Cruise Insurance...to buy or not to buy

[countrygirlcruiser1234]

We alway purchase cruise insurance, especially during hurricane season, We are looking to cruise in May on the Breeze, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel...is it worth the money or just wing it without this time. I should also add that we always cruise with the kids and this time will be kid free.

[hftmrock]

in my opinion, if you can afford the insurance, that is what you should do. things can go wrong and you just never know. I would look at outside insurance instead of carnival insurance since its much cheaper.

 

you need to do what you feel is best but there is always horror stories on this site about people that couldn't go or had some sort of issue that didn't get insurance and there is not much they can do.

[funinthesun1964]

I buy insurance on my own. This covers luggage, health issues and more. Our health insurance does not cover outside of the US so in the event of getting hurt or needing medical at one of the ports, we would need it. I always make sure the insurance is primary coverage also, so I wouldn't have to wait for a claim to be submitted, then denied, then paid. To me it's worth it. You just never know what is going to happen.

[RuthlessBoss]

I don't understand why you'd consider not getting insurance this time:confused: Just because you plan to be kid free doesn't mean nothing could happen to cause a disruption in any way.

 

I'll admit I didn't buy it for my last cruise and I had that fear of something happening from the minute I left home going to the port. Never again;)

[Tapi]

I don't get it. Why are you considering sailing without insurance?

 

 

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[l2f]

We always get it. We figure it as part of the vacation cost.

[Warm Breezes]

Hurricanes aren't the only reason to get insurance. We buy insurance and have used it once when DGM passed away the day before we were to sail. It made it a lot easier to turn around and go home to mourn with family knowing we could rebook our family vacaton at a later date without any additional cost.

[bigdog1958]

We alway purchase cruise insurance, especially during hurricane season, We are looking to cruise in May on the Breeze, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel...is it worth the money or just wing it without this time. I should also add that we always cruise with the kids and this time will be kid free.

 

I always buy insurance, but not for cancel reasons. I can afford the money I spent for the cruise. What I cant afford is 20,000 to be medevac off the cruise ship.

[countrygirlcruiser1234]

Carnival cruise insurance is always the way we have gone, its expensive. Maybe i just need the names or websites of other companys to research prices other than carnival.

[GatorGirl57]

We do not get insurance. It is a risk I am willing to take. We have been on eight cruises so far without insurance. We also take certain precautions - ie, we know we don't want to replace our bags, so we never check them on an airplane or leave them outside our door. We are young, so medical problems, although possible, are unlikely.

[Elaine5715]

You get travel insurance for the medical coverage. Health insurances are rarely good outside the US. A simple trip and fall could lead to bankruptcy.

[kicia]

The only time we bought insurance was for two of our European cruises, otherwise we do not. Since we have about 57 cruises and have only needed it once for a piece of damaged luggage (that happened on one of the European cruises) we feel that we are ahead of the game by self-insuring. We have great medical insurance that will cover us outside of the US and will pay for a medevac if needed. Dollar cost averaging works well but we cruise 4 to 7 times per year, mostly driving distance in Florida and can usually get good pricing so it would not break us if we had to cancel one. Hopefully that will never happen. We are thinking about trying to get a cancellation only policy for Alaska this summer since my mother-in-law will be 96 at the time and you never know.

 

Everyone has to make the decision for themselves and I think the major consideration would be medical and evacuation insurance. If we didn't have that, I would certainly be more likely to purchase a policy.

[elliair]

I've cruised enough to see what can happen on a cruise. We had 4 people die on our recent cruise. Two people fell and broke their arm, and one sprained their ankle. Three people were taken off the ship and sent by ambulance to the hospital at two different ports. Even though you think you are healthy and don't have any children on your cruise with you, anything can happen. Young or old, you are not immune.

 

For the first time in my cruising life, I may have to cancel our May cruise. My mother is in the hospital, she's 91. I don't know what's going to happen to her. I have trip insurance including cancelling for any reason. I'd rather lose what I paid for the insurance than lose $4000.

[HollandAvery]

Considering the time you are sailing, there aren't many risks unless you have to cancel for whatever reason or something happens to your luggage.

It just depends on how much you worry about the 'risks' of sailing without insurance.

 

We are sailing at the end of November and I will not be purchasing travel insurance. I also am not sailing with a passport. I guess I'm a big risk taker to some. It really just depends on how comfortable you are with taking risks.

 

Personally, I would be even more than comfortable skipping out on insurance for your sail date.

[Havingfun2010]

Insurance is based on fear factor. If you fear that something will happen, than get it. Personally, most things are protected on my credit card, and my health insurance will cover international events. The money I save, will cover any losses that I might have so I am "self insured".

[RuthlessBoss]

We do not get insurance. It is a risk I am willing to take. We have been on eight cruises so far without insurance. We also take certain precautions - ie, we know we don't want to replace our bags, so we never check them on an airplane or leave them outside our door. We are young, so medical problems, although possible, are unlikely.

 

Good for you. Do you have parents, grandparents, airplane connections, snow,? You must have some super valuable stuff in those bags to guard them that close. I guess you never plan to fall, have family illness or emergencies. Just because you've lucked out so far, doesn't mean luck won't run out. I doubt if anyone enjoys paying extra for insurance, but it is reassuring to have.

[GottaLuvCruising]

We alway purchase cruise insurance, especially during hurricane season, We are looking to cruise in May on the Breeze, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel...is it worth the money or just wing it without this time. I should also add that we always cruise with the kids and this time will be kid free.

 

ALWAYS buy travel insurance. Would you drive a car without insurance? Own a home without it? If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. Too damn risky. Read the threads from folks who took that chance and lost.

[GatorGirl57]

Good for you. Do you have parents, grandparents, airplane connections, snow,? You must have some super valuable stuff in those bags to guard them that close. I guess you never plan to fall, have family illness or emergencies. Just because you've lucked out so far, doesn't mean luck won't run out. I doubt if anyone enjoys paying extra for insurance, but it is reassuring to have.

 

No need to be rude about it. One of the reasons people say to get travel insurance is to protect your bags and their contents. A post just the other day went on about how their luggage was dropped in the ocean. That will not be happening to me, because I self-assist off the boat. Of course I have loved ones, but I am not their primary caregiver. There is a possibility my niece will be born while I am gone - well, oh well. I am glad you find it reassuring, I don't need the reassurance.

Edited February 4, 2015 by GatorGirl57

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I rarely get trip insurance but then I charge everything on a credit card that covers most trip related insurance claims. Also, my extended family is healthy, my job is secure, and I (knock on wood) am not accident prone. You need to make sure that psychologically you are OK if you have to forego your trip since they aren't refundable and for peace of mind you have "paid" for it before you leave so if you don't make it you aren't ultimately still paying for something that was a "nothing".

 

Check your individual insurance, read all "travel insurance" documents thoroughly before purchasing (some don't cover the little stuff that tends to pop up), review your home owners or renters insurance, make sure the deductibles aren't so high that insurance wouldn't cover small claims. 90% of peeps don't get travel insurance so prices do tend to be high.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Good for you. Do you have parents, grandparents, airplane connections, snow,? You must have some super valuable stuff in those bags to guard them that close. I guess you never plan to fall, have family illness or emergencies. Just because you've lucked out so far, doesn't mean luck won't run out. I doubt if anyone enjoys paying extra for insurance, but it is reassuring to have.

 

It's reassuring for YOU to have! And lots of people travel with expensive stuff, not necessarily as to monetary value but because things aren't always easy to replace or they do have sentimental value. Not all things are the same for all people.

[tkportersat]

I read a story recently about a guy that got in an ATV accident while on a cruise...no insurance. Insurance would help offset bills, help to fly you home if there was an emergency and a billion other things.

 

I was in 4th grade when my appendix ruptured, age doesn't mean anything. Medical emergencies can happen at any age. Here is another scenario...2 weeks before my March 2011 cruise my 10 month old got a blood infection from an ear infection and was in the hospital for a week. What if that would have happened if we were already on the cruise? Airlift, foreign hospital, medical bills, flights home, etc. Those expenses would ruin most people....It only takes one time.

 

We do not get insurance. It is a risk I am willing to take. We have been on eight cruises so far without insurance. We also take certain precautions - ie, we know we don't want to replace our bags, so we never check them on an airplane or leave them outside our door. We are young, so medical problems, although possible, are unlikely.

[sparks1093]

This is a personal decision and it really impacts no one other than the person making the decision. The main reason that I obtain travel insurance is because a medevac is so expensive- I don't have $30k to $50k just hanging around waiting to be used. Second reason is that while my health insurance does provide coverage while traveling out of the country it only does so if the provider is a preferred provider and the last thing I want to do in a foreign country is worry about that.

[Surfwench]

Travel insurance premiums are so low, I don't understand why everyone doesn't cover themselves for the unexpected. My main concern is medical and medevac coverage... so if you are lucky enough to have a medical policy that includes the two then it may make sense to consider yourself self-insured. I could care less about my luggage or clothes. Hubs and I have a joke about cruising... boarding pass, passport, credit card... everything else is optional and can be purchased once on board.

[Elaine5715]

http://holidaysos.com/

This is a book written by a doctor who was employed by a travel insurance company to go fetch those who were injured or sick while on vacation. The cost of travel insurance can be the best investment you ever make.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Elaine5715
wrong link

[Tapi]

Travel insurance premiums are so low, I don't understand why everyone doesn't cover themselves for the unexpected.

 

 

Because a lot of people have the "it will never happen to mentality". Chances are that they are right, but if you cruise enough, it will happen.

 

 

 

 

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