What Kind Of Travel Insurance To Buy, if any?

[franahan]

In the past, we have bought Travel Guard. We have had to make a claim twice. The first time we puchased insurance, my mother passed away when we were at sea less than a day. The insurance reimbursed us for everything except the prorated portion of the cruise. Last year, we took a South American cruise and one of our bags was misplaced between our claiming it in Buenos Aires and being loaded on the bus to the airport. The bag was located during the next week and the insurance paid to have it shipped back home.

This time we went with the insurance through Princess. Because we are Platinum members, we qualify for the free insurance upgrade. The main reason for going with Princess however is that my husband's job situation is not the most stable right now and we liked the fact that if we needed to cancell due to economics at the last minute, we could receive cruise credit toward our next cruise.

My advice....TAKE THE INSURANCE!

Fran

[muse_clio]

Ok, i'm not a gambler on insurance. I'm gunna buy with the same attitude as buying any insurance. But please could someone explain "pre-existing condition" clauses? In the beginning of this month, I was hospitalized with a stomache ailment which isn't diagnosed yet. I just booked a cruise today (well, i'm paying the deposit tomorrow) which doesn't sail until May 2006. If something happened stomache related to keep me from sailing in May 06, would THAT be a pre-existing condition?

thanks,
tracey

[Tigger Mom]

We would not travel without purchasing insurance. Princess Travel Care is what we have for our next cruise. We have had to make two claims. One was a trip to Hawaii (not a cruise) when I unexpectly lost my father and 7 months later a Carnival Cruise when my father-in-law had a major stroke and passed away after being in a coma for a week. That was a tough year but now I gladly pay the cost of for insurance.

[GottoCruise]

We just learned about (Amex) Global Travel Shield.......you can buy just what you need......we purchased the Global Medical Plan. It covers Medical/ Dental/Emergency Evacuation (we can absorb the Trip cancellation etc. if necessary) Cost was only $25. pp per trip for $50,000 pp coverage. This seems like a good very cheap solution for our biggest worry on a trip! We are seniors and Medicare does not cover us in foreign Ports.

Check it out for yourselves....... GotToCruise (aka Renee)

[seastar2]

Also have never used the insurance..flip between Access and princess but willstick with the Princess cause I also have the elderly parents and never know what will happen.

The peace of mind knowing that the money is not lost for the cost of the trip, air and hotels if something prevent me from sailing is worth the cost.

[kjm62]

I always buy insurance for the what if happens. I was on the Sun 2 weeks ago had had a minor mishap. I was on the beach and was hit by a flying umbrella. I was lucky, I only came away with a good size lump on my head and scatches. Just thinking back I was happy I had the choice to see a Dr if needed. If my face had been turned towards the umbrella it would have been my eyes, lucky this time. Also saw a boy carried off the beach with injuries to his mouth they had to call a ambulance. It is small price to pay for peace of mind.

[skarletohara]

We buy insurance for every single cruise trip. We both have elderly parents

and also, if we have to be medi-vacked off the ship by helicopter that would

be one whopper of a bill if we didn't buy the insurance.

 

On our cruise two months ago I was thrown off a horse in Mazatlan and really felt as if I'd done a severe number on my back. Luckily I did rebound.

However, if something really severe had happened to my back, at least I had

a $50,000 hospital policy included in our Travel-Ex insurance policy.

 

You never know what's going to happen. Heck, your appendix could burst

at sea too. No one ever expects things to happen.

 

We've purchased cruise line insurance in the past until we found out how little they offered, and have since purchase Travelex and Travel Insured.

Both policies were so much cheaper and way more comprehensive than Princess Insurance. I would NEVER purchase insurance from the cruiselines

again.

[iancal]

We buy insurance for the same reason as SkarletOhara. We never did in the past as my employer covers us for out of country-but we did buy it for our Feb cruise. WHat we found was a huge difference in price and coverage and the most expensive was one of the poorest. We also looked at Princess policy and found it not to be the best value. One mistake we make was buying it independently a month after booking our cruise. We were only covered from the day we left home. Had we purchased the insurance within 48 hours of booking (even though travel and insurance were purchased seperately from different sources) the cruise, we would have been covered from that day vs our departure day. My parents had a geat TA, she would NOT sell them insurance but rather directed them to another source. SHe said her rates were too high....thirty five percent of the policy dollars stayed in the travel agency as commission. Another five-10 went to the broker.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Would someone reitterate the company name that pays for everything up front? I do not have access to $20,000/50,000 if needed in an emergency and would like to purchase this policy for our next cruise!

Thanks so much!

[Greyhound3]

Would someone reitterate the company name that pays for everything up front? I do not have access to $20,000/50,000 if needed in an emergency and would like to purchase this policy for our next cruise!

Thanks so much!

 

The Travelex policy offers primary coverage for medical. There may be others that also provide primary coverage, but this in itself was enough to sell us on Travelex.

[wtevrfltsurbt]

Greyhound3,

 

Thank you very much for the information!

Happy Cruising!

The Travelex policy offers primary coverage for medical. There may be others that also provide primary coverage, but this in itself was enough to sell us on Travelex.

[D4]

I always buy travel insurance for cruises and I view the medical evacuation coverage amount as the most important thing to me. I never buy the cruise line's coverage because we always book our airfare on our own and we go 2-3 days early and stay a day later. Independent travel insurance will cover the air and the extra days. I buy it the insurance soon after paying the cruise deposit to cover pre-existing conditions.

 

Something nobody has pointed out yet and you'll only find this out by reading the fine print --- even though companies say they waive pre-existing conditions if you buy the trip insurance within a specified # of days, there are some exclusions in every policy I've ever read. Some of these exclusions are any kind of mental illness (including depression) and alcohol/drug abuse. I highly recommend reading the fine print before purchasing any trip insurance policy.

[tbenson81]

When comparing plans on insuremytrip - TravelSafe has more coverage and better prices than TravelGuard, Access America, TravelEx etc.

 

Why are these other companies so popular and why hasnt TravelSafe been mentioned?

[Greyhound3]

When comparing plans on insuremytrip - TravelSafe has more coverage and better prices than TravelGuard, Access America, TravelEx etc.

 

Why are these other companies so popular and why hasnt TravelSafe been mentioned?

 

My guess would be that TravelEx functions as a primary coverage, whereas TravelSafe is a secondary coverage. In other words, with TravelSafe you would have to cover the immediate payment and then seek reimbursement from TravelSafe.

 

Additionally, TravelEx has an A.M. Best rating of A+ and TravelSafe is rated an A-.

 

Better (IMO) to have the coverage that pays right when you need it.

[jbern66]

We never purchase extra insurance for our vacations. I think of it this way...if you take insurance, the insurance company is betting you're going to be fine..., you're betting something bad is going to happen. Fortunately for most of us, the insurance company wins...that's why they always have the most...best...biggest buildings in every city. I figure if something happens to me that I can't go on the cruise, then losing a few thousand dollars is the least of my problems. That said, I think people should do what gives them peace of mind. I just feel lucky to be in a position where choosing insurance for a vacation or not is a privelege...think of all the people who can't afford to go on a cruise, never mind the cost of the insurance!

[CRUISEinTIME]

In the end the cost of the cruise is the least of your worries, the medical issues are the real concern. One $15,000 helicopter ride would do a number on any ones budget.

[Lou Lu]

Always buy insurance. You just never know and cruises aren't cheap! I am a travel agent and I tell my clients don't buy the insurance if you can live without the money you will lose if something prevents you from going on the cruise. Especially my clients with young children. We get more cancellations from parents whose kids end up sick and they can't leave them alone than we do for people with elderly parents. But the youngs always think they are young and healthy so they don't need the insurance...

[Reneek]

Always include it as just the "price of cruising". Even though we are in our 40's and 50's, DH has already had an MI and bypass. I don't believe any of us can expect a "free pass" in life. An unexpected medical emergency while traveling in/to a foreign country has the potential to bankrupt us - that is not a chance I am willing to take as long as the cost remains within reason.

[jbern66]

Believe me, I do not want to be argumentative...just offering a contrarian opinion. My wife and I have been on 35 cruises. So today I would break even if I had to take that $15000 helicopter ride. If not, I am ahead $15000. By the way, on those 35 cruises I have never seen anyone lifted off by helicopter. I am sure it has happened, but I also am sure it is very rare. Now I know that the possibilty existed I would have had to have some medical attention on my 1st cruise. But I didn't. Remember, the odds were in my favor. So now, I am in the position with the $ saved that I am insuring myself in case anything happens. And if it doesn't I will continue to be way ahead.

But, as I said previously, people should do what they are comfortable with. And if that means insurance, then I say go for it.

[madelinerose]

Travelex/TraveLite.

[atdahop]

We alwats buy insurance.. We have found the best for us is Travelguard.. They have a policy where it's a primary, costs a bit more, but you don't have to submit anything to your own insurance company first.. It's first dollar covered.

[jff50]

The best reason to buy travel insurance seems to be the catastrophic cost of a medical emergency (medical evacuation and/or care in a foreign country). Many people may have coverage for this through their employer (I know I do). It might be worth checking into before spending the money on insurance that is duplicate coverage. For those that rely on Medicare for their medical insurance, I don't think it covers these things--it certainly doesn't cover medical services provided on the ship.

[margeg]

We always got Princess insurance. But next time, unless I find a better one, I will get the Princess Gold. It costs more, but you get a full refund if you cancel for any reason at all.

[vacationhappy]

Bought it for our upcoming Med cruise - we will be away for close to three weeks and you just never know. Also, if you miss the boat in port, it will cover your transportation and accomodations to the next port. We are going to do a mix of self touring, private tours, and ship tours so we think it is worth it.

[Lynda90]

A personal experience to share. We were scheduled to be on the Sapphire to Alaska right now. Last month my Mom (my cruising partner) was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes (lymphoma) and started treatment almost immediately. We had to cancel our cruise and thank God I had been reading these boards for the past year as we were not believers in spending the extra money on the insurance. After reading so many horror stories, we decided that no one should be without the insurance. We purchased the Princess Standard insurance (upgraded to Gold for Platinum and Elite status with no extra cost).

 

We cancelled our cruise on 4/29 and I filled out all the claim forms earlier this month. I received our checks today and we got back 100% of what we paid. I would say that was excellent service. So please, purchase the insurance. Do not get caught like so many others and lose your investment.

 

BTW, my mom's prognosis for recovery is excellent and we are looking forward to sailing to Hawaii next year.:D