Cruise with or without insurance

[crusinfamof4]

We are still undecided for the cruise insurance for our cruise in Nov to the Bahamas. We sailed Western last year with no cruise insurance and had no issues at all-we sailed in August. Our first cruise my DH says we had the insurance on.

 

How many sail with insurance and without?

 

I am just not sure what to do. I called our health insurance and we have out of country coverage, I guess that is my biggest fear is getting injured. I have a coworker who was seriously injured on an excursion in St Marteen in January.

 

Other than sustaining an injury, why else would we need it? We are back to the ship within 3 hours of debarking from the ports, we drive to the port a day early, we don't pack anything of value. Why else?

 

I know this question has been asked 1000 times already. Just need help in deciding to keep it or not.

 

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the all over the place post, at work and busy, but want to get my question posted. :)

[sparks1093]

A medevac from another country can cost thousands and that's the main reason that I get it. (My health insurance offers coverage overseas, too- but only if I use a preferred provider. That's the last thing I want to worry about.)

[okgirl]

My sister and I always get cruise insurance through insuremytrip.com because to be seriously injured and want and need to be brought back to the US from almost anywhere could easily run into the 10's of thousands and up.

 

We are 55 and 54 and to insure our trip including airfare is rarely more than $120 total for a 7 day trip.

 

In fact I just booked a B2B on the Breeze in January last Friday and I need to sit down today and book my insurance. I want to be in the 14 day window for automatic pre-existing condition coverage.

[CRUZBUDS]

We never used to get insurance and we don't really need it for the fare, we can afford to be self-insured.

 

We get it now primarily for medical evacuation. Most cruise ports do not have the medical facilities that are available to us in the U.S. and Canada. If I was seriously injured in St Marteen I would want to be flown to a U.S. hospital as soon as possible and that is expensive.

 

We had balcony mates that were injured on a motorcycle in Zihuatanejo. One was flown to a hospital in Austin, TX and the more serious one was flown to U.C. San Diego Medical Center.

 

I wouldn't want any delays while financing is arranged.

 

Europe of course would be different, but I'd still want to get home.

[carpeperdiem]

A medevac from another country can cost thousands and that's the main reason that I get it.

 

Bingo.

I use csatravelprotection dot com - this is the same company that AMEX uses if you buy from AMEX Platinum travel (at considerable discount if you buy on your own.) PS -- Amex Plat has medevac but only for the cardholder, not the whole family...

 

Everyone's situation is unique -- but my family has a history of someone getting sick and/or dying right before major trips... I can't not have the insurance.

[muah3iluvzu06]

I'm 23 & my fiance is 27 and we ALWAYS vacation with travelers insurance. We use insuremytrip dot com to purchase ours.

[peabody304]

We get it now primarily for medical evacuation.

 

This is exactly why we buy trip insurance.

[hbrote]

Absolutely get insurance. I always cruise with it and have a friend who cruised with us that had a health problem. They left the ship and then the fun started. The hospital could not perform the procedure that was needed but due to conflicts with there personal health insurance and "Cruise Insurance" he sat in that hospital for seven days, charges racking up, until they arranged for a flight back to the US. Cost of the flight, to Atlanta, was over 25k. Imagine if you didn't have any insurance..... Not me

[kwagmyre]

The medevac concerns notwithstanding (which are entirely valid), there are only two ways I can see that NOT getting insurance makes more financial sense:

 

1. You cruise enough to self-insure, and the odds of missing any one trip offset that all that insurance would be enough to buy another cruise. Generally speaking, trip insurance costs about 5-7% of the base fare, so roughly speaking you'd have to successfully cruise at least 10 times with no insurance and no incidents to even get a 50% payoff. To me, the risk/reward ratio just isn't there.

 

2. The cruise is so cheap and soon it doesn't matter. $199 on a pack-n-go rate for a 3-day to the bahamas that's leaving next week, no I probably wouldn't insure that. Especially if all I was planning to do was to get s***faced in bars by the dock. Then again, these are the people who actually are the ones who usually miss the ship! :eek: But insurance doesn't cover stupidity anyway, so same diff.

[Flick]

We always get travel insurance. Well, almost always.....we went on a cruise from a port about 30 minutes away therefore driving, little luggage to worry about, nothing of any great value, (beginning to sound familiar?). Three days after returning my wife had a massive heart attack with no known heart history. In just three days our lives were totally changed. Now, when we cruise, we go with insurance since the last place I or my wife want to be is in a foreign land with non-English speaking doctors. I know a man who had to evacuate his wife from Cozemel and did so without checking for a "preferred" carrier from his insurance company. He has not been, nor will he be re-imbursed for $35,000.00!

[Yvonne]

We always buy the trip insurance from a provider other than the cruise line.

 

I wouldn't want to have to cancel a cruise at the last minute and not be able to get my money back after paying in full. I would hate to lose $2,000 - $3,000 plus airfare. To us, the cost of the insurance goes right along with the trip.

 

We had to file a claim once too. The day we were to fly to Florida (a couple days before our Glory cruise) was the day of my Father's funeral. We did fly out the next day, but had to pay extra for the flight so when we got home we filed a claim and they paid us within a couple of weeks. If he would have passed away a couple of days later than he did, we would have cancelled the cruise.

 

My Mother is elderly, so is my husband's Father, something could happen to them at any time, or one of our kids/grandkids so for us, insurance is a must.

[Herfnerd]

Most cruise insurance's medical coverage is secondary to your personal insurance.

 

However, if your trip is delayed due to weather, mechanical or other flight issues, it covers you.

 

Lost or delayed luggage, it covers you

 

Medevac can cost $50k or more - I don't have that kind of money lying around.

 

We just paid $66 for TruTravel insurance (found them on insuremytripdotcom) to get and addtional $75k in medical coverage and $250k in medevac among other things

 

Small price to pay for piece of mind.....

[libtrek]

Good you have out of country health insurance. Medicare not so much. Also, think if you could afford a flight home if your folks or other loved needed you fast.

[LHP]

One only needs to read the Carnival Facebook page for a week to see post after post of folks who are furious that Carnival would not refund their cruise money because did not get to sail and did not buy insurance.

 

Why buy insurance?

 

I can only repeat posts I have read as to why others were not able to sail.

 

1. Grandparent died.

2. Parent became ill.

3. Cruisers in an accident BEFORE they sailed.

4. Dental issues and root canals.

5. Child has cancer.

6. Airline issues and missed the ship.

7. Cruiser became ill...

 

 

all of this before you even step foot on the ship.

 

No one buys car insurance or house insurance expecting to use it....

 

the same thing applies to travel insurance.

 

The bottom line is (as with anything in life)...

 

if you can not afford to lose it, insure it or don't buy it.

[Warm Breezes]

We are still undecided for the cruise insurance for our cruise in Nov to the Bahamas. We sailed Western last year with no cruise insurance and had no issues at all-we sailed in August. Our first cruise my DH says we had the insurance on.

 

How many sail with insurance and without?

 

I am just not sure what to do. I called our health insurance and we have out of country coverage, I guess that is my biggest fear is getting injured. I have a coworker who was seriously injured on an excursion in St Marteen in January.

 

Other than sustaining an injury, why else would we need it? We are back to the ship within 3 hours of debarking from the ports, we drive to the port a day early, we don't pack anything of value. Why else?

 

I know this question has been asked 1000 times already. Just need help in deciding to keep it or not.

 

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the all over the place post, at work and busy, but want to get my question posted. :)

 

I marked yes I sail with insurance but you needed one more option....I sail with insurance and had to use it when DGM passed away the day before our sailing. We cancelled our cruise and drove back home. It was a lot easier to cancel knowing that we would be refunded our money to book a replacement cruise in the future....FWIW everything went smoothly filing our claim. We received our funds back within a month.

[CRUISE4JANE]

I would never cruise without insurance (not cruise line's insurance though). Now I go through insuremytrip.

[richfret]

I hate to be sarcastic but you almost have to be concerning this issue. It's like health insurance. Are you going to live to 100? Then you probably don't need health insurance. Might you have an accident or get sick on a cruise? If not, then you don't need cruise insurance. If you can't answer these questions, buy the insurance.

 

Don't forget the pre existing condition issue. That' a whole post in itself. You may have to check with a TA to get the best type coverage which may not be Carnaval.

 

There is also the issue about buying insurance at the time you purchase your cruise. If you buy at a later date, you may exempt yourself from some coverage.

 

Then there is the passport issue, deck choices and Future Cruise Certificate. Ah, but I digress and am straying from the topic. "Oh the tangled webs we weave!"

[livestocruisetoo]

And very cheap when you actually have to use it. :D

[happy cruzer]

The devil is in the details.

 

Most people are concerned about medivac. Read the details in the policies. Some will only evacuate to the nearest hospital, i.e. not a US hospital or the US hospital of your choice.

 

The OP says they have medical coverage they may even have medivac coverage in their standard policy. If they only need medivac there are policies that provide that only.

 

Self insuring the rest of the cost of the cruise and having a medical policy in place may be enough.

 

As an aside, how many people don't have medical insurance in the US, alot.....

They may not mind using medical care in another country.

 

My only point is that each case is different and there are many details to consider. Just saying buy insurance is not enough of an answer. The more detailed information the better.

[momof4boys]

Always for med evac coverage....and yes I make sure the policy I buy pays for evac to a hospital in the USA. My regular insurance covers medical care, but I want it where I can understand the language and know how the system works.

 

DH, my boys,their wives, and I are in good shape...no pre-existing problems, but it is the accidents...misteps, falls, etc that can get you.

 

I think some people honestly think things won't happen to them....but that is the definition of an accident....and UNPLANNED event.

[jayscore]

One only needs to read the Carnival Facebook page for a week to see post after post of folks who are furious that Carnival would not refund their cruise money because did not get to sail and did not buy insurance.

 

Why buy insurance?

 

I can only repeat posts I have read as to why others were not able to sail.

 

1. Grandparent died.

2. Parent became ill.

3. Cruisers in an accident BEFORE they sailed.

4. Dental issues and root canals.

5. Child has cancer.

6. Airline issues and missed the ship.

7. Cruiser became ill...

 

 

all of this before you even step foot on the ship.

 

No one buys car insurance or house insurance expecting to use it....

 

the same thing applies to travel insurance.

 

The bottom line is (as with anything in life)...

 

if you can not afford to lose it, insure it or don't buy it.

 

 

I used to never buy insurance, until some immediate family members were gravely ill, with the chance of missing the trip. Now, I do for the above reasons, plus, I sprung for the "cancel for any reason" option.

The older I get, the more I worry about these things!:rolleyes:

[RuthlessBoss]

I just booked a solo 5 dayer, not top of the line cabin, but i bought from Carnival at booking. It was $65 hard earned dollars, but I needed cancel for any reason, and that's now a covered thing. As any caregiver of a terminal Hospice person knows, we don't have the mental stamina to search out and decide on a policy even though it may be cheaper.

I too have reached an age anything can happen be it medical, driving to the port, all things pointed out by others. It's mental security. (But I sure would have preferred to spend that money on more pleasureable things)

[dainew]

I will always get insurance because 2 cruises ago my sister in law got sick the morning of the cruise and because they had gotten insurance they were able to get there money back....some friends of our was going on a cruise and they didnt listen and didnt buy insurance they where schelude to leave the next day for there cruise and they got in a car accident and they lost all there money..

[NYMama]

I always buy trip insurance on our resort vacations and we did for our first cruise in November as well. We had to cancel once during the whole Mexico swine flu epidemic back in 2009 and I was so glad that we had the insurance.

[ray98]

I have not used it in the past but I will consider it in the future just for the medical coverage.