Cruise Insurance - How Important is it?

[Lydfin]

I posted this yesterday under another thread....

 

My husband was grateful that we paid for the cruise/travel insurance for our honeymoon cruise on the Epic in February/March. He ended up with pneumonia & we had an emergency evacuation once we got to the Bahamas. He complained of chest pain and shortness of breath when I took him to the ship's medical center Thursday am. They took his vitals and a couple of x-rays and determined he had pneumonia (he wasn't sick before we got on the ship, only had allergy related sniffles). We were told Thursday that as soon as we got to port in the Bahamas on Friday, we were going to be emergency evacuated & sent to the hospital. The ship arranged for an ambulance to be at port once we arrived. We got to the hospital that Friday afternoon. My husband was admitted late Friday night. While all this was going on, our travel insurance called me throughout the day to see how he was doing, how I was doing, & helped to calm me down (I was freaking out, alone in the Bahamas!). Once we knew what was going on with my husband, our travel insurance helped me find a hotel to stay at while he was in the hospital & called a couple of times a day for updates. I had to cancel our original $250.00 flight home, but our travel insurance paid over $1300.00 for our flight home from the Bahamas!

 

We are now home and working on filling out all the paperwork for all the claims (to the travel insurance, our regular medical insurance & AFLAC). From what I understand, my husband's medical expenses in the ship, ambulance ride, medical expenses from his 5 day stay in the hospital that aren't covered by our medical insurance, my hotel stay, our cancelled flight home, any food expenses that I had while in Bahamas, & possibly our cell phone bill (during his stay in the hospital) will be covered by the travel insurance as long as I provide ALL the receipts when I submit the claim forms.

 

Our travel insurance was the best buy that we've made! We will not go on another cruise without the travel insurance.

 

If you are questioning whether or not to get cruise/travel insurance, then you should get it. There's a reason you are questioning to get it, but it will give you a piece of mind once you do purchase it. Then you can relax and enjoy the build up to your cruise & the actual cruise!

[Lou33]

DH is Type II diabetic. For the last 3 years we have been told we HAVE to book the insurance with the initial reservation now.

 

Who told you this? Has there been a change in his condition in the last six months?

[Lou33]

I say you should have watched Eyewitness News tonight about a couple from New Jersey who were injured severely in the Bahamas. No insurance. NO ONE wanted to treat them. Friends raised the money to fly them home. They're now in a hospital being treated. She may lose a kidney because she was refused treatment in the Bahamas.

 

Here's the a link to that news story: http://www.northjersey.com/news/033112_BAHAMASCRASH.html?c=y&page=1&scpromo=1

 

The issue was not so much that they didn't have travel insurance, but they didn't have "any" health insurance. The hospital in Miami also refused to treat them. So even if they never went on a vacation, it was a disaster waiting to happen at any time, since they didn't have health insurance.

[willysgrandma]

Had they at least had travel insurance their stay in the hospital in the Bahamas and their medical evacuation would have been reimbursed and they could have at least gotten home.

 

 

 

Here's the a link to that news story: http://www.northjersey.com/news/033112_BAHAMASCRASH.html?c=y&page=1&scpromo=1

 

The issue was not so much that they didn't have travel insurance, but they didn't have "any" health insurance. The hospital in Miami also refused to treat them. So even if they never went on a vacation, it was a disaster waiting to happen at any time, since they didn't have health insurance.

[Lou33]

Had they at least had travel insurance their stay in the hospital in the Bahamas and their medical evacuation would have been reimbursed and they could have at least gotten home.

 

If they won't pay for basic health insurance at home, then I'm sure the thought of buying travel insurance didn't cross their mind for even a second.

[laxlove6]

Insurance is always a good idea. If you've had prior health problems its a great idea. But the chance of some freak accident happening are very slim. You only hear about a few incidents every once in while and that is with hundreds of thousands of people are cruising every week.

[willysgrandma]

We had clients have a car accident on the way to the airport to go to their cruise. Ended up hospitalized and couldn't go. Their travel insurance reimbursed them for everything.

 

Even if you are driving to the port, something like this can happen. And you can have an accident or get sick ON the cruise. I've been on two cruises where people were airlifted off the ship - that can cost a fortune! So, insurance IS for you, not just your parents!

 

This is the reason that I've purchased travel insurance. Not because of me but because of my parents. My mother has spent a total of 5 months in the hospital over the course of the past year. And my dad has been in the hospital twice with mild heart attacks.

[m$m7]

I was jut wondering if anyone can answer the following ? for me. What happenns if I book my trip & then pay for insurance but later on I have my PCC cancel my reservation & rebook for a better sale price? Do I have to buy more travel insurance & lose my original money spent?

 

I have never bought insurance for any of my previous cruises however due to concerns at work I'm now considering it. I have always viewed any type of insurance as a gamble. Many play the casino & are willing to lose hundreds or more for a chance to hit it big. It is all in how much your willing to lose if something were to hapen. Remember, the insurance company is in business to make money. So even tho it may seem here on CC that a lot of people use it, the reality is that most pay & never need it. How else could they stay in business selling policies for $100 & then pay out claims of $5,000? You just never hear from all those that buy it & don't use it. I have never regreted not buying insurance nor did I worry about not having it.

 

Does this mean you shouldn't buy it? NO, each person has to decide if they need that peace of mind or not or if they can afford to gamble with their vacation dollars. My BF puts it this way; "If someone tells me 99% of the time it will be fine, I'm the guy who worries about the other 1%" :eek: If that's you, buy insurance.

[weltek]

This is our fifth cruise and it was the first time we purchased it. Three reasons:

 

1) We've heard too many horror stories of those who did or almost needed it, including some of my relatives.

 

2) We are in our 30s and finally aren't living paycheck to paycheck (I know, why were we cruising when we were living paycheck to paycheck? Making irresponsible choices is the answer-I'll own up to that).

 

3) DH has some health issues (diabetes and high blood pressure) that could become an emergency quite quickly. I know anyone could get hurt and require emergency evacuation or care, even in their teens, but the liklihood of emergency needs is even greater for us now.

[sparks1093]

I was jut wondering if anyone can answer the following ? for me. What happenns if I book my trip & then pay for insurance but later on I have my PCC cancel my reservation & rebook for a better sale price? Do I have to buy more travel insurance & lose my original money spent?

 

 

If the dates of travel are the same then my guess is that your original policy will still be good. If you change your dates of travel then you would have to check with your carrier- some will allow you to change your dates of travel (of course if your trip is more expensive then it may cause your premium to go up). Best bet is to call your carrier before hand to find out what the ramifications are for any change.

[m$m7]

If the dates of travel are the same then my guess is that your original policy will still be good. If you change your dates of travel then you would have to check with your carrier- some will allow you to change your dates of travel (of course if your trip is more expensive then it may cause your premium to go up). Best bet is to call your carrier before hand to find out what the ramifications are for any change.

 

Thank you for the information. I will have to inquire with the insurance company.

[shoppingfan]

Weltek....we should chat.

Your situation sounds just like mine!

[gooch47]

Just about anyone who cruises could afford a loss of a couple thousand dollars. What worries me, though, is being in another country and needing to be medically evacuated. That could run into the tens of thousands, maybe much more.

[lmgnpb]

I am also asking. Thanks

[Barb Nahoumi]

Anytime we take trips that involve travel to other countries or long flights, we invest in travel insurance.

 

One never knows when a trip delay or medical emergency might arise. Always good to have it, and never need to use it.

[pris993]

We travelled for 30+ years without any insurance. Now my DH is 80 and I am 65; figure we are pushing our luck even though we are both in good health. Started carrying insurance two years ago. Carrying it primarily to cover health emergencies and evacuation insurance. Medicare is no good outside the USA. For these two issues alone it is very important, after you reach a certain age.

[buffyii50]

I would not and have not ever travelled WITHOUT INSURANCE. My last cruise December 2011, I got a cold and it went to my chest and I have Asthma so it brought on an attack. My puffer just didn't work. I called for help at 7 AM.. (this is one hour prior to the ship hospital opening up - so it is classified emergency). I had 3 ventilin treatments, oxygen and a chest x-ray. They wanted to ship me to St. Kitt's hospital because the next two days were at sea. I declined and had to sign a waiver to this effect. (I can't imagine how much that would have been because they would have flown me back home). After 4 1/2 hours I could breathe better and promised I would rest in my cabin. Thank goodness we had a balcony because it was nice to open the door. When I left the ship hospital my bill was $1,080.00. They charged for EVERYTHING, down to the needles for intervenus. I had to put this on my credit card obviously but when I got home I received the documentation to be filled out by my doctor and 2 months later I received my money. Like my credit card, I would never leave home without it. I get this coverage from my credit card free (but the card fee is 120.$ per year). Without a card this insurance would run approx. 200.$ but covers everything from health to cancellation etc. Definitely worth it.