Those with trip insurance experience.

[delo4]

So, we are doing a back to back in May. My husband and I are booked on the first 7 day leg and then the children and grandchildren (3 adults, 2 kids) are coming on the 2nd leg.

I have called AAA, Insure My trip, and Trip Insurance Store for quotes. I have found it difficult to compare apples to apples. THey all offer difffering coverages for different prices.

We do not have to fly as we are in driving distance. We are really looking for medical assistance in case a medical emergency arises. We do not have any pre-existing conditions as of today. We do have elderly parents and may need to cancel if something terrible should happen to either of them. However, AAA told me that if they died or got sick from a pre-existing condition, our trip insurance would not cover that. They have all kinds of pre-existing conditions, they are 87 and 85. So, in that case, I would think the trip insurance cancellation part would be a waste of money.

I'm wondering if we should just buy a policy that would cover medical emergencies for anyone actually going on the trip.

Any help or insight would be helpful. We booked our cruise about a year ago, but just confirmed that everyone can go. We have not made final payment. Hope to do that in the next day or so.

 

[lds0191]

Some policies will cover cancellations if immediate family members become ill, etc., even if they are not traveling with you. However, I am not sure about the pre-existing conditions. I know policies that cover pre-existing conditions for who is travelling must be purchased within a few days of paying the deposit for your cruise. It would make sense if that pre-existing condition rule also applied to family members NOT traveling. The policy we just purchased even covers attending the birth of a child of an immediate family member as long as the pregnancy occurred after the insurance was purchased. Insuremytrip.com will let you choose a few policies to compare and that helps me make the decision on which policy to purchase. Policies vary so much it can be frustrating trying to choose.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Insure My trip, and Trip Insurance Store for quotes. I have found it difficult to compare apples to apples. THey all offer difffering coverages for different prices.

Typically, you will fill in the parameters of what you want covered (medical/evacuation; various types of cancellation coverage; lost/delayed baggage, for example). Once the site has that information, they will show you different company's policies that fit the bill. You can compare them side by side and decide which policy(s) work for you.

You can also call the 800 number at both travel insurance comparison sites to talk to a real person who can help you make the decision.

 

[coloradocutie]

We always purchase trip insurance to cover medical. We used a website which compares many policies, which you mentioned, and chose one primarily covering medical which covered preexisting conditions. We had to use it for a DCL trip to Norway which we had to cancel for medical reasons. They were fabulous in covering all of the non-reimbursable expenses.

 

[coloradocutie]

We used travel safe classic as it met the needs we were looking for- you are right- it is hard to compare apples to apples so look for what YOU want. Moderators- if it is not ok to post that- please remove.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We used travel safe classic as it met the needs we were looking for- you are right- it is hard to compare apples to apples so look for what YOU want. Moderators- if it is not ok to post that- please remove.

In regards to what we can post - the only thing restricted is posting an actual link to one specific travel insurance comparison site that many of us use.

You certainly may mention who you got insurance from (the specific company).

 

[bumbershoot]

In regards to what we can post - the only thing restricted is posting an actual link to one specific travel insurance comparison site that many of us use.

And that's addressed in a sticky thread, I think, and is only because that site requested the Dis block it, because it was causing them to think it was spam or something. Or something like that.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

So really, there are two different types of coverage you are interested in, which can be purchased together. One is for medical incidents that happen on board. Most Travel insurances cover this. No problem. The second type is cancellation insurance. You just have to be sure that the insurance you buy covers the scenarios you are concerned about. One question to ask you is do your elderly parents (who I take it from your post are not coming on the trip) live with you or at least could be reasonably shown to need to rely on you if something happened to one of them? If so, THEIR pre-existing conditions shouldn't matter. We had a family trip a few years back (not a cruise) and my elderly grandmother needed urgent attention the day before we left. We postponed the start of our trip by a couple of days until her care was assured and other family members could get into the area, and the travel insurance company reimbursed us for all of the lost time. (Pro-rated for the time).

 

[Disney mac]

You may also want to check with your credit card. I just found out yesterday that my card has travel insurance built in as a perk.