Cruise insurance

[coordinator23]

What exactly does the Royal Caribbean cruise insurance cover? Is there a reason my TA recommend AIG all the time?  Does anyone know if it’s because the RCI doesn’t offer much coverage?  I have trouble going through all the gobbly gook trying to compare them. Just looking for a straight forward answer. Anyone?

[Ourusualbeach]

11 minutes ago, coordinator23 said:

What exactly does the Royal Caribbean cruise insurance cover? Is there a reason my TA recommend AIG all the time?  Does anyone know if it’s because the RCI doesn’t offer much coverage?  I have trouble going through all the gobbly gook trying to compare them. Just looking for a straight forward answer. Anyone?

Royals medical ($25k) and evac ($50K) suck compared to nearly every other policy out there.

 

On the plus side, their cost is solely based on the cost of the trip and not age so for those older folks who face high premiums based on age this is a good alternative.

 

Another plus is that is has a 90% CFAR provision.  This comes back in the form of an FCC.  Cancellation for covered reasons are 100% refunded.

 

 

[WisconsinFan]

We have never bought through the cruise line- just feel that somehow it feels wrong (kinda like do you want breakage protection on your glasses as a 60 year old desk worker). It can be hard to compare coverage, but you need to decide what you need the insurance for- trip interruption, medical evac, and such. We have used Travel Guard (Wisconsin company, also known as AIG) and have filed a trip interruption claim with them do to a missed connection on way home one time. They have many plans to choose from. I know they have many plans to choose from- as we have changed our coverage over the years.

[rodndonna]

There is a CC  forum topic for insurance - lots of info there as well...

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

 

[vjmatty]

As a NY resident I can't buy through most cruise lines, so I usually go with one of Nationwide's cruise-specific coverage plans.  Cancelation coverage isn't as important as it used to be, but as we've gotten older all the medical things that can go wrong have shifted my focus in what I get for us.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Our TA recommends different companies as some make you purchase at time of booking and others not until you make final deposit.  I also found USAA offers travel insurance.  

[monorail81]

1 hour ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

I also found USAA offers travel insurance.  

Thanks!  I never thought to look through them. Have you used it? I was trying to read about the plans and the website keeps throwing me out to the beginning page.  Just wondering if they are usually easy to work with…

[teddie]

We always buy trip insurance with an enhanced medical evacuation package that will cover your return to your hospital of choice.

 

This is important because if you should have an illness or injury,  let’s say, in the Caribbean, and you reside in the USA, your basic trip insurance will only cover your return to the closest appropriate stateside hospital.  So that could mean you’ll possibly be evacuated to a hospital in Miami.  How you get back to your own home state and hospital of choice is then on your dime, and medical evacuation from there, especially if it’s by air ambulance is extremely costly. 
 

I learned about this through several years as a program coordinator at a well-known rehabilitation hospital in NJ. I facilitated patient admissions to the rehab hospital from all over the world following an injury while cruising or land traveling, and saw the difficulties families faced trying to get their loved ones back home.  
 

I typically go through Travelguard for my coverage (and no;  I do not work in the insurance industry).
 

Stay healthy and don’t scrimp on insurance! 

 

teddie 

Edited January 12, 2023 by teddie

[GTO-Girl]

This is where we get our quotes and purchase our policies 

 

www.insuremytrip.com

[mattg43]

Cruise line insurance will only cover the cruise.  We get insurance through tripinsurancestore.com to cover the entire trip including flights, hotels, etc.  If your airline loses your luggage, the RCCL insurance will not cover you. 

 

Also, when searching for quotes, keep in mind that you only need to insure the non refundable portion of the trip.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

15 hours ago, monorail81 said:

Thanks!  I never thought to look through them. Have you used it? I was trying to read about the plans and the website keeps throwing me out to the beginning page.  Just wondering if they are usually easy to work with…

I haven't used them to file a travel related claim.  But if it's anything like their other insurances it shouldn't be an issue.  

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

14 hours ago, teddie said:

We always buy trip insurance with an enhanced medical evacuation package that will cover your return to your hospital of choice.

 

Cruise or land vacations outside the country we buy GeoBlue for medical treatment and evac.  I like them as they have preferred providers all over the world and if you go to one there's no money upfront for treatment.  

[sanger727]

This is what royal's trip insurance covers:

Royal Caribbean Travel Protection Program (archinsurancesolutions.com)

 

The medical/evacuation coverage is lower than you may want. But the included cancel for any reason coverage may be a good deal if you need that. This isn't a one size fits all. If you think you may need cancel for any reason coverage and are ok with that coming back as a royal caribbean credit, it may be a better deal. Otherwise, it's probably less coverage for more money than other travel insurers. 

[ontheweb]

And when buying private insurance, it is usually, possibly always, best to buy when putting down a deposit or at least shortly afterwards so as to get covered for pre-exisiting conditions. If you later add additional expenses such as airline flights, you can update the amount you cover.

[GeezerCouple]

You'd probably learn a lot by browsing through:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

And we are among those who strongly recommend speaking with

 

https://TripInsuranceStore.com

 

They are a broker (no additional cost to traveler), and they work with several vetted travel insurers.

 

CALL them so they can discuss your specific situation and concerns.

Please do *not* rely upon online summaries of various policies as this is a time when the "fine print" can really matter!

 

We are among those who have purchased policies from TIS; we've used policies from Travel Insured, as recommended by TIS, but that specific coverage may not be a good match for someone else.  We have also had several claims, including some large claims.

All were paid promptly, without any nonsense, and that's what matters, after all...

 

And we got 100% cash back; no cruise vouchers or time limits.

 

Contact TIS asap, as the timing that one starts the coverage can make a big difference in which types of coverages can be purchased.

 

For coverage that will get you to your "home hospital", we get 
MedJetAssured.

That coverage starts if you are an INpatient at least 150 miles from home (for USA-based travelers).  As long as you are fit to travel (e.g., by air ambulance with medical staffing), they will transport you if the receiving hospital approves.  No beancounters get involved in the decision, and no local medical professionals are put in the possibly awkward situation of needing to declare themselves insufficient for your care.  It's *your* decision.

We almost called them once, but fortunately, it never came to that.

 

GC

[Goofyisme]

Royals insurance provider AON is a rip off never let anyone sell you their "insurance".

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, Goofyisme said:

Royals insurance provider AON is a rip off never let anyone sell you their "insurance".

I thought AON processed claims underwritten by other insurance companies? 

 

I know Princess insurance claims are administered by AON but the insurance is underwritten by Nation-wide.

[Hlitner]

I post this again and again and here goes again :).    If you have to cancel a cruise and lose 100% of what you have paid, you are no worse off (financially) than if you had taken the cruise.  In other words, you will hurt because of the lose,  but it will not change your life.  But your potential liability for a major medical issue is essentially unlimited!  One of the major reasons for personal bankruptcies (at least 59%)  are because of medical issues.  Nobody goes bankrupt because they lose their payments for a trip, but a serious medical/evacuation issue can truly mess up your life.

 

I mention this because some policies, especially those sold by cruise lines, do not generally provide sufficient medical and medical evacuation insurance.  Personally, I would feel underinsured unless I had at least $100,000 of medical coverage and $50,000 (some would argue for at least $100,000) of medical evacuation insurance.  Most cruise line policies only provide $10-$20,000 of medical and I would argue this is not enough!  Folks will pay a lot of money in premiums to insure a few thousand of cruise cost and not be concerned with the unlimited liability from medical.

 

Hank