Travel Ins.- Is it worth it?

[tinker]

Just get it!

 

Those who never get it will never miss it UNTIL they need it.

We have used it three times out of last 4 vacations.

 

We were in Aruba on a land vacation in October and my husband (51) had chest pains all night. There is an emergency number on the card they give you and boy was it nice to have someone to talk to. They assigned a claim number right away, said to take him to the nearest hospital and gave me another number to call with updates. The piece of mind was priceless in a scary sitation. He was ok, still not sure what happened, told to take it easy and we could finish our vacation and the travel insuranace company asked if I wanted them to call me daily to check on things and did we need a wheelchair or any special requests at the airports. Again the piece of mind is priceless and if we can afford the vacation, we can afford the $140 or so for full coverage (even though our Blue Cross does cover international treatment) you are covering for missed connections, luggage, theft and emergency funds would be wired to you from the travel company in that case.

[beachin']

If you're going to purchase insurance, shop around and make sure you know what it covers. It's often better to purchase it independently, rather than through the actual cruise line, tour operator, etc. Other than medical coverage, independent companies often protect against supplier default if your cruise line were to go under ... bad choice of words ... were to go belly-up ... oops, not much better ... were to go bankrupt, out of business, kaput - there. Also, as another poster had mentioned, many independents will waive the pre-existing condition clause if you purchase the insurance within 7 days of making your intial trip deposit. Again, just make sure you understand the coverage and have it in writing.

[Mekamax]

On my last cruise I started getting chills Thursday night and was shaking so bad by Friday morning I was really scared. I was wishing I had bought the insurance! I stayed in the cabin the whole rest of the cruise - luckaly a back aft balcony cabin so it was relaxing. My insurance said they would pay for out of the country but you pay the upfront money (which foreign countries want) and then fill out the forms when you get home and submit them. Yah right! I don't want to have to shell out $25,000 and then fill out forms when I get home.... I usually don't buy insurance unless a longer cruise with connecting flights and one way air but I think it would be worth it for the smaller trips too. Debbie :eek:

[nurseone]

11 cruises and no problem - No. 12 just this year my cruise partner had a death in her family and had to cancel 72 hours prior to leaving. I went solo and had a wonderful time and she got her $$ back without any problem. You just never know and it's cheap for peace of mind.

[Host CMLA]

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.

Not necessarily. The cruise line will get you to the ship under some circumstances. If you have any hand in the delay, you're on your own.

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

They offer pennies per pound for lost luggage up to something like $150 total for the whole bag. How much are your clothes worth? How much was the suitcase itself? The cruise line will do what they're legally required to do. If you have to leave the ship because of illness, the cruise line will usually pack your bags and deliver them to whatever hospital you're in and that's about it.

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

Yes, they offer a small compensation.

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

How exactly is a land vacation a totally different ballgame? Let's say you're in Jamaica on an excursion and you fall and break your back and you're rushed to a local hospital. Without insurance, you pay that bill. Let's say you're in port and you call home and find out a family member has died and you have to get home right away. Without insurance, you pay that bill. Sure, a helicopter evacuation from the ship is definitely an expense you'd want covered. But I don't understand how you can say you don't see the point.

[gxchan]

I'm booked for my second cruise and done extensive land travel. I buy travel insurance whenever I leave the country for the "big what ifs" and for in-country travel if the advanced amounts are too much to write-off as a life experience. I've never paid more than $100 for travel insurance and it has given me more than that amount in peace of mind.