Should we get trip insurance for a pool home rental?

[crusoe2]

We've been wanting to try a pool home rental for our Orlando vacations but have always been put off by the cancellation policies so we'd end up staying onsite afterall. (I'm not being critical of the owners for having the policies, btw; I understand that they have a huge investment in their homes and have to take precautions to protect themselves.) Our last onsite stay has us convinced that we must come up with other accommodations from now on, tho. This was our first time staying a whole week since DD came along and by the end of the week we were really tired of dealing with the lack of space, living out of a suitcase, etc. On top of that we had issues with the cleanliness of our resort & the level of service (sticky carpet, furniture coated with dust, having to explain to housekeeping why we needed extra pillows and buses for the non-EMH parks few & far between). OK, rant over.

So, could someone advise me on getting trip insurance? Is that what most of you do? We've never bothered with it before because we were only risking the cost of one night's hotel accommodations. With most pool home rentals, however, we would be risking significantly more money if we had to cancel after we've paid in full (which I'm finding usually has to be done a month or more in advance). Specifically, I'm wondering about reputable places to get trip ins., how much it costs, and what kind of terms are considered pretty standard. Thanks in advance.

 

[5mins2disney]

We've been wanting to try a pool home rental for our Orlando vacations but have always been put off by the cancellation policies so we'd end up staying onsite afterall. (I'm not being critical of the owners for having the policies, btw; I understand that they have a huge investment in their homes and have to take precautions to protect themselves.) Our last onsite stay has us convinced that we must come up with other accommodations from now on, tho. This was our first time staying a whole week since DD came along and by the end of the week we were really tired of dealing with the lack of space, living out of a suitcase, etc. On top of that we had issues with the cleanliness of our resort & the level of service (sticky carpet, furniture coated with dust, having to explain to housekeeping why we needed extra pillows and buses for the non-EMH parks few & far between). OK, rant over.

So, could someone advise me on getting trip insurance? Is that what most of you do? We've never bothered with it before because we were only risking the cost of one night's hotel accommodations. With most pool home rentals, however, we would be risking significantly more money if we had to cancel after we've paid in full (which I'm finding usually has to be done a month or more in advance). Specifically, I'm wondering about reputable places to get trip ins., how much it costs, and what kind of terms are considered pretty standard. Thanks in advance.

I would definitely suggest it, and one place many have used is www.insuremytrip.com to get it. We just had a guest who was due to stay with us have to cancel a week before his trip due to a very serious illness in his family. No trip insurance unfortunately, would have made the whole situation a lot better (fortunately we were able to find some last minute bookings to fill the open dates in this case, so it will work out OK).


With trip insurance you're protected and have peace of mind in the event of illness, weather, and many more things that could delay or force a trip cancellation, and you won't have the worry of losing $$, but get to enjoy a much nicer place to stay!

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Most definitely!!!!

You just never know what could happen and you may have to cancel a trip. Another site to try is www.alltripprotection.com

Just remember it is small cost to pay for the extra room and conveniences you get from a private rental

 

[Mainebound]

YES!!! We had to stay an extra 3 days this year due to DS5's ear infection which he developed mid-trip (no flying). Our trip insurance paid us $1200 for changing our flights and a daily rate for lodging and food.

 

[dougsmom98]

Yes. We used insuremytrip.com for our last trip. We didn't have to use it, but it only cost us $70 total. In addition to covering the cost of the rental home if we needed to cancel, it had such good coverage for lost or delayed luggage that I almost wished it that had happened. It is worth the peace of mind.

 

[crusoe2]

Thanks for all the responses - those links were very helpful.

"Just remember it is small cost to pay for the extra room and conveniences you get from a private rental."

I couldn't agree more - by about day 4 we felt like this. It will be so nice to be able to really unpack and leave our things out instead of having to put them back in the suitcase or toiletry bag after every use, be able to hang up everyone's clothes instead of having to re-fold them after turning everything in the suitcase upside down to get one outfit out - well, you get the idea. And I'm looking so forward to relaxing by my own private pool while my little girl plays in the water with no fear of bigger kids knocking her down or diving on top of her. (Can you tell that our last onsite stay was less than magical? )

It looks like insurance will add anywhere from about $100 - $200 to the cost of our trip but it's well worth it for both the opportunity to have roomier accommodations and the peace of mind.

 

[Brian Noble]

We haven't generally purchased it, but we also accept the risk of losing the entire cost if for some reason we could not go. I do not expect the owner to do anything for me in that case.