Do you always get the travel insurance when booking?

[kiminey65]

I recently purchased travel guard insurance for my husband and myself. Our cruise is to begin January 29, 2017, and with unpredictable winter weather in NY as well as just plain "unpredictable" future events I have peace of mind for a vacation geared toward rest and relaxation. That, to me is priceless... Well maybe more so "PRICE of said trip insurance"!

[Nola26]

I bought it from NCL for my upcoming Christmas cruise on the Dawn from New Orleans. Probably the main reason I bought it was the $29 fee, small enough not to make a huge difference in the rest of the trip costs.

 

However, I'm flying in the night before, from the northeast during the busy holiday time. I figured there are enough opportunities for something to go wrong so for $29 I will now not worry about it.

 

I typically am comfortable with the coverage from my Visa and health insurance that I don't need to carry the insurance.

[pcur]

The kind offered through the NCL website.

 

I'm never wild about plopping down an extra hundred bucks, but figure if a bad bite of egg salad sent me to the medical center, that could easily be hundreds/thousands of dollars. If god forbid I slipped by the pool and broke an ankle and had to be evac-ed from the ship, that could be $10k+.

 

Anyone on here roll the dice and and not do this?

 

I just looked up the travel insurance benefits that come with my Chase Sapphire card. It pays $5,000 maximum for trip cancellation (for the usual reasons; not sure what NCL's policy is). If the cost of the cruise is under $5,000 I don't bother buying extra insurance. Chase also has a trip delay coverage of $500, and lost luggage reimbursement.

 

Since we use points for our air travel, the points are reimbursed if we cancel or the trip is interrupted.

 

Anything beyone $5,000 I go to insuremytrip.com and look for a policy without medical. Usually I end up with some medical, anyway. Our Senior Advantage coverage with Medicare covers us anywhere in the world, including emergency transportation. The coverage is through Kaiser.

[SmoothFlying]

The kind offered through the NCL website.

 

I'm never wild about plopping down an extra hundred bucks, but figure if a bad bite of egg salad sent me to the medical center, that could easily be hundreds/thousands of dollars. If god forbid I slipped by the pool and broke an ankle and had to be evac-ed from the ship, that could be $10k+.

 

Anyone on here roll the dice and and not do this?

 

Hi !!

 

My wife and I bought insurance on half of our cruises, seven of them, because both of her parents were getting on up in age and we were afraid, well you know. :( In fact her Dad passed away suddenly 3 weeks before our third cruise, and I gently tried to talk her into just canceling for a few months but she decided that the cruise actually would help her heal. Her Dad totally loved the ocean, so she would sit on the balcony of the ship with thoughts of him. Those times we've purchased the insurance we never had to use it, it was the knowledge it was there, '...JUST IN CASE, You know? I'm sure there's a board here with many different opinions, everybody will have one,either pro or con, so ultimately YOU will have to make the decision as the old movie line goes, 'Well, do ya feel LUCKY, punk, well? Do ya..? Some will say, it's better to have it, and NOT need it than the other way around. On our last seven cruises we haven't bought insurance, and when we booked last month foe our cruise next March my wife decided to pass on it. I always leave that decision to her. All I can do is offer you my opinion. Sit down (if you're undecided) and discuss it with all concerned, both pro and con and reach a mutual agreement. Some feel that they travel better when they know they have insurance. But whatever decision you make, have a FANTASTIC cruise ! GOOD Luck !

 

Mac

[Linda the Book Lover]

We always purchase insurance because we are older and well one never knows what will happen before or on a trip. We also go with a USAA partner because it covers everything. We go with it's like house insurance you may never need it but it is nice to know you have it just in case.

[Bonobochick]

I buy travel insurance only when I book far in advance of my sail date.

 

If it's last minute-ish booking, like a month or less before my sail date, then no.

[cargo13]

There are 2 buckets for getting travel insurance

 

1. cruise cancellation coverages:

If you are far out from booking, spent alot $$ that you could not handle losing, or have the risk of cancelling--family issues, work concerns, etc. then get trip cancellation. NCL will offer you a cruise credit on a future cruise but wont give refund. Go directly with a travel insurance company.

 

You have to purchase close /at time of booking your cruise.

 

2. IN TRIP coverages:

These start on your listed departure date --covers interruptions /missed flights from weather, delays, AND medical/dental, medivac.. These can never be underestimated versus what could unexpectedly happen.

 

 

 

We found affordable plans on http://www.csatravelprotection.com/plan-details

which was recommended by BBB and reviews.com

 

CSA has lots of pre cruise services you can take advantage of but their 24 hr doctor hotline saved us when NCL's ship nurse needed direction. CSA arranged for the medivac from Bermuda. Then CSA paid our claim. Good customer service.

[claven]

questions....

 

It seems it's better to purchase travel insurance from a third party: True or False. Are there disadvantages from buying from third party?

 

What companies are out there and good, ie reputable insuremytrip.com what others?

 

I purchased the one offered via NCL and was about 247 for the three of us.

[4774Papa]

If you have elderly parents, it is wise to have trip insurance. I did have it when Mom's illness caused me to cancel a cruise.

[kerryincork]

I always buy insurance, but never from the cruise company, I find I get better value by going independent

 

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[fshagan]

questions....

 

It seems it's better to purchase travel insurance from a third party: True or False. Are there disadvantages from buying from third party?

 

What companies are out there and good, ie reputable insuremytrip.com what others?

 

I purchased the one offered via NCL and was about 247 for the three of us.

 

Insurance is always a personal decision based on your risk tolerance and your individual situation. Someone here said their shore-side health insurance covered them on the ship ("at sea") as well as in foreign countries, and that takes a lot of the risk away. Most Americans, including those on Medicare, do not have coverage out of the country and especially while on the "high seas". For us those costs would wipe out our savings, so the medical portion of trip insurance provides peace of mind and is a reasonable cost to incur in our minds.

 

Cost and coverage are always the thing to look at. For us, medical evacuation, medical costs out of the country, and repatriation of remains are three coverages that can cost over $50,000 easily. You can google for news stories where such costs exceed $100,000, with the bill having to be paid before your loved one can leave the foreign hospital.

 

I have used insuremytrip.com for coverage in the past, and will use tripinsurancestore.com for my next trip because I now have a pre-existing condition that we have to consider. Steve at tripinsurancestore.com has a good reputation for being straight up about the limitations of the insurance policies, and how they may not always cover you.

[NMLady]

questions....

 

It seems it's better to purchase travel insurance from a third party: True or False. Are there disadvantages from buying from third party?

 

What companies are out there and good, ie reputable insuremytrip.com what others?

 

I purchased the one offered via NCL and was about 247 for the three of us.

 

Imo cruise line insurance does not have high enough coverage for medical evacuation.

 

Insuremytrip.com is broker company that has lots of insurance companies.

You can phone them and talk to them personally about the coverage you want and they will recommend which company to book with.

[lanceholt]

We buy insurance from insuremytrip.com and get cancel for any reason along with medical (we are both on Medicare, no coverage outside the US) that covers pre-existing conditions....over 70 nearly everything is pre-existing! We used it when my husband had to have major surgery 2 weeks before a cruise...saved us $10k!

[leekel619]

We always get trip insurance but I am so grateful for all the things I've learned in this thread. (And I've only read the last three or four comments so far)

I never really paid much attention. Just paid the bill. [emoji849]

I do recall my TA telling me our insurance last year was from the cruise line.

Usually it was something they got for us. So I thought.

Because I asked her to send me the policy.

Thank you everyone. I have some research to do.

Our next cruise in is May.

[pokerpro5]

I have never once bought trip insurance. I have also never had to cancel a prepaid trip, nor have I ever needed expensive medical care or evac while on a trip.

 

You guys do realize that these insurance companies make a lot of money, right? They bring in enough money to where they can pay out claims, pay the hefty commissions of its salespeople, pay all other employees, and STILL come out with a nice profit at the end.

 

This means that buying any kind of trip insurance is a negative-expectation proposition for almost everyone.

 

I say ALMOST everyone because you might have a particular life situation (advanced age, sick/old parents, injury/illness-prone) to where buying such insurance would be positive expectation for you personally.

 

You also might want to buy insurance because the potential loss from either missing your trip or having to pay for medical evac would be devastating to you.

 

For me personally, trip insurance makes no sense. I am a financially-secure man in my 40s, and I am the oldest traveler in my family. It is very unlikely that anyone in my family will either suffer a major illness or major injury while cruising. It's possible, of course, but very unlikely.

 

I can also handle losing the cost of my trip if something were to cause me to not be able to make it. Again, I wouldn't be happy about it, but insuring against that would not be worth the cost of the insurance policy, and losing the trip would not affect my lifestyle nor my ability to take a replacement trip.

 

Simply put, as a professional gambler, I have learned never to bet against the house unless you know you have an edge.

 

In almost all cases, the person buying insurance does not have an edge over the insurance company.

 

I only carry insurance for potential major (6 figure or more) losses, such as auto, home, and health.

 

If you want to carry trip insurance for your own reasons (including peace of mind), then go right ahead. Just don't delude yourself that you are getting great value and are likely to come out ahead in the long run.

Edited October 3, 2016 by pokerpro5

[sparks1093]

I have never once bought trip insurance. I have also never had to cancel a prepaid trip, nor have I ever needed expensive medical care or evac while on a trip.

 

You guys do realize that these insurance companies make a lot of money, right? They bring in enough money to where they can pay out claims, pay the hefty commissions of its salespeople, pay all other employees, and STILL come out with a nice profit at the end.

 

This means that buying any kind of trip insurance is a negative-expectation proposition for almost everyone.

 

I say ALMOST everyone because you might have a particular life situation (advanced age, sick/old parents, injury/illness-prone) to where buying such insurance would be positive expectation for you personally.

 

You also might want to buy insurance because the potential loss from either missing your trip or having to pay for medical evac would be devastating to you.

 

For me personally, trip insurance makes no sense. I am a financially-secure man in my 40s, and I am the oldest traveler in my family. It is very unlikely that anyone in my family will either suffer a major illness or major injury while cruising. It's possible, of course, but very unlikely.

 

I can also handle losing the cost of my trip if something were to cause me to not be able to make it. Again, I wouldn't be happy about it, but insuring against that would not be worth the cost of the insurance policy, and losing the trip would not affect my lifestyle nor my ability to take a replacement trip.

 

Simply put, as a professional gambler, I have learned never to bet against the house unless you know you have an edge.

 

In almost all cases, the person buying insurance does not have an edge over the insurance company.

 

I only carry insurance for potential major (6 figure or more) losses, such as auto, home, and health.

 

If you want to carry trip insurance for your own reasons (including peace of mind), then go right ahead. Just don't delude yourself that you are getting great value and are likely to come out ahead in the long run.

 

An insurance company is no different than any other company so yes, <gasp> they make money. You are financially sound enough to absorb the cost of the loss and have $50k just sitting around that you don't mind losing, but unfortunately few of the rest of us are in such a position.

[pokerpro5]

To be honest, I could handle losing $50k, but at the same time, it would be pretty damn depressing.

 

However, I see the likelihood of a $50k loss as very small. Even if I broke my leg, I could manage to hobble myself to a plane and get back to the US without having to use a medical evac.

 

Medical evac is really only for major injuries and illnesses, and I find it very unlikely that I will come down with either during my cruise.

 

With that said, given the high cost of medical evac, I wouldn't fault anyone for taking out a reasonable medical evac policy, even if they could afford the cost of doing it without insurance.

 

My post was mainly to state my personal situation, and also to remind people that trip insurance is actually a big time losing proposition, so you should only take it if you really need it.

 

I once participated in a cringeworthy thread where most posters were trying to convince us that trip insurance is likely to come out as a net positive for every traveler, and that you will lose in the long run if you don't take it.

 

These are the same geniuses who believe you should take out the $26 CDW policy when you rent a car for the day, not realizing that it adds up to an auto insurance policy of almost $10,000 per year.

[sparks1093]

To be honest, I could handle losing $50k, but at the same time, it would be pretty damn depressing.

 

However, I see the likelihood of a $50k loss as very small. Even if I broke my leg, I could manage to hobble myself to a plane and get back to the US without having to use a medical evac.

 

Medical evac is really only for major injuries and illnesses, and I find it very unlikely that I will come down with either during my cruise.

 

With that said, given the high cost of medical evac, I wouldn't fault anyone for taking out a reasonable medical evac policy, even if they could afford the cost of doing it without insurance.

 

My post was mainly to state my personal situation, and also to remind people that trip insurance is actually a big time losing proposition, so you should only take it if you really need it.

 

I once participated in a cringeworthy thread where most posters were trying to convince us that trip insurance is likely to come out as a net positive for every traveler, and that you will lose in the long run if you don't take it.

 

These are the same geniuses who believe you should take out the $26 CDW policy when you rent a car for the day, not realizing that it adds up to an auto insurance policy of almost $10,000 per year.

 

LOL, you are not cramming your cast enclosed leg into an economy seat on any airline that I've ever flown on:). Since the policies that cover everything are not that much more than a medevac alone policy that is what I typically buy, but my main concern when insuring is medevac and medical coverage. If I traveled more often I would examine the possibility of a blanket year long policy but I'm not there yet.

 

When all is said and done though ALL insurance policies are generally losing propositions for the insured.

[pokerpro5]

LOL, you are not cramming your cast enclosed leg into an economy seat on any airline that I've ever flown on:). Since the policies that cover everything are not that much more than a medevac alone policy that is what I typically buy, but my main concern when insuring is medevac and medical coverage. If I traveled more often I would examine the possibility of a blanket year long policy but I'm not there yet.

 

When all is said and done though ALL insurance policies are generally losing propositions for the insured.

 

Who said anything about an economy seat?

 

I don't even fly economy normally.

 

If necessary to accommodate a broken leg, I'd buy the whole row. Still many many times cheaper than a medical evac.

[DirtyDawg]

I don't buy extra health insurance or travel cancellation/interruption insurance. I'm very well covered through work on the health side and I self insure on the travel side. The cost/benefit just doesn't add up for us. Now, if the odds of us having to cancel a trip increased significantly (declining health of ourselves or family members for example) I would reassess.

[sparks1093]

Who said anything about an economy seat?

 

I don't even fly economy normally.

 

If necessary to accommodate a broken leg, I'd buy the whole row. Still many many times cheaper than a medical evac.

 

I did, when I made the joke you missed;). If one is going to self insure then one needs to make sure that they take all possibilities into account. You are so far above everyone else that your experience, your point of view and your way of doing things doesn't apply to very many people because they haven't the same status you have in life.

[kerryincork]

How much is travel insurance in the USA? My travel insurance for the year that covers delays, medical repatriation, hospital bills , lost luggage is only €68 per year, which is a tiny amount for the cover and peace of mind I get. It only covers 90 days of travel for the year and no water sports or winter sports.

 

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[4774Papa]

I have never once bought trip insurance. I have also never had to cancel a prepaid trip, nor have I ever needed expensive medical care or evac while on a trip.

 

You guys do realize that these insurance companies make a lot of money, right? They bring in enough money to where they can pay out claims, pay the hefty commissions of its salespeople, pay all other employees, and STILL come out with a nice profit at the end.

 

This means that buying any kind of trip insurance is a negative-expectation proposition for almost everyone.

 

I say ALMOST everyone because you might have a particular life situation (advanced age, sick/old parents, injury/illness-prone) to where buying such insurance would be positive expectation for you personally.

 

You also might want to buy insurance because the potential loss from either missing your trip or having to pay for medical evac would be devastating to you.

 

For me personally, trip insurance makes no sense. I am a financially-secure man in my 40s, and I am the oldest traveler in my family. It is very unlikely that anyone in my family will either suffer a major illness or major injury while cruising. It's possible, of course, but very unlikely.

 

I can also handle losing the cost of my trip if something were to cause me to not be able to make it. Again, I wouldn't be happy about it, but insuring against that would not be worth the cost of the insurance policy, and losing the trip would not affect my lifestyle nor my ability to take a replacement trip.

 

Simply put, as a professional gambler, I have learned never to bet against the house unless you know you have an edge.

 

In almost all cases, the person buying insurance does not have an edge over the insurance company.

 

I only carry insurance for potential major (6 figure or more) losses, such as auto, home, and health.

 

If you want to carry trip insurance for your own reasons (including peace of mind), then go right ahead. Just don't delude yourself that you are getting great value and are likely to come out ahead in the long run.

 

I understand you thinking. You elect to suffer the risk and probably think the risk is minimal. I would advise you to have a backup plan in place to cover you or a family member in the even of an accident, sickness or just not making the ship due to traffic or bad weather.

 

I don't know what cruises or trips you go on, but especially if you are visiting places like Russia, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Morocco, and some countries in South America. You would be a fool to not have such insurance, since in places like China and Russia, without the insurance, you would be expected to front your medical treatment with cash.

 

When we visited Russia and China, our tour guides told us stories about citizens there that have to use their life savings to pay for surgery or medical treatment. If you don't have the cash, you are out the door.

 

Even Canada is a problem for Americans. My Blue Cross/Shield will reimburse me for medical and hospital costs in Canada, but they don't pay upfront and they don't accept US insurance.

 

Also, on missing the ship, stuff happens, like a semi truck crashing on the interstate that is your way to the airport, the highway is blocked for hours, you can't make the airport. You not only miss your flight, but the cruise as well.

 

 

Further, if you have elderly parents, and one dies two days before the cruise, are you going to still go on the cruise and skip the funeral?

 

Think about it gambling is fine, if you can cover your losses.

[Sizzlechest]

Something to consider... Many credit cards already include some form of trip insurance. It's not going to cover illness while on the trip, but it usually does cover trip cancellation.

[Cubechick]

I always purchase medical/evacuation insurance as having to be medically evacuated from a remote port could be financially devastating. Age has nothing to do with this. An accident can befall anyone at any time.

 

I don't usually bother with trip cancellation insurance though. Although, yes, it would stink to have to cancel a trip last minute, it would cause more emotional than financial harm (the money has already been spent after all).

Edited October 3, 2016 by Cubechick