Travel Insurance????

[1st mate]

I am curious, How many cruisers purchase travel insurance to protect their vacation investment?

 

If you have had to use the insurance, what where the circumstances, and was it a worth the expense?

 

"We always purchase insurance with our travel plans." Have been fortunate, have not had a claim.

[Cruise-Nut]

I never bought until we had friends with us who had to be evacuated and flown home for a surgery. It was almost $10,000 by the time it was said and done. They bought RCCL insurance and everything was paid including unused cruise portion. I never leave home without it!

[1st mate]

These are the things you hope never happen, but can become a reality. Thanks for the reply.

[steponboard]

I am curious, How many cruisers purchase travel insurance to protect their vacation investment?

I have never purchased insurance and have sailed at least 50 cruises.

[Doug R.]

You will have posters who will tell you they never purchase insurance and give a variety of reasons, as in they are affluent enough to absorb the loss, think it is a ripoff and that they are young and healthy.

 

They need to realize that accidents don't know from young and healthy and that you better be damn wealthy to be able to afford the expense of air evacuations which can run in the ten of thousands of dollars.

 

I always insure. My insurer of choice is Travelguard, however I recommend http://insuremytrip.com to comparison shop for the best policy for you.

 

In 2001 my stepdaughter was diagnosed with lymphoma a month before I married her mother. After providing Travelguard with the documentation, they reimbursed in full the amount of the cruise that RCI did not refund. I would have been out nearly $2,000 that was not refundable due to the cruise cancellation otherwise.

[kc320]

I always buy Travel Insurance...mainly for the Medical Coverage... I "could" absorb the cost of the cruise itself...but thousands of dollars for a medical emergency...no way!!

 

And yes, I've used the insurance... 2 weeks before a scheduled cruise from San Juan my husband died... the insurance covered the cruise & our non-refundable airline tickets...took about 3-4 weeks for a full refund...

[patseacruiser]

I've sailed many times without insurance until I saw someone airlifted off. Until then I had only considered that insurance was to reimburse me for my cruise. After that I would not go without travel insurance. I do not use the cruise lines because generally it is only reimbursable for another cruise. I have gotten quotes from many of the places and generally have just had my travel agent do it. And if you don't do it within the required time of initial deposit then a preexisting condition will not be waived. Having a chronic illness I don't take chances. A friend of mine on a cruise with us in 2011 just bought her insurance and got it for the same price basically that I got mine for. So shop around but I won't knock myself out when I have a policy that includes all I need for basically the same price you find out there and I don't have to side by side compare them. OK - basically moral of the story is - I would never travel with out insurance.

[cruzincanuck]

We always buy travel insurance and particularly medical insurance. We have never used it so far and pray that we do not ever have to use it. I am risk aversive :) and when I think of my vacation I prefer to cover all grounds and not have to worry. My medicare card here in Quebec will cover some costs while out of the country but no where near the amounts charged by medical institutions in the US and other countries.

As we have had the opportunity so far to travel at least twice a year we now now buy annual insurance. So we are covered for our 2 major trips abroad and any weekenders in the US.

 

Buying insurance is a case of either having heard or experienced a situation and/or your level of comfort without one (Gambler or not)

 

We just calculate it as part of our vacation, pay it and forget about its cost after :D

[Lynnees]

I buy our insurance annually. Two reasons - we do like to take at least 2 "big" vacations a year plus we live on the border so we travel back and forth a fair amount.

 

DH was always healthy - never a problem of any kind in his life. We were scheduled for an Alaska cruise on May 22 this year. On May 7th he had a major heart attack from which he almost didn't recover. We were lucky in that we hadn't left home yet so all we are claiming is the cancellation portion. However, I do know that had we been in the US at the time it would have cost us in the area of $50,000. with all that was done for him.

 

I cannot emphasize enough to my clients - buy insurance!! You just don't know what is going to happen.............

[uppitycats]

I always buy travel insurance. I have a chronic health condition that could change any time. It gives me peace of mind should I indeed become ill. Fortunately that hasn't happened...but it could.

[WesW]

Why Travel Insurance?

 

http://www.travelsense.org/tips/travelinsurance.cfm

 

http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/

[cruiseguy1016]

I always buy it and we used it once for a reason that most people never even consider. Most policies go way beyond trip cancellation and medical emergencies. Read the entire policy and you will see that "baggage" is also covered. "Baggage" includes most personal possessions that you have with you on your trip. I accidentally dropped and broke a $350 camera on a trip and the insurance covered it.

 

I also had to use it many years ago when we had to cancel due to a death in the family 5 days before we were scheduled to sail.

 

My son just this summer had to cancel his vacation because he lost his job. He had insurance and was able to get his money back. In today's economy, insurance was the smart choice for him.

 

There are lots of reasons to have it. I will never travel without it. Others will say it's a waste of money but I have been able to recover a lot of losses that I wouldn't have been able to recover without insurance.

[1st mate]

Thank You all for your replies, thus far. As stated we do not travel without it and after reading these posts I have my theroies re-confirmed.

Thanks

[sloanesq]

One more reason to buy trip insurance that I didn't see mentioned is to protect against mother nature. I've been eyeing Hurricane Bill lately and, while it appears that it will not interfere with my 8/24 cruise on Majesty out of Miami but, if it did, I would be covered for trip interruption or cancellation.