Just 5 days & 1 Mexico port: advice?

[Flafun888]

1st time cruiser here sailing this coming Feb: been studying insurance options and travel insurance forum section. Such terrific advice here about policies in general, but hoping for some specific guidance on this sailing.

 

It's just the 2 of us (50 and 49 hubbie/wife- healthy/no pre-existing conditions) doing a 5 day cruise. Two stops: Key West and Cozumel. We are FL residents who live minutes from port. So no hotels, airfare, or rental cars. We're paying about $600/pp fare, not counting taxes. I understand - thanks to all the wisdom on these threads - that it's less about recovering one's cruise fare - it's about protection for med and evac if something goes wrong.

 

So getting insurance isn't the issue - I'm definitely buying it. But can anyone estimate a ballpark % that should offer me reasonable M and E coverage for this sailing? Ship's policy was around 12% of the cruise fare...seems pretty high given no flights, no hotels, 1 non-U.S. port stop?

 

What do you think would be a reasonable % or price range I should look for when shopping that gives reasonable M & E peace of mind for Cozumel and open waters to/from without overinsuring/spending more than I really need?

 

Your advice is most appreciated.:)

[GeezerCouple]

12% seems high for your ages, but maybe not.

 

To a great extent, it will depend upon how much coverage you need for medical and medevac, etc.

 

I'd suggest calling

TripInsuranceStore,com

 

TALK with them, don't just read the charts online.

 

You should ask specifically about "pre-existing conditions" to make sure you understand how that terminology is used for any policy that you are considering purchasing.

 

Also: do you have your own medical coverage that would include medical costs ON the ship or in Mexico?

I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that if you live in Florida, you'll have coverage for Key West.

But CHECK.

 

We hear frequently that insurance purchased through the cruise line is LESS of a good value than through third party insurers.

However, in some cases, there might be "credit" (instead of refund) that would be better with a cruise line - but that is NOT RELATED TO MEDICAL/ETC., COSTS.

 

Enjoy your trip! :)

 

DH recently had his first, and as soon as we got home, he was online, searching for more!

 

GeezerCouple

[Flafun888]

"Do you have your own medical coverage that would include medical costs ON the ship or in Mexico? I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that if you live in Florida, you'll have coverage for Key West. But CHECK."

 

I'll be calling my insurer tomorrow to ask about any coverage that may be valid while on the ship...thank you for the suggestion. Will also give trip insurance store a call as well. Somehow doubt I have coverage in Mexico, as many people seem to be saying international coverage isn't the norm anymore, but will confirm. We're definitely covered anywhere in U.S. or territories. Great input...much appreciated.

[Algebralovr]

If you just want med and evacuation, you don't necessarily need to insure the entire trip for reimbursement in case something happens before you leave. Most of the time, insurance costs a certain amount for blocks of $500. Plus, you only insure non-refundable amounts. Your $600 cruise might only have non-refundable amounts of $399, the rest being hotel service charges (gratuities) and port fees. If that is the case, just insure the $399 and don't worry about it. For that amount, we have gotten coverage for something like $25 per person. It is well worth piece of Mind!

[Flafun888]

Thanks Barb - good points. Actually $600/pp is non-refundable part - before taxes, grats, etc. Spent a FUN 2+ hours this am on the phone with insurance company, Celebrity and tripinsurance store! :confused:

 

Bottom line: my insurance already covers us in-network on any "emergency" or "urgent" care needed and acts as primary, even w/a travel policy. But with 3k deductible and not much info on evac limits, still adding a travel policy.

 

Of the 2 options, I'm leaning towards Celebrity's Cruise Care: thinking med/evac may be enough? (Remember: my only non-U.S. port is cozumel: just going to state park 10 min from ship.) Their "cancel for any reason" is inviting. We have no kids, but our pets are our "kids" (no judging! :D) My DH wouldn't go if something happened and they had to be rushed to vet. And insurance doesn't consider pets family :(

 

Anyone see a potential danger in choosing Celebrity over GA?

 

1. Global Alert $100 total: 500k evac coverage (maybe overkill?). No cancellation other than covered reasons. $140 for "cancel any reason" but must be 48 hrs before.

 

2. Celebrity's Cruise Care - $120 total. 25k evac. Refund for covered cancellations. 75% in cruise credit if canceling "for any other reason" valid towards new sailing within 12 months. Can cancel up to departure.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Flafun888

[GeezerCouple]

Thanks Barb - good points. Actually $600/pp is non-refundable part - before taxes, grats, etc. Spent a FUN 2+ hours this am on the phone with insurance company, Celebrity and tripinsurance store! :confused:

 

Bottom line: my insurance already covers us in-network on any "emergency" or "urgent" care needed and acts as primary, even w/a travel policy. But with 3k deductible and not much info on evac limits, still adding a travel policy.

 

Of the 2 options, I'm leaning towards Celebrity's Cruise Care: thinking med/evac may be enough? (Remember: my only non-U.S. port is cozumel: just going to state park 10 min from ship.) Their "cancel for any reason" is inviting. We have no kids, but our pets are our "kids" (no judging! :D) My DH wouldn't go if something happened and they had to be rushed to vet. And insurance doesn't consider pets family :(

 

Anyone see a potential danger in choosing Celebrity over GA?

 

1. Global Alert $100 total: 500k evac coverage (maybe overkill?). No cancellation other than covered reasons. $140 for "cancel any reason" but must be 48 hrs before.

 

2. Celebrity's Cruise Care - $120 total. 25k evac. Refund for covered cancellations. 75% in cruise credit if canceling "for any other reason" valid towards new sailing within 12 months. Can cancel up to departure.

 

If you have any reason (and you do!) even to think you might cancel on very short notice, then the cruise line's truly last minute 75% cruise credit is tough to beat.

The 48-hour notice for other (most?) CFAR coverage leaves a short window where who-knows-what-could-happen.

(But our biggest concern is medical and medevac. If DH had a last minute consulting gig that was SO lucrative, well... we'd eat the cruise cost, or more likely, go, and plan to spend a small fortune on internet. MUCH better for him to be calling or online with feet propped up watching the water go by than to be at his desk at home, right? :))

 

For the "best" medevac (only a very specific type of coverage, however), you might look into MedJetAssist. They have annual plans (covers domestic travel to friends, family, etc., as long as at least 150 miles from home) OR "per trip", but not so cheap for a one-time.

However, IF you are admitted as an inpatient in a hospital away from home (foreign country or across the state), they will transport you to the hospital of YOUR CHOICE, without any need to prove the current hospital "isn't good enough".

We have the annual plan now, since we travel a lot across the USA on business. And we both have medical conditions that... who knows... Annually, on a per trip basis, it isn't much at all for the comfort of "what if".

 

You DO want to be sure you've got regular medevac off ship or from shore to major hospital if necessary.

 

Note: We have NO familiarity with medevac off ships.

Others have written here on CruiseCritic that it's always free (through governmental agencies) or that it can cost 6 figures, but we just do not know, or whether "it varies".

 

That's one of those "very low probability, possibly very high cost" types of events. We'd rather have some coverage.

MedJetAssist does NOT cover this part. ONLY if you are already admitted as an "inpatient" does their coverage kick in.

 

Much of this is "to think about" if you like the cruise and plan more :D

 

GeezerCouple

[cherylandtk]

You can usually get a solid third party policy for 8-10%. CFAR coverage can double that. Cruiseline insurance on my preferred line is 8-12% (can vary if cruise cost exceeds 5K), but I get the upgraded insurance at the 8% rate from their loyalty perks.

 

Given your stated needs, with a potential CFAR need for your fur child, the Celebrity 'insurance' may be the best option. Just realize it has fewer covered reasons for medical or trip interruption and lower coverage totals. But those amounts may be fine for your Caribbean trip; maybe not for something longer or halfway across the globe. We often use cruiseline insurance for those same reasons on nearby cruises, but use third party insurance for longer trips to distant locations.

 

I tried to find the post, and of course cannot, but not too long ago an employee of a medical evacuation company said in a dozen years he had never seen a cost higher than $X, and I want to say it was something like $300K. So a 2 million or 5 million policy for evac is likely overkill. Perhaps that gives you some idea of how much coverage is likely to be needed.

 

In your case, I would take the cruiseline policy, but be aware of the limits of the policy.

[Flafun888]

Thank you both for your detailed and very helpful perspective....so kind of you to take the time to respond in depth. I'm feeling a bit better knowing my insurance does cover any non-U.S. emergencies as in-network and cruiseline pkg will be secondary vs primary...glad you also feel Celeb's pkg may be the right choice. I guess it wouldn't break me financially to eat the trip cost, but I'd still be so bummed to lose the whole $1200 should my nutty "fur child" decide to chomp on the wrong thing or find her way into trouble the night before. That's my kind of luck. :D

 

I definitely like the other policy's 500k evac coverage and would surely go that route with CFAR for a more expensive, longer, multi-port European trip I dream of taking in 2016.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Flafun888