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.

Prague | a magical city

"It's like Disney, but it's real."

I was text messaging with my daughter last night from Prague. Through the wonders of internet technology, I was able to download pictures from my camera, edit them in iPhoto, post them in my gallery on MobileMe, and talk with her about them real-time on iChat. After seeing some of the night shots of Prague, she said "it's like Disney, but it's real." That is precisely my own insight about this magical city.

The picture above is taken from within the elaborate library of the Strahov Monastery in Prague. Containing 280,000 titles, these are some of the most fabulous rooms you'll ever see. Off-limits to the general public (the vast majority of tourists can only peer through a small doorway at the far end of the two rooms), our group was able to walk through the library at leisure, look at the ancient books up close, and generally experience these impressive spaces.

One of the most interesting features of the library is a polished antique wooden table; our guide showed us how the table converts into a step ladder that can be used to access books on the higher up shelves. We were also able to see up close the globes and stained glass windows throughout the room and hear explanations of the artwork on the painted ceiling.

How did we get into a place not normally open to the general public? The Virtuoso network includes local experts who can set up exclusive access to special VIP experiences in virtually any destination on earth, giving a whole new definition to luxury travel. Contact a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant to learn what might be possible in Prague — or in any destination you might want to visit.


Strahov Monastery, Prague (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
.