Beginner’s guide to cruise travel insurance for 2024

Cruise travel insurance can easily feel like the boring bit of the holiday you’ll maybe buy just before you depart if you can be bothered – it’s the sun cream application to your beach bonanza, the currency conversion to your souk shopping sesh: none of the glamour… but all of the necessity, trust us.

It may seem very James Dean (or indeed Bond) to rebelliously risk globetrotting sans cruise insurance (“My luggage never goes missing!” “I’ve never been injured abroad!”) but travelling without cover is as foolish as thinking the action hero will fail to save the day.

Our comprehensive cruise travel insurance guide will help illuminate the importance of travel insurance for cruising for beginners – those of you who have yet to cruise – outlining what cover entails and why it’s a fundamental component of your upcoming voyage.

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What insurance do I need for a cruise?

If you intend to cruise you will need to buy cruise holiday insurance – a specialised form of travel insurance designed explicitly for cruise holidays. Cedar Tree is one example of a leading insurer offering such protection.

What is cruise travel insurance?

Unlike standard travel insurance, which covers more land-based aspects such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies and lost baggage, travel insurance for a cruise encompasses additional elements specific to cruises. These might include missed port departures, itinerary changes or emergency evacuations at sea (no sharing a floating door with Kate Winslet required).

There are two types of travel insurance for cruising:

Travel insurance with cruise cover – encompassing standard protection for elements such as medical care and misplaced belongings, ensuring coverage throughout your cruise holiday.

Cruise holiday insurance – specialised cover for cruises. Alongside the standard coverage for emergency medical expenses, this might extend to additional protections for cruise-related incidents like missed ports or cabin confinement.

Why is holiday insurance for cruises essential?

Cruise ship travel insurance offers a safety net, providing financial protection and peace of mind (beyond what a glass of wine can do) throughout your journey. It covers unforeseen circumstances that might arise during your cruise, ensuring you’re adequately prepared for unexpected events, such as medical emergencies onboard or trip interruptions due to weather-related issues. It can’t help if you’ve got noisy cabin neighbours or the wrong type of shampoo, however.

What is the best cruise insurance?

This will depend on what you need from your cover and your budget. In determining the most cost-effective travel insurance for a cruise, consider:

– Policy cost
– Coverage extent for cruise-related issues
– Likelihood of cruise-specific problems
– Excess amount

How much does cruise travel insurance cost?

While the cost will vary depending on the cover required, cruisers can expect to pay around £29.98 for a single trip travel insurance policy for one week with Cedar Tree (based on a single-trip policy for an individual traveller, aged 40, for one week).

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What is covered by cruise insurance?

Medical emergencies
Trip interruptions or cancellations
Cabin confinement (for medical reasons)
Lost or delayed baggage
Missed port departures
Evacuations & repatriations

Medical emergencies

One of the primary concerns during a cruise is health-related incidents (due to close quarters on a ship, higher number of older travellers, multi-destination itineraries, potentially limited medical facilities and inevitable self-containment).

Therefore cruise insurance typically covers medical expenses incurred onboard or during shore excursions, including doctor consultations, hospital stays and emergency evacuations if necessary.

Does cruise travel insurance cover COVID-19?

The coverage for COVID-19 can vary widely among different travel insurance for cruising policies and providers so check if this is a concern for you as many policies generally don’t offer special cover for cancellation related to Covid.

Cedar Tree is one insurer that does have cruise travel insurance with Covid cover. Cedar Tree Covid cover will protect you if:

• You need to cancel your trip due to the following reasons:

– Diagnosis or contraction of COVID-19 by you or a close relative.
– Mandated self-isolation following a positive test result/confirmation from a GP.
– Self-isolation requirement for someone you were scheduled to travel or stay with during your trip.

• The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or a regulatory authority in your destination country recommends evacuation or return to your home area.
• You’re prevented from boarding at your UK departure point due to displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
• You need to return home early because a close relative has contracted COVID-19.

Should you develop COVID-19 whilst abroad, your Cedar Tree cruise travel insurance with Covid cover policy will cover you subject to the terms and conditions for:

• Emergency medical treatment, repatriation and other expenses.
• Additional transport and accommodation if you are unable to return home as planned.

Cruise interruptions or cancellations

Unforeseen events, such as illness before departure (no, not man flu), family emergencies or adverse weather conditions, might force you to cancel or interrupt your cruise. Cruise holiday insurance reimburses non-refundable expenses like pre-paid fares, excursions and accommodations, ensuring you don’t bear the financial burden. You’ll have enough on your plate with the disappointment of not being able to travel.

Cedar Tree cruise insurance also comprises impressive cancellation cover of up to £7,500 per person, per trip (many cruise insurance for cruising policies only offer £4,000). You can even boost this if you want with the option to enhance cancellation cover up to £25,000 per person, per trip – worth considering if you’ve gone All Out on that bucket list cruise.

What’s more, a cruise cover add-on with Cedar Tree holiday insurance for cruises makes sure that you’ll be protected if an accident or illness enforces cabin confinement (along with any pre-booked unused excursions) and if bad weather results in a missed port (as long as no alternative port is provided).

Missed port departures

Does cruise insurance cover missed ports? Yes, specialised cruise insurance will cover missed ports.

If you miss the departure of your floating hotel due to unforeseen circumstances, like a flight delay or traffic accident, travel insurance for a cruise can cover the expenses incurred to reach the next port of call and rejoin the ship.

Cedar Tree cruise insurance covers costs to rejoin your cruise if you arrive late at your initial departure point and/or you miss your ship at a port of call. Although remember to always check the time you need to be back onboard whenever you head out ashore – a last-minute haggle over that leather handbag or sampling that final pizza slice just isn’t worth it, even with missed port cruise insurance.

Lost or delayed baggage

Just like standard travel insurance, holiday insurance for cruises covers lost, damaged or delayed baggage, offering compensation for essential items or replacement costs.

With Cedar Tree cruise ship travel insurance, lost and delayed baggage is covered as standard and with a cruise cover add-on you’ll also get increased baggage allowance, perfect for squeezing in that extra pair of sandals, another book/hat/jacket and…OK steady on.

Evacuations & repatriations

In critical situations where immediate medical attention isn’t available onboard, evacuation to the nearest adequate medical facility becomes essential. Travel insurance for cruising covers the costs associated with emergency evacuations and, if needed, repatriation to your home country. Not applicable if you simply get fed up with your cruise, mind.

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Choosing the right cruise holiday insurance policy

Assessing your needs

Before selecting your travel insurance for a cruise policy, evaluate your specific requirements. Bear in mind such factors as trip duration, destination, age and any pre-existing medical conditions. Tailor your policy to suit your needs, ensuring it adequately covers all aspects of your cruise.

Remember to weigh up the benefits of a single-trip policy versus annual – if you’re thinking of travelling again in a 12-month period then it’s worth considering an annual multi-trip policy. While you should always examine the prices, annual cover generally works out more cost-effective, plus you won’t have to worry about buying insurance for another year. Huzzah, more time for buying a nice swimming cossie!

If you have plans to do anything extreme during your holiday – think bungee jumping or skydiving rather than trying a new spicy dish with mystery ingredients – you may need to take out extra cover, so do think ahead when booking your cruise.

Comparing policies

Research and compare policies from reputable insurance providers. Look for comprehensive cruise travel insurance coverage that includes medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and other specific cruise-related incidents. Pay attention to coverage limits, exclusions and deductibles.

The travel insurance experts at Cedar Tree recommend checking out reviews submitted by previous policyholders to see what sort of service you will receive, as well as selecting a policy that is rated either four or five-star by a ratings agency.

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to cut corners and go for a super cheap policy just to reduce outgoings upfront. You might save a few pounds but if things go wrong medical costs can prove astronomical, particularly in the USA.

Note, for insurers encompassing cruises within their standard policies or based on the extent of cruise inclusion in ‘add-on’ coverage, cancellation, medical necessities and evacuations are automatically covered.

Reviewing the fine print

Thoroughly read the policy details and exclusions to understand what’s covered and what’s not. Pay attention to clauses related to pre-existing conditions, cancellation reasons and coverage limitations.

You might also want to double check your cruise ship travel insurance covers some of the (very cool) activities available on modern vessels, such as rock climbing, trampolining, zip-lining and so on. No, a poor run of luck in the casino won’t feature.

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Tips for purchasing travel insurance for a cruise

Buy early

Purchase your holiday insurance as soon as you book your trip (up to 551 days in advance). Doing so shields you from potential risks outlined in your policy, such as hospitalisation or medical unfitness to travel.

While refunds are typically unavailable (except within 14 days post-purchase), certain insurers like Cedar Tree, offer flexibility for date changes within a year of the policy starting, without additional charges, if you’ve opted for an alternative holiday or need to reschedule due to personal reasons. Moreover, you have the flexibility to modify the duration of coverage and expand your coverage area as needed.

Declare pre-existing conditions

This is a biggie, folks, so listen up. If you have pre-existing medical conditions, you must disclose them when purchasing the insurance. While coverage might be available, failure to declare such issues could void your policy; read – ultimately a very, very expensive lie. If you’re unsure if you need to declare your pre-existing medical condition, you can call the Cedar Tree team on 0203 137 7922 who will be happy to guide you.

Keep documents handy

If you like the certainty of print, carry a copy of your insurance policy and emergency contact details with you during the cruise – or at least pin the email containing them to the top of your mobile inbox, whatever works for you. You just want to make sure to have easy access to these documents in case of emergencies. With an insurer like Cedar Tree your policy documents are digital and they also have a handy app – TravelMate – which stores all your important information in one place.

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Is cruise insurance worth it?

Yes, cruise insurance is worth getting. Cruise holiday insurance is not merely an additional expense but a necessary investment to safeguard your cruise experience, in fact some cruise companies won’t let you board without insurance. It offers a buffer against unforeseen circumstances, ensuring you can focus on enjoying your voyage without worrying about potential mishaps.

Before setting sail on your dream cruise, take the time to research, compare policies and choose a comprehensive cruise travel insurance plan that aligns with your needs. By doing so, you’ll embark on your cruise adventure fully prepared, with the reassurance that you’re covered every step of the way.

Be your own action hero – get insured.

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Cedar Tree travel insurance inclusions

Standard cruise cover benefits

These come as standard with any policy you choose and include, but are not limited to, benefits such as:

• Cancellation or cutting short your trip
• Lost and delayed baggage
• Medical emergency and other expenses
• Travel delay benefit
• Cover if you can no longer go on the cruise, or someone you’re travelling with can no longer travel and you decide not to go

Cruise cover add-on

For as a little as £29.98* (single trip policy) you can purchase a cruise cover add-on which provides these extra benefits:

• Costs to re-join your cruise if you arrive late at your initial departure point
• Costs to re-join your cruise if you miss your ship at a port of call
• Cabin confinement (accident or illness)
• Missed port due to adverse weather (as long as no alternative port is provided)
• Unused excursions (pre-booked when you have been confined to your cabin)
• Increased baggage allowance
• Cancellation cover of up to £7,500 per person, per trip (£4,000 is the norm for many cruise ship travel insurance policies)
• Option to significantly enhance cancellation cover to give peace of mind when you’ve splashed out on that cruise of a lifetime – cancellation cover of up to £25,000 per person, per trip

*Price based on a Single-Trip policy for an individual, aged 40, on a one-week cruise