What Does Travel Insurance Cover for a Cruise? Six Key Benefits

Is Cruise Travel Insurance Worth It

Do Consider Whether You Want A Standard Or Cancel For Any Reason Policy

A standard policy has good protection and comes with a list of restrictions on whats covered. If you want to make sure that you are covered for any reason, whether thats a pandemic or a last-minute change in plans, look into a cancel for any reason add-on to your policy. A CFAR policy is just what the name sounds like. You can cancel your trip for any reason you want and are restricted only by the timing of your cancellation notice .

CFAR insurance isnt free though, and comes with a few conditions. First, it can cost 40%-50% more than a standard policy, and it generally wont cover 100% of your uncovered costs. Youll find that 50%-75% of coverage is more common.

Its also important to note that you cannot simply buy CFAR by itself. You must buy a travel insurance policy that is eligible for a CFAR add-on. Many insurance sites will include a CFAR filter in their search tool. You’ll also need to buy the policy within a certain time frame after purchasing your cruise, which will vary based on the insurance company.

Thats A Good Question

Travel insurance is a line of insurance we consistently hear problems about, said Carmen Balber, the executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. Its much less regulated than other lines of insurance and tends to include exclusions for things consumers believe theyre covered for.

Though the rules vary by state, most standard policies sold in the United States provide predeparture cancellation and trip interruption for unforeseen problems that are specifically named, including job loss, an illness that prevents you from traveling or cuts a trip short, a death in the family, a missed flight connection that, in turn, leads to a missed cruise departure, and so on.

But there is a long list of exclusions that render the insurance void, including terrorist attacks, war and claims associated with psychological disorders, or risky adventure sports like skydiving.

When a threat becomes foreseen for example, once a brewing storm becomes a named hurricane, or a global health threat becomes a named pandemic it is uninsurable, unless you bought the policy before the threat is named.

But for travelers who canceled in the current Covid-19 crisis, these insurance companies pointed to their list of things that were covered a death in the family, job loss, etc. which did not include pandemics.

When Is Travel Insurance Worth It

There are two situations in which travel insurance can be worthwhile: to protect your trip and to protect your health.

If you prepaid for your trip and cannot cancel without penalty, travel insurance is probably a good idea. If your trip is canceled or interrupted for a covered reason, this protection will cover your reservations.

If you’re planning to travel to a destination that could have weather-related issues, like hurricanes in the Caribbean, travel insurance may protect your noncancelable reservations. Some policies also provide emergency evacuation to escape dangerous situations. However, if you try to purchase travel insurance after the storm poses a risk, the insurance probably will not protect you.

U.S.-based health insurance policies generally offer coverage anywhere within the U.S. But if you get sick or hurt when you travel internationally, some policies like Medicare may not cover you.

Even if your health insurance covers you outside the country, doctors at your destination may not accept it. Without travel insurance, you could be stuck paying for these bills out of pocket, then seeking reimbursement from your healthcare provider.

If you already have some travel insurance protections from your credit card, consider purchasing a standalone travel medical insurance policy to protect you in case of medical emergencies on your trip.

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Emergency Accident And Sickness Medical Expense

The Emergency Accident and Sickness Medical Expense benefit covers health care expenses for necessary services and supplies required to treat a covered injury or illness.

Depending on your plan, a benefit like this could cover eligible expenses such as:

• Ambulance service
• Charges for cruise ship infirmary and prescribed medication
• Hospital room and board in one of your stopover destinations
• Charges for anesthetics, X-rays, and labs

Note that this benefit could be primary or excess depending on the plan. Primary means your cruise travel insurance pays your eligible claim first.

Excess means this policy is in excess of all other insurance . If your other insurance is in place when the expenses are incurred, your cruise travel insurance will only cover the excess of the amount paid by your other insurance.

Example of the Emergency Accident and Sickness Medical Expense Benefit in Use

While touring your cruise ship’s first destination, your child takes a nasty fall that requires a trip to the nearest emergency room.

Since you’ve been traveling by ship and don’t have a car, you rely on a local ambulance to transport you and your child to the hospital. Once there, he is admitted for X-rays and later scheduled for surgery.

If your son’s broken arm qualifies as a covered injury, your Atlas Journey plan will cover eligible expenses for the ambulance ride, physician consultation, X-rays, operating room, and hospital room and board charges up to the medical maximum.

What Does Cruise Insurance Cover

Every policy is slightly different there is no set requirement of what is covered. That said, youll find most cruise insurance covers the same basic things. Here are the major items that youll want to make sure your policy covers.

Trip Cancellation The most basic coverage with cruise insurance, trip cancellation protection allows you to get your money back that youve paid for your trip if you cancel for specific, predetermined reasons. This coverage doesnt allow you to get repaid if you just decide to cancel because you dont want to go.

The specific reasons will be laid out in your policy. In general, they fall into several major groups:

• Major illness or injury to you, traveling companion, or family member
• Death of you, traveling companion, or family member
• Quarantine
• Being fired/laid off
• Travel delays

Trip Interruption Similar to trip cancellation, this coverage pays you for an interruption for specific reasons like the ones mentioned above after your trip has already started or when travel is delayed. In addition to being reimbursed for the remainder of what youve paid for your cruise, youll also be reimbursed for expenses like flight and hotel to get back home.

Emergency Medical If youre worried about getting sick or injured while on your cruise, then know that most plans offer emergency medical coverage. This is exactly as it sounds. It provides medical insurance for serious illness or injury. Many plans also offer some dental coverage.

How Is The Coronavirus Affecting Travel Insurance

When it comes to coronavirus, its important to know that circumstances like epidemics and pandemics are not typically listed as covered events under most standard cancellation policies. Also worth noting: Preemptively canceling a trip out of fear for your health and safety is never part of a standard policy. Accordingly, while some insurers honored claims associated with the onset of the epidemic, almost none are paying out trip cancellation claims for travel or policies booked after late January . This is owed to the rationale that once the outbreak became a known event, risk is assumed by the would-be travelers who book.

However, there are now some providers who do not consider contracting the virus as foreseen, even during a global pandemic like the coronavirus outbreak, says Kasara Barto, public relations manager for Squaremouth. In this case, trip cancellation benefits can still apply if a traveler contracts the virus or is physically quarantined and unable to travel as planned.”

Economic-woe scenarios, like having to cancel if you are laid off from your job, or if a travel supplier should declare bankruptcy, are typically covered under standard plans. Squaremouth notes, however, that coronavirus-prompted impacts like travel bans and border closures are not usually covered by standard policies, nor are cases of cruise lines canceling a scheduled sailing .

How To Add Cruise Cover To Holiday Insurance

If you already have an annual travel insurance policy and you want to book a cruise, the first thing to do is to check what is covered by your existing annual policy. If it doesnt cover cruise travel, you should contact your travel insurance provider and ask if they can add on cruise cover.

Its usually cheaper to add cruise cover to an existing travel insurance policy. If for any reason you cannot do this, then you could take out a single trip cruise insurance policy to cover your cruise.

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Get A Free Quote At The Link Below

Again, for cruise travel insurance, we suggest looking at a site like InsureMyTrip.com. This site searches many companies at once to find the right insurance for you and your trip and bring you all your choices. Whether you are looking for affordability or the best coverage, all your options are laid out for you.

You can get a free quote here, see how much coverage might cost, and see everything it covers.

Disclaimer: Cruzely.com is an affiliate with the travel insurers mentioned in the article above. We receive a small commission if you get a quote or purchase through the links included in this article at no extra cost to you.

How To Buy Travel Insurance For Your Cruise

You can purchase travel insurance through your cruise line, travel agent, a specific insurance provider or even a travel-insurance aggregator site like InsureMyTrip.com.

Third-party insurance providers and aggregators can often help you with coverage that is specific to cruise travel Ask your travel agent for guidance he or she will have knowledge of a variety of insurance company policies and can help match the best policy to your needs. Always comparison shop, looking at what amounts of coverage you get for what price.

No matter which policy you select, you want to be sure that it is underwritten by a reputable and licensed insurer companies are regulated by state insurance departments. The U.S. Travel Insurance Association is a good place to start to research licensed insurers in your state.

It’s also easy to search online for feedback on particular insurance providers. Travel-insurance aggregators like SquareMouth will show you the underwriter for each policy and how it is rated by the A.M. Best Company , as well as provide reviews from previous purchasers.

When checking for the details of what is covered, it’s best to look at the actual policy documents or coverage details. Links to these are often found within or at the end of comparison charts or broad policy descriptions and may involve downloading multi-page PDF documents to read through.

Should You Rely On Credit Card Travel Protections Instead

Many travel credit cards provide certain coverages in case your flight is delayed or canceled, your rental car is damaged, or your luggage is lost or delayed.

Here are a few credit cards offering travel protections that could serve as an alternative to travel insurance.

Up to $1,250 lost baggage.

Secondary rental car protection.

$10,000 trip cancellation .

$10,000 trip interruption .

Up to $500 baggage delay.

Up to $500 trip delay.

Up to $3,000 lost luggage.

Up to $500 trip delay.

$100,000 emergency evacuation.

These are attractive benefits, but the coverage may not be as broad as you would get buying insurance. For example, credit card benefits do not typically protect you in case you are injured or get sick during your trip. Plus, these cards can come with steep annual fees that may be more than you would pay for a travel insurance policy. So dont sign up for a card just to cover one trip unless youve compared costs.

Cruise Insurance Medical Coverage Vs Your Regular Health Insurance Plan

Travelers often have health insurance back home, so purchasing cruise insurance with medical benefits may seem like a waste of money. However, many health insurance policies don’t cover non-emergency procedures or may treat claims as “out of network.”For example, Aetna covers emergency treatments 24/7 anywhere in the world, but nonemergency conditions may not be covered. Out-of-network claims generally mean that you’ll be paying more out of pocket.

Even if your insurance will cover you internationally or aboard a cruise, the doctor or hospital treating you may not accept it. They could even demand payment upfront before beginning treatment.

Cruise ships are required to have a doctor and hospital facility on board in the event someone is injured or becomes ill. However, these infirmaries are typically designed to stabilize patients and make them as comfortable as possible until the ship reaches its final destination or the nearest port of call.

Depending on your condition, you may need to depart the cruise to continue treatment at a local hospital, or be medically evacuated back home. Medical evacuations are very costly and without insurance that covers them, a cruise-goer would have to pay for those bills out of pocket.

Purchasing a cruise insurance policy gives travelers peace of mind and reduced financial risk in case they become ill or injured during their vacation.

Is Cruise Insurance Worth It

One thing you learn quickly when you cruise: Costs can add up. Drinks, internet and special meals often cost extra and thats just the start. And if youre trying not to overspend, you might wonder if cruise travel insurance is worth it.

Fortunately, in terms of what you pay and what it can cover during medical and family emergencies, cruise insurance really can be worth it.

Travel Insurance: Is It Worth It

When Covid-19 hit, travel insurance didnt help many travelers recover the cost of their canceled trips. What, then, were they paying for?

Through the travel insurance broker InsureMyTrip.com, Suzanne Tow of New York City paid $270 to cover a $5,000 trip in May to Yosemite National Park. When the tour was canceled, Ms. Tow filed a claim with her insurer, and discovered, like so many other travelers, that travel insurance doesnt cover cancellations because of a pandemic.

Theyre not risking a penny because theyre not paying a cent, she said.

Americans spent nearly $3.8 billion on travel protection in 2018, the latest figure available, up about 41 percent from 2016, according to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association. Now, for those contemplating traveling in an increasingly uncertain world, the question of whether travel insurance is worth buying looms large. If insurance couldnt help with that first wave of Covid-related travel cancellations, many irate travelers ask, what exactly were they paying for?

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Where To Buy Travel Insurance

Many tour and cruise companies, travel agents and travel booking websites offer travel insurance to their customers.

A few tips if you decide to buy travel insurance:

Buying insurance from the sources of your travel means youre asking the companies to reimburse you if things go wrong, which leaves it up to them to decide if things went wrong. Its not in the financial interests of the airlines, cruise lines and tour operators to give you your money back, but it is in their interest to get you to hand over more money. Skip this one.

Travel agents receive a commission for selling you insurance. If you prefer the convenience of one-stop shopping, know what type of coverage you want before you call to ensure youre getting the coverage you need instead of the coverage they want to sell you.

Rather than buying from the people selling you the trips, try comparison shopping on third-party insurance sites like SquareMouth or InsureMyTrip.

Shopping around for travel insurance could end up saving you hundreds of dollars, allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your trip.

Lisa McGreevy is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

Unique Travel Insurance Coverage For Cruises

When you are planning a cruise, you have specific travel needs that are different from a traditional traveler for obvious reasons. This is not your normal fly away, vacation and fly home trip. Youll be meeting up with your cruise, vacationing out on the deep blue sea, probably experiencing some new things through excursions and then coming home to reality.

These differences mean youll need unique travel insurance coverage for your trip. A typical comprehensive plan would be a great option for any traveler, even cruisers. But there are some comprehensive cruise insurance plans that offer specialized coverage specific to the needs of cruisers. Below are some examples of coverage you can find if you look carefully at the plan details:

What Does Travel Insurance On Your Cruise Cover

One misconception about travel insurance is that it’s only necessary for travelers in ill health, those who pack valuable items in their suitcases or those who plan wildly expensive trips. It’s important to recognize that travel insurance policies can bail us out of a multitude of quagmires. For example:

So I Should Buy Cancel For Any Reason Right

Travelers who wanted to cancel trips as Covid-19 gathered steam, but before travel was shut off by governments across the globe, were often told that their travel insurance did not cover canceling out of fear unless they had purchased a cancel for any reason insurance upgrade, or C.F.A.R.

With C.F.A.R., a traveler is able to back out any time until a few days before departure and get some money back, usually 50 to 75 percent. Its more expensive than regular travel insurance and must be purchased within a short window after making the initial trip deposit, usually less than 21 days. Additionally, the policy only covers cancellations up to two or three days before the trip.

Using Travel Guards website, I priced insurance on a $10,000 trip to France. Its basic policy costs about $500 to insure. But to get C.F.A.R., I would have to take the preferred policy at about $554. Adding the C.F.A.R. option offering 50 percent back, cost $128, for a total of $682. If I canceled because of the pandemic, or for any other reason, I would only get $5,000 back, half of the insured amount. Less the premium, thats $4,318 net.

Cancel for any reason, Mr. Birnbaum said, is treated as insurance, but its not really. Insurance is protection against some fortuitous event. This policy, he said, covers a decision thats in your control such as changing your mind about taking a trip not a risk thats out of your control, like a car accident.

What Does Travel Insurance Cover for a Cruise? Six Key Benefits

It’s smart to buy travel insurance for every trip you take, but it’s especially important for a cruise. That’s because when you’re in the middle of the ocean, small problems can suddenly turn into major disasters.

So what does travel insurance cover when you’re on a cruise? We’ll break it down for you. Make sure you review your insurance plan carefully before you buy, because not all plans offer the same coverage.

And if your next cruise is on the horizon, don’t wait to buy insurance! The earlier you purchase a plan, the longer your coverage window. With a broad range of benefits, the One Trip Prime Plan is our most popular plan for vacations. Compare all our plans .

Travel insurance can cover last-minute cancellations.

Having to cancel a planned cruise isn’t just disappointing; it can also hit your wallet hard. That’s because most cruise lines give no refund at all if you cancel less than 14 days before sailing. i Even if you cancel months in advance, you might only be reimbursed for a percentage of what you paid, or you might be given credits toward a future cruise.

Travel insurance with trip cancellation benefits can reimburse up to 100 percent of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you must cancel your cruise due to a covered reason. That means you can get your money back not only for your cruise costs, but also your airfare, onboard dining or drinks plans, excursions, etc.

Travel insurance can reimburse travel delays.

On most trips, a temporary delay is NBD (no big deal). On a cruise vacation, a travel delay can be a VBD (very big deal). If your flight is delayed, the ship might sail without you — and what are you supposed to do then?

Fortunately, insurance can help. If a covered travel delay makes you miss the departure of your cruise or tour, the travel delay benefit can reimburse you for reasonable transportation expenses to rejoin your cruise or reach your final destination. This benefit can also reimburse your lost prepaid trip expenses (e.g. the cost for the part of the cruise you missed), as well as additional expenses incurred because of your delay for things like meals and hotel stays.

Travel insurance can cover baggage loss, damage and delays.

A single missing suitcase can ruin your cruise. Without your evening wear, you won’t be able to dine at the ship’s finest restaurant. Without your swimsuit, you’ll have to skip the pool. Your only option may be spending hundreds to purchase replacement clothes and toiletries at the ship’s onboard shops.

Once again, travel insurance can save your cruise! The baggage loss/damage benefit can reimburse you for the actual price, actual cash value, repair or replacement — whichever is less — of your possessions if your baggage is lost, stolen or damaged during your trip. The baggage delay benefit can reimburse you for reasonable essential items if your baggage is delayed by a common carrier, hotel or tour operator for 24 hours or more. Your insurance policy documents will state the maximum coverage limits as well as items that are excluded from coverage.

Travel insurance can cover onboard medical emergencies.

What happens if you suffer a sudden illness or serious injury on board a cruise ship? The good news is that most cruise ships have experienced medical staff on call 24-7 who are equipped to provide emergency care and stabilize sick patients. ii

The bad news: Serious medical emergencies will require an emergency evacuation to the nearest hospital, and you may have to pay out of pocket for your care. Your domestic health insurance may not cover emergency care you receive overseas. iii Medicare doesn’t cover health care services when the ship is more than 6 hours away from a U.S. port. iv

So, what can travel insurance cover when there is a covered illness or injury while at sea? A plan with emergency medical and dental benefits and emergency transportation benefits can cover:

• The cost of emergency medical care received for a covered illness or injury
• A medical evacuation to the nearest hospital, if medically necessary
• The cost of bringing a friend or family member to your bedside, if you’ll be hospitalized on your trip for more than 72 hours
• The cost of returning your children or other dependents to your home, if they’re traveling with you
• Medical repatriation to the U.S., with a medical escort if necessary

Travel insurance can reimburse your losses if you have to cut your trip short for a covered reason.

The dreaded norovirus is every cruise passenger’s worst fear. If you catch this stubborn stomach bug, you may be quarantined in your cabin for the remainder of the voyage. It’s not quite the vacation you envisioned — so, will you get your money back? Maybe, but it’s not guaranteed. The cruise line might offer you a partial refund, a full refund, a credit toward a future trip, or nothing at all. v

Travel insurance with trip interruption benefits can save your vacation. If you must interrupt your travels for a covered reason — such as quarantine — you can be reimbursed for the unused portion of your cruise and the additional transportation costs for returning home ahead of schedule.

Travel insurance can cover the unexpected.

You shouldn’t have to shoulder the stress of a travel emergency alone. That’s why travel insurance from Allianz Global Insurance includes 24-hour access to the emergency assistance hotline. From anywhere in the world, you can call the hotline and reach a member of our Assistance team who can help you manage medical emergencies, change travel arrangements, replace lost or stolen documents, replace prescriptions, track down lost baggage, and more.

Should I Buy Cruise Insurance? Complete Guide to Coverage

Most people don’t like to think about the bad things that can happen when you are on vacation. But the truth is that accidents, cancellations, theft and other mishaps can occur, even while you’re on your dream trip. For example:

• You get sick after eating the local food, leading to two days in the hospital.
• You get pickpocketed in a crowded market, and the thief takes your passport.
• You miss a connecting flight, meaning you have to unexpectedly pay full price for a hotel room.

The list is endless of what could happen. But they all share one major theme. They can ruin your vacation and potentially cost you hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars. These mishaps can be compounded when you are on a cruise. With a cruise ship’s tight schedule, any delays could cause you to miss the boat. Of course, that means having to purchase lodging, transportation, meals, and more while you try to make arrangements to get back home or catch up with the ship.

Worst yet, medical emergencies aboard a cruise can rack up serious bills. What happens if a major illness hits while the ship is in the middle of the ocean? While cruise ships do have doctors to administer first aid, the expenses of emergency transport for serious emergencies can be astronomical (upwards of $20,000 or more).

It’s for these reasons that cruise insurance has become a major interest among passengers. To be absolutely clear, the vast majority of cruises go off without a hitch. Still, there is something to be said for having a little peace of mind and not having to worry just in case something does go wrong.

Travel & cruise insurance is made exactly for that purpose. By purchasing this coverage you are covered for a wide range of events (many detailed below) that could cost you thousands of dollars without insurance.

Of course, in exchange you have to pay a premium — money out of your pocket for a service that you might not ever use. That leads to a big question: Should you buy cruise insurance? Is it worth it?

To decide if it’s the right choice for you, we’ve researched all the ins and outs of cruise insurance to help you out.

What does cruise insurance cover?

Every policy is slightly different; there is no set requirement of what is covered. That said, you’ll find most cruise insurance covers the same basic things. Here are the major items that you’ll want to make sure your policy covers.

Trip Cancellation – The most basic coverage with cruise insurance, trip cancellation protection allows you to get your money back that you’ve paid for your trip if you cancel for specific, predetermined reasons. This coverage doesn’t allow you to get repaid if you just decide to cancel because you don’t want to go.

The specific reasons will be laid out in your policy. In general, they fall into several major groups:

• Major illness or injury to you, traveling companion, or family member
• Death of you, traveling companion, or family member
• Quarantine
• Pregnancy
• Birth of child
• Traffic accident
• Jury duty
• Divorce (from traveling companion)
• Being fired/laid off
• Travel delays

Trip Interruption – Similar to trip cancellation, this coverage pays you for an interruption for specific reasons like the ones mentioned above after your trip has already started or when travel is delayed. In addition to being reimbursed for the remainder of what you’ve paid for your cruise, you’ll also be reimbursed for expenses like flight and hotel to get back home.

Emergency Medical – If you’re worried about getting sick or injured while on your cruise, then know that most plans offer emergency medical coverage. This is exactly as it sounds. It provides medical insurance for serious illness or injury. Many plans also offer some dental coverage.

Emergency Evacuation – Nearly every plan will have some sort of emergency evacuation coverage. This is coverage to get the person to the most appropriate medical treatment (often as defined by the insurance company). So if you break your leg while on an excursion in Mexico and have to be transported to a larger city for the correct care, then your expenses are covered. Emergency evacuation coverage also pays to get you home if you are in a medical facility away from home.

Lost/Stolen Luggage – Most of the time lost or stolen luggage isn’t so much about the money as the pain of having to replace everything. Even so, cruise insurance should provide some reimbursement expense for your loss, taking some of the sting out of losing your bags. Understand that most times this coverage has special limits for things like laptops or electronics that may not fully replace the lost item.

Pre-Existing Condition Coverage – Most of us know that insurance is hesitant to cover pre-existing conditions. Travel insurance often will offer pre-existing condition coverage (but not always!), which is especially helpful if believe you’ll need some sort of coverage while in a foreign country for an on-going illness. If this is important to you, make sure you double check the specific policy, which will make it very clear if pre-existing conditions are covered or not.

What doesn’t cruise insurance cover?

Cruise insurance actually covers more things and offers more benefits than just what is listed above. But it doesn’t cover everything and policies are pretty specific about what they will and won’t pay.

The most notable exception is that you can’t just cancel your cruise for any reason and get reimbursed for any money you lose. Instead, the only way the policy will pay is if you cancel for one of the specific reasons cited in your policy for cancelling your cruise.

You also won’t be compensated for inconveniences on your trip. For instance, if your trip doesn’t go as planned, but you don’t suffer an actual loss, then you won’t be able to make a claim. If it pours rain an entire day that your ship is in port and you can’t even get off the boat, your travel insurance won’t cover the loss of a day of vacation. Weather is not covered unless it causes an actual interruption to the cruise.

Also, it’s important to understand that your benefits are less any refunds you might receive otherwise. So if your cruise is cancelled and the cruise line refunds your fare, you won’t be able to claim the cruise fare as a loss.

Addendums to coverage

Some policies allow you to add coverage to your insurance that allow more flexibility and benefits.

The most popular addendum is known as “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage. This addendum allows you to cancel your trip and receive reimbursement, no matter why. So if you simply decide that you don’t want to get out of bed the morning of your cruise and call the whole trip off (not sure why you would do such a thing!), then you can cancel and get your money back. One important thing to note is that these policies rarely give 100% of your entire trip fare back. It usually ranges from 50-75%. Still, considering that you get nothing back if you cancel for a non-covered reason, this additional coverage is often worth the cost.

Many cruise travel insurance policies will also offer an addendum for rental car coverage. Obviously most cruise passengers won’t opt for this coverage since it’s rare to rent a car given that you are in port only for a day at a time.

What about insurance sold by cruise lines?

When buying a cruise, you’ll no doubt be offered an option to purchase a type of insurance from the cruise line. This coverage takes on many different names. You might have seen one of the following if you’ve already bought your cruise:

• Carnival Vacation Protection
• Royal Caribbean Vacation Protection Plan
• Princess Vacation Protection
• Norwegian Cruise Lines Booksafe Travel Protection Plan
• Celebrity CruiseCare Travel Insurance Program

These plans are quite popular because of their ability to be sold right alongside the cruise. However, that doesn’t automatically make them a good purchase. While convenient, these plans often offer much lower coverage rates than traditional travel insurance, for a similar price. The one advantage that cruise line plans have is that they typically offer cancel for any reason coverage.

Royal Caribbean’s plan, for example, will reimburse you 75% of what you’ve paid for your cruise if you cancel for any reason. Regular travel insurance also has this sort of feature, but it’s typically an additional add-on (but will also cover other things like flight/hotel).

For these reasons, we suggest sticking with traditional travel insurance from a third-party instead of the policies offered by cruise lines.

What time period does the insurance cover?

While you should check with your specific insurance policy, they usually go into effect at midnight of the day after you purchase them. They then stay in effect until you return home from your trip.

Example: You buy cruise insurance at 6 p.m. on December 1 for a cruise that departs December 20 and returns December 27. Your coverage would be from in effect from midnight on December 2 until you return home from your cruise.

How do I Buy Cruise Insurance?

As mentioned earlier, if you are buying through the cruise line, you can purchase coverage at the same time that purchase your trip. You can also purchase at a later date by visiting the links below.

For third-party travel insurance, you can get a free quote and purchase directly through the provider. We’ve listed the major companies and their websites here:

We suggest looking at a site like InsureMyTrip.com . This site searches many companies at once to find the right insurance for you and your trip and bring you all your choices. Whether you are looking for affordability or the best coverage, all your options are laid out for you.

You can get a free quote here , see how much coverage might cost, and see everything it covers.

When should I buy cruise insurance?

The best time to buy is as soon as you’ve purchased your cruise. This allows you all the cancellation benefits immediately should something come up between the time you purchase and the time you actually travel.

One thing to note is that you can’t purchase after you already have an event that will lead to a loss. For example, say you get hurt in an accident that means you won’t be able to go on your vacation. You can’t purchase insurance and then try to be reimbursed for your trip. This is insurance fraud and the company won’t provide reimbursement.

How much does it cost?

Ah, the most important question. After all, every type of insurance is basically a bet between you and the insurance company whether something will happen on your trip.

Prices will vary based on company, trip length, cost, who is being covered, and the sort of coverage you choose. Most companies also offer different levels of plan that have different limits and thus, higher or lower prices.

As a general rule of thumb, traditional cruise insurance offered by a third-party will run about 5%-7.5% of your trip cost . So for a $5,000 trip, expect to pay around $250-$375 for coverage.

Should I buy cruise insurance?

If you want to have some peace of mind on your trip, then yes. However, the vast majority of cruise passengers will never use their insurance.

The problem is that for issues that do come up, the expenses can be large and unknown. For instance, there is no price list of having to be evacuated medically from a cruise ship. The cruise insurance offers valuable peace of mind.

If you do decide to purchase, we highly suggest that you shop around for prices and also read your plan carefully (comparing two or three of the most well-known providers). And while every cruise line strongly recommends purchasing some sort of insurance for your cruise, we don’t recommend purchasing insurance offered through them, as traditional plans offer better coverage for a similar price.

Get a free quote at the link below

Again, for cruise travel insurance, we suggest looking at a site like InsureMyTrip.com . This site searches many companies at once to find the right insurance for you and your trip and bring you all your choices. Whether you are looking for affordability or the best coverage, all your options are laid out for you.

You can get a free quote here , see how much coverage might cost, and see everything it covers.

Disclaimer: Cruzely.com is an affiliate with the travel insurers mentioned in the article above. We receive a small commission if you get a quote or purchase through the links included in this article at no extra cost to you.

Source https://www.cruiseinfoclub.com/is-cruise-travel-insurance-worth-it/

Source https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/travel/cruise/six-benefits-of-travel-insurance-for-cruise.htm

Source https://www.cruzely.com/should-i-buy-cruise-insurance/