Travel Insurance...yes or no?

[maryann2]

I have a Mastercard and have trip insurance on it. Its 100.00 per year and as long as i pay for my trip with it ,im covered. Covers everything from cancellation to collision damage waiver for rent a car.

Never leave home without it.

And i am older. lol

 

I also have coverage with a credit card but it only takes effect after one has left on the trip. Not cancellation prior.

Also does not cover Medical after age 65. Canadian credit cards don't seem to do this.

I use travelsafe for Medical only.

[Dare2Believe]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

We ALWAYS buy travel insurance. For $49 or less you can have piece of mind. Worth it, in my opinion. We've never had to use it (knock wood), but I always feel better that we have it.

[heathrj]

I also have coverage with a credit card but it only takes effect after one has left on the trip. Not cancellation prior.

Also does not cover Medical after age 65. Canadian credit cards don't seem to do this.

I use travelsafe for Medical only.

 

Our TD Travel Visa covers cancellation ($1000 per traveller) prior to departure, and $5000 after one has left. It covers medical out of province/country (up to $1,000,000) for fifteen days if under 65 and 4 days if over 65.

Edited February 15, 2014 by heathrj
Correcting length of time covered...

[WetToes]

We always have insurance. Here lately the TA I use provides it.

[sparks1093]

Thanks. I realize that last sentence doesn't make much sense. Of course it only covers us, :rolleyes:. But if it covers getting us home if something happens at home when we've already left, that would be great. I'll shop around and see what I can find.

 

I knew what you meant;) and that's the main thing. I would suggest going to www.insuremytrip.com where you may compare policies side by side and see what each covers.

[JustCruiseMe]

Just remember to check your policies because mine through Insuremytrip doesn't cover "extreme sports", zipling, bungee jumping etc. Since we don't plan on doing that stuff then it's good for us.

 

I've only been on ONE cruise and I bought the insurance bc you never know. Well guess what? I fell down the wet steps of Serenity. My leg was hurt. Room steward got me ice and I took the wait and see until tomorrow route because I could walk, but barely. Luckily it was much better the next morning but the peace of mind I had when that happened solidified my choice to always buy it, not for the loss of the cruise money but for the medical costs when out of the country.

 

Copy and paste from insurance documents

not covered

mountain climbing, bungee cord jumping, skydiving, parachuting, hang gliding, parasailing or travel on any air supported device, other than on a regularly scheduled airline or air charter company;

Edited February 15, 2014 by JustCruiseMe

[pafam4]

Like some on this thread I never bothered getting trip insurance. I was young and what could happen to me? My health was great and I was on vacation!

 

Reading some of the stories in the past on CC showed me I could bankrupt the family if I was injured zip-lining and doing any other activities I catch myself doing on cruises. I couldn't imagine trying to fly back home in a private air ambulance or finding the money to pay for medical care in a foreign country.

 

For a couple of hundred bucks for the two of us it just makes since to have the coverage. The peace of mind of knowing I'm covered if I do something stupid makes it all worth while.

 

Just when you mentioned ziplining, etc. I want to remind everyone that you need to make sure your policy covers "extreme sports." The policy we purchased for our last cruise specifically excluded extreme sports such as ziplining, atv, etc. We weren't planning on doing those activities, so we didn't worry about that. However, not sure if there would be additional coverage you could buy to include those activities.

[mackatty]

I'm sorry for your loss. Lost my father unexpectedly 10 years ago, so I understand the pain. Thank you for taking the time to share valuable advice with us during this difficult time.

[SAM527]

I have a Mastercard and have trip insurance on it. Its 100.00 per year and as long as i pay for my trip with it ,im covered. Covers everything from cancellation to collision damage waiver for rent a car.

Never leave home without it.

And i am older. lol

 

It would be great if the Carnival Mastercard offers this option. One stop shopping. I'm going to have to look into this but does anyone already know?

[midwestcruiser2001]

What about illness/injury on the cruise itself? That is really the only thing that concerns me.

 

Carnival's policy reimbursed us for the on board medical expenses, but only after I had ran them through my Dad's health insurance. I just included the denial letter from Medicare and insurance company and they sent me a check. We had to put the fees on our credit card, before disembarking, even with the Carnival's policy:confused:

 

We have insurance through Allianz for our next trip and medical expenses are paid up to $50,000 as the primary policy.

[firemanbobswife]

Carnival's policy reimbursed us for the on board medical expenses, but only after I had ran them through my Dad's health insurance. I just included the denial letter from Medicare and insurance company and they sent me a check. We had to put the fees on our credit card, before disembarking, even with the Carnival's policy:confused:

 

We have insurance through Allianz for our next trip and medical expenses are paid up to $50,000 as the primary policy.

 

 

I too always make sure the insurance I get is primary. I don't feel like fighting with my regular insurance.

 

My question was mainly directed at nstraveller because they said their CC covers precruise issues as well as rental car coverage. I was curious to know why they wouldn't be concerned about the major expense of medical bills when that would be the most devastating expense of all. Credit card insurance doesn't cover any of that.

 

If anything happened to cause me to miss my cruise, well, then the most I would be out is that amount. But if there was an emergency onboard or at a port of call, that is a whole different scenario. For about $50-$60 I don't have to worry about it.

[OCruisers]

Last week many people were very glad they had good insurance that covered missed flights.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[mnsweeps]

Carnival's policy reimbursed us for the on board medical expenses, but only after I had ran them through my Dad's health insurance. I just included the denial letter from Medicare and insurance company and they sent me a check. We had to put the fees on our credit card, before disembarking, even with the Carnival's policy:confused:

 

We have insurance through Allianz for our next trip and medical expenses are paid up to $50,000 as the primary policy.

 

My parents don't have any insurance....so does that make the secondary insurance our primary insurance?

[firemanbobswife]

My parents don't have any insurance....so does that make the secondary insurance our primary insurance?

 

 

Yes, it should.

[KPfromCT]

We never purchase the insurance.

[thinfool]

My parents don't have any insurance....so does that make the secondary insurance our primary insurance?

 

Probably, but check with your insurance people to verify.

[dna529]

I was always one to not buy travel insurance, but since our cruise in July I will always plan on buying. My 7 year old daughter slipped down the wet stairs outside on the Fascination. Thankfully, she was not seriously hurt. But after the doctor wanted us to get off in Nassau to have a neck x-ray and other disastrous thoughts ran through my head, we will probably always purchase it for the medical coverage! That situation made me realize anyone can get hurt on a cruise ship and need thousands of dollars of coverage. Luckily, we didn't even have to pay to see the ship's doctor-they took care of it, but you never know what can happen!

[Sparky2]

We HATE spending the money on Travel Insurance because at our age (early 70s) it is quite expensive as we want primary coverage. Medicare does not cover us out of the country.

 

We can afford to lose the cost of the cruise & airfare (would sure be sad, tho'), but having to be medivaced off the ship or something could be a huge drain on our savings.

[Sparky2]

Several months ago I deposited for an 8 day cruise on Breeze leaving tomorrow, the 15th. Things happened and I dropped out of the cruise before final payment. Unexpectedly, my father died Wednesday night and if I did not have insurance I would be out of luck since obviously I can't go on the cruise. Maybe I could have gotten a refund upon presentation of a death certificate but maybe not. No matter how healthy YOU are can you really justify not buying travel insurance? As they say the best laid plans always get taken over by life!!!! Please consider travel insurance as part of the cost of the cruise...not an extra.

 

Also, I'm very sorry for the loss of your father.

[SMSACE6]

Several months ago I deposited for an 8 day cruise on Breeze leaving tomorrow, the 15th. Things happened and I dropped out of the cruise before final payment. Unexpectedly, my father died Wednesday night and if I did not have insurance I would be out of luck since obviously I can't go on the cruise. Maybe I could have gotten a refund upon presentation of a death certificate but maybe not. No matter how healthy YOU are can you really justify not buying travel insurance? As they say the best laid plans always get taken over by life!!!! Please consider travel insurance as part of the cost of the cruise...not an extra.

 

first and foremost, I am very sorry for your loss.

 

As for travel insurance; I cant believe the number of years that when I was young (er), I didnt ever think of it, but in recent years, having read these boards, and growing older with parents growing older....I would not leave home without it. Thanks for the reminder. and again I am sorry for your loss.

[Velvetwater]

Hubby and I are still very young and have purchased travel insurance for every trip we have been on since we were 19, even without his t1 diabetes we would buy it.

 

Luckily we also get free medical insurance (EHIC) around Europe with cards we get in the uk, but we still buy it separately as well.

 

Travelling without it is plain stupid in my view.

[elliair]

We HATE spending the money on Travel Insurance because at our age (early 70s) it is quite expensive as we want primary coverage. Medicare does not cover us out of the country.

 

We can afford to lose the cost of the cruise & airfare (would sure be sad, tho'), but having to be medivaced off the ship or something could be a huge drain on our savings.

 

So why not bite the bullet and purchase the insurance. That "drain on your savings" seems worse than paying for an insurance policy that will protect you from getting your savings drained. At your age you shouldn't be that foolish.

[WetToes]

I'm not sure that Sparky2 is saying that they don't buy the insurance, just that they "HATE" buying it.

[JandR1LuV]

is better to buy the insurance through the TA or from a third party? what should one look for when shopping for travel insurance?

[Gold Mine Gal]

We always buy insurance through Carnival. We are older and for us other travel insurance sites are extremely expensive. Carnival insurance may not be as good, but it is peace of mind.