To insure or not to insure, that is the question

[AmberDaClown]

DH and I are torn this time about getting insurance for the trip. His parents are dead, mine are in relatively good health as are we. DD will be with us on the trip, and frankly there is absolutely no reason we would leave the cruise early. We do not give anyone a way to contact us when we go on vacation anyway. The only thing would be for medical evacuation and repatriation.

We are not going during hurricane season and this may sound bad but since we consider the cruise already paid for it is not like we would miss the money if we didn't go. It is hard to explain, we wouldn't just take the amount of our cruise and toss it out the window, but once we have it paid for we wouldn't really miss it. Besides I have read that DCL really will work with you even if you had to change inside the penalty phase.

We are going on the Eastern in early December and not sure if we will spend the extra on insurance this time or not. What have you done?

 

[Disneylover79]

DH and I are torn this time about getting insurance for the trip. His parents are dead, mine are in relatively good health as are we. DD will be with us on the trip, and frankly there is absolutely no reason we would leave the cruise early. We do not give anyone a way to contact us when we go on vacation anyway. The only thing would be for medical evacuation and repatriation.

We are not going during hurricane season and this may sound bad but since we consider the cruise already paid for it is not like we would miss the money if we didn't go. It is hard to explain, we wouldn't just take the amount of our cruise and toss it out the window, but once we have it paid for we wouldn't really miss it. Besides I have read that DCL really will work with you even if you had to change inside the penalty phase.

We are going on the Eastern in early December and not sure if we will spend the extra on insurance this time or not. What have you done?

We did not get insurance.. then on the other hand my parents get it every time ( only because my mother was hurt on a cruise a few years back). I opted not to get it because I am going no matter what..... Like you said the only reason I would leave early is due to some major health mishap... Hope this helps... Happy Crusing

 

[Gina]

The main reason I always get it is because very often, individual health insurance doesn't cover (or covers very minimally) something like medical evacuation. No one thinks about having a heart attack or something when they're young and healthy, but even something as common and relatively routine as acute appendicitis would not be something they could take care of onboard. Off you go on the helicoptor, most likely, and that can run anywhere from $10,000-$20,000. I kinda don't have that sort of cash.

It's just peace of mind for me, especially since it costs maybe $100 for DS and I both for insurance for the whole week's cruise.

 

[cockermom]

I'm of the "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it" line of thinking. Seriously, we know a couple of folks who suffered serious injury/illness while abroad on cruises. Thankfully, they had both opted for insurance and were able to be transported back to the States.

So, DH and I bite the bullet and add the cost of insurance into our cruise budget. Not trying to coerce you into anything, truly. And we're not planning on an injury or illness, but then neither were our friends.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

A friend of mine was in Australia got stung by a jelly fish--not just any ol' jelly fish--but the kind that if you don't get treatment, you will die kind of jelly fish.

Now they didn't check if he had insurance when he needed treatment--the just got the helicopter, flew him inland and got him to a hospital where he stayed a couple of days.

They didn't purposefully purchase trip insurance (as in they didnt' get it as part of their ENTIRE trip), but it had been included as part of the snorkeling/scuba whatever excursion they were on. So they were covered.


I am in the club of have it just in case!

But if you can afford to lose your trip money in case you need to cancel for a covered reason at the last minute--then you don't need it.

But what if you need to be medically evacuated--will your health insurance cover it?

 

[Selket]

I just talked to my son's pedi today and asked how her cruise went - she was supposed to be going on one this past summer. She said that 3 days before the cruise her father had a stroke and they needed to cancel to attend to him.

If this happened to you, or if for some horrible reason you had to be med evac'd from the ship to the tune of tens of thousands of $$$$$$$ could you afford it? If not, then I'd get the insurance.

 

[Jeanne B]

For the peace of mind it gives I always get it for our cruises. I buy ours from TravelGuard and coverage for DD is usually free, I don't think I've ever paid more than $100 or so for the three of us to be covered. Considering the $$ you would be out if you had to cancel at the last minute or had a medical emergency during the cruise, trip insurance is cheap IMO.

I purchased trip insurance for the first time 2-1/2 years ago for our first cruise and I was thankful I did because we had to put it to use due to weather delays down and back, it was a very good feeling to get a $1000 check in the mail a few weeks after our vacation.

 

[zack&alexmom]

Look into insuremytrip.com and get a quote. It isn't as much as Disney. For $144 it was worth the piece of mind. We live in the north and always have to worry about flight issues.

Linda

 

[jhannah]

We always purchase insurance. We have to fly to port, so bad weather, airline delays and/or missed connections could cause you to miss the ship. If you are willing to eat the cost of the cruise, that's one thing. But accidents or illness can occur to anyone, anywhere. With medical evacuation running in the tens of thousands of dollars ... well, that's more than I have stuck under the mattress.

All insurance is a gamble. I'll grant you that. But I'd rather have the upper hand.

 

[professorandmom]

the only time you will be certain as to whether to buy insurance is when you return from your trip
Barb

 

[tvguy]

Travel insurance is no different than any other insurance, you should get it if you want protection against a catastrophic loss.

What is a catastrophic loss? The loss of money that you could not easily recover from. Face it, travel insurance is a waste of money for almost everyone........the industry would go bankrupt if their payout wasn't almost always less than the premium.
I got travel insurance, because at $9000 for a Disney cruise (including air fare etc), that would have been a catastrophic loss. My NCL cruise, at $2500 I did not get insurance, and while I wouldn't be happy about losing $2500, it would not be catastrophic.

I would like to hear from folks who actually got a bill for a medical evacuation. On Caribbean, Mexican and Hawaiian cruises they are normally done by the Coast Guard at no charge.

 

[crissichef]

I am also in the school of better safe than sorry! My dentist went on a cruise to Bermuda and ended up breaking his leg in a moped accident and ended up in the hospital there for weeks!! All you need is one horry story !

Good luck whatever you decide............

I have bad luck or no luck at all so I got the insurance !

 

[mommasita]

We always insure...You just don't know. It is a small price to pay considering the price of the cruise.

We use insuremytrip.com as well.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

We always purchase the insurance from Travel Guard (not the cruise line). Why? Because when I was a teenager a friend of mine was injured in Aruba on a Spring Break trip. His parents didn't buy trip insurance and had to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars for air ambulance service, hospitalization and surgery in Aruba etc.

I never worry about whether or not I will need to cancel the trip, but I do worry that something strange could happen and we might need the medical part of the insurance.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I would like to hear from folks who actually got a bill for a medical evacuation. On Caribbean, Mexican and Hawaiian cruises they are normally done by the Coast Guard at no charge.

The coast guard isn't flying you home from Nassau, Mexico, or the Virgin Islands. They aren't flying you home from the Med sea ports. They are not flying you home from Hawaii.

Medical evacuation covers more than just "at sea".

They also are not paying your family's hotel bill when they need to stay a few weeks while you are in hospital in a foreign country or even in Hawaii.

They are not paying to fly home your casket in the unfortunate incidence of your death.

There are more costs that can happen with an unexpected health issue or accident--that once you are on land...the coast guard cannot help you.

Air ambulances are not cheap. All the coast guard does is get you off of the water. After that, the closest hospital can be miles and miles away, but you need to be flown there.

Even for sea rescues off the coast of Florida. The victim is taken to the nearest port--and an ambulance (or medi-chopper) is there to pick them up.

 

[AmberDaClown]

Thank you everyone for your input. We paid off our cruise today and elected to forgo insurance. The only think we are really concerned with is evacuation and repatriation if necessary. Our insurance covers us medically outside of the country (It would be considered out of network). We like to gamble and this is just an added expense because of where we are going we decided not to spend.

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Jessieknj]

I haven't yet read the replies so forgive me if it's been said already... I always do take the insurance. I used to work at a travel agency and I can't tell you the number of time that people had to cancel for unforseen reasons. Car accidents, broken bones, strep throat etc... so while you may be in good health and not see any reason that you wouldn't go unforseen things do happen. If you are not insured and get in an accident the day before travel and can't go or your child gets the flu and you can't go you will beout the money. The cruise line won't usually give you anything back for that.

I know that I will likely be going on my trip but in the event that I can't I like knowing I am not out the thousands of dollars the trip costs me.

Just my opinion of course. Chances are you will go and it will be great but having worked where I did and seeing so many people just have to eat that money makes me always take the insurance.

 

[hjensen]

Could you guys please tell who you go with for Travel insurance?? I was just on insuremytrip.com and there is soooo many companies to choose from! I'm torn between Access America and Travel Guard...have any of you gone with these companies and if so, how were they?

 

[outahere]

I'm a big believer in the line from the old American Express commercial - "Don't leave home without it". For the small amount you pay for travel insurance, I think it's worth it. We have never cruised without it and I don't regret spending the money to have it.

Could you guys please tell who you go with for Travel insurance?? I was just on insuremytrip.com and there is soooo many companies to choose from! I'm torn between Access America and Travel Guard...have any of you gone with these companies and if so, how were they?

We went with AIG through insuremytrip for our cruise last month. They had the coverage we wanted at a reasonable price.

 

[MSWint]

The coast guard isn't flying you home from Nassau, Mexico, or the Virgin Islands. They aren't flying you home from the Med sea ports. They are not flying you home from Hawaii.

Medical evacuation covers more than just "at sea".

They also are not paying your family's hotel bill when they need to stay a few weeks while you are in hospital in a foreign country or even in Hawaii.

They are not paying to fly home your casket in the unfortunate incidence of your death.

There are more costs that can happen with an unexpected health issue or accident--that once you are on land...the coast guard cannot help you.

Air ambulances are not cheap. All the coast guard does is get you off of the water. After that, the closest hospital can be miles and miles away, but you need to be flown there.

Even for sea rescues off the coast of Florida. The victim is taken to the nearest port--and an ambulance (or medi-chopper) is there to pick them up.

One note on any travel insurance ... better read the fine print, you might not be as fully covered as you think you are.