Travel Insurance

[sherilyn70]

Yes, we always get it. Between a few close calls with me and bronchitis and now that I have cancer it's impossible to know if I'll be healthy enough to go in 6 months or 1 year from now. I also need the medical coverage should something happen and I get sicker while on board.

[alwaysfrantic]

I understand the HAL policy is not so good for medical things, but good for cancelations. You can look at insuremytrip.com, tripinsurancestore, squaretrade even to compare policies.

 

With older parents the thing I look for is pre-existing condition waivers. Other aspects might be more important to other cruisers. The medical evacuation is a big concern with many--if you need your appendix out, you probably don't want that done in a remote fishing village someplace. The evacuation coverage gets you out.

 

My medical insurance covers me anywhere, but the trip insurance covers the evacuation if needed.

[innlady1]

Oh my gosh!! I meant without it!!

 

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LOL, Mary! When I read your 1st post, I thought, "This cannot be...Mary would never take that chance with 3 small children"! Thanks for putting me at ease here.;)

We, too, would never cruise without travel insurance. We're in FL now to board the Maasdam on Monday, but it was dicey before we left...with 18" of snow. Lots of folks on our flight Thursday had been cancelled the day before.

[WayneFougere]

Ok, I see there's something I didn't think about. I assumed my extended medical insurance plan (that includes travel insurance) covers evacuation. I better read the plan over again in case it doesn't.

[WayneFougere]

So, final question(s). Does anyone buy their trip cancelation insurance from HAL? If so, why do you buy it for HAL rather than an insurance company?

[sherilyn70]

So, final question(s). Does anyone buy their trip cancelation insurance from HAL? If so, why do you buy it for HAL rather than an insurance company?

Since they offered a waiver on preexisting conditions and the price seemed fair I used HAL to purchase ours.

 

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[mamaofami]

I don't buy insurance from HAL, but I do use Travel Guard or USAA. Just had to cancel a cruise that is leaving on 1/27 because DH had surgery. I now have all the necessary paper work (easy to get) and have to send it in to the insurer. We don't leave home without the insurance.

Edited January 25, 2014 by mamaofami

[Snook]

Don't leave home without it!! On a cruise that is. For some of us getting "up in years" we won't cruise without it now. We used too many years ago, but not now. Too many things can happen to us or to relatives. Two years ago, our cruising buddies had to cancel because of an illness in their family, so it does happen.

[RuthC]

The details were a bit tough to enter (repositioning Florida to Vancouver via Panama Canal wasn't an option) but I suspect picking Bahamas was close enough.

You should call Insure My Trip, then.

 

When I called them about insurance I was able to speak to someone who was friendly, knowledgeable, and very, very helpful.

First I told her exactly what I was looking for, and she listened! Really listened. Then, she asked questions about what I had mentioned, as well as things I hadn't thought of.

She was able to find a plan that gave me exactly what I wanted, right then and there.

 

I won't promise that every agent is as great as she was, but I recommend trying.

[RuthC]

With older parents the thing I look for is pre-existing condition waivers.

Pre-existing conditions is a real consideration for all of us (or should be). Even if you have no one else to think about, and are the picture of health, you can develop a "pre-existing condition" tomorrow.

 

If so, then your insurance picture changes dramatically if you haven't purchased your insurance.

[NMLady]

Does anyone bother with travel insurance for their cruises?

 

Definitely, especially for medical coverage and medical evacuation in case of medical emergency. Even young people have had unexpected medical emergencies: serious fall, appendicitis, kidney stones. Most US policies do not cover shipboard or out of country medical expenses.

 

I always also get the Cancellation coverage since I'm not rich enough to be able to afford losing the cost of the cruise if I have to cancel for a covered reason.

I always purchase it, from third party, when I book so pre-existing medical problems for us and our non-traveling family members are also covered.

[WayneFougere]

Pre-existing conditions is a real consideration for all of us (or should be). Even if you have no one else to think about, and are the picture of health, you can develop a "pre-existing condition" tomorrow.

 

 

 

If so, then your insurance picture changes dramatically if you haven't purchased your insurance.

 

 

Well, that never crossed my mind. Interesting point. Thank you.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

As mentioned, check out insure my trip and I'd also checkout squaremouth dot com. The prices are pretty much the same for various policies but I foind the squaremouth a tad easier to navigate.

 

I also might add, be sure to calculate a policy with everyone in your group (e.g. just the two of you?) and also do individual policies to check pricing.

 

On our upcoming April cruise is was $30 per person cheaper (there's three of us, ages 63, 63 and 31) purchasing three seperate policies versus one group policy. Go figure.

 

Best of luck & be well.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob

[zelker]

So, final question(s). Does anyone buy their trip cancelation insurance from HAL? If so, why do you buy it for HAL rather than an insurance company?

 

I think you will likely always find insurance independently that's less expensive than what the cruise line offers. I don't know if you live in the States or not but I haven't had any luck finding just trip cancellation/delay insurance ... it always includes medical, etc. which we don't need because our health insurance covers us while traveling. If you do find something, please post back here.

[Cruiser Andi]

Does anyone bother with travel insurance for their cruises?

 

 

I hadn't considered it in the past. I'm in my 30's and pretty healthy so I figured I didn't need it. After reading all of these posts and considering the what if's, I will be adding it on to my trip.

 

 

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[VermeulT]

So, final question(s). Does anyone buy their trip cancelation insurance from HAL? If so, why do you buy it for HAL rather than an insurance company?

 

I do not get mine through HAL. I buy my airfare myself and with the other policy, I have door to door coverage.

[RJ2002]

We always make sure we are covered with travel insurance before we go on a trip.

 

Up to this point, we've always used insuremytrip dot com, and purchased coverage on a per-trip basis. However, we recently upgraded our credit card to the Chase United MileagePlus Club card. It has some included trip insurance provisions which we may rely on going forward. Still need to do my homework though on the coverage details.

 

These days, I am more interested in the med-evac coverage should an accident occur overseas, rather than the cancellation aspect of the insurance. Should we experience a problem overseas, God forbid, which would necessitate one of us being transported to a reputable medical facility for treatment, I want to be sure we are fully covered for that situation.

[SpokaneDan]

We carry a yearly policy for medical and evacuation. My opinion only but I do not think that any of the other stuff that you can insure for such as cancellation, delay, theft, etc is worth the money.

 

I only insure for the potential big losses and are willing to absorb the small losses

What do you think it would do for your financial situation if you were injured overseas and had to be treated in hospital and then be medically evacuated home

 

I like your approach, Don. Would you elaborate on the yearly policy for med vac.? Is that through regular medical insurance, or specific travel insurance?

[happygran]

Yes I always insure now.

 

I was dx with cancer over 5 years ago, and insurance was very expensive........am fine now etc etc and have never bothered with insurance within the EU. We were in Spain when the Iceland volcano decided to erupt.........we were stuck there (hard I know) for 5 weeks..but we had a land trip to Italy organised...........had pre-paid all the flights, hotels etc. Had to cancel it all & suffer Spain for a few weeks.............It cost us a fortune!

 

So, the answer is 'yes'......we take insurance now.

 

That's local to us........I wouldn't think of going across 'the pond' without insurance, however expensive.

[Typhoon1]

Don't leave home without it.

[PoppyandNana]

I hadn't considered it in the past. I'm in my 30's and pretty healthy so I figured I didn't need it. After reading all of these posts and considering the what if's, I will be adding it on to my trip.

 

 

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Last week we had to cancel our cruise to the Caribbean which had been on the books since last August. Going in for major surgery next week, actually the day we were to fly to FL. Our $294 insurance policy will reimburse us $3,700 for the cruise, airfare and hotels. Don't leave home without it.

[kandagal1939]

We always have travel insurance on cruises but we get the FREE travel insurance that comes with paying for the cruise with a credit card.

[AlohaPride]

When do you all usually purchase your insurance, at the time you book, when you buy your airfare, or upon final payment?

 

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[Shmoo here]

When do you all usually purchase your insurance, at the time you book, when you buy your airfare, or upon final payment?

 

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It depends on who you purchase the insurance through. And what kind(s) of insurance you want. Most 3rd party insurance and some cruiselines require purchase within 14 days of initial payment for cruise for pre-existing conditions waiver.

 

Some cruiselines will allow insurance purchase at any time, as long as it's before full payment is made.

 

We've always got our insurance within the 2 weeks after our initial payment.

 

We just got insurance on a river cruise we're taking. $900+ for two of us (trip is over $16,000). Since the trip is a year and a half away, and we're paying it off at a year out (for a discount), who knows what will happen in that time?

 

As to the attitude "I'm young, I don't need it", on another board I frequent someone posted about their Mexico cruise - 3 days from the end of the cruise their son (around 10-12 years old) had acute appendicitis. The ship was diverted back to Cabo San Lucas, he & Mom were taken to hospital for surgery. Yes, they thankfully had insurance. It covered the medical, airfare back home, hotel costs, peace of mind during a bad situation.

[donaldsc]

I like your approach, Don. Would you elaborate on the yearly policy for med vac.? Is that through regular medical insurance, or specific travel insurance?

 

We got ours w InsureMyTrip. Give them a call. They are very helpful.

 

DON