Travel Insurance- Pros & Cons

[lovethekeys]

We booked a cruise for March 09, and while the TA didn't ask as about travel insurance, our confirmation came back "declilned". I am thinking about calling to purchase it, but would like some feedback is it worth it or not, and what w/b covered. I used to purchase it religiously, then stopped a few years ago, now I am wavering again.:confused:

[Gonzo70]

Check and see if your health insurance covers you for medical problems while out of the country (including potential cruise ship evacuation costs). If you are covered by your normal everyday health insurance, then travel insurance may not be cost effective. If you do not have health insurance or if your insurance does not cover you for problems you may encounter during your trip then it is likely wise to purchase the travel insurance.

[HorrorFan]

What is covered depends on the plan you purchase.

 

Whether it is worth it depends.

If it includes medical coverage, and you get really sick somewhere and need transport etc, then you won't be on the hook for some HUGE $ out of your pocket. Possibly 10's of thousands of $ .

Or if you get sick and have to cancel the cruise, the cost of the cruise will be covered. In those cases its 'worth it'.

If you stay healthy and everything goes well, then no, it probably wasn't 'worth it'.

In short, is ANY insurance EVER worth it? :)

[EtoilePB]

We're a younger couple traveling without kids, so for us travel insurance is really very cheap as compared to the price of the cruise vacation (I think it was $130?) and therefore totally worth it.

 

There are so many things that can go horribly wrong with flying and luggage and getting to the ship that I prefer to err on the side of caution and be covered just for that. I'm also glad to be covered in the event that I should, in my klutziest fashion, take a header down the stairs and break my ankle. (Likely? No. Plausible? Sadly, very yes.)

 

If travel insurance would be a huge cost addition to the cruise, then it's worth maybe saying no. But personally I'd rather just consider it a part of the overall cost and have that peace of mind if I get three cancelled flights in a row...

[cavkc]

As we travel at least 3 - 4 times a year, we have an annual policy which we find works out best. It used to cost us in the region of £230 per annum, however we now get it free with our NatWest Mastercard.

 

The policy also covers our 2 boys until they are 25, even if they are travelling independently.

 

Whilst you hope you don't need it, I would never travel without it, particularly as in the UK, we don't have medical insurance as a rule, so we would have no cover whatsoever overseas.

 

I broke my leg and required surgery, 2 weeks prior to our cruise on IOS this summer; Travel insurance paid out for all 4 of us with no queries whatsoever - approx $20k for the 4 of us, which we would have been devastated to loose.

[lynn247]

We were putting our luggage into the car when we got the call that my mother in law had passed away. We were driving to visit friends in Fl. So no financial loss.

 

When we started to cruise, we made a habit of buying insurance. We never cruise without it. We usually don't purchased our insurance throught the cruise line, but we have our TA purchase it for us when when final payment is made. RCCL is the only exception.

 

My father in law passed away 2 days before our cruise. We were glad we had insurance. We were on route to Fl. when we got the call.

 

We called our TA and she handled everything for us. We had no problems.

[Leejnd4]

Here are some great articles that can help you better understand travel insurance, and whether or not you should buy it:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25100740/

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Pros-And-Cons-Of-Travel-Insurance&id=762513

 

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/mcgee/2003-09-28-mcgee6_x.htm

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Your TA didn't ask if you wanted insurance? Bad TA!

 

We always get insurance weather its independent or through the cruise line. We have excellent insurance with BCBS but it does not cover us out of network.......RC ships would be out of network.

 

If you had to cancel could anyone fford to lose the cost of the cruise? I doubt anyone could these days!! :eek: Ship evocation can be up wards of $25,000 and trip interruption can be costly.

 

You can add insurance anytime BEFORE final payment is made. After final payment you can purchase 3rd party insurance through some carriers.

 

I hope you get insurance one way or another, for a few dollars its worth its weight in gold. :)

 

***

[G'ma]

We booked a cruise for March 09, and while the TA didn't ask as about travel insurance, our confirmation came back "declilned". I am thinking about calling to purchase it, but would like some feedback is it worth it or not, and what w/b covered. I used to purchase it religiously, then stopped a few years ago, now I am wavering again.:confused:

 

If you purchase it and nothing happens, then I guess you could call it a waste of money.

 

If you don't and something happens, then you can call it and expensive lesson.

 

I never travel without it. Anything can happen at any time and I'm not willing to risk my money or risk having to pay out of my pocket for medical care/treatment or potential evacuation in case something happens. For me, it's peace of mind.

[twoputt.plusone]

Normally, we don't ever buy additional insurance but our last cruise was to the Med and was booked months in advance so we decided to go ahead and buy it this time. We were more interested in the cancellation/trip interruption coverage than anything else. Since I have out of country medical/evacuation insurance through my workplace, the additional medical insurance was a handy bonus.

 

As it turned out, I had to visit the ship's doctor for a bad case of sea-sickness. The bill of $194 was added to my seapass acount. We got home on Saturday and yesterday I checked the additional policy to see how to go about submitting a claim. I hadn't paid much attention to the fine print for the medical coverage because that wasn't my prime concern on purchase. Imagine my surprize when I read that they only cover outstanding costs AFTER I make a claim to my workplace insurance. Now my workplace will cover my expenses 100%, so what's the point of the medical part? This was any eye-opener to say the least.

 

2P.P1

[negc]

Just remember what Yogi said: "Insurance - when you don't have it, that's when you really need it". :D

 

However, all insurance policies are not created equal. Check out the terms and provisions to make sure that the coverage offered is relevant to your particular situation.:)

[Lynnees]

I don't think there are any "cons" to having insurance. I would never go without it. We carry yearly policies. I know I have coverage through my job but trying to get an answer from them is terrible. I opt to buy my own.

 

We have only used it once. A $100 charge when we were on the Tahitian Princess and DH got a toothache. We could have eaten the $100 easily enogh but I sumitted after we returned home. We received a cheque without a single questions within the week.

 

"Insurance - Never leave home without it."

[phantom728]

We always take the travel insurance, however we do opt for private insurance vs. the RCCL.

 

Our first cruise we almost missed because of snow, so our flights (which we book ourselves) would have been covered, plus our cruise. But luckily, the airline let us switch to an earlier flight that day (which was the day before departure), so we made it. Had we not changed to the earlier flight or had we opted to leave the morning of the cruise, we would have missed our ship.

 

The last cruise we took, DH almost got deployed before we were scheduled to go. Very few insurances cover refunds in this instance unless they are related to a natural disaster. So if this is a concern, be sure to read the fine print. Glad we did and thankfully DH didn't deploy before the cruise...we found out the week after he came back:eek: :rolleyes: ...but DH will be home soon and going for our next cruise in Feb.

[paul929207]

Most of the time, you have no need for travel insurance, but every now and then, someone really needs it.

 

My mother (then 78) fell on a cruise and broke her leg, collarbone and 6 ribs. She spent 5 weeks in a Rome hospital. The insurance company then flew a nurse to Rome to fly home with my mother - both in First Class. The nurse got a cab when they got to the US and went with my mother to her local hospital (1 hour away). The insurance company paid for everything.

[Peregrina651]

We get travel insurance for two reasons:

1. my parents are now in their 80s and while in good health, that can change without warning.
   
   
2. medical evacuation can be very expensive

With my luck, the one time I don't get the insurance will be the one time that I really need it.

 

Personally, with today's economy, I really think that it is more important than ever to have insurance that will cover any potential loses. My travel budget is pared to the bone and I know for sure that I cannot afford to pay out of pocket the added expense of canceling, being delayed or even cutting a trip short--let alone medical evac. For me, travel insurance is peace of mind.

[world~citizen]

We booked a cruise for March 09, and while the TA didn't ask as about travel insurance, our confirmation came back "declilned". I am thinking about calling to purchase it, but would like some feedback is it worth it or not, and what w/b covered. I used to purchase it religiously, then stopped a few years ago, now I am wavering again.:confused:

 

At the very least, I suggest you get a credit card that gives you insurance.

 

We would never go on a cruise without travel insurance. If you buy a policy, you will not miss the amount you spent on premiums. If you don't have insurance and you need it, you could face catastrophic unexpected expenses - which could ruin you financially.

 

So, how about it, you feel lucky?

[world~citizen]

We get travel insurance for two reasons:

1. my parents are now in their 80s and while in good health, that can change without warning.
   
   
2. medical evacuation can be very expensive

With my luck, the one time I don't get the insurance will be the one time that I really need it.

 

Personally, with today's economy, I really think that it is more important than ever to have insurance that will cover any potential loses. My travel budget is pared to the bone and I know for sure that I cannot afford to pay out of pocket the added expense of canceling, being delayed or even cutting a trip short--let alone medical evac. For me, travel insurance is peace of mind.

 

If your parents have pre-existing conditions will your policy cover that?

[world~citizen]

Most of the time, you have no need for travel insurance, but every now and then, someone really needs it.

 

My mother (then 78) fell on a cruise and broke her leg, collarbone and 6 ribs. She spent 5 weeks in a Rome hospital. The insurance company then flew a nurse to Rome to fly home with my mother - both in First Class. The nurse got a cab when they got to the US and went with my mother to her local hospital (1 hour away). The insurance company paid for everything.

 

That is a terrific story to share. Hope your Mom is okay now.

[kruzin']

:) usually pre-existing conditions are covered if you buy the insurance at the time of booking or a few days later..after final pmt is made I dont think pre-existing is covered..remember if a party with insurance gets ill and needs attention such as hospital visit or stay or evacuation...they will be doing it alone if at least 1 travel companion doesnt have insurance too.,,

If your parents have pre-existing conditions will your policy cover that?

[dforeigner]

A good place to do some comparing of different coverage by different companies is www.insuremytrip.com

 

You do not have to buy the policy through this WEB site.

[luv2cruise450]

DH & I are in our 50's and in general good health...usually for cruises to the Caribbean....we don't buy insurance but we do buy trip insurance for longer land trips/more 'exotic' cruises. We have a 10 day Caribbean cruise coming up but did not get the insurance for that...but for our Jan, 2009 SA cruise...we did buy insurance since we will be cruising the 'bottom' part of SA and that is out of our comfort zone to not have trip insurance. Check out some of the independent sites that other posters have mentioned and you can decide if having it will give you more peace of mind.

Happy sailing!

[Andee]

My mother fell the first evening of a cruise, breaking her upper arm and shattering her elbow. The next two days were at sea, so she couldn't fly home until day four. Her travel insurance covered:

$700 for the part of the cruise she missed

$1000 to fly from St. Martin to Florida

$500 for the part of the $1800 in care aboard ship her insurance didn't cover

I'm still waiting to hear from Medicare and her supplement about the ambulance ride from the Miami airport to the hospital. If they don't pay, her travel insurance will reimbusrse her for the $946 she paid at the time.

Insurance was definitely worth it for her.

[Mt Lassen]

The Consumer Reports web site has some excellent information about travel insurance and things to consider before you decide whether or not to buy. It outlines some areas where you may be paying for coverage you already have. There is an overview of travel insurance you can read without being a CR subscriber. http://www.consumerreports.org

[dcpolet1]

4 of use were in Alaska in 06 on the Coral Princess. One of the wives got sick with some sort of infection. She went to the hospital in Ketechan. They could not help her there, so she had to be flown to Seattle by private Lear Jet. Cost $28,000 and the couldn't bring their luggage. That was Fed Exed home for $350. The cruise insurance paid $25000 and her private ins picked up the rest.

Was it worth the extra$? You tell me.

[richkinkade]

Since Alaska is in the US, most US medical insurance would cover necessary medical treatment and whatever ambulance transport was necessary.