Med cruise: DCL or independent insurance

[DisneYE]

We are considering an independent insurance option for our summer med cruise.
Mainly because DCL's is only $20k for medical (is this for the entire party or per person? -anyone knows?)
I say "only" bc a couple of years ago our DD had an accident in Cozumel that required surgery and all the expenses exceeded $30k (hospital bill, 4* hotel, flights back).
By pure chance I decided to buy insurance before that trip and it was a God send (Thank you AMEX) We would have been at least $10k in the hole had we kept the DCL insurance.
I paid $1200 with Amex at the time.

So with that experience in mind, I'm considering canceling the DCL insurance ($850) and go with Amex again or a different one that would have a larger coverage.
And I don't think DCL's covers flights back.

What are good insurance alternatives for Europe?
Just got a quote with Amex for a comprehensive insurance and it's over $2k for the 3 of us, sounds high but it includes flights back, accommodations and $100k pp medical emergency.

Also, how is DCL only offering $20k for medical? I'm sure if ppl required urgent and long term hospitalization in Europe it would be well over $20k

Looks like we'll go the Amex route but would love to hear if folks have had positive experiences with other insurance companies.

 

[Mommb]

I have not used insurance in Europe, but I agree that you would be better off getting private insurance that can cover your whole trip, from departure to arrival back home, rather than just the cruise and any airfare/hotel booked through DCL.

$2,000 for 3 people does sound high. A year ago I booked insurance for 2 people for a 2 week trip (pre-cruise stay in Madrid and 7-night cruise) for $700 through Nationwide. That included $150,000 for emergency medical care and $1 million for emergency medical evacuation. In 2019, I paid $1100 for a similar policy to cover a 2-week Rome/cruise trip for 4 people.

I would check other companies to see whether you can get a better price for a policy at least as good as what Amex is quoting. There are websites that compare quotes from several companies.

 

[Marrila]

My quote from Allianz was not anywhere near as high for very good coverage.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

We are considering an independent insurance option for our summer med cruise.
Mainly because DCL's is only $20k for medical (is this for the entire party or per person? -anyone knows?)
I say "only" bc a couple of years ago our DD had an accident in Cozumel that required surgery and all the expenses exceeded $30k (hospital bill, 4* hotel, flights back).
By pure chance I decided to buy insurance before that trip and it was a God send (Thank you AMEX) We would have been at least $10k in the hole had we kept the DCL insurance.
I paid $1200 with Amex at the time.

So with that experience in mind, I'm considering canceling the DCL insurance ($850) and go with Amex again or a different one that would have a larger coverage.
And I don't think DCL's covers flights back.

What are good insurance alternatives for Europe?
Just got a quote with Amex for a comprehensive insurance and it's over $2k for the 3 of us, sounds high but it includes flights back, accommodations and $100k pp medical emergency.

Also, how is DCL only offering $20k for medical? I'm sure if ppl required urgent and long term hospitalization in Europe it would be well over $20k

Looks like we'll go the Amex route but would love to hear if folks have had positive experiences with other insurance companies.

I bought mine online through a separate provider that was underwritten by Allstate. Honestly, there are far better options for travel insurance that cost less. I bought mine the same day we booked the cruise and it was about 115 bucks for 2 people and had everything you could want in trip insurance and more.

Disney's is more of a basic generic plan that does a half-hearted job at a "one size fits all attempt". Don't forget that most places in Europe have standardized healthcare instead of the (OPINION DELETED) American "for profit" medical system. 20K in coverage would go a LOT farther in Europe.

I always air on the side of caution and get the most affordable and best offerings under each travel insurance plan. If you have questions, Call that insurance provider and ask. Usually they are very helpful.

 

[DisneYE]

I have not used insurance in Europe, but I agree that you would be better off getting private insurance that can cover your whole trip, from departure to arrival back home, rather than just the cruise and any airfare/hotel booked through DCL.

$2,000 for 3 people does sound high. A year ago I booked insurance for 2 people for a 2 week trip (pre-cruise stay in Madrid and 7-night cruise) for $700 through Nationwide. That included $150,000 for emergency medical care and $1 million for emergency medical evacuation. In 2019, I paid $1100 for a similar policy to cover a 2-week Rome/cruise trip for 4 people.

I would check other companies to see whether you can get a better price for a policy at least as good as what Amex is quoting. There are websites that compare quotes from several companies.

It could be the quote was high because we're already on their files and we had a major claim with them
Thank you for the suggestion - I will check them out

 

[kiford]

We've never taken DCL insurance. We always go third party and find one that covers what we're looking for rather than having to take only what DCL offers. The problem with DCL's coverage IMO is that it only covers the cruise and/or flights if they are booked through DCL. If you are staying extra days or you book the flights yourself, the coverage only kicks in on the day that the cruise starts and ends on the last day. If you go third party, you can also add coverage for loss or delay of luggage, trip interruption, cancel for any reason (expensive but it's an option), cancellation for other reasons, unrefundable costs like flights, hotels, venue tickets, etc. We always shop around; prices are probably more competitive too.

Also, $20K for medical is way too low. My father got sick in Spain on a trip and ended up in the hospital for 10 days and had to be accompanied home with an EMT who could manage his oxygen tank. He figures it cost around $40K but his insurance covered it all. We always get insurance with $1-5M coverage for emergency medical.

 

[DisneYE]

Also, $20K for medical is way too low. My father got sick in Spain on a trip and ended up in the hospital for 10 days and had to be accompanied home with an EMT who could manage his oxygen tank. He figures it cost around $40K but his insurance covered it all. We always get insurance with $1-5M coverage for emergency medical.

RIght? $20k is a joke. Even for Mexico or the Caribbean.
Thanks for your post. It swayed me into canceling our DCL insurance and shop around for a 3rd party one.

 

[brentm77]

We are considering an independent insurance option for our summer med cruise.
Mainly because DCL's is only $20k for medical (is this for the entire party or per person? -anyone knows?)
I say "only" bc a couple of years ago our DD had an accident in Cozumel that required surgery and all the expenses exceeded $30k (hospital bill, 4* hotel, flights back).
By pure chance I decided to buy insurance before that trip and it was a God send (Thank you AMEX) We would have been at least $10k in the hole had we kept the DCL insurance.
I paid $1200 with Amex at the time.

So with that experience in mind, I'm considering canceling the DCL insurance ($850) and go with Amex again or a different one that would have a larger coverage.
And I don't think DCL's covers flights back.

What are good insurance alternatives for Europe?
Just got a quote with Amex for a comprehensive insurance and it's over $2k for the 3 of us, sounds high but it includes flights back, accommodations and $100k pp medical emergency.

Also, how is DCL only offering $20k for medical? I'm sure if ppl required urgent and long term hospitalization in Europe it would be well over $20k

Looks like we'll go the Amex route but would love to hear if folks have had positive experiences with other insurance companies.

That is way too high. Use insure my trip . com to compare policies. I think ours in Europe, with fantastic coverage, was only in the $400 range for 4 people. You can easily compare plans there side by side and make sure it has everything you want. I was really happy with them as a broker too. The kept helping me move the insurance to rebooked trips - three times because of the pandemic.

 

[tvguy]

. Don't forget that most places in Europe have standardized healthcare instead of the (OPINION DELETED) American "for profit" medical system. 20K in coverage would go a LOT farther in Europe.

To the above point, yes Which is before you decide what travel insurance to buy, see what the insurance you already have covers. In my case, I have never had group medical insurance that didn't cover medical bills outside the U.S. In one of our insurance open enrollment seminars the insurance rep was asked why they covered out the country medical expenses and the above reason was why. It's cheaper for them than if you had the same procedure here in the U.S.
HOWEVER, last year I went on Medicare, and Medicare pays NOTHING outside the U.S. BUT, my private Medigap insurance pays 80% of all medical expenses incurred outside the U.S. So while I didn't used to worry about out of the U.S. medical expenses because my group insurance used to pay 100%, now I will buy Travel Insurance that will cover the 20% that my Medigap insurance doesn't cover.

 

[Flossbolna]

The biggest cost factor would be the evacuation as a previous poster said. If you have to fly home while in a hospital bed it’s going to be very expensive.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

That is way too high. Use insure my trip . com to compare policies. I think ours in Europe, with fantastic coverage, was only in the $400 range for 4 people. You can easily compare plans there side by side and make sure it has everything you want. I was really happy with them as a broker too. The kept helping me move the insurance to rebooked trips - three times because of the pandemic.

I agree. We book through them every time. The most we ever paid was around $650 for our Alaskan cruise that had multiple pre-paid, third party excursions. For no extra charge, it included "Cancel for Work Reasons." At the time, there were strike rumors and possibly cancelling all time off so that gave me some peace of mind.
Also, children are free with 2 parents coverage.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[JWG]

We aways do 3rd party / private insurance. Disney automatically includes cancel for any reason which adds notable cost.

We have always found better cheaper insurance other ways. And we’ve had to use it, no issues.

 

[Marthasor]

We always purchase third-party insurance so I can purchase exactly the coverage we need for each trip.

 

[anricat]

We have an annual plan with Allianz because we travel several times throughout the year and it covers all our trips. I only used to get it for big trips, but things being the way they are lately with air travel, I thought it might be a good idea. I'm glad I have it too because our flights over christmas got cancelled and we were stuck in Seattle for an extra two days. The claims process has been a little frustrating because somehow the website ate all the receipts I uploaded, but I'm back on track now and awaiting the claim payout for extra flights home we had to pay for plus extra hotel, rental car, food, etc.

 

[Cheburashka]

I use Travel Insured International via USAA. I've had to file cancellation claims twice: once due to a covered medical reason, and once under Cancel for Any Reason. Travel Insured International paid both of my claims and were always reasonable to deal with. Their prices are reasonable imo. I don't know how much using them via USAA impacts my experience, because I've only ever bought their policies via USAA.

 

[DisneYE]

I agree. We book through them every time. The most we ever paid was around $650 for our Alaskan cruise that had multiple pre-paid, third party excursions. For no extra charge, it included "Cancel for Work Reasons." At the time, there were strike rumors and possibly cancelling all time off so that gave me some peace of mind.
Also, children are free with 2 parents coverage.

Yes it seems high but I now have gotten similar rates from 2 other companies.
The website @brentm77 suggested (thank you btw) is very useful but the cheapest quote I got there was $900. And there were several quotes close to $3k
The $900 quote has a $50k medical limit pp. That's too low for Europe, imo.
I'm quoting a trip of 3 weeks - Cruise is 11 days and then driving in three countries. (we're flying and renting a car in Germany and driving to Italy). Also we're looking for a minimum of $100k pp in medical and $100k in evac expenses.
So maybe these variables are the reason behind the high rates.
I continue to look but I've kinda resigned myself to having to pay close to $2k

 

[brentm77]

Yes it seems high but I now have gotten similar rates from 2 other companies.
The website @brentm77 suggested (thank you btw) is very useful but the cheapest quote I got there was $900. And there were several quotes close to $3k
The $900 quote has a $50k medical limit pp. That's too low for Europe, imo.
I'm quoting a trip of 3 weeks - Cruise is 11 days and then driving in three countries. (we're flying and renting a car in Germany and driving to Italy). Also we're looking for a minimum of $100k pp in medical and $100k in evac expenses.
So maybe these variables are the reason behind the high rates.
I continue to look but I've kinda resigned myself to having to pay close to $2k

No problem. At least you can compare now to see if you are getting a good deal. I think that the 3 weeks may be part of it. We did 2 weeks with a 8 day cruise for four. It is also based on the overall cost of the trip, age of people you are covering, and other factors. I just pulled my receipt and it was $396. It included $100,000 medical per person, plus $1,000,000 medical evacuation. I know the med was a little low, but when combined with my regular health insurance, I felt it was fine for our needs. I was more concerned with the evacuation coverage. In fairness, I purchased it pre-covid and then moved it to a post-covid trip. I am sure costs have gone up for medical coverage.

 

[Mommb]

I'm quoting a trip of 3 weeks - Cruise is 11 days and then driving in three countries. (we're flying and renting a car in Germany and driving to Italy). Also we're looking for a minimum of $100k pp in medical and $100k in evac expenses.
So maybe these variables are the reason behind the high rates.
I continue to look but I've kinda resigned myself to having to pay close to $2k

Ah. If you're looking at covering 3 weeks, then $2000 makes more sense. That's about $167 per person per week. The insurance I booked last year was 2 people for 2 weeks for $700, which is $175 per person per week.

I do think costs have gone up since the pandemic, because insurance for our 2019 trip was $138 per person per week. That's still higher than the insurance brentm77 found, though -- maybe we had higher costs?

 

[JWG]

Our 9 day out of Port Everglades for 3 was around $800. Not cancel for any reason (that was $500 more), but pretty giving. Our trip is a B2B and part of it is concierge, so that drives the cost up. Our med evac is like $1M and none of the coverages are secondary, so we don’t have to try to claim multiple places. We had to use the same policy this past December when we came home early due to a medical emergency for a family member back home. Filed a claim and was paid in 3 weeks. No questions.