"Does your health insurance cover you in Liberia?" I was asked by a doctor aboard Celebrity Cruises' Galaxy. "Well, you're in Liberia right now," he pointed out. Like the vast majority of cruise ships, Galaxy is a foreign flag ship. But most Americans don't realize their regular health insurance may not cover them outside the U.S.
When your sights are set on an exciting cruise and sun-filled beaches, it's a drag to consider options to protect oneself against unforeseen events that may mar your expensive vacation-not to mention the additional cost.
BUT IT'S TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK
In addition to illness or accidents, here are other scenarios you may face:
You've paid for your cruise six months out and a crisis hits: you're downsized out of a job, there's a death in the family or some other catastrophe hits so can't take that cruise. While the deadline for a "free" cancellation has passed, you may think that the cruise line will surely have a heart and waive the penalty. Wrong!
Cruise lines do not waive penalties for canceling passengers without insurance. You must expect they will strictly enforce their cancellation policies no matter how dire the circumstances. And your travel agent can do nothing.
A big snowstorm hits the day you're scheduled to join a cruise, and your flight is cancelled. Finally you make it for part of the cruise, but you've missed several days you paid for. Is the cruise line or airline responsible? Neither... read the small print on your tickets. Only the right cruise insurance will make up for this loss.
It's important to know that if a health issue arises on the cruise, you're unlikely to find medical conditions comparable to those in the U.S.: Cruise ships aren't required to conform to American medical standards. Conditions at foreign hospitals are sometimes relatively primitive by American standards. A doctor aboard Radisson Diamond recounted the story of a passenger whose life was saved because he had insurance. After he suffered a stroke, he was airlifted to a hospital in Houston with advanced technology. Otherwise, the ship would have had to put him in the nearest hospital: Bogotá, Columbia, which lacks much life-saving medical care.
SoloCruiser's Rick White says, "people shut down when they hear the word "insurance"--but you may get ripped off if you don't get it. Travel insurance is invaluable if you have a problem. Then, it really gets expensive," she says.
Without insurance, you're putting money on the table for the weather and the airlines' labor problems. All cruise lines impose penalties for cancellation, and it's your responsibility to know what they are.
Cruise lines and airlines claim no responsibility for anything outside their control. If you miss your plane because of a storm, there's no reimbursement for missed days aboard ship. Insurance would give you some recourse.
In addition, there's the added security of knowing that travel insurance can offer partial or full compensation if you can't travel. Purchase a comprehensive trip cancellation-interruption policy which offers reimbursement for cancellation penalty prior to leaving home, plus out of pocket compensation. Otherwise, Whenever there is a problem, the traveler always loses. They loose either time, or money, but most often both.
SoloCruiser recommends Travel Guard, Consumer Reports’ highest-rated travel insurance company in terms of items covered. And, we’re one of the few agencies selling travel guard without age restrictions – the price is based only on your cruise fare.
We’ve found the downside to buying the cruise lines' travel insurance is that they normally don't pay for medical costs incurred because of pre-existing medical conditions.
Insurance doesn't guarantee your trip will be worry free, but it does alleviate enormous problems that may arise when Murphy also booked to sail on your voyage. For me, it's a small price to pay for piece of mind.
