Should I buy trip insurance?

[CruiseRQA]

My understanding is that Celebrity will give you 90% of the cost of your trip back as future cruise credit if you cancel for any reason.   As my health insurance already covers international travel and med evac is there really any reason to purchase additional trip insurance?

 

Typically I have gotten trip insurance but I must say the one time I had to use it (to replace lost baggage) it was almost more trouble than it was worth to obtain reimbursement.  

[Saturngrl]

Yes, please purchase trip insurance!   I broke my left foot on my very first cruise years ago and learned the value of my plan with Allianz.   It will not only give you peace of mind, but also ensure coverage for a plethora of things that may come up.  

[sanger727]

Most everyone here will say yes. To me it comes down to your ability to foot the bill for emergencies and your risk tolerance. I typically don’t get insurance. But even with having a medical policy that works internationally I’m aware that everything is out of pocket on the front end and reimbursed as out of network on the back end. Which also means paying a new and higher deductible. Would keep me from having to pay the whole amount for a bill for thousands of dollars; but for hundreds I would just be out of pocket.

 

also, cruise with confidence only covers up until 48 hours before sailing and no trip interruption. So wake up on morning of cruise with a non Covid illness and you won’t be covered. Find out mid cruise you have to fly home for an emergency and you won’t be covered.

[Leela]

My only experience buying trip insurance was when I was traveling in the South Pacific. I purposely bought insurance that would cover flight cancellation and interruption, because I was island hopping alone. 

Lo and behold I was in Tonga and my flight to Fiji got canceled. Fiji Airlines re-routed me on a new flight that would get me to Fiji *after* the my scheduled return flight to Tonga. I called and complained to them and they would do nothing. I asked over and over again what was the point of flying me to Fiji *AFTER* my scheduled return to Tonga?

So, I called the insurance agency and explained the situation...and they told me the situation was not covered. I kept saying it was not ME who cancelled my flight, it was Fiji Airways...and the trip insurance company would do nothing. I was out $700 for a round-trip flight to Fiji that I could not take, even though I *thought* I had insurance that covered cancellation of flights by the airlines. It seems that because Fiji Airlines could scheduled me at a time -- even though it made NO SENSE because it was AFTER my return ticket -- they were able to wiggle out of reimbursing me.

Ever since then I've been extremely leery of trip insurance, especially since I've since moved to Hawaiʻi and many travel insurance companies will not issue trip insurance to Hawaiʻi Residents.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. I'm just posting because I'm one of the rare people who does not feel that trip insurance is worth it for my travel needs. (I have a separate policy that covers things like overseas medical treatment and medical evacuations, I really just needed something that would handle cancellations and interruptions.)

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY: When purchasing trip insurance, read every last bit of fine print and ask questions of an actual insurance agent before purchasing. I always feel that cruises and tour companies try to rush people into buying policies  before they can ask really specific questions about how the coverage works.

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Leela

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

My understanding is that Celebrity will give you 90% of the cost of your trip back as future cruise credit if you cancel for any reason.   As my health insurance already covers international travel and med evac is there really any reason to purchase additional trip insurance?

 

Typically I have gotten trip insurance but I must say the one time I had to use it (to replace lost baggage) it was almost more trouble than it was worth to obtain reimbursement.  

If you are already paying for trip insurance which includes at least $30,000+ for medivac transportation services as well as for medical coverage while onboard the ship, why would you. Sounds like you’re already paying a pretty penny if your insurance covers medivac services. It looks like the Celebrity CWC will be ending around mid December, though, unless they decide to extend it.

[cruzzzinma]

I had a $15,000 medical bill aboard the Oceania Riviera in 2018. It had to be paid up front. I also had to pay 324 Euro for an ER in Spain that included a CT scan, a doc and a specialist to determine whether I was fit to travel across the Atlantic. I was stunned by the bill cause I was expecting it to cost $$$$.

 

First, I had to clear it Medicare who doesn’t pay unless the ship is within so many miles of the US coast, my medical insurance paid at out of network rates and travel insurance covered the rest.

 

I buy travel insurance every time.

[Missymo]

As I booked a few cruises going forward,, I decided to buy a yearly international travel policy.where I opted for pre existing and full medical coverage, , should I get ill or hurt, plus covid coverage, while traveling,  I know I can get home if needed. .  Cost for a year was  only $250.00.Whch is cheaper than buying individual policies   , .  

[Jim_Iain]

Also check with you Credit Card to see what coverage you have automatically.   Chase Sapphire  has really good coverage.  The card includes trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, baggage delay, lost luggage, auto rental collision coverage and travel accident insurance.  Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption insured up to $10,000 per passenger.

[Covepointcruiser]

That $10K maximum per person is the problem.   Most serious medical incidents would be well in excess of that amount.   My card covers the same but it is hardly an adequate amount.   We really lost out on our yearly travel insurance policy in 2020, but will look at it again in 2022.

[Jim_Iain]

7 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

That $10K maximum per person is the problem.   Most serious medical incidents would be well in excess of that amount.   My card covers the same but it is hardly an adequate amount.   We really lost out on our yearly travel insurance policy in 2020, but will look at it again in 2022.

I was referring to the 10K for trip cancellation and trip interruption.   For Medical I have a GeoBlu annual Policy and my Insurance also  covers me but have to file for it when I get home.    I also have a MediJet evacuation annual policy.

[CruiseRQA]

Thank you for all of the replies.

 

We are cruising in January on the Apex.   My final payment is due next week and I will be getting a quote about travel insurance at that time.  

 

Thinking about it some more, my risk is really the cost of the cruise which unless I get sick in the 2 days prior to the cruise wouldn't be totally lost anyway.   Any medical disaster with 10s of thousands of dollars in expenses I already have covered (including med evac).   

 

Generally I have purchased travel insurance but my experience the one and only time I had to use it was so bad I continue to rethink it going forward.   My luggage was lost upon arrival in Europe for a river cruise.   We were told to purchase whatever we needed and we would be reimbursed.   It took literal hours on the phone back home and gobs of paperwork to finally get our money.   I can't imagine what the process would be if I had a heart attack and had to be med evaced from Cozumel to Miami.  

[grandgeezer]

That’s a question only you can answer. Evaluate the cost of the insurance versus worst case scenario which would probably include Medivac from a foreign country. Then you make the decision that helps you sleep at night.

We did that, when we first started cruising in 2003, and based on our financials and our overall health, we decided to roll the dice and not get it. 47 cruises and 494 days later, and it was the right move, probably saved tens of thousands of dollars. As we are older now we will probably reevaluate it if we ever cruise again.

[sdnich]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:07 PM, Jim_Iain said:

I was referring to the 10K for trip cancellation and trip interruption.   For Medical I have a GeoBlu annual Policy and my Insurance also  covers me but have to file for it when I get home.    I also have a MediJet evacuation annual policy.

We have the same Sapphire  and GeoBlu annual policy.We have just started getting the GeoBlu for the last two years.Very inexpensive for the two of us compared to insurance per trip.

[helen haywood]

To compare policies go to

 

https://www.insuremytrip.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhMOMBhDhARIsAPVml-EirJzlFJKw46K3LNv45IAcbqW--QSGyM9FqmbVe3--IC25YPrZfYkaAiltEALw_wcB

Edited November 14, 2021 by helen haywood

[sanger727]

5 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

Thank you for all of the replies.

 

We are cruising in January on the Apex.   My final payment is due next week and I will be getting a quote about travel insurance at that time.  

 

Thinking about it some more, my risk is really the cost of the cruise which unless I get sick in the 2 days prior to the cruise wouldn't be totally lost anyway.   Any medical disaster with 10s of thousands of dollars in expenses I already have covered (including med evac).   

 

Generally I have purchased travel insurance but my experience the one and only time I had to use it was so bad I continue to rethink it going forward.   My luggage was lost upon arrival in Europe for a river cruise.   We were told to purchase whatever we needed and we would be reimbursed.   It took literal hours on the phone back home and gobs of paperwork to finally get our money.   I can't imagine what the process would be if I had a heart attack and had to be med evaced from Cozumel to Miami.  

I don’t regularly purchase trip insurance. I have done medical only a few times that I never used. The one and only time I bought comprehensive trip insurance it worked out surprisingly well. I thought I might have to cancel due to a work reason so I got the cancel for any reason. We ended up having our flight cancelled and american wouldn’t help us rebook on another airline. We paid out of pocket for really expensive last minute flights. Trip insurance ended up cutting is a check for the max benefit for the cancelled flight with very little hassle.

[Z'Loth]

The only reason why I get travel insurance is for the emergency medical evacuation coverage which can run into six figures, with the medical coverage being second. Everything else is just gravy. 

[KathyL2537]

On 11/12/2021 at 3:38 PM, Missymo said:

As I booked a few cruises going forward,, I decided to buy a yearly international travel policy.where I opted for pre existing and full medical coverage, , should I get ill or hurt, plus covid coverage, while traveling,  I know I can get home if needed. .  Cost for a year was  only $250.00.Whch is cheaper than buying individual policies   , .  

 Our annual plan expired in 2020 and we are just considering starting a new one. Insuremytrip is not really helpful for annual plans, I see there is a way to do it but it isnt working for me. Would you be willing to share what company you have your with and how you arrived at that company? Thanks!

[Tapi]

On 11/12/2021 at 5:42 PM, justinadventure said:

Only buy insurance for medical.

I will respectfully disagree. Things can happen, besides medical. 
 

When our luggage was lost by the airline enroute to an Alaska cruise in 2013 (never to be found again), our trip Insurance responded  to the tune of $5,000. They compensated us for the items lost, plus what we had to purchase last minute, plus a predetermined amount in addition to all that. Glad we had a comprehensive policy then.

[JL87]

I think there are a lot of people that lump medical/evac and trip cancellation/interruption into the same purchase consideration. I view the cancellation/interruption issue as essentially a sunk cost. I paid already and if I lose something, it's not really money. I was prepared to part with that anyway. What I lose is the experience. I would hopefully make that up someday. I also use my credit card to help offset the cost, but if it doesn't pay I'm still down the experience and trip, not really the money in my mind. I'm willing to take that risk. The risk I'm not willing to take is the medical/evac. I always insure for that. I go with GeoBlue at the highest deductible. I'm OK with losing a few hundred but don't want to loose many thousands. 

[TomTN]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:07 PM, cruzzzinma said:

I had a $15,000 medical bill aboard the Oceania Riviera in 2018. It had to be paid up front. I also had to pay 324 Euro for an ER in Spain that included a CT scan, a doc and a specialist to determine whether I was fit to travel across the Atlantic. I was stunned by the bill cause I was expecting it to cost $$$$.

 

First, I had to clear it Medicare who doesn’t pay unless the ship is within so many miles of the US coast, my medical insurance paid at out of network rates and travel insurance covered the rest.

 

I buy travel insurance every time.

Yep, that's  the thing. Other countries charge very little for medical care. At least compared to the US.

[Missymo]

4 hours ago, KathyL2537 said:

 Our annual plan expired in 2020 and we are just considering starting a new one. Insuremytrip is not really helpful for annual plans, I see there is a way to do it but it isnt working for me. Would you be willing to share what company you have your with and how you arrived at that company? Thanks!

Sure, went with GioBlue, my reasoning is that I have medical issues and need pre-existing coverage as a priority whenever I travel.  As I have a few trips planned for the next year, I went online looking for annual travel insurance  and found the companies that would insure me with the primary requirements I needed. As I added my needs, the list got smaller, and GioBlu fit the bill.   A big savings over individual policies. 

[Julma]

15 hours ago, KathyL2537 said:

 Our annual plan expired in 2020 and we are just considering starting a new one. Insuremytrip is not really helpful for annual plans, I see there is a way to do it but it isnt working for me. Would you be willing to share what company you have your with and how you arrived at that company? Thanks!

I also found Insuremytrip difficult for this.  I used https://www.squaremouth.com/ and found it easy.  There were not many choices.  I'm not sure if that's because it's not offered by many or the site doesn't have many?  I'll be signing up for GeoBlue.  I too have coverage for most things other than medical through credit card.