Travel Insurance

[Nikkimouse76]

Is it really necessary and worth the extra expense? I can't decide if we should purchase it or not .

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is it really necessary and worth the extra expense? I can't decide if we should purchase it or not .

It depends. How much are you willing to lose if you must cancel your trip?

Also, I'll point out that most US health plans do not cover out of country, and once you board the ship, you are out of country. Medical costs onboard and ashore, if needed must be paid up front. And medical evacuation can cost upwards of $20,000.

Can you cover that if you (or someone else in your party) slips and breaks something?

And it's not just us "older" cruisers who need to think about the medical part. A couple of years ago there was a young child who had an appendix medical emergency that had to be hospitalized in Cabo San Lucas on one of the MR cruises. Without insurance, the family would have had to cover his medical treatment, and mom and his travel back to the US afterwards.

One other thing, it's generally not a good idea to purchase insurance direct from the cruiselines. You can purchase 3rd party insurance usually for cheaper with more coverage. We've used https://www.squaremouth.com/ in the past to find policies. It's one of several trip insurance comparison sites, for others, just do an internet search for trip insurance comparison and you get other hits.

 

[tynkerbell]

Yes! This is an expensive vacation and you don't want to lose that money. We always get travel insurance and have had to use it twice. We also were sweating it with our recent cruise 2 weeks ago. I became severely sick and then my son came down with a really awful tonsil infection. Luckily we recovered just in time to go on our cruise but I was breathing easier knowing we had trip insurance.

You may not need to use it, and hopefully you won't, but it's worth every penny for peace of mind.

 

[GooniesAndy]

Yes! Trip insurance is NOT expensive at all - go to one of the sites that lets you compare quotes from lots of different companies and figure out what offers the best deal. I always get something that covers pre-existing conditions, because that is what will often get you in a claim. Don't book through the cruise line, though. It tends to be significantly more expensive (at least twice what I've paid based on personal experience) and equally more restrictive.

 

[AnnaS]

Yes, always with cruising or leaving the country.

Not worried about the money part but the medical!!

 

[insureman]

"Insure my trip" has a variety of policies. I would suggest plans that include medical and medical evacuation insurance along with trip cancelation. One poster mentioned it cost upward to $20,000 to get evacuated for a medical reason, but I can tell you outside the US it will cost you much more. Here's that website.
http://www.*****************

For some reason the site won't let me post the web address. They used to, don't know what the issue is now.

 

[lelalittlelegs]

We have been on two cruises. Both times we have ended up in the medical facility with our Daughter (who is disabled and has a stack of ongoing medical conditions, all of which were declared and covered on the insurance)... If we didn't have insurance we would have ended up with maxed out credit cards indefinitely. One cruise we ended up with thousands of dollars worth of costs. Yes we still had to pay out of pocket initially but the insurance company paid everything back, minus the excess, within a week. We have also lost or had personal items stolen throughout the years on various holidays. It's a nightmare without insurance. [sidenote] I also worked for American Airlines for years. Trust me when I tell you that the small amount of money it costs to have insurance, is worth it.

 

[JimGA]

Get travel insurance. You never know what will happen before and during your crusie.

 

[goofynut41]

How soon do you need to get the insurance after you booked? I just booked the Hawaii cruise yesterday, should I get it now or wait till closers to the cruise?

 

[MickeyEarrings]

How soon to buy depends on what you need. My son has chronic health issues, and many policies will cover these pre-existing health conditions only if the policy is purchased within a certain number of days (often 14 days!)

 

[goofynut41]

How soon to buy depends on what you need. My son has chronic health issues, and many policies will cover these pre-existing health conditions only if the policy is purchased within a certain number of days (often 14 days!)

My husband has had by-pass surgery would that be something I would need to tell them?

 

[abridgel]

Yeah I am not sure when to get the insurance - I would say after the PIF date seems logical since then you know you are actually going to lose your money if you cancel.

I don't see much point before the PIF date.

 

[lanejudy]

My husband has had by-pass surgery would that be something I would need to tell them?

If he has had continuing follow-ups regarding that procedure (and the related diagnosis) since the surgery, then yes you would a policy that covers pre-existing conditions (PEC). .

If you have to submit a claim, the insurance will look back a period of so many months before you purchased the policy to see if there is a related condition in his medical records. If so, without a PEC waiver a claim would be denied.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Nannabelle]

Yeah I am not sure when to get the insurance - I would say after the PIF date seems logical since then you know you are actually going to lose your money if you cancel. I don't see much point before the PIF date.

If you want pre-existing medical conditions covered you need to buy Travel Insurance within 14 days of initial deposit. Waiting until PIF date will not get that protection.

And Costco who use to offer that for their bookings changed as of bookings made on May 1st or later. They give you 21 days to cover pre-existing medical and premiums have really gone up .

 

[goofynut41]

If you want pre-existing medical conditions covered you need to buy Travel Insurance within 14 days of initial deposit. Waiting until PIF date will not get that protection.

And Costco who use to offer that for their bookings changed as of bookings made on May 1st or later. They give you 21 days to cover pre-existing medical and premiums have really gone up .

Oh well I need to get it now then ....

 

[DahliaRW]

It really depends on the plan. Some won't let you purchase if it's completely refundable (as the deposit is). My last plan I couldn't purchase until I PIF.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

"Insure my trip" has a variety of policies. I would suggest plans that include medical and medical evacuation insurance along with trip cancelation. One poster mentioned it cost upward to $20,000 to get evacuated for a medical reason, but I can tell you outside the US it will cost you much more. Here's that website.
http://www.*****************

For some reason the site won't let me post the web address. They used to, don't know what the issue is now.

Yeah, several of us found out that site is now blocked a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Nannabelle]

It really depends on the plan. Some won't let you purchase if it's completely refundable (as the deposit is). My last plan I couldn't purchase until I PIF.

This does not sound right.... Over the last many years of buying Trip Ins. The clock started ticking from date of initial deposit - refundable or not. Because at some point that initial deposit does become Non-refundable.

Due to Medical Issues getting "pre-existing medical" coverage is a top priority and medical evacuation... We also have a MedJet Assist policy.

Obviously my experience is different than yours.

 

[insureman]

If you want pre-existing medical conditions covered you need to buy Travel Insurance within 14 days of initial deposit. Waiting until PIF date will not get that protection.

And Costco who use to offer that for their bookings changed as of bookings made on May 1st or later. They give you 21 days to cover pre-existing medical and premiums have really gone up .

The 14 days depends on the company. Some companies will cover pre-existing conditions as long a the insurance is bought before the PIF date.

 

[mdvlprof]

The 14 days depends on the company. Some companies will cover pre-existing conditions as long a the insurance is bought before the PIF date.

Just a couple will. And they cost a little more, but well worth it if you need to wait to buy insurance, due to finances.