POLL: Travel Insurance

[redskin80]

We will not book or cruise with out it. Knock on wood we have never needed the insurance, but like all insurance I would rather have it and not need it than the other way around.

[momofmeg]

We will not book or cruise with out it. Knock on wood we have never needed the insurance, but like all insurance I would rather have it and not need it than the other way around.

 

we haven't ever used ours either but when about 5 weeks before a cruise my husband had an emergency gall bladder surgery-all I could think of was what if that had not happened until the cruise? and people tend to get gall bladder attacks after eating rich food- not even knowing they had gall stones until the attack-so I WONDER how many times has that happened to someone on a cruise.

 

Every since then we have always bought the insurance.

[Trumpeter]

I never purchase travel insurance..... here's why:

 

First, I differentiate between trip cancelation/interruption insurance and medical insurance. Nobody should ever leave home without complete medical travel insurance. My regular health plan has complete coverage for travelling, including evac.

 

Since I already have medical travel coverage, and most trip coverage includes that as a package, I'd be buying insurance I didn't need.

 

As to the cancellation/interruption insurance..... I believe that it depends on your situation and travel patterns. If you do not travel frequently, and the cost of a cruise is something you need to save for, then you're risking a lot if something happens and you don't have cancelation insurance. On the other hand, if you travel frequently, say 3 or more trips a year, then the risk is somewhat less than the cost of the insurance.

 

When you travel frequently, you'll quickly accumulate enough insurance premiums to pay for another trip. So it's not neccessarily cost effective, even if you do cancel the occasional trip for whatever reason. The only situation where this method fails is when you start cancelling consecutive trips.... then the cost of cancellations will likely exceed the cost of the insurance. The odds of that happening should be slim (remember, we're only talking about canceling inside 60 days). If this actually happens, then maybe you shouldn't be planning to travel so often.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Roz]

Trumpeter,

 

Those of us in the States usually get our insurance thru our employers (if we even have med insurance!). The employer's policy sets the parameters of our coverage. I work for state government, and we're not covered out of the country or on the ship, even if the ship is in US waters. And I don't know of many US insurers that cover med evac.

 

Roz

[SantaAna,CA]

Don't buy travel insurance if you're like me; I change my mind minute by minute. I booked a cruise December of 2007, got the travel insurance when I made the booking, changed my mind about the cruise, lost $400.

 

Not fun.

 

Jane :(

[Bowie MeMe]

We never used to buy travel insurance-- just another expense not really neccessary. With a couple of trips that got into major money (Australia for 5 weeks, Tanzania for 3 weeks etc.) we did pay for travel insurance mostly to have a way to get out of there if sick or hurt. Well last year we arrived in London the day after the bombing of the tube station next to our hotel and the travel insurance paid for that hotel room while we headed down to a little more secure feeling Portsmouth. Later that same trip when the stomach misery hit on the day that we were scheduled for a three hour hot air balloon trip over the Serengheti (yes it did cost over $400 each for two), the travel insurance paid for "interuption of trip" and we got an $800 refund on an "unrefundable excursion". We did have a note from the "medical officer" from the safari lodge explaining the illness and the medication given-- written on hotel stationary . I am now a big fan of travel insurance. It is like any insurance -- you hope you don't need it but it helps take the sting out of the high cost if you do. Travel insurance will also allow you benefits if you have to pull out of a trip because of illness or death of any in the travel party or like a parent or child.

[Trumpeter]

Trumpeter,

 

Those of us in the States usually get our insurance thru our employers (if we even have med insurance!). The employer's policy sets the parameters of our coverage. I work for state government, and we're not covered out of the country or on the ship, even if the ship is in US waters. And I don't know of many US insurers that cover med evac.

 

Roz

 

Hmmm... good point. Is there something like 'Blue Cross' in the States? Blue Cross is a company in Canada that purely does comprehensive medical coverage for travelling. Any length of time, anywhere. Prices are quite reasonable, and a lot less than typical travel insurance that cover cancelation/interruption as well.

 

My general point is... if you travel a lot, and purchase insurance every time, add it all up and see what the total is after some time has passed. Over time, you'd probably find that you could afford to cancel the occasional trip for what you're saving in insurance premiums. I just see a lot of people who say that they buy insurance every single trip... and I see 20+ cruises in their signatures! That's a lot of insurance premiums... how much would you have if you just saved that money and created an emergency fund?

[momofmeg]

Hmmm... good point. Is there something like 'Blue Cross' in the States? Blue Cross is a company in Canada that purely does comprehensive medical coverage for travelling. Any length of time, anywhere. Prices are quite reasonable, and a lot less than typical travel insurance that cover cancelation/interruption as well.

 

My general point is... if you travel a lot, and purchase insurance every time, add it all up and see what the total is after some time has passed. Over time, you'd probably find that you could afford to cancel the occasional trip for what you're saving in insurance premiums. I just see a lot of people who say that they buy insurance every single trip... and I see 20+ cruises in their signatures! That's a lot of insurance premiums... how much would you have if you just saved that money and created an emergency fund?

 

Yes that is a name of health insurance in the US but I never heard of it as travel insurance. Alot of people have coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield and many older people use that as their supplimental coverage to medicare.

[TeddyTexas]

We always buy travel insurance. Several years ago my step-dad had a heart attack while traveling in Greece. He had to be in a hospital for a week in Athens. If they had not had trip insurance then the cost would have been astronomical since their regular medical insurance did not cover expenses out of the United States. As it turned out, it cost them nothing but the price of the insurance. They also took very good care of my mother during this time, calling her every day, getting her a hotel room within walking distance of the hospital, etc.

 

As far as changing your mind and deciding to cancel a trip that you have already paid insurance on, if you have simply changed to another cruise I have found that at least with Access America they will allow you to change the policy to match your new plans. I believe that the cost will remain the same unless there is a change in the price of your trip.

 

Even if we had purchased insurance for 20 trips costing us $150 each ($300 total for each trip), that would only amount to $6,000 total for the insurance. ONE medical problem could cost a LOT more than that. I believe that you will be taking a gamble unless you can be absolutely clear that your own medical insurance will indeed cover OUT OF THE COUNTRY medical expenses.

[retiredbrit]

Thought you may be interested how it is with us!

As Brits we have in the UK, our Free health service (well generally free but sometimes we pay to get quicker treatment).

It is difficult if not impossible to book a holiday without having Travel Insurance, either the one the travel companies sell or your own, so only a few people travel without it

 

As we travel several times a year we have an annual travel Insurance policy. When we book a holiday we decline the policy offered by the holiday company and have to sign a declaration to that effect and give full details of our policy including emergency telephone numbers.

 

As an example P and O say in the small print that you must have insurance and it is part of their booking conditions that you have it.

 

Joyce and I are just 70 and for our Caribbean cruise in February with P&O their insurance would have cost us £135 ($250) each and we would have to pay as an excess the first £175 ($320) of each claim.

 

We have annual multi trip world wide insurance policy which costs £160 ($300) for two of us.

 

For that we can travel anywhere as many times as we like as long as any one trip is no longer than 30 days

 

It covers cancellation, cutting short a trip, delays, missed departure, medical emergency and repatriation, loss of passport, delayed baggage, mugging, personal public liability, legal advice and there is only a £50 ($90) excess on claims for lost money, cancellation, and damage to luggage.

 

regards Alan

[Roz]

I've had Blue Cross/Blue Shield most of my adult working life. Don't think they sell travel insurance policies in the States. Each state has its own BC/BS corporation e.g. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio.

 

Roz

[Louise22]

When it comes to insurance, I never travel without it. I am so thankful for it and have used it four different times although not on cruises. We had to cancel an African trip because my husband's mother unexpectedly passed away and on a trip to Egypt my husband had to have emergency open heart surgery before leaving. In Turkey, we had everything stolen including our passports and had to remain behind our scheduled departure. In Fiji, because of an approaching hurricane, we would have missed our flight home if we had not been helicoptered off the island. Everything has been fully covered. I also carry Medjet Assist which will transport you home from anywhere in the world. The reason I carry this is after posing the question on insuremytrip.com as to whether any insurances which state "evacuation to the nearest suitable facility" will bring you home, the reply was just Medjet Assist. Evacuation can cost you in excess of $100,000 and as I am now traveling on my own I want to also be sure I am taken care of as much as possible. I think some policies might have changed to include evacuation home but one has to read the fine print.

[Verystormy]

I cant believe people would going on holiday without travel insurance. We had yet another example why it is so important. I took a call from a hospital in St Petersburg last week to say one of our passengers had being admitted and needed urgent surgery do to a accident he had being involved in. His wife had reported to them that they had travel insurance with us but didnt have the document with them. They would not perform surgery untill they had a copy of the insurance forwarded to them by fax or sufficiant funds which would have be over $10,000 before they would operate.

[momofmeg]

We always buy travel insurance. Several years ago my step-dad had a heart attack while traveling in Greece. He had to be in a hospital for a week in Athens. If they had not had trip insurance then the cost would have been astronomical since their regular medical insurance did not cover expenses out of the United States. As it turned out, it cost them nothing but the price of the insurance. They also took very good care of my mother during this time, calling her every day, getting her a hotel room within walking distance of the hospital, etc.

 

As far as changing your mind and deciding to cancel a trip that you have already paid insurance on, if you have simply changed to another cruise I have found that at least with Access America they will allow you to change the policy to match your new plans. I believe that the cost will remain the same unless there is a change in the price of your trip.

 

Even if we had purchased insurance for 20 trips costing us $150 each ($300 total for each trip), that would only amount to $6,000 total for the insurance. ONE medical problem could cost a LOT more than that. I believe that you will be taking a gamble unless you can be absolutely clear that your own medical insurance will indeed cover OUT OF THE COUNTRY medical expenses.

 

 

some will-some won't- HTH worlwide won't but we are pretty definite about the cruise we are using that company for so if we back out we have lost the cost of insurance but nothing more-better then losing thousands if something happened and we did not buy insurance.

[cruiser620]

When most people think about travel insurance they think about being reimbursed for what they have paid if they can't go on their trip. It can cover so much more. I never thought much about travel insurance and never purchased it for myself until after my father died while traveling in Europe. He suffered a heart attack and was in intensive care in Amsterdam for a week before being removed from life support. I cannot begin to tell you what a horrible experience it was. I was so thankful, though, that he had purchased travel insurance. It paid tens of thousands of dollars for his hospital bills and paid to return his body to the USA. You have no idea how tremendously expensive that is, and the money (cash) had to be paid up front. The company also provided a much needed liaison for helping to handle all the arrangements. It was such a stressful and emotional experience and I was so glad that it wasn't financially overwhelming as well. You owe it to your loved ones to always purchase insurance when you are leaving the country! If something should happen to you, they are the ones who will have to try to handle the expenses. You never know when the unthinkable may happen.

[CaptData]

My husband and I bought insurance before our first cruise. He passed away 8 days before that cruise. I recieved the money in time to pay for the funeral. I always buy insurance now. I have coverage for medical but not enough for evac so the extra insurance will cover everything.

[ILuvCruisin']

When most people think about travel insurance they think about being reimbursed for what they have paid if they can't go on their trip. It can cover so much more. I never thought much about travel insurance and never purchased it for myself until after my father died while traveling in Europe. He suffered a heart attack and was in intensive care in Amsterdam for a week before being removed from life support. I cannot begin to tell you what a horrible experience it was. I was so thankful, though, that he had purchased travel insurance. It paid tens of thousands of dollars for his hospital bills and paid to return his body to the USA. You have no idea how tremendously expensive that is, and the money (cash) had to be paid up front. The company also provided a much needed liaison for helping to handle all the arrangements. It was such a stressful and emotional experience and I was so glad that it wasn't financially overwhelming as well. You owe it to your loved ones to always purchase insurance when you are leaving the country! If something should happen to you, they are the ones who will have to try to handle the expenses. You never know when the unthinkable may happen.

 

Cruiser620: you said it all!!! thanks.

[Jenninhawaii]

we haven't ever used ours either but when about 5 weeks before a cruise my husband had an emergency gall bladder surgery-all I could think of was what if that had not happened until the cruise? and people tend to get gall bladder attacks after eating rich food- not even knowing they had gall stones until the attack-so I WONDER how many times has that happened to someone on a cruise.

 

Every since then we have always bought the insurance.

 

It happened to me. I was 27 years old and I thought in perfect health. I started feeling bad after dinner and waited a few hours until we were far enough away from Mexico that if I had to be lifted off the cruise ship they wouldn't take me to a Mexican hospital. When I went to the ships doc they decided that I was having a gallbladder attack. I spent the next 2 days in the docs room hooked up to an IV while my husband had to care for our 3 children including my 7 month old nursling. It was an awful time!!! When we reached our next port (home) I had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Our cruise insurance paid for everything! It was a fight, but in the end it worked out. We just booked another cruise and I am buying the insurance once again. Jen

[deborahjo]

I will always buy insurance. I am a diabetic and you never know what will happen. I take several medications ( am 48 yo) and if something happens I want it covered since my health insurance does not cover out of country medical care.

[cricketdog]

The night before we were to leave for Ft Lauderdale to board The Coral Princess my friend ended up in the hospital and could not go on This wonderful cruise. Thank goodness he purchased Travel Insurance (Access America) He received a check that covered the cruise, airfare and deposit on the Hotel. Now I know that the purchase of insurance is really a No Brainer.

Cricketdog

 

PS The trip was wonderfull The Panama Canal is really a must see & The Coral Princess is the place to see it from.

[alphakitty]

I always buy insurance, but have never had to use it. (knock wood). I'm unclear about something though.

 

If you buy insurance through the cruiseline and book air yourself, does it only cover the cost of the cruise? If you buy independently, say through Travellux, Travelguard, etc..that covers you for the cruise and airfare in the even of cancellation..is that right?

 

Also, we never buy the insurance till right before final payment is due and always make sure we have medical too.

 

kitty

[LuvMyVette]

For our B2B in September we purchased insurance. DH/I are trying to adopt a baby and with adoption... you never know when it may happen.

In the past we never purchased insurance but due to our situation right now, it's the best thing to do.

[CaribbeanBound]

We always get the insurance, and fortunately have never had to use it.

 

There are 16 VERY important things to consider when buying cruise insurance...

*****, like NEVER buy insurance issued by a cruise line. And for good reasons.

[smakl]

LetsParty - what type of insurance did you get? My brother and his wife are considering a cruise and are waiting to hear on an adoption. I didn't know if regular travel insurance would cover this or not.

[tggs726]

If you buy travel insurance from the cruise line and are booked cruise only then yes it only covers the cruise and not your airfare. If you book air/sea then yes it does cover both.

 

If you buy travel insurance from a 3rd party, it covers what you put on the coverage. It is based on a dollar amount, so for example say your cruise costs $900 per person and the insurance cost is $99, if you choose to add airfare at $250, now your coverable amount is brought up to $1150 which may increas your premium up to $109. So you have make sure your covered up to an exceptable amount.

 

I hope this explains the difference.