As I remember the cost is usually based on the cost of the trip. Probably in the neighborhood of $100-150 and well worth it. You want travel insurance (which will cost a few $ more that covers you no matter what - if you get sick, if your plane is late, if you miss the boat etc,). Plus good insurance will airlift you home if you have medical problems while on the trip. Well worth it and we wouldn't go on a trip without it.

Jodi, HAL offers 2 different plans, standard and platinum. The standard coverage will not cover you for last minute day of departure cancellations, so look at the platinum. The price on it starts at $159 and it goes up from there, it is based on the cost of the trip. Your agent probably also has coverage that they sell directly, it may be more comprehensive, ask them to compare it for you. HAL's coverage is underwritten by Berkely Care and has very limited health care benefit to it.

Do look at the coverage, it really is important. So important that if a client of ours chooses not to take it we must have a waiver signed before we accept payment for the trip.

According to my travel agent, and my previous experience, travel insurance is also based on age. Carol

Carol, that is the norm with insurance that agents sell. The insurance sold by vendors, such as HAL, is not based on age.

I don't know much about the insurance, but Jodi...WOW. That sounds like an amazing trip! I hope you're able to go and tell us all about it. I love cruizing and that just sounds spectacular!

Lynn, so are you saying that we should ask our travel agent (vacationstogo.com) for a price from them and Holland America?

I am definitely going with a premium package. I was supposed to be in Egypt as I write this post but a knee injury last June and a severe spinal stenosis episode last Sept. put a nix on making reservations.

The gal I traveled to Antarctica with two years ago had me over for corned beef and cabbage on St. Paddy's day and we talked about how disappointed we both were for having to back out of our trip to Egypt (she too has had back problems). We both feel a bit better now and want to take advantage of that "window of good health", as it were.

This whole trip itinerary was only formed two days ago. And yes, it is an exciting one! I LOVE Japan! Have a good friend who has lived in Russia the last 6 years and so have had my interests piqued. Have Eskimo heritage and was born near Vancouver. Nice, albiet cold, list of places to visit. But hey, Antarctica was no sauna. :-)

Off to work to talk to the boss.

Jodi-

What a great trip.

We've purchased trip insurance a few times. Once we even used it when my mother was unable to go; the entire cost of the trip was refunded (not the insurance).

We have used AIG Travel Guard. I would definitely get info on HAL's policy and compare to Travel Guard or one of the other major providers. Any travel agency can make a recommendation of an insurer.

Consider whether you need coverage for cancellation due to pre-existing medical conditions. You might be able to get that coverage.

It is costly, but so is travel, and we don't have crystal balls to know what is going to happen to us, but we can try to protect ourselves with travel insurance.

Looks like I'm three vacation days short of the 15 needed to take this cruise. We'll see what my manager says. He *really* doesn't like people taking time off without pay. Cross your fingers.

In the meantime, my travel partner is checking into travel insurance with HAL and Vacations to Go.

Jodi-

Yes, Jodi, that is exactly what I meant. We compare the two when making a booking. Socks, that is the company we sell as well. We've worked with them for 12 or 13 years now.

Travel insurance is only expensive until you need it and don't have it.

Be careful about travel insurance. It declines in value as you get closer to the travel date. We took a cruise to Hawaii last year on Princess. We took the insurance when we bought tickets. I freaked out just before the trip because my daughter was acting up (she was only 17, still in high school.I wanted to cancel the trip but there was no way to get any money back. We went anyway, had a grand time and eveyone survived.

Just found out full coverage insurance for me is $192. It covers; cancellation coverage for illness, full medical and dental on ship, delayed or lost luggage. If Marilyn (my travel companion) and I book the coverage together, it is $6 cheaper and we both get our money back if one of us has to cancel due to illness or injury. Sounds like a great deal to me!

Jodi-

Cruise is booked and paid for. Travel insurance purchased. Airline tickets will be bought as soon as we decide how many days early we want to arrive in Japan before the ship departs.

I have friends in two of the three Japanese ports we're sailing to (Kobe and Tokyo). Kobe is the departing city. We want to spend time seeing the sights and visiting with my friends there before beginning the cruise.

Less than four weeks ... I've got a lot of projects, chores and shopping to do before we leave. Oh yeah, and a full time job where I'm working long hours and weekends. I will definitely need a vacation by then.

Jodi-

Great news, Jodi!! I'm glad you got the time off!!

Jannie, you had the wrong insurance for your circumstance. Travel insurance is for an unforeseen emergency. Unfortunately the cancel for any reason policies are pricey and will usually refund you in the form of a voucher from the vendor, in your case, Princess. Sometimes that is not truly insurance but is a cancellation fee waiver. True insurance does not decrease in value as you near departure.

Jodi, it sounds like a wonderful trip! How is your knee? It must be up to a dream cruise! You are going to have so much fun. Now, no buying property. We need you here!

Hey, Jodi- I bet you already know about Furoshuki, or Furoshiki, I've seen it spelled both ways. I just saw a video on tying bags out of that cloth, do you want the link? It's very cool, simple and so practical, but just gorgeous at the same time. You might want go to a Furoshuki shop and pick us up some of the big cloths! lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Furoshuki

Oh Jodi what a wonderful trip. I'm so glad you were able to get the time off. I can only imagine your excitement.
That furoshuki that Flamingo posted is so cool! I love those fabrics in that video.
I'm glad you got the travel insurance!! Smart girl!
You never know what will happen and better safe than sorry as they say. Look what happened to Glenda.
I don't think she has ever said what the result was of her trying to get her money back from the cruise line when she missed the boat...did they refund her, does anyone know??
Have a wonderful trip and we'll all be waiting for pictures!!

I love the furoshiki idea! You would not have to use Japanese fabric; any fabric would do. It's so charming, and I have a bin of nice fabrics which I could hem and use. Thanks, Flamingo.

But I WANT authentic Japanese fabric, Socks! lolol I don't have any fabrics that are as nice on the back as they are on the front. And cotton, to boot! It's very cool, though, isn't it? And you're welcome, I love stuff like this, don't you?

Jenni, did you click on the link below the video? Great ways to wrap all different sorts of things and shapes.

Jodi, I forget to add- trip insurance is a great idea, well worth the money, I think.

Flamingo, yes I did. Makes me want to go find something to wrap up! LOL

Thanks Flamey for the video link, that was fun to watch and I will be sure to look for Furoshiki shops while in the Kyoto area.

There was never a moment (this trip) when I didn't consider travel insurance. The last time I was scheduled to go to Japan (without travel insurance, I might add), I seriously broke my ankle (requiring surgery for pins and wire) an hour after I bought the tickets for my son and I. That was 6.5 weeks before the trip. If you've ever broken a bone you will know that 6.5 weeks is not enough time to fully recoup from a break that bad. I was totally bedridden the entire time with my broken ankle elevated to speed healing.

A week after surgery, I broke my "good" foot on my crutches (yeah, yeah, I know...). I couldn't shop for our month-long visit to Japan until two days before departure and that was via wheelchair.

Three days before departure I got a removeable cast up to my knee for my ankle that I had to wear another 4-5 weeks. My broken foot was fine by then but hurt alot.

Trying to manuever around Japan was torture and two days into the trip I removed my cast, wrapped my ankle tightly, put on a pair of hightop hiking shoes and proceeded to see Japan.

We stayed with friends in Tokyo and joined them on vacation to a small fishing village a day's trip away. By the time we got home a month later, my physical therapist said there was nothing more he could do for me that I hadn't already done by walking on the ankle while in Japan.

The next year our son (then age 13) was to go back to our friends in Japan and spend another month. Again, no travel insurance. Five days before leaving, he frqactured his wrist rollerblading and we had to cancel his trip. Our travel agent and friends in Japan just couldn't believe it! DS went to Japan the following year without trauma to himself but our agent and host family were a little apprehensive. :-).

I don't recall getting insurance for our trip to Antarctica and Bueno Aires two years ago because we went on even shorter notice than this trip and we were much younger then. LOL

FYI Flamey, I bought the the Buenos Aires book you recommended when we talked a couple months ago and will read it while on the cruise.

Jodi-

Flamey, I think I have some pieces of batik I bought years ago which would be good. I wonder if the edges have to be sewn. Such a practical idea. I try hard to avoid taking plastic bags. A few come in handy, but when you cannot get the cupboard shut because of too many plastic bags, that's not good!

But if I were going to Japan, I'd definitely pick up a few! I did see them on e-bay--kinda pricey for fabric.

Socks, I didn't think about batiks, that's a great idea! I even have some on hand, but probably not big enough. I would hem the edges because otherwise they'll unravel a little, and pinked edges wouldn't look so good, IMO. And the Ebay fabrics I saw seemed too bulky to me, not fluid and drapey like in the video.

Jodi! No wonder you want insurance, sheesh! I'm glad you got the book, enjoy it!

Please don't anyone travel without travel insurance. My then 80 year old mom went with a friend to Spain.. Some kind of 'condo' rental via a university sponsored trip.. Anyway -- after checking into the condo/hotel, she returns to the desk to turn in her passport/papers.. Heading back up to their room, a kind person waves her into the elevator first... she trips over the 'lip' as the elevator didn't come down flush with the floor... flailing around she ends up with a broken femur [luckily not that AND 2 broken arms!!!] While the surgeon spoke excellent English -- she did find out that the rest of the staff weren't quite so fluent... 'wee-wee' did get her the bedpan !! Her friend kept us up-to-date on her condition & when she would be traveling home... But the insurance paid for it all... the surgery, hospital, airfare with nurse accompanying her [actually paid nurse to come from England to Spain & then to Chicago] and the ambulance trip from Chicago to her home town hospital... Well worth the couple of hundred dollars -- don't you think...
PS.. She's not left the country since & and always looks down when entering an elevator... lol!!

Wow Cate! If there was any doubt whatsoever, you just squashed it.

My DH commented today how expensive the travel insurance was. I explained carefully all the benefits of the plan I got. Told him several stories I have read about people who did and those who did not have travel insurance and encountered travel difficulties. He said, yeah, I guess you're right. He better say that, he's been an insurance agent for 33 years! LOL

Jodi-

Not to beat a dead horse but being in this buz for 32 years I have a lot of stories about need for insurance. And Jodi, insurance agents are the worst for buying it.

But just last year we had a client on a cruise who had a heart attack, he was hospitalized in Aruba but had to be flown home via air ambulance. That flight cost $34,000. He had no insurance. I've also had to fly a woman home from China and unfortunately I've had to repatriate remains more than once. All are expensive ventures, both in dollars and in emotions.