Alaska: To insure or not insure...that is the question

[flagger]

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take insurance against a sea of troubles, with apologies to dear Bill.

 

As we approach the final payment date for our cruise, we are wondering if we need take out insurance for our Alaskan trip. I am not really worried about medical evacuation as we are both in good health and we are cruising in or near Alaskan waters. Our personal medical insurance covers a hospital/urgent care visit while on shore in Alaska and in Vancouver for that matter.

 

We are flying in two days early to enjoy some time in Vancouver itself so we are not worried about missing the ship or the flights. We are cross packing so even if anything gets lost, we will be ok, plus with an extra day we could shop if we had to. But we are actually quite proficient at only travelling with carry-ons and plan to do that much as possible.

 

If someone were to get ill or die in our family, call me callous, but we would still take the cruise.

 

So given all of that, would you still purchase insurance or save the money for a shore excursion or purchase?

 

(We do plan to purchase should we take our Caribbean cruise next January)

 

[lougee1043]

my reason for buying insur is for that period of time between the final pay date and the sail date --what if one of you ends up in the hospital or under doctors care where you are unable to make the trip --- does your personal medical insurance refund to you the cost of the cruise or your airfare --i think not -and thats why i buy insurance for all cruises --better safe then out some big bucks

 

lougee1043

 

 

Since we last sailed on the Oosterdam

<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2004;03;28;08;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800>

 

til our next cruise on the Galaxy

<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2005;03;21;18;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800>

 

9/87 HAL - Noordham

10/92 HAL - Westerdam

4/01 HAL - Zaandam

5/02 HAL - Maasdam

8/02 HAL - Zaandam

3/03 HAL -Statendam

cancelled due to surgeries

12/03 HAL - Statendam replacement cruise

3/04 HAL Oosterdam

3/05 Celebrity Galaxy

[lougee1043]

medical insurance will not cover the cost of the cruise or the airfare if you are unable to go because of a medical condition

 

sorry for the dupe response

 

lougee1043

 

 

Since we last sailed on the Oosterdam

<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2004;03;28;08;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800>

 

til our next cruise on the Galaxy

<img src=http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&prgb=2325FF&cdt=2005;03;21;18;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800>

 

9/87 HAL - Noordham

10/92 HAL - Westerdam

4/01 HAL - Zaandam

5/02 HAL - Maasdam

8/02 HAL - Zaandam

3/03 HAL -Statendam

cancelled due to surgeries

12/03 HAL - Statendam replacement cruise

3/04 HAL Oosterdam

3/05 Celebrity Galaxy

[tuggers]

You're singing to the choir here! Ever since I almost missed a cruise due to a kidney stone (neither I nor anyone in my immediate family had ever had one, but this doozy kept me in the hospital 5 days, only getting out 72 hours before cruise!) I do not go without insurance. You never know. People in great shape have car accidents or fall down stairs. Children develop all sorts of serious things in about 30 seconds. Small price to pay for peace of mind. And what would happen if, God forbid, one of you took a nasty tumble down some stairs onboard and had to be helicoptered out? $10,000 to start! Buy the insurance!

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

 

 

 

[MBMiner]

I'll have to go with Flagger on this one. I'm a firm believer in self insuring for any risk you can afford to take. This applies to deductibles on auto insurance, homeowner's insurance, medical, extended warranties on appliances and cruise insurance. I have a $5,000 deductible on my homeowner's and would go higher if the insurance company offered it. Likewise, I just checked a sample trip insurance quote for a cruise and it was 6.8% of the fare. For that rate, I'll take the risk and firmly believe I'll come out ahead in the long run. If forfeiting the fare, or the remote risk of a medical evacuation, is within your ability to pay, most financial advisors would recommend self insuring and not paying an insurance company to assume the risk.

 

Vera Cruz - 6/68

Ecstasy - 10/93

Sensation - 5/94

Tropicale - 11/94

Soverign of the Seas - 5/96

Summit - 9/03

Zenith - 2/04

Constellation - 5/04

Summit - 10/04

Zenith - 1/05

Infinity - 5/05

[Guest]

Based solely on Flaggers needs the only risk he appears to have is whether his wife, daughter or himself incurs some type of injury or illness which would prevent them from taking the cruise. If he is willing to take that risk and that of air transport then he would have no need for the insurance. I would personally not take that risk but that is a choice to be made by them.

 

It only takes one accident or illness which of course is beyond our control.

 

Miner's explanation really depends on what you call small losses. I would certainly not consider the cost of a cruise for myself and my family as small. I believe most of this board would feel the same way.

 

Don

[tuggers]

,

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

 

 

 

[Nancyquilts]

Don't let anyone else see, or I'll be flamed for sure. We only bought insurance once out of many cruises (and that was because my father was elderly). If you can afford NOT to buy insurance - i.e., enough to get home in an emergency, I would think Alaska would be the best place to ignore it. I can speak personally for the care in Anchorage, as I needed to see a doctor there once, and I have no reason to believe other cities don't have great care. It was no problem with my insurance. Nancy

[catmand]

Aka and I both feel this way....we can afford the cruise BUT we can't afford the cruise and not take it. The insurance for us is a small price to pay for peace of mind and we get the gold insurance as we have Mom, Dad and an Aunt all over 80. We also have an 18 year old cat

 

However, as Don wrote, I too after reading Flaggers post feel like he may want to take the chance and figure the odds are in his favor, a few hundred bucks can get you a real nice excursion.

 

Star Princess 9/03 Alaska

Celebrity Mercury 3/04 Mexico

Next: Sapphire Princess 10/2/04 Mexico

Celebrity Infinity 5/28/05 Alaska

Mercury Cruise 3/13/04 & Amtrak Train trip 4/04 Pic's

http://community.webshots.com/user/catmand100

[Lou33]

I agree that there is less need for insurance in Alaska than in other countries. The medical care in Sitka or Juneau should be as good or better than any other small city in the United States.

 

Some people mentioned "what if you need a helicopter evacuation?" Well your health provider should cover that. Think about it. If you have a medical emergency in a rural area 50 miles from your house, you might need a helicopter evacuation. Well your health provider should pay for that. I can't see why it would make a difference if that rural area was somewhere in Alaska .

 

Splendour of the Seas, 11/17/00

Summit, 10/28/02

Mercury, 5/05/04

[marvholly]

You may be young and quite healthe and coverer=d by your regular medical insurance but what happens if a parent/in-law has a medical crisis or dyes? The unexpected emergency trip, unbooked in advance air is a killer. That is why we started buying insurance back for our 12/01 cruise. Lucky we did because hubby died suddenly 8/03 and my mom suffered a series of strokes unexpectedly in Dec 03 and died in Jan 04 which put paid to the booked jan 04 cruise.

 

Holly

 

M/S Boheme 11/69

Rhapsody 2/77?

Azure Sea 3/89

Panama Canal 11/90

Mexican Riviera 3/98

Carnival Triumph 12/99

Carnival Spirit 12/01

NCL Dream 11/17/02

Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03

carnival Victory 3/28/04

 

[flagger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by marvholly:

You may be young and quite healthe and coverer=d by your regular medical insurance but what happens if a parent/in-law has a medical crisis or dyes?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

As I stated in my original post, we would not cancel our trip if a parent or in-law dies or has a medical crisis. Life goes on. We are not doctors and could not assist in the event of a medical crisis. If they were to die, well they won't know if we are at the funeral or not.

 

[hdawson]

I was to cruise in Apr. Came down with bronchitus about 7 days before sailing and

had to cancel. Mailed the insurance claim forms and had check in full in 8 days.

[tuggers]

This one's for flagger. Now that's closure.

 

Going on CENTURY! Third X Cruise In Four Months!

[MBMiner]

I don't always agree with Flagger, but on this point I feel he is dead on. Cruise insurance is just another form of insurance sold to the public. One would go broke insuring for every conceivable possible form of loss. As I stated in my earlier post, it comes down to one simple decision, i.e., can you afford the loss? If you can, you will be ahead in the long run by self insuring, and not purchasing insurance coverage whether you are talking about cruise insurance or the deductibles on your home and medical coverage. Never take extended warranties either.

Bruce

 

Vera Cruz - 6/68

Ecstasy - 10/93

Sensation - 5/94

Tropicale - 11/94

Soverign of the Seas - 5/96

Summit - 9/03

Zenith - 2/04

Constellation - 5/04

Summit - 10/04

Zenith - 1/05

Infinity - 5/05

[45014]

We always take insurance. My brother is not in good health (have had some scary moments) and I cannot fathom going on a cruise if something were to happen to him. If I can afford the cruise then I can surely afford the insurance. There is nothing more important than my family. But then to each his own. It just seems that putting a cruise before the health and well-being of a family is strange to us. And in the events of a death in the family, how could you go and enjoy even a second of the vacation.

[flagger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 45014:

We always take insurance. My brother is not in And in the events of a death in the family, how could you go and enjoy even a second of the vacation.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Because I am of the belief that life has to go on. And before you think I am completely callous, I have had to return from a vacation in Hawaii when my father died. I was there for 30 hours. He died the day before Ms. Flagger's and my first anniversary. He would have still been dead had we finished our vacation. Ms. Flagger had been on a plane and already landed on 9/11/01.

 

Life will and must go on. We have not had a vacation in over three years. This one is for us, so neither sickness or death is going to keep us from going unless it is our own. I will say if one of us died, the other would still go on the cruise.

 

[cruising with marti]

Geeze, mr flagger, that quite mouthfull

 

 

phil

 

galaxy trans Atlantic

 

mercury

[catmand]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Life will and must go on. We have not had a vacation in over three years. This one is for us, so neither sickness or death is going to keep us from going unless it is our own. I will say if one of us died, the other would still go on the cruise <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I can't believe you guys would let something like one of you passing away keep you from the cruise! My goodness, where is your sense of adventure?

 

Star Princess 9/03 Alaska

Celebrity Mercury 3/04 Mexico

Next: Sapphire Princess 10/2/04 Mexico

Celebrity Infinity 5/28/05 Alaska

Mercury Cruise 3/13/04 & Amtrak Train trip 4/04 Pic's

http://community.webshots.com/user/catmand100

[Guest]

Flagger, I think you've answered your own question. Why bother with insurance when you've considered all the risks and are willing to accept them?

 

Personally, I don't do insurance on all my cruises and didn't on my Alaska cruise a couple of years ago. In some ways I agree that the insurance thing is worthless for 95% of us, but considering I've never made a claim on my auto insurance and have been paying that for 22 years, I still like knowing it's there if I need it.

 

Travel insurance is a very personal decision and one that needs to be made on a case-by-case basis IMO.

 

Hilary

[T-sip]

As in any discussion of risk management, the question of purchasing insurance boils down to your risk tolerance.

 

You need to ask yourself the following two questions:

 

1. What is the RISK of being wrong?

2. What is the COST of being wrong?

 

Take, for example, the wearing of seat belts. On any given outing, the likelihood of needing the seat belts is very, very low. In other words, when you decide not to wear a seatbelt, the RISK of being wrong is very, very low. However, if you are in a crash, the COST of not wearing the seat belts is possibly very, very high.

 

In other words, if you needed to miss the cruise, could you walk away from the airfare, hotel costs, and the cruise fare and not be upset? I doubt it, but you may be more accepting of risk than I am.

 

We pay the money for the insurance, knowing that we're covered. We could afford to pay for the cruise (obviously) and after the cruise is over, we don't have our money anymore, so it's not just that we want to have our money protected. It's that a lot can happen between final payment and the start of the cruise: you could be downsized at your work, a tree could fall on your house the night before you're scheduled to leave, you could get appendicitis, your wife could have an ectopic pregnancy, your dog could be struck by a car and be in hospital, etc. Not all of these risks would be covered by insurance, but you'd surely be bitter if, in addition to these act-of-God type tragedies, you also forfeited all the money you spent on your vacation.