Convince my DH we need insurance!

[eskimo]

My DH wants to know why I feel we need to buy insurance. His reasons for NOT getting it are:

1. Our medical insurance covers us wherever we are in the world.
2. If for some reason, our cruise was cancelled (by Disney) we wouldn't have to pay anyway.
3. If our cruise was to be re-routed (hurricane), who cares, we're still on a cruise!
4. We are very healthy people (rarely take a sick day--same goes for the kids, surprisingly!)
5. We are not planning any excursions (won't be leaving the boat).
6. If our luggage is lost, the airline pays for it anyway


He can't see shelling out another couple hundred bucks for something we probably won't use and would prefer to use that money to pay for the trip or for spending money.

Can anyone think of any other reasons we would need it?

Maybe a month ago, there was a discussion about all the bad things that happened to people who didn't have insurance and I think that made me freak out. Of course, I couldn't remember specifics, so he still thinks we don't need it.

Anyone with an opinion on this?

 

[aprilgail2]

Do you have parets who are alive? I am pretty sure (someone coect me if I am wong please) that it would cover the cost of your cruise if an immediate family member passed away....I would always take the insurance just in case something unexpected happened to me or the people I was traveling with..

 

[prymsu]

i really recommend getting it because you can be out the bucks if something serious or unexpected happens to either of you, or to any of your relation. I think the peace of mind is worth it...

 

[MarkRG]

GET IT!!!


(Is that good enough? )


Seriously, besides a family emergency, if for some reason transportation wise you don't get there in time to check in and sail you will be out the cash. And these two are more likely than anything you've listed. It is definitely your gamble then.

 

[paulmc80]

This just happened to a co-worker of mine. Her mother was hospitalized and ended up passing away just before their cruise, not a DCL cruise. It was a good thing for them that they took the insurance so they didn't lose they trip costs.

I was just reading the DCL vactions protection plan booklet and was pleased to read that you're even covered for missing the cruise due to say an automobile accident on the way to the airport. I thought that was worth it in itself.

Oh, by the way on my DCL vacation protection plan booklet it says "Services provided AccessAmerica." I think someone in another threat was asking abou that.

 

[MFan]

A trip insurance is just that -- an insurance. Everyone has different risk profile and tolerance for risks. It's really up to each individual to assess whether the coverages are worth the premium. Like your DH, I have never considered purchasing trip insurance because I think our risk is low and the cost is high. However, now that I have 3 kids, our risk profile has changed significantly. It's likely that I will opt for it when the time comes to make the final payment.

 

[Mjasp]

What if, What if, What if, Sounds far fetched. But stuff happens. For regular vacations, I NEVER take insurance. But for cruising, wouldn't leave home without it. I always think how much a helicopter would cost on a sea day to get you to a hospital. I know it sounds far fetched. But it can happen.

For regular vacations, you could just fly home and thats it, you'd be out some money, but nothing earth shattering.

On a cruise it can add up.

GET THE INSURANCE!!!!

 

[mcnuss]

Tell him this:

1. Our medical insurance covers us wherever we are in the world. But if you have a deductible, the cruise insurance will often cover it.

2. If for some reason, our cruise was cancelled (by Disney) we wouldn't have to pay anyway. But what if it is cancelled due to DCL's bankruptcy (not likely, but who thought WorldCom would go bankrupt??), or what if your flight is cancelled due to weather and you don't get there, or what if you have a car accident on the way to the airport or the port, or what if you have to cancel due to your or a family member's illness or something totally out of DCL's control? Etc, etc.....

3. If our cruise was to be re-routed (hurricane), who cares, we're still on a cruise!

4. We are very healthy people (rarely take a sick day--same goes for the kids, surprisingly!) Then why even have the medical insurance? You do it just in case! Same for vacation insurance. Anyway, what if you slip on deck or have some other dopey kind of accident and need to be airlifted home? DCL is not going to pay for that.


5. We are not planning any excursions (won't be leaving the boat). Not sure what difference this makes....

6. If our luggage is lost, the airline pays for it anyway. Have you ever really researched what the airline pays? It would curl your hair. And by the way, you have to wait 24-48 hours before you can get authorization to purchase even a clean pair of undies ... My mom lost her luggage the day before Xmas eve 2 years ago, she had my DD's presents in the bags. USAirways would only let her spend $25 until they determined whether the luggage was gone for good. Then you file a claim and it can take months. Luckily, the bags turned up Xmas eve.

You could probably do with just trip cancellation/interruption insurance since you have good medical but get something and for a couple of hundred bucks have peace of mind.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

Does your medical insurance cover you if you need to be airlifted off the ship? My aunts co-worker went on an Alaskan cruise with 2 other couples and one of the DH had to be airlifted-cost them $7,000. In my DH family we had 2 deaths within 4 days. DH uncle died unexpectedly on a Thurs and his grandmother (that uncle's mother) died the following Mon-the day we were buring the uncle. Also, just because you think you or your family are healthy now, anything can happen. My always healthy children were in the doctors office every month from Oct 2001-June 2002. DD was hospitalized with an unknown bout of uncontrolled vomiting in Feb 2002. We had a cruise scheduled May 11, 2002. Thank goodness we were healthy enough to go, but DS did get sick at WDW a few days before the cruise and we were considering taking him to the ER in Orlando. DH and I never considered travel insurance until we had the kids. I wouldn't consider it for a less expensive vacation where I could cancel the hotel, trade in the air tickets towards another flight and maybe have to eat the cost of unused tickets or ressies, but the cruise costs too much.

 

[mlshields]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news....... If you die while on vacation do you have any idea how much it would cost to "keep" you as well as transport you home - or better yet - if you die in a foreign country the red tape as well as expense you could rack up. Even though you are not planning on getting off the ship, you will be visiting foreign countries and once docked you will have to abide by their rules....

 

[CamColt]

Oh, I could be the poster child for buying insurance right now. Hows this true story? You book a trip only 4 short months in advance. Everyone in the family is healthy as horses. About 2 months later, FIL, 64, starts complaining he is feeling a little off(tired weak, aches & pains, etc...). He goes for tests and gets diagnosed with cancer, tumors in his spine. Within a few weeks he is admitted to the hospital with severe pain, develops signs of pneumonia, ends up with breathing tubes, and ivs, and is given as little as a month to live...EXACTLY 1 month to the day before you leave.

This is where I stand right now!!! I always buy insurance if Im doing a package, or a cruise or something big, but this time we just booked room only reservation. We went ahead and made our final payment and were told we have up to 5 days in advance to cancel(we double checked before paying it off last week). Of course, in our situation those 5 days wont even help us because if we had to cancel we wouldnt know until the last minute. So, in the case of a cruise, like you need it for, I would say absolutely get the insurance. You never know whats in store for you.

 

[aseafish]

Boy, I was a definite for no insurance. You've sure given me a lot to think about. Thanks

 

[prymsu]

CamColt, so sorry to hear about your situation. Hope that things take a turn for the better for you and your family.

 

[Rootee]

Before you make up your mind one way or another about insurance, be sure to read what Eileen Ogintz wrote about this subject in her column "Taking the Kids". Cruising to St. Maarten is specifically mentioned.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/living/travel/3688572.htm

 

[BeanoC]

Ok, so you've already booked and paid for your cruise, which sails in 2 months, and you didn't buy insurance...

That's our situation. We sail on the 10/12, 7-day Magic cruise. I didn't take out any insurance. Where would I go to get it at this point?

We went on the Magic last year with no insurance, and it was no problem. We were lucky. But for a couple of hundred bucks, the peace of mind would be nice. So where can I get it?? Should I call my local agent or call DCL?



'Beano'

 

[tlt]

We went to Walt Disney World 1 and 1/2 years ago (with insurance) and the 2nd night we were there, I got a phone call from my parents telling me that my youngest brother was killed in a car accident in NC. We caught a flight out of Orlando to Charlotte and we received all of our money back...without insurance, we would have lost $2000. I don't wish this on anyone, but you never know when something horrible will happen. You will loose your $$$ without insurance if something like this happens. We will never go anywhere without the ins.

 

[windyguy]

We just got back from our cruise but prior to sailing I attempted to get insurance and was not allow since I did not do it before the 59th date of sailing. I believe that is the allowed time for getting insurance but just don't take my word call right away you still should be able to get it..

 

[aseafish]

You're right, that site makes a darned good argument.

 

[Cassi]

I know I've posted this story before, so if you've already read it, just scroll by with my apologies!

DH and I were on a 7 day cruise to Bermuda. On the second day there, I became ill with a severe pain in my sternum. I went to the shipboard doctor who thought I had pancreatitis. He gave me some medication, but then in the middle of the night I had another attack and when he took one look at me (I was jaundiced), he told me to go the the ER in Bermuda (luckily we were docked!). Anyway, it turns out I was having a gallbladder attack, and my bile duct was blocked. I had to be flown home.

I was 23 years old and had no health problems.

The trip insurance paid for our flights (last minute=expensive), they paid for the taxi rides to the hospital and the airport, and they reimbursed both of us for the cruise that we didn't use (starting on the day that I became sick, even before we disembarked).

So, I highly recommend getting the insurance! You just never know.

 

[peg2001]

If your medical insurance will cover any contingencies AND you are willing to risk losing the cost of the cruise, you don't need to buy the insurance.

We are skipping the insurance. Our health insurance will cover the UNLIKELY event of an illness or injury and we are willing to gamble on the UNLIKELY chance that we will be delayed and miss the ship (flying in day before) or the UNLIKELY chance that something else will come up and prevent our vacation.

Yes, it is a risk that we take, but we consider the odds sufficiently low for our own comfort level. We will not be broke if we lose the cost of the cruise, or we wouldn't be cruising in the first place! And we will not be worried and stressed over the possibility of something happening.

We take risks every day. . .it is up to each individual and family to weigh their own personal risks and the comfort level they have taking those risks and decide for themselves. If you are going to be worried and stressed, GET THE TRAVEL INSURANCE.

Peg