Should I buy travel insurance?

I just saw yet another consumer report on tv talking about how buying travel insurance is "about as dumb as buying extended warranties" (CNN consumer watch,10/07/04 11:55AM CDT)

The last time I saw this was on MSNBC's Suze Orman show where she said that the only people who need travel insurance are those that anticipate a health issue or who have jobs that might require them to cancel at the last minute.

Are these sources right or wrong? Why?

My wife & I wouldn't travel without it, but know many people who travel without it, thinking they will never need it.

Isn't it wonderful we have choices?

It's not just medical emergencies. Some (maybe not all) insurance will cover the costs if you are delayed en route. Suze should read some of the horror stories that get posted here to see if her opinion remains as firmly entrenched as it appears to be. Perhaps it's not such a big deal if you are financially solvent enough to withstand a big whack of added expense, but for those of us who aren't in that club, a little insurance can go a long way.

If we book at the last minute, under 60-75 days, then it is pretty certain we can get off work. If we are flying to FL for a cruise and return, then no, I have credit card protection and health insurance so not too worried.

I've had a couple of cruises out of San Juan with more complicated flights, farther distances, more potential for lost luggage or delay, booked farther out from cruise date and yes, then I have bought travel insurance.

It all depends on the degree of risk and how I think it is best mitigated.

When my husband had his first triple bypass at age 53, he sure wasn't "anticipating" it. If you can afford to lose all that money, by all means, don't buy insurance. If it would create a financial hardship if illness suddently reared it's head and you lost your vacation money, then by all means buy insurance when you book your trip. I wouldn't travel without it and I've already collected once.

YES YES YES! Get insurance! You never know what may happen that you will need it. I never travel without it.

You already had this poll....maybe you should pull this thread as it is basically the same topic you have already started Here it is titled "What Kind Of Travel Insurance To Buy, if any?" http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=71068

by HostchrisDo you buy it?

If so, what brand and why?

If not, why not?

We do use insurance at great expense. Sure, gold credit cards may cover you for many expenses - unless your are age 65 or over. Then most do not.

As for luggage insurance portion of comprehensive, if taking multiple flights with changes, the chances are very real your luggage could disappear for awhile.

People do not expect to have to cancel due to health reasons but it can happen to anyone, at any age.

Even tripping over things can have serious and expensive consequences.

Air ambulances do not come cheap. Hospitals in Third World countries are not suitable for North Americans.

If you can afford to travel, you can afford insurance. If you cannot afford the insurance, you cannot afford to not have it either and risk bankrupties.

It looks to me as though the pundits are lumping cruise insurance together with flight insurance and extended warranties. They're not wrong -- just not accurate.

Do I buy flight insurance? Hotel insurance? Extended warranties? Nope. Nor do I plan to. Do I buy cruise insurance? You betcha.

I think cruises are a unique category and to lump them together with the rest and say that they're unnecessary is very misleading.

Of course if we all had the money Suze Orman has we wouldn't need insurance would we??:p

As for the average Joe..........yes.........buy the insurance.............

Never bought cruise insurance until my upcoming cruise in November, you can bet that I will be buying it from now on. After reading the stories on these boards, I feel its a worthwhile investment, and yes I do buy extended warranties on certain electronics, and they have always worked out in my favor:p

Both my DH and myself are in good shape, physically and mentally, but hey when you are on vacation, you do things you don't normally do, so I think the insurance is worth it.

Kathy

There are so many things that can go wrong on a trip, or at home while you're on a trip. Why would you take a chance on either losing your investment, or incuring extra expenses, to save a couple of hundred bucks?

For those who don't, and have been lucky enough to have not needed it, I hope your luck continues. I also have not needed it, but it's always there just in case. I hope my luck continues as well, but it'll always be backed up.

You already had this poll....maybe you should pull this thread as it is basically the same topic you have already started Here it is titled "What Kind Of Travel Insurance To Buy, if any?" http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=71068

That last poll (the one before this one) was actually the third making this one the fourth.

So do I have a lousy memory or what?

Well maybe (DW says so) but this is an important topic especially to those new to cruising as this is a discretionary expense.

I'll try to remain neutral here, at least for a while, but the fact is that we do not have to buy it.

We do have to pay port charges and taxes but much like gratuities we cancruise without buying travel insurance.

So should we or shouldn't we? What's your advice to the new cruiser trying to decide?

I'll try really hard not to sway the discussion one way or another

I think we have plenty of space here on the message board but thanks for your concern.

 

Oh...I was under the impression that their was a limited amount of space seeing that many posts are moved out of the forum.....any way

Insurance is a must. Period end of story unless you have plenty of $$'s to pay for any expense do to health/ cruise / crisis etc...

When you've choked on a piece of rare prime rib, you'll know that insurance is a MUST!

Before this past September I would have said NO. It is a waste of money. However, one of the people I cruise with posted on our group board to get insurance and posted a web site to pick your own travel insurance. I bought Travel Guard. Well, guess what. I was on the Mariner and we ended up staying two extra days due to Hurricane Jeanne. So what? you say. I called them when I got home and they will pay the extra money I put out buying my hubby shorts and t-shirts because his ran out. That will be a big help.

Lisa :cool:

CruiserLisa or Host Chris or anyone for that matter.

Ok since we are talking travel insurance, and I admit I bought it for the first time, I have a question. I got Travelgard and theres these little stickers for luggage. Do they go inside the luggage or on the luggage tag for the cruise ship. Theres like 8 different tags and I dont know where they go?:eek:

Thanks for any help.....:rolleyes:

Kathy

I don't care if you buy insurance or not, just don't expect to get any compensation from the cruise line when you have to cancel at the last minute and for heaven's sake don't come on these boards complaining about how unfeeling the cruise lines are!!!!!!!!!!

CruiserLisa or Host Chris or anyone for that matter.

 

Ok since we are talking travel insurance, and I admit I bought it for the first time, I have a question. I got Travelgard and theres these little stickers for luggage. Do they go inside the luggage or on the luggage tag for the cruise ship. Theres like 8 different tags and I dont know where they go?:eek:

 

Thanks for any help.....:rolleyes:

 

Kathy

Kathy, put them on the OUTSIDE of your luggage, camera, etc.

Read the instructions for the rest of them.

HOST CHRIS,

Thank you for all your help and advice in cuising. As hard

as you have tried not to sway our decision... I would

appreciate your opion and advisce requeading cruise inaurance.

After the thread runs it'c course, we need your opinion on

travel experience.

I don't care if you buy insurance or not, just don't expect to get any compensation from the cruise line when you have to cancel at the last minute and for heaven's sake don't come on these boards complaining about how unfeeling the cruise lines are!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa, I'm amazed that insurance would cover the cost of extra clothing, especially with an available laundry service. Good for you, though.

We buy insurance for 7 day & longer cruises (not that we've taken one longer than 7 days, but it's on my list!) For a 3-day to Mexico, we don't buy it. As we get older, we may focus more on coverage for airlifting one of us back to the States, but until then, we'll self-insure.

Insurance is an "iffy" thing. If you don't have to fly to the port, if you paid $399 per person for the cruise, if you have a nice savings account and great health insurance to cover the bumps that might happen-sounds low risk -then take your chances,.... or if you get stuck in Japan because the flight carrier wont take your cruise vouchers for the flight and you have a $5-6,000 limit to charge on your card and can afford to charge it and wait to get reimbursed by the cruiseline 6 months down the road for the screw-up (story from someone on the boards)....then I guess you might not need travel insurance.

Guess you know where I stand. It's not a "waste", even if you dont have to use it after you've paid for it, because it brings great peace of mind to know it's there "IF" I needed it.

Whew, off my soapbox now!:rolleyes:

By the way I have not had to use it yet, although we pay for it.

What some of you younger, probably healthier, ones don't think about is the older folks in your family. Maybe you'll need to hurry home for one of them. Or, you may break your ___ and have to be airlifted back home. Or, you may need to have your appendix out. Lots of emergency situations for everyone! Want surgery in a 3rd world country? :eek: I don't! :)

I admit, I hadn't bought insurance until the last 2 years, until I started reading here frequently! We also went on a cruise, much sooner than we'd have liked, after the death of a family member. Two years ago, yep, no insurance. Now we don't go without it!

I ran into a friend recently whom I hadn't seen in almost a year and asked her how things were going, etc. In the course of the conversation, she mentioned that they'd gone on a cruise. Excitedly, I told her how great I thought that was... until she said, "Not so great. First day in port, my son went to a bar with some buddies and arm wrestled." His arm was shattered and couldn't be fixed locally or on the ship so they all had to pack up and come home. As an FYI, her husband is a surgeon so he knew what needed to done. Yes, they had insurance.