Travel insurance yes or no

[lovelife]

We buy annual travel insurance as we travel a lot. A couple years ago DH injued his arm and required surgery on it after final payment and a few weeks prior to sailing a back-to-back. We thankfully were paid the $7,000 we would have lost otherwise. I suggest always having coverage.

 

Further, our annual travel insurance (which includes all medical, trip cancellation, delay, air, baggage, etc.) costs less than comparable coverage for just two trips. Since we take about 15 or more trips a year, this is quite the bargain. I have also used the medical portion and was promptly reimbursed.

[Ladysilver]

we are sailing symphony on a 4 day cruise in 2019, due to such a short cruise i am debating rather or not i need to purchase royal caribbeans cruise insurance or purchase travel insurance through 3rd party or just for go it since it is short cruise. Does anyone else buy travel insurance through royal or do you just travel with out it? Please give me your thoughts....

 

yes!......always!

[PoppyandNana]

Can anyone recommend a good travel I esurance company that is reasonably priced?

 

All are comparably priced depending on coverage. We have used Travel Guard for years with several claims filed. Prompt with payment with minimal hassle.

 

My brother, while visiting family in Germany fell and broke six ribs, right leg, right shoulder and left hip. Two surgeries and 4 weeks in rehab. Special first class seat that laid flat. In all over $120,000. No, he didn’t spend $500 for insurance. $120,000 vs $500? No question.

Edited September 5, 2018 by PoppyandNana

[pattycake08]

I like the others almost always buy travel insurance for my boyfriend and myself. My RCCL cruise to the Bahamas in October was fairly cheap, under $600 pp including air, so we could afford to lose the money if we had too. However, after reading some of the stories I am considering maybe purchasing for myself . Money is a little tight for my boyfriend at the moment, so my question is can I buy the travel insurance just for myself and not him or do we both have to purchase it. I made our cruise reservation directly with RCCl, no TA, and both of us are under the one reservation.

[ohyes]

It's always worth it to us...LIFE happens better to be prepared.

 

We have always used the Trip Insurance Store...Steve and his associates are wonderful and so helpful and knowledgeable about what policy we need for each trip.

 

This is not the first time I have seen Trip Insurance Store recommended---finally called them after seeing your post. I am thinking it will be a much better experience from the times I have purchased trip insurance online.

 

The rep at Trip Insurance Store was most helpful and the price I paid was a bit less than what I had found on the website. Plus, she gave advice that was helpful. One of our group is job hunting and there is a possibility he might not be able to cruise.

 

I felt very "listened to/taken care of".

 

As an aside, I tried to give you credit. All I could come up with was "a poster on Cruise Critic that has over 20,000 posts" highly recommended you guys. (She said that meant more than I could know.)

[JamesEM]

Decision is easy. If you are independently wealthy NO; or , if you are not YES.

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Great advice.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Great advice.

Agree.

 

Getting travel insurance is a no-brainer in 99% of the cases.

[SRF]

Hello....I never travel without Travel Insurance, I buy the extra insuance with the cruise line. I just came off the Anthem of the Seas this past August 2018. There was 4 Medical Evac's on the ship that I know of. We watched one person being taken off the ship by a medical helicopter - rumor had it that medical helicopter ride was $36,000 !! Hope they had the extra travel insurance.

L~NY

 

And the RCi insurnace only pays $25,000 for evac.

 

So even with the RCI insurance, you would be on the hook for $11,000.

[SRF]

I like the others almost always buy travel insurance for my boyfriend and myself. My RCCL cruise to the Bahamas in October was fairly cheap, under $600 pp including air, so we could afford to lose the money if we had too. However, after reading some of the stories I am considering maybe purchasing for myself . Money is a little tight for my boyfriend at the moment, so my question is can I buy the travel insurance just for myself and not him or do we both have to purchase it. I made our cruise reservation directly with RCCl, no TA, and both of us are under the one reservation.

 

You may be able to select $0 for the cruise cost, and get the medical, evac, and other coverages, without covering the actual cruise cost.

 

VERY cheap this way. I did this the last cruise, and 9 night coverage was less than $50.

[molly361]

If you are not concerned with pre existing conditions can you purchase insurance right up until sail date?

 

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[Ourusualbeach]

If you are not concerned with pre existing conditions can you purchase insurance right up until sail date?

 

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Yes.

[njmomof2]

You will definitely have to pay up front with your medical insurance, but Royal uses the std US billing forms so it's easy to get reimbursed. It is out of network though, so no negotiated costs and you will probably pay 20% of total

 

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

For me, the key item in your post is "out of network". I have medical insurance through Cigna but I have "in network" benefits only. If Royal bills as out of network, I have no coverage at all. And my mom only has Medicare, and they definitely don't pay out of the US, so we'd be responsible for full amounts.

[internetwhiz]

You may be able to select $0 for the cruise cost, and get the medical, evac, and other coverages, without covering the actual cruise cost.

 

 

 

VERY cheap this way. I did this the last cruise, and 9 night coverage was less than $50.

 

 

We booked Mariner for three nights in November for $7.62 plus port fees because we used RC Visa points to get it. Yes, we got trip insurance. It’s not about the fare. It’s about coverage.

[Glide_Path]

You may be able to select $0 for the cruise cost, and get the medical, evac, and other coverages, without covering the actual cruise cost.

 

VERY cheap this way. I did this the last cruise, and 9 night coverage was less than $50.

 

I filed a claim last year under the most unusual circumstance. Bought trip ins only for the medical and evac coverage, had put down $0 as trip cost. It was a Baltic's cruise out of Copenhagen.

 

3 Weeks before the trip, our air carrier Air Berlin files for bankruptcy, but continued its air operation. One Day AFTER I boarded the cruise ship (NCL), Air Berlin ceased its air operation. It was not fun trying to figure out a way to get home to the US west coast from Europe using wifi calling and an ipad on NCL's slow internet.

 

Long story short, our party of 5 ended up booking whatever airline was available at crazy last minute price to get home from Europe. BUT the trip insurance ended up paying (up to $1000 pp) for one way air travel home. It was a benefit under trip interruption, even though we had put $0 under trip cost. The insurance cost for 5 of us was less than $200, it really saved our aft.

[molly361]

Thanks Ken

 

and thanks to those that posted suggestions of putting 0 in the trip cost. I also got some pretty reasonable rates ($65-70) for just medical and evac insurance.for a 7 day cruise.

[internetwhiz]

If you are not concerned with pre existing conditions can you purchase insurance right up until sail date?

 

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Yes, unless there are storms out there. If they have a name, you can’t buy insurance for your cruise. There’s always folks out of the port we cruise most from who get VERY interested in trip insurance when a tropical storm or hurricane heads their direction.

[cb at sea]

Insurance is to protect you from financial loss. If you can "eat" the cost of your cruise, without it hurting your pocketbook, you probably don't need insurance. If the loss of your vacation investment will hurt...get insurance!

[internetwhiz]

Insurance is to protect you from financial loss. If you can "eat" the cost of your cruise, without it hurting your pocketbook, you probably don't need insurance. If the loss of your vacation investment will hurt...get insurance!

 

 

The cost of the cruise is often the LEAST important reason why I have trip insurance. 2-5K yes, we could “eat” that. It would be in 80K evac back to the US or 40K medical bill that would really hurt the pocketbook.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

The cost of the cruise is often the LEAST important reason why I have trip insurance. 2-5K yes, we could “eat” that. It would be in 80K evac back to the US or 40K medical bill that would really hurt the pocketbook.

Not sure we could "eat' the 5K in cruise and/or airline cost...

 

BUT...

 

Totally agree that the main provisions of Travel insurance that make it a "must have" are the medical insurance and medical evacuation coverage - either of which could amount to many tens of thousands of dollars in costs someone would have to pay out of pocket with the insurance. If you're on a ship, for example, and you need to be airlifted (typically be helicopter) to a hospital...you're looking at a minimum $25K cost right there alone.

[internetwhiz]

I refuse to go without travel insurance. I don’t want to “eat” anything other than unused cruise insurance. We have had to claim on three cruises out of 38 taken so far. The amount of money we have had refunded to us far exceeds what we’ve paid out in premiums. Allure TA in 2015, when my GB decided to act up for the first and last time less than a week before flying to Barcelona, put enough back in my pocket alone to more than pay for all the cruises we’ve done. The other two cancellations were due to family critical illnesses, not us. I rest better knowing I’m covered.

[newcruzer2]

Yes get it. Even though I can afford to lose the cost of a vacation. It comes down to .... Stuff happens and having travel medical and Evac coverage , COULD BE a life saver.

[time4u2go]

Agree.

 

Getting travel insurance is a no-brainer in 99% of the cases.

In your opinion ;)

[ssbeard1]

We have been on approximately 12-15 cruises. We have never purchased travel insurance. Last year my dad asked us to go with him on an Alaskan cruise (my mom passed away the year before, after a long illness). We decided to get travel insurance since he was 80 (but in excellent health). Medicare does not cover you on cruise ship with foreign flag. Long story short - he became sick 1st day. Spent 2 days in medical before being transferred off ship in Juneau. Spent one day there, medflighted to anchorage where he subsequently passed away. The 2 days in ship medical was $9000, medflight $8000, flying his body back to lower 48 $4000, our hotel rooms $1000 or more, plus other expenses. BC/BS covered a lot of medical. The travel insurance wound up paying about $15,000 of unreimbursed expenses. I will never go without travel insurance again!

[KansasK]

We have bought Royal's trip insurance on our cruises. Never used it until a cruise two years ago. We babysit our grandkids and our daughter, her husband and 3 year old daughter came down with the flu as the week before our cruise progressed and we were flying to the cruise that Friday. We had our 6 month old grandson with us, hoping to prevent him from getting the flu. On Tuesday he ran a fever and our daughter said to bring him home. On Thursday my husband woke up with a cough. Our daughter that day said the baby got worse and she took him to the doctor and he tested positive for the flu and said that her Dad should get tested if he was coughing. He went in and was diagnosed with the flu and was told he could not travel, which was obvious, anyway. Everyone had a flu shot that year; this flu was outside the shot. I called to cancel the cruise and we got back all our money except for the cruise insurance cost. I was the only one who did not get the flu.

 

We were on Southwest and lucked out in that we also got back the money with no penalties. They did keep some of it and we had to use it in 6 months.

 

It depends on how much you are willing to lose if life steps in and stops you from going, or if something happens on board the ship.

[creel5857]

Never schedule a cruise without it. Too many things can happen and i dont want to worry or lose a considerable amount of money. If I cant afford the insurance, I cant afford the cruise.