The agency on line that we are getting our MSC cruise through is offering TripAssured insurance. I have looked up past questions regarding insurance and this company in not well-spoken of..to say the least.
Has anyone had any recent dealings with them?

We've been on 6 cruises but only got insurance on the first one. I'm debating whether to shell out for it this time and if this is the only insurance I can get - and if it's as bad as the comments I've read -
then perhaps I should save our money.

I did go on line to travelguard but it doesn't look like they insure MSC cruisers.

One more thing. My husband is retired but kept his insurance and it has been a lifesaver and pays well (we're not on medicare yet). I remember asking them what would happen if one of us got sick in Europe and they said we would pay there and file a claim when we got back. They did indicate we would be covered. So would the travel insurance just be in case we had to cancel or lost our luggage or missed the boat? Would there be medical coverage that is better than what we have now?

Please pass along your thoughts on this subject!

The best information on this subject is at this link:
http://www.cruisereviews.com/Insurance.htm
I think you will be able to decide after reviewing the information Tom has given. I have seen evacuations and they are scary. I've also heard some stories on freak accidents onboard. Its not just about being covered by insurance for getting medical help, its the ship getting you off in an emergency that is something to think about. I had never thought about it that way before. ila

At the bebsite www.insuremytrip.com, you can compare coverage and prices from multiple companies.

If Travel Guard is not to sell you coverage if you sail on MSC then I would question sailing on MSC. Travel Guard is pretty good about checking the financial background of a cruise line. There must be something there that they do not feel comfortable with if they are not willing to offer coverage.

Thanks!...insuremytrip is a great site for checking coverage(s) and prices. And Travelguard had offers listed without my having indicated what particular line we were sailing. Of course, I hadn't hit 'purchase' for anything so I don't know what additional information they'd want.

Another part of medical coverage in travel insurance is the medical evacuation part - as far as I know most regular US health insurers do not provide this as part of usual coverage. In the unlikely but unfortunate event that you or travelling companion had serious accident, injury or required surgery and recuperation period was longer than a few days, it is likely you would want to be flown back to US. Air ambulance is incredibly expensive - far beyond cost most people could bear.

Our cruise insurance for trip this summer also includes provision of coverage for another person to travel to where injured persopn was and to stay with them during recuperation.

For us, we are only interested in the medical evacuation part of the insurance and the cancellation coverage - but you get the whole package together.

Make sure that the evacuation insurance is enough. Some companies only offer $20,000 which could disappear quickly. I have had good luck with CSA although not for evacuation. Their coverage is $250,000 per person.