Travel Insurance for your Disney Vacation “Must Do” or “No Way?”

When you travel to Disney are you purchasing trip insurance?  Is the extra cost worth it?  I’ll share my experiences and you can decide for yourself!

Our Story

I had never bought trip insurance in my life prior to my first trip with my then 2-year-old in February 2009.  Our thoughts were that kids get sick and weather in the Northeast is fickle.  We had paid for our entire trip in advance through Disney reservations but were concerned about running into problems.  Turns out we didn’t need it and in the scheme of things we forgot all about it.

Our next trip the following year we debated about adding the cost.  After all we didn’t use it last time.  Again, traveling in March swayed us to purchase the trip insurance.  That year my son got very sick and required an ambulance to the hospital to be evaluated.  I followed suit, but recovered a little more quickly. What was also troubling was that we were due to fly back in a day.  The doctor had advised us not to travel to avoid spreading the virus.  Between the insurance company and Disney we were well taken care of and we were able to stay a few extra days, expenses covered.  Keeping in mind, each company is different, here is what we were reimbursed for:

• Hotel Room for Extra Nights: Disney let us keep our room.
• Flight Rebooking:  Insurance company handled all arrangements.
• Our Baggage Fees:   Which we had prepaid for the trip home.
• Ambulance and Emergency Room Care:  We have a high deductible insurance plan.
• Visit by a Doctor:  This was more to confirm my illness as I didn’t need to be hospitalized.
• Prescriptions:  Paid for by insurance, which Disney had delivered to our room
• Additional Expenses:  Snacks, Water, Meals that occurred during the “”extra” time were at Disney.

Fast forward to December of last year.  We purchased the insurance without a thought.  Thankfully our entire trip went fantastically.  Until the day we left.  Predicted blizzards in the Northeast were wreaking havoc on travel.  While we were able to get home, my Mother-in-law who was traveling with us did not.  Her flight to NY was delayed for days.  The insurance company reimbursed her for her hotel at the airport and rebooked her flight as soon as possible.  All of her expenses were taken care of.   Of course, I would have been right  back on the Magical Express for a few more Disney days, but I try not to judge.

The Bottom Line

Trip Insurance can add about $100 or more to your trip.  Considering that we used it 2 out of the 3 times we travelled with it, worth it in our opinion.  Not only for the reimbursement of our costs, but for the assistance of the insurance company with finding doctors, rebooking flights and getting hotel rooms.   You will need to evaluate the cost/benefit for your particular situation.  Here are some points to consider when making a decision to purchase travel insurance:

• Traveling with Children or Older Adults-Prone to Illness
• Weather-Winter or Hurricane Season
• Your Own Insurance-Deductibles, Coverage of Medical
• Cancellation Policy-With your Travel Agent or Disney

I would hope that not one persons trip to the most Magical Place on Earth is ruined by weather, illness or unforseen circumstances.  Review the trip insurance policies offered to make the right choice for you.   As a side note, Disney did the best it could to make things better for us when we were sick.  Our room was cleaned several times a day, extra towels and linens were left and my favorite; a balloon bouquet and a card from Mickey for my son.

So stay healthy, pack the hand sanitizer and enjoy your trip to Disney!

Related articles

• How to avoid getting sick while at Disney (chipandco.com)
• Dealing with Grief – The Christmas We Escaped to Disney World (chipandco.com)

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