Need help with travel insurance

[Hflors]

dh and I are planning a cruise. His sis is ill. I'm trying to find out about travel ins I talked to cel rep and she says ins will not cover us for flight home during cruise if something terrible happens to sis. Does anyone know of a ins that will cover expenses to fly home from the carribbean is sis passes? Thanks for any info.

[cruiseco]

dh and I are planning a cruise. His sis is ill. I'm trying to find out about travel ins I talked to cel rep and she says ins will not cover us for flight home during cruise if something terrible happens to sis. Does anyone know of a ins that will cover expenses to fly home from the carribbean is sis passes? Thanks for any info.

 

Most third-party plans will. You can go to online sites such as insuremytrip.com and check out several.

 

The situation you describe would be covered by the plan's trip interruption benefit so be sure to find out if the plan will cover the exact scenario you're worried about. Call if you can't find the exact answer.

 

Also, this is going to be considered a pre-existing medical condition so be sure you meet all of the plan's requirements to get coverage for pre-existing conditions.

[Pisces11]

Make sure that your credit card doesn't cover this when you use it to book your cruise. The lady at Celebrity told me that between our health insurance and our credit card company we probably don't need the extra coverage. I just called up American Express and not only do they cover all emergencies, including if the weather is bad and we miss the ship, but they also cover our airline tickets if we use the credit card to purchase the tickets. I then called our health insurer and we are already covered for anything that happens medically to us either on the cruise ship or in a foreign company.

[Tinwoman]

dh and I are planning a cruise. His sis is ill. I'm trying to find out about travel ins I talked to cel rep and she says ins will not cover us for flight home during cruise if something terrible happens to sis. Does anyone know of a ins that will cover expenses to fly home from the carribbean is sis passes? Thanks for any info.

 

Hi Hflors.

I had some concerns too, as I have very elderly parents, and plus I checked with my own health insurance and was told only 50% of medical costs would be covered if I became ill or hurt while out of the country.

I checked around and did some research, and ended up with travel insurance through Travelex as they had medical coverage which would pay up front and you did not have to sumit statements for remburisment.

They will also pay if a family member, or a travel campanions family member becomes ill and you can't go, I want to think if you have to leave during your trip too, but NOT positive on this.

There are several to chose from and I checked many and tripadvior is a good place to start, just look and check the ones that seem to met your needs and then it will do a side by side comparsion.

Good luck.

[cruzdirector]

Just returned awhile ago from a cruise (9/4 thru 9/12) and had purchased insurance with Travelex. DH had to see the Dr. onboard. Came home and called the rep. She immediately e-mailed a form to me. Filled it out and mailed back with a copy of Dr. report from ship. We recieved a check with full refund for office call and meds within a week and a half.

I can remember when I worked as a TA several years ago and one of my clients had to cancel a cruise due to illness. They had purchased the insurance the cruiseline offered. What a hassle they went thru with forms and questions and forms for the Dr.

I feared the worst with ours but it was so easy. I would never buy the insurance the travel companies offer for thier own products. Go to an outside company for sure. We did the comparison on insuremytrip.com

and decided on Travelex from the info there.

[Pisces11]

My husband and I are covered through our health insurance and American Express but our son, who is a graduate student, is not covered by his health insurance if he steps foot off of US soil. USAA sent us to http://www.travelinsured.com to get travel insurance for him which is cheaper than the cruise lines offer. They told my husband that this is a good, reputable company. Also, the cruise lines will not allow you to just insure one traveler. People on Medicare are also not covered overseas so this must be a big problem finding coverage.

[DrKoob]

I would not think about taking a cruise without travel insurance under any circumstances and I would not think of buying through anyone but a good travel agent. A good travel agent will know the right policy, the right coverage and be able to steer you in the right direction.

 

I never understand folks who don't book all their cruises with travel agents. Mine takes care of us. She handles everything and she is there if we have any travel emergency.

 

They say if your flight is cancelled, call the airline on your cell. I call my travel agent and she has me on another flight in no time at all.

 

A good travel agent is worth their weight in gold.

[Pisces11]

It's great if you have a good travel agent but it is also expensive to buy travel insurance through their companies. The Wall Street Journal had an article about travel insurance in August. The TA who had booked our 4 previous cruises left the company so I just booked our upcoming cruise through Celebrity. She was the one who told me to check our health insurance and credit card companies and we will probably find we don't need the travel insurance-and she was right. I honestly would trust USAA a lot more than I would trust a travel agent about buying an appropriate policy. We are very, very lucky that we have such good insurance and I know other people are not so lucky. They need to know they have options. It's always good to check around so you have more money for those expensive excursions.

[stipmom]

died about three hours before we sailed. They got the last seats back to JFK from San Juan. Insurance covered everything

[Kathie44]

We've been using Access America and feel very comfortable with the coverage and the price. Haven't had to use it yet (knock on wood), but it's nice to know it's there. I wouldn't cruise without insurance and feel that the third-party insurance is better and less expensive than the cruiseline package.

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib.

1/03 Explorer W. Carib.

8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib.

2/05 Galaxy Panama Canal

6/06 Jewel brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords + 3 days in London

1/07 Mercury Mexican Riviera

[jerseygirl3]

I can second the positive comments about Travelex. We purchase the Travelex Travel Lite policy on http://www.insuremytrip.com (btw, my very experienced TA recommended that site). Anyway, they were wonderful to work with when we had to file a claim and like the other poster, we received a complete refund within 2 weeks with no hassle and just a simple claim form to complete.

 

Now having said that, if your concern is an illness, you need to purchase the insurance within 21 days of making your initial trip deposit (that's the timeframe for Travelex, others are 7-14 days). That way they will waive pre-existing conditions. Otherwise, insurance will not cover any issues related to your SIL's illness because that would be considered a pre-existing condition.

[CaribbeanBound]

We too have used Travelex's Travelite product. However, you need to be sure to review each policy carefully to make sure it fits your particular needs. And yes, Travelex will cover your trip door to door if you use public transportation and include all the costs and appropriate dates in your purchase of insurance.

 

A couple of hints: make sure your insurance is "insurance" and not just "travel protection"; make sure the insurance you buy is "primary", and make sure your insurance covers $50,000+ for medical evacuation.

 

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

*****

 

:)