Travel Insurance: My experience on why you should get it!!

[ctc917]

My family had two cruises booked last year one in Sept(my dd and I traveling) and one in Nov(DH, DS and I traveling) and we didn't get to make either one, the following are our stories:

I purchase Travel Insurance for our cruises from Travelex every time we cruise and this past year I was very thankful for this. In Sept when my daughter and I were getting ready to leave on our cruise my Father-in-law unexpectantly died so we cancelled our cruise and I called Travelex company and they sent me the forms to fill out to get a refund.

Before I could work on that paperwork in the month of October my husband had chest pains while on a business trip and ended up in a VA hospital having Open Heart Surgery so we had to cancel our Nov Cruise, I called our TA and she cancelled it and we ended up loosing 75 % of our cruise amount. (Everything worked out well for my husband and he has recovered from his surgery). When we returned from VA after his surgery I called Travelex and they sent me paperwork for that cruise too...

Now I won't say filling out all those forms or having to send letters to the doctors and then track them down to see when they could finish them and get them back to me was a great experience but I was very surprised and shocked today when in my mail box I found checks for both of my cruises after Travelex only having my paperwork for 2 weeks, no calls and they didn't ask for anymore paperwork.

So my last thoughts to my fellow travelers is this unless you have extra money that you won't miss if things happen to you, like what happened to us, save the extra money and purchase travel insurance for your cruise and I would highly recommend you try Travelex.

Sorry this was so long but I hope it helps

ctc917

 

[CruznLexi]

We live in florida and get the insurance as well. During one cruise we had a family member die back in Virginia this was the second day on the ship. Well we wanted to be there so we had the option of getting air from GC or Cozumel or miss the funeral the airfare was just too high from GC it was over 850pp and Cozumel or CanCun it was around $650.just not doable in my book.

 

[jetskigrl]

Our Fantasy cruise at the end of June almost got scraped when my Mom had a bad reaction to some medication and ended up in the ICU the night before we were supposed to leave. Luckly the doctors were able to determine the cause and get her stable but we still were only able to make our cruise because my sister got on a plane in the middle of the night to be there with my Mom and get her home from the hospital (and stay with her for a few days afterwards).

I am extremely grateful to my sister but also in the back of my mind, I knew we had travel insurance and would not have been out the price of the cruise and airfare if I needed to remain at home with my Mom. I know my Mom was feeling better though when at 2:00 am she insisted that I go. She didn't want to be responsible for her grandkids missing the trip

 

[disneywonderfun]

We still have never purchased any travel insurance for any trip we have ever been at any time. Still in our early 40's, I am not sure when the tipping point is for us to change our minds. However, we are still at the stage where any premium we pay likely subsidizes the older passengers who do buy and are much, much more likely to utilize the insurance.

The situation is not dissimilar to the direction for health care insurance in this country. What motivation do I have to buy travel insurance when I am on the very low end of the spectrum of needing it? A couple decades from now, when I am 60 and taking a cruise, I would much rather pay the premium as the percentages start turning.

DWF

 

[Meghatron]

We still have never purchased any travel insurance for any trip we have ever been at any time. Still in our early 40's, I am not sure when the tipping point is for us to change our minds. However, we are still at the stage where any premium we pay likely subsidizes the older passengers who do buy and are much, much more likely to utilize the insurance.

The situation is not dissimilar to the direction for health care insurance in this country. What motivation do I have to buy travel insurance when I am on the very low end of the spectrum of needing it? A couple decades from now, when I am 60 and taking a cruise, I would much rather pay the premium as the percentages start turning.

DWF

I don't think the tipping point is age so much as available resources. We simply cannot afford to lose ALL money paid for cruise fare or travel expenses, so we budget for and pay a little extra up front to ensure we'd get that money back to use another time should something (anything) happen that would prevent us from cruising. That includes something happening to one of our family members. If you can comfortably lose thousands of dollars that a few hundred extra spent would allow you to keep should the odds not be in your favour just once... go for it.

ETA for all the Dave Ramsey & Suzi Orrman fans on here: When I say we cannot afford it, I am talking about the value of our VACATION savings. Not our emergency fund, not our monthly bills, etc.

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[Laurafoster]

I could not agree more. Im in the UK so slightly different but i always ensure i have travel insurance.

And on the whole age argument - i spent 2 weeks in ICU last year and im 28. So yes i appreciate that generally older people are more likely to need it you never know what could happen. For the sake of a small premium i would rather know im covered

 

[disneywonderfun]

I could not agree more. Im in the UK so slightly different but i always ensure i have travel insurance.

And on the whole age argument - i spent 2 weeks in ICU last year and im 28. So yes i appreciate that generally older people are more likely to need it you never know what could happen. For the sake of a small premium i would rather know im covered

Of course, it also depends on how small the premium is and how often one actually travels.

I have always found insurance to be in conflict with sound financial decisions. For example, how many times do people go see their MD for the most minor of complaints that would otherwise resolve within a few days? Why do those people go at all? Well, they pay a premium and expect to get something out of it. If that same type of person had a $5000 deductible, I doubt they would waste their time and money unless there was something more serious. Yes, you might pick up a very rare case of something terrible a week or so earlier, but the reality is that over utilization of services is why premiums, in general, are high.

If travel insurance was very specific, I might be more inclined to buy it. Just because somebody's Aunt Betty passed away at 93 from a long illness, I am not sure I want to get involved in travel insurance that covers that type of eventuality. I might buy an insurance plan that strictly covers emergency evacuations from remote areas. That makes sense to me. However, subsidizing people who visit the ship's doc because they are seasick seems like a waste to me.

Yes, if you can afford to "self-insure", the odds are much more in your favor. I did not buy the extended warranty on my 70 inch LCD TV because if it breaks outside of the warranty period, I will just go buy another. An extended plan on our refrigerator was around $600 for three years. No thanks.

I guess it has to do with how you approach insurance in general. I am OK with high deductibles and lower premiums as much as possible.

DWF

 

[Laurafoster]

Thats true. I dont know how Travel Insurance works in the US but ours is a relatively small premium compared to the cost of our trips.

Our trip this year is around $8000ish but an annual travel insurance policy that covers all 4 of us is less than $200.

Plus if i had any sort of medical requirement whilst in the US travel insurance is a must for UK visitors

 

[tajz90]

We still have never purchased any travel insurance for any trip we have ever been at any time. Still in our early 40's, I am not sure when the tipping point is for us to change our minds. However, we are still at the stage where any premium we pay likely subsidizes the older passengers who do buy and are much, much more likely to utilize the insurance.

The situation is not dissimilar to the direction for health care insurance in this country. What motivation do I have to buy travel insurance when I am on the very low end of the spectrum of needing it? A couple decades from now, when I am 60 and taking a cruise, I would much rather pay the premium as the percentages start turning.

DWF

In our 40's also and age doesn't determine if we buy travel insurance or not. The price of the vacation dictates an insurance purchase. When we travel with Disney overseas, we purchase insurance. When we sail out of the US, no insurance purchased.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We bought travel insurance for the first time in the spring for our end of May Fantasy Western. The cost of the policy was miniscule in comparison to what the cruise cost. My main reason for even buying the policy was because we were planning some pretty adventurous activities in the ports of call and I wanted to be sure to have the medical and medical transport coverages as a precaution. Anywhoo, in early April my oldest son fell down the steps of a house we were moving into. He's a big guy and fell down on his tush. That's a lot of weight coming down square on someone's backside. He started out just sore but within 2 days that progressed into he couldn't even stand up or sit. He had to stay laid down on his stomach. Trips to the pediatrician, referal to the gastroenterologist, full colonoscopy to ensure he hadn't harmed himself internally. Thru all the stress of all the what-ifs and worry about my "baby" the one thing I didn't have to worry with was losing money if we ended up not being able to go on the cruise. Throughout the entire process with him we kept the doctors abreast of our upcoming travels and tried to stay fully aware of his recovery time. The type of injury he had turned out to be not the biggest deal ever but it sure was brutal on recovery. He was good to go by the time we cruised but it was close, very close. Again, so worth it thru the entire thing to not have to worry about losing money on canceled travel due to his injury. The peace of mind was invaluable.

Regardless of age, ya never know when accidents will happen. Right?

 

[lanejudy]

CruznLexi and jetskigrl - I'm curious if your policies were "cancel for any reason" or standard policies? Admittedly, I don't know a lot of the intricacies of various travel insurance policies, but I was under the impression that general policies (without the "cancel for any reason" type riders) only came into play if it involves one of the people covered for the vacation. Both of the incidences you've mentioned involved people who were not traveling with you. Just curious, if you don't mind my asking. I have elderly parents but thought I need "cancel for any reason" if I were to cancel/return early due to death or illness for someone at home.

 

[Dug720]

We still have never purchased any travel insurance for any trip we have ever been at any time. Still in our early 40's, I am not sure when the tipping point is for us to change our minds. However, we are still at the stage where any premium we pay likely subsidizes the older passengers who do buy and are much, much more likely to utilize the insurance.

The situation is not dissimilar to the direction for health care insurance in this country. What motivation do I have to buy travel insurance when I am on the very low end of the spectrum of needing it? A couple decades from now, when I am 60 and taking a cruise, I would much rather pay the premium as the percentages start turning.

DWF

Yeah...because catastrophic stuff only happens to people well over 40...

 

[twopeasonepod]

CruznLexi and jetskigrl - I'm curious if your policies were "cancel for any reason" or standard policies? Admittedly, I don't know a lot of the intricacies of various travel insurance policies, but I was under the impression that general policies (without the "cancel for any reason" type riders) only came into play if it involves one of the people covered for the vacation. Both of the incidences you've mentioned involved people who were not traveling with you. Just curious, if you don't mind my asking. I have elderly parents but thought I need "cancel for any reason" if I were to cancel/return early due to death or illness for someone at home.

I am curious about this, too. We have never bought insurance, and when I was talking to the Disney and Costco reps, I was told that anybody could get a credit to use in the future if they had to cancel. That is definitely enough for me, but am I missing something? Did they misinform me?

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[jetskigrl]

CruznLexi and jetskigrl - I'm curious if your policies were "cancel for any reason" or standard policies? Admittedly, I don't know a lot of the intricacies of various travel insurance policies, but I was under the impression that general policies (without the "cancel for any reason" type riders) only came into play if it involves one of the people covered for the vacation. Both of the incidences you've mentioned involved people who were not traveling with you. Just curious, if you don't mind my asking. I have elderly parents but thought I need "cancel for any reason" if I were to cancel/return early due to death or illness for someone at home.

Mine was a standard policy. I did not need "cancel for any reason" in my situation. Under the terms of Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption, I would have qualified under (only listing those that apply to this situation):

Any serious Injury or any unforeseen serious Sickness:
-occurring to your family member that is considered life threatening or requiring hospitalization; or
-occuring to your family member requiring your immediate care.

Both would have applied to my situation in that my mom required hospitalization (and it was not a pre-existing condition) and she required my immediate care as I am her only immediate relate living nearby.
These would have required her doctor to verify it, but that would have been pretty easy to obtain in my situation.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am curious about this, too. We have never bought insurance, and when I was talking to the Disney and Costco reps, I was told that anybody could get a credit to use in the future if they had to cancel. That is definitely enough for me, but am I missing something? Did they misinform me?

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If you purchase the insurance through DCL, and need to cancel, typically, any money not paid back (non-recoverable) by the policy, DCL has let people apply to a future cruise.

3rd party insurance doesn't do this.

I will also point out here, that you can get insurance (3rd party) for whatever you wish to cover, be it cancellation, trip interruption, medical care, or just medical evacuation.

And 3rd party insurance is generally less costly, and covers more.

 

[disneywonderfun]

Yeah...because catastrophic stuff only happens to people well over 40...

I do not believe your statement is very accurate. Catastrophic accidents and illnesses certainly occur in all age groups. However, travel insurance is an odds game. You are much, much less likely to use it under the age of 50 than over. So, premiums are based on one group of low likelihood users subsidizing higher risk individuals.

I simply figure my odds of being in a car accident on the drive to the port (covered by my bc/bs insurance) is much, much more likely than ever needing travel insurance at this stage of our lives.

DWF

P.S. the Disney insurance cost for our May cruise for our family of four was listed at around 2K. Just not worth it for us.

 

[Dug720]

I do not believe your statement is very accurate. Catastrophic accidents and illnesses certainly occur in all age groups. However, travel insurance is an odds game. You are much, much less likely to use it under the age of 50 than over. So, premiums are based on one group of low likelihood users subsidizing higher risk individuals.

I simply figure my odds of being in a car accident on the drive to the port (covered by my bc/bs insurance) is much, much more likely than ever needing travel insurance at this stage of our lives.

DWF

P.S. the Disney insurance cost for our May cruise for our family of four was listed at around 2K. Just not worth it for us.

I was being tongue in cheek because your initial assertion was that you didn't get it because you're just around 40.

I am 42 and purchased it not so much because of the possibility of catastrophic illness or injury (though since I run half and full marathons the injury possibility exists more than if I didn't) but also because I live in a region where winter weather could conceivably come into play. My parents got it for our cruise this summer because they knew we were sailing in hurricane season. Illness and injury are not the only reasons for getting trip insurance.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

IMHO, age has nothing to do with buying trip insurance. It is not just for medical. It covers travel expenditures as well that may come up like flight delays and having to get a hotel room for the night or losing your luggage, etc.

We have to buy insurance coverage that covers preexisting conditions because my DD has a chronic illness that could possibly land her in an ER at any given time. She is 13!

 

[neg58]

I am curious about this, too. We have never bought insurance, and when I was talking to the Disney and Costco reps, I was told that anybody could get a credit to use in the future if they had to cancel. That is definitely enough for me, but am I missing something? Did they misinform me?

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This is true before PIF, and DCL has allowed a few people to switch cruises inside the PIF date, but that is taking a big chance because the purchased ticket doesn't require them to.

Insurance also covers other things like medical, lost luggage, illness that confines you to your cabin while you are on the cruise. You can't reschedule once you are on board and something happens.

Nancy

 

[Scillycruisers]

We are also from the UK and have an annual travel policy that costs just over £;200 for worldwide cover for the 3 of us. It doesn't automatically cover cruising so we got that written in, there was no extra premium. This covers all trips away from home we make in a year and obviously is essential to cover possible medical expenses when outside the EU. A few years ago when In the US I had to make 2 trips to A&E for a minor but urgent procedure. We paid at the time and the insurance refunded us no questions asked when we got home and claimed. Well worth it for our peace of mind.