Cruise Insurance

[moppy459]

Never had it before, but my parents are going with us and just wondering if cruise insurance would be a good idea in case something happened to their health. Anybody know who to use or who not to use?

[AndyTheMan]

Hiya,

 

We travel a lot and for many trips we don't get insurance. We (both my wife and I) are dual citizens so in terms of health we are covered by unilateral agreements that the UK have with EU countries (if we are in europe) or that the Australian governemnt has with places like NZ.

 

For other certain trips we get insurance (cover depending on the nature of the trip). I always get insurance for my ski trips etc.

 

We simply search for good deals from online companies - For a 2 weeks trip we can usually get basic insurance for less than $100 for us (young couple) or for around $120 if we include winter sports OR include a higher level off cover.

 

We are heading off on a cruise next week (10 days) and got insurance. It was about $90 for the ten days. I am sure we won't need it but better to be safe then sorry - and $90 is a small price to pay! We simply compare prices with online companies (just type 'travel insurance' ito Google), we buy it online using a credit card, and they email you the documents. forward a copy to my parents with my travel itinerary and contact details and copy it across to my iphone so I have all the documents with me. I also print one and put in the back of my wife's suitcase so if something happens to me she knows where to find it.

 

if you travel a lot, you can buy yearly policies.

 

If you want to keep costs down then buy a policy that has the essentials but doesn't cover for useless stuff like losing your keys.

 

You can also select a higher excess on some policies which makes them cheaper.

 

Be aware that any medical treatment on a cruise ship is not covered by medicare - you will have to pay yourself, so for this reason we think insurance is a good idea for a cruise (just in case).

 

Thankfully, we have never had to use it - but I know of a guy who happened to have a heart attack whilst on a stop over in hawaii. He eventually had to be evacuated back to Australia in a medical plane - total cost was around $80,000!!!

[griffy116]

Since your parents are going, you should know that medicare will not cover outside the US. We foolishly traveled w/o coverage on the first few cruises. We will no longer travel w/o the coverage. You should also know that some of the policies don't cover pre-existing conditions. With your parents, they may have a pre-existing condition and there are time restrictions on when you can purchase coverage for pre-existing conditions. I'm now researching policies for us because of some comments from fellow cruisers. I want to make sure I have coverage for pre-existing conditions that covers family members traveling on same cruise. If you only get coverage for your parents and one has to be medically evacuated, you would (I assume) want to be able to travel with them and would therefore need coverage too. As usual, insurance is a confusing area with lots of mistrust and bad experiences, which is why I'm also asking questions on this Board.

[Cygneagile]

We are now in our golden years and have always purchased Health and Cancellation insurance. We have had to use our cancellation insurance twice. So for us it is a must. We are Canadians and have a Pine Log Hunting Cabin north in PA. So our medical plan covers us for the whole year. We do have to top up extra days for our stay in Florida. The older you are and the higher the cost of the cruise dictate the cost of your Cancellation Insurance.

 

Need I tell you that my husband and I have done extensive research to get the best deal for ourselves. There are companies that give you certain options as pre-existing condition while others do not waiver at all. it takes time but well worth it to do the investigation on several Insurance Companies

[moppy459]

Great info, thanks for replying!! Will definitely start searching....

[uprrp]

My husband and I travel/cruise at least twice a year, and we always insure our trips. Our main concern is the possibility of cancellation/interruption, especially because we have elderly parents. Most of the plans include trip interruption, trip cancellation and many other convenient features. It is important to take into account the pre-existing conditions waiver because if you have to cancel due to sickness of the travellers or an immediate family member, they will look back up to 180 days for the pre-existing condition.

 

To get the pre-existing condition waiver, some policies require that you purchase the insurance a few days after you make your initial payment; others require that you purchase the insurance no more than 24 hours after the last payment (this is the one I always purchase). I use Insure my trip.com and The Insurance Store. com. They submit comparison quotes from different companies for you to choose.

 

I hope this was helpful.

 

Bon Voyage!!

[moppy459]

This was very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to explain the "pre-existing condition" clause. That clears up a lot of questions I had. I will check out the 2 references, I'm sure I can find a good policy from there :)