insurance

lilrosie · September 9, 2006

This is the first time we havent purchased the travel insurance...I am kind of nervous about not doin so....HUbby doesn't think we need it...my question to all of you veterans....do you Always buy the insurance...we still have 5 days to be able to purchase it,,within the limit...so what is your advice any help is appreciated :huh:

JoeyandDavid · September 9, 2006

Rosie if you would have been a member of Crazies last year (october) when we were about to sail the Century out of FLL..and Then Wilma came thru..... they had closed the embarkation port the airport... I was stressing ....no insurance... lessoned learned....will never do it again.. you are protecting an investment... vacations don't come cheap..

I learned my lesson.. I personally would suggest considering a purchase.

TheSkipper · September 9, 2006

Rosie,

I agree with Joey. In our early years of cruising we never took the insurance, but as we get older we will not sail without it. Have met too many cruisers who have been burned without it.

Had dinner here in Vegas with a guy we have cruised a couple of times with on group cruises and on his latest cruise he had a heart attack while scuba diving. Spent weeks in the hospital in the islands and said without the insurance he would have been bankrupt.

I've seen two people evacuated from ships by the Coast Guard Helicopter and rushed ashore to a hospital.

Buy the insurance.

sailingrose · September 9, 2006

We buy the insurance 99% of the time. Last trip we booked 45 days out and it was a really cheap 3 day cruise. (First time we didn't get insurance in years.)

We have insurance on our 3 dayer as well as our 9 dayer this time. You never know what can and will happen.

Get the insurance!

Peddler · September 9, 2006

The upcoming cruise is our third. This is the first with insurance. I felt we were pressing our luck by not having it...peace of mind.

jbond · September 10, 2006

We always buy insurance. I'm not a gambler and I wouldn't think of leaving home without it. We have used it once. Last year we were stranded in Barcelona and missed our flights. We were stuck there for two days and had to purchase new one way tickets. Insurance paid out without a problem.

elfed · September 10, 2006

Yes, insurance is a very good idea. However, I had to cancel a HAL cruise for next March and to me I should have received a full refund of the deposit and the paid trip insurance. Not so. The cost of the insurance (over 300 dollars) was non refundable. I guess I should have read the fine print.Originally I thought if one cancelled a cruise at least 6 months in advance all monies would be refunded. Ah well we live and learn.

Regards,

James.

saltydog · September 10, 2006

Ditto on the insurance. I cannot imagine taking a cruise or even a land package trip without it. The price of insurance is a drop in the bucket compared to the money you could lose if you had to cancel. We hope we never need it but that is why they call it insurance. To my knowledge insurance premiums are never refundable. Take the insurance and go on your cruise with peace of mind.

Tim

cherole · September 10, 2006

Only going on my 2nd cruise and I bought insurance the first time and this time. Mainly because my parents are elderly and I've gone through their strokes and broken hips over the last couple of years. If anything happens to them last minute, I probably would not be able to leave on a cruise, so it's a little piece of mind to know I wouldn't be throwing away 6k or whatever it is I spend on a 2 week cruise.

I generally don't buy insurance for land vacs, because cancelling air & hotel is not as complex or as big of a financial hit.

We have friends who had medical emergency on a cruise without insurance. They were offloaded from the ship and off to a hospital on the first night and lost all of their money they paid for the cruise.