Does anyone going on a cruise not take the trip insurance?

[crusinbanjo]

Mrs Banjo and I rarely bought trip insurance, but for the future bookings we have, I am buying, but not from the cruise line.  We will be buying from private sources that are widely available.

[Cruzin Terri]

Well, a number of years ago we were to take a Med cruise from Rome.  We bought the HAL Platinum insurance.  We never took that cruise because my husband fell ill in Rome before the cruise and required emergency surgery.  HAL gave us 90% back for cancel for any reason.  However, we were not covered for anything else.  

Lucky for us, since it was emergency surgery we did not have to pay for any medical treatment, including surgery, in Rome. Everything was covered.

However, we had to spend 10 days in Rome until he was well enough to travel home.  That was out of pocket.  We paid for the cruise with AMEX and that was before they offered insurance.

Had we used a different credit card or gotten different insurance our hotel and other expenses would have been covered.

As for the medical expenses, we were not too worried.  Both DH and I have medical insurance that covers us outside the United States.  We never needed to file a claim.

That is the last time we purchased HAL insurance.  

Lesson learned.

Terri

[The-Inside-Cabin]

32 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

Well, a number of years ago we were to take a Med cruise from Rome.  We bought the HAL Platinum insurance.  We never took that cruise because my husband fell ill in Rome before the cruise and required emergency surgery.  HAL gave us 90% back for cancel for any reason.  However, we were not covered for anything else.  

Lucky for us, since it was emergency surgery we did not have to pay for any medical treatment, including surgery, in Rome. Everything was covered.

However, we had to spend 10 days in Rome until he was well enough to travel home.  That was out of pocket.  We paid for the cruise with AMEX and that was before they offered insurance.

Had we used a different credit card or gotten different insurance our hotel and other expenses would have been covered.

As for the medical expenses, we were not too worried.  Both DH and I have medical insurance that covers us outside the United States.  We never needed to file a claim.

That is the last time we purchased HAL insurance.  

Lesson learned.

Terri

Did the Italian government pay for the medical care?  Or did the Rome hospital deal directly with your insurance in the USA?   I have heard that medical care in most countries (outside the USA) is relatively cheap and you don't have the exposure for $100K bills like you do in the USA.   

 

I have also heard that in some countries you can go to the standard hospital for free or pay extra for a more private and luxuriuos "tourist" hospital. 

[Cruzin Terri]

1 minute ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Did the Italian government pay for the medical care?  Or did the Rome hospital deal directly with your insurance in the USA?   I have heard that medical care in most countries (outside the USA) is relatively cheap and you don't have the exposure for $100K bills like you do in the USA.   

 

I have also heard that in some countries you can go to the standard hospital for free or pay extra for a more private and luxuriuos "tourist" hospital. 

There was no cost for the medical care.  We found out later that he could have had better accommodations for a fee,  But it was all over by that time.  He received excellent care in Italy.  The surgery went well. We did not pay for a thing.  After we returned home we made an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL to have him checked out and they felt all was okay.  

We were surprised that we did not have to pay.  I offered to pay.  Had my credit card ready and was told to put it away and that health care in Italy was free in cases of emergencies.

Terri

[Florida_gal_50]

I’ve been happy with the hal cancel for any reason insurance.  When the pandemic started in 2020 I was supposed to go on a cruise in April 2020.  I started to get super panicked in March and cancelled using the cancel for any reason.  I believe the money was back on my credit card within 7 or 8 days while people were complaining for months about refunds.  I am under no illusions that this is a medical plan.  I buy that insurance separately.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Florida_gal_50

[TiogaCruiser]

23 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I’ve been happy with the hal cancel for any reason insurance.  When the pandemic started in 2020 I was supposed to go on a cruise in April 2020.  I started to get super panicked in March and cancelled using the cancel for any reason.  I believe the money was back on my credit card within 7 or 8 days while people were complaining for months about refunds.  I am under no illusions that this is a medical plan.  I buy that insurance separately.

I have been pleased with it also. Several years back I was scheduled for a SA trip which included a pricey HAL pre-cruise tour as a solo. I had purchased the HAL platinum plan, which was based on the cruise only, but covered air and the precruise tour ( which was more than the cruise). I had to cancel as a parent had become ill a few days before leaving. I got back 90 percent of the entire trip within a few days. No hassles. And I didn’t have to wait for things to get bad ( and had a doctors note) before I canceled. Had I bought regular travel insurance I may have gotten 100% back, or ended up in a fight with the insurance, or canceled under the CAR provision and gotten back 75%, along with having paid a lot more for the coverage (as it would have been based on the entire cost of the trip). My employer’s health insurance is valid outside the US. 
 

So it really depends on ALL the circumstances as to which is best for someone.

Edited June 27, 2021 by TiogaCruiser

[rtdiva]

10 hours ago, wesport said:

I believe it is the sapphire reserve card. $10000 per person per trip. Also the reserve gives 2500 dollars toward medical and $100,000 for medical evacuation. I used it two years ago for a medical issue that caused a trip cancellation. Lots of paperwork, but 6 weeks later I got a check for $5400.

Chase Sapphire has a time limit: I believe it only covers up to sixty days. Thus it doesn’t cover World cruises or lengthy grand cruises. We’ve saved many thousands when insurance fees runs 7% of the cost of the cruise. 
We’ve never bought insurance for the thirty cruises we’ve been on. Our health HMO insurance covers medical issues, however now we are closer in age to 80 than 70 we will probably only buy insurance for trip cancellation. Plus we will have credit cards to pay for any other emergencies. Others suggest GEOBLUE. 

[Mary229]

8 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Did the Italian government pay for the medical care?  Or did the Rome hospital deal directly with your insurance in the USA?   I have heard that medical care in most countries (outside the USA) is relatively cheap and you don't have the exposure for $100K bills like you do in the USA.   

 

I have also heard that in some countries you can go to the standard hospital for free or pay extra for a more private and luxuriuos "tourist" hospital. 

I had a friend fall very ill in France.  No one took advantage of her.  They did not demand immediate payment and she had to file with Medicare/Supplement once home.  She also had trip insurance so her flight changes and excess travel costs were paid by that insurance.  She was on a land based cruise.

 

On another issue:  some countries may require proof of insurance in the next few years.  

Edited June 27, 2021 by Mary229

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I think insurance comes under the old adage about not putting all eggs in one basket.   Never buy the in-house insurance.  There are always better options.  In the past cruise line insurance was known to be argumentative, slow and of limited value.   
 

And in addition any in house insurance will not cover in case of bankruptcy of the in house provider.

[Hlitner]

Our short answer to the OPs question (does anyone not take the insurance) is Yes!  In fact, on over 1200 days/nights of cruising we have never purchased what is commonly known as trip insurance.  And because of that we are over $100,000 ahead of the game because of all the money we have saved on trip insurance premiums.   We do carry $100,000 (it would be $250,000 if we were under age 70) of comprehensive travel medical insurance as well as $500,000 of trip evacuation insurance.  But those are purchased as part of an annual policy (about $450 a year) that covers up to 70 days of every trip we take throughout the entire policy year.   We also get some trip cancelation/interruption insurance simply because we have a credit card that provided $10,000 (sometimes $20,000) in such protection for any card holder (at no extra cost).

 

Hank

[ericfromri]

17 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Our short answer to the OPs question (does anyone not take the insurance) is Yes!  In fact, on over 1200 days/nights of cruising we have never purchased what is commonly known as trip insurance.  And because of that we are over $100,000 ahead of the game because of all the money we have saved on trip insurance premiums.   We do carry $100,000 (it would be $250,000 if we were under age 70) of comprehensive travel medical insurance as well as $500,000 of trip evacuation insurance.  But those are purchased as part of an annual policy (about $450 a year) that covers up to 70 days of every trip we take throughout the entire policy year.   We also get some trip cancelation/interruption insurance simply because we have a credit card that provided $10,000 (sometimes $20,000) in such protection for any card holder (at no extra cost).

 

Hank

also have over 1200 nights, the AMEX trip insurance has covered any problem that i have had.  as a backup to my tricare, i have Travel Medical Assistance with TravelProtection from vetadadvantage.costs under 50 a year.

Edited June 27, 2021 by ericfromri

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, ericfromri said:

also have over 1200 nights, the AMEX trip insurance has covered any problem that i have had.  as a backup i have Travel Medical Assistance with TravelProtection from vetadadvantage.costs under 50 a year.

We used to have an AMEX Platinum Card (gave it up a few years ago when Chase Sapphire Reserve came along) which, at the time, provided no decent travel insurance benefits.  When Chase first came out with their Sapphire cards they included a travel cancelation/interruption benefit (us to $10,000 per person) which was one of the reasons we switched to that card.  AMEX has since implemented their own cancelation/interruption benefit (guess they had to compete with Chase) but I have not read the details of their coverage.  Folks should be aware that neither of those cards provided the "Cancel for Any Reason" benefit that many seek from trip insurance.

 

Hank

[ericfromri]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When we used to have an AMEX Platinum Card (gave it up a few years ago when Chase Sapphire Reserve came along) which, at the time, provided no decent travel insurance benefits.  When Chase first came out with their Sapphire cards they included a travel cancelation/interruption benefit (us to $10,000 per person) which was one of the reasons we switched to that card.  AMEX has since implemented their own cancelation/interruption benefit (guess they had to compete with Chase) but I have not read the details of their coverage.  Folks should be aware that neither of those cards provided the "Cancel for Any Reason" benefit that many seek from trip insurance.

 

Hank

i also have both, had the platinum about 10 years, chase about 1 year.  i like the centurion lounges on amex and i like the  travel rewards from chase

Edited June 27, 2021 by ericfromri

[Hlitner]

Just now, ericfromri said:

i also have both, had the black about 10 years, chase about 1 year.  i like the centurion lounges on amex and i like the  travel rewards from chase

I agree that the Centurion Lounges are terrific.  If we were to often use an airport that had a Centurion Lounge we would likely reinstate our Platinum Card.  Most of the airports that we routinely use (MDT, BWI, IAD, and PHL (which I think has a Centurion Lounge in their International Terminal) do not have such a Lounge.  

 

Hank

[dogs4fun]

In the past, with one exception, we have not purchased trip insurance on our ocean or river cruises. 

[whogo]

19 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

My philosphy on insurance - travel and in general.

 

I only insure potential costs that have  unlimted exposure - medical/evacuation.

 

I don't insure something if my exposure is fixed - e.g. Cruise ship fare 

This is the most clearly written, sensible travel insurance rule of thumb I have seen.

[DaveOKC]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I agree that the Centurion Lounges are terrific.  If we were to often use an airport that had a Centurion Lounge we would likely reinstate our Platinum Card.  Most of the airports that we routinely use (MDT, BWI, IAD, and PHL (which I think has a Centurion Lounge in their International Terminal) do not have such a Lounge.  

 

Hank

My Chase Reserve card offers a pass to Priority Pass lounges, which are quite nice.  I recently changed two flight reservations from 30-40 minute connections to two hour connections to both lessen the risk of missing the connection and to be able to use the lounge!

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

My Chase Reserve card offers a pass to Priority Pass lounges, which are quite nice.  I recently changed two flight reservations from 30-40 minute connections to two hour connections to both lessen the risk of missing the connection and to be able to use the lounge!

We also like this benefit.  I would mention that it is also available to those with an AMEX Platinum card.  To us it is an important benefit which helps justifies the cost of the higher end affinity cards.

 

Hank

[OVgirl]

When someone mentions travel insurance, my first thought is medical insurance. I understand that cancellation insurance isn't as critical to have unless you're spending a lot on your cruise. But you should have the medical coverage, especially once you are of a certain age.

[bennybear]

13 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

 

So it really depends on ALL the circumstances as to which is best for someone.

This!   Medical is a must and travel is nice to have.  Many people have been lucky but no one can predict the future. 
 

I would be reluctant to rely on another country’s good will.   Last trip I needed an ultrasound that cost 300 euros in Italy along with a taxi cost of the same again ordered by the ship's doctor.  My insurance covered it all. 

[Cruzin Terri]

1 hour ago, bennybear said:

This!   Medical is a must and travel is nice to have.  Many people have been lucky but no one can predict the future. 
 

I would be reluctant to rely on another country’s good will.   Last trip I needed an ultrasound that cost 300 euros in Italy along with a taxi cost of the same again ordered by the ship's doctor.  My insurance covered it all. 

To be clear, we did expect to pay for my husband’s surgery and hospitalization in Italy.  We were not relying on Italy’s good will.  We knew that his Medigap policy would cover his medical care abroad.  I offered to pay and was told to put my credit card away and that health care was free in emergencies.  No one was more surprised than I.

Had we gone to the American Hospital in Rome rather than Gemelli, where the Doctor, who attended him at the hotel recommended, I am sure we would have paid.

Terri

Terri

Edited June 27, 2021 by Cruzin Terri

[Caribbean Chris]

I was curious and read the HAL website details on the Platinum Cancellation Protection Plan which contains both cancellation and insurance components (unlike the Standard plan which only relates to cancellation refunds). The FAQ section points out that illness from Covid-19 is covered.
 

IIRC, in 2020 when Covid started, people reported here that some insurance policies excluded claims caused by pandemic. So I guess that might be worth checking in the fine print when you are relying on medical coverage. Even those of us who are vaccinated can become ill from Covid.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html?gclid=CjwKCAjww-CGBhALEiwAQzWxOsFdSlH3KSzccrC54dH-x3CGN6nBUGGdkFi1qrnWvrzrr78UcQFdUxoCsxAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I was curious and read the HAL website details on the Platinum Cancellation Protection Plan which contains both cancellation and insurance components (unlike the Standard plan which only relates to cancellation refunds). The FAQ section points out that illness from Covid-19 is covered.
 

IIRC, in 2020 when Covid started, people reported here that some insurance policies excluded claims caused by pandemic. So I guess that might be worth checking in the fine print when you are relying on medical coverage. Even those of us who are vaccinated can become ill from Covid.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html?gclid=CjwKCAjww-CGBhALEiwAQzWxOsFdSlH3KSzccrC54dH-x3CGN6nBUGGdkFi1qrnWvrzrr78UcQFdUxoCsxAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I was meaning to ask here if people are finding Covid is an exclusion on the policies they usually buy.

[bennybear]

Ok

4 hours ago, Cruzin Terri said:

To be clear, we did expect to pay for my husband’s surgery and hospitalization in Italy.  We were not relying on Italy’s good will.  We knew that his Medigap policy would cover his medical care abroad.  I offered to pay and was told to put my credit card away and that health care was free in emergencies.  No one was more surprised than I.

Had we gone to the American Hospital in Rome rather than Gemelli, where the Doctor, who attended him at the hotel recommended, I am sure we would have paid.

Terri

Terri

I didn’t mean to imply that you did anything untoward.  But I would hate others to assume that would be the case for themselves and end up with a large bill.    My experience was fall 2019.

 

I also think Covid has completely changed the playing field.  How this will settle out is anyone’s guess.  

[LocoLoco1]

I’ve never taken out ‘Travel Insurance’. BTW: A March 2019 ‘Covid-cancelled’ cruise got us a 100% reimbursement from HAL. Insured passengers did not fare nearly as well.