William

Is it advisable to buy trip/cruise insurance? What do others do?

Toto

YES YES YES and in a word YES!<BR>All you have to do is find someone that was injured on a cruise or had a problem and they will explain how very important to you it is. A small price to pay unless you are very wealthy and can afford an injury while in another country where most US insurances don't cover one cent of it. <BR>Toto

Patty

You have to weigh your own personal situation - how much can you afford to lose in case of an emergency, does your medical insurance cover you outside of the country (mine does), etc. That said, I have only purchased travel insurance once in my life (take several trips abroad each year) - in that instance I had to prepay my entire trip cost immediately upon booking and also had some concerns about the financial solvency of the operator. To me, a vacations are not one of the 'must insure' things in life.

Faina

I would start with a call to the health insurance carrier - 800 number is on your medical card. Ask if you are covered worldwide. Tell them where you're going and what to do in emergency. Once my son got admitted to a hospital in Europe, he got reimbursed by his insurance 100%. I strongly recommend everybody to have medical coverage.<BR><BR>Travel insurance - you have a choice here, I'd agree with Patty on that.

Paul Therault

<BR>Insurance is to cover the unexpected. Something you could never believe is going to happen to you. And I have seen it happen many<BR>times.<BR><BR>I really doubt your local HMO will cover ambulance and I more than really doubt that it will cover a med vac plane or helicopter.<BR><BR>Price - med vac from Europe to the USA $28,000 minimum. From the Caribbean $18,000 minimum. You can of course always stay and be treated by the specialists in say a Barbados hospital.<BR><BR>Insurance costs less than 5% of your trip cost. It is foolish to travel without it.<BR><BR>Paul

Cousin Oliver

I wonder if your question is about Trip Cancellation Insurance or Medical Insurance. If the former, then yes, it's always advisable to purchase it unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. If it's the latter, contact your health care provider and ask if you're covered outside the U.S., you probably won't be, and in that case it would still be advisable to purchase it as we all know how most medical procedures can wipe out a bank account if you're not insured.

Patty

If you travel frequently and your medical insurance does not cover you abroad, you may want to consider buying an annual policy that covers emergency medical costs rather than insurance on a per trip basis. Of course, this will not cover cancellation penalties, just medical expenses (potentially a much greater expense than what you paid for your trip). Annual policies start at about $150 and cover anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 in medical transportation expenses.

x

In addition to buying cruise insurance, make sure you check what it does and doesn't cover. I don't know if any cruise lines are in any danger right now, but the cruise insurance I bought for a Renaissance cruise last December was completely worthless when they filed for bankruptcy. Carrier default was specifically excluded from coverage, so none of the money I paid (several thousand dollars) for the cruise was refunded by the insurance company. I didn't lose money on the cruise only because I paid for it with a credit card and Visa refunded it.

Paul Therault

<BR>Yes, most people do not understand insurance policies. Not like the old days when there were no exclusions. Best to go with a travel agent that will explain all the coverages for each individual policy. No two policies are alike.<BR><BR>Three important coverages are: Pre-exisitng conditions, default of a tour, cruise company or airline and terrorist activities throughout the entire world (not limited to foreign countries).<BR><BR>Most people do not understand that an insurance policy will cover items that are lost, damaged or stolen not only out of luggage but also on your person. <BR><BR>Third party cruise insurance is extremely reasonable. Example: A $6,000 cruise for two should cost about $100 for insurance. A little over 3%. So if you have to cancel you would get your $6,000 back for only a mere $100.<BR><BR>Paul

Patty

Paul,<BR><BR>I've priced almost all of the top insurers before and I don't know of any third party insurer that will cover a $6000 trip for $100 (please let us know what insurer is offering that). Access America's policy costs between $99 to $342 per person for a trip costing between $2501 to $3000 depending on the age of the traveler. Travel Guard is anywhere from $122 to $593 per person for a trip costing the same amount depending on age and which policy you choose. And CSA's rates are about on par with the other two insurers. So that's a minimum of $198 (and that's only if you're under 30) all the way to a possible $1,186 to cover 2 people with a total trip cost of $6000. Frankly, I'd be a little wary of the insurer offering the same coverage for $100.

Paul Therault

<BR>Oops, typed the incorrect amount. Sorry I meant to type $3,000 trip for 2 is $100.<BR><BR>Paul