To Insure or not to Insure?

[mickeymotto]

What are everyones thoughts on this topic. Do you believe in Insuring your cruise, why or why not? :cool:

[Momto5boys]

Yes...better to be safe than sorry! Especially if your medical policy doesn't cover evacuation or medical treatment outside of the US. And you never know what might happen to prevent you from cruising and losing your non-refundable plane tickets and cruisefare. But my main reason for getting travel insurance is for medical coverage. The baggage coverage, AD&D, etc. is just a bonus.

[voyagerfl]

I vote for insurance.

I hate adding the cost to the cruise. And did quite a few without it.

But when you weigh it out......The piece of mind is worth it.

 

x

[WazAnOkie]

It's a gamble whether you need it or not. But I would rather gamble and lose the cost of the insurance, instead of gambling without it and losing everything.

[KruznKel]

Yes.. but not thru Carnival.. piece of mind!!:) The cost is minimal compared to having something happen with no insurance..

[BrendaB1]

Yes, but not thru TA. I have been using www.insuremytrip.com Never had to use it but feel better knowing I have it, especially after all the recent hurricanes.

 

I recently found out the hard way when booking a last minute weekend trip to New Orleans. Bad weather in Atlanta caused flight delays everywhere causing me to miss my connection & leaving me stranded in airport all night. If I had paid the few extra dollars on Priceline, I would have had a hotel, transportation & food & been reimbursed. Lesson learned. :D

[Eliot Ness]

Yes, for a small price it offers us peace of mind in case something happens (illness, death in the family, cancellations, etc.). If nothing else, the medical evacuation portion is well worth having.

 

John

[cherylandtk]

I insure, but with another party, not the cruiseline. I usually book a long time in advance, but even so, medical problems or family illnesses can occur any time.

[Goldryder]

I insure my entire holiday with an external insurer, not the one connected with the holiday company or cruiseline.

 

I would never ever go on holiday, even for a couple of nights, without full cover as you never know whats around the next corner that might scupper your plans, delay arrivals or whatever.

[silentbob007]

The price of independent insurace is much more reasonable that that offered through a cruiseline ... thus making the decision that much easier.

[finoky]

We have sailed seven times previously without purchasing insurance. That's a lot of times to roll the dice and come out ahead. Given how cheap it is I am not so sure it is worth the risk anymore. Our next cruise is in April and we will be purchasing the insurance for the first time.

[hdawson]

Always insured. I never leave the US without travel insurance. Headed to the Mexican Yucatan interior in less than three weeks, fully insured.

[cluemeister]

I went to insuremytrip.com, and was presented a list of about 25 options. Yikes! What do you guys recommend for minimum insurance?

[docksider21]

Hi

 

I always use TravelGuard. At a minimum, I would buy the medical, medical evac, etc. coverage. With Travel Guard you can do this two ways. You can by the Cruise policy but set the cost of the trip to zero. This means you get no cancellation coverage, but you get the emergency coverages. Or they have a separate "last minute" policy with emergency coverages only.

 

I usually use a "split the difference" approach. I buy the Cruise coverage but set the cost of my trip at about half. This way I get the emergency coverages I want, I have premium compared to bring full coverage on the full price, and in the event of cancellation I will still get half of my vacation cost back. Yes, I might lose half, too, but I figure that the chances of cancellation are small, and at one-half, the size of the loss is one I can stand. Especially since I will be saving on the premiums which adds up.

 

Good Luck

[big_duck]

Put me down in the Insure, but not with the Cruiseline camp.

[klfrodo]

Put me down for yes. It's just part of my cruise costs.

 

Since I live in the Northwest and cruise out of the Southeast, my air travel and hotel costs are high. Along with the costs of the cruise,,,, I just can't afford to eat that kind of investment. Plus as mentioned, Air Evac or medical needs while at sea or in a foreign country,, I can't afford NOT to get coverage.

 

Now, on the other hand my wife and I are getting ready to leave for Vegas in a couple of days. I've only got around $700 invested in that trip. Air and Hotel. I have no coverage. If something happens I can afford to eat that. My medical is good in the States, so I'm good there.

 

I also go thru and recommend Travelgard. On one of my cruises I lost or misplaced my wedding band. After my claim was submitted, I received a check for $500 about a month later. BTW: $500 was the max amount of coverge for jewelry. Didin't cover full replacement, but it helped.

[zydecocruiser]

I don't buy travel insurance. I do have an annual medical policy that covers me anytime I am 150 miles or more from my house and regular medical for when I'm not.

 

The biggest part of the premium trip insurance is for trip cancellation. For most (all?) policies, this is only if YOU cancel the trip for a covered reason, not if the the cruise line cancels or relocates the cruise, which is what has happened with the hurricanes we have had this year.

 

More and more, you will see alcohol exclusions on the medical portion - if you are drunk and hurt yourself, all bets are off.

 

Like all insurance, either the premiums go up or the coverage goes down. If the premium you pay today is the same as you paid in the past, and coverage is the same, that kinda tells you you paid too much, doesn't it?

 

Be sure you read the policy and understand what you are purchasing before you buy. Things aren't always what they seem.

[bills blasters]

I plan to use insuremytrip.com, but am confused as to what policy to use. Does anyone know what is similar to the policy supplied by Carnival. Last cruise we insured through Carnival, but it looks like we can get it a lot cheaper going elsewhere. Also, do you include the price of the entire trip, cruise, airfare and hotel, or just the price of the cruise.

This is all very confusing to me. :confused: Don't want to get more insurance than is necessary.

Hope some experienced cruiser out there can help me out.

[klfrodo]

I include the price of the ENTIRE trip. From the time I leave the house to the time I walk back in the door.

[Catrin]

I never bought Trip Insurance .... until this trip. For some reason, with all the crazy things happening (hurricanes, wars etc) I figured an extra hundred bucks added on to the price of my cruise is worth peace of mind.

 

Catrin

[laura2161]

Question:

I am making my final payment on Monday October 3rd. Do I need to purchase my insurance before final payment is made or can I wait til next month? Not sure how that works......

 

The last two times I just got it with Carnival- I dont want to get it through carnival this time.

 

Laura

[GOTTA CRUISE NOW]

I never got the insurance 'till last October when we booked our Miracle cruise. Little did I know that I'd need it. My Mom passed away the night before we were to leave. Needless to say, we wouldn't have gone anyway, but the insurance was a blessing during a rotten time in my life. This time I booked online & the trip insurance was included. NICE!!!

[KShea]

Never had travel insurance before....3 cruises and many other vacations.

For some reason I did get it this time for our cruise next month and I hope it is just a waste of money and I won't have to use it. It was ony about $90 bucks more. I feel better having it. I'll just have to cut down on a few beers....on second thought...screw that...I'll cut something else out...lol

[hdawson]

Peace of mind is never a waste of money.

[jerseygirl3]

We always purchase the insurance. We were on the Caribbean Princess last week, and I had to pay a visit to the ship's doctor for an ear problem. They gave me an itemized bill to submit. Also, my husband bought me a Swarovski necklace and bracelet set while on the ship, the necklace was stolen from my suitcase at the airport (they were in separate little pouches, or else they probably would have taken both). I have learned my lesson not to place anything of importance in my checked luggage, but I mentioned it to the rep at Travelex when I called to get a claim form to submit my bill for the doctor's visit. She said the necklace would be covered as well. It was $48 well spent to get the insurance.