Travel insurance - which to get and how much to pay

CruizinTigers

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Whether or not to buy travel insurance is not even a question for my family of four and our upcoming DCL cruise. Both sets of grandparents are coming as well and are looking for insurance.

The question is, which insurance company and policy is recommended, and how much should we pay? A friend recently insured a DCL cruise for around $300 for a family of 4 by using insuremytrip.com. I'm waiting to get more details. We've used Disney's trip protection package for previous cruises, but they seem expensive compared to others. Also, when I priced insurance, the prices seem to climb steeply for the seniors traveling. Comparatively, from what I've seen, they pay significantly more for two than we do for four of us.

Any thoughts, suggestions, and most importantly, recommendations?

Thanks.
 
You had the DCL trip insurance for the hurricane Sandy incident, did you not want to use it again?

You can use a site like insuremytrip.com to compare some different rates. We usually buy trip insurance and it has been either the DCL insurance or Travelex. I thought DCL used access america but I am not 100% sure. We let our TA handle this aspect of our vacation and it changes depending on where the best deal is. So far I believe we have only ever made two claims on two different sailings, and both were for ear infections onboard the ship.
 
Yes we did have insurance for our recent DCL cruise we had to cancel due to Sandy. Turned out because our house was not "uninhabitable", insurance did not cover our loss. But with insurance through DCL at least we can expect a credit from DCL to use on our next sailing. Problem is, insurance with DCL is expensive, especially the more expensive you cruise fare because it is 8% of the cruise fair. Insurance with DCL Lon this trip would cost us over $600. Seems like we can do a lot better else where, hence this post.
 
If your using an agent, ask about Travel Guard. If not you can go to Travelguard.com. Great coverage, affordable rates and EXCEPTIONAL customer service 24/7
 


Thanks for the tip, Handymom! Just looked up Travel Guard. $207 for my family of four (vs. $600+ through DCL). Coverage looks comparable. The only benefit we get from Disney is if we cancel for a reason not covered (as we just did for our cruise last month), Disney gives that credit for a future sailing. I guess we have to decide if it's worth an extra $400 (hmmm... seems like I could find a number of ways to spend that on the Fantasy!).

I presume you've used Travel Guard before. If so, have you ever dealt with them over a claim? If so, how was the experience.

Disney works with Allianz, and that's who I had to deal with for my Sandy related cancelation. I was greatly underwhelmed. We file a claim almost immediately and were told we'd have an answer in 7 - 10 business days. I followed up after 7 business days to learn that they goofed... the sent our claim to a special unit handling Sandy claims when it should have gone to a special unit that handles Disney. So we had to wait another 7 - 10 business days. I followed up frequently only to be told the same line - it was still being worked on. Finally, after the seventh business day came around (a second time), I got the same message, but ironically, received an email about an hour after from our claims examiner with the decision (which was a denial). It shouldn't have been so difficult. I would be reluctant to use them again, and definitely would not recommend them.
 
CruizinTigers said:
Thanks for the tip, Handymom! Just looked up Travel Guard. $207 for my family of four (vs. $600+ through DCL). Coverage looks comparable. The only benefit we get from Disney is if we cancel for a reason not covered (as we just did for our cruise last month), Disney gives that credit for a future sailing. I guess we have to decide if it's worth an extra $400 (hmmm... seems like I could find a number of ways to spend that on the Fantasy!).

I presume you've used Travel Guard before. If so, have you ever dealt with them over a claim? If so, how was the experience.

Disney works with Allianz, and that's who I had to deal with for my Sandy related cancelation. I was greatly underwhelmed. We file a claim almost immediately and were told we'd have an answer in 7 - 10 business days. I followed up after 7 business days to learn that they goofed... the sent our claim to a special unit handling Sandy claims when it should have gone to a special unit that handles Disney. So we had to wait another 7 - 10 business days. I followed up frequently only to be told the same line - it was still being worked on. Finally, after the seventh business day came around (a second time), I got the same message, but ironically, received an email about an hour after from our claims examiner with the decision (which was a denial). It shouldn't have been so difficult. I would be reluctant to use them again, and definitely would not recommend them.

If you get the Gold Plan you get all your money back no matter what the reason you can't go with Travel Guard. I've had clients who've had claims and all went well IMMEDIATELY!! The don't outsource claims so you can get an actual TG rep 24/7. Get a quote on the Hd Plan so your cancellation coverage is 100% and for evacuation coverage. Great Product with personal service. Message me privately and I'll give you a contact!!
 
While I haven't made a claim, I've been happy with TravelGuard's customer service. I've used a strategy of purchasing within 15 days of deposit payment to have the pre-existing condition waiver, but only insuring the deposit at that time, and I call back after making the final payment and adjusting the amount to reflect the total at that time and pay the additional premium.

I had mistakenly purchased a single policy for my Mom and I but since we have different addresses, I later learned I should have purchased 2 policies. After calling and asking about this, and being directed to send an email, I quickly received an email in response, and the rep was able to split it into 2 policies and keep the pre-existing condition waiver on both policies. I just had to pay the $7 processing fee on the 2nd policy.

They also cover children under 18 for free. I did find that the cost for my mother (60's) was definitely more than for me (40's), but that's understandable because the likelihood of making a claim based on health reasons would typically go up with age. And my mother has a heart condition that's under control, but it was very important to have the pre-existing condition waiver. The other alternative I considered was CSA which covers pre-existing conditions if policy is purchased at the time of the final payment, but it was about $75 more, and since we're about 99% sure we're taking the cruise, we went with TravelGuard.
 


I stuck with DCL insurance because if I have to cancel and the insurance denies it, Disney will credit 100% of what I paid. They will not do that if I go through anyone else.

That being said, they don't cover pre-existing and they are more expensive. You have to work out what's best for your situation.
 
Bonniec said:
I stuck with DCL insurance because if I have to cancel and the insurance denies it, Disney will credit 100% of what I paid. They will not do that if I go through anyone else.

That being said, they don't cover pre-existing and they are more expensive. You have to work out what's best for your situation.

Travel Guard guarantees 100% of your cost for any cancellation reason. TG also covers per existing if you buy your plan within 15 days from your deposit payment. It's a very affordable option with more coverage
 
Travel Guard guarantees 100% of your cost for any cancellation reason......

This is available for some policies, not all. Generally this only applies to the top tier plans, or a specific rider to an existing policy. It is called "Cancel for any Reason".
Also I thought all "cancel for any reason policies" intuitively do not refund 100 % of fare/expenses for obvious reasons.

Please correct me if wrong.

We used Travelguard, purchased a day after initial deposit to get us the pre-existing condition waiver. We did not use it/make a claim. It sure did give us peace of mind though while traveling, knowing we had insurance. :rolleyes1
We knew the one drawback not purchasing DCL insurance, and we were OK with it. We wouldn't want to sail DCL again anyway.:lmao:

We did not ADD the "Cancel for any Reason" rider to our specific policy. At the time of purchase I swear it said 75% refund, for CFAR insurance, and it added another 3 - 5 %. :eek: We chose not to add said rider as we preferred to make it to the ship and sail. It was late OCT, so ...

Our policy cost was roughly 3.1 % of total fare. fwiw.

Good Luck and read the fine print. Also "Get It In Writing" if necessary prior to commitment. Don't necessarily believe what you are told over the phone. Get an email with the fine print to confirm, if the least confused. HTH
 
Bear3412 said:
This is available for some policies, not all. Generally this only applies to the top tier plans, or a specific rider to an existing policy. It is called "Cancel for any Reason".
Also I thought all "cancel for any reason policies" intuitively do not refund 100 % of fare/expenses for obvious reasons.

Please correct me if wrong.

We used Travelguard, purchased a day after initial deposit to get us the pre-existing condition waiver. We did not use it/make a claim. It sure did give us peace of mind though while traveling, knowing we had insurance. :rolleyes1
We knew the one drawback not purchasing DCL insurance, and we were OK with it. We wouldn't want to sail DCL again anyway.:lmao:

We did not ADD the "Cancel for any Reason" rider to our specific policy. At the time of purchase I swear it said 75% refund, for CFAR insurance, and it added another 3 - 5 %. :eek: We chose not to add said rider as we preferred to make it to the ship and sail. It was late OCT, so ...

Our policy cost was roughly 3.1 % of total fare. fwiw.

Good Luck and read the fine print. Also "Get It In Writing" if necessary prior to commitment. Don't necessarily believe what you are told over the phone. Get an email with the fine print to confirm, if the least confused. HTH

I was referring to the Gold Plan with the any reason rider
 
Travel Guard guarantees 100% of your cost for any cancellation reason. TG also covers per existing if you buy your plan within 15 days from your deposit payment. It's a very affordable option with more coverage
I was referring to the Gold Plan with the any reason rider
Unless you have access to some sort of special policy, the Travel Guard Gold Plan's Cancel for Any Reason rider only pays back 50% of the trip value.

This is from Travel Guard's website for the Gold Plan:

Cancel for Any Reason
Provides reimbursement of up to 50% of the Trip Cost when you cancel for any reason up to 48 hours prior to departure.​
www.insuremytrip.com and www.tripinsurancestore.com both say the same thing as Travel Guard's website for the Gold Plan.

Sayhello​
 
I recall reading that travel insurance should cost between 4% and 8% of the total cost of the trip. If you add Cancel For Any Reason, it goes up to 11-13%. Any quote falling outside those ranges should be viewed with suspicion.
 
If you are a member of Costco, you can get Travel Guard through Costco Travel. You can get a quote through Costco website and compare the rates.
 
If you are a member of Costco, you can get Travel Guard through Costco Travel. You can get a quote through Costco website and compare the rates.

I beleive you must also have booked your trip through Costco as your TA: "Travel Guard Trip Protection is available for purchase to add to your Costco Travel vacation package or cruise."

If you qualify, it can be very reasonably priced, especially for older folks as age of the traveller does not impact the pricing. -- Suzanne
 
Unless you have access to some sort of special policy, the Travel Guard Gold Plan's Cancel for Any Reason rider only pays back 50% of the trip value.

This is from Travel Guard's website for the Gold Plan:

www.insuremytrip.com and www.tripinsurancestore.com both say the same thing as Travel Guard's website for the Gold Plan.

Sayhello[/LEFT]
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I see the same to be true. Travel Guard Gold policy is appealing to me because it appears to have better than adequate coverage at a very reasonable price. And I've read positive things about this insurer, both here and elsewhere. But everywhere I look in terms of their Gold policy and the Cancel For Any Reason add on shows that this only covers 50% of the trip value, not 100% as you mentioned, HandyMom. I'm not seeing 100% anywhere with regard to and Travel Guard policy.

Since writing this, my mother-in-law found a friend recently had to cancel their European river cruise due to Sandy and got a 100% refund. They were insured by US Fire, administered by TripMate. They paid 10% of their trip cost for this coverage. I called TripMate and they referred me to this website: http://www.tripinsurance.com where they say they administer all the plans available from this site (as they do for some of the insurers on insuremytrip.com). I looked up a policy for my family on this site and chose the same US Fire policy. This one offers, or claims to offer 100% Cancel For Any Reason, and the cost was not too bad, $366 for my family of four. By comparison, the Travel Guard Gold policy without Cancel for Any Reason was $207, and with CAR $340 - but it only claims to cover 50%, unless someone can show me otherwise.

Has anyone heard of TripMate and or US Fire as an insurer? Has anyone used and have any experiences with either, good or bad? I think if we don't include Cancel for Any Reason, we'd probably choose Travel Guard, otherwise the US Fire policy appears more desirable.
 
I may just be looking at a special policy because the trip cancellation is 100% and the list of valid reasons for cancellation is huge. I see where the rider is at 50% for cancel for any reason but I can't imagine any reason someone would need to cancel that isn't in the 100% covered trip cancellation list.

Buy the insurance you want. My clients are very satisfied and so are the clients of most of my colleagues. We discussed all kind of insurance at our recent training conference and the most experienced agents all agreed that Travel Guard is the company that provides the best cost, coverage and customer satisfaction. All it takes is one catastrophic medical evac to see what policies hold up. I hope neither I, my clients, or you guys ever have to worry about it!!
 
I've had to make 2 separate claims with Travelex, and both times they were fabulous to work with. The first claim, I had to cancel a hiking tour a week beforehand, because I tore my rotator cuff. They reimbursed me for the non-refundable tour, and also worked with me to reschedule the flights for the second half of my trip, which was a family visit. They paid for the price change of the airfare. They were very easy to work with.

The second time, I slipped & fell getting ready to go to the airport to fly home from Alaska, and gashed my head open. I ended up in the ER instead of on my flight home. They worked directly with the ER, and I never saw a bill. They got on the phone with me to call the airline, and got me booked on the same flight the next day, and paid the exorbitant price difference for the new flight. They also put me up in a hotel near the airport for the night, and paid for most of my meals for the extra day. Extremely easy to work with, and tremendously helpful in getting things settled and taken care of.

I highly recommend Travelex, and find that their Travel Select is a moderately priced policy with good coverage.

Sayhello
 
if i booked a future cruise onboard and then had to reschedule it for another sailing, and now want to get insurance...does today count as the date the initial deposit was made or when I booked the original one in August (for the pre-existing waiver)??
 
if i booked a future cruise onboard and then had to reschedule it for another sailing, and now want to get insurance...does today count as the date the initial deposit was made or when I booked the original one in August (for the pre-existing waiver)??

I'm almost positive that it's the date the initial deposit was made back in August. So anyone wanting to purchase TravelGuard Gold with the pre-existing waiver who is booking a dummy cruise would need to purchase the insurance within 15 days of making the deposit, which would mean shortly after they return. When you later move the cruise date, you'd call TravelGuard and have them modify the policy to reflect the new date, but you'd keep your pre-existing waiver.

You can move the date of the policy to a later date as long as you do it before the original start date - I specifically asked them this when I was planning to take a Spring cruise in either March or April, but wasn't sure of which date and actually booked both cruises with the intent to cancel one. I purchased the TravelGuard policy for the earlier date only and would have moved it to the later date if needed, but ended up cancelling the later cruise. Another wrinkle to this is that I ended up re-shopping the March cruise while on board, and rebooked it at a lower price. I checked with TravelGuard to be sure that my original policy still applied since my confirmation number ended up changing because I had to cancel the original March cruise and keep the one booked on-board, and they said that it did. Basically, it's still the same trip even though the confirmation number changed. Think of it as purchasing Trip Insurance for some future trip, and when you change the paramaters (date, location, price) of that trip, you just let TravelGuard know and they'll modify the policy.

TravelGuard has been great about making changes to my policies as needed, and I've needed several! Their customer service has been great, so hopefully they'd be just as good if I actually had to make a claim, but I actually hope to never find out.
 

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