Seriously thinking of not getting Princess insurance....am I wrong?

[MudderBear]

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

[Lady Arwen]

As long as you have full medical, including emergency evacuation, cancellation coverage, etc. it’s not necessary to also purchase Princess insurance.  Just check your insurance coverage that it has all that you may require in an emergency.

[Coral]

The only benefit to Princess insurance in Alaska (assuming you have good benefits elsewhere) is cancel for any reason. If you are willing to cancel and not complain about losing the cruise fare, then you are fine. And again, assuming you have decent health care insurance and evacuation insurance.

 

You can probably find a cheaper 3rd party insurance plan elsewhere but it won't have a cancel for any reason clause.

 

Not knowing what is going to happen with COVID - I want insurance now. Have you figured out what would happen if you tested positive?

Edited January 22, 2022 by Coral

[cruzsnooze]

Your in Alaska, which is the USA so your health insurance should cover you. If you were going to a foreign country I would think about insurance but not for travel with the US. 

[R**T]

20 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Your in Alaska, which is the USA so your health insurance should cover you. If you were going to a foreign country I would think about insurance but not for travel with the US. 

 

21 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Your in Alaska, which is the USA so your health insurance should cover you. If you were going to a foreign country I would think about insurance but not for travel with the US. 

If you visit the Medical Center on a Princess ship, you are in a foreign country. 

[capriccio]

Does your medical insurance include evacuation insurance?  If not, you need it.  You can get a year long policy from MedjetAssist (https://medjetassist.com/).  It will get you to a hospital at home from anywhere in the world including within the US. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by capriccio

[eclue]

Check out Squaremouth.com. They have many different options and always better coverage and cheaper than Princess.

[dog]

1 hour ago, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

missing—“cancel for any reason” up to sailing—- has got you covered for refund of $ & FCC 

 

otherwise— be content on losing all the money paid for your trip

 

 

[Babr]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

Does your medical insurance include evacuation insurance?  If not, you need it.  You can get a year long policy from MedjetAssist (https://medjetassist.com/).  It will get you to a hospital at home from anywhere in the world including within the US. 

MedJet is for hospital to hospital transfer. One must be admitted first. The difference is that you have the option to transfer to the hospital of your choice without proving medical necessity. There are some other stipulations, however.

 

For a trip to Alaska, I’m not sure it is necessary to have a separate evacuation policy. There are plenty of good hospitals along the way. If I were traveling far afield, that might change my opinion.

 

Nevertheless, one needs to consider the possibility of a medical emergency and understand how his health insurance would cover it.

[Coral]

1 minute ago, Babr said:

For a trip to Alaska, I’m not sure it is necessary to have a separate evacuation policy. There are plenty of good hospitals along the way. If I were traveling far afield, that might change my opinion.

 

Nevertheless, one needs to consider the possibility of a medical emergency and understand how his health insurance would cover it.

Last time I checked, Skagway didn't even have a doctor in town. Nearest would be in the Yukon (Canada).

[PrincessLuver]

2 hours ago, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

 

I always balked at paying for cruise insurance but begrudgingly did it.....then we had to access it twice once for a major accidental fracture off the ship and we were so lucky we had it....it cost thousands of dollars for us to get home plus surgery, Hawaii, and if we did not have it we would have been accountable for everything even though we have outstanding medical insurance.  

 

We have since heard of many passenger accidents that happened while cruising and you just do not not know.  Alaska could be a very difficult and extremely costly place to be medically evacuated from if you needed to be.  We have learned to be safe and not sorry.....good luck in your decision.....

[Babr]

2 hours ago, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

Check with your insurance company to be sure of the coverage available to you when you travel. Unless you have stops in Canada, it seems your medical will work the same as it does at home except that you may pay out-of-network rates.

 

Other than that, you are at risk for cancellation or travel hazards. Allianz sells a cancellation policy that also provides trip interruption coverage. You can get a quote on their website to determine if it offers any value to you.

[FlaMariner]

We never buy cruise ship insurance......

 

We are comfortable with credit card insurance for travel/cancel stuff (BofA Premium Rewards Signature) and have an annual GeoBlue insurance policy for international travel & international evacuation.

 

Self-insure for whatever else happens......

 

 

[skynight]

Travel insurance almost always covers evacuation which can be extremely expensive should an accident or illness happen. If you are disembarked at any port for medical reason usually the travel insurance will refund a portion of the fare. Don't know what kind of medical coverage you have. You could be out of network in Alaska. Any accident or illness in Canada would be a problem without travel insurance.

I would not travel without travel insurance, Princess or 3rd party.

 

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

Alaska could be a very difficult and extremely costly place to be medically evacuated from if you needed to be.  

Medical evacuation is amazingly expensive. My mother was helicoptered from Prescott AZ to Phoenix ( a 2 hour drive & probably a 15 minute flight) and it cost $10,000.

The care she needed wasn't available in Prescott. They have a pretty good hospital, but they don't do everything.

[Buckeye10640]

4 hours ago, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

We have never gotten Princess insurance but we wil not cruise without  Travel Insurance. 

[LeeW]

Princess doesn't have the best coverage (low med evac for one) but charge is based on cruise fare, not age. So if you don't need a lot of coverage and are older it can be a good buy.  See the insurance board for lots of discussions.

[Babr]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

Last time I checked, Skagway didn't even have a doctor in town. Nearest would be in the Yukon (Canada).

Not sure how citizens of Skagway handle emergency transportation; but if the Coast Guard is called in for cruise ship passengers, there is no charge for their service.

 

In any event, MedJet would still not apply until the patient is admitted somewhere because it is for hospital to hospital transfer. 
 

That is why I recommend that people find out exactly how their health insurance would handle such a situation. Travel insurance would eliminate any question and fill any gaps in coverage.

Edited January 22, 2022 by Babr

[iamtrustworthy]

On 1/22/2022 at 8:26 AM, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

Hi MudderBear,

 

It's worth investigating travel insurance.

 

I am doing a Q & A here on CruiseCritic that you might helpful. Here's the Cruise Critic Q & A I'm now doing:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2558-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-jan-22/

 

Here's the archived link to the Q & A I did in Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 that was re-opened in June 2021:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2500-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-read-only/

 

I also did a Q & A on Cruise Critic for June 2020:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2484-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-june-2020-read-only/

 

I hope this helps you.

 

Steve Dasseos

[Kmkub]

We never used to, but as we get older, we are getting insurance. We don’t buy through Princess.

 

We buy cancel insurance. A dear friend had to have colon surgery during their cruise dates. They got their fair refunded.

 

we don’t for medical. Our medical insurance covers a lot of the things that can happen.

[brisalta]

On 1/22/2022 at 6:26 AM, MudderBear said:

My payment for Alaska cruise tour will be due next month.  I never got the Princess insurance, and I am thinking of not getting it.  What benefit would I be missing?  My husband and I have very good health insurance.  Should I take the risk?  With inflation and the market down, I just don't feel like shelling out $500 for insurance.

 

Remember the ship is not US territory so it is quite likely your so called very good health insurance will not cover you if you fall ill or injure your self on board ship. You will then end up paying fees to the medical centre on board for which your health insurance will not reimburse you.

Make sure to check with your health insurance provider if you are covered on a ship that is not US flagged.

Edited February 2, 2022 by brisalta

[caribill]

On 1/22/2022 at 9:21 AM, R**T said:

 

If you visit the Medical Center on a Princess ship, you are in a foreign country. 

 

Most good medical insurance covers emergency treatment anywhere including any foreign country or on a ship.

[We_like_to_cruise]

On 1/22/2022 at 11:48 AM, FlaMariner said:

We never buy cruise ship insurance......

 

We are comfortable with credit card insurance for travel/cancel stuff (BofA Premium Rewards Signature) and have an annual GeoBlue insurance policy for international travel & international evacuation.

 

Self-insure for whatever else happens......

 

 

We have also gotten annual plans from GeoBlue.  However, researching for upcoming travel I found they do not cover medical evacuation for COVID.  From their FAQ:

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by We_like_to_cruise
edit

[Torfamm]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Most good medical insurance covers emergency treatment anywhere including any foreign country or on a ship.

I would disagree. Many, many American policies do not, nor does Medicare. Everyone needs to ensure that they understand their individual policy’s coverage https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel

Edited February 2, 2022 by Torfamm

[Coral]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Most good medical insurance covers emergency treatment anywhere including any foreign country or on a ship.

I think the "key" word here is "good". I work at a small place and our insurance has really bad coverage outside of the US and on a ship.