Travel insurance

[Hosh]

Ok how many of you use or dont use travel insurance and why/why not? who do you use if you do? and any other info youmight have on this subject.

 

Thanks in advance, Josh

[cruiseco]

Ok how many of you use or dont use travel insurance and why/why not? who do you use if you do? and any other info youmight have on this subject.

 

Thanks in advance, Josh

 

Two good places to start for an overview of the subject are

http://www.travelinsurance-info.com and

http://www.insuremytrip.com

 

You can also use the new and improved "search" function for all sorts of opinions

[pholter]

I use Travel Guard. It's cheaper than Carnival Insurance with somewhat better coverage. I have ended up using my insurance on almost every trip (cruise and otherwise). If you are ill, seeing Dr.'s on vacation can be $150 and up + medications. If your luggage gets damaged, lost, items missing, etc- they are replaced. If something happens and you can't go- it's OK, if you're trip gets delayed- it's cool.

 

I'd never leave home without it even if I don't have to use it. I'd much rather know I'm covered and my family is covered should anything happen to me on a vacation.

[kajsb]

You will probably see a lot of posts both pro and con. I for one, always buy the travel insurance. It all started when I booked a cruise for my mom and myself seven years ago. My mother insisted that we buy the insurance so to avoid an argument, I bought it. Two days prior to leaving on the cruise, my younger sister passed away unexpectedly at the age of 37. Because we had the insurance, we received a full refund on our cruise. From that day on, I have chosen to always buy the insurance. Insurance is protection against the unexpected and unforeseen. If something happens or you take ill, can you afford to lose the fare paid for your cruise? It is a decision that each person must make based on their situation (financial and otherwise).

[cruising3times]

We also always buy travel insurance for the reasons others have just listed. We buy it online ourselves as soon as we book so that preexisting conditions are covered. It is like any insurance, we hope that we don't have to use it but it is there if we need it.

[luvwater]

I always buy insurance. I buy my insurance @ insuremytrip.com. I always select Travel Guard.

[dickinson]

We always buy the insurance but on our own directly through Travelguard. If anything happened we would hate to lose the money we prepaid for our cruise but more importantly we are protecting ourselves from catastrophic emergencies while on the cruise where someone has to go to the hospital or be medevac (spelling is wrong I'm sure) someplace. Chances are slim of that happening to us but it does happen all the time and that is what we are insuring against.

[halos]

I always buy insurance. I buy my insurance @ insuremytrip.com. I always select Travel Guard.

 

Ditto.

 

It's for peace of mind that I use it. So many things could go wrong. So far, I have never had to use the insurance (Thank GOD!) so, some would argue that I have wasted my money...and they may be right. But my feeling is that from the time I order that insurance, I have a LOT less to worry about between booking and sailing, and that extra $60 per person added to the cost of the cruise pays for my peace of mind.

To me, it's worth it. I have enough to worry about.

[TerriNM]

When I booked our cruise on the Conquest for 7/4 I didn't get travel insurance. Then on 4/18 my son had a serious motocross accident and we had to postpone our trip until he is able to travel. Luckily 4/20 was the last day to cancel the cruise without penalty, BUT I wasn't so lucky with our airfare. Unless we use it by 3/23 we are out $1,000 worth of airfare. So hopefully we'll be able to take either a Thanksgiving or Christmas cruise. This has made a believer out of me, so next time I will definitely purchase travel insurance! (plus you think I'd know better since I work in the insurance industry!!)

[luvscruzin]

We've always purchased travel insurance as a precaution, but not until this year did we ever have to use it. We were booked for a cruise, and then DH ended up having to have 2 back surgeries (the 2nd being unanticipated) 3 weeks apart. Had the 2nd surgery not been needed, we would have been able to take our cruise as planned. But as it was, we had to cancel and then rebooked another one. We cancelled within the 8-29 day range and got 1/2 of our fare back from Carnival and are waiting on the other half from travel insurance. It was alot of work to get the claims completed and filled out, but I was still thankful to have had the insurance. I will never cruise without it!

[lpglarry]

Does your private purchase insurance Travel Guard, pay you if your flight gets cancelled and you miis ship?? carnivals insurance does?larry

[jeniceglassman]

14 cruises, 2 more coming up..never have bought insurance. We both have wonderful medical through our jobs and the one time I was ill I was promptly refunded the expense as soon as I filed a claim. I look at it as betting against yourself and won't do it in this arena. That said we do insure everything else but our vacations. Since this type of post usually generates a flood of cruise horror stories I'll bow out quietly. As a postscript we had a horriffic murder at our rental 5 years ago and the insurance would not cover it. It wasn't considered an "act of vandalism" but cost thousands to clean and repair after. Needless to say this soured me even more on "insurance". :rolleyes:

[pholter]

Does your private purchase insurance Travel Guard, pay you if your flight gets cancelled and you miis ship?? carnivals insurance does?larry

Yes, it does and I believe that Carnival's will only cover you if you book air through them, but don't quote me on that. TravelGuard will also upgrade you to include a nice amount of flight insurance for $7-$9 per person if you like the extra coverage just in case.... You might also check into what your current credit card already covers if you used it. Sometimes it will surprise you.

[lpglarry]

i am buying travel guard insurance, I added air fare to price of insurance, my question is if we get overbooked and cannot make our flight,will they refund us our money, I know carnival ins. does .but the cost is so much more with them larry

[cruiseco]

i am buying travel guard insurance, I added air fare to price of insurance, my question is if we get overbooked and cannot make our flight,will they refund us our money, I know carnival ins. does .but the cost is so much more with them larry

 

Probably not. The following is from their exclusions for trip cancellation and trip interruption:

 

"(1) carrier-caused delays . . ."

 

"(2) travel arrangements canceled or changed by an airline . . ."

 

The trip delay benefit would apply regardless of the cause of the delay.

 

Best insurance against this is to re-confirm your reservations within 24 hours of your departure and get to the gate early and get that boarding pass.

[mysticalblues]

I always got insurance until I went to Las Vegas this year. I was traveling with 2 older women and while we were at the airport standing in line, they were paged by their family to tell them their other sister had a massive heart attack. The wound up not getting on the plane and skipping the trip. They did get all their money back, but from what I understand, it would have been easier if they had insurance.

 

Pam

[fhowell2]

When we were in Alaska, a teenager fell down a flight of stairs and broke her leg among other injuries. She was med-evacuated on a helicopter back to Seattle from Juneau. We heard later, from the cruise director, that the cost for the helicopter was $30,000.

Our last three cruises have been interrupted for medical emergencies with evacuation back to the states.

If you are in a foreign country, med expenses can eat you up in no time.

I would not even think of going on a cruise without trip insurance.

[imsulin]

My TravelGuard...I never leave home without it!

[nascarcruiser]

We buy it and have yet to need it. Just remember if you are out of the country your medical insurance amy not cover everything so it is good to have back uo

[hdawson]

I had to cancel a cruise in April because of bronchiatus. YUCK! Eight days after I mailed the claim forms and documents I had my check in full. The company was CSA thru http://www.insuremytrip.com That was fantastic service. I never travel without insurance.

[luvscruzin]

That was quick service! I filed our claims on June 30 and am still waiting to hear something and/or get a check. Travel insurance was through Travel Insured.

[grandmacani]

I must tell you that it is better to be safe than sorry. On our cruise Nov 2002 just after we left St. Thomas there was a passenger that had chest pains. The ship tried to do what they could but as we neared San Juan the Coast guard was going to transfer the patient. The person had alot of family and the passenger was not stabelizing so the ship had to call out all of the pilot boats in the middle of the night to put the ship up next to the dock. They never tied off because the cruise director said it would cost approx $ 20,000.00 plus what do you think the cost was to carnival to call in all of the Pilot boats. I just couldn't imagine what the cost might be to the passenger. I know that alot of insurance policies cover all of the emergency medical cost.

 

YOU NEVER KNOW