Cruise Insurance

[littlelulu01]

I assume that was not trip cancellation in that price.

 

It was $148 for two adults for the gold plan. Purchased the day after I put deposit down so it also includes pre existing conditions and a couple other things. No special pricing- booked directly with travel guard. The way I understand is that I need to insure all non refundable costs. Used miles for airfare so that's not insurable. Hotels are refundable. So are taxes and port fees and so I only had to include the cruise fare. If I needed to cancel at the last minute, past final payment and for a covered reason,I will be refunded the cruise fare and only be out the redeposit fee for Avios. I also put a deposit down on a couple other lines just in case something happens with this booking. The same policy will cover if I switch to celebrity or HAL sailings for same dates. I will need to let travel guard know of the new price if I switch. The gold plan I currently have coverage is up to a certain amount for cruise fare. Should I upgrade cabin closer to sailing and cost bumps me up to next level I pay the difference. Purchased policy almost a year in advance. A lot can happen with ships itinerary which is why I chose a sailing that had a few different options with other lines. The insurance plan covers from the time we leave until we return home so also cover land portion of our trip.

 

When we went this year it was $238 total for three for the same plan. Supposedly big box ta has special pricing with travel guard and I purchased through them. We were gone almost a month with the two week cruise so cost was huger even though my kids are much younger and I assume less expensive to insure than husband who I'm traveling with next year.

Edited December 20, 2015 by littlelulu01

[hbe]

That may be well and good, but does it also cover some form of medical insurance, in the event you were to suffer a medical emergency? A medical emergency could well cost several thousand dollars.

 

Bank of Montreal (BMO) World Elite MasterCard and their Air Miles MasterCard both offer medical, cancellation and interruption insurance. Their cancellation and interruption insurance is up to $5000.00/trip. I'm not sure if that's per person or total.

[luvtheships]

I purchased a travel guard policy for our two week med cruise this year and it paid off in ways I hadn't thought of. Our luggage didn't arrive in Pisa. We lucked out and got it back the night before the cruise departure from Venice but had a few days with no luggage. We were able to purchase clothes and personal supplies in Florence. I submitted the receipts upon returning and they reimbursed me. I had my iPhone 6 stolen in Doges Palace. They also covered that cost. The concierge service was excellent. Mine checked the status of bag return and arranged the return. I had her email me daily status reports. When my luggage finally arrived at the airport they weren't going to deliver it to my hotel in Florence due to a holiday but travel guard argued for me and made it happen. Just those two very common occurrences more than paid for the policy.

 

 

 

A few passengers had falls in Turkey and had to be transferred via ambulance. There's stupid things your kids do too like walking through ruins while texting. One of mine did that and took a nasty spill. Luckily just scraped up but could easily have been worse. Then there's Greece. When we were there the hospitals were closed due to a strike. A passenger needed medical care in Corfu and had to pay 6k cash to a private doctor.

 

 

 

Americans are easy targets in Europe. Add some jet lag and make a mistake of setting a phone or camera or bag down and it will be taken. Dd had studied abroad the entire year and was never a victim of petty crime but she didn't stick out like I did. There were a few kids at her university in Florence that were mugged though. In most instances it was late at night after drinking and all victims were boys. I'm pretty sure my US medical insurance didn't cover for abroad. We had to purchase a plan for dd in order to get her visa. I was still glad I purchased cruise insurance on top of it though.

 

 

 

My next two week med cruise insurance costs was $148. Small price to pay.

 

 

My college kid is traveling to Berlin and Amsterdam at spring break[emoji79]and I told her the other day I was paying for an insurance policy for her for the week. She prepaid airfare so I will cover that amount in the policy. They haven't booked hotels or rail fare yet but I'll add in the cost of the rail tix and 1 night hotel deposits. I'm getting a policy that is Covering a grand total of approx $1000 in non refundable costs. The trip of course is on her dime but I am paying for the insurance approx $75

 

It's not the airfare I'm worried about....its medical and theft/loss and emergencies delays etc that I'm concerned about.

Edited December 20, 2015 by luvtheships

[Merriem]

It was $148 for two adults for the gold plan. Purchased the day after I put deposit down so it also includes pre existing conditions and a couple other things. No special pricing- booked directly with travel guard. The way I understand is that I need to insure all non refundable costs. Used miles for airfare so that's not insurable. Hotels are refundable. So are taxes and port fees and so I only had to include the cruise fare. If I needed to cancel at the last minute, past final payment and for a covered reason,I will be refunded the cruise fare and only be out the redeposit fee for Avios. I also put a deposit down on a couple other lines just in case something happens with this booking. The same policy will cover if I switch to celebrity or HAL sailings for same dates. I will need to let travel guard know of the new price if I switch. The gold plan I currently have coverage is up to a certain amount for cruise fare. Should I upgrade cabin closer to sailing and cost bumps me up to next level I pay the difference. Purchased policy almost a year in advance. A lot can happen with ships itinerary which is why I chose a sailing that had a few different options with other lines. The insurance plan covers from the time we leave until we return home so also cover land portion of our trip.

 

When we went this year it was $238 total for three for the same plan. Supposedly big box ta has special pricing with travel guard and I purchased through them. We were gone almost a month with the two week cruise so cost was huger even though my kids are much younger and I assume less expensive to insure than husband who I'm traveling with next year.

 

I don't know what your cruise cost, but I guess that doesn't cover for cancel for any reason..we don't take that...but the medical evacuation , missed connections, etc is what is important to us. Also the medical evacuation we do not have to pay and then be reimbursed. We have only purchased travel insurance 1 other time in 40 cruises. It was in Vietnam. This upcoming is South America and as I said all we are concerned about if the medical and missed connections.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Merriem

[littlelulu01]

My college kid is traveling to Berlin and Amsterdam at spring break[emoji79]and I told her the other day I was paying for an insurance policy for her for the week. She prepaid airfare so I will cover that amount in the policy. They haven't booked hotels or rail fare yet but I'll add in the cost of the rail tix and 1 night hotel deposits. I'm getting a policy that is Covering a grand total of approx $1000 in non refundable costs. The trip of course is on her dime but I am paying for the insurance approx $75

 

It's not the airfare I'm worried about....its medical and theft/loss and emergencies delays etc that I'm concerned about.

 

You might want to look into her university plans with the study abroad office. I know they just cover medical but it can be really inexpensive. They don't necessarily need to be a study abroad student to purchase into the school plan. Since the university may have campuses in various countries they also carry group plans that cost a fraction of what I would pay.

 

With plans like travel guard gold, pretty much their standard plan, they cover up to 25k per person medical, 50k emergency evacuation pp.... You can google the plans to see what else they cover. if you want more coverage you can add options like cancel for any reason, hospital of choice, increased pp amounts... And pay more for the policy. For anything like theft, trip interrupt, missed flights, we had to pay upfront and then apply for refund. So even though they give $300 per person for delay bags, 1k for lost bag.... I had to pay upfront so didn't go on some spending spree just in case insurance denied claim. Not sure how the medical works and if I would have to pay upfront if needed. I think in those cases the travel guard people negotiate for you. But I've read of people who needed to pay upfront for ships dr service and then get reimbursed. Can't imagine they'll expect pay upfront prior to an ambulance ride though if you have a policy and card. Rick Steves does a good job explaining the basics on his website.

 

I wanted a standard insurance plan for medical because that's where I feel I could lose the most if something happened abroad. The $150 airline change fees, perhaps a lost first night hotel room fee if no show are not worth insuring to me but may be to someone else. My kids have received excellent medical care in Italy in the past so I don't feel that evacuation to hospital of choice is worth the extra to me but may be worth it to someone else.

 

Mileage airfares can't even be added to coverage because it would be too hard for them to value the miles. Nothing refundable can be added to coverage.

If we do get stranded and need to purchase last min airfare, the travel guard people will arrange for a ticket at a negotiated price. i booked a low cost cruise fare for my next med sailing knowing that I very may upgrade and then need to pay more for the policy.

 

The pre existing condition thing is included if purchase fifteen days of putting down deposit. That is also confusing. I thought it wasn't necessary because we don't have anything like high blood pressure or illness but after reading more about it I felt it was worth having even for a healthy person.

[Kingofwylietx]

My cruise leaves Feb 29th. I have been thinking allot about weather delaying our flight as we booked it for the same day (we fly in to miami at 1030am).

 

Does anyone recommend getting travel insurance just in case or should we roll the dice?

 

We have done it both ways. We are less worried about missing the boat, because we always arrive a day early. That gives a nice buffer and keeps your first day from being hectic and stressful. I would be more inclined to take insurance in the winter, when there are more weather related travel delays.

 

Insurance seems to run about 10% of the cruise fare, from my experience (depends heavily on how much coverage you select).

 

If it is summer and my wife and I go....no insurance. But, take a more expensive trip and include our younger kids (who are much more likely to have an accident or get sick).....we get insurance.

 

It's really not accurate to say you will lose the cost of a trip without insurance. Since the money is already spent, you can't 'lose' it. However, note that paying $10K to hang out in your departure city because you missed the ship would be a real bummer. Either way, the money is spent....

 

If you get insurance, make sure you know what will be covered. Remember, when you get insurance.....they are betting that nothing will go wrong, you are the one expecting problems.

 

Either way, I'd change that flight so I could arrive the day prior to departure.

[littlelulu01]

I don't know what your cruise cost, but I guess that doesn't cover for cancel for any reason..we don't take that...but the medical evacuation , missed connections, etc is what is important to us. Also the medical evacuation we do not have to pay and then be reimbursed. We have only purchased travel insurance 1 other time in 40 cruises. It was in Vietnam. This upcoming is South America and as I said all we are concerned about if the medical and missed connections.

 

It doesn't cover cancel for any reason. It was considerably more for that add on. Their website has a comparison tool that explains the different plans. I figured it best to start with the standard gold travel guard plan and then can add more later. I think that things like gratuity on packages, dining plans... DSC are also refundable if you cancel at the last minute so I didn't add those into insured costs. They're probably not refundable once the cruise has commenced so not sure if I was right in excluding them. I've read about nightmare cases where people were denied claims because they were off by $10 on the cruise fare so I intend to make sure I have an exact and correct amount insured before we depart.

[Grandpaul]

I have my own insurance. I have an account where I put the money I would have spent on insurance into the account. My health insurance covers just about anything so this account covers the rest if it ever happens. I also put money I would have spent for extended guarantees in it. Something my Father taught me and he was right again. The cruise lines make money on that insurance payment so why don't I do it?

[Merriem]

I have my own insurance. I have an account where I put the money I would have spent on insurance into the account. My health insurance covers just about anything so this account covers the rest if it ever happens. I also put money I would have spent for extended guarantees in it. Something my Father taught me and he was right again. The cruise lines make money on that insurance payment so why don't I do it?

 

It is always good to put money away, but the big expenses are evacuation which worry us. It has nothing to do with age, anyone could need to be evacuated and that is very expensive.

[luvtheships]

I have my own insurance. I have an account where I put the money I would have spent on insurance into the account. My health insurance covers just about anything so this account covers the rest if it ever happens. I also put money I would have spent for extended guarantees in it. Something my Father taught me and he was right again. The cruise lines make money on that insurance payment so why don't I do it?

 

 

I dont buy extended warranties either as that is basically just the salespersons commission. Lol

 

However the peace of mind in knowing that I can make a phone call and the insurance company will act as my liaison is priceless

 

Not sure how anyone could arrange their own evac transport or medical anyway in say Prague or Athens if they are sick or injured

 

Since insurance is sold in $500 increments I think I will up mine by $500 or so just in case and it will cost me pennies to do so in the scheme of life.

[Lazz]

I have recently been reading that is is now being recommended that the travel insurance include non-medical evacuation situations, such as civil unrest, war, or being thrown out of the country. Has anyone heard of this or even been covered for these situations?

[luvtheships]

I have recently been reading that is is now being recommended that the travel insurance include non-medical evacuation situations, such as civil unrest, war, or being thrown out of the country. Has anyone heard of this or even been covered for these situations?

 

 

That's been available to cover for years via trip insurance. In my experience though the policy had to be purchased within the 10 to 14 day window and the terrorism needed to occur within a mile of the city you are visiting

 

 

I haven't looked further into it yet but when I perused the policy I'm buying my college kid for her trip to Berlin and Amsterdam I saw something mentioned about it

 

I hope I can cover it now as she bought the tix 330 days out

[luvtheships]

Ok so I just did some research and the terrorism clause differs from policy to policy company to company

 

One thing to note is that the terrorism must occur after you buy the policy not before

 

So the way I read it if you were traveling to Paris say in the spring and just now decided to buy a policy you wouldn't be covered for terrorism in that city for your spring trip because the terrorism already happened however if you buy a policy now and something were to happen from now until your trip you are covered because you already bought the policy

 

Also it looks like the U.S. Govt must declare it an act of terrorism fir insurance to kick in

 

Regardless I always buy a policy and always will

 

I do see though that the terrorism clause is no longer in the 14 day window which is good

[roboclam]

We are cruising in Jan of 2017, how far out is it advisable to book travel insurance...???I have all intentions of, just not sure when...???

Thanks, Rob

[pieshops]

We are cruising in Jan of 2017, how far out is it advisable to book travel insurance...???I have all intentions of, just not sure when...???

Thanks, Rob

 

It is always cheaper the closer to the time you booked, you can wait as long as the day before (I have done this so please don't anyone tell me you can't) but you will pay a lot more then originally booked

[roboclam]

Thank you for that quick response, we are 13 months out, thought I'd get it done (2016) sometime in the winter...Appreciate the help...

Rob

[vince_g]

It is always cheaper the closer to the time you booked, you can wait as long as the day before (I have done this so please don't anyone tell me you can't) but you will pay a lot more then originally booked

 

 

There may be some plans where coverage is less expensive if purchased early on, but this is not true for plans like Travel Guard. They only base the premium on the traveler's age and the length of the trip. I just called Travel Guard to confirm this, since of course I am interested in saving money. They did mention that if insurance is purchased close to, or at time of booking, there could be coverage for preexisting conditions, and that you could also get a cancel for any reason policy.

 

In general though, most plans like Travel Guard or Roam Right do not base premium on when the policy is purchase.

[N2Mischief]

Insurance covers A LOT of things - we always purchase it when we cruise.

 

 

Yes, A LOT, is two words:D

 

We always purchase it as well. Worth the peace of mind!

[1stTIMECRUZER]

We purchase trip insurance as well. It saved us several thousand last year when a family member became seriously ill right before our cruise.