Are you more apt to insure.....

[lahlah57]

......with your cruiseline or an outside carrier? It seems like the outside private carriers are cheaper with better coverage. Does the TA make money when subscribing to the cruiselines insurance carrier?

[Shmoo here]

......with your cruiseline or an outside carrier? It seems like the outside private carriers are cheaper with better coverage. Does the TA make money when subscribing to the cruiselines insurance carrier?

 

It's almost always a better option to purchase third party insurance, instead of the cruise line insurance.

[Keith1010]

Usually another provider other than the cruise line. With that said, we carefully look at the cruise line plan and compare it with all the other vendors we would consider and then make our decision.

 

Keith

[sirwired]

There are two instances in which cruise-line insurance makes sense:

 

1) You want an inexpensive CFAR rider. (May only be good for cruise credit, but I know HAL provides a 90% cash CFAR.)

2) You are elderly, but otherwise in good health, and the generally limited medical coverage doesn't bother you. (3rd-party policies are generally age-priced, while cruise-line policies are not.)

[sail7seas]

I always would choose third party insurance over cruise line's.

 

[donaldsc]

......with your cruiseline or an outside carrier? It seems like the outside private carriers are cheaper with better coverage. Does the TA make money when subscribing to the cruiselines insurance carrier?

 

Almost anything that you buy from an external vendor including insurance is a better deal than what you get from the cruise line.

 

DON

[Happy2cruise]

Also outside carrier as the policy we get covers so much more, from the time we leave our front door to the time we return.

[lahlah57]

Okay sounds good. Will go thru "insure my trip" to find one which will best benefit us.....thanks!!!

[cargo13]

Agree. Its better to go direct to the travel insurance company because if you have a claim, you will be referred directly to the travel insurance company anyway. TA or cruise line cannot act on a claim.

 

Here is TOP 10 for travel insurance. We went with #1 CSA

 

http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

[GeezerCouple]

Agree. Its better to go direct to the travel insurance company because if you have a claim, you will be referred directly to the travel insurance company anyway. TA or cruise line cannot act on a claim.

 

Here is TOP 10 for travel insurance. We went with #1 CSA

 

http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

We never use the cruise line's insurance; always 3rd party.

 

But to find what works for *YOUR* needs, we'd strongly recommend dealing with an insurance broker like

 

TripInsuranceStore.com

 

They were very patient with us at first, when we were true newbies to all of this, and helped us weed out policies or specific benefits that we didn't need and shouldn't be paying for.

 

what matters is what *you* need, as there are very different benefits/levels to the different insurers and often policies within each insurer's offerings.

 

We've had two large claims, and Steve helped us with the claims.

In one case, it was straightforward, but in the second, it was a rather unusual situation, and we didn't even know whether it would be covered. He checked with the insurer on our behalf, and told us how to make the claim. Sure enough, that was the right way, but we probably wouldn't have realized that. We didn't think it was covered, but emailed him from overseas when the dust settled, and within 24 hours, he got back to us not to worry, we'd have the significant and extra expenses covered.

 

They "vet" the companies they use, and don't deal with some of those you'll read about that have "trouble when it's claim time".

 

We used TravelInsured for all but the most recent trip (and had both claims handled without difficulty).

For the most recent trip, because we didn't get the insurance within the 2 weeks needed with TI (to get the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusion), we used CSA. The coverage wasn't quite as good, but "good enough" to help if it had been needed. (And CSA would not have worked at all for a few other trips!)

 

Don't just read their website policy summaries, call them.

They'll ask some questions to help you find the best fit for your needs (e.g., sick/aging relative? your age? pre-existing medical conditions? etc...).

Importantly, they've occasionally explained why we did *not* need certain coverage, and saved us the money.

 

There is no extra cost to use a broker.

Insurance in the USA is regulated, and the commission is paid by the broker, not you. Your costs are the same whether you purchase from a broker or from the insurer direct.

[iamtrustworthy]

Agree. Its better to go direct to the travel insurance company because if you have a claim, you will be referred directly to the travel insurance company anyway. TA or cruise line cannot act on a claim.

 

Here is TOP 10 for travel insurance. We went with #1 CSA

 

http://travel-insurance-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

Hi cargo13,

 

> Its better to go direct to the travel insurance company because if you have a claim, you will be referred directly to the travel insurance company anyway

 

Unfortunately, for the most part, what you state tends to be true. But not always. There are agents out there who do take responsibility for what they sell and they will get involved with the claims process.

 

One of my pet peeves is when someone has a claim, the person / company who sold them the policy, and who collected a commission for that sale, then tells the customer "you have to work with the insurance company".

 

Technically that's true, but if that's how the travel insurance seller is going to be, what's the benefit of working with them in the first place?

 

I hope this helps you,

 

Steve