haniboo

The cruise line (Royal) sells medical insurance via Assetcard. Is buying the insurance a no-brainer? Would you travel without it?

Randyk47

In the past our tendency was to get insurance for our distant cruises like in Europe but not for close to home cruises like in the Caribbean. Neither my wife or I have medical issues but then again we’re not spring chickens and probably ought to reconsider that. When we do get travel insurance we use https://tripinsurancestore.com/ . We and our best friends/cruise partners both use them. We have never had a claim but our friends did and the support they got was super. It was an expensive trip that they had to cancel because of a family health issue. Trip Insurance Company stepped in and they recovered almost every penny.

BamaVol

We get medical when we travel outside the US. We have a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn’t extend coverage over the border. While we could afford a minor issue, like a broken bone or respiratory virus, a helicopter evacuation would cost in the tens of thousands. You’re healthy until you’re not. Some things can come up suddenly. It is a minor part of the cost of a cruise vacation.

For our last Caribbean cruise, I let the agent know I wasn’t worried about the cruise cost, just the medical coverage. So we covered the cruise at the minimum = $500 pp. The policy cost us under $100 for 10 days of cruising and we could get as sick or as hurt as we liked and not worry about having to liquidate investments to pay for it.

willoL

There are always many factors to consider when buying insurance, many of which are unique to the individual.

What I personally do is:
*Almost never take general travel insurance (to cover cancellation of voyage/travel delays, luggage, etc.) I have some coverage from my premium credit card.
*Buy a travel medical policy only when I am far away from the health care system I'm familiar with and in which I am insured (though our US health insurance does cover us for emergencies away from home; not all do!)
*Maintain an annual family Medical Evacuation policy in the unlikely event one of us is catastrophically ill/injured and would require special flights to get medical care at our hospital of choice (i.e., back at home.)

On the rare, VERY expensive trip where I buy TRAVEL insurance, I compare rates at www.insuremytrip.com . Never, under any circumstances, would I buy "insurance" directly from a cruise line given that financial default is one of the issues I would want protection against. I would consider a policy sold by a travel agent, but compare with other rates online.

For our medical travel policies, I use https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/ . Sometimes, one (or more) family member will take an annual, "multi trip" policy; at other times, we book by the trip. It is easy to compare prices on their site, and I do what makes sense. If my college student goes abroad, I will consider annual student policies from this company, for example.

Our medical evacuation policy (or account; this isn't technically insurance, but a service...) is with medjetassist.com .

Before middle age, I rarely bought travel medical insurance. We barely ever saw a doctor when younger, and we always had good coverage from our employer provided insurance. We also are financially comfortable and have had an emergency fund since before we had kids. We did less international travel back then that wasn't a business trip. As we started visiting more unusual, remote places (Nepal, Greenland), I started to take evacuation risks more seriously. Also, my spouse is kind of nervous, so he pushes me to consider insurance more often.

I also find this article helpful. I will buy more insurance coverage when spending time in a nation with higher costs.
https://www.finder.com/most-expensiv...ospitalized-in

mahasamatman

I would say it's a no-brainer, but not the way you're thinking. Never buy insurance from the cruise line.

When I was working, our policy always covered us, but since retirement we now pay for our own insurance. Our policy includes 15 days outside Canada, but we always top it off if the trip is longer than 15 days.

747FC

+1

BamaVol

There is an agent in NJ who makes himself available for any insurance questions posted on CC. He will customize a policy for you. I get quotes from my TA and the cruise line and his prices beat both.

RockSmithington

Definitely avoid the cruise line insurance. It's simply upcharged and generally folks don't get the proper satisfaction. Depending on your age and amount of time away, you want a policy that covers not only use of the ships medical facilities, but also any port facilities. Many plans will cover shore medical care, but not on board care, so double check.

Brighton Line

Medical is the primary reason I get insurance when cruising.

I need medical insurance as primary as my coverage outside USA will only pay on their schedule even if emergency and the ship's medical bay is outside the US.
I also ensure we have evacuation insurance of 6 figures. Don't really care what coverage is as in NY I can't get cancel for any reason insurance so whatever comes with the base policy is fine by me.

I never have or will buy insurance from the cruise line, always a third-party broker. I've filed a minor claim for medical services only once in 28 years of cruising (minus covid) that was given on the ship for a sprain (visit/xray/ace bandage/consultation/follow up were the charges) without issue. Charged my credit card and was reimbursed upon filing claim.

gretchendz

I agree with others it usually better to purchase insurance from a third-party insurer. A few points to consider:

--Many older Americans do not realize that basic Medicare coverage is almost non-existent for overseas health care. Check your coverage if you plan to rely on it.
--Many people rely on their credit card's coverage but don't check to see what it actually covers. Some are more limited or may not have what you really need to cover.
--If you take more than 2 or 3 trips per year, you should consider a multi-trip annual plan. Surprisingly affordable versus buying coverage for each trip.
--Think hard about what you want covered and get a plan designed to do that. Many travel advisors can help you choose the best plan for you.
--Cancel for any reason coverage is very expensive and rarely covers 100% of your loss.
--Things plans often cover you may want to consider:

• Do you need pre-existing conditions covered?
• Do you want emergency evacuation coverage?
• Do you want to cover the possible financial default of the travel supplier?
• Do you want to cover emergency medical care during your trip?
• Is AD&D important to you?
• Do you want coverage if called to jury duty or you must cancel due to your job?
• Do you want coverage in the event of serious illness or death of a close family member?
• Do you want coverage if you have an accident on the way to the airport?

These are just a few!
Travel insurance--boring but important

BamaVol

Some interesting characteristics of a policy we just bought for a September cruise:

$250,000 emergency medical

$500,000 evacuation coverage

$40,000 CDW for any rental car

100% cancellation

150% delay (after 12 hours)

$500 for a missed connection enroute (>6 hours)

I don’t expect any of these things to occur, and could pay for any out of pocket except the first two. Which is why I buy a policy when I leave the US.

pbjag

BamaVol -
Noticed that you are also in Florida. I've recently read that some policies (trying to find out which ones) now cover cancellation once the NOAA posts a hurricane watch or warning (while most policies only cover if your home is rendered uninhabitable and/or the common carrier cannot get you to your destination). This seems like one of the main instances where I might be inclined to cancel a trip (remember the uncertainty regarding where certain storms were going to hit in recent years?). Have you seen this coverage in any of the policies that you looked at?

BamaVol

If I am reading it correctly, if I lose money by cancelling due to a hurricane, I am reimbursed. There are multiple clauses. If I can cancel with no penalty after a storm is named, and don’t, I think I am SOL. I will have to copy on another device. It’s a little squirrelly on the iPhone. Uninhabitable dwelling is one, but there are several more. Trip is September, peak season. Coverage is through IMG.

pbjag

Thanks! I had not looked at IMG, but also touched base with the fellow who provides insurance support on the CruiseCritic site and that’s the policy he recommends.

BamaVol

The policy is 50 pages long. But half is specific to individual states and Florida is less than a page of that. Still, 25 pages of insurance jargon and legalese can be daunting. As I mentioned before, my only real worry is medical evacuation and care in a remote location. But we usually drive to the port, so I felt like having trip coverage of some sort would be useful this time. I have 10 days to comprehend the policy before it’s locked in.