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These may include the cost of treatment and, if necessary, evacuation to a medical facility or back home. Travel insurance can save you when you’re in a pinch, and cruises are especially important to protect. Whether you experience a flight delay, your car breaks down or you get sick, having a backup plan that will cover the cost of your trip, or at least help you get there without extra expense, can be essential. It’s recommended to arrive one day before the departure of your cruise to allow for any delays because if you arrive late to the departure point, the ship may have already left.
What About Travel Insurance Offered by a Cruise Line?
Seven Corners also offers the option of a preexisting conditions waiver and CFAR insurance at an additional cost, plus "Trip Interruption for Any Reason" coverage, which you won't find on many policies. Cruise insurance may cover missed connections, but it's important to read your policy before you purchase it. Each policy has different limits on how much you'll be reimbursed and what exactly you'll be reimbursed for. Travel insurance typically covers cruises and other types of travel, whereas cruise insurance is designed to specifically protect you while cruising or getting to your cruise. It's usually best to purchase cruise insurance shortly after booking.
What is a cruise travel insurance plan?
If there is a fire or mechanical breakdown, the Shipboard Disruption benefit can provide a one-time payment of the amount stated in your plan, to compensate you for the inconvenience. The findings suggest that cruisers should review the travel insurance coverage advertised by their cruise line to understand what exactly it covers — and what it doesn’t. The coverage limits on AXA's policies are on the higher end compared to other providers. And you can buy coverage for a little as 4% of your trip cost depending on your age, travel destination, and state of residence.
Is Cruise Travel Insurance Worth It?
If you want to buy a policy beyond what is already offered by your credit card, start with an aggregator site like Insure My Trip that compares several policies based on the criteria you choose. All of these things can affect the price of a policy that you purchase. That could include nonrefundable flights, prepaid resort or hotel nights, nonrefundable tour fees and more. A Berkshire Hathaway WaveCare cruise-specific plan was $202, quite a bit more than average, but with the most medical evacuation coverage. If a ship isn’t near the United States at the time of an emergency, a sick traveler may need to seek medical treatment in a foreign country.
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection
It's always advisable to carefully check your policy's description of coverage to determine how these events are covered. This is a general representation of coverage and some benefits may differ based on your quoted information or not be available if all eligibility requirements aren’t met. You can buy your own cruise insurance that isn't offered directly through the cruise line operator.
Hurricane coverage
Trip insurance may also cover the repatriation of remains if a death occurs during an insured vacation. Plans will vary as some of these coverages have limitations and eligibility requirements. We recommend speaking directly with a Customer Care agent to ensure your policy has the right coverages for you. Travelers 70 and older are required to add a "Silver Nomads" policy, offered through TripAssure.
The Best Cruise Insurance Plans of April 2024 - MarketWatch
The Best Cruise Insurance Plans of April 2024.
Posted: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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But there are definite reasons why you should consider travel insurance for your cruise. No matter what coverages you are interested in, our licensed representatives are available to help you identify the right policy, read the fine print and review any exclusions before you purchase a policy. At InsureMyTrip, we have heard endless feedback from customers that travel insurance is worth it and they were thankful to have it. While travel insurance cannot prevent mishaps from occurring, it can reduce the burden of unexpected expenses and additional travel arrangements that need to be taken care of with very little notice.
You will want to consider what happens if you get sick before the sailing or onboard since you may have to find accommodation if you are not able to travel for a period of time. Cruisers seeking coverage of preexisting conditions, as well as cancel for any reason insurance, generally must book within seven to 21 days of the first payment they make for a trip. Even a low-cost weekend getaway on a cruise to the Bahamas out of Miami can turn costly if you suffer a serious accident or illness requiring medical treatment or an emergency medical evacuation. You might need to cancel a cruise in advance due to the sudden onset of an illness, such as COVID-19 or the flu. Or, maybe you fall ill during the cruise and need emergency medical attention.
How does cruise travel insurance work?
Nationwide is a top choice for many travelers due to its variety of cruise-specific coverage. The insurer offers three three tiers of cruise insurance, but its standard Universal Cruise Plan should meet many needs. A cruise is an ideal vacation for anyone who likes the all-inclusive concept, where you pay one price and have just about everything taken care of, from accommodations to meals and activities.
World Nomads offers cruise insurance policies geared toward adventurous travelers. It provides coverage for over 200 activities, including skydiving, scuba diving and bungee jumping. The company allows you to buy coverage for up to 180 days, and you can extend your policy mid-trip. Before buying this coverage, compare your options against your credit card benefits.

Emergency medical evacuation insurance can pay to get you back to the United States if you’re abroad and can’t get the treatment you need there. It can also pay for a friend or family member to fly to you and stay with you if you’re receiving emergency care away from home. Cruise insurance works by reimbursing you for a certain percentage or dollar amount of the nonrefundable prepaid travel costs you lose if you experience a problem covered by your plan. Blueprint is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service focused on helping readers make smarter decisions.
But for most travelers, having a backup plan in case anything goes wrong makes the trip that much more enjoyable. The longer you wait to buy cruise insurance, the higher the price may become. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs clearly states the importance of buying travel insurance. If you're hoping to insure against a storm-related disaster, it's good to buy travel insurance as early as possible.
Once a storm or hurricane is named, it's too late to buy travel insurance to cover it. It's a good idea to compare plans and make sure the one you buy has the elements that are most important to you. The Travel Basic plan from Travelex Insurance Services cost $116 for our sample trip; just below the average for plans listed here. After our analysis, we've determined these are some of the best cruise insurance options available. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.
These included the maximum coverage limits, optional coverages, types of coverage, premiums and what the policies cover. We also considered financial strength ratings from AM Best and Better Business Bureau ratings for customer satisfaction. You can cancel a cruise, but may have to pay a cancellation penalty for the cruise and/or flights. If you don’t have travel insurance for these losses, check the credit card you used for booking.
Insurance usually increases the price of a cruise by anywhere from three to ten percent depending on various factors. We make it easy to compare and buy cruise travel insurance from top rated insurers in just a few minutes. Select your first international port of entry as your primary destination and you will be covered in all countries visited. It’s best to do this comparison before booking your trip or as soon as possible after booking.
Heidi has an MBA from Emporia State University and is a licensed property and casualty insurance expert. Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions.