Trip insurance

[FreeTime]

Is insurance necessary? My travel agent is telling me how important it is in case we break a leg and have to be flown out at a cost of $25000. Do you usually buy it?

 

[Masonpips]

Just search on the hurricane threads and then decide!

Seriously, it's a small price to pay to feel confident that if anything goes wrong from cancelled flights to broken legs, you won't have to be out the $$.

If you visit www.insuremytrip.com you can get quotes for all levels. Personally we've used Travelex (Lite version I believe) for our trips which includes $50K in medical evacuation money + trip cancellation/interuption. Our personal medical insurance would cover any medical expenses except for the helicopter trip out. And I worry about airline issues and such so we buy the one that covers those type of costs.

This year it cost $ 171 for 4 of us to take a holiday trip (the cruise is almost double what we paid last year and I included our days after the cruise in FL and a trip to TX that is tacked on the end). With only the cruise, I could have had the same coverage for $129.

 

[jgalecpa]

There are many cruisers who had trips gone awry from hurricanes this year.

I bet everyone who had trip insurance will tell you what a comfort it was to have.

I don't buy Trip insurance for just any trip, but I do buy it for EVERY cruise I pay for.

Too much too risk. It will cost less than your tips!

Just my two cents.

 

[jdm]

Does insurance go up the closer the date as does the cruise cost itself? When I go to insuremytrip the cheapest I can find for a 4 day cruise is in the $300 range. Even Disney's quote of $200 for 4 people for 4 days (in Feb) seemed high. That wasn't even adding in the rest of the trip. Everyone else seems to be getting lower cost travel insurance quotes on that site. It makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Jenn

 

[dinnysuw]

Here is my story-read and then decide:
on the 9/25 (oops/27 hurricane jeanne) cruise. left stranded in florida after arriving on friday morning-informed cruise not leaving until monday night-encurred 3 days lodging, car rental, food, phone charges etc...
total cost of extra days 1658.20

total paid for 4 with Travelex insurance: 193.00 total coverage-200.00 per person per day up to 1000.00 for trip delay.

total refunded: 1603.94!!!!

i have 2 more cruises booked and guess who is getting my insurance business!!
no matter when you are cruising the peace of mind that a few extra dollars cost is priceless!!
darcy

 

[castlegazer]

I think it is extremely important when you cruise to get travel insurance for many different reasons - not the least of which is that the cruise ship does not wait for you. I also needed medical attention last cruise too as I fell while on Barbados while pregnant.

I just bought my insurance for my 2006 cruise - there are certain pieces of a policy that require that you book within 21 days of your deposit date like pre-existing conditions.

I use www.totaltravelinsurance.com to get quotes from lots of different carriers and then pick the best and lowest quote. I also just bought Travelex - but I went with Plus - I could have done Lite, but for the cost difference and the added amount of medical coverage, I went with Plus.

 

[logan1_2000]

So, has enough been said to convince everyone that if the trip costs enough that you consider it to be a significant expense, or if you putting yourself into a situation whereby complications could end up being expensive (like ANYTHING outside of the U.S.), then buy trip insurance as a no-brainer. My same day flight w/o luggage up and back to NYC in two weeks, sure, no insurance on a $200 plane ticket, but for a cruise--always.

 

[jdm]

I just wanted to say thanks for posting your link to the comparative insurance website. I found this to be easier to understand than insuremytrip and I was able to purchase insurance for less than through Disney.

Thanks again
Jenn

 

[castlegazer]

No problem. Its a pay it forward thing as I got the link from right here over a year ago. I find it to be one of the best sites to find and compare with. It also helps you understand the different components to insurance.

 

[castlegazer]

Another tip I have heard from reliable TAs is to not insure through your carrier- i.e. Disney. If they should go bankrupt - um, I know this is a fantastical theory, but maybe its more applicable to the airlines right now - if you have insured through them, who will pay you? Its usually better to insure through a third party to ensure you are getting thorough coverage. That being said, Disney's insurance is very good.

 

[vossjemi]

I bought ins for my cruise about 3 weeks ago. I paid $143 for 2 people for a 10 day cruise. I checked again 2 days ago and the price has went down to $133. I don't know if the coverage has changed, it didn't look like it. It was with CSA WebDirect through insuremytrip.com. I guess $10 isn't enough to see about a refund, but I wonder why?