Poll do you buy trip insurance, if so have you had to use it?

[MunFam]

My guess would be that he's so far gone the doctor has advised against expensive treatment. I think maybe his family wants to bring him home as a last ditch effort- sentiment or unfounded optimism.

Being on a ventilator is not usually a good sign in my experience. But maybe it's a specialist issue?

Yeah, I do not know the details...The ventilator is not a good sign, but as far as I know, the hospital in Argentina cannot wean him off the ventilator, whereas in America, they could. This is my coworkers father in law, so I have not been privvy in to too many details. I just know the dollar pieces, because when they flew down there to see him, they called me to get travel/evac insurance because they are now terrified of it happening to them.

 

[jlmarr]

• I always want travel insurance but the one time we needed it our travel agent had failed to purchase it. (We no longer use a TA so I can have full control of what's happening.)
• Had to cancel our trip this past May due to an unforeseen family event after the PIF date. We canceled and got 75% of the deposit towards rebooking next year. Without the insurance we would have lost all of the deposit.

 

[MommaBerd]

In 2012, DH & I were going on a 7-night cruise for our 10th anniversary and my 40th birthday. I had listened to Clark Howard, a radio consumer advocate, for YEARS and knew to get trip insurance. My parents were going to keep our four boys for us. A month before we were to sail (and actually on my birthday), my father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. He was to start chemo right away and they could no longer keep the kids (not to mention all the uncertainty about his prognosis, etc.). The insurance company, Allianz, was AMAZING! We submitted the paperwork and we were refunded in no time. I can't remember exactly what the turn-around time was, I just remember thinking, "Wow! That was fast!"

 

[oakleycat]

Can you tell me which company you used and how you did it through USAA? We have our home and auto insurance through them, so I'd like to look into their trip insurance options

Just go to the USAA website and you'll find a link for trip insurance. It links you to Travel Guard with a good discount.

 

[richkaryn]

We didn't for our 3 night, but we drove to port and we got a deal on a VGT room 37 days before sailing so it wasn't a ton of money if some freak accident happened to prevent us from going. On our Alaskan, we were out appx $10,000 between cruise, airfare, and a couple of excursions we booked outside of Disney, so we definitely got trip insurance for that kind of expense. We couldn't afford not to in my opinion.

 

[cmwade77]

For us, it depends on cost and itinerary. If we are doing ones on the west coast, we generally don't as getting home is easier. We also never purchase through Disney, it is overpriced for what you get. We usually use a site to compare and purchase. We also try to make sure it covers preexisting conditions.

 

[Mil leech]

So we just got off the Magic. I am glad we had trip insurance, just submitted our medical claim.
My daughter was in the kids club and tripped and fell and hit her head with a pretty nasty cut. The staff took us to medical. What a great group. She was taken care of wonderfully with surprising cutting edge techniques all keeping in mind the well being of a child. The bill was $270. Pretty much the cost of the trip insurance. You really never know what is going to happen in life.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The biggest saving we had from buying trip insurance was in 1998. We booked 2 cabins on a Princess cruise around the British Isles. 2 days before embarking, DDIL's mother was hospitalized, and DS & DDIL had to cancel.we got the refund of entire cost of their trip and gifted them the money. DDIL's mom did get well.

We primarily get it in case of medical evacuation, but it has been used to get reimbursed for visits to ships' doctors.

 

[Shanti]

Argentina is not some third world country. Why can't the hospital treat him?

Argentina actually is a 3rd world country.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I don't want to create arguments on the board, but I love information and opinions. Please keep this civil (i.e. don't tell other people what to do) it is potentially very useful information.

For regular trips, both WDW and non WDW, I don't usually get it. For my cruises, I do.

 

[RedSox68]

For regular trips, both WDW and non WDW, I don't usually get it. For my cruises, I do.

I too have only ever gotten it for cruises. I never buy it for any land trips or tours, or trips to Canada.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[because]

Used it just this past May. Our adult child was in Europe when he suffered a very severe bout of food poisoning. Had to go to the ER for treatment. His travel insurance covered it for him. I always, always buy medical insurance that includes medical evacuation when we travel out of the US. It is so cheap and I would rather have it and not need it than not have it and all of a sudden be facing the need to see US doctors on US soil and couldn't get there due to expense.

 

[belac]

At first when it was just DH and I, we never did, but now with a child, aging parents; etc.. we get it; never needed it "knock on wood".

 

[lorenni]

I have always bought it for cruises, however, our current credit card has terrific travel coverage (it is specifically a travel benefits cc). Having read the fine print just this morning after reading through this thread, I will not be buying additional insurance for our upcoming cruise.

As an aside, when we lived in the US our health insurance covered us outside the US. Now that we are on Canadian provincial insurance, we don't have that same coverage, but fortunately the cc insurance does cover most scenarios (including hospitalization, evacuation, etc.)

 

[FigmentSpark]

I have always bought it for cruises, however, our current credit card has terrific travel coverage (it is specifically a travel benefits cc). Having read the fine print just this morning after reading through this thread, I will not be buying additional insurance for our upcoming cruise.

As an aside, when we lived in the US our health insurance covered us outside the US. Now that we are on Canadian provincial insurance, we don't have that same coverage, but fortunately the cc insurance does cover most scenarios (including hospitalization, evacuation, etc.)

I thought my cc insurance would cover me, too (TD Aeroplan), but they told me they only cover up to $5000. That worried me, because a big expense would still be on me.

 

[lorenni]

I thought my cc insurance would cover me, too (TD Aeroplan), but they told me they only cover up to $5000. That worried me, because a big expense would still be on me.

Trip cancellation is limited to $5k on mine but other issues (trip delay or interruption/lost or delayed luggage/medical/evacuation) have different or higher or no limits. Having read the full disclosure, I am comfortable that the issues most likely to result in large unexpected expenses will be covered.

 

[LYSE]

The main credit card I use states:
Up to $10,000 per covered trip and a maximum limit of $20,000 per occurrence and a maximum benefit amount per 12-month period of $40,000

I only consider purchasing 3rd party if I have specific concerns that are NOT covered by the credit cards automatic coverage and IS covered by the 3rd party insurance I purchase.

 

[minorthr]

I voted yes an we have used it.

The 3 night double dip this year right after the fantasy dry dock had engine issues and we needed to change flights. Both Disney and American Airlines managed to destroy our bags. We got reimbursed for both. It was a giant pain in the rear end but we got the money back. This was with the company USAA uses.

 

[rootheday]

I have used trip insurance one time, when my tablet was stolen while on the ship. It was during the time that we were supposed to have our luggage outside the door to be picked up on disembarkation day. It was replaced with no issues.

I buy the insurance every time, after seeing what happened to an acquiantance of mine on a Carribean cruise. She hit her head and lost consciousness. She had bleeding on the brain and actually had to be airlifted to another country and had surgery, then had to be transported back to the US. I cannot even imagine the cost of all this if you are not covered by insurance. It's easy to think it won't happen, and odd are it won't, but she was not planning on a fall with a brain injury either.