Cruise & Travel Insurance, Do I really need it? A Cautionary Tale!

To Insure your trip or not?

When majority of the people think travel or cruise insurance they generally assume that it mainly covers trip cancellations.  Hence, they don’t give it much thought and fail to get it for their family vacations that cost thousands of dollars!

Although vast majority of cruise vacations go off without a hitch, it is great to have a little peace of mind and not having to worry about any potential setbacks.  Travel & cruise insurance is made exactly for that purpose. By purchasing this coverage you are covered for a wide range of events that could cost you thousands of dollars without insurance.

Of course, in exchange you have to pay extra money out of your pocket for a service that you might not ever use. That leads to a big question: Should you buy cruise insurance? Is it worth it?

True Story!

I would like to share a very recent and personal story regarding a first time cruiser who went through quite a painful ordeal during her Caribbean cruise.

My colleague and friend DN Robinette embarked on her first cruise during December 2017 with her 10 year old daughter, Hailey.

They were both extremely excited for their maiden voyage to the alluring Caribbean for their tropical vacation.  DN had spend several hours researching the cruise line, ship, itinerary, islands they were going visit as well as planning their excursions in advance.  She also sought advise from our cruise blog posts especially the Cruise Vacation Basics as well as our Facebook page by asking questions regarding what they can carry on-board the ship and the kinds of food and snacks that will be available?  Hence we are sharing her experience to inform experienced and would be cruisers so they can better plan their cruise & travel vacations.

Suffice to say that DN & Hailey were more then ready and prepared for their cruise vacation.  They drove to Port Canaveral (Orlando) to embark on the Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas.

The ship’s itinerary comprised of stops at the beautiful Coco Cay island aka Little Stirrup Cay, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean whose white-sand beach is reserved exclusively for ships guests and Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, is a bustling metropolitan hub full of culture and modern amenities.  Royal Caribbean has transformed its private island into a great one-day stopover for its cruise passengers, and every imaginable form of water sports can be found on it.  And the island of Nassau boasts resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, nightlife, a golf course, an aquarium and a casino that keep cruisers and vacationers entertained.

 

They both had a great first day exploring the ship and taking advantage of the activities available on-board the Majesty of the Seas.

Alas! on the second day of their cruise, Hailey woke up with a 105 degree fever!  Fortunately, all cruise ships have medical facilities with one or more doctors as well as nurses on-board to treat emergencies like this.  In case of extreme emergencies the patients might be evacuated off the ship and/or will need be treated at the nearest port medical facilities potentially at their own expense unless travel insurance was purchased prior to the trip or your health insurance provider includes out of network coverage which will usually vary.

After visiting the infirmary and undergoing a checkup, it turned out that Hailey had Influenza (flu).  This obviously was dreadful news for the girls as their meticulously planned 5 day cruise was going to be in shambles.  As part of the ships policy, passengers with Influenza or Norovirus (stomach bug/flu) can be restricted to their staterooms if the ship’s physician decides their illness poses a risk of outbreak.  Cruise lines are especially wary of these illnesses as they can quickly spread on-board.  And that’s exactly what happened with Hailey, she was instructed to stay in her cabin until she was symptom free for 72 hours.

Ask and you shall receive…(you might not, if you don’t!)

Luckily, the guest service manager was very accommodating and provided hot meals from the dining rooms rather than just the room service menu for Hailey at DN’s request.  Additionally, the kids program manager also provided books and games to keep her entertained in the room until she felt much better and symptom free for certain hours.  Given the circumstances, Hailey was in good spirits and was thankful for an Ocean view room.  She wanted her mom to enjoy her time as much as possible and the ship’s on-board internet & WiFi service made it possible for them to communicate while DN was away from their room.

Fortunately, Hailey felt better after a couple of days of treatment.  DN and Hailey were able to enjoy a formal dinner night and some beach time out on the private island.

Note: After you receive treatment or medicine from ship physicians, the cost will be charged to your cabin folio. If you have insurance, you would need to file a claim with your personal insurance carrier to recoup what’s covered by your health policy.  Travel insurance, which usually costs between 5-10 percent of the total cost of the trip, would cover the rest.  In addition to medical costs, you can buy insurance policies that cover a wide range of trip interruption and cancellation situations, as well as evacuation. 

Unfortunately, DN had not purchased cruise insurance prior to the trip so was expected to pay the cost of treatment out of pocket!  This did cause her additional stress and pain on top of dealing with a sick kid on ship.  Fortunately, she raised her monetary concerns to the ship guest service manager who worked with her to assist as much as possible on the cost of treatment and care.  The cruise and travel industry is in the hospitality business and usually want to ensure that their guests (especially first timers) have a good time on their cruise or resort vacations and do try to accommodate their guests as much as possible.  However, you have to be proactive in asking for help when you need it!  Each situation and experience will vary but, hopefully most of you will never have to go through this ordeal.  So plan your next your cruise vacation by utilizing these CRUISE BOOKING HACKS and please incorporate cruise/travel insurance coverage in your planning going forward.

BON VOYAGE!

Please note that this cautionary tale is an exception rather than the norm and hopefully you would never have to deal with sickness on your family cruise vacation.  We are not travel insurance experts however, want to ensure that you are prepared for any situation during your valuable family vacations and make informed decisions when it comes to considering cruise/travel insurance. 

Please feel free to comment below or send any questions my way.  Thanks, Sarb S.