Should you book travel insurance?

[stitch78]

Usually we don't but really haven't traveled abroad. Our cruise is in the Caribbean for 7 days. Would it be best to get travel insurance? How do you know if you aren't covered by your regular insurance? We didn't pay with a regular credit card like AMEX or Mastercard (just a bank checkcard) so we don't have coverage there. I guess I should have booked it with my AMEX because I know it has SOME protection. Our agency offered it at $54 per person. Is that a good rate? Should we get it or save that money for something else? Can we get our own travel insurance? :confused:

[kitty9]

You need to ask yourself a few questions: Can I afford emergency evacuation from the ship at a cost of $30,000? Can I afford to lose all my cruise fare if I had to cancel at the last minute due to emergency surgery, a car accident or a death in the family? Do I have any pre-existing health conditions that could cause me to cancel the cruise (if that's the case you have to buy the insurance 10 to 14 days of booking the cruise or else pay a much higher rate if you purchase the insurance later).

 

Only you know if your personal insurance will cover you when you're out of the country. Nobody here knows what kind of insurance you have so we don't know if you're covered. But if you're retired and on Medicare, you're not covered for anything once you leave the US. You need to call your insurance and see if you're covered out of the US---but most insurance isn't valid outside the US.

 

You can purchase insurance on your own. Never purchase the insurance offered by the cruise line as it doesn't cover most of what you really need. Go to the website http://www.insuremytrip.com

 

They offer numerous policies and you can do an easy price/coverage check right there on the website.

[larie]

I am a fairly conservative person, but always roll the dice and pass on travel insurance. Having said that, only you know your circumstances

[GottaLuvCruising]

Travel insurance is the least expensive way to have peace of mind while on vacation. Stuff happens...like one of your party, or even extended family, gets sick prior to your departure, or someone needs to see the ship's doctor while on board, or God forbid, someone needs to be evacuated due to medical emergency while cruising. You just never know and travel insurance allows you not to worry about it.

[Capsu78]

Stich78,

I figure by now you have found the other thread " Insurance- Pre existing" that is a few down the page. I have been researching the issue, have never bought travel insurance before and have many of the same concerns. Kitty9's reply to you about summarizes my thoughts after 3 days of thinking about it, and I purchased independently today, using the company most of the folks recommended.

I have traveled on cruises before, as well as to Europe, always without. However, a med cruise is a bigger out of pocket and the air evac scenario is what you wouldn't want to have to handle, while handling the reasons for the air evac at the same time.

Price seems about right too, but the website mentioned will show you what "good/better/best" plans will cost. I went with mid level coverage, to protect me from the "bigger stuff".

[janetz]

www.insuremytrip.com Get travel insurance! Evacuation from the ship can cost 30,000!!! ;)

[momofmeg]

www.insuremytrip.com Get travel insurance! Evacuation from the ship can cost 30,000!!! ;)

 

Double that and you will be closer to the price of evaculation.

[madelinerose]

For $54 pp, it's a no brainer in my book.

[JackieH]

www.insuremytrip.com Get travel insurance! Evacuation from the ship can cost 30,000!!! ;)

 

MY TA said it cost about 60,000 to be evacuated from a ship

[kitty9]

It doesn't cost anywhere near $60,000 unless you're in the Antarctic and need to be evac'd to NY. My friend's husband, with whom I was cruising in Asia, had to be evacuated from the ship in Asia, back to San Francisco. She told me the cost for the med-evac plane was $32,000. And it's a long way from Asia to SF.

[Robb]

A few years back I never got the insurance BUT............only one week from the date we were to leave on a cruise I had a heart attack followed by triple by-pass surgery three days later. We lost it all, air fare, cruise expense, well over $5,000. Do I get it now? You BET!!!! Don't leave home without it.

 

We have had two claims since then, one minor medical-less than 100, and one for a stolen camera, about 500.

 

keep on cruising,

 

Robb

[stitch78]

Ok, it looks like travel insurance is a must. I went to the insurance website and was going to do a plan by CSA Travel - any experiences?

 

Also, we haven't booked our airfare yet. Is that a requirement? I noticed on the form it asks for the airline. If I do travel insurance and haven't booked my flight yet will they not cover it?

[michmike]

travel insurance is a no-brainer. Get it!! I know folks who have told me that it is too expensive (think we paid somewhere between 250-300 for our recent 10 day cruise) and then go and run up a $500 booze tab onboard..

 

We've worked too hard to get what we have, to lose 20-30 thousand of it on an air evac.

 

On a somewhat related issue, while we are certainly don't spend money foolishly, I don't understand the number of posts we get on the boards that talk about what is the cost of a taxi to the port; or what's the cheapest hotel I can find in Ft Lauderdale (and then complain about the substandard accommodations); or why should I have to tip onboard, is it necessary to tip the baggage handlers, or room service waiters;

 

The cruise and airfare cost is typically only 60% of the of the cost of the trip. If you are so stretched that you need to go third class on the other trip expenses then you likely need to consider whether you should be going at all. That's not intended to be snobbish, but rather to point out that when one considers the cost of a cruise, they should consider all expenses.

 

Just by way of example, and most of these estimates are relatively conservative

For a 7 day cruise - for a couple

travel ins $225

hotel the nite prior to embarkation $150

Meals (supper the nite before, bfast day of, snacks/meals at airport) $100

Taxi to and from port w/ tip $30

Excursions $250

Mandatory onboard tips $140

Additional onboard tips $60

Onboard expenses (booze, laundry, casino, shops) $200

Baggage handler tips (at airport and dock) $25

Airport parking for a week $60

Shopping in ports - depends on your DW *L*

 

Total w/ shopping in port - $1240

 

Likely I've missed some things and it can easily go up from here if either of you are shoppers or heavy gamblers or drinkers.

 

So when you see that great deal for an outside cabin for ONLY $750 per person, keep these costs in mind and remember to add in air as well.

 

At that point we tend to have $3200 invested w/o the travel insurance. So to spend $225 to protect that $3200 AND to insure against the possible cost of med-evac just seems essential to us.

[katbid10]

Does this type of travel insurance also protect you if you miss the ship because of delayed air travel? I thought the one offered by the cruise line did.

[michmike]

katbird - I imagine that is something that would vary by policy. As others have suggested insuremytrip.com is a good place to compare coverage and cost.

 

My understanding re the cruise line taking responsibility for missed connections was if you booked your air THRU the cruiseline, but don't take my word as gospel on that. Check with your specific line and get it in writing.