Travel Insurance: Don’t cruise without it!

[lstone19]

The Reserve only has $2500 in medical. :-(

 

 

 

I knew it was small. Not worth much on its own. If your regular medical insurance provides emergency coverage outside the U.S., then it might help with some things. If you don’t have coverage outside the U.S. (e.g. Medicare), then you need something else.

 

I might consider the $100,000 evacuation coverage adequate for a cruise close to North America (Canada, Alaska, Caribbean). Farther, I’d probably want more.

 

 

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[LoriPhil]

To the OP - glad you are safe, healing and (hopefully) planning another cruise!

 

We had a last minute cancellation for our Nov 30th cruise due to my mom's illness, and had to cancel 2 years ago (1 hour before our airport transport was to arrive) due to MY medical condition. We've taken 17 cruises so yes, the insurance adds up but the cost is spread over the last 10 years we've been cruising. Had we "self insured" we'd be out about $15K in the last 2 years due to these two situations, so insurance is definitely worth it to us.

[johnmik1]

Just enrolled in Medicare so we lost international coverage.We are doing 2 Princess cruises next year with a total insurance cost of approximately $700.We are purchasing an annual Blue Cross-Blue Shield(Geo-Blu plan)for $220pp for $250,000 of medical and $500,000 of evacuation.We also have some international coverage on our Plan F Medicare supplements.We do not care about losing the cruise cost,luggage or trip interruption as that is something we self insure.After over 50 cruises that cost would have been enormous.We carry higher deductibles on all of our other insurance.I have been selling insurance since since 1975 and feel I understand the risks.JMHO!

[cargo13]

We have found the most extensive medical and evacuation coverages with GENERALI Travel Insurance (used to be CSA). https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/view-travel-insurance-plans.html

Pricing gets more expensive the further you buy from departure/sail date, so if you book your cruise well in advance the insurance will cost more because the probability of cancellation. Given we are not concerned with trip cancellation, we purchase closer to departure date because its the medical & evac that we want.

[mbglib]

Just enrolled in Medicare so we lost international coverage.We are doing 2 Princess cruises next year with a total insurance cost of approximately $700.We are purchasing an annual Blue Cross-Blue Shield(Geo-Blu plan)for $220pp for $250,000 of medical and $500,000 of evacuation.We also have some international coverage on our Plan F Medicare supplements.We do not care about losing the cruise cost,luggage or trip interruption as that is something we self insure.After over 50 cruises that cost would have been enormous.We carry higher deductibles on all of our other insurance.I have been selling insurance since since 1975 and feel I understand the risks.JMHO!

 

I looked into the Geo-Blu, but my cost for this much insurance was $390 per year. My husband is 62 and I am 60 and we live in Oklahoma. Is it reasonable to expect it to be higher?

[lstone19]

I looked into the Geo-Blu, but my cost for this much insurance was $390 per year. My husband is 62 and I am 60 and we live in Oklahoma. Is it reasonable to expect it to be higher?

 

 

 

GeoBlue premiums are based on age. Since the previous poster didn’t state age, we have no basis for comparison.

 

 

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[mbglib]

GeoBlue premiums are based on age. Since the previous poster didn’t state age, we have no basis for comparison.

 

 

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True, but he did say he had selling insurance since 1975, so that should put him in the same age range as we are. Perhaps it is based on location too.

[johnmik1]

I looked into the Geo-Blu, but my cost for this much insurance was $390 per year. My husband is 62 and I am 60 and we live in Oklahoma. Is it reasonable to expect it to be higher?

Just input zip code 73108 and the quote comes up as $220 each for a 62 and 60 year old.This is for multiple trips for someone with primary health insurance.

[lstone19]

I looked into the Geo-Blu, but my cost for this much insurance was $390 per year. My husband is 62 and I am 60 and we live in Oklahoma. Is it reasonable to expect it to be higher?

 

 

 

Just checked myself - that $390 you’re seeing is for two people, not per person. Every zip code I try gives me $220 for one 62 year old and $390 for a 62 and a 60 year old.

 

 

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[johnmik1]

Just checked myself - that $390 you’re seeing is for two people, not per person. Every zip code I try gives me $220 for one 62 year old and $390 for a 62 and a 60 year old.

 

 

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Just did a requote and ours is $390 for the two of us at age 65 living in Illinois.We will apply for ours next month.

[mbglib]

Just checked myself - that $390 you’re seeing is for two people, not per person. Every zip code I try gives me $220 for one 62 year old and $390 for a 62 and a 60 year old.

 

 

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That is the difference. I misread and thought the other poster was quoting $220 for both people. Thank you for the clarification.

[cruisequeen4ever]

To the OP - glad you are safe, healing and (hopefully) planning another cruise!

 

 

 

We had a last minute cancellation for our Nov 30th cruise due to my mom's illness, and had to cancel 2 years ago (1 hour before our airport transport was to arrive) due to MY medical condition. We've taken 17 cruises so yes, the insurance adds up but the cost is spread over the last 10 years we've been cruising. Had we "self insured" we'd be out about $15K in the last 2 years due to these two situations, so insurance is definitely worth it to us.

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences, too. I wish us both many more cruises to come!!

 

 

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[esper10]

Just checked myself - that $390 you’re seeing is for two people, not per person. Every zip code I try gives me $220 for one 62 year old and $390 for a 62 and a 60 year old.

 

 

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Are you talking about the general global assistant? Are they good? Any one has an experience with them? Can you please check the rate for me somehow I can’t get it zip code 90049 age mine 60 my mother 85 Thanks

[Judyl]

"BUYER BEWARE!!

We have been purchasing trip insurance through InsureMyTrip and Nationwide for years. On Dec. 16, our flight was canceled meaning we could not reach our cruise destination of San Juan and had to meet the cruise a day later in St. Kitts. I felt sure our trip interruption portion of our policy would cover the cost of missing one day of a very expensive holiday cruise. Wow, was I wrong. When I called Nationwide, I was told unless the airport is completely shut down, the cancellation of a flight is not covered. I called InsureMyTrip to speak with someone about this. I was told, "Sorry you're not happy. Have a great day."

Never Ever Again!!!

 

Read every word of the fine print."

 

[Coral]

"BUYER BEWARE!!

We have been purchasing trip insurance through InsureMyTrip and Nationwide for years.

 

I hate Nationwide. I had my mortgage with them and also pet insurance with them. I hated dealing with them.

 

I agree - read the fine print. I had some unusual situations that I had to insure vacations for so I read a lot of fine print. Though - it is impossible to predict every future incident to insurance against. Best we can do is try to insure against most situations.

 

Sorry about your experience. I would have thought that would have been covered also.

[lstone19]

Are you talking about the general global assistant? Are they good? Any one has an experience with them? Can you please check the rate for me somehow I can’t get it zip code 90049 age mine 60 my mother 85 Thanks

 

 

 

No, this has been GeoBlue we’re talking about. I used them for a cruise earlier this year but no claims experience with them. Search for GeoBlue for more information.

 

 

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[ColoradoMom!!]

"BUYER BEWARE!!

We have been purchasing trip insurance through InsureMyTrip and Nationwide for years. On Dec. 16, our flight was canceled meaning we could not reach our cruise destination of San Juan and had to meet the cruise a day later in St. Kitts. I felt sure our trip interruption portion of our policy would cover the cost of missing one day of a very expensive holiday cruise. Wow, was I wrong. When I called Nationwide, I was told unless the airport is completely shut down, the cancellation of a flight is not covered. I called InsureMyTrip to speak with someone about this. I was told, "Sorry you're not happy. Have a great day."

Never Ever Again!!!

 

Read every word of the fine print."

 

WOW - I would have thought that would be covered - your flight was canceled - not like you missed it - you never had a chance!

[grannylaw]

Have you read that the evacuation must be coordinated by an agent of the insurance? I have looked more closely and have found this the case in almost all evacuation policies. Have you ever known anyone who was evacuated and how this worked? Thank you.

 

I had to be evacuated from Ireland due to a nasty fall. We had the cruise line’s travel insurance with the $50k limit. I needed to be on a gurney the whole trip & accompanied by a nurse & respiratory therapist. The total evacuation was $62,500 savings & Go Fund Me helped with the difference. Yes, everything had to coordinated with an insurance agent. Frustrating but doable. Hardest part was working with the Irish health care system. It took days for their doctor to coordinate with the insurance agent & to complete the necessary forms.

[bunzini]

I only carry an anuual evacuation insurance policy which is where the costs are exorbitant if you're in need of a helicopter evacuation. The actual cost of the cruise is minor in comparision and i self insure or will "eat" the cost if i cancel during the penalty phase or miss the ship. I have about 80 cruises under my belt. Let's say each cruise would have cost $500 to insure that's forty grand !!!!!!!!!!!! I've saved forty grand so I'll continue to self insure as long as I keep up my evacuation insurance which is an annual policy for 2 people at approx. $400 annually.

 

 

 

I too feel that I can self insure for our cruise. I like the idea of buying a yearly policy. Curious, can I buy this type of insurance from most travel insurance companies?

 

 

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[Kingofcool1947]

DH and I were supposed to fly to Florida tonight for our favorite place to spend Christmas/New Years...at sea. Unfortunately life happened, and I ended up having emergency surgery and am unable to travel. Am I of the age many associate with the importance of getting travel insurance? Nope; I’m just in my 30s. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, don’t cruise without travel insurance! I’m extremely sad that I won’t get to celebrate at sea this year, but thankfully I have the peace of knowing we will recoup our costs...and I’m still alive to cruise in the future!

 

Merry Christmas fellow cruisers! [emoji319]

 

 

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God willing you will cruise another time. :)

[hansi]

I really can't understand why there are so many threads on insurance. Surely, it's a no-brainer! You book a cruise, you buy insurance! Don't know what the US regulations are, but here in the UK, holiday companies will not accept a booking unless you have purchased appropriate insurance. Either theirs or a comparable private policy!

And yes, it is worth it. I am 74 and in good health but two years ago I was hospitalised on a cruise with acute pancreatitis and the insurance bill was $4000, and that illness came right out of the blue. So don't think, it can't happen to you. It can!

[lstone19]

I really can't understand why there are so many threads on insurance. Surely, it's a no-brainer! You book a cruise, you buy insurance! Don't know what the US regulations are, but here in the UK, holiday companies will not accept a booking unless you have purchased appropriate insurance.

 

There is debate because it's not a no-brainer. For you in the UK, as I understand things, your government medical insurance does not cover you at all outside the UK. Hence the requirement of having travel insurance to cover medical. For those of us in the US, many private medical plans due cover emergencies outside the US. So many people look at what they have and decide they adequate coverage for medical.

 

Then's there's medical evacuation. That's the risk I worry about the most. And it can be very expensive. I definitely want to make sure I'm covered for that when on a cruise.

 

The other side of insurance is the cancellation and delay insurance. That's a fixed risk (the cost of the trip) and many people are comfortable with that risk. Insurance isn't free and if you travel a lot and have a typical claims experience, you'll end up paying more for the insurance than you will for the occasional cruise you need to cancel and lose the cost.

 

Many people lump all travel insurances into one thing even though cancellation insurance is really a completely different product covering different risks (covering travel costs that you lose due to things that happen before you travel but not covering an underlying medical issue itself) than travel medical and evacuation insurance (covering medical issues during your travel). Also in there is delay insurance, usually packaged with cancellation insurance, to cover things that delay you during travel to/from your destination such as cancelled flights, lost luggage, etc. I assume the UK insurance requirement is for travel medical and evacuation coverage, not for cancellation or delay coverage.

[chisoxfan]

"BUYER BEWARE!!

We have been purchasing trip insurance through InsureMyTrip and Nationwide for years. On Dec. 16, our flight was canceled meaning we could not reach our cruise destination of San Juan and had to meet the cruise a day later in St. Kitts. I felt sure our trip interruption portion of our policy would cover the cost of missing one day of a very expensive holiday cruise. Wow, was I wrong. When I called Nationwide, I was told unless the airport is completely shut down, the cancellation of a flight is not covered. I called InsureMyTrip to speak with someone about this. I was told, "Sorry you're not happy. Have a great day."

Never Ever Again!!!

 

Read every word of the fine print."

 

 

I am sorry for your bad experience and what appears to be poor customer service but damming the insurance company and the broker out of hand without more facts seems unwarranted. I reviewed the terms of the Chase travel interruption coverage and it states that cancelled airline flight would only be covered because of weather (no doubt comment regarding airport being shut down) or because of strike.

I am thinking that this language would not be atypical in trip coverage.

With this in mind I am assuming that you left yourself with no real options outside of this one flight to get to the cruise port on time .

Many posters have suggested to arrive the night before departure along with checking alternative travel later in the day or early the following day as a 'back up' plan.

Blaming this situation completely on a reputable insurance company and broker based upon 'what you thought' was covered and not examining your planning may be an unfair shot. JMHO

[princess09]

I'm having difficulty finding medical AND medical evacuation insurance that meets our needs for several reasons. It is definitely not a "no brainer".

 

My concern regarding enhanced medical and medical evacuation comes into play when traveling to more "exotic" and far distant destinations.

 

First of all, our cruise vacations always include independent time on land. Secondly, our next trip is longer than 30 days.

 

Every company I find either has good evacuation coverage but no/little medical, doesn't cover long trips or age is a consideration (we will be 69 and 74 for trip #1 and 70 and 75 for trip #2. All these factors are making it very difficult to find what we need.

 

I'll keep looking and if anyone has a suggestion, it is most appreciated.

[lstone19]

I am sorry for your bad experience and what appears to be poor customer service but damming the insurance company and the broker out of hand without more facts seems unwarranted. I reviewed the terms of the Chase travel interruption coverage and it states that cancelled airline flight would only be covered because of weather (no doubt comment regarding airport being shut down) or because of strike.

I am thinking that this language would not be atypical in trip coverage.

With this in mind I am assuming that you left yourself with no real options outside of this one flight to get to the cruise port on time .

Many posters have suggested to arrive the night before departure along with checking alternative travel later in the day or early the following day as a 'back up' plan.

Blaming this situation completely on a reputable insurance company and broker based upon 'what you thought' was covered and not examining your planning may be an unfair shot. JMHO

 

OTOH, looking at my Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage book, "Trip Delay Reimbursement" would apply but that is limited to $500. It covers meals, lodging, and personal use items with all that preceded by "including but not limited to" so presumably would also cover transportation to catch up with the ship. "Covered Hazards" includes equipment failure so should cover any non-weather related airline cancellation. But it does require a minimum six hour delay so if you were scheduled to arrive four hours before cruise departure, you'd probably be out of luck. Note that this covers reimbursement of expenses. It will not refund you for a lost day or two of the cruise.

 

Unfortunately, in the insurance world, words don't always mean what we think they mean. As I understand it:

Trip Cancellation: refunds your non-refundable expenses if you have to cancel the trip entirely for a covered reason prior to departure

 

Trip Interruption: refunds your non-refundable or non-cancellable expenses for a portion of the trip you have to miss for a covered reason

Trip Delay: reimburses you for your expenses due to being delayed but does not refund other pre-paid expenses

 

Putting that together, if, for instance, weather shuts down an airport and as a result, you spend a night in an unexpected city and then catch up with the cruise a day late, trip interruption would reimburse you for the lost cruise night while trip delay would reimburse you for the expenses of the unexpected night.