When I purchased my Celebrity cruise with Best Price Cruises (my travel agent) I was given free travel insurance that is called "VacationProtect - Standard". The insurance was free, but I did decide to purchase the "CYM" option for an additional $39.00 pp. (CYM-means Change your mind).

I would like to hear your opinions on travel insurance. This is the first time I have ever had travel insurance and I was wondering if you thought if it was a good idea to buy the additional option of "CYM".

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a little leery of "free" insurance; you have either paid for it as a hidden charge in your cruise fare, or if it in fact was "free" then I would be dubious about what kind of coverage your actually received. I don't mean to sound so negative, but insurance can be very valuable--or completely worthless; and very often you won't know which it is until you need it.

But getting that out of the way, yes, insurance is important and "CYM" is important, assuming that means you can cancel at the last minute for any reason.

The main components you want to look for are "trip cancellation", "trip interruption", medical coverage, medical evacuation coverage and baggage loss or damage protection. A cruise is a considerable investment and you need to protect your investment.

I would look closely at your "free" coverage, and if you don't see all or most of the above components, I would consider getting additional coverage from one of the many very reputable independent providers, such as Travel Guard.

Rick

Here is a little info I got from the policy:

Thank you for booking your Travel Insurance with Best Price Cruises. Your Policy Request is below:

Policy Type: VacationProtect - Standard


Coverages:

Trip Cancellation
Limit: Up to the Trip Cost

Trip Interruption
Limit: Up to the Trip Cost

Trip Delay
Limit: $500.00 USD

Lost Or Stolen Checked Baggage
Limit: $1,000.00 USD

Baggage Delay
Limit: $250.00 USD

Emergency Medical Evacuation/Repatriation
Limit: $500,000.00 USD

Emergency Medical or Dental Expense
Limit: $25,000.00 USD

Worldwide Assistance Services Included
Limit: Unlimited



Coverage: Insurance for Cruise to CARIBBEAN on December 1, 2008

That looks very comprehensive; I think you are okay.

Rick

Thanks F-Mattox...Appreciate your input.

Check the limitations- For example -trip cancellation. What do they consider valid reasons for cancellation? Injury/sickness only? Changed you mind? Depending on your job situation, you may want to make sure it includes loss of job/layoff or transfer.

For baggage delay, is that total or per day delayed? We met a couple on our last cruise that didn't get their luggage until the 7th day of a 12 day cruise. They basically had to buy a week worth of clothing and necessities. Would you be able to do that for $250?

Its those types of limitations you have to worry about. The TYPES of coverages you have is a good set. Just be weary of what/how they kick in. And bring a copy of your policy with you in case you need to check it about something. You would most likely need to purchase everything on a credit card and then submit a claim for it. It would be bad to assume you are covered and then end up eating the cost because you weren't covered in the way you thought. Just food for thought. Most likely you won't need to use the insurance but you can't be sure.

Can anybody recommend a good travel insurance company that would include all of the elements discussed in this thread?
Thanks

The best thing to do is go to Insure My Trip and compare policies. That is what I do.

Thanks I'm going to add that web site to my bookmarks.

Are there any cruisers out there who are over 70? What do you do for travel insurance?

I am 60 and DH is 71. We always have a lot of truoble getting travel insurance that involves a cruise.

Any suggestions? It would have to be international as we live in Europe.

We're in our 50s, and have purchased our insurance through the cruise line. Most everyone says not to, but the Princess insurance and Celebrity insurance policies looked good to me. Try the website that Dave posted, it's a good one.

quote:

It would have to be international as we live in Europe.

That is a significant part of the problem you have faced before. It is easier for us to buy travel insurance in the U.S. than it is for those in Europe. Different rules and so forth.

After booking a cruise, how long does one have to take out the cruise insurance from either the cruise line or an outside vendor???

Thanks for any replies.

Peter1

The way I read it is that you don't need the insurance until you are at your "not 100%" refundable" date. Before that why would you need insurance? Unless you purchased non- refundable airfare and wanted to protect that. Maybe you could take 2 policies, one just for the airfare and another for the cruise at the proper time.

Peter, for cruise line insurance, it depends on the cruise line. Some cruise lines make you purchase insurance with your deposit, some by final payment time.

As for outside insurance, you can purchase that any time you want. In many cases, if you purchase it within two weeks of making your first deposit, the insurance will cover you for cancellations due to pre-existing medical conditions. There are other coverage perks for purchasing it within the same two week period, such as supplier default. Again, this depends on the insurance company and the type of insurance you buy.

Most insurance will let you modify the policy if you want to cover the cost of airfare, or change the dates of departure or return. Of course, if you're increasing the amount of coverage to include airfare, or increasing the number of days you'll be away, there is bound to be an additional cost.

Sandy

Thanks to all, that is great info; now, through the cruise line or outside vendor?

Peter1

Outside vendor in my opinion. The coverages are much better than the cruise lines offer and the rates are less.

I never get the cruise line insurance. For the most part it is too limited in coverage. I look for a policy that covers medical evacuations, trip interruption, cancellation, and also has a waiver for pre-existing conditions if you buy it within X days of making the booking. It may not apply to others, but we have to look for something that will waive pre-existing health issues that might pop up before the cruise. Otherwise it would be "too bad, you knew you had this problem" and no compensation would be given. Cruise line policies don't offer this. And, as Jim said, the outside policies are usually cheaper too, in addition to offering more coverage.

Feeling stupid ! Can you explain when one would have an air transportation that would not be refundable; I am purchasing through my travel agent. Can someone just give me the thumb nail of what happens in the case of each if one was to have to cancel out without insurance. Thanks again for the great responses on our chat rooms.

Peter1

Peter,
Most airfare is nonrefundable. Unless you paid First or Business class, or full coach price which is designated on a ticket as "Y" class. The penalties involved for cancelling will depend at what point you cancel. If you have already made final payment it can be anywhere from the amount of your initial deposit up to the full amount of the cruise. Your Travel Agent should have gone over that information with you.