The Necessity of Travel Insurance.

[zebra]

Reading on the "other" board about the messy outcome of the Conquest cruise during hurricane Ike...... two things appear evident:

1) You MUST have travel insurance

2) book airfare through the Cruise Line.

While I 100% agree with No .1 ....... we usually book our own airfares. Having said this here's the scoop:

In this circumstance Carnival Conquest which was supposed to dock at the Hurricane damaged Galveston port changed course and docked in New Orleans - those who booked air travel through Carnival, the company took care of them and rebooked them from their new port of call to their home destinations, others were left to their own devices and get themselves home. This is where travel insurance comes in and would obviously reimburse the traveler.

Many people are MAD at Carnival through this mis-adventure. What do you think? Do you ALWAYS buy travel insurance and do you ALWAYS book airfare through the cruise line?

[coloradocruisers]

Good to know Jackie. I've been wondering how that was all going to turn out.

We book everything through AAA Travel Agents, and get the insurance.

[JoeyandDavid]

A couple of years ago I posted the following concerning travel insurance..

Travel Insurance, My Policy on our Vacations

When considering Travel Insurance, I like to refer to it as an insurance policy on my investment. More often these days our vacations whether it be on land or at sea are becoming more pricy. Depending on length of travel and destination, and of course accommodations; a 2 week venture may cost upwards of $10,000 usd. Of course that is for everything, from Transportation, room and board, gratuities and incidentals for two.

You plan your vacation why, don't you plan your insurance?

It pays to be just as diligent in reviewing not only the insurance policy, but the Insurance Provider as well before you purchase, I like to ask "Is it the right policy for the trip I am planning"? Some Policies offer additional compensation for travel delay, in addition to rights to cancel for ANY Reason at any time before departure with no penalty.

Some policies offer assistance in foreign countries and some do not.

Policies normally are written to reflect the standards of the home state of residency of person purchasing.. It's a good Idea to make sure the policy you purchase is receptive to your home state laws, this is especially important when it comes to the definition of "family" "family" the definition is different from policy to policy some include mom dad and children , some blood line only thus in-laws, domestic partners, sometimes unfortunately aren't considered family under that policies definition.. be sure to ask!

Protection is well worth the money

For less than 5% of the cost of the vacation I know that I can insure my vacation against any unforeseen circumstance. For us, it only makes sense to protect the cost of the vacation against Weather Emergencies, Terrorism, or even Health Emergencies..

Where to start

One of the best places to use as a starting source for research for your Insurance for Travel is http://www.Insuremytrip.com .

It will let you input your information as to when, where, age of passengers, cost of vacation.

Then it lets you compare companies and policies side by side. All For Free!

As always, nothing beat your own due diligence, the earlier you book the cheaper the insurance, but take your time and find the policy that is right for your situation.

[Joanandjoe]

We always get travel insurance. Whatever it costs, the charge for the cruises we didn't have to cancel were less than the amount we got back in 2002 when I got a kidney stone three days before a cruise, and had to cancel the cruise. Trip insurance: don't plan to leave home without it.

[cruisingcats]

I always buy the cancellation insurance through the cruise line. Haven't flown to a destination yet but will seriously consider getting trip insurance to be on the safe side. Thanks for the tip.

[sailingrose]

Always get insurance unless I book short term. I have bought cruise airfare on ocassion but generally it's cheaper to buy it on our own.

[KeithnRita]

We've always purchased travel insurance. It's like other forms of insurance, you hope you never need it, however. . .

[deb1220]

We always get travel insurance and have always booked our airfare with the cruiseline - all through our AAA Travel Agent!

[jbond]

We were on RCI Brilliance of the Seas on a Med cruise when the ship was delayed getting back to Barcelona due to a blockade of the port by Spanish fishermen. We had insurance, but had booked our own air. RCI took care of all the air arrangements for their air passengers, but we had to rebook our own. We spent two days in Barcelona before we got a flight, but our cruise insurance paid for everything. We would never leave home without it. At our age, even though we are both quite healthy, the thoughts of being taken sick while in a foreign country make insurance a real comforter.

We usually book our own air, but just recently we have not been able to come even close to RCI's prices. Using their custom air programme also makes it a very convenient way to book flights.

[jacketwatch]

I think travel insurance is a must. For our upcoming cruise I looked at insuremytrip and like what i see. You can get cash back vs. having you $$ put to a future cruise credit ala Princess insurance.