Cruise Insurance

[lookin4ward]

Believe it or not, this will be our tenth cruise and we've never gotten insurance. For some reason this time I feel like we should have it. I've kind of settled on Insuremytrip.com but I don't know what kind or how much we should get. Any suggestions on this? The cruise is an 8 day on the Miracle out of Ft. Lauderdale in January. Any suggestions would be great!

[jleq]

Every person's needs are different. Look at each policy's descriptions. See what you need/don't need. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask here

[cherylandtk]

Insure my trip has lots of choices, but if you want the choices narrowed down to the 6 or so best companies, go over to tripinsurancestore.com and call their toll free number. They will talk you through the choices quickly, and help you to choose the best policy for your situation. Things to be considered are age, health conditions, total trip cost (and if you need it all covered or not) and type of medical (primary vs. secondary) and interruption/delay benefits.

[Thirsty Cruiser]

Believe it or not, this will be our tenth cruise and we've never gotten insurance. For some reason this time I feel like we should have it. I've kind of settled on Insuremytrip.com but I don't know what kind or how much we should get. Any suggestions on this? The cruise is an 8 day on the Miracle out of Ft. Lauderdale in January. Any suggestions would be great!

I personally go with at least 50,000 in medical insurance, but more importantly make sure that I have medical evacuation insurance. No way do I want to go under the knife in some of the ports I have visited:eek: At insuremytrip, enter a medical coverage amount you need, then select a bunch of policies that are in the price range you are comfortable with. Last, do a side-by-side comparison of those policies. I think you will see that the decision is not that difficult.

Before making a final selection, do a little research on the insurance company you have decided on. Make sure that they do not have a ton of complaints and they pay up on their claims.

[iamtrustworthy]

Believe it or not, this will be our tenth cruise and we've never gotten insurance. For some reason this time I feel like we should have it. I don't know what kind or how much we should get. Any suggestions on this? The cruise is an 8 day on the Miracle out of Ft. Lauderdale in January. Any suggestions would be great!

 

Hi lookin4ward,

 

You didn't indicate where you're from nor your concerns, but you probably have a few situations you definitely want covered.

 

I suggest you list the things you definitely want covered. That way when you call to get the information, it'll be easier to narrow down your choices. Whenever someone calls us, it keeps everything simpler if the traveler knows what they want.

[jpmaximus]

I would get insurance. An 8 day cruise is a long enough time for something to happen. (KNOCK ON WOOD)

[sugarsparkles]

My major concern was they'd cover medivacing my butt home.

[fridaythe13th]

http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/travelinsurance.htm

 

Give STA a call and talk to someone about your needs. It says students but anyone can purchase a policy. This is a great price with great coverage. They do not go by age which most companies do. If you're 30 or 80, 8 days is $48. I have called them a couple of times with questions and they are very helpful. Fortunately we have not had to file a claim so I can't comment on that part of it.

 

We have also used Travel Guard but since I heard about STA we have switched.

[Pegs222]

The insurance question has come up often, and we always get it, and we always go with Carnival. Why are so many not going with Carnival and why do some think it is not necessary to have the insurance?

[Timmys_mom]

The insurance question has come up often, and we always get it, and we always go with Carnival. Why are so many not going with Carnival and why do some think it is not necessary to have the insurance?

I don't go with Carnival's insurance because I end up paying more for coverage I don't need and not getting the exact coverages I want. I save money by using independent insurance companies.

[Pegs222]

I don't go with Carnival's insurance because I end up paying more for coverage I don't need and not getting the exact coverages I want. I save money by using independent insurance companies.

 

I never even knew before I came on this board that another insurance option was available. I did not know about Guarantee rooms either. They do not tell you these things, not a TA or Carnival. Funny, not so much.

[trock]

You may also want to call your health insurance company and find out what is covered and what is not to make a more informed decision

[laura2161]

The insurance question has come up often, and we always get it, and we always go with Carnival. Why are so many not going with Carnival and why do some think it is not necessary to have the insurance?

 

My first cruise I went with Carnival insurance because, like you, I didnt know I could go independent. Once I found this board, I saw something about insuremytrip.com and used them twice so far. I'll be using it again for this upcoming cruise. In a nutshell, You can get cheaper (and better) insurance coverage through another company.

[Pegs222]

My first cruise I went with Carnival insurance because, like you, I didnt know I could go independent. Once I found this board, I saw something about insuremytrip.com and used them twice so far. I'll be using it again for this upcoming cruise. In a nutshell, You can get cheaper (and better) insurance coverage through another company.

 

Thanks, but on our next cruise, I have already gotten Carnival's :(. But I am disappointed that they do not at least let you know. The same with the Military Rate and the guarantee State Rooms. I understand how they make more money this way, but still, it seems underhanded to me.

[big_duck]

First of all know what you already have.

 

For instance do you have out of country medical coverage through your regular insurance provider or perhaps a credit card.

 

Some CC's also provide other coverage like baggage loss, etc.

[jessemon]

Anymore I get it. I started 2 cruises ago and I had a medical problem the day before the cruise. I got all my money back for the cruise. It cost $75.00

Guess what...bought it again for this next one. Has med, evac, trip interuption, dental, luggage, airline flight payback and so on.

$75.00 worth of peace of mind.

It has cost me $150.00 for two cruises and got back $950.00. Not bad. Did not have to fly the last time or it would have been more back.

[Lovely Cruise]

You may also want to call your health insurance company and find out what is covered and what is not to make a more informed decision

 

Good call...

[KandCsailing]

We got ours through travelocity, also where we booked the cruise online, but did the insurance later after checking out others. We just covered the cost of the flights, hotel and cruise for us and my in-laws, we didn't need medical.

Too much money for us to risk not getting it since we usually cruise in peak hurricane time.

[dlbutler5]

One think to watch for is if it acts as a primary or secondary insurance. If secondary, you have to file thru your others first such as health or home owners before you can submit a claim to the travel company.

[travelingirl70]

I use insuremytrip dot com, too and have generally gone with Travelex. Just started buying insurance after hubby got certified in SCUBA. And guess what? Two trips - two claims - neither had anything to do with a SCUBA accident. First trip was a delay coming home due to a storm in the northeast. I was able to rearrange flights at an additional cost of $1600 - got it all back. Second trip there was a sudden death in the family - we had to delay our departure a day so we could attend the funeral. Rearranging flights cost $1400 - haven't submitted claim yet because I still need paperwork from the coroner. I have found the claims folks to be extremely helpful and responsive both times.

 

Needless to say, I am a big advocate of trip insurance. Whatever you decide to do - the earlier recommendation to compare policies is a good one. On insuremytrip, you enter what you think you need, then select some policies to compare. You might find, for example, 2 policies that cost the same, but one has higher baggage delay limits, or a shorter travel delay - look to see exactly what they cover.

 

Like I said above, my primary concern is medical evacuation coverage - but you just never know when it might come in handy,

[jayesouthworth]

I just called our health insurance (Blue Cross), and I asked them about health coverage while on the cruise. We are completely covered for any emergency on or off the ship, even being air lifted somewhere. Another sigh of relief. :p Last cruise we purchased the cancellation insurance only because my sister was terminally ill and that would have affected our cruise. That was the first and only time we have spent money on cancellation insurance. So if your worried about the health end of it while travelling, definately call your health insurance provider.

[Jdleong]

Every person's needs are different. Look at each policy's descriptions. See what you need/don't need. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask here

 

I have medical coverage thru Blue Cross...enough for my needs and I have baggage and trip delay thru my Credit Card for my flights... but what kind of coverage, covers if you are late to the ship due to missed connections with the airline? We are suppose to arrive at 1pm on Friday and the ship leaves at 11pm on Sat...so I have allowed for plenty of time...

 

Also is it easy to get coverage after you have obtained your airfare and made deposits on your cruise?

[KandCsailing]

We usually pay for the cruise and flights in full because we haven't booked far enough in advance to bother with deposits and had no trouble getting the insurance. Booked our cruise one week, in-laws and flight the next and then the insurance.