Another Insurance Newbie!

[Sitterfamily]

We've only cruised 1 other time before and had no idea about insurance. This time, we're leaving our 1 & 4 year old at home. We leave out of Jacksonville, FL for our 5 day on July 24th (midst of Hurricane Season)! So we're starting to worry if we need the insurance. I've been looking at some the of recommended sights and ashamed to say, I'm even more confused. We're driving to our port, so no flights and we aren't concerned with the medical part since we have really good insurance. Our main concerns are these:

What if something happens to our kids & we have to cancel?

What if a hurricane hits us here in MS or there in FL?

What insurance do I want to cover those 2 factors?!

TIA!

[cruiseco]

Our main concerns are these:

What if something happens to our kids & we have to cancel?

What if a hurricane hits us here in MS or there in FL?

What insurance do I want to cover those 2 factors?!

TIA!

 

Just about all of the major insurers will cover these things in one form or another. You need to look in the plan's fine print and find the covered reasons for trip cancellation and trip interruption (trip interruption would be if you have to return home sooner than planned for a covered reason). For example, this is from a Travelex policy:

 

"a) Sickness, Accidental Injury or death of You, Traveling Companion, or Family Member; which results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician at the time of Loss preventing Your continued participation in the Covered Trip. A Physician must advise cancellation of the Covered Trip on or before the Scheduled Departure Date."

 

So for the kid situation, if the illness/injury is severe enough (as advised by your doctor) that you have to cancel or cut short the trip you'll be covered. If the kid gets the sniffles it probably won't fly.

 

For the hurricane hitting your house situation, it would cover this:

 

"b) You or a Traveling Companion being hijacked, quarantined, required to serve on a jury, subpoenaed, the victim of felonious assault within ten (10) days of departure; or having his/her principal place of residence made uninhabitable by fire, flood or other natural disaster; or burglary of his/her principal place of residence within ten (10) days of departure.

 

Be aware that in the plan details they will often list a couple of covered reasons then refer to "other covered events". This means you'll have to find the "other covered events" elsewhere in the fine print which will usually list a bunch of other reasons. For example, this is from TravelSafe:

 

"1. Death involving You or Your Traveling Companion or Your or Your Traveling Companion's Business Partner or Your Family Member;

2. A covered Sickness or Injury involving You, Your Traveling Companion or Business Partner, or Your Family Member which necessitates Medical Treatment at the time of cancellation and results in medically imposed restrictions, as certified by a Legally Qualified Physician, which prevents Your participation in the Trip; or

3. For the Other Covered Reasons listed below; provided such circumstances occurred after Your Effective Date."

 

So don't assume something is not covered until you find that list of "other covered events".