ins.or no insurance

[sdnich]

Just wondering what the other cc people think and do ?? We are a couple getting ready to put final payment in a week or so and have not purchased insurance yet. We are both 50 in good health and our families as of now are good too.Do you spend the extra ?? Our cost is about $5000 each for a 13 day and I believe the basic is about $700 for the two of us .This will be our most expensive cruise so far and not sure what others do ?? Would love some input

[kenevenpar]

As we are now plus your age, we do buy insurance, mostly to protect in the case of medical evacuation or treatment abroad.

 

There is an area on here (CC) that discusses Insurance. I will see if I can find a link.

 

Ken

[kenevenpar]

Here is the link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[ghstudio]

Conventional wisdom would suggest that you need insurance for medical expenses outside your home country and evacuation from the ship to a hospital....because these can be very significant expenses. An Evacuation from the ship to a hospital could cost $100,000, medical expenses rise quickly...in the US, you would want a minimum of $100,000 IMHO....perhaps less outside the US. The cost to fly home from a foreign hosptal to the US on a medical jet with a doctor/nurse could well exceed $100,000.

 

The other costs you might insure are less...you can self insure baggage, trip delay (you may have to fly to the next port), and so on....some take that risk.

[jagoffee]

When are older parents were depending on us we took the insurance in case of a problem with their health requiring our help. We actually used it when my father-in-law passed away.

 

Now, we take the risk and do not buy the travel insurance. I also do not buy extended warranties or long term health care insurance.

[sptrout]

We "never leave home without it." The only reason I can think of not to have it is if a person/couple are wealthy enough to go "self-insured." If the total loss of your cruise cost, plus the much more important medical evacuation cost as others have mentioned, are not of concern to you financially, then you do not need insurance. Most of us just cannot afford to take the chance. Actually, no different than any other insurance (that is not legally required).

Edited June 26, 2015 by sptrout

[lovemylab]

I have health insurance through my work and trip cancellation/interruption through my credit card. We don't opt for additional insurance since these provide us with the coverage we need.

[ghstudio]

I have health insurance through my work and trip cancellation/interruption through my credit card. We don't opt for additional insurance since these provide us with the coverage we need.

 

Just make sure one of those covers evacuation costs from the ship to a hospital...and from a hospital to your home hospital or you are potentially self insuring yourelves for potentially well over $100,000.

Edited June 26, 2015 by ghstudio

[sptrout]

or long term health care insurance.

 

I can understand why many people do not buy long term care insurance, mainly its high costs. However, if a family member has to go into a nursing home, it can wipe most people's savings out. Nursing home costs are staggering. We had both my mother-in-law, and brother-in-law, both in nursing homes (6 total for a variety of reasons) at the same time for over five years. Luckily (or sadly) they did not have a dime to their names so Medicaid paid the entire freight, including what would have been unbelievable hospital bills. If a person goes into a nursing home, the family needs to be either very wealthy or totally bankrupt. Here in Texas, a person can have no more than $2,000 in total assets, including believe it or not, the "cash" value of any life insurance policy they may have to help bury them.

[neverbeenhere]

Was leaving this one alone... then you brought it up. There are many vehicles for planning to protect one's assets from the ravages of long term care. Insurance is just one option.

Evacuation from a cruise ship is extremely hard to anticipate.

Currently, we are not buyers of "trip insurance" but we are totally aware of the risks and have made provision for the potential cost. The future???

Edited June 26, 2015 by neverbeenhere

[Rob the Cruiser]

We always buy travel insurance. Some say travel insurance is too expensive. IMHO, any type of insurance is expensive...until you need it. Then it's a bargain.

[BullDawg91]

Just wondering what the other cc people think and do ?? We are a couple getting ready to put final payment in a week or so and have not purchased insurance yet. We are both 50 in good health and our families as of now are good too.Do you spend the extra ?? Our cost is about $5000 each for a 13 day and I believe the basic is about $700 for the two of us .This will be our most expensive cruise so far and not sure what others do ?? Would love some input

 

 

You and your families are in good health but you and they aren't immune to accidents such as tripping and falling or being in a car accident. These are the things for which you should think about insurance. Browse this board for real stories of why people have used their insurance.

 

Check with an insurance provider other the cruise line. InsureMyTrip or TripInsuranceStore for other pricing.

[gdpups]

I was on a cruise out of Ft Lauderdale several years ago with several friends and the first day of the cruise my 50 year old "healthy" friend didn't feel well. At dinner she was feeling very poorly, so after dinner I talked her into calling the infirmary and they came and got her. Seems she had a bleeding ulcer (never had one before) because she had started taking baby aspirin per Dr. OZ. Lesson learned, don't ever take aspirin on an empty stomach!

 

Long story short, luckily we were not far from Miami, so that evening she had to be air lift there because she needed a blood transfusion. She was told it could be up to $60,000 for the transport. Fortunately for her the Coast Guard was available, so there was no charge but if they weren't available they would have used a private service, so $$$. My friend didn't have travel insurance, so the main cost was the airfare for husband to come out from the West Coast, transportation, hotel bills, airfare back home, etc. so in the end they were out about $5000, so were lucky.

 

Last November after final payment for my Panama cruise my very healthy husband was misdiagnosed with a very serious medical condition. We had not purchased insurance, so if they had needed to do immediate surgery we would not have been able to go on the cruise and would have been out the cost of it.

 

I've also talked to people who have been injured on a cruise, so unfortunately things happen. I now always purchase insurance, not necessarily for the cost of the cruise but definitely to cover the cost of evacuation if necessary.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

 

I've also talked to people who have been injured on a cruise, so unfortunately things happen. I now always purchase insurance, not necessarily for the cost of the cruise but definitely to cover the cost of evacuation if necessary.

 

I agree. I could absorb the cost of a lost cruise. I could not absorb the cost of a medical evacuation and Medicare doesn't cover me when I'm out of the country.

 

[denatravels]

We always buy travel insurance. Some say travel insurance is too expensive. IMHO, any type of insurance is expensive...until you need it. Then it's a bargain.

 

 

Well put!

[Tiggertastic]

I think I must have misread, if you're healthy how is the insurance $5000 each for 13 nights. Or is it the cruise was and the insurance is $700.

 

We both are around your age, both have long term conditions that are well managed and we pay no more than $300 between us for an annual policy which includes cruises.

 

I'd always take insurance and suggest you shop around for a better quote.

 

After witnessing a medivac on our last one where a very healthy guy in his 50s had a heart attack, I wouldn't consider going without insurance.

 

Also having an annual policy covers any booked cruise taken before the renewal. We book cruises 18 months ahead so they are always booked prior to the renewal and are therefore all covered. It's a little trick that works well for covering eventualities that may happen prior to sailing.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Tiggertastic

[donaldsc]

You need medical and evacuation. Anything else depends upon how many losses you can afford.

 

DON

[lhk2010]

Is there any requirement that you declare the full cost of a trip when you buy travel insurance? Since only a fraction of our upcoming cruise costs would be covered by travel insurance in terms of our biggest risk - missed connections, for example, why pay insurance on the entire amount? If I say the cost of trip is 5,000 rather than 15,000, does that create any problems other than limiting the potential payout?

[fla gang]

Having been in the Travel Industry at one time I can tell you when a client calls you from a foreign port with a medical emergency and says what do i do, Then you have to see if there is any way to help since they declined travel insurance and they didn't get passports.

No matter how healthy you are nobody is prepared for the unexpected!

[Keith1010]

At a minimum I would get medical coverage.

 

Things can happen even if you are in good health.

 

Keith

[Suzanne123]

Is there any requirement that you declare the full cost of a trip when you buy travel insurance? Since only a fraction of our upcoming cruise costs would be covered by travel insurance in terms of our biggest risk - missed connections, for example, why pay insurance on the entire amount? If I say the cost of trip is 5,000 rather than 15,000, does that create any problems other than limiting the potential payout?

 

 

I learned this through Trip Insurance Store. Give Steve a call.

 

https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-frequently-asked-questions/#k

[Happy2cruise]

We always cover the full cost the trip and purchase it as soon as we book. For us, it's peace of mind and all base are covered (hopefully) if we ever need to file a claim.