<p>As mentioned on a previous thread, we took a cruise to Alaska last month. We bought the cruise insurance, specifically because we were worried that a flight delay would cause a problem with the trip. The cost of the cruise was abut $7000 for everything. The cruise insurance was abut $360 or $380 or something like that.</p>
<p>At the first port, just before the boat was to leave, I tripped and fell in a parking lot. It was a rough fall … but I did walk back to the boat where I discovered that I had cut my knee badly. Very. Seven stitches badly.</p>
<p>Did you know they charge ER rates on the boat? The doctor very nicely stitched me up, checked my immunization levels, gave me tetanus boosters, pain shots, pain pills, antibiotics etc. and a bandage. The nurse changed the bandage the next day. The total bill for this little escapade was over $1200. Yikes. And it has to be charged to your credit card before you get off the boat.</p>
<p>Back in the cabin, I checked the trip insurance policy and yeppers … emergency medical care on the trip is covered. I got my $1200+ check in the mail yesterday – before we have to pay the credit card.</p>
<p>Aside from having an owie knee ( actually 2 knees and 2 wrists, but only one knee needed the dog) it was a GREAT trip and I highly recommend the Alaska cruise …</p>
<p>Thanks for that important reminder about why trip insurance is important to get. I’ve always bought it before our major trips – and never needed to use it. I have to say that one of the major reasons I buy it is not so much because of a delayed connection but because if someone gets very ill or injured when we’re away from home, treatment or evacuation could run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Did you buy your insurance through the cruise line, or a private insurer? </p>
<p>Glad you’re feeling better and that you got to enjoy the cruise – Alaska is awesome!</p>
<p>Glad to hear you enjoyed Alaska, that is an awesome cruise! And thanks for the heads up on the trip insurance, I really didn’t realize it would cover a medical er type visit.</p>
<p>Yes, there are more & more missed connections with flights and it CAN be a good idea to be prepared. It’s important to read your policy BEFORE you buy, just to be sure you know that IS and is NOT included so there are fewer “surprises.” I’m glad you got the coverage you expected and that you’re healing and had a great trip. What company sold the insurance? There are several out there.</p>
<p>Great that you had the insurance and that it covered this. I’m flabbergasted, though, that the doc on the boat charged ER rates to handle this. I would have thought this medical care would be gratis with the trip. Doesn’t the cruise company pay the doc? Or does he only make money when he charges people? I can’t fathom fee-for-service on a cruise ship.</p>
<p>The travel agent sold me the trip insurance. I’d never thought about needing the medical care … but like a good little consumer I’d read the policy and absorbed some of the infomation. I was back up in my cabin with my head spinning about fighting with [regular insurance] and thinking about normal and customary rates when I thought it might be covered by the trip insurance.</p>
<p>And just to tell a bit more about the extraordinarily high cost of my escapade. I had the knee stitched at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon. That was outside of normal office hours and I was charged for an emergency visit. (Normal hours arre 8-9:30 am and 6-7 pm).</p>
<p>cnp55,
Sorry about your mishap.
Could you share the insurance co name.
We are trying to book a trip to visit our D in Florence this semester and would love to take my parents. Mom has a serious condition which could cause last minute travel cancellation or emergency care while abroad. Travel insurance research is on my to-do list this week.</p>
<p>I’m about to send my elderly mother on a Mexican cruise and I’ll definitely get the insurance and have in the past for other cruises I sent her on. My main purpose in getting the insurance is to cover trip cancellation (we’ve already used this in the past) and medical coverage including evacuation if necessary. This is especially important when going out of country where one’s medical coverage might not apply or where the country might have substandard medical care. </p>
<p>She’s used the onboard docs before but I don’t know the details of the charges and don’t know if was ridiculous like CNP55’s although if it was I think I’d have heard about it. I guess it might vary by the cruise line as well. It looks like if you get sick on board that ship you better plan to do it in the 2.5 hour timframe they’re ‘open’!</p>
<p>One more caveat about purchasing travel insurance – many of the policies cover cancellation for pre-existing conditions, but ONLY if you purchase the travel insurance at or near the time you purchase your trip (may have been within 10 days or something like that). So if you or someone you are traveling with has pre-existing conditions (or you may need to cancel because of the sudden illness of a family member with a pre-exisisting condition), read the fine print and purchase the insurance as soon as possible after you book you trip.</p>
<p>Also --given the potential this year for pandemic flu to put a crimp in your travel plans, look at the policy’s coverage for cancellation due to declaration of an epidemic --that varies by policy as well.</p>
<p>^^ All of the companies have various options for their policies so you’re right - one needs to check what they’re buying and make sure they select the options appropriate for their needs.</p>
<p>I would like to put a pat on the back in for Holland America here.</p>
<p>A year ago this month my parents went on an Alaskan land tour and cruise. This was the one time I didn’t get their travel info, as there has never been a problem and they travel a lot.</p>
<p>My dad’s only living sibling, his sister, was undergoing treatment for cancer, and took a dramatic turn for the worse when it metastasized to her brain. My parents were about 5 days into their trip when it became evident his sister was not going to live more than a few days. The cruise line was incredibly helpful in locating my parents; they did everything they could to get my parents a flight out back to where my aunt was, but there were just no flights available to them where they were. They hooked up a phone line for them so that my dad could say his goodbyes to his sister. She passed away and they still had about 5-7 days left of their trip. Every accommodation was upgraded for them and the director bent over backwards to be helpful to them. </p>
<p>My folks were not even able to get back in time for the funeral and it was a really tough time for us all. I was deeply touched during that difficult time to know that there are still good and very caring people who go above and beyond expectations, and that it made that time of grief and sadness a little less awful for our family. My parents knew his sister would want them to enjoy the beauty of Alaska, and they really did.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me share. My mom was afraid my dad would never want to travel again. But he decided that life is short and meant to be enjoyed, and they took another trip to Greece (a life-long wish of his) in April. Very uneventful and wonderful trip!</p>
<p>Hhhmm. I’ve never gotten trip insurance, never felt the real need yet. BUT, would you regular insurance have paid that bill? I think mine would, after the deductible of course, but I never really thought about it. Are all the visits to the cruise ship MD fee for service?</p>
<p>I cannot emphasis Momof3’s point–be SURE to check on the timeline for purchase if you have pre exisisting conditions/ill parents, etc. This is the main reason we buy the insurance, and the purchasing window can vary widely among plans. We generally buy from Travel Guard, but have used others.</p>
<p>It is very important to read the fine print in the trip insurance policies. We’re traveling to Asia later in the month and found most policies (not all) no longer cover delays due to the H1N1 virus, which is still a very real possibility in Hong Kong, among other places.</p>