Trip Insurance and other questions

[MightyMom]

I was planning on getting trip insurance for our Sept 08 trip since it will peak hurricane season.

I did a little reading on the subject but I figured I might save myself some time if I asked here first.

First question:

Will trip insurance cover pre-existing conditions? Lets say my DS(8) who has cerebral palsy gets ill enough to require cancelation for the trip. Will this be covered or are we out of luck?

Next question:

More than likely we will be flying Southwest Airlines. We are considering making the 3 hour trip to fly out of San Antonio because there are direct flights. I was thinking about checking DS's gait trainer and gate checking the wheelchair.(Does not fold) If either of these items are damaged will trip insurance or the airlines cover the damages??? Should I risk taking the gait trainer?? My son will need to walk around a bit each day.... but I can take him on short walks holding his hands. He will NOT be using the gait trainer at the parks.

Next question:

On our trip in 2005 we flew into MCO and opted to use a car service rather than Magical Express because it had just begun operations in May and we didn't want to be guinea pigs. In hindsight I think it would have be easier because we had a terrible experience with the car service. They showed up 1 hour late for our departure and did not have an accessible vehicle even though I told them on SEVERAL occassions we needed one for DS. It was a mess.
Is Magical Express easy to use when you have a family member who uses a wheelchair..... or are we better off using another car service???


Last question for now:

DS(4) has major sensory issues. On our first 2 trips he was still very young and feeding was easier he mainly ate baby food, cereal bars and crackers.... as he's grown so have his sensory issues and meals can be very difficult. I've read and read through all the menu's and we feel very comfortable we will find items to feed him at our restaurant choices..... but if our family wanted to eat somewhere else.... would I be able to bring outside food into the restaurant??

I'm sorry... one last question:

Anyone have stroller suggestions for DS(4)? He will need a "safe" place and I would prefer to bring a stroller rather than renting. He just turned 4 and is of average weight and height.... maybe a bit on the smaller side.... I think he's about 30- 35lbs.

Thanks!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

OK, I'll do what I can to answer.

With trip insurance, you have to state any pre-existing medical conditions, otherwise your insurance will be nullified. Some companies just flat out exempt any expenses that come from a pre-existing, but there are some that will pay for pre-existing. Unfortunately, this does make it more expensive. If you have an insurer you know and trust, you might want to try them first, otherwise, try Googling something like "travel insurance pre-existing".

I've used DME a number of times, without my chair and with it. I've never had any problems with them. If you are using a chair, and want a bus with a lift, let them know that when you book your travel. Then, when you get off your flight, they should have an accessible bus either waiting for you, or arriving shortly after you. You don't need to collect your bags from the carousel, either. Just put the tags on them and they'll pick them up for you and get them to your room. This bit's always been fairly good for us, though one year they were over efficient: we ended up with someone else bags as well as our own! they sorted that hiccup out very quickly, though.

I'm pretty sure Disney doesn't have any problems with you bringing food into the restaurant, if it is for a medical condition. Just explain the situation politely to your server and everything should be fine!

I'm afraid I have no idea on strollers, someone else will have to field that one!

Have a great trip!

 

[Selket]

I was in similar shoes trying to find trip insurance for our Oct. 2007 cruise. I called DCL and the company that provides their insurance I'd say....about 10 times at least. I called here - I called there..... I was getting to the point of thinking I could not get a definitive answer from anyone so I wouldn't cruise!

I found this website through the cruise critic boards: http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/ The owner of it posts there sometimes when folks ask insurance questions like yours. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you give them a call and talk to them about your child's situation and pre-existing condition (my son also has a pre-existing condition - type 1 diabetes and a peanut allergy. So...a stomach virus that most people would shake off could land him in the hospital - especially because he is so young).

The Trip Insurance Store is a broker for all the major travel insurance companies. They make money by commission just like "insuremytrip.com" does - which is a popular site. Buying insurance from them isn't any more expensive than buying it directly from Travel Guard, etc. However the BIG difference is that you can talk to someone and they will access your situation and give you recommendations for the best insurance for your needs.

Have you already booked your trip? I discovered that most insurance companies will NOT cover your pre-existing condition unless you buy the insurance within a week or two of actually BOOKING your trip (not the final payment but first booking). Generally there is a limit to how much they will pay also - that is lower than for someone without a PEC.

The insurance for those with pre-existing conditions is so complicated - I was just very happy with the service from the Trip Insurance Store. Here is a direct link to where they explain how different travel insurance companies cover PEC's : http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/3/pre-existing.shtml

FYI: We used Travel Insured per their recommendation for our needs and the cost for the 4 of us was about $280. But that was for a cruise - perhaps less for a domestic trip. We don't buy trip insurance for our typical WDW trips - perhaps it will be cheaper.

 

[scottsod]

hi we have a similar situation so i will tell you what worked for us we have gone several times last time being last month

cant help on the trip ins we never took it

as far as the walker/wheelchair we always just took the wheelchair left the walker home as we spend 95% of the time at parks were he cant use it to far/to crowded we alwasy gate check the wc and never had problem juet make shure they tag it correct


as far as m/e dont worry i had my wife and 3 kids go sit in a chair by the counter and got online when i told the cm about my son in the wc she personaly escorted us to the bus took us past the line and let us wait by the doors and called for a wc bus wich was late in coming took 20 min but that was just our bad luck last 2 times it was there already driver was cool told my son he got to give him his 1st ride at disney on the big lift and gave him a bus driver card

as far as the buses at disney we braught or own stroller we have 2 little ones 2 and 9 months so we had a side by side that folds up worked great the bigest thing to remeber with a stroller for disney is it needs for fold for the bus and for the park make shure its got good shade and lays down for sleep plus if u take ur own u can use it at the hotel wich means sleeping kiddys can go in it on way back to ur room

as far as food i dont know my kids eat anything now but i would say no problems especialy at c/s just do what u have to do


and lastly make shure you get a GAC!

ow and ps make shure u go to the wc lines or the front of the line to let bus drivers know u need to load the wc load ur sond and fold up the stroller and all get on the back door with him

have fun scott

 

[SueM in MN]

More than likely we will be flying Southwest Airlines. We are considering making the 3 hour trip to fly out of San Antonio because there are direct flights. I was thinking about checking DS's gait trainer and gate checking the wheelchair.(Does not fold) If either of these items are damaged will trip insurance or the airlines cover the damages???

The airline is liable for damage. This information is in the US Department of Transportation publication for travelers with disabilities:
"On domestic trips, airlines are permitted to limit their liability for loss, damage or delay to checked baggage to $3,000 per passenger. This limit does not apply to wheelchairs or other assistive devices, however. When an assistive device is lost or destroyed on a domestic trip, the criterion for calculating the compensation is the original purchase price of the device."

Should I risk taking the gait trainer?? My son will need to walk around a bit each day.... but I can take him on short walks holding his hands. He will NOT be using the gait trainer at the parks.

I would probably not take the gait trainer. My DD has a Rifton gait trainer. Even though it is pretty sturdy, I'm afraid of something coming loose and/or getting lost.
When she was little and used a Kaye Reverse walker, we did take that a few times, but it seemed much less 'fragile' to me and there were really not any things to break. We did try bringing that with us to the parks, just to get some walking in, not to get around. We found it was easier just to walk more often holding her up. The other thing we had not thought about was that we were all tired when we came back from the parks, so she was not in a mood to walk and we were too tired to make her.

Is Magical Express easy to use when you have a family member who uses a wheelchair..... or are we better off using another car service???

You may have to wait a bit longer for an accessible bus; not all are accessible.
Also, one thing that might be good to be aware of is that the DME buses are not the same as the resort bus. The lift goes up very high, as you can see in this picture:

if our family wanted to eat somewhere else.... would I be able to bring outside food into the restaurant??

you won't have trouble bringing outside food in for your child.

Anyone have stroller suggestions for DS(4)? He will need a "safe" place and I would prefer to bring a stroller rather than renting. He just turned 4 and is of average weight and height.... maybe a bit on the smaller side.... I think he's about 30- 35lbs.

Thanks!

If you go to the Family Board, you'll probably find a couple of recent discussions about picking strollers.

 

[LauraVV]

We love our Convaid Cruiser. My daughter got it at age five and it still fits at almost ten. We call it our umbrella stroller on steroids.

 

[Mason7AK]

Hi, i will try to help too!
We usually don't take our DS5's walker or braces with us on trips to WDW and use his wheelchair exclusively.
On the stroller question, I just bought a Dreamer Design Rebound Deluxe Jogging stroller for my DD6 for our next trip. It is a regular jogging stroller, but has a higher back (for taller kids - my DD is 44 inches now) and the back height on it is 26 inches. It also holds up to 85 pounds (not an issue for us as DD only weighs 42 pounds). It just came in last week and so far I LOVE it. It is 22 pounds and folds pretty nicely for a jogger. Easy to lift and has LOTS of storage on it (underbasket, as well as built in zipper compartment and two cup holders that would also hold other things). Mine came with the rain cover and a tire pump and also flashing safety light. I got mine on ebay, brand new, for $300 That's a little pricey but much better than the $600 or $1000 special needs jogging strollers! I will be using it this coming week at Disney, so will let you know how it goes. We are driving so won't be using the buses this trip.
As for the airlines out of San Antonio - we just flew in December to Disney with the two kids in wheelchairs on Southwest. My DD's foot rest was lost from her chair by Southwest Airlines. BUt I have to say they were very on the ball. We filled out the paperwork and they were to have an equipment company call us on Monday (we got in on a Sunday evening) to replace the part. In the meantime, they said they would call back to Orlando and see if the footrest was left there. I was skeptical but by the time we got home (two hour drive back to Laredo) I had a message waiting that they had located the missing footrest in Orlando and would be overnighting it to us! Sure enough, it was at our door Tuesday morning!
We have flown with the wheelchair about five times and this was the second time we had one damaged or a piece missing. The other times was with America West Airlines and they had us get an estimate on the damage and then the equipment company billed them directly for the repairs. It was fairly minor (bent handlebars) and we had it fixed within a week.
So, thats our experience! My DD has a new chair on order and it was supposed to be in for our trip next week but it isnt here yet. So I am glad I went ahead and got the jogging stroller as her old wheelchair is getting way too small for her and she is not comfortable for long periods of time in it.
Good luck with your son and have a great trip!
Angela

 

[Mason7AK]

Forgot to add: We have used Magical Express three times with our kids and they have always been wonderful! Never waited more than 15 minutes on any trip, and they always take us over to the side with the wheelchairs and have us wait on the nice padded benches instead of making us get in the (sometimes long) lines when we arrive at the airport! Going back to the airport has been painless as well, just be sure to call and remind them you need the lift the day before you leave.
When are you going on your trip? We will be there again on Sept 28 - Oct 9th!
Angela

 

[MightyMom]

Forgot to add:
When are you going on your trip? We will be there again on Sept 28 - Oct 9th!
Angela

We're gonna miss each other by ONE day!!
We are going Sept 20- 27th

Thanks for all the tips. I'm a control freak... which has gotten progressively worse since my boys were born.... and I'm so nervous about flying with them and depending on Magical Express. I feel a whole lot better after reading the responses.

Have you been to WDW in Sept before??? You're from deep South Texas too... I'm in McAllen..... when I see everyone complaining about heat I figure it can't be any worse than our heat, can it?????

 

[Mason7AK]

Yes, we have been once before in September. It was hot! To me the heat is more wet like Houston heat, than dry heat. Not sure about McAllen, but in Laredo it's a very dry heat in the summer. Florida has the humidity thing going so its like stepping out into an oven! LOL At least when it rains it cools things down a bit. My DD7 does better at WDW in the cooler months. That's why we did our recent family Land/Sea trip in December and I am taking DD7 (along with a friend and her DS7) next week. In Sept/Oct we are leaving oldest DD and DD7 with family and taking the other two little ones. They do much better with the heat. We have taken each of our kids (except DD2) on their own special trip and the one in Sept/Oct is for DS5 especially, with little sis tagging along! LOL
Too bad we will miss your family! We could have met for lunch or something!
Angela

 

[iamtrustworthy]

OK, I'll do what I can to answer.

With trip insurance, you have to state any pre-existing medical conditions, otherwise your insurance will be nullified. Some companies just flat out exempt any expenses that come from a pre-existing, but there are some that will pay for pre-existing. Unfortunately, this does make it more expensive. If you have an insurer you know and trust, you might want to try them first, otherwise, try Googling something like "travel insurance pre-existing"...

Hi OneLittleSpark,

What you say here is true for UK (and many other countries') residents, but if the traveler lives in the US or Canada, they do not have to "state any pre-existing medical conditions, otherwise your insurance will be nullified, etc.".

Instead the way they can waive the pre-existing medical condition exclusion is as follows:

"If you want to waive the pre-existing medical condition exclusion for cancellation, interruption & medical treatment, you have to fulfill these 4 requirements:

- With a few exceptions, you have to insure at least your trip's full prepaid, non-refundable cost (you can't round it down). If you don't know your final trip cost, estimate it high to be safe. You can always lower to the correct trip cost prior to your departure date. If it drops you to a lower trip cost range, you'll get a partial refund. and

- The person (including non-traveling family members) with the medical condition has to be medically stable when you get your insurance and

- You must get your travel insurance in the first 14 or 21 days after your first trip payment date for some plans or no later than 24 Hours after you make your final Trip payment for other plans and

- You have to cover your trip's full length."

I hope this makes sense.