Don't leave home without it

[mommas]

Another vote for TRAVEL INSURANCE. We were taking our family of 7 (children, grandchild) to Hawaii. Our plans took a turn when a relative became hospitalized. Two days before departure we made the difficult decision to cancel. We contacted Access America and put the refund process in motion. We received word yesterday ( one week after submitting paperwork) that our claim has been approved. A difficulty time for all but not being hassled by Access a nice +.

We made the right choice with Access and with canceling, as our relative passed away with days of making the decision.

[Toto2Kansas]

Sorry you had to cancel your trip, and hopefully the family member that was hospitalized is doing better, but soooooooooo happy you had insurance that covered this. It helps to cushion the blow (a LOT) when unforseen things take place.

Hopefully you can reschedule at a later date with your refund.

[paul929207]

I am sorry you had to cancel your trip, but glad that Access America did not make it worse by giving you a run around.

[debandbruce]

Sorry for the loss of your loved one. Glad your insurance helped you the last thing you needed at this time was the stress of losing your trip money due to a personal tragedy.

[TracieABD]

I am so sorry for the loss of your relative. I am glad that your sad moments were not tainted by a big battle with an insurance company.

I hope that you can reschedule sometime in the near future.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sorry you had to cancel....but

Glad it worked out.

[kywildcatfanone]

I'm glad the insurance company took care of you, and am sorry for the loss of your loved one.

 

Mike

[Happy ks]

Sometimes I wonder about spending the extra money on insurance, then I read posts like this.

 

I'm sorry for the loss of your loved one.

 

Perhaps your family will consider rebooking the trip in the future.

[billie5]

So sorry for your loss.

 

You will undoubtedly get any number of individuals agreeing with you and adding their own unfortunate experiences. Just for completeness, if nothing else, let me give the other side of the coin.

 

For more than 40 years of international travel to more than 100 countries, I have never bought insurance. (Well, not quite true -- several years ago I started buying "annual" family evacuation insurance just to cover that one potentially expensive issue) Why have I chosen, in effect, to self-insure?

 

First, My Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance always had an international medical rider, and now my Medicare Advantage 65 policy has the same rider, which applies to medical and hospital costs overseas. Also, since I could afford to pay for the trip in the first place, I always thought that I could afford to lose the cost of the trip if some problem prevented me from taking it.

 

What has been the result? Obviously, I have saved thousands and thousands of dollars in insurance premiums over the years, and I have never had to cancel a trip. The net cost to me over these 40 years has been the cost of a night at an airport hotel every now and then when the weather interrupted a flight.

 

Was I just lucky? No, just the opposite. The "average" person (if I can use such a poor expression) should come out ahead in the long run, as the cost of insurance has to cover the average cost of expenses that travelers receive plus the profit for the insurance company.

 

Of course, one does not buy insurance to be the average person, but rather to protect against the unfortunate circumstances that you are one of the truly unlucky ones. (Those are the ones whose stories you will hear) I was willing to self-insure (meaning, accept the consequences if I was unlucky) because I could afford a bad outcome, and was willing to accept the odds that in the long run I would come out financially ahead - which I have.

 

I hope this post makes sense. It is sort of like being the owner of a casino. A lot of players will come out somewhat ahead, a very few will win big, but at the end of the month, the casino is almost always ahead. My many trips were the casino players: some could have cost me, and there was always the very unlikely risk that the cost of one trip could be huge (which is why I now have evacuation insurance), but at the end of a lifetime I did expect to be ahead financially. And, as noted, I am.

 

Unless posting this will lead to a curse on my next trip.:confused::eek::mad:

 

Bill

[Happy ks]

Just one incident can wipe out all that savings you have enjoyed over the years. We don't buy insurance for cancelation, we buy it mainly for medical incidents that would not be covered if an illness or accident occurs on a trip out of the country (USA).

 

That cancelation insurance is included is just part of the package for us. We have no pre-exiting conditions, we have no elderly relatives (I guess at this point that is us ;)), so we don't buy until after final payment occurs.

[bubbadog]

WE are so sorry you had to cancel,but it turned out to be the right way,am very sorry for your loss:(

[caribill]

 

Also, since I could afford to pay for the trip in the first place, I always thought that I could afford to lose the cost of the trip if some problem prevented me from taking it.

 

 

 

The OP had insured the trip for a family of 7. That would be a significant amount to lose.

[PatriciaF]

So sorry for you loss. In your case, the insurance was certainly a wise idea. My parents had never bought cruise insurance--then my mother took ill (and died 6 months later.) Their travel agent convinced Carnival with less than a month before the cruise to at least give them future cruise credit. My parents had sailed Carnival 10 times before, so it may have been more a courtesy or perhaps the cruise was waitlisted.

 

My dad is now 93--I bought trip insurance for the first time for our cruise in October. For less than $200 it certainly brings a financial peace of mind.

 

You have to do what makes financial sense for your own personal circumstances.

[DGSFlorida]

So sorry for your loss.

 

You will undoubtedly get any number of individuals agreeing with you and adding their own unfortunate experiences. Just for completeness, if nothing else, let me give the other side of the coin.

 

For more than 40 years of international travel to more than 100 countries, I have never bought insurance. (Well, not quite true -- several years ago I started buying "annual" family evacuation insurance just to cover that one potentially expensive issue) Why have I chosen, in effect, to self-insure?

 

 

Bill

 

We often never took insurance as we live in South Florida and often cruised from a nearby port. In addition we were young and in good health, not worried or willing to chance the medical side. We also didn't rent scooters, etc. which can be dangerous.

 

However, for the past few years we have become more and more aware of transportation troubles such as flight cancellations, lost luggage, etc. which encourage us to now buy travel insurance from Princess. Also once you reach Platinum you get the better grade of insurance for the lower cost.

 

The real eye-opener for me was 90 people who missed an Antarctica cruise in 2008 when the airline rescheduled their flight by 12 hours and the ship sailed one hour before the people arrived. Another was the loss of my main luggage for 11 days on a 13 day cruise.

[Nukesailor]

First, My Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance always had an international medical rider, and now my Medicare Advantage 65 policy has the same rider, which applies to medical and hospital costs overseas. Also, since I could afford to pay for the trip in the first place, I always thought that I could afford to lose the cost of the trip if some problem prevented me from taking it.

Bill

 

I don't believe these policies cover medivac at all. This is one of the main reasons many people get separate travel insurance. One incident requiring a person to be airlifted off a cruise ship, then flown back to a hospital in the US, would cost over $100,000. That would hurt anyone's bank account.

 

Also, trip insurance covers any costs incurred in rejoining the ship if you miss the ship at the beginning of a cruise or at a port during the cruise. This can be quite expensive, otherwise.

 

Additional coverage includes loss of or damage to luggage and theft of personal possessions (not all homeowner's insurance policies offer coverage away from the home).

 

We needed it when my wife was diagnosed with cancer a month before the cruise. The refund was very prompt.

 

Art

[Coral]

Sorry for your families loss....

 

I have worked with AA and they have been a fine company to deal with.

 

I hope your family can reschedule and take your vacation at a later date.

[wizard-of-roz]

We, also, we're not big believers in "over insuring"; that said, living through an unexpected crises can certainly teach you that "anything can happen at any time!"

 

We now buy insurance.....can be a little expense that can give you "big" peace of mind.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Me too - I despise insurance of any sort, that is, until I need it. :D

 

My older brother has traveled all over the world and has never had medical or travel insurance. He's never had a problem, but I consider that luck.

 

Up until recently, we never bought travel insurance. We figured that if something happened, we had the funds to cover the loss. Now with 2 kids in an expensive college, we don't have those funds. Losing what little we have to spend on a vacation would be painful, so we bought annual travel insurance.

 

There are many plans out there with all kinds of coverages. There's one for just about every situation and budget.

[billie5]

Happy, I think you missed the line where I pointed out that my medical insurance has always had an international travel rider -- ie., coverage is extended to overseas hospitals and doctors.

 

Nuke, you are quite right that evacuation is not covered by my medical insurance. That is why I now buy annual evacuation insurance for my family.

 

There is a subtle point in the evacuation issue. My evacuation insurance does not cover helicopter evacuation from the ship, and you are correct that this could be a $100,000 bill. Why would I take this risk. Because helicopter evacuations are extremely rare, and although a $100,000 bill would be a financial disaster for me (basically I'd have to start paying a mortgage on my presently paid-up house), it is so unlikely an event.

 

We accept $100,000 risks (or the equivalent) all the time, as long as we judge the risk sufficiently low. Just ask yourself if you ever drive on a highway the day before Thanksgiving. We do -- drive from Virginia to northern Jersey for a family reunion. Most people know that may be the most dangerous day of the year to be on the highway, the accident rate is so high. And some of these accidents leading to deaths or critical injuries, believe me, I would rather lose $100,000 than be in one of those accidents. But we still pile into the car, knowing the risk may be higher than other days, but still very low. This is just an example of the extreme risks we all take from time to time. A helicopter evacuation, extremely expensive but also extremely rare.

 

Bill

[Wormy53]

Me too - I despise insurance of any sort, that is, until I need it. :D

 

My older brother has traveled all over the world and has never had medical or travel insurance. He's never had a problem, but I consider that luck.

 

Up until recently, we never bought travel insurance. We figured that if something happened, we had the funds to cover the loss. Now with 2 kids in an expensive college, we don't have those funds. Losing what little we have to spend on a vacation would be painful, so we bought annual travel insurance.

 

There are many plans out there with all kinds of coverages. There's one for just about every situation and budget.

 

Like you - not a fan of insurance usually. But with my father in poor health, I always think about that when I book a cruise or another vacation. Sometimes the peace of mind can make a big difference. Everyone has their own issues - so glad they can make it work for me!!

[Woobstr112G]

Another vote for TRAVEL INSURANCE. We were taking our family of 7 (children, grandchild) to Hawaii. Our plans took a turn when a relative became hospitalized. Two days before departure we made the difficult decision to cancel. We contacted Access America and put the refund process in motion. We received word yesterday ( one week after submitting paperwork) that our claim has been approved. A difficulty time for all but not being hassled by Access a nice +.

We made the right choice with Access and with canceling, as our relative passed away with days of making the decision.

 

 

Sorry you had to cancel your trip. Hope your relative is doing better. I totally agree with you about insurance. Would never consider cruising without it.....

 

Bob

[Nukesailor]

Happy, I think you missed the line where I pointed out that my medical insurance has always had an international travel rider -- ie., coverage is extended to overseas hospitals and doctors.

 

Nuke, you are quite right that evacuation is not covered by my medical insurance. That is why I now buy annual evacuation insurance for my family.

 

There is a subtle point in the evacuation issue. My evacuation insurance does not cover helicopter evacuation from the ship, and you are correct that this could be a $100,000 bill. Why would I take this risk. Because helicopter evacuations are extremely rare, and although a $100,000 bill would be a financial disaster for me (basically I'd have to start paying a mortgage on my presently paid-up house), it is so unlikely an event.

 

We accept $100,000 risks (or the equivalent) all the time, as long as we judge the risk sufficiently low. Just ask yourself if you ever drive on a highway the day before Thanksgiving. We do -- drive from Virginia to northern Jersey for a family reunion. Most people know that may be the most dangerous day of the year to be on the highway, the accident rate is so high. And some of these accidents leading to deaths or critical injuries, believe me, I would rather lose $100,000 than be in one of those accidents. But we still pile into the car, knowing the risk may be higher than other days, but still very low. This is just an example of the extreme risks we all take from time to time. A helicopter evacuation, extremely expensive but also extremely rare.

 

Bill

 

My understanding is that a helicopter evac from a cruise ship would cost in the $25K range. The $100K is for medivac from a foreign location back to the US via chartered jet with medical team.

 

So, essentially, you do buy trip insurance (annual policy) for possible major expenses (medivac & medical), but not reimbursement for cancellation.

 

I get it for the medical/medivac, theft or damage to personal possessions (not included in a Citizens policy in Florida) and reimbursement for expenses if we don't get to the ship before it sails. Also, treatment at the medical facility on the ship is very expensive; I doubt many policies would cover all of it (an amount I've heard is that it starts at $600 and up). While a medivac is very rare, other medical (expensive) emergencies on the ships are quite common. Our first cruise in 2001 had 2 people die on board. I've witnessed people taken off a ship for medical emergencies in several foreign ports.

 

Yes, we do accept risks all the time. I assume you carry auto insurance.

 

However, we digress. The OP was discussing reimbursement for cancelling the trip. While you and I could afford the loss of the price of a cruise, not everyone can. The cost for a family of 7 would be quite high.

 

Where in northern NJ? We lived in Hopatcong for many years.

[billie5]

Northern end of the Pascack Valley (Bergen County).

 

Bill