A Guide to Cruise Travel, Trip and Holiday Insurance Policies

A Guide to Cruise Travel, Trip and Holiday Insurance Policies. Those taking cruises may have special holiday insurance needs. What is cruise travel cover, what extras are included & what is the best way to buy a policy?

Those planning on taking a cruise may not have exactly the same travel insurance needs as others taking regular holidays but this kind of protection may still be as essential. What is cruise travel insurance and is it different to a regular trip policy?

What is Cruise Insurance?

This kind of travel insurance is specially designed to meet the needs of people planning a cruise holiday. Policies are available for both short and long cruises across a variety of locations and destinations.

Although parts of the protection offered by a cruise policy may be very similar, if not identical, to regular travel cover, a specialist policy may also offer targeted benefits that may be useful.

Read Also: How to Get the Best Small Business Insurance?

Why is Travel Insurance for Cruise Holidays Different?

The needs of holidaymakers on a cruise may be different to those taking other types of breaks.

Whilst some benefits may be offered as standard (i.e. medical cover, loss/theft, cancellation/curtailment, delay public liability and legal costs); others may only be offered by specialist cruise travel insurance policies.

For example, a specialist cruise trip travel policy may include other benefits such as:

Cabin confinement: This benefit will pay out a set sum in the event that a passenger is confined to their cabin by the cruise ship's doctor for medical reasons during the trip.

Missed shore trips: This will pay out if a shore trip is missed because the cruise ship is delayed or unable to dock as planned.

Baggage delivery: This will pay for luggage to be shipped to the next destination in the event that it is lost before the cruise starts.

Unused excursions: In the event of illness this would repay the cost of any excursions that a passenger had to miss due to illness.

Any or all of these benefits might be useful in certain circumstances. Bear in mind that each cruise travel insurance policy will come with specific benefits that may or may not include all of the above options.

What is the Best Way to Buy Cheap Cruise Travel Insurance?

For some holidaymakers the easiest way to get cruise travel insurance is to buy a regular policy and to forget about the extras that a specialist policy may give them.

This may work out to be a cheap solution but they may miss out on valuable benefits. Others will look at adding cruise cover on to a normal trip package although this will usually add an additional cost.

A specialist travel policy may give the necessary standard holiday benefits with a range of options related to cruises. This may be worth considering.

Those planning on taking more than one cruise or holiday a year may find that an annual policy could save them money; those insuring one trip may find a single policy cheaper.

Many will buy their cruise travel insurance when they book their holiday. So, for example, the cruise company or travel agent that they use may offer them a policy when they pay.

This may not, however, be the cheapest way to buy trip cover. It may be that shopping around and using travel insurance comparison sites could find cheaper options. (*)