Cancel for any reason insurance or not?

[darnheather]

I've been pricing out trip insurance and find that the main price difference is if I add "cancel for any reason". The only reason I would cancel this cruise would be if we were very sick, got in a car accident on the way to the port, or some other catastrophic event. On the last cruise my spouse was literally in the hospital and my girls and I still went (at the encouragement of both him and the doctor).

So which do you usually choose? Am I not thinking of something that comes up frequently that would fall under the "any reason"?

 

[bumbershoot]

If you don't have work/deployment/school reasons that might cause a problem, and the ONLY things you can think of are catastrophic, then don't do the "any reason" insurance.

But make sure that the reasons you might have are covered under the insurance you do buy.

 

[Pooh2]

We did buy the insurance through Disney because my father was very ill. My husband pointed out after I purchased it that we have trip interruption/ cancellation insurance on our Chase Sapphire card. So could have used that money toward an excursion! Check your credit card coverage.

 

[havaneselover]

I've used travel insured worldwide trip protector for my last two cruises but this time I'm using chase sapphire reserve's coverage. Saved me $250!

 

[kgwoozle]

I agree with bumpershoot, if you are worried about getting hit by a bus or some other random thing, i wouldn't spend the money. Much of that is covered under standard travel insurance. I get it because my work is such that my time off could be canceled at any time and I could be recalled in the middle of vacation.

 

[FigmentSpark]

When you check your card's insurance, make sure to ask what the limit is. My card advertises insurance if I put the whole purchase on the card. But they only insure up to $5000, which is not enough, considering the price of Disney and air fare, as well.

 

[havaneselover]

When you check your card's insurance, make sure to ask what the limit is. My card advertises insurance if I put the whole purchase on the card. But they only insure up to $5000, which is not enough, considering the price of Disney and air fare, as well.

Chase Sapphire Reserve/Visa Infinite is very generous and you only have to pay any portion of the cruise fare to get the coverage. I totally agree though--make sure you understand the coverage you have.

 

[MissMet]

Our last cruise my father-in-law, who was perfectly healthy, ended up in the hospital the week before our cruise & ended up passing away two days before our cruise. We had no insurance, we never get it,so we would have lost everything if we didn't go. All of our family encouraged us to still go on the cruise. We did and it ended up being the best thing for us! An escape from reality & mourning when we wanted/needed it, an escape from the stress of the logistics of preparing for a funeral, and great family time to show my husband love & support. We thought it would be the worst thing in the world, to go, but it really was the best way to mourn, for us. Everyone's different. Since that cruise, we still don't bother with insurance. Well, we do but only the like $40pp medical one in case of injuries while abroad since my husband is VERY injury prone!

Everyone's different though. I don't think there's a right or wrong recommendation. For us, not worth it.

 

[darnheather]

Thanks everyone. My Visa does cover everything except the "cancel for any reason". Again I haven't thought of a reason but I'll keep trying until PIF date.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Just throwing it out there... weather related problems/delays that will cause you to miss the ship or acts of God?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Just throwing it out there... weather related problems/delays that will cause you to miss the ship or acts of God?

Those are generally covered under the standard trip insurance and you don't need the "cancel for any reason" clause.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

If your Visa covers medical expenses too, that would be the only other thing I'd wonder about. Not all health insurance covers you when out of the country.

As for "cancel for any reason" just make sure you know what you are covered for. It covers weather I suppose?

For us, my BIL had one of those jobs where he couldn't be certain until the last day that he could go, and since the point of our trip was a three family vacation, we weren't sure that any of us would go if he did not. So we needed the "any reason" coverage so that we could all cancel even if just he couldn't go. (He went!)

Also, on a previous vacation, (not a cruise) my grandmother broke her hip the day before we left. She was not coming with us, but it took us two days to get her situated in the hospital, and even then one of us stayed behind with her, so our trip insurance paid for all of our lost time and lost expenses. We certainly didn't expect that, but we did know that she was elderly and thus we knew things can happen at any time.

I tell you this just so you can weigh the unexpected. Do you have pets that might get injured last minute, which you wouldn't want to leave? Etc. It all depends on how you feel about risk, and how big your risks are. Make the choice that is comfortable for you. Have a great trip.

 

[RedSox68]

I've been pricing out trip insurance and find that the main price difference is if I add "cancel for any reason". The only reason I would cancel this cruise would be if we were very sick, got in a car accident on the way to the port, or some other catastrophic event. On the last cruise my spouse was literally in the hospital and my girls and I still went (at the encouragement of both him and the doctor).

So which do you usually choose? Am I not thinking of something that comes up frequently that would fall under the "any reason"?

I will let you know when I get the outcome. We always buy trip insurance, but for the first time ever I bought the last one with the "cancel for any reason" clause (which costs extra) -- which included work reasons. I was denied the time off and filed a claim to recoup the airfare since the rest of the monies were refundable. It's been 8 weeks and I still have not received a decision. Since this is our first claim ever, I am concerned they won't come through for us. If they don't, it may make me rethink buying the insurance in the future.

 

[darnheather]

I will let you know when I get the outcome. We always buy trip insurance, but for the first time ever I bought the last one with the "cancel for any reason" clause (which costs extra) -- which included work reasons. I was denied the time off and filed a claim to recoup the airfare since the rest of the monies were refundable. It's been 8 weeks and I still have not received a decision. Since this is our first claim ever, I am concerned they won't come through for us. If they don't, it may make me rethink buying the insurance in the future.

Thank you and please do update when you learn something. Eight weeks seems a long time for what should be a simple decision.

 

[RedSox68]

Thank you and please do update when you learn something. Eight weeks seems a long time for what should be a simple decision.

And I even included the emails where they denied my vacation dates.

 

[lanejudy]

Am I not thinking of something that comes up frequently that would fall under the "any reason"?

It's not likely to be something that comes up frequently...it's going to be something you think about.

• Hot water tank bursts and floods your basement the day prior to leaving.
• A relative becomes ill or dies.
• One of the kids ends up with an important school/sports event that conflicts.
• Your or hubby's employer is bought out and all vacation is suddenly and unexpected suspended.
• A horrendous wind storm leaves you with roof damage that can't be repaired before you leave and you don't feel comfortable letting it wait until your return.

Different families may deal with these situations differently. Some may say "I'm going on vacation regardless" in which case the additional cancel-for-any-reason insurance is not necessary. But if anything like the above could derail your plans, you might want the insurance. Insurance is all about risk-tolerance; chances are none of the above would happen, but if it does are you willing to lose what was spent for your vacation. That's the decision you'll have to make.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[darnheather]

It's not likely to be something that comes up frequently...it's going to be something you think about.

• Hot water tank bursts and floods your basement the day prior to leaving.
• A relative becomes ill or dies.
• One of the kids ends up with an important school/sports event that conflicts.
• Your or hubby's employer is bought out and all vacation is suddenly and unexpected suspended.
• A horrendous wind storm leaves you with roof damage that can't be repaired before you leave and you don't feel comfortable letting it wait until your return.

Different families may deal with these situations differently. Some may say "I'm going on vacation regardless" in which case the additional cancel-for-any-reason insurance is not necessary. But if anything like the above could derail your plans, you might want the insurance. Insurance is all about risk-tolerance; chances are none of the above would happen, but if it does are you willing to lose what was spent for your vacation. That's the decision you'll have to make.

Enjoy your cruise!

My husband doesn't travel with us so anything involving the house or his vacation time is not an issue. I work part-time without benefits so if they want to cancel my vacation I'd honestly quit and get a new job when I got back. I wouldn't attend a relative's funeral anyway (it's not a part of my culture). My children are homeschooled and all activities are planned out for the year well in advance (usually by PIF).

Ug, I still feel weird though going without it.

 

[Msmit002]

^-------- All of the above and more.

Last year I couldn't leave my campus because we were on lockdown (it's in downtown Baltimore) and I missed my outbound flight to my vacation. I had to provide all sorts of proof (including a formal letter form the dean stating I was on campus when we were put on lockdown) but I was eventually reimbursed for the extra flight charges, the night of hotel I was charged and extra transportation charges just to get to my destination.

This year, DH is TDY and can be held back at base at the last possible minute so the Cancel for any reason was a given. But, I would have gotten it anyway because it covers any pre-existing medical as well. My *ahem* mature Mom (she would die if I called her elderly) is watching my son while we are gone. If something happens to HER, I needed to be sure we were covered. Because that is a definitely vacay dealbreaker right there.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

My husband doesn't travel with us so anything involving the house or his vacation time is not an issue. I work part-time without benefits so if they want to cancel my vacation I'd honestly quit and get a new job when I got back. I wouldn't attend a relative's funeral anyway (it's not a part of my culture). My children are homeschooled and all activities are planned out for the year well in advance (usually by PIF).

Ug, I still feel weird though going without it.

If anyone seems to not need the "Cancel for any reason" insurance, it would seem to be you! Couldn't hurt to get a quote though. To me, it was a small amount of money compared to the total cost of the trip. We included our excursions in the insurance too, since they (at least the ones through DCL) become committed 3 days prior to sail, and we knew we still wouldn't be sure then.

Whatever you choose, be at peace with it. You know your situation and yourself best.

I will let you know when I get the outcome. We always buy trip insurance, but for the first time ever I bought the last one with the "cancel for any reason" clause (which costs extra) -- which included work reasons. I was denied the time off and filed a claim to recoup the airfare since the rest of the monies were refundable. It's been 8 weeks and I still have not received a decision. Since this is our first claim ever, I am concerned they won't come through for us. If they don't, it may make me rethink buying the insurance in the future.

When we did our claim, it took many weeks (I forget how many) and we hadn't heard back, and so I called them and they said, "Oh we asked you for XYZ proof and you haven't given it to us yet." I don't know in what way they delivered that request, but there were a lot of people involved so maybe they sent the request to one of the other people involved. Once we sent them what they wanted we got paid pretty quickly, but it still might have been weeks. These things move at "the speed of insurance" but I would follow up with them if you haven't heard anything by now.

 

[RedSox68]

When we did our claim, it took many weeks (I forget how many) and we hadn't heard back, and so I called them and they said, "Oh we asked you for XYZ proof and you haven't given it to us yet." I don't know in what way they delivered that request, but there were a lot of people involved so maybe they sent the request to one of the other people involved. Once we sent them what they wanted we got paid pretty quickly, but it still might have been weeks. These things move at "the speed of insurance" but I would follow up with them if you haven't heard anything by now.

Thank you. I have emailed them twice about the status. They gave me a link to check the status, but it has not updated for weeks. They said it is still being processed

I will keep on them as I don't want it to fall between the cracks!