This could have been avoided

[Cackyschmackers]

Does it matter if you make the cruise or not? You are still out 10k

I don't think you understand how trip insurance works.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't think you understand how trip insurance works.

I know it's extremely profitable for the company selling it

 

[bbel]

Does it matter if you make the cruise or not? You are still out 10k

But if you make the cruise you get the chance to eat and drink as much of that 10k as possible.
You miss it, without insurance, the only memory of that 10k you get is watching it sail away without you...

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I know it's extremely profitable for the company selling it

As it is for all types of insurance companes. That would be most businesses' models, to be profitable. I still insure my car and home (and cruise vacations ) even though i deem the company to be profitable.

 

[cruiser21]

Does it matter if you make the cruise or not? You are still out 10k

Matters to me. I could have that 10k back to book another cruise, put in IRA, buy new furniture. What if the reason I can't take the cruise is medical? 10 k would more then cover the medical deductible. It's not pocket change for my family. I consider 10k a lot of money to just throw away. I realize to some people maybe yourself included 10k is nothing, but I'm not in that income bracket.

 

[MillauFr]

As it is for all types of insurance companes. That would be most businesses' models, to be profitable. I still insure my car and home (and cruise vacations ) even though i deem the company to be profitable.

The difference is that with travel insurance it is extremely difficult to get an accurate determination of the risk profile for each insured. The companies compensate by charging very high premiums. If you are one of the high risk cruisers you can probably come out ahead in the long run by purchasing the insurance. With auto and homeowners insurance they have very good actuarial data that allows them to accurately price the products. The profit margin on those products is very slim in comparison.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

All I can say is I paid $150 and saved almost $2K and avoided heartache and headaches. My two friends, and probably anyone that needs med evac, prob saved 10s of thousands. No one is more high risk than another when it comes to weather and accidental injuries. Everyone should do as their comfort level dictates.

 

[cruiser21]

The difference is that with travel insurance it is extremely difficult to get an accurate determination of the risk profile for each insured. The companies compensate by charging very high premiums. If you are one of the high risk cruisers you can probably come out ahead in the long run by purchasing the insurance. With auto and homeowners insurance they have very good actuarial data that allows them to accurately price the products. The profit margin on those products is very slim in comparison.

I usually pay less then 100.00 to insure a cruise for the four of us. If I bought cancel for any reason it would be a couple hundred more. I don't consider that high compared to what I could lose on the cruise.

 

[cheermom2four]

That's not necessary. .. i haven't purchased travel insurance yet and I've already paid for everything. That scenario is if you think you will need "cancel for any reason " which needs to be purchased by a certain time frame.

I know its not necessary, but I do have kids and anything can happen to any one of us going all the way to europe for a cruise. Flights could be cancelled (and actually have by BA and then rebooked on another flight later in the day and we are a couple months out still). DH has had two hip replacements in the past. I also have health insurance but it doesnt cover any of us overseas so we included that in our trip insurance. Considering we only paid $300 for insurance that includes medical, major medical/evacuation, flights, hotels before and after cruise, and the full cost of the cruise, thats not bad in my opinion and worth it to me after thousands dished out for this trip.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I know its not necessary, but I do have kids and anything can happen to any one of us going all the way to europe for a cruise. Flights could be cancelled (and actually have by BA and then rebooked on another flight later in the day and we are a couple months out still). DH has had two hip replacements in the past. I also have health insurance but it doesnt cover any of us overseas so we included that in our trip insurance. Considering we only paid $300 for insurance that includes medical, major medical/evacuation, flights, hotels before and after cruise, and the full cost of the cruise, thats not bad in my opinion and worth it to me after thousands dished out for this trip.

You misunderstand; I said it's not necessary to buy your air in order to buy travel insurance. As i said, I've paid for our cruise, transfers, air for 5, two hotel rooms and haven't purchased our travel insurance *yet*.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know its not necessary, but I do have kids and anything can happen to any one of us going all the way to europe for a cruise. Flights could be cancelled (and actually have by BA and then rebooked on another flight later in the day and we are a couple months out still). DH has had two hip replacements in the past. I also have health insurance but it doesnt cover any of us overseas so we included that in our trip insurance. Considering we only paid $300 for insurance that includes medical, major medical/evacuation, flights, hotels before and after cruise, and the full cost of the cruise, thats not bad in my opinion and worth it to me after thousands dished out for this trip.

We've bought insurance on all but 2 of our cruises. Most of the time when we purchase the cruise, we also do air fare (independently) within a couple of days. Then we buy the insurance.

A couple of times we've bought the cruise. And then gotten the insurance. And, when we buy the airfare, we call the insurance company and add that amount to the policy, for an additional cost.

You can purchase travel insurance at any time. When you buy can determine how much you pay. For the same coverage, you'll typically pay more the closer to the trip you are.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We waited to get our insurance until our PIF date. That was in case we changed our minds or something had come up before we had to pay in full. Now, if we were people in a higher medical risk, I would have bought it right away, as I wouldn't want any pre-existing conditions to come up in between booking and PIF that would not be valid for our insurance. The whole insurance thing is a gamble, but it's a fact of life.

 

[reimero]

This will be my Family's first time going overseas and the first time I would purchase insurance. I'm starting to look at flights from Florida to Europe.... Do I have to purchase the insurance before purchasing the flight tickets? I've already booked the cruise. Please help and thank you!

I would recommend talking to an insurance specialist (Google something like "trip insurance"). What third-party insurers will do is take the cost of your cruise and estimated cost of your flights and insure the whole package, even though you don't have tickets yet. Additionally, trip insurance purchased this way is in "brackets", i.e. you can round up (so if your per person cost is, say, $4660, you can get up to $5000 pp coverage for the same price).
The main advantage to purchasing insurance early is avoiding the pre-existing condition look-back period. In essence, if you have a medical issue on the trip, the insurance company will look through your medical history 4 to 6 months to see if it was a problematic condition. Purchasing insurance within 21 or 30 days (depending) of booking the trip (or, for one company, I think it's payment in full) will avoid the PEC look-back period. If you have a condition such as diabetes, the look-back will be to see whether the condition is controlled: you won't be denied a claim just because you're diabetic, but if you've had a change in medication or dosage or had some other non-routine medical work done as a result, that could result in a claim being denied.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Dug721 I totally get what you're saying but you also have to see the other side of the coin. they have to have some responsibility and have a Plan B. That is their job -to get people to one point to another. That is what people are paying them to do. They are paying them to get them to a specific location as the airline promises. I get mechanical things happen but their customer service is Horrendous and I think this is part of what gets people more mad . they don't seem to care -they just seem like oh well I don't care that you paid $2000 for your family to fly somewhere today, I'll get you there tomorrow instead. I just don't feel that's right -it's my opinion -I do understand yours.

Thing is, though, that it might not be totally up to the airline. They share an airport with other airlines; lots of flights per day make it a scheduling issue. I was grounded over night last winter- the stated reason was whether conditions, which made one fellow passenger super angry because he said visibility was fine. Well, it was true visibility was fine; what happened it that deicing was taking too long and the airport authorities essentially said you can't hold traffic up like that. So they cut the number of planes that could take off in half, and the airline had no choice. They cancelled all the low priority- short flights- and kept all of the cross country flights, partially because the short flights were going to regional airports that were more flexible. And also probably because people heading to the regionals don't have connecting flights to make.

It sucked but it's not like the airline wanted to put up with that many angry people, or scramble to rebook so many tickets.

 

[quickcat]

Thing is, though, that it might not be totally up to the airline. They share an airport with other airlines; lots of flights per day make it a scheduling issue. I was grounded over night last winter- the stated reason was whether conditions, which made one fellow passenger super angry because he said visibility was fine. Well, it was true visibility was fine; what happened it that deicing was taking too long and the airport authorities essentially said you can't hold traffic up like that. So they cut the number of planes that could take off in half, and the airline had no choice. They cancelled all the low priority- short flights- and kept all of the cross country flights, partially because the short flights were going to regional airports that were more flexible. And also probably because people heading to the regionals don't have connecting flights to make.

It sucked but it's not like the airline wanted to put up with that many angry people, or scramble to rebook so many tickets.

Yes, completely understand weather related issues as previously stated. My post was about customer service from the airline when it is in regard to mechanical issues.