My Current Experience with Disney Trip Insurance

[TwoAtDisney]

.....and I'm thinking it doesn't pay to buy Disney trip insurance or any trip insurance for our March 2012 Disney trip. Would love some opinions.

Here's the story - Hurt my knee; went to Celebration Hospital emergency room; tests done; result - cause unknown (could be stressed knee or serious surgery issue=unknown). Advised - use crutches (gave those), stay down, wear knee brace (gave it), see orthopedist (I thought that's what I would see at emergency), take Oxycodone for pain & Naproxen.

Oxycodone made me sleep - no siteseeing.
No Oxycodone made the pain much, much, too great to go or do anything.

Our trip was:
1. POFQ (9 nites) - bought WDW insurance; pain began 2 days before checkout.
2. hotel off site (6 nites); went to emergency room 1 day after checkin.
3. POFQ (5 nites) - bought WDW insurance

Went home early during the hotel off-site stay (didn't prepay there; no charge for cancelling). Extra cost =
1. Disney cancel fee for 2nd POFQ ressie - only $200; rest refunded!
2. Air change fee & increase in air price - $374 for DH & I (total, not each).

I think the way it will come out (from the insurance company) is that I will get the POFQ $200 back, but not the airfare cost because I did not go to the doctor during the 1st POFQ stay & the WDW insurance does not cover the offsite stay.

For our March trip, I priced on insuremytrip.com so it would cover our POFQ & off site stay (on fly home day we will have checked out of the off site hotel) & got $207 & up.

So, I don't think it is worth it to buy insurance (bought to protect the big WDW bucks we thought were nonrefundable) if Disney will allow cancellation with only $200 fee. If the airfare gets too expensive, we could just wait till original fly home date, or wait few days until price is better, or rent a car & drive home (Indiana). Since we are in the USA, medical pays the same whether in FL or IN.

Seems like paying $139-$207 every trip ends up costing more than risking $200 + a possible air fare increase (we are Social Security age & this is the first trip interruption for us & we've always taken at least 1 trip a year most of our adult lives & as retirees we take 2 trips a year). For a family who has air fare, probably worth getting insurance because of the # of air tickets.

What do you guys think?

Oh....thankfully it ended up only being a stressed knee - got steroid shot in knee - wow what a relief from pain that steroid shot was!

Julie

 

[high meadows]

Your experience was like ours in some ways. We had to cancel out of a cruise which we paid for with DVC points (husband's heart attack, fairly bad but he is alive!) instead of cash. The insurance company recommended by disney paid about 1/4 the cost the cruise would have been if paid for with cash. We are both lawyers and fussed around with it for a while, decided the policy was too vague to enforce and have not used "travel insurance" since. It seems like a scam.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Best of all, I'm so glad your husband is still "alive"! Better than any ole cruise or money! I wish him continued improvement.

BTW, my husband had a triple bypass followed by a stent the next year. His arteries were really clogged - obviously. Crestor has actually reversed some of his clogging (seen via heart caths) as the pharm company claims it will. Of course he was also put on Plavix (blood thinner). Some docs discontinue Plavix after about 6 months, we insisted he stay on it (due to our research) & recent reports show it is good to stay on Plavix.

Our lovely friend who had the same history was unlucky enough that her doctor did not prescribe Crestor or Plavix & she subsequently had a heart attack & died.

So, if you hubby is not on Crestor & Plavix, please insist that his doc put him on them.

Take care.

Julie

 

[Jaymie]

I never buy Disney's insurance. I just always use my Gold Mastercard which includes similar, vague coverage. As long as I charge 75% of the cost of the trip to the card, it will cover us....somewhat. I've read the policies over very carefully and travel insurance has a ton of loop holes and I'm an insurance broker.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Now that tells me something when lawyers & an insurance broker say don't bother!

I noticed one of the questions on the insurance claim form was something about the doctor that advised me to return home! That may well be the loophole to get out of the $200 coverage. He didn't say I had to go home. The insurance company may very well say that I could have continued to stay & pay hotel bills just to sleep, be in pain while awake, and just lay around in the room & watch lousy tv at a high cost!

Since the monetary risk is low compared to the cost of the insurance, I think not buying insurance is a smart financial move.

Thanks for posting. Julie

 

[Sue M]

I think it also depends on what time of year you go. during Hurricane season, I'd get the trip insurance.
We have to get travel medical because we're from Canada.

 

[Jaymie]

I'm Canadian too. My gold card has out of country medical coverage and I have coverage with my benefits at work as well. You may want to check other coverage before you buy more of the same.