Travel/Trip Insurance

[ancestry]

First, I apologize if this question doesn't fit on this board but I couldn't figure out where to post it (as it doesn't really fit anywhere) and I thought the people on the transportation board would probably be the best informed about travel/trip insurance issues.

We have a trip booked for 9 nights/10 days at the Grand Floridian Club Level this coming May. We booked directly through Disney for hotel, park tickets, and dining plan.

I booked our flights separately and directly through Jet Blue.

For us this is a fairly expensive trip and we are splurging to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and my 40th birthday. There are four of us - myself, DH, and two of our children (twins - age 7).

I didn't purchase the trip insurance through Disney this time because we purchased our flights separately and didn't think we needed trip/travel insurance. I still don't think we need or want the insurance for weather related issues or medical issues.

However, what I do think I might need is insurance in case I need to cancel or cut our trip short due to the death of a family member. My grandmother is 96 years old and hasn't been the best recently. She told me yesterday that she doesn't think she is going to be here much longer. My fear is that she will become very ill or pass away when our trip is already in progress.

On a purely economic level, I just don't want to be in the position of losing thousands of dollars if we or even just me has to leave Disney early. If anything happens before our trip starts I know I can cancel everything with a minimal penalty (a few hundred dollars) but if something happens during the trip and we have to cut it short I'm assuming we wouldn't get any money back (or is my assumption wrong?)

So my question is, is there any brand/type of travel insurance that would cover our trip if my grandmother was to pass away once the vacation has actually started? I don't need insurance for other issues.

And I guess in a bigger picture question, do I even need insurance? Would Disney refund us a portion of the money if I had to cut the trip short, say by 5 or 6 days, due the death of a family member or would I be completely out of luck? Obviously I would be out of luck with the airfare.

Thanks for your help. Also, I understand if the moderator needs to move this post to another board.

 

[uva185]

Its a risk you must calculate. I am not too familiar with travel insurance policies so I don't know if they would cover death in the family. If I was in your position I would probably risk it. I have had to cancel and modify Disney vacations for various reasons less severe than death in the family and Disney was very accommodating. I did not ask for a refund, instead wanted to come at a different time. Its also worth noting I do not book disney packages because they are more restricted than booking "hotel only" and purchasing park passes as an add on.

 

[Lewisc]

NO GUARANTEE but this is the type of situation where Disney and your airline is likely to work with you.

 

[dioxide45]

Cancellation insurance only covers non-refundable charges. So if you have a three day cancellation policy on your hotel, then if you know more than three days before you leave and have to cancel, then that is refundable.

The same goes for car rentals, they usually can be canceled up until the time you pick them up. In many cases there is no charge for a no show either.

Airfare can be canceled for a fee with many airlines, you won't get a refund, so if you know you will be traveling again within a year if you have to cancel, then you will only lose the fee. This may only be $75 per person. You can use the credit if any that is left over to pay when you do end up traveling again.

Travel insurance for domestic travel usually doesn't make sense unless you are buying a complete travel package that is non-refundable. If you book everything separately and have generous cancellation policies, you may only end up insuring the airline cancellation fee or total airfare. It just isn't worth it.

If something happens before your trip, the above applies more than if you have to cut a trip short. Short notice airfare can cost a bundle. Also you would likely be out at least one nights additional room charges if not all remaining costs. Returning a car rental early can also cause an increase in rates. So as another poster indicated, it is a calculated risk. There are likely to be more losses if something happens and you have to cut a trip short than if something happens before you even leave for the trip.

 

[bdrjh]

We are going to Disney in March, and decided to buy insurance. With the flu season and two kids we thought it was worth it. We went through Travelex, and they had the best rates and very good reviews.

 

[Glencora]

My father and I were visiting my brother in Seattle when my aunt (father's sister) passed away unexpectedly. Jet Blue was fantastic - they allowed us to change flights and only charged us the change fee, and not the price difference for the tickets. Not that everyone will have the same experience, but just know that people are usually willing to work with you in these cases, so try not to worry too much about it.

 

[TheWog]

If there is a preexisting condition for your grandmother then when you purchase will become key. usually it is required within so many days of putting the deposit down on the trip. www.insuremytrip.com is a great resource to help you answer questions and compare different company policies. We usually go with Travelex Lite for cruise vacations. We have not insured domestic vacations in the past.