I rolled the dice, cruise after cruise, electing to skip the recommended travel protection offered by cruise lines and independent third-party companies.  I was one of those people who believed “I saved enough money on travel insurance to pay for a cruise over the years”, and had no use for it.  Traveling frequently though, I bought an annual medical coverage plan from Travelguard, just to be safe.  My thought was “I’m going on the cruise no matter what, so cancellation coverage is irrelevant to me”.  Still, accidents happen so for a fraction of full coverage I had medical coverage for a year.  Oh my, am I sure glad I did too.

You can read the whole story in One Stop Shopping At The Medical Center On Grand Princess. Here is the Twitter (quick) version:

The ship was rocking. Bracing myself, my thumb got caught between the metal door jamb and the metal bathroom door as it slammed shut.  Ouch. $2000

The experience made me an instant believer in the value of at least medical coverage.  All totaled, the price tag for that accident was nearly $2000.  All reimbursed by insurance with few hoops to jump through.

As always, it is a good idea to check with your insurance professional, the person who might handle your auto, home, health or life insurance for a qualified recommendation.  They may have some ideas that would work even better, based on their knowledge of insurance available and your specific needs.  Another good idea: check with your credit card company by calling the number on the back of the card and asking “If I buy travel with this card, is travel protection of some kind offered as a cardmember benefit?”  If the answer is yes, don’t let out a sigh of relief just yet, ask to see that coverage in writing.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Chris is not an insurance agent and is not making a professional recommendation.  Chris lives in Florida and they put people in jail here for doing that. Seek the advice of an actual insurance agent before buying any insurance product.