Insurance

[odiesam]

Have cruised 7x and we have never purchased insurance. We always fly in to the port the day before but this spring we will be flying in the day of a cruise sailing out of San Juan. The ship leaves at 11 pm. We have a nonstop flight out of Cleveland at 9 am on that Saturday in April arriving in San Juan at 1:12 pm. Weather should not be a problem. But you never know - my concern is the ship leaves without us and the next day's port is St. Maarten. It shouldn't be that tough to fly to St. Maarten from San Juan but from reading the travel policies it is hard to see that they would even cover that cost. Trip delay costs seem to top at 200 pp - that is not going to pay for a last minute flight like that. I don't need medical and all the other insurance stuff.

 

Do you think we need it for the reason I have shared and if so do policies cover this kind of situation at 100%? That is all the covergae I am looking for.

 

Thanks.

[BurgerBits]

Well... I always buy trip insurance when cruising. Even though I book my own air, my TA uses an outside insurance co. so I can have everything covered. Like you, I always arrive at least 1 day prior to departure - so, like you :-D, I would be nervous.

 

Have your TA quote insurance for your trip, including air, even if you didn't book the trip with her/him. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is to have peace of mind!

[hylasgirl]

Have cruised 7x and we have never purchased insurance. We always fly in to the port the day before but this spring we will be flying in the day of a cruise sailing out of San Juan. The ship leaves at 11 pm. We have a nonstop flight out of Cleveland at 9 am on that Saturday in April arriving in San Juan at 1:12 pm. Weather should not be a problem. But you never know - my concern is the ship leaves without us and the next day's port is St. Maarten. It shouldn't be that tough to fly to St. Maarten from San Juan but from reading the travel policies it is hard to see that they would even cover that cost. Trip delay costs seem to top at 200 pp - that is not going to pay for a last minute flight like that. I don't need medical and all the other insurance stuff.

 

Do you think we need it for the reason I have shared and if so do policies cover this kind of situation at 100%? That is all the covergae I am looking for.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi! I have only insured BIG trips in the past... like my European cruises, but... after a bad experience last year, it has taught me to insure every cruise. (or take the loss and decide you are ahead) I have always insured with CSA. I talked extensively with them last time about carrier delays (your own air) and also sicknesses. I have to get the pre-existing conditions policy which adds a lot more money, but they do have a great policy. If you have to cancel for any reason that relates to ANY sickness that happens when someone is showing symptoms or getting treatment for anything, you MUST get the premium policy with the pre-existing conditions waiver. CSA refunded costs in Barcelona after a strike caused the ship to port somewhere different and MANY cruisers missed planes and had to find transportation back to Barcelona. There were many CC'ers out there that did not get reimbursed because their policies did not include anything to do with "strikes". The best thing to do is ask many questions... and decide how much you are willing to lose.

 

We never insured "little" Caribbean cruises in the past, but after my daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia last year, just before a cruise, I lost pretty much everything. Holland America wouldn't even allow me to apply my entire payment towards another cruise. (I understand this policy, just relaying that it won't matter your purpose for canceling) Delta, on the other hand, which never REFUNDS money, refunded every dime to me. The entire thing taught me that you insure what you can't afford to lose. I consider myself ahead after all the Caribbean cruises I have taken that I didn't insure... but on the other hand, the experience left me with a feeling that I really do need to insure and feel lucky if the worst that happens is that your insurance was a waste of money.:) Truly... the best thing that can happen on a trip that is insured, is that you never needed it.

[luv2cruisemore]

I've always purchased trip insurance. I used to get it when my Mom was alive (elderly and sick) and now my in-laws are getting older as well. But I've had some serious health issues over the past two years and need it for myself.

 

I've always used Access America (Accessamerica.com) and paid for it the day I paid for my trip in order to include pre-existing conditions. Fortunately, I've never had to use it but for about $100 (depending on the cost of the trip), it's worth setting my mind at ease.

 

Be careful with the insurance that you purchase. The policy that Celebrity offers is not as extensive and may just give you a credit for a future cruise rather than your money back.

 

I have always used mileage awards to get to get to my destination, so I don't have to insure the cost of flights, making the insurance less costly.

[Royalpair]

We always insure. My fear is lost luggage, my DH's transportation home if there is an illness. There is a place called the "Trip Insurance store", I think, where they compare all sorts of policies. We usually use TravelEx.

Like someone said, it's cheaper than you think, and you have peice of mind.

[Napi's Mom]

We always insure. My fear is lost luggage, my DH's transportation home if there is an illness. There is a place called the "Trip Insurance store", I think, where they compare all sorts of policies. We usually use TravelEx.

Like someone said, it's cheaper than you think, and you have peice of mind.

"Insure my trip" carries quotes from almost every insurance carrier, and allows you to compare features and choose what's important to you.

[odiesam]

Thanks for the advice. It is a gamble cruising without insurance. Hubby and I are going to ponder on it as final payment isn't due until January which I think is deadline to buy insurance.

[TRadle]

Thanks for the advice. It is a gamble cruising without insurance. Hubby and I are going to ponder on it as final payment isn't due until January which I think is deadline to buy insurance.

 

For most insurance policies you have to buy them at the time you book your trip. There is one company that allows you to buy the insurance at the time of final payment and the name escapes me at the moment. It is listed on Insure My Trip dot com.

 

We never travel without trip insurance.

[Mintycake]

I used to never travel with insurance (only basic medical - heck, when I was in my 20's I was invincible. ha!). My travel agent convinced me to get cancellation for our upcoming Galapagos trip, as well as the next cruise. What convinced me was I remember some years ago that my grandparents had to cancel a trip to Hawaii literally 3 days before they were supposed to leave, and they hadn't bought cancellation insurance. It was a $12K trip and they got NO refund, even though it was due to my grandfather going to the hospital. My parents, who were supposed to go with them, did end up going on the trip because my grandmother insisted (she didn't want to lose any more money) but my parents were worried and sad the whole trip because of my grandfather being so ill. As our parents are now elderly, you never know when we might have to cancel a trip due to a family health emergency.

 

Even though it costs a little more, I think I will use cancellation insurance. You never know...

[TMaine]

We always insure as well, I think its worth the extra money.

[Sky Sweet]

Every time we take a cruise I vacillate about whether or not to buy insurance because our personal health insurance policy covers us for medical emergencies worldwide and for the cost of the cruise itself we are probably better off being self insurers. For all practical purposes we do the latter by having very high deductibles on our home and auto insurance policies in exchange for lower premiums.

 

However, I always wind up buying it in case one of us got sick or injured at sea and needed to be air lifted because that is an unpredictable cost that can be astronomical. Fortunately, we never had to use it.

 

Everyone has a different tolerance for risk, though, and I have some friends who cruise all over the world and never buy travel insurance.

[internetwhiz]

I don't see in your post if you independently booked your air or if it was part of your cruise package. If it was part of the package from Celebrity, aren't they required to get you to the ship if they booked your flights and the flights are late?

 

We never cruise without insurance. It's a small price to pay for knowing you would be covered. We had booked in July a cruise on RCCI last December 2007. Our granddaughter was born in September with congenital heart defects and had one of her four open heart surgeries the week before the cruise, so we cancelled. We had booked air independently, and the CruiseCare that RCCI and Celebrity has refunded all costs AND my independently booked air with Southwest. It was the best 49 for each of us I ever paid. We got our money back in 3 weeks!

 

Have cruised 7x and we have never purchased insurance. We always fly in to the port the day before but this spring we will be flying in the day of a cruise sailing out of San Juan. The ship leaves at 11 pm. We have a nonstop flight out of Cleveland at 9 am on that Saturday in April arriving in San Juan at 1:12 pm. Weather should not be a problem. But you never know - my concern is the ship leaves without us and the next day's port is St. Maarten. It shouldn't be that tough to fly to St. Maarten from San Juan but from reading the travel policies it is hard to see that they would even cover that cost. Trip delay costs seem to top at 200 pp - that is not going to pay for a last minute flight like that. I don't need medical and all the other insurance stuff.

 

Do you think we need it for the reason I have shared and if so do policies cover this kind of situation at 100%? That is all the covergae I am looking for.

 

Thanks.

[halbfl2]

We never bought insurance when we were younger, but now that we have pre-existing medical conditions, we insure anything that can't be cancelled. With most insurance, to get the pre-existing coverage, you have to buy the insurance within 2 weeks of making your initial res. We had friends traveling in the Med. last fall. He had a pulmonary embolism on the ship and ended up in a hosp. in Athens for 2 wks. Insurance pd. for the wife's hotel, meals, etc, and the co. arranged for their flight home in first class. He did not need to be air lifted, but if he had, the insurance would have covered it. However, like most people over 65 that travel, they had supplemental Medicare coverage that covered his medical expenses. The peace of mind is worth it.

[Lsimon]

We've done trips both with and without insurance. Lately we've bought through Celebrity because of a concern over conditions that are not insurable and Celebrity's plan of a 75% credit for a cancellation for any reason not otherwise insured. Prior to that we usually booked either CSA or Travelguard insurance through their web site when we did take insurance. They have different plans with very good rates and generally have stronger coverage than Celebrity in certain areas including missed connections. If you're concerned I'd look at their sites or at insuremytrip.com which quotes several different trip insurance providers.

 

I'm just curious why "weather should not be a problem"? I was involved in a business that had an office in Cleveland area and I remember them having big snow, thunder and ice storms from time to time just like all other areas of the northern Midwest. Also - is your plane originating in Cleveland or does it have to fly in that morning from another area of the country? I'm betting a 9am flight might not be the first of the day for that jet and if so you have to worry weather in the city where it starts its day as well as Cleveland's weather.

[odiesam]

Cruise is "only" $2000 and we also have big deductibles on all of our other policies. We booked the air on our own - the air I am not so worried about because my experience with the airlines is that they are pretty flexible about getting you where you need to be if the delay is their fault or even waiving change fees is some cases.

 

It is the cruise line that I know is not flexible. Since I have already booked the trip but haven't made final payment it sounds like it might be a moot point anyway.

 

Cleveland airport is not on the snowy side of Cleveland - snowstorms are relatively rare in early April and usually (like hurricanes) come with some forewarning so if we face that maybe we can work out an earlier departure with the airline.

 

I appreciate the advice - we will look at what is available and decide.

 

$2000 is a lot but is also similar to a high deductible.

[nothriver]

I've never purchased trip insurance in my life but did for this cruise.

 

We are a group of 9, flying from 3 different airports, all arriving at least 1 day ahead. For an alaska cruise, we'd have to go into Canada in case of a medical emergency.

Emergency transportation is expensive.

We'll have a lot of luggage, everything from formal wear to hiking gear. So lost luggage would be a real pain for this trip.

Several members of our group have various health issues.

All adults in our group are self employed and may have business issues that would require missing the trip. (15 years til the next 500 yr flood, according to my calander.)

What happends if the airline goes out of business?

What happens if the cruise line goes out of business?

 

Those are just some of the reasons we invested in trip insurance this time!

[mmp13]

Hi, Like larry, we always used travel guard in the past but since we like celebbrity we did switch to their policy this time. we too liked the idea of the 75% credit if we need to cancel for any reason. We are at an age where we never know what the future holds. parents still alive. the peace of mind is worth the cost of insurance.

[TRadle]

It is the cruise line that I know is not flexible. Since I have already booked the trip but haven't made final payment it sounds like it might be a moot point anyway.

 

 

The company that lets you buy the insurance at the time of final payment is CSA Travel Protection. Like all insurance, the younger you are the cheaper it is! :D

[Sky Sweet]

The company that lets you buy the insurance at the time of final payment is CSA Travel Protection. Like all insurance, the younger you are the cheaper it is! :D

 

Hi TRadle :)

 

You brought up an interesting point about the relationship between age and cost of insurance.

 

That is why if a person is young it is usually more cost effective to buy insurance from a third party provider.

 

On the other hand, the cruise line's insurance doesn't consider age so it isn't always more expensive.. Since I am a "baby boomer" the prices are comparable.

 

That is why I usually buy it from the cruise line. I also consider it to be a great perk that I can cancel for any reason and get a credit for most of the forfeited amount toward another cruise.

[Royalpair]

OK - just a note about Cleveland and weather - we live by the airport and one April we lost 2 trees due to an ice/snow storm (remember 2005). Also, in 2006, when we were leaving for our Alaskan cruise in May, we were at least 45 minutes late departing (for no reason). By the time we landed in Denver, we had 5 minutes to make our connection. The funny thing is (and they never announced it), we were on the exact same plane to Vancouver, and didn't have to worry. Of course we didn't find that out until we got off amd made a mad dash to the flight boards. I just don't trust airlines, either.

[Bozo]

Check around there are some TA that include insurance at no added cost to you with just booking with them that happened to me 2 years ago my dad got real sick just before I was ready to go on my cruise and thought that he was going to die we cancelled the cruise 3 days before we were suppose to leave and got back all our money.

[luv2cruisemore]

I would much rather pay a little more (in this case $10) and get a full refund rather than a 75% credit on a future cruise. I've used many cruise lines and prefer X/RC/Azamara, but who knows what great deal I'm going to find next year of the year after?

 

Additionally, with so many companies declaring bankruptcy, will Celebrity survive this recession? I certainly hope so, but if they're holding a 75% credit for me and they go belly-up, I don't think I'll ever get a dime back. Of course, that can also happen with travel insurance companies, but less likely.

 

Three and a half weeks until our 12/20 Summit cruise!:cool:

 

Happy Turkey Day to all of you.

[Lsimon]

I would much rather pay a little more (in this case $10) and get a full refund rather than a 75% credit on a future cruise. ...

 

 

The 75% credit is for a cancellation of a reason that is not normally covered. Cancellation due to illness or many other covered reasons gives you a refund. But, for example, let's say you decide that you really can't miss work, or a friend gets ill or your pet sitter quits. These wouldn't be covered under most policies but with the Celebrity policy you'd receive the credit. We'd all prefer cash if we had to cancel but the credit is much better than nothing.

 

As for Celebrity going into bankruptcy and losing your credit that way? Well I know enough to never say never, but I'm not worried about that right now. But if you are concerned about that it is a very good reason to get insurance from a third party. I think some third party policies insure against cancellation due to bankruptcy, but you can't get insurance that covers that direct from the cruise line.