Cruise Insurance...to buy or not to buy

[RuthlessBoss]

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.

 

Good grief, the point was the post prioritized a suitcase over health possibilities and possible unexpected deaths of loved ones, missing the ship for whatever reason.

 

These are the kind of people who come here and post how Carnival isn't fair and is not understanding that so and so died, but the cruiseline won't refund the money even though they didn't buy insurance.

Edited February 4, 2015 by RuthlessBoss

[GatorGirl57]

Good grief, the point was the post prioritized a suitcase over health possibilities and possible unexpected deaths of loved ones, missing the ship for whatever reason.

 

I was just listing one of many precautions we take, without going into personal details. There is nothing about prioritizing a suitcase over any of those issues.

[Tapi]

Personally, most things are protected on my credit card.

 

The money I save, will cover any losses that I might have so I am "self insured".

 

Your credit card insurance will not pay for everything. Read the fine print. A $50,000 evacuation may not be covered

 

Personally, I've never had to file a medical claim, but I filed one lost luggage claim and one cancellation due to work reasons. Between the two, I received refunds totaling almost $6,000. Considering that I paid roughly $40pp for the insurance, I would say that not having it would've been a pretty shortsighted decision.

 

 

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Edited February 4, 2015 by Tapi

[Tapi]

Insurance is based on fear factor. If you fear that something will happen, than get it.

 

 

For me it's based on a sense of responsibility towards myself and my family. I understand that a lot of people don't plan for the future and prefer to spend their money on other things. That's their prerogative, but I prefer not to play the odds game with the well being of my wife and children.

 

 

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[GottaLuvCruising]

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.

 

Thanks for the link, Elaine! Four good reviews on Amazon, so I almost ordered Kindle version. But found paperback on eBay and bought that.

[GottaLuvCruising]

For me it's based on a sense of responsibility towards myself and my family. I understand that a lot of people don't plan for the future and prefer to spend their money on other things. That's their prerogative, but I prefer not to play the odds game with the well being of my wife and children.

 

 

 

Same here...PLUS I worked in travel for many years and have seen and heard it all. Then of course, I read on CC of all the folks who don't take personal responsibility and then whine to the cruise line and everyone else about special consideration to which they think they are entitled.

 

Peace of mind is worth whatever I pay for travel insurance.

[jojo0356]

The insurance that I purchased is really inexpensive when you think of how much it costs if you do not have it. Even in the case of a lost suitcase! There are sites where you can do a comparison and get the coverage you want.

[thomarvin]

I recently bought insurance but only for the second time. Last year was when my son got the free cruise and you were responsible for the full fair should you be a "no show". This year I bought it too. My dad is 91 and 'anything can happen". I was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under $150 for the 4 of us. Worth it should something happen. But it is a personal choice. We used Travel*****. (cant promote carriers on here) Go to their website and figure out how much it would cost and see what is covered and base your decision on that.

[cherbear4000]

I never get the insurance. Yes I know things happen, but it is a chance I take. With as many cruises as I have been on, I have saved more than enough money to pay for at least 3 cruises with the money I save by not getting the insurance. So if I ever had to cancel last minute, I would still come out ahead. I drive to port, so no worries about airline delays and lost luggage. I have great health insurance that will cover me outside of the US.

[WildBlueYonder64]

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.

 

Being young and having no medical problems, while wonderful, is no guarantee that you will not require medical assistance while on a cruise. On our last two cruises, a 17 year old boy broke his leg while on an excursion, required hospitalization and surgery, so his parents packed up and got off the ship at that port. The other instance was a 32 year old woman with appendicitis. An ambulance met the ship when it docked, and her husband followed the gurney off the ship rolling their suitcases. Accidents do happen, no matter what your age.

[bigdog1958]

I never get the insurance. Yes I know things happen, but it is a chance I take. With as many cruises as I have been on, I have saved more than enough money to pay for at least 3 cruises with the money I save by not getting the insurance. So if I ever had to cancel last minute, I would still come out ahead. I drive to port, so no worries about airline delays and lost luggage. I have great health insurance that will cover me outside of the US.

 

You may want to check your health insurance again, to see it says that a Medivac from a cruise ship is covered. I have been in the Health Insurance business for over 30 years, and normally a health insurance policy will not cover it.. Also, if you cant prove your health insurance will cover it, you will need to have the 25,000 or more available on your credit card as they request payment up front. Obviously its your choice, but I would at least investigate to be sure you are correct about your coverage.

[sparks1093]

I recently bought insurance but only for the second time. Last year was when my son got the free cruise and you were responsible for the full fair should you be a "no show". This year I bought it too. My dad is 91 and 'anything can happen". I was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under $150 for the 4 of us. Worth it should something happen. But it is a personal choice. We used Travel*****. (cant promote carriers on here) Go to their website and figure out how much it would cost and see what is covered and base your decision on that.

 

We may mention carriers on here, so it's okay to say TravelGuard:D (which is who I usually end up insuring with after looking at policies on www.insuremytrip.com).

[john watson]

Some cruise lines seem to have obtaining adequate insurance as a condition of booking. Is this not the same in the USA? If booking from Europe you have a choice of single trip insurance; either the cruise lines or independent or Annual Travel insurance including all risks which must include all the areas you visit.

 

Seems strange if this is an option in US.

 

Regards John

[Warm Breezes]

I never get the insurance. Yes I know things happen, but it is a chance I take. With as many cruises as I have been on, I have saved more than enough money to pay for at least 3 cruises with the money I save by not getting the insurance. So if I ever had to cancel last minute, I would still come out ahead. I drive to port, so no worries about airline delays and lost luggage. I have great health insurance that will cover me outside of the US.

 

 

How much do you think insurance costs? We didn't start getting it until our 4th cruise. By our 3rd we had so many close calls where we could have needed it that we decided to invest in it on our 4th. I would say our insurance cost us an average of $100 per cruise for 2 to 4 people (kids were free). This covered the plane when we flew and cruise. We've gone on 12 cruises and had 1 cancelled due to a death in the family the day before the cruise. Since we didn't purchase it on our first 3 cruises we have paid around $1,000 in cruise insurance for 10 cruises (9 taken, 1 cancelled). The costs of our cruises and flights that we insured ranged from $1,500(some we drove to, like the one we cancelled) to $4000+. With that in mind, we haven't even paid the insurance company yet for the value of 1 cruise but we have been reimbursed $1800 for the cruise we cancelled.

 

Unless you were looking to purchase really expensive insurance, which you wouldn't need if your health insurance covers you as you said, I have a hard time believing you could have paid for 3 cruises in what you would have paid for in insurance for the 13 cruises you have listed, unless there are more you don't list. But even then for us to get back 3 cruises in saved travel insurance cost we would have to purchased insurance on a minimum of 45 cruises :eek:. In my experience it is not that expensive. But it is your choice and your risk to take. I'm not going to try to convince you to get it. I'm just pointing out that right now I am ahead of the insurance game and I am glad I get it. Even though I could afford to lose the cost of a cruise having to cancel without it, it sure was nice being able to cancel without feeling the double blow of losing a couple thousand on something we never got at a time when we were mourning the loss of a loved one.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Warm Breezes

[asalligo]

I always buy it and at the same time have never needed it.

 

Funny there is a thread trending today about a person who could not get a refund after work cancelled their time off. That could easily happen to me as my job cares nothing about my personal time. I am expected to work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as needed and cancelling time off is near the norm for them. So I have been lucky so far, but always purchase it.

[adriennerm]

Between the cost of the cruise, airfare, hotel, transfers and clothes my vacation totals roughly 6k. The cost of insurance is a drop in the bucket once you total how much the trip actually cost you.

[elsje]

Always! go to the website insuremytrip and you can get free quotes. We never buy cruise line insurance

[kristapb]

I always buy it and at the same time have never needed it.

 

Funny there is a thread trending today about a person who could not get a refund after work cancelled their time off. That could easily happen to me as my job cares nothing about my personal time. I am expected to work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as needed and cancelling time off is near the norm for them. So I have been lucky so far, but always purchase it.

 

And that person HAD purchased the insurance - but it would not Pay! Not sure if it was Carnival Insurance or outside.

[LynnTH]

Glad we have Trip Insurance our last cruise in June. DS15 fell on the basketball court (his fault) and broke his wrist in 2 spots. We went to the Ships Dr and they took x-rays and put a temporary cast on then made an appointment for us the next day in Cozumel. There we spent all day at the hospital where the took a few more sets of x-rays. Had to put DS under and rebreak his wrist so it would heal properly and then put another cast on.

 

We submitted claims to our Health Insurance when we got home. They paid for some and the Trip Insurance paid for the rest.

 

You just never know what can happen.

[ray98]

I always get the medical coverage. It is usually only $25 for the trip for my family.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

You may want to check your health insurance again, to see it says that a Medivac from a cruise ship is covered. I have been in the Health Insurance business for over 30 years, and normally a health insurance policy will not cover it.. Also, if you cant prove your health insurance will cover it, you will need to have the 25,000 or more available on your credit card as they request payment up front. Obviously its your choice, but I would at least investigate to be sure you are correct about your coverage.

 

You all do realize that someone airlifted off of a ship by the coast guard has no financial obligations to fulfill. Our taxes pay for this service. They will airlift to the "nearest" hospital. If someone wants to go somewhere else they may be billed for additional costs. No one is going to leave someone on a ship to die because they can't pay. I can't believe this old wive's tale still is flying around.

[arby70]

We have never cruised without trip insurance. It's the "what if's" that scare us. We both have insurance, but if you need air transport for something, I would be scared of the cost. With the extra insurance, I feel better; also if we can't go for health reasons or problems within the family, I know I will be covered. If the cruise isn't that costly, maybe you feel it wouldn't be worth it. Again, personal preference.

[sparks1093]

You all do realize that someone airlifted off of a ship by the coast guard has no financial obligations to fulfill. Our taxes pay for this service. They will airlift to the "nearest" hospital. If someone wants to go somewhere else they may be billed for additional costs. No one is going to leave someone on a ship to die because they can't pay. I can't believe this old wive's tale still is flying around.

 

While this is true the Coast Guard won't be airlifting anyone from a port and that is where the expense comes in.

[Tapi]

You all do realize that someone airlifted off of a ship by the coast guard has no financial obligations to fulfill. Our taxes pay for this service. I can't believe this old wive's tale still is flying around.

 

You do know that the U.S. Coast Guard is not coming to airlift you anywhere you go around the world, right? If you happen to be within their reach or jurisdiction, great. But what if you're not?

 

 

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Edited February 4, 2015 by Tapi

[L&J]

I have insurance through my credit card that all of our travel gets booked on and also through my employer. So I don't actually buy it per se but we do have coverage when we travel.