Have you ever cruised without insurance?

[GrummanTiger]

You either BUY insurance or you SELF-INSURE. No matter what, you WILL pay.

:)

[Shmoo here]

For younger people, it's not about being healthy, it's about accidents. My PVP told me about a young guy that broke his ankle while ziplining. His group insurance did not cover him outside of US. It cost him over $4,000. The insurance at his age would've been $40.

 

I would think twice about that if I were you.

 

Exactly.

 

On another board I frequent, someone posted about their Mexican Riviera cruise. Their son (I think he was like 10-12) had an appendicitis attack. He was taken to a hospital in Cabo San Lucas. Mom stayed with him. Dad stayed on the ship with other children. They had insurance. It covered Mom's stay in Cabo, medical expenses, transfer back to USA.

 

I've also read lots of reports of "slip and fall" injuries on slippery decks/stairs onboard the ship. Just an accident, but could be costly, if you don't have insurance.

[Ken076]

I am interested in the medical portion, and curious...what causes you to choose outside policies vs. Carnival? Is it just because of cost? Are the benefits significantly better on one vs. the other?

 

For our 7-day cruise, the Carnival insurance is around $100. I am trying to decide what to do. Are there 'major' companies that routinely provide outside policies you'd recommend, or should we stick with something like USAA?

 

I am cruising with a friend. Am I allowed to purchase for myself if she is not covered?

 

Carnival's Policy covers $10,000 medical which IMO is woefully inadequate and the MedEvac coverage IMO is marginal. You can do much better on these coverages alone with most 3rd party policies.

 

CSA, TravelEx, TravelInsured....are popular insurers each with a number of differing policies/coverages/ prices to choose from. USAA offers TravelInsured with a few increased coverages at a slightly lower premium.

 

If you purchase Policy within 14-21 days of booking you can get "waiver of pre-existing conditions" with most policies except Carnival's.

 

Again, if you book with a WorlMastercard (and some others) you can get minimal cancellation/delay coverage and lost/delayed luggage coverage included; check your Health Insurance for out-of-country coverage.

 

ken

Edited March 20, 2015 by Ken076

[Drazil65]

We always do (me, DH & DS), has nothing to do with our current health or age. Here is good example, happened last fall. My brother, SIL and neice booked a 7 day 2 cabins, 2 days before cruise my neice was in car accident and ended up in hospital for 4 days.

 

Of course her parents were not leaving the country with one of their kids in hospital so none of them could go. No insurance. My neice is 23, so life happens and if they had purchased it they could have collected for almost all of the trip for each of them.

 

Also have a friend that lost her mom unexpectedly 4 days prior to their trip, thank goodness they purchased insurance.

 

It is not that much, if you think about how much the average person spends on a cruise (especially if you drink) the insurance is a drop in the bucket. It just makes sense.

[NavarreCruiser]

102 cruises in 10 years. Never have. But might if health gets bad.

[winddawn]

I wish we could cruise without insurance. We always choose a policy with Primary benefits which is more expensive than on with Secondary benefits.

 

However, I have health issues and Medicare does not cover out of the US. If something were to happen and we had to be medivaced back to the states it would sure take a chunk out of our savings.

Good point, sparky. My medical insurance does cover me outside the U.S. and that is a good thing to research before making a decision about purchasing cruise insurance.

[elainmir]

I never did until I read how some cruisers had experienced issues and had to be airlifted off the ship or to another location in the US and it was 12,000.00 dollars! I thought boy 100 bucks or 12,000.00 bucks..that's a no brainer to me! I usually go through my auto/home company USAA and click the links for other insurance..I get a discount!

[texast518]

Just wondering if anyone has? If you buy outside insurance, what has been your experiences? Ever used it?

 

If U don't have home, car, life ins., do not get it Our friends recently had a $90K emergency air-vac, covered by ins, only takes once.

[solle1]

As an alternative, World Mastercard (and others) include (generally minimal) trip cancellation and luggage loss/delay coverage. Check your health insurance (other than Medicare) for out-of-country benefits; some at least cover out-of-country under out-of-network benefits. Ken

 

You will not find coverage outside of the US from US health plans .... oddly most Europeans I meet will not travel abroad without short term travel insurance.. I buy mine mostly for the evacuation costs chopper fuel aint cheap you know

[richstowe]

As an alternative, World Mastercard (and others) include (generally minimal) trip cancellation and luggage loss/delay coverage. Check your health insurance (other than Medicare) for out-of-country benefits; some at least cover out-of-country under out-of-network benefits. Ken

My DW's health plan includes limited trip cancellation and together with

a gold travel credit card , I feel we are sufficiently covered . At a certain point

by not purchasing travel insurance, we will have saved enough for another cruise .:p

Edited March 21, 2015 by richstowe

[RobinAnn]

Exactly.

 

I've also read lots of reports of "slip and fall" injuries on slippery decks/stairs onboard the ship. Just an accident, but could be costly, if you don't have insurance.

 

Maybe I was lucky, but on a HAL cruise a few years back, I stumbled down a stairway on the way to the muster drill. Not the ship's fault; my rubber soles "caught" on the carpet. I managed to make it through the muster and the first day. That night I was in agony. I couldn't turn over in bed (not quite sure why since it was my knee that was hurt). Anyway, we trooped on down to the medical center with no worries as we had travel insurance. I talked to the nurse, then security (!!!), then the doc. They took xrays and gave me a knee brace (like a boot but for the knee). He offered me drugs but that seemed like overkill. I got phone calls of apology and well wishes; I got a delivery of chocolate covered strawberries. I was certainly expecting to pay for the medical attention but I got no bill at all. (I think they were worried I was going to sue or something... not that I ever mentioned such a thing.)

 

So, I had insurance with the potential of needing it but didn't have to use it. Do I have insurance for my next cruise? Sure do!

[dsrdsrdsr]

If you pay for a holiday without travel insurance, you risk losing the cost of the holiday. No more. It's a gamble you may or may not be willing to take; weigh up the risks.

 

If you travel to a place where you don't have medical insurance, you risk losing unlimited sums - your savings, your home, your pension. It's not a gamble you can assess, and a gamble which (IMO) you'd be a fool to take on.

 

You might be lucky and find the cost is 'only' a few thousand. You might not. A friend of the family was in Spain when he had a stroke. His treatment was free, because EU countries provide cover for each other, but when he needed to come home they had to hire a camper van and drive him to the Channel. They couldn't afford the air ambulance. No-one has perfect health; they only have perfect health, so far.

Edited March 21, 2015 by dsrdsrdsr

[J England]

We have bought through Carnival before, but it is expensive. Anyone have any first hand knowledge of a good 3rd party source. My Mom's health is not good and we do worry we might have to cancel if something happened to her and I needed to stay home.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

You will not find coverage outside of the US from US health plans .... oddly most Europeans I meet will not travel abroad without short term travel insurance.. I buy mine mostly for the evacuation costs chopper fuel aint cheap you know

 

We have Blue Cross PPO and it says we are covered outside the U.S. with the Blue Card Program.

 

Bill

[Suzanne123]

Bill - Check with BC directly. I also have BC/BS PPO and was told that I am covered overseas including the cruise ship, but they will treat providers as out-of-network, and I would be responsible for 20%. Consider adding the inexpensive geo-blue policy to pick up your non-covered services, deductible, and copayment. The voyager plan has a waiver for pre-existing conditions.

[NOLAbebe]

If you purchase Policy within 14-21 days of booking you can get "waiver of pre-existing conditions" with most policies except Carnival's.

 

I don't pretend to fully understand this- would you mind explaining what this means? If that is the policy, does that mean purchasing more than 21 days (for example) after booking the cruise would mean you have to provide medical certification or something like that in order to purchase an policy?

 

I booked our cruise approximately 4 weeks ago and initially declined the coverage. In order to purchase an insurance policy for our cruise in August, will I need something from a doctor submitted first regarding pre-existing conditions? I am diabetic and not sure if I'm understanding all of this stuff or how it applies to my situation.

 

Sorry, this is not my field of expertise! :)

[klfrodo]

I don't pretend to fully understand this- would you mind explaining what this means? If that is the policy, does that mean purchasing more than 21 days (for example) after booking the cruise would mean you have to provide medical certification or something like that in order to purchase an policy?

 

I booked our cruise approximately 4 weeks ago and initially declined the coverage. In order to purchase an insurance policy for our cruise in August, will I need something from a doctor submitted first regarding pre-existing conditions? I am diabetic and not sure if I'm understanding all of this stuff or how it applies to my situation.

 

Sorry, this is not my field of expertise! :)

 

No,

you will NOT be required to have a doctors note or anything to now purchase travel insurance that covers medical.

The problem is that if anyone that you are buy for has a known previous medical condition (high blood pressure, kidney problems, etc.) and those issues cause medical problems while on the cruise,,,,, any claims for reimbursement can and will be denied.

 

 

Just a side note that many new travelers are not aware about travel insurance.

Travel Insurance is Reimbursement based coverage.

Rent a bicycle on an excursion, wreck the bike, go to hospital with broken leg,,,,,,, YOU pay with cash or credit card. You get home and file for reimbursement.

[NOLAbebe]

... if anyone that you are buy for has a known previous medical condition (high blood pressure, kidney problems, etc.)...any claims for reimbursement can and will be denied.

 

Hmm. I am diabetic, so if I have any diabetes-related issues they won't be covered? Other than accidental injury, that was a concern of mine (i.e., I have had issues with my feet, wounds, etc. and I am going to be doing a stingray excursion, for example, and lets say I step on a stingray and get lashed in the foot, etc.). Or, I don't know...my 'diabetic' kidneys have some sort of reaction to the supposed sodium in the drinking water on the ship. That sort of thing, you're saying wouldn't be covered even if I were allowed to purchase a policy prior to sailing?

 

To me, other than medical transport costs (and some portion of the plan that may cover potential cancellation), that was the whole point of my buying a policy in the first place. :(

[klfrodo]

Hmm. I am diabetic, so if I have any diabetes-related issues they won't be covered? Other than accidental injury, that was a concern of mine (i.e., I have had issues with my feet, wounds, etc. and I am going to be doing a stingray excursion, for example, and lets say I step on a stingray and get lashed in the foot, etc.). Or, I don't know...my 'diabetic' kidneys have some sort of reaction to the supposed sodium in the drinking water on the ship. That sort of thing, you're saying wouldn't be covered even if I were allowed to purchase a policy prior to sailing?

 

To me, other than medical transport costs (and some portion of the plan that may cover potential cancellation), that was the whole point of my buying a policy in the first place. :(

 

Then you should have purchased insurance within the timetable allowed. No one to blame but the man in the mirror.

 

Or, you can do some more research to find out of their is an insurance company out there who will sell you a policy that covers pre-existing conditions.

There may be one that I can think of. CSA or CSA Luxe that will sell to you up to date of final payment.

 

Or,, you can go to http://www.tripinsurancestore.com

[NOLAbebe]

I didn't realize the window was so short since I had booked so far in advance. My mistake. Thank you for your help! :)

[knmcashman]

14 cruises and we have never purchased insurance.