Insurance?
 

While getting quotes for Carnival Cruises, it automatically adds insurance. Do I need this or should I cancel it to save money?

If you become ill while on board, or on an island, who will pay to air lift you back home? Or if you have an car accident, snorkeling or scuba accident, on one of the islands, will your insurance pay all the costs involved?

Hi Matt,<BR><BR>Cruise ines do not automatically add insurance. Just tell them you do not want it. It is very expensive.<BR><BR>BUT, you should not travel without it. You can buy insurance from other companies that will save you quite a bit of money and the coverage will be better if you buy within a week or two of your deposit.<BR><BR>Most travel agents have an assortment of company policies you can purchase. Have them explain the coverage to you in detail. It is like buyuing tires.

Don't be without it. I've been on a dozen cruises and nearly always someone is being transported to a local hospital or returned home. Hopefully not you or me, but who can say it won't happen to us. Shop around. The insurance offered through the cruise lines are generally a few more bucks, but still worth it. Otherwise, if you buy your ticket from someone like buycruise.com they will get you a better price. If you go through a TA, they usually can get it a little cheaper than the cruise line's too, but you need to ask.

Whether or not you need insurance is a decision only you can make based on your individual situation. If you decide to purchase insurance, it's often better to purchase it through a third party travel insurer (i.e. Access America, Travelguard, CSA, etc.). The premium is usually much lower than what the cruise line charges and third party insurance generally covers you for financial default (of the cruise line, airline, etc.) whereas insurance purchased directly from the cruise line does not. <BR><BR>There are lots of variations in travel insurance policies. You can get coverage for trip cancellation, emergency medical costs, or a combination. If you're purchasing insurance primarily for the emergency medical coverage, you can purchase an annual travel policy rather than on a per trip basis which works out better for those who travel often. However, these medical coverage policies do not cover you for your trip costs. Lots of choices here, you have to decide what's best for you.<BR><BR>The companies that I mentioned all have websites and can sell you a policy direct. But you'll have to read thru the coverage details carefully as they are all slightly different. Most offer a pre-existing condition waiver if purchased within a week to ten days of your initial trip deposit.

Access and CSA are excellent companies. Travelguard is a ittle iffy. I know of a few instances where a covered claim was not paid. Also their so called &quot;collect&quot; phone number will not work in the Caribbean and resulted in many hundreds of dollars in phone calls from the ship.<BR><BR>Paul