Would it kill you to lose the deposit? If you feel insurance is a bad value, take your chances.

I would investigate if you get it for free with any of the credit cards. I know I've had that in the past as I ended up using it as I got sick and was in the hospital.

DH refuses to buy it.

If it's as difficult to collect as it was when we had our house fire, it's not worth the stress.

We just take our chances.

We have excellent insurance, so I don't worry about that. My concern is getting home to get care where I live. We subscribe annually to medjet assist, a company that handles medical evacuation if you are hospitalized in another country or state. There is a family rate that isn't awful, and there is a strictly domestic plan if you are traveling only in the U.S.

I've heard pros and cons about this type of service, and can say with certainty that if you've ever dealt with a relative who had an accident or fell ill in another country you would appreciate the value this offers. My father had a massive stroke in Heidleberg Germany and it took almost a month and a presidential order to get him back to the states.

For major trips I wouldn't go without good travel insurance. I think it cost about 6% of my last trip but easier to pay 6% extra than lose 100% IMO. One never knows what can happen that is out of one's control, especially when booking well in advance. I know of people who didn't have travel insurance and their trip was cancelled due to floods in Europe. Sure they had the option of taking the trip later but that wasn't as convenient for them and with trip insurance they could have had their money refunded and had more options.

I firmly believe in insurance and may be over-insured but it's been worth it for the few times I've had to claim and for the peace of mind.

We had it for a long planned SE asia sabbatical trip and we had to change plans due to illness. But it was impossible to get reimbursement. Now we just wing it and take our chances.

Golddust, It wouldnt kill me to lose it if it doesn't kill me to spend it, right? But, to me it is a lot of money all the same -- a non refundable 10k deposit for an event that is 14 months away. I don't usually have to plan that far in advance, or give that size deposit.

Red, I tend to agree.

KSWL, I am pretty sure my Amex card has this. I had to be evacuated once, but it was a business trip. It can get tricky.

Luckygal, Where did you purchase it?

Lyfia, Great idea, I can't believe I forgot to check that.

GWlol - if you don't mind my asking, what company was it, and why didn't they pay your claim? This is what I was wary of.

We get it for expensive trips and have had to use it in the past. My folks booked a tour with a co that ended up in bankruptcy and the insurance covered the cost. At our age, you can never be sure what will happen. Of course with our last tour, the insurance only covered health reasons, and no other...like my house just burned down. I asked if death would be considered a health issue and she said yes.

But check with your cr cd co...some offer various types of travel insurance as a bene.

Yes, Amex has it at the platinum level, but only for the cardholder, as far as I know, and then only if the trip has been paid for by the card. At least, that was the case a few years ago. We buy the membership that covers our entire family, whether we are traveling together or singly, by car or plane, etc. It covers business, pleasure, kids on school trips, etc. It's only $400 per year. If you have to evacuate someone in a coma, you'll be glad of it. :-(

The company I work for is a remote luxury fishing lodge with average of 3 day stays. We sell the travel insurance to people who want it and there are quite a few claims due to weather issues (in Alaska). The company we use has been excellent to work with and paid claims with no trouble, That said, the insur co. is having some kind of trouble which is leading us to switch companies this year so I don't really have a company to recommend. I am pretty anti-insurance but I would get it for an expensive trip booked well in advance. It is pretty cheap and my experience with claims handling was good.

Regarding the issue with floods causing cancellation of a trip.

The insurance undoubtedly would have called it an act of God and refused to pay.

Maybe I'm just being cynical because of my experiences.

Red- who did you use?

Our insurance through travelex covered weather issues. They were a dream to work with and we had no issues whatsoever. We've used them for 6 trips in 10 years and made claims twice. Once due to earthquake/mud slides. Everything was covered. The second time I didn't think I would be able to collect as I had healthproblems which prevented travel. This was discovered only 13 days out and resulted in a 24 day hospital stay ... But once again I had no problems with the claim reimbursement.

My son and I traveled to to Ireland for 10 days and we purchased travel insurance through Am Ex. I do have the Platinum card but the policy covered both of us - and the policy I selected even covered the trip in the event my son would have to cancel due to work.

Like any insurance policy it's difficult to know how good it is - unless you need it.

I think mtn may have been referring to automatic evacuation insurance that is not purchased, bur rather is one of the benefits of being a cardholder.

Now that most of our air travel is with ff miles I don't insure the trip itself against loss. Most other things can be cancelled without penalty, or with a small penalty. I used to use Travel Guard for insurance against the cost of the actual trip when there was more than a certain dollar amount I felt comfortable losing. We took 11 family members to NYC at Christmas for a week in 2008 and I did insure that one--- there were just too many variables and too many people. We never had to collect, thank heavens!

Kswl- guess I misunderstood. I assumed with a 10k deposit for a trip so far out she was referring to trip insurance rather than medical evacuation.

And while most will give a refund, I guess it depends on the type of travel. I have found that most of our trips which usually involve wilderness guides or chartered flights have no refund policy past x day but will offer vouchers for future days if weather does not cooperate. However a voucher for a future remote heli drop for snowboarding in new zealand doesn't work for me if I won't be back in the voucher time frame (usually 1 year). I feel much safer with travel insurance.

Schnauzer love--my cynicism arises from our house fire insurance experience rather than travel insurance. Sorry I didn't make myself clear.

I_heart, yes, it was trip insurance I was thinking of. Altough KSWL brings up good points. IIRC correctly the tour operator requires evacuation insurance, and in any event I have a while to investigate that. I just wasn't sure if trip insurance would need to be done at time of booking, which is now.

These tours only operate about 8 weeks or so a year, and there are a lot of complexities to whether it will be able to leave as planned, and there is also risk about our ability to get to the remote area where the tour starts. Couple that with the expense. and the distance into the future, and you see the reason I am considering insurance for the first time.

Thanks, everyone.

Mnt, my travel insurance was recommended by my travel agent and was Aetna insurance through Royal Bank of Canada which is the largest financial institute (bank, insurance, etc) in this country (also in many other countries altho no longer in the US). I have no doubt they would have paid for a legitimate reason as banks in Canada are quite reliable. I bought a non-medical plan as have good private medical insurance which covers all medical situations including evacuation.

Have you checked to see if you are covered thru your credit card? Mine would have covered except I am now over the age limit.

We have always purchased travel insurance when we sign up for cruises. Not only does it cover you for trip cancelation, but also covered for medical expenses (if you end up needing the doc onboard, you can be reimbursed), or GF if you need to be transported back home due to illness. There are options to cancel for any reason, etc.

We have used an online site Insure My Trip. They compare many different plans. You can look at all the options and see what you need. I've never bought insureance through an airline or a cruiseline directly, you can make out much better with a place like this.

It's very important if you have a family member (even one who is not traveling with you) who is ill and you may have to cancel for some reason because of them.

Some trips are just too expensive to take the chance. And when you have completely paid in full, it's more than a deposit that you lose.

Here is a link that might be useful: We've used this site

We bought it when going to Mexico. Husband ended up in ER. He had great care. Would do again!

A $10,000. deposit? (cough cough) Please tell us where you are going and what level accommodations you feel like you need for this vacation.

Golddust, the 98%.

Lucky, my Amex does, up to 10k per person (thank you to the poster who reminded me to check). However, the tour operator will charge a 2.5% fee for using a credit card, EXCEPT for the deposit. So, I am having them process the deposit today or tomorrow, and that 10k will be covered by Amex insurance. The next payment IIRC is to pay the balance in full, 120 days before departure. So I have from now until then to decide if I want to pay the 2.5% to have Amex insure it, or go elsewhere.

Bee, thank you thank you, that is so cool! perfect

Jterri -- good to know

Golddust, I hesitated posting that number, but the number is the point here. That and the remoteness are the only reason I would ever even think of insurance.

We are going on an Antarctic cruise. It involves getting to a very remote Chilean outpost, flying, then boarding a small cruise ship. There is a lot to go wrong, and there is almost no flexibility to move the trip, since the window to visit (weather wise) is very short, capacity is controlled/limited, and flights are also limited.

Mtn- awesome vacation! We did something similar a few years ago. Flew out of Punta Arenas to one of the south shetland islands then cruised from there. It was my favorite vacation that didn't involve split boarding. Anyway, I was a nervous wreck anticipating the weather window or chain reactions that could prevent us from enjoying ourselves. I'm glad you have insurance through your cc, it can provide a little peace of mind for such an amazing but weather travel dependent trip.

Bad insurance story- My parents were faithful every year to purchase travel insurance before their trip to Yuma. A few years ago my mom tripped on her sandel and fell and hit her head and hurt her arm she went to the hospital to see if she broke something not the wrist but had bleeding on the brain. The insurance company(co-op underwriter) authorized a flight to Phoenix in case emergency brain surgery was needed. When they finally released her from the hospital she was not allowed to fly and insurance co said no other payments would be made for this incident so she had to get driven to Canada ASAP. When she got home we got a call saying no problem every thing was covered.....But within a month a letter came denying the claim and we had proof that it was authorized she was then hounded by hospitals airlines etc. to pay the bills insurance was supposed to cover. Not only that 3 other friends that year had denied claims after the fact I am not sure if it was W5 or Market place that did an investigation on medical travel forms for insurance but the jist was you need to be both a doctor and a lawyer to fill them out adequitly(sp) Any test is considered a proceedure and can null and void your contract. Having said that I still buy travel insurance but only in hopes that they will cover but really don't trust them to provide what they sell. Good Luck :D

Thanks, CL, I will add that to the cautionary tales!

IheartGS ...

I don't think that is a SIMILAR trip, I think that is the SAME trip! OMG, you must tell me all about it!

The reason I am pretty sure its the same trip --- i think there is only one company that has the facilities and the permission to do the fly/cruise thing. Once I discovered we could visit Antarctica without devoting all or most of our 3 week vacation to it, I really didn't look at any other options. We don't want to go to the area without seeing some other places nearby (very loosely defined!), but the kids can't be gone more that 3 weeks or so. I would google it and think I found another operator who did the fly/cruise trip, but when I dug further it turned out they were all brokers of some sort, booking the same trip I'd already found. I'm dealing direct (I think???)

When did you go?

Mtn- it was incredible! We were on the Ocean Nova. I also thinnk that quark adventure or something like that does the same trip. We never interacted with them as only 100 passengers were allowed on an island at time. But we followed the quark through the Ferguson channel and a few straits. We also saw a few yachts and sailboats in our travels.

This was my first cruise. Cruising previously conjured up cheesy love boatesque images in my head. I usually opt for skiing traverses from yurt to yurt or backpacking trips or exploring cities by foot and bike. However, my godparents graciously invited my brother, my SIL, my DH and me along for an incredible experience. We went in January 2010.

Our polar circle cruise was to be 7 actual sailing days. However it was only 6 IIRC. We were not able to fly out the first day due to inclement weather. Some of the grumpier passengers were immediately in a tiff worried that they would only get 5% back if we didn't make it out by day 4. The trip after ours had to be cancelled entirely. They worried for nothing as we were able to fly out on day 2 to king George. I thought the programs they had set up to choose from for our extended stay in p.a. were varied and interesting.

I think the ship can accommodate 70 passengers or so, but we only had 51. A varied group. A few retired couples checking their last trip off the bucket list. A few families with school aged children. Everyone was great. I really enjoyed mingling with all the guests. Meals were better than I expected.

On king George, I was oddly fascinated by trinity church at bellingshausen. I'm agnostic and find the determination to build a church on such a remote outpost intriguing. I expected to be awed by my natural surroundings as it was my first step into the foreign sea and land, but I didn't expect to be weirdly captivated by such small a building. It was only our first day but there were seals, chinstrap penguins, and gentoo penguins! I was in no hurry to leave. But eventually it was time to head to our ship.

This was the first time I had ever been in a zodiac. I finally felt at ease in one on day 6! There's just something slightly unnerving to me about the prominently displayed "emergency box" in each zodiac. Although I knew we were in great hands, I was never 100 percent at ease while tendering to shore. The scenery on every day is amazing, fjords, calving glaciers, minke whales, penguins!!! the intense blue of the water....

Deception island was amazing. We didn't need jackets on many of trips ashore. The weather was about 40 degrees or so. Great hiking. Sailing through the entrance into the caldera of an active volcano was incredible!

Around paradise bay and culverville bay we saw humpback whales with their calves.crab eater seals, leopard seals, singing seals..... Soooo much to see!

The views from the ship are amazing, but I really liked the fact that we were able to get closer views of the massive cliffs of ice or the frozen waterfalls on evening zodiac cruises.

Being the dork that I am, I enjoyed the lectures on board. The day after a lecture on whaling and fisheries we'd see signs of the whaling wreckages or old abandon huts. I enjoyed the lectures on wildlife because it became immediately helpful on zodiac sails shore excursions to identify birds or seals or what I was seeing in the distance when I trekked up some craggy incline. Oh and I found the photography lessons extremely helpful!

We Had signed up for the sea kayak group. However the conditions were only deemed safe enough for sea kayaking on one day. That 895 dollar fee was never charged. Despite the delay the captain did reach the polar circle!

Sorry for writing a novel. Best experience ever. We experienced mild weather except for day 1 and day 6. Day6 was awful. I stayed in our cabin. Winds of like 80-90 mph or something and huge waves. It had been very tense on the zodiac earlier in the day when the storm began approaching sooner than expected. Unlike the night before when we had anchored and had midnight cocktails under the moonlight on the frigid deck. The two weather occurrences were not enough to dampen my experience. I highly highly recommend to anyone. The key I think is just to be flexible without have any expectation for which islands you'll visit as the circuit is so weather dependent. My husband wants to take another fly/cruise excursion again when our son is in middle school. I'm definitely game.

Where else will you be traveling?

Iheart,

Thank you for taking the time to write so extensively!

Yes, this is the Ocean Nova. We are booking directly with them in Punta Arenas.

I have been on Caribbean cruises as a kid, but cruising generally is not our style, either. But it is pretty much the only way to see Antarctica.

I do agree that you really have to be willing to roll with the punches on such a trip! What was scary about the Zodiac? I have been on them but only in tropical waters.

I love your descriptions, it sounds exactly like what we are looking for. But I don't think I'd want three weeks of it, even if our kids' schedules allowed it. I assume you got seasick on the bad weather day? One of the reasons I didn't want to go via Drakes Passage was I tend to get sick. Did you take anything?

You will think I am crazy when I tell you where else we are going! But we five are inveterate travelers and I am trying to give them a "sampling" of the world; Antarctica will be the 7th continent our family has travelled to. Anyway, our trip will include Easter Island, Machu Picchu and a quick stint in BA on our way back. To some it sounds crazy but It's the way we always travel!

Mtn--living vicariously through you. Where is BA?

Just spent time reading and googling Antarctic cruises. We aren't adventurous enough I don't think, but I admire you for even thinking of it.

DD and SIL spent their honeymoon hiking to Machu Picchu. Their pictures freaked me out, but they had the time of their lives. Hired their own guide and cook. They loved it.

This picture makes them look like they need travel insurance.

what a great thread! my BF is traveling to chile in 2 weeks, and we're hoping to make the trip together in january...the thought of cruising antarctica would have never occurred to me! if we go, it would be in january so any feedback on weather issues would be appreciated....i tend toward seasickness so yes it is a concern

Red lover, that is one of my dream vacations! Don't think I could ever talk husband into it though.

Hi Red, BA is Buenos Aires sorry! When people talk about travel in South America, the cool kids call it BA. Actually, since I am zero cool, they probably call it something else by now but I still think of it as "BA".

One of the downsides of the amount of things we pack into our itinerary is that we don't spend too terribly long in any one place (a week in Antarctica for starters). So we will be taking the train (funnily, its part of the Orient Express?) up to Machu Picchu and do day hikes.

Desert - I can't be of any help, maybe you mean IHeartGs?
We won't be going until next December, which is why I was thinking about insurance.

Mtn- I think your travel plans are fantastic! Easter island! I wish we had though to include that! Dec is light mud season regarding Machu Picchu IIRC? I've been there but in April. We did a jungle trek: biking hiking train and ziplines. We also tend to squeeze in a good amount when we travel. So I understand your plans. We spent 4 days in the bariloche region of Patagonia then 4 days in BA after our cruise. I had only been in Patagonia for ski season so actually being there to enjoy horseback riding hiking etc was nice experience.

The zodiac wasn't scary, but I never was 100 percent at ease. My family teased me about being a control freak. I can slap on avalanche gear and go backcountry skiing for a week with ice climbing involved, but the presence of the emergency boxes on the zodiacs were a constant reminder of some catastrophe. yet, after day 6 I was fine! As I said the storm blew in out of nowhere. our 4 hour land excursion was cut in half as we headed back to our zodiac. The seas were so much choppier than our approach. Our return to the nova was a tense white knuckle experience. But we made it safely even though we were all soaked. After that the box didn't bother me. Having said that, i think I just like to be "behind the wheel" so to speak?

i only required Bonine on day 6 and the morning of day 7. However, I did wear these pressure point straps during the trip. I love those. The on board doctor has a quiver of medicine and bracelets for passengers if needed. My DH, who had only sailed around Block head island, Great Lakes and Pacific Coast only needed Dramamine. We experienced calmer seas than expected for most of our trip.

Desert- As for weather and sea sickness, I'm no expert. We avoided the drake passage because of the horror stories we had heard from family. Its such a deep passage and when its bad it is very very bad. yet if the seas are calm, ive heard the passage is a magnificent. I wasnt willing to chance it. plus we had limited time and wanted to fit Bariloche and BA into our travels. We only had 2 days of weather. The first made flying impossible. The second was one very tough night. I honestly don't remember the exact specifics but think 85mph plus constant winds and huge constant waves (50+ ft). You could definitely feel it. As I told Mtn, I just took bonine an stayed in our cabin. It is worth noting that the cruise the following week was cancelled entirely because of unsafe weather. Generally speaking, the temps were no different than a winter in the northeast until actually on the continent. Sailing around and exploring the Shetlands we needed little more than layers and sometimes shed our outer hard shell jackets to hike. It's a great experience, but you really have to be flexible and willing to roll with the punches if they can not leave PA by day 3. Actually I believe you'll be in a different city by day 3 to fly to king George. Which illustrates my point, be ready to explore chile via alternative excursion options while waiting for a window to open.

Thanks again, IheartGS for your detailed reply.

I guess I am now REALLY glad we are not doing Drake's Passage. I have warned the rest of the family that they should think of the trip as a trip to Southern Chile and an attempt to see Antarctica, lest we be disappointed by mother nature.

As far as MP, if we were trekking there I would not go in end Dec., but we are going to stay at the Lodge next to the entrance rather then down in Aquas Caliente. So hopefully by being right there at the entrance, we can be opportunistic about picking the best time to visit vis a vis crowds and rainshowers!

Anyway, the deposit it paid and insured by Amex as of now, so thank for everyone's input and I will have to decide if we want to buy insurance next August when the rest is prepaid. Thx!