Cruise insurance

[disneygirl2]

We are back from the Oasis of the Seas cruise that started on Jan 26th.  Yes, you read that right, Jan 26th.  While on the cruise, day 2, I came down with the Flu that was diagnosed in the ship's doctor's office.  I received tamiflu and instructions to stay in my cabin. The following day I was not feeling better so I went back to the doctor hoping for an inhaler.  What occurred next is your worst nightmare.  The doctor on the ship freaked out a bit and decided I needed a CT scan to rule out a blood clot, which by the way I did not ever have. So in Jamaica at 4:00 I left the ship thinking we would be back for 6:30.  Well that never happened!  We ended up at the Jamaica private hospital where they proceeded to tell us that we needed cash otherwise, they would transfer us to the public hospital.  By the time this was all straightened out money wise (no they did not take the cruise insurance or our Aetna) the ship had sailed.  They finally were able to get me to Florida via lear jet on 2/1 where I stayed at Broward International hospital until my return home yesterday.  Let me say being in Jamaica was scary and the treatment was subpar.  Even the EMT's from the jet knew something wasn't right and had to tell the doctors what to do.  The staff in Florida were top notch.  Unfortunately by this point the Flu turned in Pneumonia with a few other things thrown in.  

Moral of the story......get the insurance, because my $2,000 cruise has turned into a $30,000 disaster that I am sure is going to take many months to fix.  Without that insurance though, I don't know where I would be right now.  Get the insurance, it is worth the $200

Edited February 12, 2020 by disneygirl2

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

So sorry to hear this.  However, this is a great example for others the importance of good travel insurance!  I hope you're feeling better!

[Debitoo]

Amen! Glad you are feeling better. I always buy insurance. I used it for the first time last November when I broke my ankle 2 weeks before the cruise. Reimbursed me 100%

[Norwich Cruiser]

We would never cruise or indeed take any vacation without first taking out full travel insurance.

[ReneeFLL]

Sorry to hear this, but glad you're doing much better. Broward General is a great hospital. A good friend is an ER dr there. Totally agree about the insurance, we never leave home with out it.

[Baron Barracuda]

10 years ago came down with the flu while aboard Explorer.  Tamiflu and nebulizer treatments had me back on my feet in three days but sadly $1,000 poorer.  That's the last time we sailed without trip insurance.

[bigrednole]

Never been on a cruise but have experience with the insurance from my mom and dad. They were on a trans-atlantic cruise when my dad had chest issues. The ship doctor couldn't do anything but ease the pain. His chest had filled with fluid and they thought they were going to have to send a USCG helicopter out. The pain subsided enough to get to the final port 3 days later. It was the first signs of his cancer that took another 4 weeks to diagnose. My sister had to use it as well on another cruise because of a death in the family right before leaving. They had to fight to get their money back because the insurance response was the death had no effect on them actually going since it happened the day before the trip. They wound up getting their money back and then some but it is definitely worth it in my opinion.

[onthewater51]

Well, sometimes we do and sometimes we don't buy it.   But your story tells me it will be bought everytime in the future.   

Thanks for sharing

 

[TNcruising02]

That's a good reminder that the cost of insurance is nothing compared to costs of having an accident or getting sick while traveling.  People take a risk by thinking that nothing will ever happen to them, but it can happen to anyone.  I've got an annual policy.

[SG65CB]

1 hour ago, disneygirl2 said:

We ended up at the Jamaica private hospital where they proceeded to tell us that we needed cash otherwise, they would transfer us to the public hospital.  By the time this was all straightened out money wise (no they did not take the cruise insurance or our Aetna) the ship had sailed. 

 

It is fascinating to hear how travel insurance works in a real life situation. We can all learn about the details we need to carefully consider when we're looking for our own policy.

 

I know that some travel insurance policies say they will pay the fee for you when the hospital insists on payment up front. Did your insurance not have this provision? 

 

Also did you have to pay for the Lear jet yourself and then get reimbursed by the travel insurance company, or did they make the arrangements and pay for it?

 

[pepperfeet]

1 hour ago, disneygirl2 said:

We are back from the Oasis of the Seas cruise that started on Jan 26th.  Yes, you read that right, Jan 26th.  While on the cruise, day 2, I came down with the Flu that was diagnosed in the ship's doctor's office.  I received tamiflu and instructions to stay in my cabin. The following day I was not feeling better so I went back to the doctor hoping for an inhaler.  What occurred next is your worst nightmare.  The doctor on the ship freaked out a bit and decided I needed a CT scan to rule out a blood clot, which by the way I did not ever have. So in Jamaica at 4:00 I left the ship thinking we would be back for 6:30.  Well that never happened!  We ended up at the Jamaica private hospital where they proceeded to tell us that we needed cash otherwise, they would transfer us to the public hospital.  By the time this was all straightened out money wise (no they did not take the cruise insurance or our Aetna) the ship had sailed.  They finally were able to get me to Florida via lear jet on 2/1 where I stayed at Broward International hospital until my return home yesterday.  Let me say being in Jamaica was scary and the treatment was subpar.  Even the EMT's from the jet knew something wasn't right and had to tell the doctors what to do.  The staff in Florida were top notch.  Unfortunately by this point the Flu turned in Pneumonia with a few other things thrown in.  

Moral of the story......get the insurance, because my $2,000 cruise has turned into a $30,000 disaster that I am sure is going to take many months to fix.  Without that insurance though, I don't know where I would be right now.  Get the insurance, it is worth the $200

You better believe get the insurance.  I fell and broke my femur April 4 on the Symphony walking thru th solarium doors. I had RC Insurance - OnCall.  I had to lay a day and ahalf at sea until we got to the Bahamas, then got lifeflighted to Ft Lauderdale Broward County Medical Center.  They operated , spent a week there, then they arranged flights back.  The  lifeflight alone  was $13,500. Everything was covered.  All the medical people on the ship were fantastic.

[disneygirl2]

1 hour ago, SG65CB said:

 

It is fascinating to hear how travel insurance works in a real life situation. We can all learn about the details we need to carefully consider when we're looking for our own policy.

 

I know that some travel insurance policies say they will pay the fee for you when the hospital insists on payment up front. Did your insurance not have this provision? 

 

Also did you have to pay for the Lear jet yourself and then get reimbursed by the travel insurance company, or did they make the arrangements and pay for it?

 

The Jamaica hospital insisted on the money up front.  I am actually calling the insurance company tomorrow to figure out how to get reimbursed.  We also paid for the jet transfer up front.  I think it just depends.  

[renza]

We always buy insurance, one time we didn’t and my son ended up with massive abdominal pain and had to go to hospital in Puerto Rico. We were able to continue cruise but between cruise Drs and hospital it was over $3000. Our medical insurance From home did cover it all though. Long story short he had a non functioning kidney and had it removed when we got home. He is 17 now and fine with one kidney. 

[pink845]

My son 10 years old at the time was jumping on the bed at our hotel in Honolulu and of course fell off and broke his arm.  We called the insurance company from our hotel room and they proceeded to advise us which hospital we should attend.  Everything was handled behind the scenes in terms of payment.  The only money we dispensed out of our pockets was cab fare back and forth to the hospital  of which payment we later received by way of a claim form.    

 

Another time, I was in Princess Cays and something flew into my eye while on the shuttle or transfer and I could not stop tearing and this went on for hours and I went down to the Infirmary and the doctor there found a thread from a towel in my eye.  We had to pay for the doctor visit on our cruise account.  The insurance company whom we called prior to going to the Infirmary on the ship at that point (different insurer than the Hawaii insurer) asked me to pay for the doctor visit but had me fill out the a claim form on my return and that together with the doctor bill printout led to my claim being paid.  It was only $300.00 but thank heavens for my insurance on my credit card. 

[sburrus4]

Yes!  Insurance is so important. On our honeymoon in Mexico I got so sick the resort doctor thought it was my appendix. Took me to the hospital, and they demanded money upfront before even looking at me. It wasn’t my appendix (thank goodness, I can’t tell you how happy I was to leave that hospital - long story). 
 

The next day my grandma passed away.  We ended up leaving 1.5 days early. Insurance reimbursed the hospital visit, the missed time on our vacation, and our changed flights. 

[Ren1216]

What an ordeal -- glad you are finally home.  Thank you for sharing your story, I'm so sorry this happened to you!  We always buy trip insurance, but with some policies the medical coverage is only 10k.  I don't usually worry about it because we also have our regular health insurance which will cover us in emergencies... BUT... this has convinced me to select a travel policy with higher medical coverage in the future.  You just never know!  Always better to be safe than sorry.  As for paying up front, I've always known that was expected but I did not know some policies have this inclusion.  I'll check into that next time.

[shippmates]

When we had to file a claim with our travel insurance not the cruise lines but a third party.  We had to pay everything up front and then file a claim with our travel insurance and our private insurance when we got home.  The charges included the ship, Dominican Republic hospital, hotel, flights, food, and missed time on the cruise for my husband.  Also understand that it is possible the other family member maybe required to finish the vacation.  We were on the Explorer in Labadee when my husband was airlifted and I was not able to travel with him and had to finish the cruise.  We never leave home with out travel insurance.

[cruisegirl1]

I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.
 

I see many folks on these threads say they don’t need insurance because if they have to cancel  the cruise they can absorb the money. Done say they “self-insure“. I guess self insuring means that for five cruises that you didn’t buy insurance, if something happens you can use those saved funds to pay for the expenses. But,  your example shows otherwise. I don’t think anyone thinks about extraordinary medical expenses. 
 

We travel often and use an annual policy with Allianz. The first two years of the policy, we were lucky and never had to make a claim. Last year, we had to make two  claims and although we had to provide a lot of paperwork and jump through certain hoops, we received all the refunds that were due to us. 
 

I have mixed feelings when I hear stories of folks that have something bad happen, don’t have insurance, and are angry at the cruise line for non reimbursing the charges. Of course I don’t wish anyone ill health or any harm, but I do believe it is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard their health and money. 
 

OP-again, best wishes for good health.

 

m

[Colorado Babe]

We would never, ever cruise without cruise insurance.  We also have Allianz and have had to file claims.  We had our money reimbursed in a matter of just a few days.  I am so happy you are doing better!

[WildBlueYonder64]

I guess another lesson here is to carry more than one credit card when traveling.  If upfront expenses can jump to $30,000 or more, you want to make sure you can cover it, and that may not be possible with just one card! 

[Newleno]

Yes we have an annual travel insurance plan for medical, evacuation expenses, etc... we dont buy the plans that involve the cost of the trip.  Recently my wife was sick on a cruise passing some remote islands like Vanuatu, my biggest fear was that she would get worse and that they might kick off us the ship to "receive medical treatment"  when I know that any limited treatment on board would be of a better standard than anything we could receive on shore.  That is the scariest part about traveling the standard of care if something goes amiss. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by Newleno

[soremekun]

Just bought a medical plan for my upcoming trip via GeoBlue.  They claim $1,000,000 coverage with no deductible.  I hope I never have to put that to the test.

[Baron Barracuda]

Need to recognize that all trip insurance policies do not provide equal coverage.  Differences between policies can be significant and extremely confusing to analyze.  Some offer primary coverage while others are only secondary.  Coverage limits and deductibles also vary.  That's why we rely on agencies like Insuremytrip (not an employee, just a satisfied customer).  The cc travel insurance forum is also very helpful.  

[ryano]

25 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Just bought a medical plan for my upcoming trip via GeoBlue.  They claim $1,000,000 coverage with no deductible.  I hope I never have to put that to the test.

 

That is what I will use as well, from here on out.  its like 32.00 for the entire trip.  

[SRF]

$30,000 with a med evac flight is cheap.

 

My mother's med evac flight from Halifax to DC was $29,000 by itself.

 

YES, you REALLY want to have medical and med evac insurance coverage.

 

You DO NOT have to insure the cruise fare.  This can save a LOT on the insurance price.