Insurance?

[amyo28]

Hello all. Going on in the mariner western caribbean 8/27/06. I am looking at purchasing trip insurance. My main concern, besides medevac, is if our car breaks down on the way to the ship, it is a 14 hour drive. I have read the travelgaurd and csa policies and they do not seem to cover this -- is that correct? thanks

 

amy

[BearySweet2Cruise]

I have always bought insurance and insurance has no coverage for car trouble... (ie repairs, towing , etc,) however, if you miss the ship because of the car trouble, you MIGHT be covered for the cruise expenses, but I do not think that would even be covered, (it is not like a delay in a flight schedule) Sounds like if you anticipate car trouble, I would say to be sure to either get a rental car or have AAA. You might even get there a day early to be certain you do not miss the ship if you think you might have car trouble.

[Guest cruzr44]

Travel Guard has different policies. I would give them a call and ask if any of their policies cover what you are concerned about. Their number is 1-800-826-1300. I have called them more than once and they are very helpful.

[cruiseco]

Hello all. Going on in the mariner western caribbean 8/27/06. I am looking at purchasing trip insurance. My main concern, besides medevac, is if our car breaks down on the way to the ship, it is a 14 hour drive. I have read the travelgaurd and csa policies and they do not seem to cover this -- is that correct? thanks

 

amy

 

Most plans will cover you if you are involved in a documented traffic accident in your private vehicle on the way to the port. But in order to be covered for a delay caused by a mechanical breakdown you would have to be traveling via a "Common Carrier" -- bus , plane, ferry, etc. Private cars would not fall under the Common Carrier definition. Most plans also exclude rental cars and taxis from their Common Carrier definition.

[vickisteve]

Hi Amy,

The drive to Canaveral from KY is a long one and even longer on the way home. With the price of gas, it may not be much more to fly. If you are not traveling with many people. If you must drive, please leave on Friday. If you leave Saturday and something does happen, you could be pushing it to get to the ship on time. The next port to meet the ship would be in Jamaica on Wednesday. We love getting to the port area a day early, have a relaxing half day and get to the ship early. I have seen to many stressed out people boarding at the last minute and it takes them a day to start to enjoy their cruise. Just IMHO.

The Marnier is a great ship and with great ports. Have a great cruise.

[tinkerme1]

Hi all. There was a bit of a discussion about what CSA and TravelGuard covered in many other threads here, but be forewarned, and ask to speak to a "Claims Person" at whichever Insurance company you plan to purchase. An agent who sells you the policy cannot in good faith tell you what will "actually" be covered. They tell you the general coverage, but exact coverage is left to Claims.

 

In California, as well as other States, Claims and Sales are completely separate and one cannot answer questions for the other department. Just a head's up. Better safe than sorry.

 

To the OP: I think the last poster is right. Plan on driving a day early, or rent a car and leave the wear/tear/repair to the rental company! We always do this on long car trips. Putting miles on your car is very costly.

[Lou33]

If you are traveling that far, then the best insurance that you can get is to arrive one day early.

 

Are you sure that you need cruise insurance for medical coverage? With my health plan we are covered just like at home, including medical evacuation.

 

If you already have medical coverage, then the money that you save by not buying insurance would more than pay for a nice hotel to extend your vacation one extra day. The travel insurance wouldn't cover you if your car breaks down anyway.

[missybirchfield]

I just called travel guard and inquired about insurance. What I'm still confused about is the fact, our medical covers us anywhere in the world. I don't need that insurance. But no one sells a policy for delays, etc. Also I told him that if we had other medical coverage then my personal medical goes secondary. He told me no, that they would be secondary. I know my insurance co. and they will not pay if another type of insurance is available to pay first! What do I do?

 

Missy

[Stormlover]

Keep in mind that that is the heart of HURRICANE SEASON an Insurance will take care of you in that case.:rolleyes:

[Lou33]

Stormlover,

 

How would insurance help if there was a hurricane? From what I understand, if there is a hurricane, then the cruiseline will give you the option of rebooking on another date, or giving you a full refund.

[cruisePRN]

In over 25 cruises I have never taken trip insurance. If something caused me to loose the cost of my cruise (late arrival) then I'd still be ahead of the game.

[Stormlover]

Lou33

It would probably not be of great benefit to Amy unless a huricane come through the Carolines and disrupted her trip here, or coused them to be late. With a hurricane already by this area and Ships sailing south I wouldnt think they would cancel the cruise.:rolleyes: In my case living in Fl if a Hurricane were to wreck havic on my home say July, or 1st part of August an I couldnt cruise I would recieve a refund.;) And the way it has been the past couple of years I say it is better to have and not need it than to need it an not have it.:eek:

[FlorenceItaly]

considered the cost of a medi-vac if you needed to be medi-vac'd of the ship? I hear it is around $25,000 or so. That is always my fear, therefore I do purchase insurance.

 

Marie

[Stormlover]

That is also a good point, our last cruise my friend was walking by the pool deck an there was a area that had like wood planks going over to the bar (Enchantment of the Seas)And her feet flew right out from under her:eek: We had not even been drinking. :p It scared me,I thought for sure she would have beed hurt, hit her elbow on stairway an just missed the back of her head. luckily she was just bruised an not hurt bad. ;)

[tinkerme1]

The small cost of insurance is worth peace of mind. Just shop wisely and ask folks here who they use and why!

 

I use CSA and was given lots of information why they are great to use.

 

BTW, medi-vac (being taken off the ship by helicopter) is more like $50,000! If you can afford this through your bank account, then you can afford to take the chance. Otherwise, go for insurance and be safe.

 

As for paying in second position, they only pick up the portion that the first cannot. I've never heard of a good insurance that won't take first or second or for that matter, third position.

[missybirchfield]

The small cost of insurance is worth peace of mind. Just shop wisely and ask folks here who they use and why!

 

I use CSA and was given lots of information why they are great to use.

 

BTW, medi-vac (being taken off the ship by helicopter) is more like $50,000! If you can afford this through your bank account, then you can afford to take the chance. Otherwise, go for insurance and be safe.

 

As for paying in second position, they only pick up the portion that the first cannot. I've never heard of a good insurance that won't take first or second or for that matter, third position.

 

My insurance company is VERY good. However, if you have an accident. They will ask about other coverage. If we buy the trip insurance, then my regular insurance would take secondary. That is one of their stipulations. However, travelguard told me that theirs was secondary. With the case of my insurance company, I am not sure of what to do. I do know that they send out a questionaire in the case of accidents and they check to see if another insurance company is paying any portion. If there is another one, they go secondary and pick up the rest. FYI, the insurance company is Blue Cross Blue Shield (Federal)

Travelguard told me they would be secondary no matter what.

 

Missy

[tinkerme1]

Missy, I would talk to a claim's agent at TravelGuard and also CSA! They can explain much better to you how the claim's would work. I'm sure they have worked with just about every insurance company under the stars. They will be the best answer to your questions.

[cruisePRN]

I've heard about how insurance plans don't pay and it's a waste of $$$. They don't cover this or that and you're out of pocket anyway. I don't have any experience with any of them. If you do not have insurance for medi vac which I hear is expensive I would be willing to reach a cash settlement with them when the bill comes. I know from experience that medical expenses are 10X what they should be and most companies will settle for ten cents on the dollar. With that in mind I will take my chances and know that anywhere from $1,000 - $5,000 may come out of pocket. At $600 per trip or more I've saved more then that amount over the years. I understand some people aren't comfotable with that risk and they should buy insurance. I'm merely explaining my way of thinking.

[cruiseco]

If you do not have insurance for medi vac which I hear is expensive I would be willing to reach a cash settlement with them when the bill comes. . . . I know from experience that medical expenses are 10X what they should be and most companies will settle for ten cents on the dollar. With that in mind I will take my chances and know that anywhere from $1,000 - $5,000 may come out of pocket.

 

I'm one of those that figures not everyone wants or needs insurance. But I don't follow this argument.

 

I'm sure you would be happy to settle for 10% of the bill. But what if the evac company isn't? Without insurance you'll sign a personal note guaranteeing payment and be legally obligated for the full amount. Remember, if an evac occurs outside US waters you'll be dealing with a foreign company. You really think some Mexico-based helicopter company is going to let some rich American off the hook? Good luck with that.

 

There was another thread just this week about a drunk Canadian springbreaker who fell off a hotel roof in Mexico. The hospital wants their $20,000+ before they'll let him return to his home. They're not settling for 10%. They want it all. That's how the world works outside the US.

 

For someone under 70 you can get $250,000 of evac coverage for about $25. I think anyone needs to realize what the full cost/risk figures are. You're betting $25 against maybe $50,000. Not $600 against maybe $5,000. If you still don't want it that's fine. Adults can certainly differ in their opinion. But don't base a decision on your ability to talk some foreign businessman out of 90% of his bill.

[p2lockhart]

I just read the following article about cruise insurance:

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12465045/

[NancyIL]

I just read the following article about cruise insurance:

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12465045/

 

Good article. My only disagreement is with this statement: "There are several key differences between insurance policies offered by cruise lines and those offered by independent insurance companies. Cruise offerings generally cost less than third-party insurance, and they sometimes give more protection."

 

In my experience, shopping around at http://www.insuremytrip.com has always paid off with less expensive coverage than through the cruiseline. But that wasn't the case when my in-laws and mother were purchasing insurance for a cruise. Cruiseline-offered insurance appears to be a flat rate based on cost of trip, so it can be a good deal for the elderly.