Carnival Insurance Question on casino offer cruise

[pearle1]

Hello all ~ I just returned from a carnival pride cruise ~ spent a little too much in the casino and lost :( ~ however, ended up receiving a casino offer that is a free interior for 2 , except taxes and port fees I would pay.

I am taking them up on the offer and they suggested the vacation protection in case i had to cancel (free offers have a rigid penalty of having to pay to value of a cruise if you should cancel)

With that said, carnival insurance is more expensive.

If anybody has experienced this before ~ do you think using an outside insurance company like travelex or insuremytrip would protect us in the event we had to cancel. I dont anticipate it, but you never know.

Should I just get the carnival protection plan, or an outside one??

Any opinions/advice is appreciated.Thanks!

[dotheyes]

Hello all ~ I just returned from a carnival pride cruise ~ spent a little too much in the casino and lost :( ~ however, ended up receiving a casino offer that is a free interior for 2 , except taxes and port fees I would pay.

I am taking them up on the offer and they suggested the vacation protection in case i had to cancel (free offers have a rigid penalty of having to pay to value of a cruise if you should cancel)

With that said, carnival insurance is more expensive.

If anybody has experienced this before ~ do you think using an outside insurance company like travelex or insuremytrip would protect us in the event we had to cancel. I dont anticipate it, but you never know.

Should I just get the carnival protection plan, or an outside one??

Any opinions/advice is appreciated.Thanks!

 

Since it is a free cruise you probably will only pay the lowest price of $49 per person for insurance. That is what we had to pay (2 times) dot

[Davey Wavey]

Call and ask the external companies about their policy. I suspect they would only cover your actual cost and maybe not the penalty. Then ask Carnival's insurance what they would cover in this case. At least you can make an informed decision based on the right info.

[Purvis1231]

Questions abut a free cruise-This is a good problem to have! Seriously call some other companies to see what they might say. We have always used Travel Guard and have found they offer good service.

[doneinne]

Yes we only paid the $49 for ours.

[boopsahoy]

Yes we only paid the $49 for ours.

 

I have a free cruise too (from Taj Mahal). We are paying $318 total. Is it worth it to pay $98 for insurance for 2 people?

[cuyahoga11]

I have a free cruise too (from Taj Mahal). We are paying $318 total. Is it worth it to pay $98 for insurance for 2 people?

 

 

IMO, yes. You never know what might happen.

[StolidCruiser]

I have a free cruise too (from Taj Mahal). We are paying $318 total. Is it worth it to pay $98 for insurance for 2 people?

 

Can you afford to potentially kiss goodbye to $221 should you have to cancel? If not, consider the insurance.

[Tutontow]

We always upgrade to a balcony or Grand Suite when we get a free cruise, so the insurance makes sense for us.

 

I don't know if you are into it or not but this is one of those times you might want to splurge on a suite. It cost us $700.00 total to upgrade to a GS for a five night cruise.

[cccer]

I have a free cruise too (from Taj Mahal). We are paying $318 total. Is it worth it to pay $98 for insurance for 2 people?

 

The travel insurance typically covers more than just your trip cancellation costs. If you get sick or hurt, it is also good to have.

[bruadhin]

Can you afford to potentially kiss goodbye to $221 should you have to cancel? If not, consider the insurance.

 

If $221 is going to make or break someone, I doubt they are going to qualify for a free cruise based upon casino play.

 

The real threat is a medical issue while on the cruise. That is where the real bills come into play and where travel insurance is worth the price.

 

We have always bought travel insurance and always from a third party. The coverage is better and the price is lower.

[KCpumkin]

Always use a outside service, travelaxe,travelguard and squaremouth. Earlier you buy it the MORE you will benefit in certain areas of coverage (and cheaper). You can compare and cater to your needs and want... ENJOY! :)

[nyc12345]

I am taking them up on the offer and they suggested the vacation protection in case i had to cancel (free offers have a rigid penalty of having to pay to value of a cruise if you should cancel)

 

I think OP is concerned about paying the value of the cruise should he/she needs to cancel, not the $300 in port charges/taxes. Can they really make you pay when you cancel a free cruise?

[elainmir]

I did receive an offer in April and when I inquired about insurance I was told that it would only cover the amount I paid. I mainly bought it in case there was a health issue not for cancellation purposes..

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

I would pay the $49.00 per person for the Carnival insurance. I had a free cruised booked in January due to a death in my family a few days before sailing I had to cancel the cruise. I filed a claim with the insurance company and received the money I had paid for port fees & taxes, my hotel and airfare.

[pe4all]

We book with free cabins we receive after casino play on Carnival (and NCL) and always buy outside insurance - mostly because 1. it is cheaper and offers better coverage, and 2. because outside insurance covers pre-existing medical conditions - which CCL insurance doesn't cover. We have filed claims 2x - once one day before we sailed because of an illness, and once because dd was off-loaded in Belize with an appendicitis attack. Insurance covered literally every penny we laid out. We never travel without it. Just figure it to be part of our trip cost when we book.

[boopsahoy]

Questions abut a free cruise-This is a good problem to have! Seriously call some other companies to see what they might say. We have always used Travel Guard and have found they offer good service.

 

I cruise 6/29-is it too late?

[pearle1]

Thank you all so much for your input - I really appreciate it !

To the poster nyc12345 - you hit the nail on the head - that is exactly what I'm concerned about - I was told if I didn't have insurance - if I had to cancel the cruise - I would have to pay the whole cruise value , and not just the port fees and taxes . I always get insurance just to be safe , more for medical issues , etc / and I go through travelex usually - but I wonder if I would be safer with the carnival one given they have that rigid condition ??

[crb6689]

I just booked our casino offer cruise. She advised me to do insurance for $49. However, it is just on my name. Do I need it on my husband too?

[tonit964]

We book with free cabins we receive after casino play on Carnival (and NCL) and always buy outside insurance - mostly because 1. it is cheaper and offers better coverage, and 2. because outside insurance covers pre-existing medical conditions - which CCL insurance doesn't cover. We have filed claims 2x - once one day before we sailed because of an illness, and once because dd was off-loaded in Belize with an appendicitis attack. Insurance covered literally every penny we laid out. We never travel without it. Just figure it to be part of our trip cost when we book.

 

 

We book the casino free cabin offers quite often and always buy outside insurance as well.

 

The cruise line states if you should cancel, you will be responsible for the entire cruise amount. Does this mean the going rate for the cabin you booked when you cancel or just the amount you paid?

My understanding from the wording is, if the cabin is lets say $949.00, however with the casino offer is a free balcony and you pay port fees & taxes, do you have to pay the original price of $949.00? That's what I think they are saying. So when we buy outside insurance, how do we know what amount to insure?

[faith1118]

I have the same question as the previous poster. I have a free 4 night Myvegas cruise and I wanted to get isurance but I'm wondering if I should go with Carnival or get third party insurance and if I get the 3rd party insurance, how much do I put down as the initial trip cost.

[AdGuyMG]

I have the same question as the previous poster. I have a free 4 night Myvegas cruise and I wanted to get isurance but I'm wondering if I should go with Carnival or get third party insurance and if I get the 3rd party insurance, how much do I put down as the initial trip cost.

 

Get 3rd party insurance and put down the full amount of the penalties you would incur from the cruise line in the event you had to cancel.

 

 

If your trip includes any non-refundable airfare or hotel component, you may also want to add those costs, too.

 

And remember that a good trip insurance policy will include medical/medevac coverage out of country and medical issues can arise regardless of whether the cruise was free or not.

[skywalkr2]

How much do you have to play in a casino for them to give you a free cruise? Gotta be a lot?

[faith1118]

Thanks skywalker! I play myvegas which is a facebook game and I actually have never spent any money on it...i was just very lucky to be on the game at the right time when they released the cruise and luckily i had enough points. I've accumulated them for over a year, but they were worth it! :) I would also like to know how much on the cruise casino you have to gamble to get a free cruise ;P