Disney's inferior travel protection plan

Shame on Disney for offering a substandard travel insurance product. True story: A client booked a one-week Disney cruise in the Mediterranean for herself and her sons. Concierge cabins on these ships are few and far between, so when she saw some online availability, she booked it herself on Disney's website. And then she purchased the "Disney Cruise Line Vacation Protection Plan" which, per the Disney website, "covers your family for certain unexpected circumstances and emergencies - both during and before your vacation."

Travel protection is so important when you make non-refundable deposits with long cancellation deadlines. I worked with my client to make sure that her cruise and tours were all protected. When looking into Disney's "Vacation Protection Plan" for her cruise, she discovered that its coverage was limited to $10,000. Her cabin cost over $21,000. How can Disney, in good conscience, sell a "Vacation Protection Plan" that protects less than one-half of her vacation?

The Disney Cruise Line Vacation Protection Plan is inferior in other ways as well. Medical coverage is so important when traveling out of the country. Disney's travel insurance through Aon offers secondary medical coverage; claims must first be submitted to your regular health insurance plan, and Aon will reimburse the deductible and any refused claims up to $10,000. And what about service? My colleagues report client frustrations with Disney's insurance carrier when making claims.

How does that compare with the competition? Travelex is our preferred partner for travel protection. Here are the top five reasons why Travel Select by Travelex is a much better value than Disney:

1. You can protect the entire cost of the cruise.
2. Kids are covered for free when sailing with adults (up to $10,000 per kid), so the Travelex plan will cost less than the Disney plan
3. You get $50,000 in medical protection per person (vs. $10,000 total).
4. You get medical evacuation coverage of up to $500,000 per person (vs. $30,000).
5. Travelex provides primary medical coverage, saving you the hassle of submitting claims to your regular medical insurance.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.