Cruise with or without insurance

[karen_g]

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 agree 100%. When I was in my 20's, it never occurred to me that I would need insurance. Now that I'm a little older (a few decades... Ack), I realize that it's not just *my* health that is at issue, but so many other factors as well. A few years ago my mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly just before a cruise that my husband and I were going to take. We had the insurance and were very glad we did. We got a full refund, including airfare, which enabled us to re-schedule for later down the road.

[ccruisequeen]

we planned a 4-day cruise. Everything was fine & final payment made. A week before the cruise, Dad got sick & needed surgery, so he couldn't go. Mom decided to stay with him. I cruised alone. We ended up forfeiting one ES fare (single traveler pays 200% anyway).

 

From now on, we go past Guest rate AND get Insurance!

[T. Advisor King]

I had a hard time answering because "insurance" means many different things. However, the initial post focused on medical insurance (i.e., as opposed to, for example, trip cancellation insurance), so I based my response on that. In addition, my work medical insurance covers my family for hospitalization and care when travelling (including out of the country) and including emergency evacuation. So if the question had been, "do you buy insurance", my answer would have been "no".

 

I do wish the options had included both sides of the "yes" (i.e., "have needed it" and "have never needed it").

[CaribbeanLuver]

We get insurance mostly because I feel like if we don't, something WILL go wrong. Don't want to tempt Murphy. Also, in 2009 my very "physically fit" DH had a brain aneurysm at 38. It makes you realize that ANYTHING can happen.

[NHNEV2003]

The whole insurance question cracks me up--why do people ask other people what they should do?

 

It's an individual choice-- if you're comfortable without it, don't buy it. Just remember if something goes wrong, don't blame the cruise line, or the airline, or the government, or anyone else.

 

If you're not comfortable, then buy it.

 

Do you have life insurance? Health insurance? Car insurance? House insurance?

 

You are the only one that can determine what's right for you.

[4x4TX]

how late can you book this insurance before your trip?

[thephantomsgirl]

how late can you book this insurance before your trip?

 

The answer is: it depends.

 

You can purchase insurance up until a few days before your cruise.

 

BUT...if you need cancel for any reason, or have pre-existing conditions, or relatives have pre-existing conditions then the time frame is somewhere between 14 and 21 days after your deposit depending upon the company and the policy.

 

I have traveled twice without it and not needed it, but I realize there is just too much going on with me and around me that I'm not willing to gamble any more. It's part of the cruise fare as far as I'm concerned.

[Georgiagolfer]

I voted we cruise without. Never had a problem, but I also know I may be taking chances.

[LHP]

Speak of the devil....currently on Carnival's Facebook page...someone is wanting to start a Facebook page protesting Carnival because their friend lost their job AND has cancer ...... and now is MAD because Carnival will not give them their money back.

[derbycruiser]

Got stuck in new Orleans 2005 as the freedom of the seas hit the dock in costa maya...three days food, drinks, room, transportation, and a great time all courtesy of the insurance co. We never trip land or sea:rolleyes: without it...gosh sounds like an Amex ad.

[Tonkel]

 

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

 

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

 

 

Well put. I missed a short land vacation because of a spontaneous lung collapse the day before we were to leave. My family was unhappy, but we were able to cancel hotel reservations. Now, I will NEVER cruise without insurance because I cannot afford to lose that much money.

[larkz]

I don't know many people who have tens of thousands of dollars in liquid assets or credit to handle being flown back to the U.S. -- therefore, if they're cruising without insurance, they're basically transferring the burden to friends and family.

 

What do I and my siblings say, for example, if another sibling gets off the ship in Roatan and has a severe medical emergency without insurance? Good luck? See ya 'round? Or are siblings and friends put into the position of bailing the knucklehead out of a jam? Should we leave him down there as assets are swallowed with what may be substandard care in a foreign country?

 

It's a rotten position to put others in.

[libtrek]

It's very sad but on a family trip, my cousin's SIL had a massive heart attack sitting on a bench in Mexico. She didn't make it and it was amazing how complicated and expensive it was. They did have insurance and it enabled someone to stay with her and fly home.

[Room Service!]

It's very sad but on a family trip, my cousin's SIL had a massive heart attack sitting on a bench in Mexico. She didn't make it and it was amazing how complicated and expensive it was. They did have insurance and it enabled someone to stay with her and fly home.

 

That is sad.

Those are exactly the types of things that can, and do, happen. Things you don't expect.

The small amount that insurance costs is so worth it when something like this happens. I'd much rather be out that small amount for the peace of mind it would bring.

If nothing happens and I've spent the money ... it's more than okay with me.

[RobertL88]

Reading this thread and I'm wondering: do you buy travel insurance per trip you're making, or do you have an ongoing travel insurance?

(Don't know how this works in other parts of the world, but I have an ongoing travel insurance, which costs the same as two separate trip insurances...)

[T. Advisor King]

Well put. I missed a short land vacation because of a spontaneous lung collapse the day before we were to leave. My family was unhappy, but we were able to cancel hotel reservations. Now, I will NEVER cruise without insurance because I cannot afford to lose that much money.

 

But isn't the money you're talking about "losing" the same money you were already committed to "spending"? How can you say you can't afford to "lose" it if you were fully prepared to pay for it if you could go?

 

I could understand your comment if we were talking about medical insurance and you're facing costs of medical treatment, care and perhaps evacuation that you weren't planning on. But you appeared to be speaking about a vacation you could afford. I don't think you can say you could afford it if you actually went, but couldn't afford it if you couldn't go.

[Warm Breezes]

But isn't the money you're talking about "losing" the same money you were already committed to "spending"? How can you say you can't afford to "lose" it if you were fully prepared to pay for it if you could go?

 

I could understand your comment if we were talking about medical insurance and you're facing costs of medical treatment, care and perhaps evacuation that you weren't planning on. But you appeared to be speaking about a vacation you could afford. I don't think you can say you could afford it if you actually went, but couldn't afford it if you couldn't go.

 

It is a loss because you paid a lot of money for something you did not get and if you want to reschedule that precious vacation, you may not be able to afford to do it again. Many people save a long time for that vacation and to just lose that hard saved money and not get what you saved for is most definately a loss. It was a lot easier for us to cancel our Glory cruise when DGM passed away the day before sailing knowing we would get our money back from insurance to reschedule it later.

[T. Advisor King]

It is a loss because you paid a lot of money for something you did not get and if you want to reschedule that precious vacation, you may not be able to afford to do it again. Many people save a long time for that vacation and to just lose that hard saved money and not get what you saved for is most definately a loss. It was a lot easier for us to cancel our Glory cruise when DGM passed away the day before sailing knowing we would get our money back from insurance to reschedule it later.

 

I don't question that it was a "loss". I question whether you can accurately say it is a loss you can't afford. It seems to me that by committing to those vacation expenses in the first place, it is something you can afford.

[mikeysed]

everyone should look at trutravel ... insuremytrip(D0T)com -- trutravel is backed by nationwide A+ AM Best rating.

 

The trutravel supersaver rate has EXCELLENT reviews.. and was $49 total (so 24.50 pp) for my october 7 night cruise for 2 of us.

 

There coverage $$ on things are higher than most, and so many positive reviews on here and the site i posted above.

 

 

$24.50 per person is a NO BRAINER!!! if you can't afford 24 bux to cover everything for your trip, you shouldn't even be spending the money on the trip in the 1st place.

[carpeperdiem]

I don't question that it was a "loss". I question whether you can accurately say it is a loss you can't afford. It seems to me that by committing to those vacation expenses in the first place, it is something you can afford.

 

Argumentative for argument's sake? Geez.

 

I think I speak for many here:

 

I can afford anything I want.

 

I can't "afford" to blow a vacation due to unforeseen circumstances. Therefore I buy insurance for less than 3% of my budget. And if something bad happens, my vacation is cancelled and I can use 97% of the budget for my next vacation.

 

Not being able to "afford" wasting the trip's budget on an unforeseen cancellation is a freaking figure of speech. Got it?

[clackey]

We didn't get insurance on our first couple of cruises but then I saw one woman fall playing golf and another fall on a wet deck. Then we saw a couple of guys get booted off of the ship in Calica. Now we buy insurance and take our passports.

[GHDPeter]

My grandmother, who introduced me to cruising when I was 12, is the reason that I ALWAYS take travel insurance and in the past few years have chosen annual policies.

 

On one of her trips to the US from Australia, on her last day in Honolulu while doing some shopping someone ran into her with a trolley. The result was a week in hospital, changes to flights and accommodation for the rest of the family and extra medical upon her return home.

 

I don't travel without insurance even if it's just interstate.

[vacruizer]

I received my insurance reimbursement check in the mail today for the cruise I had to cancel in May.

 

Dh and I are 40, healthy, no major health concerns to worry about. But I've always gotten travel insurance to cover any possible delays, medical evac, or to cover anything that could happen back home as we both have older parents and my grandmother is in her 90s. I NEVER thought I'd use it for my own health issue.

 

The week before our cruise, I became quite ill. After several ER visits, I was diagnosed with a gallbladder problem the morning we were supposed to leave to drive to Baltimore for the cruise. Mine wasn't the typical gallstones that could have been put off and managed with diet. It was inflammed and infected and needed to come out soon. So I did what I never thought I'd do and cancelled the morning of the cruise. I had surgery that week the day we would have been in Nassau. And as hard as it was to do, cancelling was the right decision because I'd have probably been in a medical evac situation if I'd gone ahead with the trip. You just never know what can happen medically - even if you are young and healthy.

 

Sure, we could have eaten the loss of the cruise fares. But it was really peace of mind knowing we could book another cruise with the refund coming or even just pay the out of pocket medical bills. I would have hated the idea when I cancelled that it would be a large chunk of my hard earned money spent for a trip I never got to take.

[gertiesmom]

For us, it depends on the trip. If we are traveling in winter, we always get travel insurance for everything. If its a short vacation in the summer, we don't. For a cruise, it depends on how much money we are spending on the cruise.

[Cruising Photographer]

I have been on 14 cruises and never purchased the travel isurance. On my next cruise in 4 weeks, I am going snorkeling, taking a 3 1/2 hour bus trip, and taking a jeap safari ride. That's a lot of places an accident could happen. After reading about the $35,000 air-evac bill someone had to pay from Cozumel to the US, I decided to check the prices at insuremytrip.com, a shopping portal for many companies. Basic coverage including hospital and medical air evacuation for my 8 day caribbean cruise with TruTravel was $32 pp. I just purchased trip insurance.