Regarding the insurance discussion

[roomthreeseventeen]

I was a little confused by the insurance discussion on the 5/5 podcast.

If I understand correctly, many people buy insurance if they are going down to Orlando in hurricane season. However, it was also mentioned that Disney (and airlines) are very helpful in rescheduling vacations that get cancelled/delayed BECAUSE of hurricanes. It sounded to me like you didn't need coverage for hurricane season, then, as Disney sort of has your back.

Thoughts? Clarifications?

Thanks,
a very excited hurricane season vacationer!

 

[DisneyKevin]

I think the discussion of traveling during hurricane season and purchasing insurance was directed more at cruising.

While Disney is very good about helping folks during hurricane season, not all airlines are as easy going.

Travel insurance offers peace of mind for some folks and that's why we were saying that the purchase of insurance is a personal decision.

It's very difficult to make a broad generalization in regards to this topic as everyone has different needs and situations.

 

[wishspirit]

Can I also add that if you are a Brit going to America, YOU MUST BUY INSURANCE!!

We are used to not thinking about things like healthcare, if we get sick we just go to the nearest hospital, we don't even think about cost. The cost of healthcare in the US without insurance could easily bankrupt you- sometimes it hits the millions. Protect yourself- get insured!

Go for an insurance provider that gives a good level of medical coverage, and one that covers fight cancellations etc.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Not about hurricane season, but we went to the UK in April and got stuck an extra week due to the ash cloud. It was quite an interesting experience. We did not have any trip insurance and at first we thought we made a mistake, but everyone we talked to at the airport and our hotels said that their insurance wasn't covering anything and on the news they kept saying that most of the major insurers over there were not covering it. It was crazy.

We were pretty panicked because if it hadn't lifted when it did, we would have had to travel to Spain to fly home which would have cost us $6,000+!!! Thank god it didn't come to that.

I couldn't believe how many people were saying that they were out of money and that is why they had to stay at the airport (this was after only one day of delays!)- why would you go on vacation if you didn't have at least a little money in the bank in case of an emergency? We stayed at a SUPER cheapo Days Inn for the week and ate cup o noodles because we had already spent our vacation budget. The night we found out we could finally fly home we went out to dinner for "real" food!

Always have a little spare money- and have bank, work, neighbors, credit card, health insurance, and pet sitters' phone numbers with you!

 

[safetymom]

The hurricane policy at Disney and the other theme parks only comes into play if they are pretty sure the hurricane is going to hit the area. Trip insurance would provide peace of mind if you didn't buy refundable airline tickets.

 

[Applemomma]

The hurricane policy at Disney and the other theme parks only comes into play if they are pretty sure the hurricane is going to hit the area. Trip insurance would provide peace of mind if you didn't buy refundable airline tickets.

We're looking at buying trip insurance/cancellation insurance because my mom is worried about what happens if something happens with my dad's health (he's not coming with us) after we've booked the airline tickets....nonrefundable's aren't really an option for us out of Canada because they are easily double in price and we already pay outrageous rates ....a seat sale is usually more then $500

I noticed that one of the companies I was shopping around for actually lists volcanic eruption in their list of what they cover now!

 

[crazy4stitch]

I would not leave the country without travel insurance. The first Disney cruise I took was with my husband and my youngest daughter, right before her 9th birthday. We boarded on Sunday, arrived in Nassau the next morning. We were supposed to go on the excursion where you feed the stingrays, but on the walk to the transportation, my husband collapsed with a massive heart attack. He didn't make it, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Princess Margarets hospital. Disney cruise line went over and above to help me, the Bahamian people were wonderful (if someone gets a chance, tell Pete that if you are ever able to meet the folks that don't deal with tourist all the time, they are truly wonderful). Anyway, to make a long story short, the trip insurance was very helpful, I will never travel out of the country without it. Just like they were saying in the podcast, it does depend on you and your situation, if I am traveling to Disney or some other location here in the states, I don't usually get it.

 

[richard_andmel]

Can I also add that if you are a Brit going to America, YOU MUST BUY INSURANCE!!

It's the same with the rental car insurance. I never bought it while living in the US. But we get it traveling from the UK to the US. We always prepay the whole rental, because it's so much cheaper. The quote comes out with the insurance already attached, so I don't have to know how much the insurance is costing me thankfully.

Mel

 

[a1tinkfans]

Crazyforstitch: My heartfelt condolences on the loss of you husband, how tragic!

I just wanted to mention that ifyou are purchasing insurance for a medical condition already known, (someone mentioned that a family member was already sick) You MUST always read the Exclusion part of the policy (and thats really the part Everyone should look at! ) Carriers look back a certain number of days, some 90 or more and IF "they" decide the condition/ailment sickness was already present, it is considered Pre-existent and then No coverage is available, unless you purchased a waiver or got a policy with it included. They will otherwise deny the claim.
So, when purchasing a policy think about What you really need it for....and IF it is included in that list of exclusions which can often be very long.....If I recall correctly disney does NOT cover pre-existent....there are great companies online that you can use (I have used them myself and made a claim years back, collecting thousands we would have been out!) They will provide all the info upfront and compare them for you....they can be purchased after you have paid for your trip but you will pay more for that, so timing is also a consideration. I have used insure my trip dot com (found it on cruise critic ) and used different companies for different reasons. I do not endorse anyone but wanted to just mention it.
Heres hoping none of us have to use that insurance and have Amazing Holidays instead!

 

[dizneedoll]

Just sharing my experience and I'm not saying you shouldn't buy insurance if you think you need it but I had a trip to WDW booked and in 2007 we were evacuated from our home due to the wildfires and our home suffered some damage and we couldn't move back in for over a year until it was repaired. Anyways my trip was less then a month away when all this happened and both Disney and Southwest airlines refunded all of our money without penalty. I was really impressed with how great SWA was, when I called and asked if there was anything they could do they immediately said they would directly refund my money without penalty, same with Disney. That was just my experience and it's not to say that that would be the case all the time. But I was sure grateful for it.

 

[woodleygrrl]

last year May we went to WDW for our family vacation for 10 days to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. We were having the time of our lives until we found out that my grandfather (mom's dad) had died. We still had two days left on vacation. Thank god we had the travel insurance because to fly back to Ohio on the next plane out was $800 for mom and dad.

Not only did the insurance cover the expense of the airfare but they refunded the last two days of hotel and all the dining credits that we had left on the dining plan. It took a bit to get the money all back, but every cent was refunded.

We would never travel without it now. The expense is so small as a percentage of the trip. You never know what is going to happen while you are away.

Jennifer