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Travel insurance opinion


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I usually get travel insurance for my cruises which includes provisions for hurricanes, trip interruption, medical insurance, medical evacuation, lost luggage, etc. which for my family of 4 is ~$200.  For my two upcoming cruises I'm wondering if I should just get the medical insurance and evac coverage for $68 and skip the other stuff since these cruises will be under the Cruise With Confidence so I could cancel for FCC up to 48hrs before sailing.  Plane tickets are able to be changed without penalty or canceled for credit and if God forbid there is a hurricane for my cruise RCC will do something to make me whole so I don't see the need for the extra insurance.  Am I missing something in my logic?

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When are your cruises?

CWC ends April 30, 2022.    That used to seem like such a distant date but in the lifecycle of cruise bookings it isn't that far into the future.   Plus any FCC obtained through CWC has to used by April 30, 2022 for cruises through September 2022.  As time marches forward those dates will soon be upon us relative to the lifecycle of cruise bookings.  If you cruise often that won't be an issue but if you book just one or two per year and it's hard to coordinate time off work/school and family schedules that could make it harder to find replacement cruises.  Lastly CWC eligibility ends July 31, 2021.  If book in August CWC won't be a tool in your toolbox. 

I also expect airlines will soon return to the old ways of more change fees, at least those that did before. We may have a few more months of waived airline fees but once traffic comes back so will the fees, IMO.

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9 minutes ago, twangster said:

When are your cruises?

CWC ends April 30, 2022.    That used to seem like such a distant date but in the lifecycle of cruise bookings it isn't that far into the future.   Plus any FCC obtained through CWC has to used by April 30, 2022 for cruises through September 2022.  As time marches forward those dates will soon be upon us relative to the lifecycle of cruise bookings.  If you cruise often that won't be an issue but if you book just one or two per year and it's hard to coordinate time off work/school and family schedules that could make it harder to find replacement cruises. 

I also expect airlines will soon return to the old ways of more change fees, at least those that did before. We may have a few more months of waived airline fees but once traffic comes back so will the fees, IMO.

The cruises are Aug 15, 2021 and Nov 21, 2021.  I can always find another cruise before the credit expires if I cancel under cruise with confidence (still trying to convince my wife to book something in April 2022 or Jun-Aug 2022 ?).  Note I really doubt I would cancel unless there was an illness and hopefully I'd know that within 48hrs of departure.  Of course flights do get canceled or things happen so you never know.

For the airfare I'm flying Jetblue so not worried there. 

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Trip insurance is complicated. There is no simple answer to your questions. I provided a link below that helps explain "trip costs." The link is to a popular web site for pricing insurance called InsureMyTrip. There's lots of helpful information within the web site. I've used if forever. Handy.

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-policies-and-claims/trip-cost/

Figuring out what your pre-paid trip costs are is the key to getting the insurance you need, no more, and determines your cost for the insurance. Here's a link that discusses this very important area:

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-policies-and-claims/trip-cost/

 An important thing to do is purchase your insurance plan to cover whatever advance/prepaid costs your shelling out to start with. You can add new costs later, of course, at a price. There are disadvantages to waiting until you are past the insurance companies "buy by" date. Those are explained at InsureMyTrip. Basically, you loose some benefits if you don't buy the plan by the company's "buy by date."

Assess your medical risk. If you have one, assess what your existing health insurance policy covers. Most US based insurance plans won't cover medical costs you might incur outside the US. You can't predict injuries that require medical care. You can predict (estimate is a better term) your health risk from chronic disease. These are higher as you get older. Smaller at younger ages. It would be nice if you could buy "only what you think you need on medical coverage." That's not how it works. You have tiered coverages for medical expenses, e.g., $10K, $20k $100K, etc. The younger and healthier your family is, the less coverage you need - to a point. It's not unusual for a complicated fracture to cost upwards of $10K.

Without question, the most expensive thing that can happen to you on a cruise is if you become ill or are seriously injured and have to be medivaced. TBH, the chances are small but they exist and increase with age as stroke and heart attacks become more likely. Those two events are likely to exceed the capability of the medical department aboard to care for you. Sepsis (really bad infections) is another. You are going to get transferred, possibly by air, to a hospital that can provide the appropriate level of care. a bill for that for $250K isn't unreasonable. There is tiered coverage here also. If it fits in your budget and you evaluate your risk of something happening requiring you to be air-lifted off a ship is high don't get coverage under $250K. If you risk of that happening is low, you can go with less. I'd recommend not less than $100K for medical evac but seek out other views on this from professional agents. TBF, if you have a questions, the selling insurance agents from reputable insurance companies will provide good information.

Spend some time looking around the web for information. Forget social media, you are more likely to get misinformed. Another option is to find an independent travel insurance broker in your area. They're around and can help guide you through the process. 

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If you aren't specifically buying Royal's protection plan, usually trip insurance is covering you from when you leave your house until you get back home.  If something happens and you are past that 48 hour mark and can't cancel, that's where your trip insurance would kick in.  If your trip is delayed/extended the trip interruption costs will cover hotel costs. meals, incidentals for expenses that you incur.  Those are headaches compared to the big expenses relative to medical expenses, so if you could absorb those costs out of pocket and it not financially devastate you then it's probably okay to self-insure those.

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