What's The Best Trip Protection Plan for Our Cruise?

G.R. from Michigan asks: In February we will be flying from Michigan to Tampa, Florida, and then boarding a Caribbean cruise the next day. My main concern is bad weather in Michigan causing us to miss the cruise. I see this Worldwide Trip Protector Lite plan is $156 total for me and my wife. Would that be a good plan to have? 

Dan’s Answer:  I would not recommend that plan for weather cancellation or interruption coverage. I know the premium looks really good compared to the others we are showing on the Policy Picker, but we need to make sure this plan does what you need it to do. Take a look at the Trip Protector Lite description of coverage to see why I’m concerned. For weather-related cancellations or interruption to be covered, your common carrier has to be shut down for 24 hours or more. The policy language reads: “Inclement weather that causes complete cessation of services for at least 24 consecutive hours of the Common Carrier on which you are scheduled to travel.” When was the last time you heard of an airport being closed for a full 24 hours or more? Now you might be beginning to see why this policy is less expensive than some others. I’m not saying that the Worldwide Trip Protector Lite plan is a bad policy. I’m saying that the plan is not your best choice for weather-related cancellations or interruptions.

Let me suggest the AIG Travel Guard Gold plan. For $88 dollars more than the Worldwide Trip Protector Lite, it would actually do what you need your travel insurance plan to do — cover bad weather! The weather cancellation interruption policy language on the Gold plan reads: “Inclement Weather causing delay or cancellation of travel.”

Just remember that there is always a good reason a lite plan is priced lightly. As always, our goal is help you find the plan that does what you need it to do for the best price.