited cases.

[PatriciaF]

Here's the link to what is offered through Celebrity:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/planAndBook/beforeYouGo/tabLanding.do?pagename=before_you_go_gateway&tab=before_you_go_customize_vacation

 

We recently had to cancel a Princess Cruise as I broke my wrist two days before we were to fly to FLL. I dealt with an Insurance Company for my claim. We were fully reimbursed in less than two weeks from filing the claim.