Going on a cruise? What to look for in your travel insurance

Added 10/12/2019

Cruising by sea or river can be a wonderful way to spend a holiday or explore a new part of the world, but you need to make sure that you have the right travel insurance.

The most important thing to check is that cruise holidays are covered; some travel insurance policies exclude cruise holidays altogether and some may ask you to pay an additional premium.

All goodtogoinsurance.com travel insurance policies cover cruise holidays as standard.

Emergency medical treatment including airlifting to hospital

The most important reason to make sure that cruise holidays are covered by your travel insurance is in case you require emergency medical treatment during your trip.  Medical treatment onboard ship can be expensive and if hospital treatment is required it could involve a helicopter journey, these are not costs you would want to cover yourself.

Cancellation cover

Once you know you are covered for medical treatment on a cruise, the next thing is to look at the level of cancellation cover you need.  Cruise holidays can be expensive so you need to make sure you get the right level of cover.

Our cruise specific cover allows you to choose cancellation cover up to £10,000 per person.

Cover for all your destinations

Make sure your cruise insurance covers all the countries you will be visiting, including any stopovers on the way to the start.  It doesn’t matter if you are only in the country for a day or two, it’s important to be covered for emergency medical treatment in every country you visit.

Look at the additional cover and decide whether you need it

Cruise insurance policies often include additional cover that you don’t get on a standard travel insurance policy, such as Cabin Confinement, Cruise Interruption, Missed Port Departure and Itinerary Change.

These extras can be useful, but they could also make the policy more expensive, so you should look at the cover and decide whether you need it.

Cabin Confinement: a benefit payable if you become ill and are unable to leave your cabin for more than 24 hours.

Missed Port Departure: covers reasonable additional travel expenses to reach the next overseas port if you miss the initial departure of your cruise due to certain insured reasons.

Cruise Interruption: covers additional travel and accommodation expenses to reach the next port and re-join your cruise if you have required a hospital stay on dry land.

Itinerary Change: covers the cancellation of a scheduled port visit due to adverse weather or timetable restrictions.

Unused Excursions: covers pre-booked excursions which you are unable to use as a direct result of being hospitalised due to an accident or illness.

These additional sections of cover are included in goodtogoinsurance.com’s Cruise Specific policies.

Cruise insurance: In summary

When choosing travel insurance for a cruise holiday the most important thing is to make sure that emergency medical treatment is included if you are on an ocean or river cruise, including being airlifted to hospital if necessary.

The additional cruise cover sections such as cabin confinement and missed port departure can help reimburse you for some unexpected costs, or provide some compensation in the event that you were confined to your cabin and missed some of the enjoyment of your cruise, but it is your choice whether you want these.

Making sure you are properly covered in the event of a medical emergency is a must.

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