Do we really need separate insurance for a cruise?

[DoomSlayer]

I have always had "trip" insurance covered with my travel credit card which includes trip cancelation, interruption, and delay protection as well as emergency medical coverage -- as long as I paid for the trip with that credit card.

I was looking at my health insurance website today (for something completely unrelated) and found out that I have full global health coverage through my employer, and it includes services rendered on cruise ships -- including non-emergency services.  You may want to check yours as this was a well hidden benefit I did not realize I had.  From my insurance coverage docs:

"Services rendered in a foreign land, and services rendered on a cruise ship that require interpretation or currency conversion must be submitted through Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core. Invoices and a BCBSGC International Claim Form must be submitted to the BCBSGC Service Center at the address on the claim form."

I even went so far as to look up hospitals and doctors in Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Honduras (my main travel destinations since I live close to Galveston), and low and behold, several were marked as "In Network".

Moral of the story is to check what coverage you already have before buying a separate "trip insurance" package -- you may not need it.

[Atlantix2000]

Pretty good benefits you've found!  But one thing you didn't mention was medical evacuation coverage (like medivac or life flight back to the US).  That's the expensive part which I think is one of the big things people are looking for when purchasing separate trip insurance.

[DoomSlayer]

3 hours ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Pretty good benefits you've found!  But one thing you didn't mention was medical evacuation coverage (like medivac or life flight back to the US).  That's the expensive part which I think is one of the big things people are looking for when purchasing separate trip insurance.

My credit card covers evacuations and return to home.

[Cactus527]

I'm so glad you mentioned this- we have BCBS as well. I'm going to go look through the benefits now!

[12thman]

On 4/2/2023 at 9:20 PM, DoomSlayer said:

I have always had "trip" insurance covered with my travel credit card which includes trip cancelation, interruption, and delay protection as well as emergency medical coverage -- as long as I paid for the trip with that credit card.

I was looking at my health insurance website today (for something completely unrelated) and found out that I have full global health coverage through my employer, and it includes services rendered on cruise ships -- including non-emergency services.  You may want to check yours as this was a well hidden benefit I did not realize I had.  From my insurance coverage docs:

"Services rendered in a foreign land, and services rendered on a cruise ship that require interpretation or currency conversion must be submitted through Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core. Invoices and a BCBSGC International Claim Form must be submitted to the BCBSGC Service Center at the address on the claim form."

I even went so far as to look up hospitals and doctors in Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Honduras (my main travel destinations since I live close to Galveston), and low and behold, several were marked as "In Network".

Moral of the story is to check what coverage you already have before buying a separate "trip insurance" package -- you may not need it.

Cruise lines don't accept insurance, pay via CC or cash, you'll have to get reimbursed. My health insurance says the same but you should call and find out the limit on coverage. I did and it's not a lot for e-vac and my employer has over 150K people worldwide. There's clinics and hospitals I can use but I still but travel insurance. 

[DoomSlayer]

15 minutes ago, 12thman said:

Cruise lines don't accept insurance, pay via CC or cash, you'll have to get reimbursed. My health insurance says the same but you should call and find out the limit on coverage. I did and it's not a lot for e-vac and my employer has over 150K people worldwide. There's clinics and hospitals I can use but I still but travel insurance. 

You are correct on the pay and get reimbursed on the cruise ship, but that is the same with most travel insurance plans too that I have seen.  I have funds I can tap into for this if needed, so it is not an issue.  I did ask about the benefits, both with my HR and BCBS, and we have the same coverage limits globally as domestically.  Our company is owned and HR managed by one of the Major Tech companies, which probably accounts for why we as a company have global insurance coverage.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I would not dream of cruising without cruise insurance.  We have had an annual policy for the past 6 years.  I even kept the policy active during COVID when we were barely leaving our house.  We have never used it....thank God.  

[katiedew01]

When it comes to taking a cruise, it's important to consider whether separate insurance is needed. While many cruise lines offer their own insurance options, it's still essential to carefully review the coverage and assess your specific needs. Additionally, factors such as the destination, duration, and type of cruise can also impact the decision.

Having separate insurance for a cruise can provide added protection and peace of mind. It may cover various situations such as trip cancellation or interruption due to unforeseen circumstances, medical emergencies, lost or delayed baggage, and travel delays. It can also provide coverage for emergency medical evacuation, which can be crucial if you require medical treatment while on the cruise ship or at a remote destination.

It's recommended to thoroughly review the terms and conditions of any insurance policy to understand the coverage limits, exclusions, and claim procedures. Comparing different insurance options and considering your own risk tolerance and personal circumstances can help you make an informed decision on whether separate insurance for a cruise is necessary for your specific travel plans.

[Andonini842]

Hello, this is a really interesting question as we have annual multi-trip insurance but without cruise cover.  We simply buy cruise cover for when we need it (like 7 days) as it works out cheaper this way. I think cruise cover is important though as it covers you if you miss your ship on a port day (for travel to next port of call) plus repatriation cover and also compensation if you are confined to your cabin due to illness.

[Reigert2008]

On 4/11/2023 at 10:24 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I would not dream of cruising without cruise insurance.  We have had an annual policy for the past 6 years.  I even kept the policy active during COVID when we were barely leaving our house.  We have never used it....thank God.  

I've been looking at annual policies for a few week now to cover all our trips.  We have a "large" Europe trip later in the year that I am most concerned about    Can you point me in the direction of any places that provide guidance on how much Emergency Medical coverage to get.  The policy I am leaning towards included $50,000 per insured, per trip and I'm wondering if that is sufficient.  Ideally, i never have to find out, but also don't want to find out the minimum coverage should have been a Million

 

Thanks. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

25 minutes ago, Reigert2008 said:

I've been looking at annual policies for a few week now to cover all our trips.  We have a "large" Europe trip later in the year that I am most concerned about    Can you point me in the direction of any places that provide guidance on how much Emergency Medical coverage to get.  The policy I am leaning towards included $50,000 per insured, per trip and I'm wondering if that is sufficient.  Ideally, i never have to find out, but also don't want to find out the minimum coverage should have been a Million

 

Thanks. 

Sorry.....I don't really know of any site that provides this kind of information.  I just purchased a policy that provided the most emergency medical/evacuation coverage.  I'm sure that's not the best process for purchasing insurance, but that's what I did ! I have the AllTrips Premier Plan plan from Allianz Global Assistance.

 

 

 

[Reigert2008]

26 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sorry.....I don't really know of any site that provides this kind of information.  I just purchased a policy that provided the most emergency medical/evacuation coverage.  I'm sure that's not the best process for purchasing insurance, but that's what I did ! I have the AllTrips Premier Plan plan from Allianz Global Assistance.

 

 

 

Thanks!  I'm running into the same issue.    I'm also looking at the All trips Premier options and spoke with them on the phone to ask my questions   On insuremytrip.com they had some providers that provide more medical coverage, but then the trip cancelation/interruption options were not high enough to cover the trip i'm most worried about.  

Allianz is a name I know and have some confidence in, but have never had to make a claim (an hope to never make one).  

 

While also not the best method, I've been comparing plans to the Trip protection plan that Royal has since I have purchased it many times without even investigating it, so I'm looking to have the at least the same coverage as that   
 

Insurance is such a fun thing to look at  

[teddy]

16 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sorry.....I don't really know of any site that provides this kind of information.  I just purchased a policy that provided the most emergency medical/evacuation coverage.  I'm sure that's not the best process for purchasing insurance, but that's what I did ! I have the AllTrips Premier Plan plan from Allianz Global Assistance.

 

 

 

We have been using the same annual plan for a couple years now.   The medical evac coverage give us a piece of mind. 
 

We have done two small, non-medical claims with Allianz (on single trip plans) and were very pleased with the results.