Travel Ins.- Is it worth it?

[Dancyalien]

What does the travel insurance really protect you from??? Is it really worth the extra money????

[yuckylucky]

What does the travel insurance really protect you from??? Is it really worth the extra money????

 

I never buy it. I think it varies by the company/TA offering it.

 

I copied this from a popular internet travel agency:

 

Question:Why should I purchase Travel Protection (insurance)?

Answer: Preparing for your trip includes protecting yourself from unfortunate events that could interfere with your plans. Purchasing the Travel Protection helps protect you against cancellation penalties or additional expenses. Here are a few examples:

 

* An accident while en route to the airport causes you to miss a flight.

* You need to cancel your trip due to Illness or injury.

* Inclement weather, strike, or equipment failure causes a long delay or cancellation of your travel plans.

* Your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged.

* You are hospitalized by a sudden illness or injury during your trip or require emergency medical transportation.

* You lose important travel documents such as passports and airline tickets.

 

Coverage may be different for domestic or international travel. Be sure to review the details before you complete your purchase.

[mbisson]

I went on a couple cruises without insurance then I heard that should you have a medicial emergency and require evacuation from the ship (by helicopter) the bill could run in the neighborhood of $25,000. I don't live in that neighborhood, so it's insurance for me.

 

jmo

-Monte

[NJGRANNY]

Sometimes I just purchase the medical evacuation insurance, but I wouldn't be without any. As the previous poster said, it could cost you $25,000 plus if you needed to be sent home for medical care.

[MrLee]

I was scheduled to sail on the Galaxy for a T/A (Rome to Miami) on May 6, 2006. In late march I fell and broke my hip. I called my TA and the next day Celebrity refunded their share (all but $1,000) to my credit card. The travel insurance company sent me a form which the doctor and I filled out and about 4 weeks later the balance of my money was refunded by check.

 

The peace of mind I get for relatively little money has always been worth it to me, but that's a personal decision.

[Dancyalien]

I never thought of the helicopter thing....

 

However, if you are flying and you buy air through the cruiseline, the guarantee they will get you to the ship... So that would kind of negate getting the insurance.

 

And alot of other things they claim, I cant imagine the cruiseline doing nothing if you dont buy insurance. For example, loss of luggage.

 

Also, NCL offers a winter guarantee that if you are delayed more than 12 hours from departure they will do something for you.

 

Besides the helicopter thing I still dont see the point for a cruise... Land vacations is a totally different ballgame.

[Parrot Mom]

WE DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!! On one of our first planned cruise my husband ended up in the hospitals with bleeding ulcers..another time just this February we were delayed by a snow storm for one day and our hotel bill was covered as was our food and $$ for missing one day... Within the past five years I had an accident on a cruise ship the first day and it covered whatever my healthi insurance didn't... As for being helicoptered back to the nearest port... we were just outside of the UK... NEVER buy cruise insurance from the cruise lines... that is rule #1... We've seen passengers off loaded in Cozumel with after diving into a pool!! There is no way I want to be in a Mexican hospital .. they would fly you to Miami if you were in the Caribbean.. You can check prices on the itnernet on travel/cruise insurance.. Prices depend on your age and length of cruise. Just add the cost of travel insurance to the cost of your vacation..

[Dolphins]

Insurance is especially important for seniors for all the reasons stated previously. Would never sail without it.

[ChelseaM]

I bought the emergency medical insurance (the helicopter off the ship problem) for our cruise on June 24th - it only cost $30 for the two of us. Totally worth it for the peace of mind!

 

I used http://www.insuremytrip.com after hearing it recommended on this board.

[cruzdirector]

We have vacationed alot and rarely bought insurance. Now that we are mid 50's and our family has grown to include 10 grandchildren I always think not only about something happening to ourselves but also to the kids and grandkids. Accidents, injuries and illnesses aren't planned and can easily happen before or during your trip to either yourself, companion or family. One never knows.

[RDSLS]

I can't imagine not having travel insurance. It is offered at such a low cost and covers so much. The peace of mind is really worth the cost.

 

Also, more and more HMO/PPO plans have stopped covering their clients when they are out of the USA.

 

I've read too many horror stories of people who needed med-evaced and had no travel insurance. Not only did they have the huge evacuation fee, they also lost their vacation and the money they paid for it.

 

Most travel insurance companies offer 150% travel interuption coverage. That is huge!

[bkgadget]

My wife and I are travelling from Canada so this may not be available in other countries.

 

We always buy a form of travel insurance that is good for unlimited travel within a one year time frame. It covers all medical expenses, including evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance. The cost for this is about $140.00 (CDN) ($70.00 each, we are both 55 years old) for the year and allows us an unlimited number of trips to anywhere in the world for a maximum of 15 days per trip.

 

In the case of lost/stolen luggage, we have a rider on our home policy that would cover that.

 

We like to be insured but we don't like to over-insure either.

 

Inspector Gadget

[mbisson]

My wife and I are travelling from Canada so this may not be available in other countries.

 

We always buy a form of travel insurance that is good for unlimited travel within a one year time frame. It covers all medical expenses, including evacuation by helicopter or air ambulance. The cost for this is about $140.00 (CDN) ($70.00 each, we are both 55 years old) for the year and allows us an unlimited number of trips to anywhere in the world for a maximum of 15 days per trip.

Inspector Gadget

 

Sounds good! Time for me to see if I can find something like that.

 

thanks

-Monte

[Lydia B.]

I have bought it in the past as my friend has some health issues and if she needed to cancel then so would I.

However a year ago Feburary we were scheduled for a cruise and my Mom (who everyone including her thought was in good health) went in to the regular Dr. and had 4 bypass surgeires 3 days later! She did great, but I knew I could not possible leave 4 days later on a cruise and be able to enjoy it. Carnival sent back their portion of the funds, Mom's Dr. filled out some forms and I call all my monies back including the fees to change airline tickets....so with that said I will probably always purchase as it also covers is immediate family members illnesses cause you to have to cancel. I have found that if you buy it independently you can get a better deal. Lydia

[Jenninhawaii]

I wouldn't even consider not having it. The last cruise I went on, I got sick. I had a gallstone that got stuck in my gallbladder. Not fun. Missed 3 days of my cruise in the medical center then I was medevaced off at the next port. Insurance paid for the missed days, the hopsital, etc. By the way, I was a perfectly healthy 27 year old at the time. Jen

[rain_bowbrite]

By the way, I was a perfectly healthy 27 year old at the time. Jen

 

I agree with Jen. Even though I am younger and in excellent health I wouldn't go on a cruise w/o it. Not just for the fact if I were to have some happen during the cruise but also if something were to happen before the cruise during the penalty period. This is a morbid example but what it your grandma was to die or be seriously injured the day before your supposed to leave, or one of you parents? To me it is better to be safe than sorry.

[sweetpea-2]

What does the travel insurance really protect you from??? Is it really worth the extra money????

 

;) yes it is....it covers you if you need to cancel your cruise due to health issues and get a refund and also if you need medical attention on the cruise...we for one would never consider going on a cruise without it..........

[OracleBones]

I've always purchased travel insurance to cover cancellation. My out-of-country medical is covered through my employer's group benefit extended health care coverage. While I've never had to make a claim, the fear of having a claim being denied due to a stable pre-existing condition has always been present, even if the claim was unrelated. This past year, a CBC TV news magazine program featured a story of a Toronto man being denied his claim when he cancelled a cruise. He had purchased at the time of booking the cancellation insurance recommended by his travel agent. He was later diagnosed with prostate cancer and therefore cancelled the cruise vacation. He did have a pre-existing history of heart problems and had seen his specialist for a routine annual review prior to booking the holiday and was just fine. His pre-existing condition was the reason given for the denial of his claim. This, along with the stories on CNN about the victims of Hurricane Katrina who are being denied their legitimate insurance claims because their homes did not sustain "wind damage" must make us all wonder about the ethics of the insurance companies on both sides of the border. This year, we were worried that my son might have to cancel his cruise with us. We had purchased cancellation coverage. Ontario college teachers went on strike and there was a real possibility the school year would be extended into the period of our cruise. The insurance company said that this would not be a covered benefit even though the cruise was booked and paid for prior to the strike vote and it was a situation beyond our control or doing. Fortunately, the strike was settled in time. My own view is that we are all wasting our money. I believe any insurance company will go to great lengths to deny a claim. Some argument may be made for emergency medical insurance if you are not covered elsewhere. However, I would suspect to avoid the real risk of having your claim denied you need a history of always being in the very best of health.

[mikedw]

Also, even if your insurance does offer you coverage when you're out of the country, most foreign hospitals want there money up front. We had a client several years ago who broke her ankle while exploring the pyramids in Mexico. If was a several hour ambulance ride or a quick helicopter ride. Luckily she had the travel insurance and she showed them the certificate that she had it and they flew her to the hospital. They did tell her when they arrived, they wanted a credit card for the $12,000.00 or no ride. Don't know about you guys, I couldn't afford that.

 

Michael

[Lou33]

My health plan from work covers us out of the country, just as it does while we are in the country, yes, even for medical evacuation. Actually, almost everybody that I know has similar coverage when out of the country. Medicare is one notable exception.

 

If your medical provider does not cover you when out to the country, then supplimental travel insurance is a must. But the problem is, I have a feeling that many people just buy insurance anyway, and don't bother to check if they are already covered.

[NJGRANNY]

Some companies waive this if insurance is purchased when you purchase the cruise.

[MBMiner]

This has been discussed frequently on these fora. With any insurance, most advisors recommend only insuring against risks you cannot afford to absorb on your own. If one of these losses will seriously impair your financial position, take the insurance. Otherwise go without. Personally I've never taken it on 15 cruises and don't anticipate ever taking it.

Bruce

[MBMiner]

This has been discussed frequently on these fora. With any insurance, most advisors recommend only insuring against risks you cannot afford to absorb on your own. If one of these losses will seriously impair your financial position, take the insurance. Otherwise go without. Personally I've never taken it on 21 cruises and don't anticipate ever taking it.

Bruce

[ItsMe]

Unfortunately I can tell you first hand that the insurance we purchased in March was definately worth it. I was on a cruise and the Doctor said that I had to get off of the ship because I was so ill, so I had to get off and take a long ambulance ride in Jamaica. Scary and a long story, but we would have been out of about $10,000 if we had not bought the insurance. We have very good health insurance but we were unaware that when we are out of the country they only pay 50 percent. Even if they paid 100 percent, there was still the last minute flight that we had to book which was 4 times the original flight and then there was the hotel bill for my husband and daughter because they weren't allowed to stay in the hospital with me. We were also reimbursed the remainder of our trip. That was a trip that I hope to NEVER repeat, but I did learn that I will also never travel without the travel insurance.

[garycarla]

There are some pro's and con's to spending money on travel insurance. As most have said, they want to be covered for that big if.

 

At the same time, one of the problems with cruising is getting to the ship ontime. All the insurance in the world will not fix the problem of your flight not landing until after your ship has sailed.

 

The best "insurance" to cover this event is to fly in the day before and enjoy the departure city.