Go to this website and I suggest you bookmark it for ALL your future Travel Insurance:
www.Squaremouth.com They are an 'aggregating broker' website for travel insurance, and they can easily help you shop and compare many different policies, to get the coverage and the price you need. The companies are reputable, and you can decide what kind of coverage limits you want, and can make sure you choose one that covers pre-existing medical problems. And you will see that prices vary. Typically, they calculate the cost by taking into account: When the trip starts/when it ends, who/how many people are travelling and what are their current ages, and how much money is being spent on non-refundable expenses.
There are different kinds of Travel Insurance. When you buy a plane ticket, most airlines try to sell you their Plane Ticket Insurance, which is actually fairly high priced (for what you get) and other policies will only cover room costs, or the cost of the cruise itself if you are doing a cruise. Make sure you get a policy that covers ALL your NON-REFUNDABLE expenses.
An important part of most typical Travel Insurances is that they will also actually provide you with EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE EXPENSE COVERAGE. A lot of people's 'home insurance' won't cover them very well in another state, and often won't cover them at all if they are out of the country, like on a cruise. This can be a big problem if you suddenly have a heart attack, or if you fall and break your back. Travel insurance will typically cover all of those emergency health problems, up to the limits of the policy, so it can provide peace of mind.
However, most people probably buy Travel Insurance thinking that if they need to cancel their trip and can't get their money back, then the insurance will cover it. This is usually true, but, again, ONLY if you fit within whatever narrow restrictions they have.
I have taken dozens of cruises and I wrote a book on Cruising, and two books on Disney World. So I have spent a lot of time trying to understand Travel Insurance. And whether you are buying Travelex Insurance from Disney (which IS NOT a bad insurance. I have purchased Travelex a number of times and have spent a lot of time talking with some of their agents, though I don't know the details of 'Disney's iteration.'), or Cruise Insurance or Airline Flight Insurance, they are all really just Travel Insurance. However, rather than buying different insurances for flights, hotel rooms, and similar things, I try to get a policy that covers it all. (Except for Rental car insurance is extra, and which MIGHT be covered by your own personal car insurance policy, or by your Credit Card, depending on their policy. Many times, your insurance from your credit card will be secondary coverage, which kicks in only if there is no other insurance, AND, be aware that a lot of policies, EVEN WHEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AT THE HORRENDOUSLY HIGH RATE FROM THE RENTAL CAR AGENCY, will actually only cover Liability. Most car rental agency policies will not provide for medical care or injury for you, and a lot of them will not even cover the car you are renting, just the people, or property, that you might collide with.)
Keep this in mind: IF you qualify for a reimbursement from your travel insurance (and that is a BIG if, since they always have a lot of loopholes)
they will typically ONLY reimburse you for the actual non-refundable money that you have spent, and lost.
Most of them will not pay you the value of your DVC room, unless you paid cash for the reservation. Maintenance fee reimbursement is probably about it.
If you got your plane ticket by using sky miles or credit card miles, then you generally WILL NOT get reimbursement for that. Likewise if you are traveling on some type of 'compensation coupon' from the airline, or whatever.
If they say they will reimburse you a certain amount for Trip Delay or Lost Luggage, or whatever, that means they will only reimburse you UP TO THE AMOUNT THEY LIST, IF YOU NEED TO SPEND MONEY BECAUSE OF THE DELAY, OR BECAUSE OF THE LOSS AND IF YOU SAVE THE RECEIPTS. For instance, if you lose luggage, they will typically pay you up to $500 or something, if you need to buy clothes. But they won't pay you more than you spend. If they pay you for Trip Delay, it is typically ONLY if you needed to spend money for a hotel room or something, or if your 'qualifying' airline flight caused you to miss the departure of your cruise, or similar things.
Since they only reimburse you for your monetary loss, you need to know that, when you buy the insurance and they ask you how much the Trip will cost, you should ONLY LIST THE AMOUNT OF ACTUAL, NON-REFUNDABLE CASH that you are spending on the trip. If you can get a refund, they will not reimburse you, and if you didn't spend cash they also won't reimburse you.
Most of the time, they WILL reimburse you for your expenses, if you need to cancel FOR A COVERED REASON, and if you are unable to get refunds. Typically, if one single member of your 'travel party' - which typically means the other people who are on the insurance with you - needs to cancel, then they will reimburse everyone who is on your insurance, if they also cancel. Here are some 'typical' covered reasons:
* A death or severe unexpected illness (usually requiring hospitalization) of your Grandparent, Parent, Brother, Sister, Spouse or Child, including family members by marriage.
* If you have been steadily employed for at least 2 years, and if you are laid off involuntarily (NOT terminated for 'reason'), or if you are transferred by your company to another address at least 250 miles from home.
* If, during the period between your purchase of the policy and your trip, your home becomes severely damaged to the point of being unlivable, by fire, flood, severe weather or other natural disaster.
* If you own a company or are partners in a company, and either the company or your partner goes bankrupt and files for bankruptcy. Sometimes they will also cover you to cancel if your partner in the company dies or has a severe illness, such that they cannot work.
* If you have a major storm, such as a hurricane, in the area where you are going.
* If there is a war or act of terrorism in the area where you are going.
* If you or one of your travel party is in the military, and if you are suddenly called up and sent elsewhere to a war zone, or to an area of severe natural disaster. But if you are in the military and your leave is just cancelled, or if you are transferred to a different base and suddenly can't take the trip, then tough luck.
* If the airline, cruiseline, or similar company, that you are travelling with, goes bankrupt.
I have done these off the top of my head, but in my experience, if your reason to cancel is not listed in one of the above, then you are unlikely to get reimbursement.
Different companies have different policies with respect to how they cover you if you have pre-existing medical conditions. Make sure you understand your policy. SOME policies will only cover you for pre-existing health conditions if you purchase the policy with 3 days, or maybe 2 weeks, after your initial cash payment for your trip. Also, some of them have different 'look back' periods, to see if any of your health conditions were treated within the most recent 180 days, or things like that. If it was, then it will be pre-existing, and might or might not be covered, based on the policy.
Save ALL your Trip invoices, Itineraries, and receipts for payments. Put these in a file or folder, in case you need to make a claim.
There have only been two occasions where we needed to make a claim:
1. My wife developed an abscessed tooth while on a cruise to Alaska, followed by a trip to
Disneyland, and required an 'emergency' root canal. We had this done by an emergency dental clinic in Los Angeles, and paid for it with a credit card, and the insurance reimbursed me.
2. We planned a massive trip to Europe for about 18 of us, visiting several countries and also taking a cruise while there. We got a really good deal by purchasing 11 months in advance, and paying up front AND NONE OF IT WAS REFUNDABLE, so I advised everyone to get Travel Insurance, and, luckily they did. As things went on, my sister and brother-in-law had to cancel because he developed sudden back problems and needed back surgery a month or two before our trip. My wife's sister and brother-in-law had to cancel because he had pre-existing cancer and suddenly took a turn for the worse. My daughter had to cancel because she became pregnant a few months later and it was a high risk pregnancy and she literally was put at strict bed rest (she had previously lost 3 pregnancies at around 20 weeks). So, she stayed home, my grand-daughter stayed home, my wife stayed home to help her and one of my sons stayed home to help. EVERYBODY ON THE TRIP could have cancelled with all of this, but the rest of us (10 people) went on the trip anyway. My sister and brother-in-law and my wife's sister and brother-in-law had their own policies and filed for reimbursement and got full refunds of about $2,500 each. I have been in the process of getting a refund for my daughter, grand-daughter, wife and son, since they were on my policy, and we are still waiting to finish that up. I am currently waiting to hear from the insurance company to let me know if they finally have ALL the paperwork and documentation, and letters from doctors and other things. I expect it will all be complete soon, but there is a time limit on this, and the claim needs to be complete by 15 months after the 'loss' and we are coming up on that fairly soon.
