Cruise Insurance Differences
 

Does anyone know if there really are major differences amongst the various trip cancelation insurance for cruises? This type of insurance is somewhat different than land only since you have to worry about hurricanes, etc.

I was going to take Berkeley Cruise insurance but my travel agent thought that I Travel insurance was better since the latter included pre-existing conditions. This was inrrelevant in my case since I don't have any pre-existing anything. I was just curious if there were any major difference amongst the various policies, other than price.

In a word, YES. The differences are tremendous. One thing-if you take the cruise line insurance, and book anything on your own-hotel, air, shore excursions, rental car, it is NOT covered. Cruise line insurance will only cover what is booked through the cruise line (and that is generally a VERY expensive way to go). Take a look at this link http://www.insuremytrip.com/

There are many types of insurance and you must pick what is best for you. Don't forget about things like evacuation. From a ship (or on land) in the Caribbean could easily run $25,000. And NO, you probably won't need it, BUT what if you were involved in an auto accident? Everyone always thinks MAJOR medical problem like a heart attack. But a snorkeling accident, jet ski accident, or auto accident could be just as disabling and maybe even more expensive.

After you look at the link and still have questions, feel free to email or PM me. I buy trip insurance about 6 times a year, including at least 2 cruises and have read EVERY one of the policies including the fine print.

Also, even if YOU do not need to cover pre-existing conditions what about pre-existing conditions of relatives? What if a mother, sister, brother etc. gets sick and you need to cancel. Some insurance carriers cover that type of situation as well as your own health.

Another consideration with the way the world is today is terrorism attacks. Many carriers do not cover a cancellation for that reason. Cruisecritic.com has a good article on cruise insurance that you should read. It will give you many things to consider. The link is:
cruisecritic.com

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much to both of you. I usually fly and am somewhat of a neophyte with cruise insurance. (My last cruise was 7 years ago). Now that my mom is physically disabled, I need to learn as much as possible about the insurance for future trips. I will check out both sites.

I went to www.InsureMyTrip.com and did not see EITHER Berkeley Cruise Care NOR I Travel policies. I would be most appreciative if there is a site that specifically compares these two policies since these are the ones that my travel agent usually deals with.

Berkeley Cruise Care is only issued by the cruise lines-I think it is Princess and Celebrity specific, but it could be other lines. It is one of those cruise policies which ONLY cover things which are booked with your cruise THROUGH the cruise line. I have never heard of the other one. Both policies you refer to are cruiseline policies and probably ONLY available through a TA. IMHO, they are NOT very good policies. Are you using FF miles? NO COVERAGE. Are you staying in a hotel pre or post cruise that you are booking yourself? NO COVERAGE Going on a private tour in a port? NO COVERAGE That is one reason the cruiseline only policies are generally cheap. They don't cover much.

If I am correct, you need insurance to cover cancellation and medical (your US health insurance may not cover outside the US-I know BC/BS will not) (and neither will Medicare, if your Mom is going with you and is on medicare).

I don't understand the need to book insurance through your TA. InsureMyTrip represents most of the reputable travel insurance companies. Take a look at the Travelex Lite policy. It should cover most everything you want at a reasonable price. It is the policy I normally buy, unless I am going someplace REALLY exotic, where medical evac may cost more than the limit in that policy. If you would like my help, it is offered freely.

My Platinum AMEX Card covers the medical evacuation. We are not taking any shore excursion since we have been to these ports before and nothin g entices us.

I have decided to take Berkeley Insurance for this trip but wanted to see the difference between that, I Travel and what is listed on www.InsureYourTrip.com. ITravel covers medical evacuation, terrorist attacks, etc. and seems to cover the same things as on this site but for a cheaper price. I did compare I Travel to Access Travel coverage and it was not much different, other than the price.

I appreciate your help since I want to be an "educated consumer" when I book reservations next year for 14 of us on a week's Mediterranean cruise. We are going on a family reunion. Is there a site which compares most trip cancellation insurance which also does not SELL it (& thus is unbiased)?

If I am not mistaken, InsureMyTrip is more "internet facilitator" than insurance agent, although by law they probably have to be licensed agents. The details of the policies come directly from the insurance companies, your credit card is billed by the insurance companies, and the compare function on the website lays out a nice spread sheet for comparison. Since there are over 14 non related, competing companies available on that site, I believe you are getting very unbiased information. You can click all the details on any policy, which is direct verbiage from the company issued policy.

Budget Travel and Smarter Living have both done recent (within 6 months) articles on travel insurance. I am sure a search will find those articles.

By the way, what did you mean, your AMEX plat card covers med evac? I can't find that in the fine print anyplace, except if you are on an AMEX booked trip.

If you pay for it with your AMEX Platinum card and you have a medical emergency requiring evacuation, they will cover it. A friend of mine used it to go from Amsterdam to Boston via a medical airlift. His wife was unable to fly on a commercial airliner and it was a covered item.