I just bought trip insurance!

[MamaFej]

6 minutes ago, FlamingJune1967 said:

 I pray none of you ever need to use that insurance you so wisely buy again!

 

Insurance is weird; you hope you are throwing your money away, then are really glad when it turns out you didn't. 

[Shaco]

I want to toss in my little story, too. We’ve done 30+ cruises and bought travel insurance every time, but never used it. Except for the cruise in May of this year.

 I suddenly became extremely ill while waiting in the airport for our connecting flight home. I was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where I stayed for only four days. In that small amount of time, my bill was over $30,000. 

 

Conclusion: Always buy travel insurance, for the same reasons you buy auto insurance or home owners insurance.

 

Good health to all of us!

Sharon

[A Sixth?]

10 hours ago, AdGuyMG said:

About 70% of people who take a cruise purchase Travel Insurance.

 

Where did %%%%;s come from?

[Scottygirl1]

Speaking as someone from New Zealand, I wouldn't ever leave the country without full travel insurance.  If we fell ill in US we could be up for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  We actually bought a full year cover earlier this year to cover a few trips throughout the year.  We've already been to Europe and soon to tour US and then a cruise.  We read too many stories of people who didn't have insurance and have been caught out quite badly.  

[Edinburghgirl1]

Since I started travelling as a teenager I’ve always bought travel insurance I just wouldn’t leave home without it. Too many people think it will never happen to them and their families  have to set up crowd funding pages to raise the money to repatriate their family member as they can’t afford the massive costs involved when they fall ill abroad. Very selfish to travel without insurance in my opinion.  Plus as others have mentioned it usually covers cancellation too. When you have paid out a lot of money for a holiday you want to ensure you will not be out of pocket if the unthinkable should happen. A no brainier I would say. 

[GastroGnome]

Some cruise lines actually require proof of insurance when checking in - certainly Cunard does.  I've always been slightly bemused that X doesn't.  The costs of a helicopter medi vac is massive and if there is no insurance the ship will have to bear the cost.

 

We have annual travel insurance which covers everything but we are (relatively) young and (relatively) healthy.  Although DD is 20 she is also covered until she is 25 as long as she is with us.  It also includes some dangerous sports like riding, skiing, bungee jumping etc. 

 

My elderly mother has end stage cancer and recently traveled with us on Silhouette.  Even with a medical diagnosis that significant she was still able to get insurance (at a massive price I grant you!) and we didn't need it. But for the peace of mind knowing we could get her (and us!) home if we had to it was worth it.  14 days of irreplaceable memories!

[ipeeinthepool]

6 hours ago, Shaco said:

I want to toss in my little story, too. We’ve done 30+ cruises and bought travel insurance every time, but never used it. Except for the cruise in May of this year.

 I suddenly became extremely ill while waiting in the airport for our connecting flight home. I was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where I stayed for only four days. In that small amount of time, my bill was over $30,000. 

 

Conclusion: Always buy travel insurance, for the same reasons you buy auto insurance or home owners insurance.

 

Good health to all of us!

Sharon

 

I suspect your $30,000 bill came largely from the hospital, did your travel insurance or your medical insurance cover the hospital bill?  For medical insurance their are probably better and cheaper ways to get that protection than travel insurance.

 

Good health to you on your future cruises.

[Iamcruzin]

I have always purchased trip insurance especially when we were traveling with our kids. Children under 18 were always free when the parents made the purchase. There are just too many things that can go wrong on a cruise that you wouldn't have on a land vacation. One being in a foreign country and needing medical attention. Although my in health insurance would cover this there are different rules that apply to insurance in a foreign country. The possibility of a delayed flight is also an issue when cruising and of course emergency evacuations. There was only one time that I could have put in a claim. My son broke his wrist the day before the cruise and we didn't know it until we were out to sea. They took X-rays and set his wrist twice in a cast. The cost for all of that was only $200. It was less than what my wife spent on her hair and nails during the week. As it turned out I never submitted the claim to my heath insurance and I totally forgot that I could submit to the travel insurance. I never thought to ask for a receipt from the cruise line.

[omc329]

I use geoblue for medical and my credit card for everything else. Have had to use the medical once in Canada for a broken arm and the credit card covered my sister's cruise when she had to cancel just before due to severe ankle/leg break. (She was on my card for convenience since I did all the booking).

 

I know the credit card may not be quite as thorough as some agencies, but it covers most situations well, and if we lose the cost of the cruise because it wasn't quite good enough, we'll survive. The medical, now that REALLY matters to us as I've seen on the news, traveler's that get taken unaware and get stuck in places like the Bahamas with no way home and huge medical bills. Given dh's heart condition, the bone breaks we've seen, and the news we've read,  I would not leave the country without the medical insurance.

[ipeeinthepool]

7 minutes ago, omc329 said:

I use geoblue for medical and my credit card for everything else. Have had to use the medical once in Canada for a broken arm and the credit card covered my sister's cruise when she had to cancel just before due to severe ankle/leg break. (She was on my card for convenience since I did all the booking).

 

I know the credit card may not be quite as thorough as some agencies, but it covers most situations well, and if we lose the cost of the cruise because it wasn't quite good enough, we'll survive. The medical, now that REALLY matters to us as I've seen on the news, traveler's that get taken unaware and get stuck in places like the Bahamas with no way home and huge medical bills. Given dh's heart condition, the bone breaks we've seen, and the news we've read,  I would not leave the country without the medical insurance.

 

I think Geoblue is an excellent option for anyone on Medicare.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

Thankfully we never needed it and have bought it on and off depending on what is the cost of the insurance.  When we have bought it, it was always with the cruise line  (never tried the independent insurers).  For us it’s more about the cancellation portion prior to departure rather than the medical coverage during a cruise as my personal health insurance would cover that.

 

if it’s about 5% of the cruise cost, we’ll usually get it but we’ve seen it a lot higher and refused it.  I realize it’s taking a chance but again it’s about cancellation cost risk and what it’s worth to have that secured

Edited September 7, 2019 by Luckiestmanonearth

[Iamcruzin]

I'm a bit leery about using a credit card benefit as insurance since terms and conditions are constantly changing with these programs.

[DirtyDawg]

We have medical coverage through work which in combination with our 'universal' health care in Canada is good for international travel. We have never bought trip additional cancellation insurance coverage as our credit card has pretty good coverage  if one of us gets ill and has to miss a trip. It doesn't cover everything in every circumstance but it's been good enough. Now that our Mothers are both past 90, and tend to get ill just before our trips, (yep, it's becoming a pattern) we might be buying some 'any reason' cancellation insurance in the future. 

[AdGuyMG]

18 hours ago, AdGuyMG said:

About 70% of people who take a cruise purchase Travel Insurance.

 

8 hours ago, A Sixth? said:

 

Where did %%%%;s come from?

From this article posted by the US Travel Insurance Association (USTIA)

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.ustia.org/new-study-reveals-who-buys-travel-insurance-demand-triples.html

 

Travel insurance buyers are often doing one or more of the following: traveling with a group of people; taking longer trips; going on more expensive trips; or have considerable pre-paid non-refundable expenses. Also most travelers (70%) taking a cruise buy travel insurance.

[Boycey]

I’m intrigued by the different habits either side of the Atlantic.

 

Does the routine health insurance people are obliged to purchase in the US, for example, cover you when abroad? What about extraordinary costs such as helicopter evacuation or medical repatriation? Is that too covered by normal, everyday health insurance?

 

it’s these additional or extraordinary costs that cause us to take out annual Travel insurance, but of course for most Europeans it’s a combination of travel and health cover, and most US contributors seem to be making a distinction between the two.

[mafig]

We took 30 cruises without travel insurance. 

Since we are getting older, we have gotten it …. a couple of times from our travel agent and twice we paid for it.  I have to admit I really don't know what I'm buying....😦

[RichYak]

Earlier this year, I had to cancel a cruise for health reasons about 1 week prior to sailing. Delta generously refunded our airfare and the pre-cruise hotel we booked was still fully refundable. The cruiseline (RCL) refunded our port taxes and pre-paid gratuities. All that was left was the cruise fare that was purchased using a Chase Sapphire credit card. The travel insurance benefit provided by the card covered that remainder.

 

For my upcoming cruise, I am considering purchasing just medical insurance to cover any gaps in my personal plan. I've only done this for one other cruise to the Galapagos due to the remoteness of the islands.

[pd7277]

1 hour ago, Boycey said:

I’m intrigued by the different habits either side of the Atlantic.

 

Does the routine health insurance people are obliged to purchase in the US, for example, cover you when abroad? NO

 

What about extraordinary costs such as helicopter evacuation or medical repatriation? 

Is that too covered by normal, everyday health insurance? NO

 

it’s these additional or extraordinary costs that cause us to take out annual Travel insurance, but of course for most Europeans it’s a combination of travel and health cover, and most US contributors seem to be making a distinction between the two.  MEDICAL (FOR COVERAGE OUTSIDE THE U.S.) AND TRAVEL INSURANCE CAN BE PURCHASED TOGETHER OR SEPARATELY.

I get coverage through my credit card to cover travel delay/interruption, but unfortunately they dropped the per person coverage to $1,500 which would not fully protect us.  I purchase separate medical/evacuation insurance.

 

This thread was a timely reminder that I have not bought our insurance for our trip in 5 weeks.  Guess what I'm doing today?

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, AdGuyMG said:

 

From this article posted by the US Travel Insurance Association (USTIA)

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.ustia.org/new-study-reveals-who-buys-travel-insurance-demand-triples.html

 

Travel insurance buyers are often doing one or more of the following: traveling with a group of people; taking longer trips; going on more expensive trips; or have considerable pre-paid non-refundable expenses. Also most travelers (70%) taking a cruise buy travel insurance.

Now we know where YOU found the percentage, but the author of the article is quoting a very dated study based on a very limited online sampling:

 

The 2006 Travel Insurance Consumer Survey was conducted online in late 2005 of 850 people who had taken at least one leisure trip of one night or more in the last 12 months. 

 

Maybe 70% of the 850 respondents were cruisers, but with such a small sampling, it is very hard to extrapolate the findings to even the US cruise community as a whole, let alone cruisers internationally.

 

[BigRedFan]

On 9/6/2019 at 11:42 AM, FlamingJune1967 said:

Yesterday I booked our 10th cruise and today I purchased trip insurance for the first time ever!  I feel so adult right now! 🙂 
I hope I never have to use it, but I just feel like this is a huge "cruising" milestone.  I know insurance is widely recommended on the boards, but I've never met anyone in real life that actually buys it, and I am wondering if this is something that most cruisers do, or just the ones on cruise critic?
 

I buy an annual plan for medical/trip insurance as well as an annual medevac plan.

[Iamthesea]

21 hours ago, Doctor G said:

I always buy insurance.  To me it is important that the medical insurance be primary rather than secondary.  If it is secondary you must submit to your health insurance first; if they deny the claim then the travel insurance will pay.  Since I am on Medicare, and I know they will not pay, having to submit a claim to them would only delay the reimbursement process.  I don't know about other cruise lines, but the insurance through Celebrity is secondary.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn,

 

Would you mind sharing the Primary insurance you purchase?  We had the same problem with Medicare, although the supplementary did cover my DH for some medical cost incurred on the ship.  Still, it took weeks to hear back from them!  By that time, we were too lazy to file with our travel insurer for the remainder of the cost.  And I believe that they were also secondary. 

 

Since we have yet to book a major trip for the upcoming year, we did not renew our yearly policy.  Beside's being secondary, we also felt that the medical coverage was not enough.   Looking for something new.

 

16 hours ago, Shaco said:

I want to toss in my little story, too. We’ve done 30+ cruises and bought travel insurance every time, but never used it. Except for the cruise in May of this year.

 I suddenly became extremely ill while waiting in the airport for our connecting flight home. I was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where I stayed for only four days. In that small amount of time, my bill was over $30,000. 

 

Conclusion: Always buy travel insurance, for the same reasons you buy auto insurance or home owners insurance.

 

Good health to all of us!

Sharon

 

That bill sounds in the norm for a 4 day hospital visit.  Were you already back in the US, or overseas when you became ill?  If in the US, your health care insurance plan should have covered you.  Travel insurance typically will not pay until your regular health insurance plan pays out.

 

7 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I think Geoblue is an excellent option for anyone on Medicare.

 

I'll have to check that again.   What do you do about your trip cancellation/interruption?

 

For others with a yearly policy.  What's your plan?

 

2 hours ago, pd7277 said:

I get coverage through my credit card to cover travel delay/interruption, but unfortunately they dropped the per person coverage to $1,500 which would not fully protect us.  I purchase separate medical/evacuation insurance.

 

This thread was a timely reminder that I have not bought our insurance for our trip in 5 weeks.  Guess what I'm doing today?

 

I though you had to purchase trip insurance at or before final payment?

[Doctor G]

7 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

 

Carolyn,

 

Would you mind sharing the Primary insurance you purchase?  We had the same problem with Medicare, although the supplementary did cover my DH for some medical cost incurred on the ship.  Still, it took weeks to hear back from them!  By that time, we were too lazy to file with our travel insurer for the remainder of the cost.  And I believe that they were also secondary. 

 

 

I have used Travel Insured International for USAA members.  They have two policies.  The most expensive one has more coverage and is primary.  The second policy has lower, but still good, coverage.  It is secondary, but you can pay a fee of only $25 to make it a primary coverage policy.  They are not cheap, but I have had good luck with them.  I have had to file a few small claims (medical care onboard) with them, and they have been handled very rapidly.  The cost increases with age.

 

At one time I looked into annual policies, and the ones I reviewed were all secondary coverage. I may have missed some that are primary.  Also, the insurance through Celebrity is secondary, and has very low limits.

 

Carolyn

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, Boycey said:

I’m intrigued by the different habits either side of the Atlantic.

 

Does the routine health insurance people are obliged to purchase in the US, for example, cover you when abroad? What about extraordinary costs such as helicopter evacuation or medical repatriation? Is that too covered by normal, everyday health insurance?

 

it’s these additional or extraordinary costs that cause us to take out annual Travel insurance, but of course for most Europeans it’s a combination of travel and health cover, and most US contributors seem to be making a distinction between the two.

The first misconception, is the mandatory insurance AKA “Obama care”. While mandatory, you don’t have to purchase it. It’s still cheaper to pay the fine when filing your tax return than paying for health insurance. Obama Care has different plans at different costs. It probably would be less expensive to buy travel insurance Private insurance that  employers pay part and the employees pay part all have different plans that may or may not cover expenses out of the country It depends on the individuals plan. My wife has an excellent medical plan but I still wouldn’t think it would pay out the max benefits traveling in a foreign country so I buy travel insurance.  Medicare which is for anyone 65 and older will not cover medical outside the US.

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

 

I'll have to check that again.   What do you do about your trip cancellation/interruption?

 

 

I purchase the cruise line insurance to cover the cost of the trip for normal events before the cruise and it also offers a form of cancel for any reason if you are willing to accept cruise credits.  For us that's fine.  We are in are 60's and the cruise line insurance is independent of age.  The 3rd party insurance can get expensive, especially for older folks if you want some form of cancel for any reason.

 

For the air fare we self-insure.  We are willing to pay the $200 change fee on the tickets or hope for some good will from the airlines if a problem arises.

[journeymore]

On 9/6/2019 at 10:42 AM, FlamingJune1967 said:

Yesterday I booked our 10th cruise and today I purchased trip insurance for the first time ever!  I feel so adult right now! 🙂 
I hope I never have to use it, but I just feel like this is a huge "cruising" milestone.  I know insurance is widely recommended on the boards, but I've never met anyone in real life that actually buys it, and I am wondering if this is something that most cruisers do, or just the ones on cruise critic?
 

I usually travel solo and I buy it. I've used it twice. Once for the death of my sister & a few months later my husband's father passed. My daughter & her family are cruising this year and I suggested she buy insurance and she did.