Always purchase insurance.

[chsalas]

Ok, planned cruise with folks, purchased insurance, first time I have done that, and sure enough, my father has taken ill, out if the blue. The only reason I bought the Insurance was incase my dad backed out at the last minute. He actually was ready, when all of a sudden he came down with pancreatits and pneumonia. Now we had to cancel the entire trip, but the insurance has paid off. A few forms, Dr. Notes, and we are on the way to recover our refund. So morale, don't forget the insurance. Well worth it.

 

Disappointed, but happy dads on the road to a full recovery.

[paul929207]

Sorry you had to cancel, but glad that you at least had the insurance, so it was not a total loss.

[lovevacadays]

A good reminder to folks. When I first started cruising I didn't buy insurance. Fortunately, I never had a problem. But now, I think it is well worth the money for the peace of mind.

 

Hope your dad gets to feeling better.

[Coolmama_1]

Glad it worked out for you. Hope your dad is on the mend and perhaps you can reschedule in the near future!

[donaldsc]

I disagree. We buy medical and evacuation because that can be very expensive.

 

IMHO, I am willing to take the chance that I will not have to cancel in advance and I can afford the loss if I do have to cancel. Insurance companies love to sell cruise insurance because they win big. How many posts do we see on Cruise Critic from people who bought insurance and did not need it?

 

DON

[Talisker92]

I rolled the dice for many years, but finally thought that as we get older, there is more of a chance of something happening. On our last cruise, my wife got very ill, and the medical charges were over $2000! We filed a claim and were paid promptly.

All it takes is one time!

[jeffbrig]

The two trips I've booked travel insurance for, the insurance was only 2-3% of the total cost of the trip. To me, that's a minor cost.

[seastar2]

I always get the insurance...I travel with friends with elderly parents...never know when one may take ill. With the economy and job suddenly being lost I would rather be out a $100 or so then close to $2000!!!

[Pam in CA]

IMHO, I am willing to take the chance that I will not have to cancel in advance and I can afford the loss if I do have to cancel. Insurance companies love to sell cruise insurance because they win big. How many posts do we see on Cruise Critic from people who bought insurance and did not need it?

Then, I wish you good health and happy sailing.

 

From personal experience, I know that the unexpected can happen in a heartbeat and you can be suddenly faced with huge medical, hotel, transportation, etc. costs. The amount we got repaid for expenses last January/February was way more than I've spent on insurance for all of my cruises in the past.

 

It's a gamble, no question about it. But when you need it, it's a godsend because often, you're not able to do anything other than "go with the flow," which can cost thousands of $$. In our case, it was the thousands we spent on hotel costs while my BIL was in the ICU in FLL for a month, 3,000 miles from home, and fortunately, having the medical evacuation insurance to have him flown home (while still in critical condition) to CA.

[Suzque49]

Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it!!!

Have, and will always spend a few extra dollars for insurance.

[PatriciaF]

This trip I bought it--less than $200 for $3000 in coverage for the cruise plus lots of other coverage (through access america, not princess). My dad is 93, in good health, but at that age who knows. I had a medical scare a few weeks ago and had to cancel a small short trip back east. The credit card insurance will cover the cost but the $380, not big deal. The $150 dollars would have been well spent if we had to cancel this trip!

[Cruisin Kay D]

For our week long cruise in August and for week long cruise in Nov, insurance for each was JUST $140 -- WELL WORTH it just in case of illness but more so in case of a fall or illness and having to be evacuated back to USA. Also for 2 of us plus our 6 grandkids all together on week long cruise in March, the insurance was again just $140!!

In 2002 while cruising with my parents, my mom had to flown from Panama Canal back to Ft. Lauderdale & bill was over $25,000 -- they had insurance -- that's when we learned to go ahead & get it!!

[hansi]

I wouldn't dream of booking any holiday, cruise or otherwise, without buying insurance. It's crazy not to!

[Coracii]

I disagree. We buy medical and evacuation because that can be very expensive.

 

IMHO, I am willing to take the chance that I will not have to cancel in advance and I can afford the loss if I do have to cancel. Insurance companies love to sell cruise insurance because they win big. How many posts do we see on Cruise Critic from people who bought insurance and did not need it?

 

DON

 

Good luck to you then. The amount I've spent on travel insurance for my 19 cruises combined is equal to roughly 25% of what I'm spending on just the cost of the upcoming cruise. I've never had to use my travel insurance to this point, but I'd rather be out under $200 for insurance than way over $10,000 for cruise cost, hotels, flights, etc. any day of the week.

[hansi]

Exactly. I am willing to bet the the OP regularly pays for house and contents and car insurance, and when did he last have to claim on those? No, it's imperative to buy travel insurance at time of booking. In fact, we have a yearly travel insurance so that we're always covered.

[sngleme121]

I disagree. We buy medical and evacuation because that can be very expensive.

 

IMHO, I am willing to take the chance that I will not have to cancel in advance and I can afford the loss if I do have to cancel. Insurance companies love to sell cruise insurance because they win big. How many posts do we see on Cruise Critic from people who bought insurance and did not need it?

 

DON

 

If people followed that logic, then why own auto and home owner's insurance or health insurance for that matter...I mean hey most of us don't ever us those but hey we wouldn't want to get into a situation where we did need it and didn't have it.

 

It's about managing risk. I would rather pay a couple hundred dollars upfront just in case I had to get a full refund, than not pay it and get nothing if something did happen.

[Coracii]

If people followed that logic, then why own auto and home owner's insurance or health insurance for that matter...I mean hey most of us don't ever us those but hey we wouldn't want to get into a situation where we did need it and didn't have it.

 

It's about managing risk. I would rather pay a couple hundred dollars upfront just in case I had to get a full refund, than not pay it and get nothing if something did happen.

 

And the same with car insurance. I pay a small amount every year to my car insurance company in order to avoid paying huge sums if anything drastic does go wrong. Other than a puddle jumper flight to visit family spread out across this country I can't imagine myself ever travelling without insurance.

[bobmal99]

Living in Boston, MA whenever I travel in

the winter I always get the insurance, mainly

because of weather.

 

The odds of getting a snowstorm are

higher then someone getting sick.

[Moon Orchid]

Hi, we have a 4 nights cruise coming up in February. My husband paid for his cruise fare, but I will only have to pay tax and port charge because we redeemed BOA points and had a free cruise companion fare.

 

We need to buy travel insurance, but I'm not sure how much we should put down for the travel cost. Do I put down the whole amount before the reduction, or only the amount of whatever we're going to pay at the end?

Can someone educate me? Thank you.

[LakeGoddess]

I think I have to agree with Don.

 

Medical insurance makes sense because the potential out of pocket cost for a medical emergency could be financially devastating.

 

But I don't see the value of trip cancellation coverage. If for some reason we can't go on our cruise, yes we would be out the cost of the cruise. If we do take the cruise, we are out that money, plus everything we would have spent!

 

 

Am I missing something??

[klfrodo]

I think I have to agree with Don.

 

Medical insurance makes sense because the potential out of pocket cost for a medical emergency could be financially devastating.

 

But I don't see the value of trip cancellation coverage. If for some reason we can't go on our cruise, yes we would be out the cost of the cruise. If we do take the cruise, we are out that money, plus everything we would have spent!

 

 

Am I missing something??

 

You pay $5000 for a cruise and something happens that is covered, you get your $5K back and can rebook when everyone is OK.

 

or

 

You pay $5000 for a cruise, you have to cancel, you lose the $5K. Now, when everyone is OK, you book again and pay another $5K.

 

As stated earlier,,it's "risk management". If your financial situation allows you to absorb a $5K loss, then you might be better served by not getting insurance.

On the other hand, if you cannot comfortably absorb a $5K loss, then you might want to consider insuring yourself against the potential for loss.

[cruiseco]

I think I have to agree with Don.

 

Medical insurance makes sense because the potential out of pocket cost for a medical emergency could be financially devastating.

 

But I don't see the value of trip cancellation coverage. If for some reason we can't go on our cruise, yes we would be out the cost of the cruise. If we do take the cruise, we are out that money, plus everything we would have spent!

 

 

Am I missing something??

 

You're not missing anything. As far as the cancellation coverage goes, you know beforehand exactly what your maximum loss may possibly be. If losing that amount is not a concern (when weighed alongside the additional non-refundable expense of the cancellation coverage) then choosing to not insure the trip cost is a very reasonable course of action.

 

Medical and emergency evac coverage is different in that you can't know in advance what your actual loss exposure is. A couple hundred? A hundred thousand? Given the very low cost of insuring against that risk of loss it's much easier to decide to purchase that coverage.

[sirwired]

I think I have to agree with Don.

 

Medical insurance makes sense because the potential out of pocket cost for a medical emergency could be financially devastating.

 

But I don't see the value of trip cancellation coverage. If for some reason we can't go on our cruise, yes we would be out the cost of the cruise. If we do take the cruise, we are out that money, plus everything we would have spent!

 

 

Am I missing something??

 

First, if you don't take the cruise, you are out the money, and have received nothing in return. Yes, your financial situation is pretty much identical, but you now have not actually received your vacation.

 

Speaking for myself, it goes beyond financial considerations. I could absorb the financial loss for a cancellation. However, the financial pressure to not flush my money down the toilet makes the decision a bit harder. Example: Just before last Thanksgiving, I learned my Dad needed an emergency cardiac bypass, and I of course volunteered to help out my parents. It was a big relief to my folks to not have to feel guilty about our vacation going away.

 

Yes, in the end, the insurance rates are designed (as with all insurance) that the underwriter ends up with a profit... if you don't mind shouldering the risk the insurance protects you against, declining coverage is a perfectly valid choice. But it's a long way to get from there to cancellation coverage not having any value at all.