As novice cruisers we are dummies when it comes to much of this stuff. Is travel insurance necessary? Suggested? Is one company better than another or are they all about the same?

I would really appreciate any information/suggestions/experiences that anyone could give me on this. We are going in July 2007, but I am trying to get as much of this out of the way now as I can.

The best answer I can give, mickeyd, is it depends. If you can absord the loss of a last minute cancellation--no. If you travel light, not a lot of expensive cameras and jewely--no. If it's a short cruise with little or no air travel--no. If everyone in your party is fairly young and in reasonably good health--no. If you are taking your whole family, including your 91 year old mother from L.A. to Denmark for a Scandinavian cruise--by all means.
I feel about travel insurance the way I feel about insurance in general--I insure for the loss I couldn't or wouldn't want to absord.

Travel insurance is always highly recommended. Depending on which type of policy you purchase, it can cover you for more than just medical emergencies before your trip. It can cover trip delays, and reimbursement for lost luggage. If something happens on your trip it can provide medical evacuation. Heart attacks and strokes know no age. No one knows when an emergency will happen. You could be on your way to the airport and be in an accident. To compare different insurance companies and what they cover look at www.insuremytrip.com

Thanks for the link. Would you recommend any company over any other?

We've bought Travel Guard and TravelEx and found their rates and coverage to be very competitive. Travel Insured is also highly regarded. I always go to the insuremytrip link Cruise Fanatic provided. It is a great place to compare.

Here is a link to an excellent article about insurance written by our very own Tom Ogg.

We took out insurance for the first time on our cruise (12/6 - 12/22) from Valparaiso to Rio primarily to provide emergency medical evacuation. The idea that something could happen at one of the most remote points on this earth (Ushuaia, Argentina), was the incentive. It was cheap peace of mind!

Hope for the best but plan for the worst!

The recent snow storm in Denver is another good example why you should buy insurance. The insurance would help pay for trip delay.

You know when you will regret not having spent those few bucks?? When things go wrong and you need help - medical help on ships can cost an arm and a leg and wait till you need to be airlifted...... Things like this are not in your control so you cannot say nothing is going to happen!

The best advise anyone can give you is GET INSURANCE - at the very least medical coverage!!!

Thanks for the link to Tom's article Dave. Very informative.

mickeyd

Medical evacuation is a huge cost and one of the main reasons to get it with your insurance. How much can a medevac cost? Well, from my wife's accident....she had to be taken from the accident to the hospital by medevac helicopter - a distance of around 16 air miles. It was almost $10,000. Now think about the cost from Jamaica to Miami in a jet.

Dave does your insurance in the US cover the airlift cost or do you have to pay those yourself

Our regular health insurance? In my case it did cover the medevac helicopter. However many policies will not pay a penny for it.

As far as emergency evacuation from another country, I think my health insurance would pay part of it but with a greatly reduced maximum.

Gee I think I would hate to get a bill like that!!
We are currently bitching about the fact that our normal Medical Coverage (% of our total earnings)is going up again but I guess when one sees these bills and knows it is all covered if one needs it.....(at home - for travelling we require addtional coverage) Whew that puts a few things in to perspective again...

I think most people underestimate the cost of such services all they can see are the 100 - 300 dollar /euros for something they might not need BUT wait till thoughs bills start rolling in - boy will you be glad to ba able to pass them on to some insurance.

Part of the problem - at least in my area - is that the helicopter is often called when it really isn't needed and a regular ambulance would be fine. I was told this by one of the crew members of the medflight. Of course, they have no choice but to get in the air when the call comes in and when the call comes they have to charge their fee. Since many insurers do not cover it, the medflight often gets stiffed on the bill and they turn it over to a collection agency to get whatever they can. This is another reason why they charge so much - hoping to make up for lost income by essentially making those who are covered pay for those who are not or cannot pay.

We just finished researching Travel Insurance to protect our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on the Veendam. CSA met all our needs at a very reasonable cost. Check them out: www.csatravelprotection.com Happy/healthy cruising, NY Cruisers