vacation insurance? ya or nay??

[Misty89]

one of my biggest concerns right now is if we need travel insurance....coming from WI and knowing our winters are completely unpredictable, and planning to go WDW in december or january with odds we could get a snowstorm or a ice storm the day we need to leave are pretty likey.
early december is usally pretty good ( knock on wood) bet we wont have snow ( looking at december 6th, so st nick can bring the surprize info to the kids in thir stockings)
but if we decided to saty with january....the bad weahter thing becomes more of an issue.

also- how is the weahter in WDW in november....the week around vetrens day? is it still above 80 degrees? hows the rain possiblilty> nov could be anouther possible travel date, because then it would not interfere with christmas presents.
travel insurance through out TA is $$! like 100 per person , but if we got stuck or could not get sown to the airport ( 2 hr drive) we would be out thousnads of dollars ( our whole trip)

how many of you use travel insurance? do you think is better to spend the $$ and be safe or forget about it?

i know when i plan vacations myself, ( and only in- state) i dont bother...( never heard of it until month ago) but going to WDW and having to pre pay i stand a chance of losing alot of cash if there was a problem.

any thoughts and coments would be great!


Tina

 

[mad4themouse]

I don't book package trips to WDW, so I don't really need travel insurance. If my flight is delayed or cancelled due to bad weather or for mechanical reasons, then the airline is responsible for getting me out on the next available flight.

If I don't make it to my hotel for the first day of my ressie, the most I will lose is that first day's deposit. And I lose that only if it is stated to that effect in their cancellation policy.

I won't be charged for the rental car if I don't pick one up.

My park passes will be good until I decide to use them.

When we took our cruise, it was another story. Because DH's parents are elderly, and I have a nephew with a serious medical condition, we wanted to know that if we had to cancel at the last minute or needed to return home before the end of the cruise, that it would be possible to do so without losing a lot of money.

I think that you would need to weigh the cost of travel insurance vs. the potential loss and the possibility of incurring that loss. If the risks and dollar figures are high, go with the travel insurance. If the risk is low or the dollar figure is small, skip the insurance.

 

[EthansMom]

...with Mad4theMouse.

I have bought travel insurance for a cruise package planned during Hurricane season. That insurance would have covered getting lost bags caught up with the ship, or if our flights were detained, would have caught us up with the ship -- quite an expense!

But take a look at what your travel insurance covers -- likely that for WDW it will cover a small amount for lost/misplaced luggage and that it may reimburse you for a missed night at your hotel. It doesn't cover any airline costs because the airline will get you on a plane as soon as possible. Plus, the airline has some responsibility for lost luggage.

So, if you didn't buy the travel insurance at $100 pp, could you cover a missed night at your hotel and/or some cleaning costs for your clothes until missplaced luggage catches up to you? I would self-insure -- bank the money you would have spent on insurance and use it if something goes wrong.

EthansMom

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I bought the insurance when DH's job was one of uncertainty - wondering whether the boss would actually give him the time off. Or, what if something else would have happened that we couldn't make the trip, like there was no longer a job or the weather was uncooperative. You never know when the first snow will come to the northeast.

 

[MRS AR]

We always purchase trip insurance. Both my DH and my parents are elderly, and I feel better knowing if we have to change our plans, we won't loose the entire cost of our vacation. I guess it's just a question about the risk v the cost of the insurance.

 

[CEDmom]

We've been to WDW twice and DL once and didn't get trip insurance for any of them. That's with having a small child that could get sick out of the blue. However, we don't travel during the questionable weather months. Trip insurance might be a consideration were we to do that. Actually the only time we've gotten insurance is when we've gone out of the country.

Have you asked Disney what the policy is on packages if you are unable to use them due to weather or illness? Perhaps they have a contingency for such things. I don't think it would be good customer service to just tell someone tough luck. It's worth checking into.

 

[paladin]

First - are you buying a package? If not, then as mad4themouse said, most of what you would less are not that great - first night hotel, etc.

Assuming that you are indeed getting a package (which may not be the least expensive way to go, but that is a different topic), what exactly will the travel insurance cover? Will it cover a delay caused by weather? Does it have any type of deductible?

Figure out how much you would be out-of-pocket vs. what the insurance would cost and what you would get back.

If you do decide to go with insurance, some suggest that you do not buy insurance from the same company that is providing the tour package. The reason is that if the company goes out of business, so does their insurance. (If you are using a sound company this would not be an issue)