This was originally posted by deja2004 on the community forum.

I have to agree with what everyone is saying about the importance of purchasing the travel insurance. We get it every time. The primary reason is that I have medical issues (I suffered from 9 strokes about 4 years ago--not to worry ladies, I have recovered quite well and have very few lingering effects), and though I currently have a clean bill of health, I have a "pre-existing medical condition". Travelex, as Evergreen & Donkey pal stated, covers those. Also remember that MOST US health insurances companies severely limit coverage outside the US, if they provide it at all.

Deja

This was originally posted by JoCindy on the community forum.

stripeit,
I continue to believe that your story shows so well, why the travel insurance is a great idea. Glad to hear that you continue to be doing well.

Do you have another Olivia vacation planned yet?

This was originally posted by evergreen on the community forum.

stripeit. So glad that you are okay.
We never got a chance to meet you on our cruise. Maybe next time.......

This was originally posted by stripeit on the community forum.

Hello all, I am the lady that had the heart attack and I will never travel without the insurance. They paid for everything NO QUESTIONS ASKED and did it all very very promptly. By the way I am OK. Doctors have said I was remarkable in my recovery. Also I was told without the insurance I would have had to stay on the ship until it went back to Florida as I could not cover the air transport on my credit card. But I do not know to many people that could($100,000.00) Travelex was a very good company to do business with and I would not hesitate to use them again .

This was originally posted by Donkeypal on the community forum.

yeah Jo- I remember reading that one.

This was originally posted by JoCindy on the community forum.

Aloha,

This was written on another thread about travel insurance. I hope that it helps. (BTW - we buy it also through Travelex and find them very easy to work with).

"My partner and I were on the Caribbean Cruise in January when I had a Heart Attack. I was taken to the ships facility and they got me stablized.
I had to be put on lifeboat, than to flat bed trailer taken to helicopter , than flown to Nassua where I was put on a Leer Jet, flown to Miami and ER Squad took me to hospital. Without the Insurance I would have to stay on ship until cruise ended because my credit card would not hold charges for the proceeding flights. The insurance prepaid for all of these so I could be taken to main land and surgery was preformed. I am Ok. My partner was put up in a hotel and they insurance paid for that; we were days late getting home, the insurance paid for our flights home at the last minute.
I never had any sign of any thing wrong with me. Also the week before the curise I had physical and was give and all Ok by my regular doctor.
I am so happy I paid the $100 +++ for the policy, now I no do have to worry about all the extra costs of getting sick while away from home and Now I really do not need the worry of the extra expense. The insurance is worth it price in GOLD and MORE. Anyone thinking twice about purchasing it , please don't. They are wonderful people to work with and while worth the price.
Happy Traveling to All and Hope nothing likes this ever happens to anyone else. But Life is Full of Surprises".

This was originally posted by evergreen on the community forum.

.....and we still need a spellchecker here!

This was originally posted by evergreen on the community forum.

Another reason for using Travelex, they are recommended by Olivia. If, perchance, you had a problem with a claim I am sure that Olivia would assist you. I have no actual example on which to base this input but having travelled with Olivia for years now I know they normally only deal with the best & support you if you have a problem.

This was originally posted by Bev and Susan on the community forum.

I've researched other companies and Travelex seems to be the cheapest. We get their midrange plan, which they call "travel lite", which covers trip cancellation, luggage, etc. We have never, and will never, book a trip without purchasing the insurance. Peace of mind is worth the few hundred dollars.
Bev

This was originally posted by deb&wendy on the community forum.

Hi Aloha I brought up another travel ins topic that was posted earlier this year. Hope this helps.

This was originally posted by mary prade on the community forum.

Hi from Mary in Canada as well. I have always purchased insurance and until the Hawaii cruise in '06 I had been fortunate to have never made a claim.....
While golfing on the island of Kauai my fanny pack fell off the golf cart. It happened between holes 8 and 10 and even with the quick realization that it was missing, it was never seen again. It had my life in it... passport, my wallet with bank cards and i.d., money, etc. Lucky I had a photocopy of my passport and important cards in my backpack, cuz I did not have any i.d. to get back on the ship with or go anywhere for that matter. I always make a few photocopies of the above i.d. stuff and stick them in various suitcases. The photocopy was such a help as was the Travelex staff. I did not enjoy the last 2 days of the cruise as I was in the lobby using the ship's hand held phone for hours calling credit card companies and others to advise of my loss. Travelex put a flag on all my credit reports and cards and advised me to make a full loss report when I got home.
In fact, I was such a presence in the lobby for 2 days, Jeri of Olivia, send a gift basket to my room after witnessing the stress I was going thru, saying that she hoped it would cheer me up a bit!
I could not even leave the port without a passport when all other passengers were off loading. I had to call the police to file a lost property report at the ship in order to get out of the port. I could not leave Hawaii either without a temp. I.D. document. The Aussie consulate helped me as the nearest Canadian one was in San Fransico. Fortunately 3 different passengers lent me $100 U.S. each(since paid back with thanks)in order for me to get a hotel room and to be able to eat. I did not have a bank card and the replacement ones would not reach me in time. I was stuck in Honolulu for 3 days, going to get passport pictures, seeing a Notary, etc, etc.
I had to change my flight going home until I got my temp. signed and sealed I.D. letter. It was not a pleasant way to end my vacation.
It took another six months to finalize my claim with all the details that Travelex needed, but I did get re-imbursed for most of my losses.
May this never happen to you, but do photocopy your passport and other important documents.

I will never go without insurance and sometimes I even over-insure... Cheers, Mary

This was originally posted by Donkeypal on the community forum.

Go up to search and look up other comments on travel insurance too- has been brought up several times. It is SO valuable and so inexpensive! With a deluxe verandah room on Carib Treasures incl flight- it won't be up to $300 each for us. The extra medical coverage is a necessity. Does cover pre- existing. Plus so many other small things you would not think of. I know some have filed claims and been happy with how they were treated.It is such a piece of mind to have it.
YOUR QUESTIONS ARE AWESOME THO- hope others answer.

This was originally posted by evergreen on the community forum.

Aloha. In 39 years of travelling together we have never travelled anywhere without insurance. You never know what might occur so it's best to be covered. It could be personal illness or injury, It could be family illness &, God forbid, death.

You never know what might happen that cancels your vacation plans. We would rather pay that insurance fee & feel secure.

Then, of course, there's the lost luggage, there's the possibility that delayed flights could cause you to miss the beginning of, or the whole, cruise.

Read up on coverage, there are so many things that could either cancel or ruin your vacation that you might not have considered.

We are Canadian so our comparisons might differ but one thing we know is that the Travelex insurance is one of the cheapest we've found. It covers pre-existing health issues & that is hard to get with any other company. It certainly is more reasonable than the rates we would have to pay through our travel agent here.

We have, fortunately, never had to claim but I have read reports on this forum in the past that indicates that they are easy & fast to deal with.

Hope this feedback helps.

Julie

This was originally posted by Aloha on the community forum.

Hello Ladies ~

Info: as individuals that travel a lot and have had great luck with luggage over the many years, we're not normally apt to buy travel insurance. Never have. This past trip to Venice and the Greek Island cruise taught us several lessons. Char went without luggage for the almost 3 weeks. (Last seen in Washington DC on the way to Venice and picked it back up in Frankfurt, Germany on the way home after missing yet another connector.) Anyway, lessons learned were to distribute clothing between bags (always packed separately out of habit of different business travels) and consider travel insurance. Under normal circumstances we probably would not bother with travel insurance still but we are now booked on the Through Russia with Love river cruise and certainly don't want to go through the no luggage on a cruise thing again. EVER! (Buying clothing in Venice was EXPENSIVE and it was just announced that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world. <gulp>>

Comment: For whatever reason, Olivia recommends Travelex Travel Insurance which may or may not be the best for all we know. There are many companies offering travel insurance that can be compared with Travelex if you have the time and desire to do so. Those are two of the things we have little of. This is where we're hoping you can and will help.

Questions:
a) Do you buy travel insurance?
b) If yes, why do you buy it?
c) If no, why not? Cost? No fear?
d) If yes, do you compare the wide range of services and prices available to the consumer? Or just go with Olivia's recommendation?
e) If you do buy and don't just go with the recommended company, do you have a preferred company & why?
f) If yes, have you ever had to place a claim with the Travel Insurance company?
g) If yes, for what reason and how was their response.
h) Can you think of any other questions we should ask but have forgotten?

If this were a flight across country or something we probably would be going on like normal but after the last headache we at least have to look. We'd appreciate any information you may be willing to share. I believe we're on some sort of timeline now that we've booked and want to ensure we've done our homework prior to either accepting (paying for) or declining the idea of travel insurance. Thank you for your assistance in advance.

Feel free to respond via this forum or email SalesStuff@verizon.net. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Aloha! Ann & Char