Travel Insurance question

[nzdisneymom]

Hi. We are experienced cruisers but always get the "whole package" through the cruiseline when we fly - so we do air, transfers, hotel, cruise and just use the travel insurance that the cruiselines offer.

 

However, next summer we are taking B2B cruises in the Med and are considering booking the air portion on our own. We currently have it booked through the cruiseline but now that our travel dates are becoming available to book, we can see that there is some savings to be found by separating that out and doing the air booking on our own.

 

Which brings me to my question about travel insurance. My understanding is that we will need to purchase travel insurance separately to cover the air portion of our trip. I went to insure my trip dot come to get an idea of pricing... they bring back several options and levels of coverage, and I don't know what we should get in terms of coverage. We will still have TI through the cruiseline for the rest of the trip - we just need something to cover the air portion, but I don't want to omit a part that we would wish we had gotten if we needed it.

 

Any advice or suggestions about how to know what coverage to get would be appreciated. The flights are $1400-$1500 per ticket - Atlanta to Barcelona, direct. Going in mid-June 2013, returning in mid-July 2013. We are a family of four - two adults (57 and 49 at travel time), two teenagers, all in relatively good health at this point.

 

The cruiseline is asking $1818 for the same flight, so we're trying to determine how much of a savings it would be to do it on our own and I can see that depending on the coverage, it will be between $50 - $125 per ticket for the insurance. Even adding that to a $1400 ticket would be a substantial savings.

[#1TravelMom]

I recommend insuring the whole trip with Travelguard. I have friends who filed a very large claim after a medical emergency. The company was fabulous. I've always found there rates to be much better than the cruiselines.

[CruzieSue]

http://www.insuremytrip.com offers an enormous amount of options, companies, coverages, costs, etc. You can compare plans and rates easily and select the coverages you want for your specific trip. I'm not a sales person, it's just the best site I found and it was recommended by others. Used them for our first cruise and again immediately after booking our second cruise. There's nothing like having peace of mind should something change your travel plans. Good luck and have a great trip :)

[nzdisneymom]

www.insuremytrip.com offers an enormous amount of options, companies, coverages, costs, etc. You can compare plans and rates easily and select the coverages you want for your specific trip. I'm not a sales person, it's just the best site I found and it was recommended by others. Used them for our first cruise and again immediately after booking our second cruise. There's nothing like having peace of mind should something change your travel plans. Good luck and have a great trip :)

 

Thanks - I looked there but the results came back with so many different options that I didn't know which to look at - basic, advanced, medical, lost bags only, etc. That's the part I could use some help with - what do I need to consider for figuring out what kind of coverage we would need.

[uppitycats]

Thanks - I looked there but the results came back with so many different options that I didn't know which to look at - basic, advanced, medical, lost bags only, etc. That's the part I could use some help with - what do I need to consider for figuring out what kind of coverage we would need.

 

First you should check your personal health insurance plan. Most of them don't cover vacation travel, but some do..and there's no point in duplicating coverage.

 

Then you have to consider if there are any parts of your vacation that you'd be willing to pay for on your own, if things go awry:

 

1. what if you lose part or all of your luggage? Do you want $$ to buy clothes?

2.what if you miss a flight -- do you want coverage for hotels for the family until the next flight?

3. What if you miss the ship in a port -- coverage to get to the next port, including a possible overnight stay?

4. what if one of you get sick/injured...do you want coverage to evacuate the person "to the nearest hospital", or "to a hospital near home"? And do you want coverage to get all the rest of you home to care for the sick person? (This is probably the most expensive part of any insurance plan).

5. what if the airport closes (happened to us!) and you can't get a flight home when you expected to? do you want coverage for an extended hotel stay, meals, and re-booked flights?

6. If you do get delayed -- do you want coverage to take care of things at home (extend a pet sitter, house sitter, etc.)?

7. Is there anyone you're leaving at home that -- if you needed to get home to care for them, the insurance would pay for flights, etc.?

 

These are some of the things you need to think about, and decide how comfortable you are covering..or not covering them..with insurance.

 

You could sit down with a travel agent and talk through all the various options, have him/her quote you a price. You can walk away and not buy it from them if you wish.

[Suzanne123]

I found lots of information on the trip insurance forum on cruise critic

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks everyone. This is exactly what I wanted to find to help us figure out what we need to do. I appreciate the help.

[Starry Eyes]

If you book air independently, consider insuring the entire trip indepently, too. By that I mean, drop the cruiseline TI and but a complete insurance package from an independent, reputable company covering the cost of air, cruise, and any other prepaid expenses (like prepaid hotel or tours etc).

 

If I were you, I would want cancellation, trip delay, missed connection, medical, and evacuation coverage. I also want pre-existing condition coverage, though that may be less important if you are all in good health...I'd still rather have it. Most policies that cover all of the above also cover lost or delayed luggage and other stuff, too.

 

I use squaremouth.com to shop for my trip insurance. I like the sorting features. If you are unsure, a mid level policy might be reasonable.

[nzdisneymom]

Starry Eyes, thanks. When we made our reservation through our TA, they require the purchase of trip insurance and there is always a statement abuot it being non-refundable if you cancel. But I will ask her if we decide to purchase TI separately if that can be adjusted. We're long-term clients, so I'm sure she will do what she can, but if there's not a way to cancel and get the money back from it already, then an additional policy may be in order.

 

So much to consider, but too important of a trip (and too much money!) to risk not having good coverage.

 

Thanks again for the helpful hints - and I hope it will help others who are also figuring out travel insurance.

[Algebralovr]

The TA required you to purchase the trip insurance? In the US? That sounds crazy to me. I would definitely ask about it.

 

If you are eligible for USAA, I also recommend you check trip insurance through them.