Cruise insurance???

[mfars]

going on a cruise with my husband and 13 month old daughter and never really understood travel insurance...is it worth it or just another way for them to make money? If you think its necessary would you purchase through cruise line or a private company? Thank you!

[beachbum53]

Not buying travelers' insurance is a gamble. If something happens, to your cruise, your flight, your luggage, how much can you afford to lose? Odds are, everything will be just fine. But why risk it? You don't have to buy insurance through the cruise line. If you go to Insure my trip dot com, you can do side-by side comparisons of several different policies and determine which policy is best for your needs. We like and have always used CSA Insurance. They have very good coverage at a reasonable price.

[simply coffee]

last cruise we went on .... DH bailed on us the day before we sailed (work constraints). This was the 1 trip we've taken with NO insurance. (we weren't flying so it didn't seem as necessary)

 

We leave in 3 weeks (to escape the Canadian winter) ... this time, I got insurance.

[omeinv]

The most common uses of insurance are those fairly mundane events: Late flight, lost bags, or having to cancel at the last minute because of work or illness. In those cases the insurance is nice, but not critical. Most of us - while we wouldn't like it - could likely absorb that kind of loss.

 

The "real" reason for insurance is because, with few exceptions, your medical coverage provides little, or more likely no, coverage outside the your home country. In a foreign land what hospital you are treated at, or even if you are treated could be dependent upon your ability to pay. Then there's another huge factor. Suppose you're ill or injured in some exotic place (the ones we seek out in our cruise plans) and the facilities there are not capable of treating you. You need air evacuation. I'd venture to guess almost no one could afford to absorb that expense.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Scrapnana]

You can usually get better insurance for the same or less than the cruiseline with an insurance company. I have insurance for my upcoming cruise with Travel Guard because they let me add coverage for the areas I considered the most important (medical care and emergency evacuation).

[mfinster007]

I've travelled quite a bit and it's not until recently that I started taking travel insurance for all types of vacations. It's a nominal amount to pay for the 'just in case'. The primary reason I take it is I have an 84 yr old DM who I would want to either stay or come home early from a Vacation if she needed me. I especially like purchasing from an outside agency as I can add my airfare, tickets purchased for excursions, etc.

[John Bull]

You certainly should have travel insurance, though you can almost certainly get a better deal by shopping around.

 

Harris' answer is spot-on. Losing uninsured luggage is an expense most of us can cover but major medical needs/re-patriation in distant lands, however unlikely, can bankrupt you.

 

For more detail we need to know your nationality/country of residence and where you're cruising because there's huge differences, & info correct for one person can be totally wrong for someone else.

 

JB :)

[Goingagin]

going on a cruise with my husband and 13 month old daughter and never really understood travel insurance...is it worth it or just another way for them to make money? If you think its necessary would you purchase through cruise line or a private company? Thank you!

 

Yes ALWAYS take travel insurance - and depending where you travel take more or less - in the States take top rate - their hospital can 'kill' you - accidents happen - lady we were traveling with in Croatia broke her hip and had first class treatment and sent home first class - all paid. Feeling lucky.. don't take any. If we travel more than 2 months away our medical insurance can be put 'on hold' as the travel insurance covers the time away - actually can make travel insurance very cheap. You pay lots for your travel ...what's a few extra dollars for peace of mind?

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always get insurance.

Anything unforseen can happen.

 

For Example ------

I fell one year the night before we were to fly out and broke my wrist.

[kingoftheicedragons]

Buying travel insurance is a personal decision that you have to make. You need to ask yourself things like, if something happens where I cannot go on this trip, can I afford to lose the money I've spent on it (cruise price, airfare, etc)?

 

Also, some people buy travel insurance for the medical aspect of getting care out of network, or even air evacuation from places that you may be. Personally, if it's major enough, I have world-wide air evacuation provided at no additional cost through my work health insurance.

 

I rarely buy travel insurance for my trips, and fortunately so far I haven't needed it. I bought it for my European cruise due to the cost involved, and I bought it for one other cruise. I'd hate to need it and not have it, though.

 

Do you consider car insurance, life insurance, home owners insurance, and even health insurance as just a way for companies to make more money? Hopefully with most of those you don't have to worry about making a claim on them, but you buy them for the just in case situations. Is car insurance wasted money if you never have a car accident?

[ducklite]

I don't buy it for trips within the US and sometimes Canada, as we have a comprehensive health care plan (that will cover as out-of-network in Canada) and I'm not adverse to the risk of losing money invested in a few non-refundable hotel rooms or tickets. I don't step foot outside the country without it otherwise.

 

Next year we're going to Tahiti and I'm buying a slightly higher level of policy than I typically do, as medical evacuation from there would very costly.

[Andee]

I like http://www.insuremytrip.com to compare policies and purchase insurance. When I called with questions, the rep was extremely helpful & knowledgeable.

[islandgirl495]

You might check with credit card company that you use to see if they offer travel insurance benefits. We found out that our visa card offered some coverage for free when we used it to book.

[Talisker92]

We always get insurance. Last year my wife came down with a severe lung infection so we could not fly home. The insurance covered hospital and new flights

[omeinv]

You might check with credit card company that you use to see if they offer travel insurance benefits. We found out that our visa card offered some coverage for free when we used it to book.

 

Hopefully yours is different, but every credit card travel insurance I've looked at specifically excludes cruises in the fine print. That being said, they do cover flights, and often hotels.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Steviewonder1]

We always do. 8 years ago in Alaska my wife had a Gall Stone issue and we were medivac'd off the ship. The insurance paid the well into 5 figures medivac and hospital, half of our cruise money refunded, excursions refunded, air fare out of Alaska back to Seattle in time to catch our original flight home. Yes it pays to get travel and medical insurance.

[floatn]

A rare occurrence, indeed, but I cringed when I heard a passenger on the Triumph interviewed after the ship finally made it into port talking about her mother being air-evac'd off the ship for a dialysis treatment in Cozumel and then flying back home while the ship was still floating about in the Gulf of Mexico. Daughter said everything was fine and I was thinking - wait til they get the bill! With no insurance, this will turn out to be a catastrophic turn of events for them. And this is why you get insurance - because you never know what can happen.

[Cuizer2]

going on a cruise with my husband and 13 month old daughter and never really understood travel insurance...is it worth it or just another way for them to make money? If you think its necessary would you purchase through cruise line or a private company? Thank you!

 

Of course the insurance company makes money, just like your auto insurance; you homeowners insurance; your medical insurance and your life insurance companies do. They are in business to make money.

 

That said, you have to decide if you are willing to take the risk if something bad happens. For example, your plane has a mechanical issue and there are no flights available with three empty seats for four days. Are you willing to kiss your vacation good-by (you'll get a refund for your missed flight, but not for the cruise). Or suppose the only seats available, are first class seats. The airline will only reimburse you for the non-refundable coach class seats you bought. Do you have the funds to purchase three last minute first class seats?

 

What if you are in Jamaica and your daughter becomes very sick. Do you have the funds for a medical evacuation flight from Jamaica to the US? If not, she is going to be treated in Jamaica. Where do you want your very sick daughter treated, Jamaica or the US?

 

Sure, most likely nothing will happen. But what if it does? As to a recommendation, I would suggest purchasing insurance from a third party insurance company - not the cruise line. You can look at InsureMyTrip dot com and get quotes from several insurers, then pick the one that best suits your needs.

[George C]

Only got insurance once in 55 cruises, but almost missed recent cruise due to bad back, so just bought insurance for next cruise, as said before it is a gamble.

[GTO-Girl]

Always buy it.......and pray I never need it......

[sparks1093]

I just got a TravelGuard Gold policy from www.insuremytrip.com for 5 people for our next cruise for $149 total. I am not as concerned about the cost of the trip or the luggage but medical expenses and medevac can be pricey. I could have purchased an evacuation policy for $135 so $14 more for the package isn't bad at all:D.

 

(And by purchasing it within 14 days of initial payment I not only received a pre-existing condition waiver but the policy will also be primary for medical, so I don't have to worry about messing with my health insurance first.)