Is the travel insurance worth it?

[aznaphrodite]

Do you guys get the travel insurance offered by DCL? Is it worth getting?

 

[AuntyBrat]

Travel Insurance comes in many forms and not just from DCL. You really need to consider your needs and health issues. No one policy is right for everyone and you need to include your travel agent (if you have one) in these discussions. I have it and this weenend we were had a scare because we thought my mom might have passed away....turned out she was ok and actually feeling her oats that day...but you need to consider everything. Your health, family members traveling with you and health of family members at home. And the what if's??? Also, are you traveling during hurricane 'season' and may have your hotel/flight/etc changed or delayed by weather. There are many things to consider and if you need more input, I am sure the disboards can send you in the right direction..good luck!

Laura

 

[Otto's Doll]

I did buy it for our November trip, as my DH is in the military, and I wanted to cover all our bases. For the amount of money I am spending for this cruise, the last thing I want to worry about is "what if...".

 

[tvguy]

Whether you should buy Travel Insurance is no different than whether you should buy any other type of insurance.
Could you afford to lose the money you have spent on the vacation, and can you afford to pay for any other expenses (medical, weather delays) that could come up?
If you can, then you don't need Travel Insurance. If you can't, then you need to SHOP for Travel Insurance to find a policy you can afford and meets your needs.
Now, having said that, remember, Insurance companies are in business to make money, and they know, thanks to statistics, that on average they are going to payout less than they take in. So on a purely statistically basis, you will not recover what you spent on the policy. It's all a gamble, and for a fee, the insurance company will assume the risk for you.

 

[my3kids]

I got it for my last trip, not for the little things but for the big things....last minute cancellation or medical evacuation. Thankfully, we had no big things, but funny....we did have to see the ship's doctor about a small issue. The cost was exactly what I paid for the insurance, so we'll recoup that.

 

[jnc1970]

I had it for April of 2005, and of course I had to have emergency surgery the last of March. Had I not had it, I would have lost quit a bit of money.
Also, most employer healthcare benefits do not apply if you are out of the USA. That thought alone is what caused me to get it initially. Go to insuremytrip.com. It is cheaper that DCL.

 

[glindamood]

We have never purchased trip insurance - and I have cruised twice in September, last year being chased back to port early by Jeanne. That was a close enough call for me - we will be sailing on the 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise next September and I will be purchasing insurance this time. I need to do some research hear on the DIS and on the internet so that I totally understand all that is involved.

 

[lbgraves]

It costs us less than $100 to have the peace of mind to know that if we have to cancel our trip or if one of us needs serious medical attention during the cruise we will be covered. With two young kids anything can happen.

 

[mickeyboat]

We bought it and used it for our cruise in March, 2004. We almost missed the ship, and our luggage didn't make it until St. Maarten. Travel insurance (and Delta Airlines) reimbursed us for the cost of buying new clothes - read souveniers. If we had missed the ship, travel insurance would have covered the cost of getting us to St. Maarten to meet the ship, and put is up while we waited.

I highly recommend it.

Denae

 

[TheWog]

To me it is worth the small price to pay. But I will purchase it from a source other than DCL. I compare on www.insuremytrip.com, as mentioned above, to see what meets my needs.

 

[Landy]

I wouldn't purchase the insurance through Disney. Go to insuremytrip.com and get a quote. I got it for my family of 4 for $129.

 

[castlegazer]

I would never cruise without travel insurance. Its not like a typical vacation when when issues happen you can appropriately adjust for them.

You will be covered for missed connections, lost luggage or delays, illness, med flight (I have seen someone evacuated from every cruise I have taken believe it or not), canceled trip by you or by the cruise line, and in some plans rental vehicle damage, and also for life insurance.

Think about everything that can go wrong, think how low the cost is (our insurance for a family of four is less than $200 through total travel insurance . com).

 

[my3kids]

(I have seen someone evacuated from every cruise I have taken believe it or not),

On my RCI cruise just last week, just as we were getting underway, the ship started going really slowly. The captain came on to say there was a medical evacuation underway and we would resume full speed as soon as possible. We then saw Coast Guard ships speeding away from our ship with the sick party.

I know I would never allow my children to have an appendix removed or a serious compound fracture set in a third world hospital. The insurance is worth my peace of mind to know that if my kids needed medical attention, they would be flown back to the US for the surgery.

 

[castlegazer]

Yup, and I have actually had to use the medical facilities for a badly spraigned ankle (x-rays, a wheel chair all covered by my trip insurance, not covered by my normal health insurance) and I had severe sun blisters (I paid for this myself, but it could have been covered with no deductible.

 

[skibum]

Is it worth getting?

Only if you need it!

That being said, I have never bought it for any of my vacations, but for next March, I will be advising my in-laws to purchase.

 

[lilo62]

For the low cost, I think it's definitely worth it.

 

[auntie k]

I'm not sure I understand everything I need to about trip insurance...but I did get it for our upcoming cruise. My reasoning:

1) Anything can happen
2) My 81 yr old FIL is not in excellent health
3) If something happens and I don't get to take my cruise - I'd like to know I could get re-imbursed so I could reschdule.

I figured for the small amount it cost to cover a est. $3000 investment, it was worth it.

would only purchase it for a cruise.

 

[aznaphrodite]

Thank you, everyone! This has been extremely helpful!

Can anyone recommend on how much coverage I should get? Any recommendations on the specific companies or policies offered through InsureMyTrip.com? There are so many to choose from!

The cruise is for our honeymoon. We're both healthy at 26-years-old but I have a tendency to get sick during vacations.

 

[TheWog]

We bought the Travelex Lite. It had the medical/evacuation coverage. It had decent coverage for trip interuption/delay and lost baggage. So because I just wanted to make sure any medical emergency or delay was covered I did not need to get tons of coverage. Like you, we are healthy (but early 30s ) and didn't need a lots of coverage. We wanted just in case. The price was right and the coverage was great. That's what we went with.