Cruises are a very special type of vacation with many unique considerations to be made during the planning stages. You likely won’t be arranging for transportation, meals, and activities while you’re away like most vacations, and you’ll be visiting several countries in a short timespan. This comes with some unique considerations for buying travel insurance.
With the investment you’re making in your cruise and the bold, undaunted attitude many people face activities on a cruise with (often activities they wouldn’t consider doing normally), there’s really no reason not to buy travel insurance.
Here are some considerations you need to make while buying your travel insurance policy.
What does it cover?
There are all sorts of situations where you may need to rely on travel insurance. Some of the most common ones include ship mechanical malfunctions, medical crises that suddenly arise before your departure, baggage loss, medical incidents during the trip, and so on. These situations aren’t always your fault, but they can be frustrating to endure if you thought they were covered and they aren’t.
Is everyone buying it?
If you’re going on a cruise with friends, often listed as “travel companions” on each other’s policies, you should keep in mind that your policy won’t cover them directly. In a situation where your travel companion gets sick, you may be able to cancel your trip without any losses if you don’t want to go alone, but they won’t be able to use your policy. If one of your travel companions cancels because a family member is sick, however, you won’t be covered unless they are.
Where are you buying it?
If you purchase your travel insurance through the company offering the cruise, your coverage may be limited and reimbursements might not come in the form you expect them to. For instance, if a cruise is interrupted, you may be reimbursed with credits to use towards a future cruise rather than cash like you would through a standard insurance company. Coverage on flights, hotels on each end, and different trip interruption causes are more reasons to consider a third-party insurer.
What countries are you visiting?
Different companies have different policies when it comes to cruises in particular. They may cover some countries but not others. If you are stopping in multiple ports, you need to list every possible stop on your application so you will be covered in the event of an emergency.
Have you done your homework?
Make sure you read the insurance policy certificate, terms and conditions document, or any other material they send you. If you know what’s excluded on your trip (rock-climbing in the Caribbean, mountain biking in Greece, or anything else you may find yourself tempted to try), you’ll stay safer during the trip.
Nobody likes to think they’re going to need to use travel insurance, but when you’re going on a cruise, you should always invest in it. If you do need it, and if you’ve done proper research to ensure you have the right coverage, it will pay you back quite literally.
Written by Kalen Smith, on behalf of CoverMore.com.au To find out more about travel insurance for cruises visit their website.