Trave Insurance - Worth it?

[CJHAN]

Hi Everyone!

Planning to cruise in Sept of 2017 for Daughter's 21st BD but going to book now for early saver discount. Sail from Jacksonville FLA 4 days to Bahamas. We live in Charlotte NC and will be driving down. Looking for opinions on if the $49 per person travel insurance is really worth it? Thoughts?

Anyone ever had to use it and how was that experience? I know its only $49, but hey that's almost a endless drink card :).

 

It depends on weather you are ok with losing out if for some reason you cant go along with the emergency coverage it provides. So for us we do not get it because we dont book ones that are so expensive that if we had to abandon the cruise for some reason it would hurt also for sake of emergency the credit card we use to book covers those cost even out of country. But if its is like 10k cruise we are getting it because no matter how unlikely I can't take a 10k risk.

[jmcancruise]

For us insurance is a must. I believe the only people who should consider travelling without insurance are those who have enough money to cover any possible emergency. That is not most people. We have been on ten cruises and have used our insurance twice. Once to cover over ten thousand dollars in medical expenses.

[elliair]

It depends on weather you are ok with losing out if for some reason you cant go along with the emergency coverage it provides. So for us we do not get it because we dont book ones that are so expensive that if we had to abandon the cruise for some reason it would hurt also for sake of emergency the credit card we use to book covers those cost even out of country. But if its is like 10k cruise we are getting it because no matter how unlikely I can't take a 10k risk.

 

Can you take a $20,000+ risk if you have to be airlifted somewhere and then the medical costs on top of it? Search here at CC Air lifted costs. All kinds of stories to be told. Here's one in particular:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=626735

[tonit964]

Thanks Everyone!! - I will check out insuremytrip.com for sure.

So do I book cruise first and then buy insurance?

How soon after booking cruise do I have to purchase insurance?

 

My DH, DD 16yo and I, don't have any pre-existing conditions so we purchase the insurance when final payment is due.

 

That way if we have to cancel the cruise before final payment we are not out the insurance premium cost.

We always buy it and from Insuremytrip. Better coverage than the cruise line and usually for less money.

[ilovedale3]

Even if nothing catastrophic happens, it's still worth it.

 

We were on a trans-Atlantic cruise a few years ago. I began getting sick about a week and a half into the trip. By the time we hit Barcelona, I had a full-blown sinus infection. Our travel insurance reimbursed us for our trip to the ship's doctor and the meds that he prescribed (which cost much more than the insurance itself).

 

We always go through Insure My Trip.

[LMaxwell]

I would honestly say if you can't afford insurance, you can't afford to cruise. the price is so low for the benefits you are covered for in case you need it. I always take it, to me the main benefit being the medical evacuation. That can run into solid 5 digits easily and would be a major impact on the household for years.

[trihawks1]

Long story short...we always buy it and never had to use it til this past December. I purchased it thru another company and not the cruise line. I fell and broke my left leg, tore left knee meniscus, broke left radial head (elbow) and ended up in rehab/nursing facility for two months. This was 6 weeks before our cruise. I purchase cancel for any reason every time. I was reimbursed 100% of all expenses for myself and husband. My DD still went as did two others. The other two almost went by themselves bc they didn't have insurance...my DD could have cancelled and had 100% covered but she went to be with her two friends. It wasn't as fun for them but thankfully I wasn't out $6,000. Buy it as you never know.

 

 

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[riclop]

Hi Everyone!

Planning to cruise in Sept of 2017 for Daughter's 21st BD but going to book now for early saver discount. Sail from Jacksonville FLA 4 days to Bahamas. We live in Charlotte NC and will be driving down. Looking for opinions on if the $49 per person travel insurance is really worth it? Thoughts?

Anyone ever had to use it and how was that experience? I know its only $49, but hey that's almost a endless drink card :).

 

Always travel with it.

[cthrn27]

Hmmmm...I purchased carnival insurance when I booked the cruise. Do I want to cancel and get independent insurance?? Is that even possible?? Sailing in 4 weeks.....

[poz222]

Hmmmm...I purchased carnival insurance when I booked the cruise. Do I want to cancel and get independent insurance?? Is that even possible?? Sailing in 4 weeks.....

 

The cruise lines insurance is not necessarily "bad" it just has limited coverages (cruise only) but at this point don't cancel it... It's fine... Plus purchasing a new policy so close to sailing would impose a lot of "riders" and limit coverage. However, next time, I would shop 3rd party...

[Wheatie59]

You buy insurance for risks you cannot afford to bear by yourself. Insurance should be viewed as a bet. You pay your premium. If you don't need to collect on the insurance, you've paid the premium with no monetary benefit. If you do need to collect, you "win" the amount you get paid out, even though you use the winnings to mitigate the liability created by the event.

Just like in the casino, this game is rigged in favor of the house. That edge is the insurance company's expenses and profit. Insurance companies pay their employees, rent, etc., and do, for the most part, make a profit. So, in terms of expected payback, insurance is a bad bet.

But, as others have pointed out, the costs for having a claim situation without insurance can be quite high. Its not like driving a car, where you could run someone over and cause hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of liability. But it is like having collision and comprehensive insurance on a 20 year old beater. If you wreck it, you may be out a few grand. Depending on the premium, maybe its cheaper to buy a new beater if you wreck it.

For trip insurance, you have to make the same calculation. Can you stand to lose the price of your cruise? Can you pay to be evacuated back to your home? Can you settle up a bill so a hospital in a foreign country lets you leave? If you can bear these risks, maybe you want to save the premium. If these risks would cause you considerable pain, the insurance is probably worth the cost.

[djcass4199]

We used to not buy it in order to save a few bucks. Then my wife became ill with an autoimmune disease and in need of a kidney transplant. We had a cruise booked on the Liberty in 2013 while her disease was in remission. 10 days before we were supposed to leave, my wife had a routine checkup and found out her disease had come out of relapse and the doctor said she needed to start treatment immediately and not to leave on the cruise. We had travel insurance that we paid $50 for and it saved us $1,200 in cost that we would have lost had we not bought the insurance.

 

My wife has since been transplanted and things are smooth sailing. Regardless, we will never again not buy travel insurance. At the end of the day, the cost for the insurance is so negligible compared to the cost of the cruise fare plus what you'll spend on board that it's worth the extra cost for that peace of mind knowing you are covered if something bad and unexpected happens.

[cyntil8ing]

My parents and my family were booked on a cruise last week. We both had insurance that we used. My parents had to cancel about a month beforehand because of a medical issue.

 

My son had a medical issue toward the end of our cruise. The day we disembarked, we took him to a pediatric ER in San Juan. The insurance will cover the co-pays and deductibles after my regular medical plan.

 

Had we not already planned to stay in San Juan three extra days, the insurance would have covered flight changes and hotel because his doctor did not clear him to fly for 48 hours.

 

Our credit card covers trip delays and baggage loss, but we always buy independent insurance for medical and evacuation coverage.

 

However, there is a new Chase Sapphire Reserve card that includes both. But it has a $450 annual fee. Might be worth it for multiple cruises per year.

[easyboy]

Thanks Everyone!! - I will check out insuremytrip.com for sure.

So do I book cruise first and then buy insurance?

How soon after booking cruise do I have to purchase insurance?

To cover pre-existing conditions for cancellation, or cancel for any reason, most insurance companies like mine, require premium payments within 21 days (some 15) of initial payment of trip cost.

[simplelife]

Like any insurance, it seems like a ripoff if you do not have to use it, but if you do, it's a value. As Dirty Harry says, "Do you feel lucky?"

 

 

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[MMastell]

Yes!

 

It always feels like a waste of money because you don't use it. That's what I thought for many years. I would buy it and never use it.

 

Then a few years ago I fell and fractured an ankle on a cruise to Mexico. That was $1500.

 

Two years ago I came down with pneumonia in Mexico and had to spend the night in the hospital. That was $2400.

 

My wife broke a cap on her tooth in Mexico and had to have a root canal and an implant. That was $1200. (That is a lot less expensive than in the U.S.)

 

All of the costs associated with these injuries and illnesses were fully covered by insurance.

 

These costs offset all the money we ever paid for insurance in 30+ years of travel.

 

The moral of the story. Buy the insurance and don't go to Mexico. :) ;)

 

Take care,

Mike

[Sam&Joe25th]

Thanks for all the great advice. Booked Cruise yesterday and purchased insurance today.

Now we just wait . . . .

[The4Cruisers]

Thanks for all the great advice. Booked Cruise yesterday and purchased insurance today.

Now we just wait . . . .

 

Good for you! I think it is the smart move.

 

We've bought insurance for every one of our cruises. It's a small cost for a lot of "peace of mind".

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Havingfun2010]

A 3-4 day local cruise, going to an island within a few hundred miles, no flight, or transportation etc, the answer would be no. I will loose the $1000.00 trip, and still save money in the long term, or in my case, I would have already paid the insurance cost several times over. My health insurance will cover me outside the country.

 

With all that being said, the only risk is a medical flight and so, I never buy insurance. But I also do not buy extended warranties either. Save money by not buying them. Something breaks, I'm still out ahead.

[richkinkade]

The premiums are outrageously high for the risk insured. I don't insure the cost of the cruise for the same reason I don't buy insurance on my toaster.

 

I can afford to take the loss myself and buying insurance is a horrible bet.

 

I've saved enough money NOT buying insurance to pay for several cruises.

 

While it's true that basic Medicare itself doesn't pay for care outside the US, many medigap policies do cover you (with a small co-pay and the same 20% coinsurance that Medicare requires).

 

You have to read your existing policies to know what is covered. In the incident mentioned earlier in the thread, the medical expenses were covered by regular medical insurance, not cruise insurance.

 

"Just spoke with my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO) and they said that emergencies are covered 100% out of the country. They said I may be asked by the treating facility abroad to pre pay, but that my insurer would reimburse 100% of the expenses once they receive the appropriate medical records if the treatment was indeed deemed an emergency."

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=626735

 

There is NO charge for evacuation from the ship by the Coast Guard. That's what they do.

[LMaxwell]

The premiums are outrageously high for the risk insured.

 

My premiums typically cost about 8% of the total trip cost. That's hardly outrageous. The cruise is paid for, the money is gone. I could live without the cruise cost although it would be nice not to have to eat it if I missed the cruise.

 

The part I am insuring against is if I need a medical flight back to the US. That can easily run in to the 5 figures. I am not talking about being airlifted by Coast Guard off a ship if you are close enough for them to do it, I am talking about flying back from a foreign country.

[simplelife]

Insurance (of any kind) always seems like a ripoff until you need it. Shop around for the best prices and coverage.

 

 

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Edited August 31, 2016 by simplelife

[KCpumkin]

Piece of mind always out weighs the cost for us IMO

[sjn911]

I am confused about having to have all the cash for an emergency surgery/care until they can get you home...that could be more than many have depending on cost...I will call IMTDC..but does anyone have any clarity?

 

For instance...56..have my personal med insurance..when 65 medicare...how does this work? You need surgery in say 4 hrs...Just can't believe all friends being there with credit cards in earlier example??!!

 

thanks....

 

PS I get the insurance...best I can figure...but have no memory what i had when young..I suppose school insurance and travel agent helped with grand tours insurance.

 

Sometimes...last minute sore throat or something worse is deemed out the insurance covering for what ever reason insurance...I forget the exact deal on that one..thanks for comments. Every darn time I need review.

 

So my question is do they do the medical needs with personal regular medical or travelers medical with medicare and special traveler medical travel insurance get done without all cash in most countries? How much credit do you need to have with you?

I suppose one needs to research all countries visiting and discuss with insurer each time. Father time is affecting noggin this AM. Thanks to anyone who tackles this.

Edited August 31, 2016 by sjn911

[fireofficer5]

Never