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<p>Lost luggage by the cruise line does not discriminate between old or young, fit or out of shape. If you have lost a piece of luggage at the hands of a cruise line, especially on the front end of your trip, you will never go without insurance again. Most cruise lines only cover $300 per bag. So now that they cost of the bag itself is covered…what about what is inside?</p>
<p>Yes, my dad had his luggage misplaced & ended up wearing a friend’s clothing for nearly the entire trip they were on. He couldn’t bring himself to pay the inflated prices for garments he saw on the trip.</p>
<p>The Alaskan cruise is great. If you can, get a cruise that goes to Sitka. We thought that was a neat, historic town. Take binoculars. We loved having a balcony. We were out there all the time watching for wildlife. We were very lucky and got up graded to a room with one and looking back, it would have been worth the money to us to have one. We planned all our excursions ourselves and saved money. Just make sure you get back to the ship on time!</p>
<p>About smoking on the balconies - it depends on the cruise line. Princess, for example, no longer allows smoking on balconies or in any stateroom. (We’ll be cruising to Alaska on Princess in August.)</p>
<p>I bought trip insurance for trip interruption as well as medical. We’re flying from the east coast. Trip insurance will cover us if our flights are delayed and we miss the cruise. </p>
<p>Because it’s such an expensive trip, and it’s non-refundable, I couldn’t see going without trip insurance.</p>
<p>Ive done three Alaska cruises, all with Celebrity. All were with balconies and cigarette smoke was never an issue. Spent most of my time on the balcony with binoculars, books, and wine. Best part of the cruise. By the way, you can carry two bottles of wine on board with you.
Though there are some wonderful excursions such as helicopter trips to the top of a glacier, kayaking,hiking, and fishing…I found that most of the little towns were only good for buying ugly sweatshirts, touristy jewelery and Alaskan kitsch. By my third cruise I was happy to stay on board the relatively empty ship while I set up a watercolour easel on my balcony,painted and enjoyed the view of the respective port and the sublime quiet. Alaska is beautiful.</p>
<p>Another thing I loved to do, was run the outdoor track on the top of the ship while cruising the inside passage. Exhilarating!</p>
<p>My thoughts on insurance are that you are almost always better off to get your own. Sites like Squaremouth.com let you compare. I always buy Travelex’s Travelite. I actually had to use it once for a medical issue with my D (in Alaska as a matter of fact) and the claim was handled efficiently and quickly.</p>
<p>Alaska is one of those cruise destinations where a balcony is well worth the extra money. It’s all about the scenery.</p>
<p>Perhaps we’ll be upgraded to a balcony. We were at least able to get an unobstructed window but they said all balconies were sold out. :(</p>
<p>Pleased to hear that Princess no longer allows smoking even on balconies, as S & I are VERY sensitive to smoke and prefer to avoid it as much as possible. Am still undecided about buying trip insurance; Travel Guard and Travelex have both come up quite often. Will have to see how it goes.</p>
<p>Cool, my best friend & her H are also coming on this cruise (they just booked on Costco.com as well)! It should be a lot of fun to have them as well as H’s old HS buddies all on the same boat! :)</p>
<p>Co-incidentally, BF & we booked the same deck, Emerald. We can fit up to 4 in our cabin IF the kids decide they’re coming and are supposed to have an unobstructed ocean view. They have an obstructed view–lifeboat(s). They have been on about 5 cruises already and know a lot more about them than we do.</p>
<p>Steve is right, the biggest financial risk of travelling isn’t the lost fare, but the cost of a medical emergency. Check with your health insurance company to see if they will cover all your medical expenses, whether on the ship or at any of the ports you’ll be at. If so, get it in writing. If not, get enough insurance to cover any possible emergency. </p>
<p>Also get plenty of medical evacuation coverage. The cost of an airlift to the nearest hospital, and then a flight back home on a specially-equipped plane can run over $100K. Your normal insurance may not cover the airlift, and almost certainly won’t cover the flight home. </p>
<p>I second dadinator’s suggestion – check out [Cruise</a> Critic Message Boards](<a href=“http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php]Cruise”>Cruise Critic Community - Cruise Critic Community). They can answer every question you have, from what to wear to the Captain’s Dinner to tipping protocol. </p>
<p>Cruising is the BEST! Have fun!!</p>
<p>Medical evacuations ARE covered under our BCBS plan, as is treatment anywhere in the world. They will only transport to nearest facility to adequately treat patient’s condition. There is an email and toll-free phone number & an extra # that can be called collect for more information about travel benefits.</p>
<p>I am now trying to get info from them & they said to call our home insurance plan & get the info from them.</p>
<p>It won’t be covered under your homeowners insurance plan but your agent will have access to travel insurance plans.</p>
<p>I’ve done a few Princess cruises (balconies) and smoking was an issue, balcony or not. Somehow the - largely elder - population that cruises thankfully smokes a lot and keeps their life expectancy a bit on the low side… </p>
<p>I’m surprised how many people smoked in fact, as the joke went, the Port side was smoking and the Starboard side was chain smoking…</p>
<p>HIMom–did you specifically ask if medical evacuations from a cruise ship potentially outside of US waters was covered? I would call and specifically ask that question. When you start getting into foreign countries, etc., your medical insurance can often change what they will cover. I realize Alaska is part of the US but you do travel through Canadian territories to get there. Our insurance covers evac’s in the US, but not outside of the country.</p>
<p>^^ Took the words out of my mouth. Also, HImom, even if BCBS covers evacuation to the nearest suitable medical facility, that doesn’t get the patient home. If you want the option to transport the patient to the hospital of YOUR choice, you’ll need medevac insurance. It’s cheap, and protects against potentially ruinous cost.</p>
<p>Haven’t read the various posts but suggest you get a balcony. Lot’s to see.</p>
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I believe they just changed the smoking on balconies policy in January.</p>
<p>Balconies were all sold out but they say they could upgrade me if something is available.</p>
<p>One thing to look for in your policy re: medevac and medical is if it is PRIMARY coverage. Travelex is, they pay before any other insurance you have, so no dickering around about who covers what, they just cover it, period.</p>
<p>Our policy was $99 per adult, kids free. Also covered delay, cancellation, etc.</p>