What Kind Of Travel Insurance To Buy, if any?

[nebulous]

...so don't know how it works.

Am looking into travel insurance, and am curious if any of these policies cover your expenses should you "miss the ship" when in port (or prior to embarking)? For some reason this is my great fear, that we will miss the ship and be waving goodbye to everyone from the dock! Yikes!

TIA

[cruiselover1123]

I've used Travel Guard, Access America and CSA. I've never had to make a claim. But I ALWAYS buy insurance for everything. Better safe than sorry.

[cruiseco]

[quote name='nebulous']...so don't know how it works.

Am looking into travel insurance, and am curious if any of these policies cover your expenses should you "miss the ship" when in port (or prior to embarking)? For some reason this is my great fear, that we will miss the ship and be waving goodbye to everyone from the dock! Yikes!

TIA[/QUOTE]

Yes, if you miss the ship for a covered reason. For example, if you're out driving around and just lose track of the time and are late then you would have no coverage.

But say you're out touring, fall down, and severely sprain your ankle. You are taken to a local hospital and by the time they've got you all fixed up the ship has sailed. In this case the trip interruption coverage would pay for the additional transportation expenses to meet the ship at the next port of call and reimburse you for whatever part of the cruise you've missed.

[bostonlass]

Global Alert through Access America. Suprisingly enough....it was almost $100 cheaper buying it now with my sister and I than it would have been a month and a half ago with my now ex-fiance and I.:confused: Go figure. Guess it's one more positive to focus on. :p

[Natmar]

When hubby and I went to Alaska we purchased Travel Guard for our trip. It was weird because we purchased it at 8:30pm on Sept. 10th - the night before the Sept. 11th attacks. It gave us a piece of mind knowing we were fully covered in case something happened that we couldn't go. It's nice to know if one of the kids or in-laws got sick before we left we could also cancel and not loose all the money invested in cruise fare and airfare. That was the only trip we bought travel insurance for but believe me from now on when we spend money on a nice vacation we will definitely but it just in case someone gets sick.

We have had bad luck the past three vacations with illnesses in the family. DisneyWorld 2003 - first day there I only spent 20 minutes at Animal Kingdom before heading back to our hotel room so hubby could get me to an emergancy clinic for severe nausea and I landed up spending three and a half days in our hotel room sick and sleeping. I was able to join the family for two days in the parks but that was pushing it also and than the second day hubby got sick and had to go the doctor. We landed up leaving earlier than planned since we had a two day drive home - also our son also landed up having some type of allergic reaction to something the night before we left. Boy, did we regret not having travel insurance for that trip because if we did we would have cancelled it altogether. Within three weeks of coming home I landed up being put in the hospital with the same symptoms and vomiting blood for five days due to a torn esphogaus, ulcers, hernia, major acid reflux disease, dehydration and severe low iron levels (little did I know I what my body was telling me on the trip). Funny thing is only symptoms were severe nausea and vomiting a small amount of blood.

Our next family vacation was in March of this year when we took a four night cruise with the kids. No insurance was bought for this trip also but we wish we did because the night before we left my father in-law landed up in the hospital. We still went on our trip since in-laws insisted but we were calling home every chance we had to check on him - he landed up getting out of the hospital the day before we were to come home.

And, than on our last trip to the beach in June (I wouldn't buy insurance for a beach trip though) our son landed up getting food poisioning and had to take him to the doctor there.

In our family for the past couple of years it never fails if we go anywhere for vacation one us, kids or one of my in-laws get sick or (they are the only family that live in state) and if they go somewhere one of us gets sick where we could really use their help with either one or both of the children.

Like I said never again will we take a cruise or any type of expensive vacation without purchasing insurance because you just never know. We have learned the hard way - it is no fun to spend so much money on a trip and not being able to enjoy it because of illness and besides now days with so many airlines on the verge on bankruptcy I want to play things safe.

[Me & Him]

We use Access America. Have always gotten travel insurance when booking a cruise or tour or vacation. Started using Access America when cruise lines stopped paying money and started giving cruise credits. We are trully glad that we do buy travel insurance because we had to use it on last cruise. We were on an 11 day cruise and on the evening of the third night I had a major heart attack. Was transported off ship by U.S. Coast Guard along with DW to Daytona Beach, FL. Spent 19 days in hospital. Access America paid us for the unused days of the cruise, hotel, meals and local transportation for DW in Daytona Beach. Airfare for the both of us from Florida to Virginia. They also covered medical bills that were not payed by our primary insurance. Will never leave home with out travel insurance. Even though we had gotten travel insurance prior to this and never used, this one time more than paid for all prior times. Money well invested. Claim process was easy and they were very helpful.

[daWoods]

Always buy it, haven't had to use it thankfully. It's a small cost when considering the overall cost of a cruise, and what it would cost if you had to cancel for some unexpected reason, not to mention getting home if something went wrong on board.

[SueSea]

[quote name='merela']Do you buy travel insurance at the same time when you book your cruise or can you wait a while before buying travel insurance? For example, I usually book my air after I book my cruise, so if I buy my travel insurance before I book my air, will the air portion of the travel be covered? Is the 21 day prior to travel the latest you can buy travel insurance? Just wondering.[/QUOTE]
To get the maximum coverage, you must purchase your policy within the period specified by the insurance company prior to making your initial deposit on your cruise, usually 14 to 21 days. If you do not know your air cost, many insurers will allow you to add it to your policy when it's booked. I don't know if it is required, but I would suggest adding it to your policy within 14 to 21 days of purchasing the flight to avoid any wiggle room with pre-existing conditions clauses. If adding the cost of your flight bumps you up to the next higher-priced tier, you will be charged the difference.

When I apply for insurance, I always add an extra day to the end of my trip to ensure coverage if my trip home is delayed. I also give my trip cost as the highest amount in the range of coverage. That is, if my trip cost is $1100, and the policy I need covers from $1000 to $1499, on my application I would submit my trip cost as $1499. That way if I add on another hotel night, I don't have to call up to change my policy. The insurer is only obligated to reimburse you for the amount you paid out of pocket, and you must have receipts to prove your cost, so I'm not 'cheating' the insurer by stating my costs as $1499 since I can only claim the amount I have receipts for, $1100.

Here's an interesting fact I learned. If you cancel a booked cruise for which you purchased your insurance, most insurers will not reimburse the cost of your policy. However, I've found that some will allow you to swap the trip you have insured. We cancelled our Westerdam cruise booked for January 2005 after the itinerary was changed and booked Princess Diamond for November 2004 instead. Travelex allowed us to transfer our insurance to the new cruise with no charge to us.

[michka]

I always purchase insurance...You Never Know!...and although I've never needed to 'cash in' on cancellation insurance, this last April, my Princess Care Insurance reimbursed me on board $50 per day for expenses re. delayed luggage (which was delivered to my cabin three days into a 10 day cruise - Princess was outstanding in that they went to pick up my suitcase at the airport in Jamaica at their expense, although I hadn't booked air through Princess and it was the airline's fault). In addition, I also claimed reimbursement from the airline and they also reimbursed me for expenses...

[jimcat]

[quote name='Host Chris']Do you buy it?
If so, what brand and why?
If not, why not?[/QUOTE]
I purhcased the Access America.. as it was the one CruiseAdventures is using now.
Why? Why not.. what happens if there is a mis flight connection? It will get us to the next port if needed.. or if luggage gets lost.. or if some medical mishap was to occur?

I did not feel it to be overly expensive.. and since we are not doing many of the Ships excursions.. I think the price is a wash :0

Wishing better crusing
Jim

[Lynda90]

[b]I have never purchased cruise insurance before. But now that my mom is getting older as well as my travel companion it makes sense to do so. We have purchased Princess Travel Care Gold for our next cruise because we are platinum and get it for the Princess Travel Care price. My question is, does it cover air fare and hotel expense if that has not been purchased through Princess?[/b]

[b]Thank you![/b]

[cruiseco]

[quote name='SueSea']To get the maximum coverage, you must purchase your policy within the period specified by the insurance company prior to making your initial deposit on your cruise, usually 14 to 21 days. .[/QUOTE]


That should be: "To get the maximum coverage, you must purchase your policy within the period specified by the insurance company AFTER making your initial deposit on your cruise, usually 14 to 21 days."

[SueSea]

Good catch, cruiseco!

[randolph]

Hey Chris,
What kind of travel insurance do you buy (if any)
and thru what company, why? I know you are in
the trave business and can not make suggestions.
But it is I who am bringing this up and asking you
the question.

Thanks

[HighRoller]

Never buy it..just like at the Blackjack tables never buy insurance and never take even money on a Blackjack...it's a "house bet" in all 3 cases!

[HollyK]

[color=navy][i]In times past I largely depended on the medical coverage we had however a couple of years ago, friends of ours went on a Carribean cruise. To keep the story brief, the husband had to have a pacemaker put in in Nassau and they wouldn't even operate without $50,000 USD upfront. And that was not nearly the end of the dollar outlays that were involved.[/i][/color]
[color=navy][/color]
[color=navy][i]After hearing of all their experiences and realizing how stressful it would be to negotiate a line of credit long distance with my husbands life hanging in the balance, I ALWAYS buy travel insurance now. As well, the kind I buy pays for any costs upfront rather than a 'reimburse ya later' type.[/i][/color]
[color=navy][/color]
[color=navy][i]One always thinks "it won't happen to me . . . I'm healthy as a horse and like that. This guy had no previous indication of heart issues - none at all. [/i][/color]
[color=navy][/color]
[color=navy][i]Hopefully it also taught my husband to be very very nice to me. And the wife says: " Hmmm, $50M you say? Hmmmm, well let me think about it and I'll get back to you Doc. " :D [/i][/color]

[PescadoAmarillo]

HollyK, what insurance have you found where the health insurance is primary, and not secondary to your personal health insurance?

[parrotheads]

Let's not forget the shortage of Flu vaccines this year. :(

I really think all the Norwalk virus outbreaks would have been less if people had bought insurance. I always believed Norwalk was the result of sick people insisting on going because they couldn't cancel and get a refund unless they had insurance. As a result, hundreds of people became infected!!

[sultan_sfo]

Just by chance, I found from the Travel Guard website right at the bottom of their description of the high end Cruise/Tour insurance, a statement saying that their insurance is primary. Never used them before but considering them through our TA. /Sultan

[quote name='JMB410']HollyK, what insurance have you found where the health insurance is primary, and not secondary to your personal health insurance?[/QUOTE]

[CRUISEinTIME]

I usually start at insuremytrip.com. It is a great web site for comparing policies. In the end I usually stick with the big three, Access America, Travel Guard, or Travelex. But all three usually price out very diffrently for very diffrent reasons but all are usually cheaper then the cruiselines or the travel agents.

Additionally I usually book the cruise and then book the insure within a few days of each other.

Tom

[debbue19511972]

We have always used Travel Guard and last year had to use it for my son who was sick with water in the ear. Spent $150 by ship's doctor. I had to first go through our insurance (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) who denied it then Travel Guard paid the whole thing. Our TA offered us a chance to buy a
different insurance this year which was a little cheaper, but I definitely trust Travel Guard.

[Jett456]

I used Global Alert. They refund the premium if you cancel before penalty date. I just had to cancel an Alaska cruise :( and they refunded my 300 premium right away. I'm still waiting for my deposit back on the cruise.

[kryos]

[quote name='LifeIsCruising2']Do you buy it?
If so, what brand and why?
If not, why not?[/QUOTE]
Depends on the cruise, how far ahead I book it, and its cost. So far, I haven't bought travel insurance on my two Princess cruises because either they were not that costly or I booked them reasonably close to sail date.

I have bought HAL's insurance on a couple of their cruises for various reasons. One was a writer's conference and I was sharing the cabin with another writer who had the insurance. If one person in the cabin has it, both have to. That was also the one cruise where I had to file a claim for trip interruption, so at least the added cost of the insurance paid for itself.

I also got HAL insurance for my Hawaii/South Pacific 30-day cruise in January because that cruise is quite costly and was booked about a year in advance. A lot can happen between now and then including sickness of myself or my father (who is 91 at this time). Although he won't cruise with me, I would never leave him alone if he was seriously ill at the time of my cruise. Luckily he is generally in better health ... not to mention more physically active ... than me! Hopefully, he will stay that way.

But I wouldn't want to have a $5,000+ cruise at risk without travel insurance, so the added expense seems worth it in that case. But, for a Caribbean cruise or something that doesn't run a whole lot of money, I often just take my chances.

So far I've been reasonably lucky.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[pungo3]

Wonder why you didn't list Travelex. I thought it was one of the larger companies. That's who I use but I've never had to file a claim.

[cherylandtk]

We always get the "Princess" because of teh 75% option, and --cross fingers--have never had to use it.