Who buys trip insurance?

[travelwell]

VegasDriven, I have not heard of the option of a high deductible to lower the coat of travel insurance. Travel insurance is so different from standard medical and property insurance where you can have many thousand dollars deductible for lower payments. 

Of course just insuring a trip is more difficult in some countries then others with Wendy, as previously posted, having the most challenging time I have heard.

[purpleally]

At my annual physical my doctor always tells me I am in perfect health, keep doing what you are doing.

We absolutely buy MedJet because if we land in a hospital we want to be flown home

I have Chase Reserve and have read the fine print repeatedly 

That being said, on a Regent Panama cruise two years ago we purchased insurance from AIG. I got a blood infection, came so close to being septic and almost had to use Med Jet. But I refused to leave the ship in Acapulco on Inauguration Day.  This was my third time to the ships doctor and I wasn’t getting better.  I ended up with five more IVs and he stopped charging me at 2k

Had a ton of OBC and my insurance reimbursed me for every penny

 

by the way, got home, my dr ran test after test and we never figured out was wrong

 

Would never not buy insurance 

[MalbecWine]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

In the past I don't think any of our plans have had deductibles.  Oh, maybe you're talking about medical plans? Some small deductible makes sense in that case.

 

In our case, for our world cruise insurance, our deductible will be about $45K 😞  We are looking at it that way, since we really want to do this cruise.  So, after final payment 6 months prior, we will be taking on that liability.  Yes we can afford it, but it would crimp our style, for sure.

Hi Wendy, we have been using this insure my trips with Chuck Burns and his team for years. Here is his site:  https://www.insuremyluxurytravel.com. 

 

Chuck is personal and will make sure you are well covered.  He uses Berkshire Hathaway as the underwriter.  Of course prices will vary to the length and cost of your cruise but we find him very reasonable compared to others.  Talk to him or any of his associates.  We have been very happy and feel secure.

 

I hope this helps.

 

PS:  A quote of 45k is outrageous.

Edited March 19, 2019 by MalbecWine

[travelwell]

Malbecwine, if you go back and read Wendy’s posts this is a Canadian problem for long expensive cruises such as the world cruise she has booked. She pretty much has done all the above... They have been able to piece meal multiple policies to get to the 45k. In this regard we are lucky to be in the states, I will never complain about my 4K per person insurance cost.

[MalbecWine]

I agree, it’s shameful for what Canadians pay.  I was only trying to help them.  The UK is also different in terms of insurance.  I can only say this company has done well for us in the US.

[sassyw]

14 hours ago, MalbecWine said:

Hi Wendy, we have been using this insure my trips with Chuck Burns and his team for years. Here is his site:  https://www.insuremyluxurytravel.com. 

 

Chuck is personal and will make sure you are well covered.  He uses Berkshire Hathaway as the underwriter.  Of course prices will vary to the length and cost of your cruise but we find him very reasonable compared to others.  Talk to him or any of his associates.  We have been very happy and feel secure.

 

I hope this helps.

 

PS:  A quote of 45k is outrageous.

We use him too and have been very pleased

[travelwell]

We in the States are fortunate in terms of getting insurance for long, luxury cruises.. Our great TA kept us informed of things such as buying insurance almost immediately upon booking and the fact the deposits are expensive enough on a WC that you insure your deposit. Even though we will be on the younger side on the 2021 WC ( 67 and 61) health problems do show up and we have to think about our parents in their 80’s and 90’s. Insurance lets me sleep at night.

 

 

[Stickman1990]

20 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

In our case, for our world cruise insurance, our deductible will be about $45K 😞  We are looking at it that way, since we really want to do this cruise.  So, after final payment 6 months prior, we will be taking on that liability

 

The insurance premium isn’t $45k - nor is it the deductible - I read this as they are self insuring for the cruise cost of $45k 

Edited March 20, 2019 by Stickman1990

[Stickman1990]

18 hours ago, MalbecWine said:

PS:  A quote of 45k is outrageous.

 

I don’t believe that’s the case - they are self insuring to cover that risk (although only the cruise cost and not the medical aspects - I hope they have cover for that)

Edited March 20, 2019 by Stickman1990

[1982CruzStart]

i believe that of their total cost of the cruise they were able to piecemeal together all but $45K of the total cost so they are self insuring $45K. 

Insurance in Canada is ridiculously difficult to get for expensive Regent cruises. Our challenges became even greater when my DH's cancer re-occured. Trying to get coverage for our last cruise almost caused us to cancel until we found 1 source for it.   It was tough finding someone to give us decent travel medical coverage for the length of the cruise and pre-existing conditions and for cancelation insurance to cover the cost.  

Some places in the US will cover Canadians but the coverage we looked at was inadequate and expensive so not really an option. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

6 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

The insurance premium isn’t $45k - nor is it the deductible - I read this as they are self insuring for the cruise cost of $45k 

 

Sorry, I'm talking about my own risk, my exposure, not the cost of insurance, since I can't get coverage for the whole trip.  I am "self insuring" That $45K.

 

But Regent Care, for this trip, would be in the neighbourhood of $25K.

[poss]

MalbecWine and sassyw:  I've never heard of that company you mention, nor is it mentioned (that I can see) on the insurance board of CC.    I'm curious to know if you've tried the usual and regular (tripinsurancestore, etc.) and found that Chuck is considerably better.    Insurance has become so expensive for us (as I've mentioned elsewhere on this thread) that it's definitely going to curtail future cruises.   Also, with Berkshire Hathaway, does one have to insure right after booking to have pre-existing conditions included?   I've never done that, and would probably feel uncomfortable doing so.

Thank you.

[MalbecWine]

We have two land trips and two cruises booked and we are insured by Insure My Trip.  We have been using Chuck Burns for years.  We are not willing to risk over the course of these trips 300k for a few thousand dollars.  Pre-existing are covered.  Self insure but you are taking a big risk.  Age is not a factor.  You can be 21 or 100 and when something happens it’s mostly on you and will not be fully covered by credit card companies.  I have heard horror stories.  Penny wise and pound foolish.

[rcandkc]

We insure for preexisting conditions.  We must get the insurance within a couple of weeks of expenditure for deposit. 

[MalbecWine]

Your life your family are very important.  When you travel Insure yourself for the cruise and medical evacuations.  If you are worth millions maybe you don’t care and self Insure your trips.  No matter your age or wealth stuff happens on land and at sea.  It’s the risk factor and none of us are Superman or superwoman.

[Travelcat2]

2 hours ago, MalbecWine said:

Age is not a factor.  You can be 21 or 100 and when something happens it’s mostly on you and will not be fully covered by credit card companies..

 

Age is definitely a factor.  Have you checked rates for elderly people?  If/when you do, you may not make statements like you did.  You mention being 100....... well, did you know that many companies won't even insure you if you are over 85 and some companies have a lower age?  And, if they do, it could be the price of a cruise?

 

Also, some credit card companies cover things (not the entire cruise but a substantial amount) - despite your age. In my opinion, IF you have medical insurance for outside of the country, evacuation insurance (much less expensive but still has age limits) would suffice.

[MalbecWine]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Age is definitely a factor.  Have you checked rates for elderly people?  If/when you do, you may not make statements like you did.  You mention being 100....... well, did you know that many companies won't even insure you if you are over 85 and some companies have a lower age?  And, if they do, it could be the price of a cruise?

 

Also, some credit card companies cover things (not the entire cruise but a substantial amount) - despite your age. In my opinion, IF you have medical insurance for outside of the country, evacuation insurance (much less expensive but still has age limits) would suffice.

I’m, suggesting that age is not a factor.  One can still get insurance of course at a  higher premium.  For instance if you are insuring for example a 100K Cruise and the premium is 5K.  That’s a no brainer to me.  If you take out cruise insurance with any luxury line you are going to pay a very high premium at any age that would include pre existing conditions.  If one wants to lose all their cruise money..so be it.

[papaflamingo]

On 3/18/2019 at 12:14 PM, vegasdriven said:

Not having had a lot of experience on this subject I am wondering if we could have some discussion about the merits of taking a higher deductible. Any thoughts?

As others have mentioned, Travel Insurance doesn't offer different deduction options (at least in my experience).  But what you can do is under insure the cost of the trip to effectively make your deduction higher and premiums lower.  For example, if you are willing to lose $10,000 on a $50,000 trip cost, simply insure your trip for $40,000 maximum.  If you end up cancelling for a covered reason you'll get $40,000 back,  losing the $10,000 deduction.  But I suspect that the higher cost of insuring the entire value isn't necessarily that significant.  

You can also shop for trip insurance that has a lower premium but also much lower Medical and Evacuation coverage.  That is also a form of "higher deductible."  

Since you asked for "thoughts."  When I insured our 44 night Mariner cruise last year, I found a policy through Berkshire Hathaway that gave me the BEST coverage on Medical and Evacuation ($100,000 medical and $1 Million evacuation), plus full value of the trip.  The premiums were less than half of Regent's premiums, and lower to much lower than other companies that I found.  For me, I didn't want to risk having to "eat" a "large deductible."  I am a "peace of mind" person and am willing and able to absorb the cost of trip insurance as part of the cruise cost.

Edited March 21, 2019 by papaflamingo

[sassyw]

Chuck Burns is an insurance agent and he gives you the options available to you. He assesses your age and other variables and offers you companies that are suitable for each cruise you take. So far we have used him 3 times and a different company was the option with each. We have checked his rates against Insure My Trip and others and his are always in the same ballpark or a little less.

One of our cruises had to be cancelled because of gallbladder surgery 2 weeks prior. We got everything back.

We just returned from a Seabourn cruise of 28 days (Hong Kong to Hong Kong) and my husband developed an infection from a cut he sustained bumping into a pool chair. He is a retired physician and neglected to put antibiotic ointment on it!! He had to have IV antibiotics and saw the ship's physician 8 times. Also an Ultrasound at a medical facility in Singapore to rule out a blood clot as his leg was so swollen.

Just got notice that they are paying all the charges (including the taxi to the facility in Singapore) Costs were almost $3000!

Edited March 21, 2019 by sassyw

[MalbecWine]

8 minutes ago, sassyw said:

Chuck Burns is an insurance agent and he gives you the options available to you. He assesses your age and other variables and offers you companies that are suitable for each cruise you take. So far we have used him 3 times and a different company was the option with each. We have checked his rates against Insure My Trip and others and his are always in the same ballpark or a little less.

One of our cruises had to be cancelled because of gallbladder surgery 2 weeks prior. We got everything back.

We just returned from a Seabourn cruise of 28 days (Hong Kong to Hong Kong) and my husband developed an infection from a cut he sustained bumping into a pool chair. He is a retired physician and neglected to put antibiotic ointment on it!! He had to have IV antibiotics and saw the ship's physician 8 times. Also an Ultrasound at a medical facility in Singapore to rule out a blood clot as his leg was so swollen.

Just got notice that they are paying all the charges (including the taxi to the facility in Singapore) Costs were almost $3000!

Chuck and his team are always by your side.  We have trusted him for many years.  If one wants to under/ Self Insure their travels the onus is on you.  If something happens and you don’t have insurance, you have no recourse you are out the money.