insurance w/packages

[kailuagirl]

Is it worth it? I've never bought travel insurance before and not sure whether or not to get it. Thanks!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

We tend to buy it if the vacation is expensive... if there is a chance that someone could get too sick to go then it is worth it... most have a clause with an out with a doctors note sort of thing as well as natural disasters (we almost used ours once on a trip to mexico, 3 months after a major hurricane--could have been a mess!)

 

[skiingfast]

I have done an intense study on the insurance industry at large. Travel or vacation insurance is one of the biggest wastes of money one could buy. Buy yourself dinner instead.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Unless you are really unsure, I would not waste my money on it when I can waste it some place else.

Jack

 

[Queenbillabong]

We buy it - and in May 2008 it turned out to be the best $60 I ever spent. We had a mother/son trip to Disneyland, both healthy, no worries. On our last day, my son got very sick and ended up having to go to the hospital (taken from the airport by ambulance). Over $5000 in hospital/doctor bills later.......... So I personally do not think it's a waste of money. If you don't need it, great. But if something does happen, you're covered.

I don't take trips now without insurance...................

 

[Disney Dreams]

I have done an intense study on the insurance industry at large. Travel or vacation insurance is one of the biggest wastes of money one could buy. Buy yourself dinner instead.

I would STRONGLY disagree with this conclusion.

Insurance is always a gamble. You are paying money on the chance that something goes wrong. In all honesty, the hope is that you are paying for something you will never use. However, life happens.

If you own a house, do you buy fire insurance? It's a gamble as to whether you will need it vs. the loss incurred should something occur.

Vacation insurance partly depends on your own circumstances. I fairly recently spent a few nights in the hospital and have been to more doctors in 1 month than I have seen cumulatively in the last several years. I have been given the okay to travel and we are considering a much-needed escape. Will we purchase travel insurance? ABSOLUTELY! Why? Given our current / recent circumstances.

My father was in Africa on a safari when his father passed away (in the US). Thanks to trip insurance, they were reimbursed for a large portion of their trip when they had to return home 2 days into their vacation.

Ask yourself the following:
If someone in your family gets ill, will you still take the trip?
If something unforeseen occurs, will you still take the trip?
If something happens ON your trip, are you the type of person who stays and fights through as opposed to go home?

If the answers are, "Yes," then you don't need trip insurance. If the answers are, "No," or "It depends," then you may want to seriously consider it.

It is a waste of money if everything goes perfectly. However, under that logic, so is medical, auto, and homeowner insurance. If you think you would cancel your trip if "life" were to take a rough spin, you may want to purchase insurance. It's a personal decision based on your circumstances and your inclination to cancel a trip based on events that could occur.

HTH,
Dreams

 

[wdwfan22]

If you are looking at a package with Disneyland, I encourage you to price the elements separately and see what price you come up with.

I priced 9 nts at Grand Californian with 6 day hoppers. As a pkg it was $3584, if I booked room only and tickets separate is was $2401.20. A savings of OVER $1000.00!!!! You don't always save that much, but I didn't price one scenerio of different hotels and different # of nts that I didn't save quite a bit.

Plus, no need to worry about ins, as you only pay the 1st nt up front.

I used to be a travel agent, and some trips packages really save you money, and insurance can be good, but NOT FOR DL.

 

[jory29]

We buy it - and in May 2008 it turned out to be the best $60 I ever spent. We had a mother/son trip to Disneyland, both healthy, no worries. On our last day, my son got very sick and ended up having to go to the hospital (taken from the airport by ambulance). Over $5000 in hospital/doctor bills later.......... So I personally do not think it's a waste of money. If you don't need it, great. But if something does happen, you're covered.

I don't take trips now without insurance...................

Exactly!! My son and fell ill after 2 days of arriving in the USA last week when we went to Disneyland. I followed suit, and after having a Doctor pay us a hotel visit, and meds. the cost for that was $950 USD. We did buy insurance and had phoned our insurance company prior to phoning the Dr. to get a case number - many medical plans require that you contact them before calling a Doctor, etc., if possible. I am now waiting for our money to be refunded, but I am very glad we did go ahead with it. We too, were healthy prior to leaving. We both needed an antibiotic shot, and started antibiotics.

 

[McNic]

I have done an intense study on the insurance industry at large. Travel or vacation insurance is one of the biggest wastes of money one could buy. Buy yourself dinner instead.

I also strongly disagree with this statement. I am a travel agent so of course I say get travel insurance, but I personally never travel without it.

Example; this kid in my neighbourhood went to Mexico and while diving in the pool, ended up breaking his neck. His parents had to re mortgage their house to pay for his medical bills. Had he bought travel insurance (for around $47) he would have been covered and all of his medical bills up to 1 million dollars would be paid!!!

Why WOULDN'T you get insurance? Skip the dinner and insure your holiday instead!

Insurance is for the things you don't expect to happen.

 

[skiingfast]

Here a reason to not by the insurance, anyone can disagree if they'd like. For the few posted examples of the people who bought and then made a claim on it there are roughly 24,000 people who also bought it and never made use of it at all.

Travel insurance is not even close to as worthwile as insuring a home, car or ones health. From here on out only ignorant people will use that analogy.

 

[Goofy_Mom]

I don't get insurance when booking DL trips. We live six hours away and go on average once a year. If something were to come up, it's very easy to reschedule our trip. However, we are planning our first trip to WDW for October 2011. That trip will involve air planes, transfers, taxies, and more than a week away from home comforts. In that instance, I'm most definatley getting insurance.

 

[Nala83]

Travel insurance is not even close to as worthwile as insuring a home, car or ones health. From here on out only ignorant people will use that analogy.

Really? It's a fair analogy- not synonymous, but relevant.

Wisdom is about recognizing that everyone's circumstances are different- that what makes sense for one person may not make sense for another, and that statistics NEVER tell the full story.

Driving to DL, staying with a friend, and using an annual pass? Yeah, insurance doesn't make much sense. Coming from another country to spend several weeks (a lots of money upfront)? Different story. Same goes if there are other factors (ie health) to consider.

I've never gotten travel insurance. Some day I may, if the circumstances warrant it. I will consider whether or not the potential risks outweigh the potential costs- just as I do with renters, health, and auto insurance. Not ignorant at all!

 

[skiingfast]

I will consider whether or not the potential risks outweigh the potential costs- just as I do with renters, health, and auto insurance. Not ignorant at all!

Do you need your legs? Do you need a dry place to sleep? Most people do, but nobody need to go to Disneyland it's a luxury.

 

[specialks]

Just a note that many credit cards have travel insurance included as a perk if you pay for your travel on your credit card. We rely on that a lot. However, we did get a recent notification that our amount of coverage has been reduced.

 

[DahliaRW]

I think people are talking about 2 different things here. I believe the OP is talking about the change/cancellation insurance you can buy with packages, which I believe ONLY covers the cost of the trip itself if you change/cancel your plans. Others are talking about travel insurace, which you can buy to cover medical emergencies and such while traveling (usually you buy this if you're traveling out of the country).

 

[McNic]

As the previous poster said, there are many different kinds of travel insurance that you can purchase, and everyone is going to have their own opinions (as we all do about everything )

I think what it boils down to is what you are willing to lose money wise. Those that live closer don't have a lot of the "non refundable" costs that many others farther away have (airlines mostly)

It is and always will be a personal choice. I always highly recommend it to my clients as I have seen and heard many a horror story, but I can def. see the other side of the story.

 

[wdwfan22]

Do you need your legs? Do you need a dry place to sleep? Most people do, but nobody need to go to Disneyland it's a luxury.

Do I need to go to Disney? No, but if I have pre-paid a $5000 pkg like i do when we go to DW, that is non-refundable or changeable if someone gets seriously sick or injured at the last minute and cant go, or get snowed in here, I want my $5000 back. So I pay $200 for that guarantee.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Here a reason to not by the insurance, anyone can disagree if they'd like. For the few posted examples of the people who bought and then made a claim on it there are roughly 24,000 people who also bought it and never made use of it at all.

I have no idea where you got that statistic, but for the moment let's say that's true. How is that a reason not to buy insurance? It's there for "What if...?" The expectation is that you will never need it. For those who have it and needed to use it are most likely VERY happy they had it.

insurance is not even close to as worthwile as insuring a home, car or ones health. From here on out only ignorant people will use that analogy.

It's a relevant analogy because it's an option cost protecting you against a "what if..." situation. I would hope a variety of things never happen to my house, car or health, but IN CASE they do (knock on wood) I have insurance to cover my losses. I would hope a variety of things never happen to ruin my vacation, but IN CASE they do (knock on wood) I have insurance to cover my losses.

From here on out only ignorant people will not understand the relevance of that analogy.

Do you need your legs? Do you need a dry place to sleep? Most people do, but nobody need to go to Disneyland it's a luxury.

I absolutely agree that going to Disneyland is a luxury, but what does that have to do with trip insurance? Trip insurance is not about needing to go to Disneyland. Trip insurance is about protecting your investment of the costs of planning a trip to Disneyland. If someone spends a lot of (non-refundable) money on a trip, you want to protect your investment. Is several thousands of dollars something you value and want to protect? It is for me. Trip insurance gives me that protection. If you can afford to watch several thousands of dollar disappear because an unforeseen circumstance occurred, congratulations. What a great luxury. I, for one, cannot - and am happy to spend a relatively small amount to make sure that does not happen.

- Dreams

 

[skiingfast]

What a great luxury. I, for one, cannot - and am happy to spend a relatively small amount to make sure that does not happen.

- Dreams

You don't seem to understand one thing. You are not spending a little amount of money to make sure you don't suffer a loss. You are spending a much bigger amount than what will be covered. That is how insurance works.

Either way you are a looser. You either loose your "investment" or loose the premiums you paid over and over again without ever making a claim.

 

[Disney Dreams]

You don't seem to understand one thing. You are not spending a little amount of money to make sure you don't suffer a loss. You are spending a much bigger amount than what will be covered. That is how insurance works.

Either way you are a looser. You either loose your "investment" or loose the premiums you paid over and over again without ever making a claim.

Skiingfast, that is not how trip insurance works at all. I'm wondering if you perhaps don't understand how trip insurance works. It's a very minimal cost for what it covers. If you need it once and you will be happy you have it.

And I have never heard of trip insurance making someone loose.

Again, may life never deal you cards that make you regret not spending a small amount of money to protect a large investment.

- Dreams