Why Insurance?

[Scubadoc]

 We sale in January less than 30 days from now. I'm reading a lot about how important insurance is but I just don't get it.    We use frequent flyer miles for our flights. It looks like everything related to Covid would be covered by the princess policies  that seem very generous and complete to me. Am I missing something? My own health insurance would cover most problems. If you buy insurance is it just to protect you against getting some other illness or death in the family or something like that that causes u to miss the whole cruise?   That seems to me to be pretty low risk and maybe not worth the cost of insurance since we are healthy and have no seriously ill family members. But maybe I'm not thinking through this well. Open to thoughts 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Like you I have great health insurance and don’t have any out of pocket hotel or airfare. The reason I am getting it during covid is so I can cancel for any reason up to the last minute. Variants, protocols, and just about everything is so up in the air. If I am uncomfortable with any of it I have peace of mind that I can simply not go and get 100% FCC. 

[dog]

Your choice. Read your policies thoroughly  

Members have posted here and in other forums how they were penalized. 
 

In my case, with the Covid-19 virus & varients surging, governments changing restrictions, requirements, advisories etc, I appreciate the peace of mind I get from having PVP- cancel for any reason insurance and for my flight I have used Aeroplan points to purchase fully changeable business seats. My land bookings- hotel & transportation are changeable up to day of travel. 
Presently, there are 4 to 5 negative Covid tests I will be required to take for my March 2022 trip. Peace of mind is enough reason to pay $236 for 12 day cruise insurance where I can cancel at anytime for a FCC/ refund. 
Personal choice 

[Shelly97060]

We purchase vacation insurance because it gives us peace of mind. People can unexpectedly become sick or be injured. Flights can get cancelled or delayed, sometimes luggage gets lost. I know a person who cancelled their cruise because their dog required emergency surgery another person cancelled because their home flooded. We just feel better knowing we have a bit of protection.

as @dogsaid review your polices, review Princess Cruise With Confidence and Princess newest Covid-19 Protection Program and make the travel insurance decision that’s right for you. 

 

[LoveBoatLvr]

Reasons to take trip insurance: 

- If you need to see a doctor on the ship (you get bitten by a bug and have an allergic reaction; you sprain your ankle while hiking on an excursion; you get pink eye or some other infection...), your insurance may not cover the cost as the ships are foreign flagged. Plus, even if you decided to just handle it on your own, you'd have to take time out of your vacation to locate and get to a doctor/pharmacy and potentially in a foreign country. Travel insurance companies generally offer 24-hour assistance to locate local medical professionals. 

- If something happens to you or your travel companion that requires you to be emergency evacuated,  your regular health insurance won't cover you. Nobody plans for that to be a thing they need on vacation, but if you do it's VERY expensive. 

-Many policies now cover for airline miles if YOU need to cancel altogether. But if the airline cancels or delays your flight, trip insurance would cover you for the delay. 

Happy and safe travels! 

 

[Knickearth]

I always get insurance.  I caught the flu twice on ships (and yes I got the flu shot).  The Princess insurance totally covered both the doctor visit as well as medications.

 

More importantly and more expensive is making the last minute reservation on a plane to get home.  Friends got injured in France and four of them had to fly home without the insurance and the tickets cost 2000. each.  Paying a couple of hundred bucks for insurance is peace of mind.

[SargassoPirate]

We carry an annual travel insurance policy that covers us for all kinds of travel, including road trips over 150 miles from home.  It doesn't completely cover the cost of a cancelled cruise, for example, but will cover up to the policy limits.  It also includes trip interruption, lost luggage, etc etc.  Our BCBS policy covers us for health issues worldwide. (we don't carry medicare)

 

We have never taken the insurance offered by the cruise line, and with over 50 cruises under our belts we have saved a fortune in premiums.  When we got stuck on the other side of the world in March 2020 as covid shut down travel, our annual policy kicked in with 800 number assistance and we were able to rebook airfare and get home.  After we filed claims for the unexpected expenses, the policy paid off without any hassles.

 

Travelguard by AIG.

 

 

[Babr]

The Princess FAQ states that Princess will assist with shoreside quarantine and transportation expenses that are not covered by insurance. To me that means you have to file with your insurance first, not that it will pay for everything regardless of your insurance status.

 

Has the policy changed or am I misreading this?

[Coral]

I had a really bad car accident when I was 24. I know several young people who have had emergency surgery (appendix, etc....). You want to protect the cost of your cruise (anyone can trip and fall, have a car accident, etc..). Also there are a ton of people on this board who have reported that they are well but all of a sudden a parent or sibling gets really sick  and is hospitalized even though they had not been sick before. No one knows when someone close to you will get cancer or need emergency heart surgery. Or is involved in an un-predicted emergency medical situation.

 

There are travel delay issues - what if something prevents your flight from going (airline issues, airport issues, weather issues, some idiot at the airport compromises security and everything shuts down). 

 

We had a freak wind storm the other day with 100 mph winds. In my life I have never seen this. It caused all of our flights to be cancelled.

 

Life is unpredictable. Either be prepared to pay for those expenses (cost of cruise if you can't go, cost of medical, etc..) involved or buy insurance.

[geoherb]

36 minutes ago, Babr said:

The Princess FAQ states that Princess will assist with shoreside quarantine and transportation expenses that are not covered by insurance. To me that means you have to file with your insurance first, not that it will pay for everything regardless of your insurance status.

 

Has the policy changed or am I misreading this?

 

That has been our experience. We have filed claims with our health insurance first and then with Aon (Princess's insurance). Two years ago, my insurance paid about 1/6 of the total cost of seeing the doctor on the ship and Aon paid the rest. 

[Babr]

15 minutes ago, geoherb said:

 

That has been our experience. We have filed claims with our health insurance first and then with Aon (Princess's insurance). Two years ago, my insurance paid about 1/6 of the total cost of seeing the doctor on the ship and Aon paid the rest. 

Thank you.

 

Upon looking further, I found an updated COVID policy that says Princess will pay for medical costs related to COVID, meals, and transportation change fees. It says nothing about paying for quarantine itself. So Princess does not take care of everything, and insurance would be useful if someone had the unfortunate experience of being quarantined.

 

For other kinds of medical expenses, as you say, it is important to know how your insurance will pay when you travel. It likely will pay out-of-network or the usual, customary rate as opposed to the contracted rates you get at home. That could leave a large bill to be paid out of pocket, but insurance policies vary widely. Even if someone has excellent coverage, don’t assume anything.

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

@Scubadoc Insurance is certainly *not* required...but most people tend to get it for that "just in case" scenario.  Personally. I am looking into an annual policy that concentrates mainly on the travel side...I'm set (as best as *anybody* can be set) on the medical side with a Blue Cross Supplemental plan as well as the GeoBlue Trekker plan on top of that.  I finally came to realize that I could more than pay for a couple of annual plans with what I'd been paying on our "per trip" costs.

 

@SargassoPirate mentioned Travelguard...if anybody else has *direct* personal experience with another plan please speak up!

[Scubadoc]

Thank u all!  Very helpful in making decisions. Hope we all have great cruises and that none of u will have any need for insurance even if purchased! 😊

[minnesotasisu]

We have never gotten trip insurance for our previous cruises but did for our upcoming cruises after reading more about how they can be helpful. While you may have good health insurance I would think a foreign hospital would be way out of network! In addition, can you imagine the cost of transporting you via air to a US hospital for more care? That could easily cost $50,000 if you required medical assistance during the transport.

[Coral]

I use Allianz. I have filed several claims successfully.

[donaldsc]

You say that your health insurance policy will cover any problems.  Many health policies do not cover out of country problems.  Are you sure that yours does?

 

DON

[Rick&Jeannie]

10 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

You say that your health insurance policy will cover any problems.  Many health policies do not cover out of country problems.  Are you sure that yours does?

 

DON

I don't know who you were addressing...but if it was me then yes, I've checked and I am satisfied with what I have for medical.  (But who knows?)

[LoveBoatLvr]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

I use Allianz. I have filed several claims successfully.

Same. I've seen some stories where people have had issues with them. But I've had good experiences, and have referred friends who have too. I defer to them, but also check www.insuremytrip.com from time to time. The downside of outside insurance companies is that the price is partially based on age and unfortunately we keep getting older. 😆

[JF - retired RRT]

3 hours ago, minnesotasisu said:

We have never gotten trip insurance for our previous cruises but did for our upcoming cruises after reading more about how they can be helpful. While you may have good health insurance I would think a foreign hospital would be way out of network! In addition, can you imagine the cost of transporting you via air to a US hospital for more care? That could easily cost $50,000 if you required medical assistance during the transport.

It can cost more than that. My mother was airlifted via helicopter from Prescott, AZ to Phoenix (a 2 hour drive) and the bill was $10K.

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I don't know who you were addressing...but if it was me then yes, I've checked and I am satisfied with what I have for medical.  (But who knows?)

 

I was addressing the OP Scubadoc who stated in their post "My own health insurance would cover most problems".  I suspect that many policies will not cover them if they are out of country.

 

DON

[Cruise Raider]

I've researched this topic quite extensively over the years and when I was young and carefree, never thinking I'd get sick or have to cancel a trip that was paid in full, I never bothered with the insurance.  

Now that I am older and have cruised a lot over the last 30 years, I never go on a trip without booking travel insurance.  I was fully covered for cancellation due to needing emergency surgery two days before I was to embark on my cruise.  I was also covered while hiking in Hawaii and completely tore my ACL.  I was not only reimbursed for my tour that day but refunded for the upcoming excursions I wasn't able to take. I'm sure on some trips, I am underinsured but at least I have enough to cover my medical and cancellations, even though my medical insurance does cover me outside of the country (I checked.. they do!).   

Aside from the medical and cancellation fees, I think it is important that everyone have emergency air evacuation insurance.  We've seen passengers that needed to be airlifted from the ship nearly a dozen times already.  The last time we experienced this, a women fell and hit her head on the commode when the ship was rocking in rough water.  She developed a subdural hematoma and needed immediate medical intervention.  Being airlifted is a very expensive proposition.  Being take to a hospital of your choice in the US is even more expensive.  

In addition to those more serious mishaps, you will also be insured against lost or delayed luggage so you can purchase some necessities for at least a few days.  

Well, I never try to tell anybody that they should or shouldn't purchase travel insurance.  It is the right choice for me but, if you can afford to blow off the money you've paid for the trip and insurance that will cover you for any medical issues / incidents that may arise outside of the US, you can always just purchase a separate emergency evacuation and repatriation policy instead.  

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

I keep going back to the MedJet Assist website...it looks really interesting (and relatively inexpensive) for what you get.  I just have not pulled the trigger...yet.  

[Babr]

Please note that insurance does not cover air/sea rescue when that service is provided by the nearest Coast Guard equivalent or military trained for such maneuvers. There is no cost, but the ship must be within range with acceptable weather and sea conditions.

 

In some instances, such as remote or exotic locations, a private rescue company may be called upon.

[Rick&Jeannie]

41 minutes ago, Babr said:

Please note that insurance does not cover air/sea rescue when that service is provided by the nearest Coast Guard equivalent or military trained for such maneuvers. There is no cost, but the ship must be within range with acceptable weather and sea conditions.

 

In some instances, such as remote or exotic locations, a private rescue company may be called upon.

Not sure if you were referring to my mention of MedJet Assist or not...but if you were then I don't think it would apply anyway.  For MedJet to undertake a transfer I *believe* you have to be admitted into an actual hospital and under the care of a doctor.  He/she then has to approve of a transfer.  This would be separate from an airlift off of a ship.

[Babr]

Just now, Rick&Jeannie said:

Not sure if you were referring to my mention of MedJet Assist or not...but if you were then I don't think it would apply anyway.  For MedJet to undertake a transfer I *believe* you have to be admitted into an actual hospital and under the care of a doctor.  He/she then has to approve of a transfer.  This would be separate from an airlift off of a ship.

It was just a general comment because many people here mention airlift cost when they are thinking about travel insurance.

 

You are correct. MedJet would not play a part in that. It is for hospital to hospital transfer. Any comprehensive policy will cover that as well, but you have less input in the decision.  The advantage of MedJet is that it is a membership, not insurance, so when the decision is made you will be flown to the hospital of your choice with no claims to file.