Cruise travel insurance

Cruise travel insurance offers cover that’s tailored to your cruise, whether it’s an ocean cruise or a river cruise.

When you buy cruise insurance you’ll still get standard travel insurance, plus, you'll get extra cover for your cruise, including:

• Missed port departures
• Cruise cabin confinement
• Unused excursions
• Cruise itinerary changes
• Cruise interruption

You can usually buy cruise cover on its own, as an add-on to a standard policy or even as annual multi-trip travel insurance with cruise cover.

You should buy cruise insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holiday. This means you're covered if you need to cancel your trip before you depart, for example if you fall ill before travelling.

You can buy cruise travel insurance after you've booked your holiday right up until your departure date. But there’s also often a period after booking when you can't claim – often 24 hours – so it's best not to leave it to the last minute to buy.

When getting your qoute, make sure to select 'cruise cover' in the extras section:  

Here are our top tips for choosing the right policy for your needs:

• Make sure all the cruise destination points are covered. You can buy cruise insurance that covers worldwide travel or specific areas. Check the FCDO for any advice against travel to certain areas, as you won't be covered if the government advises against visiting certain countries.
• Check you’re covered for any sports or activities you intend to do both on and offshore as part of your trip.
• Compare policy cover levels for cabin confinement to make sure you’re happy with the amount you’d be entitled to if you had to stay in your cabin.
• Check the conditions for missed port departure cover – you might not be covered by your insurance if you miss your boat due to a private excursion, for example.

• Get comprehensive medical cover that includes emergency helicopter transfers, cover for your journey home if you can’t return on your cruise ship, and medical costs like hospital fees.
• Check the policy limits for baggage cover, especially if you’re planning to take more luggage than you would if you were taking a flight.
• Consider how many cruises you take in a year. If you take more than 1, annual multi-trip travel insurance with cruise cover could be an option. It covers cruises anywhere in the world and is often cheaper than buying standalone policies for each cruise you go on. It’s important to compare prices to be sure you’re getting the best value, though. Sometimes annual insurance can be more expensive –for example, if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

Cruise insurance starts from £8.42*. The cost of your cruise insurance policy depends on:

• Where you’re travelling: The more countries you visit, the higher the insurance risk of something going wrong. Similarly, if you're travelling to somewhere dangerous or remote, the price may be higher as it costs an insurer more to pay out a claim.
• How long you’re away for: Longer trips might cost more due to an increased likelihood of incidents happening in that extended time.
• How many people are covered on the policy: If you’re travelling with other people, try getting a quote for a group or family policy. Doing this can sometimes save you money overall, as it can with standard travel insurance.
• If anyone has a pre-existing medical condition: If one person on a family policy has a pre-existing medical condition, they may increase the overall insurance price for the whole family. So it’s also worth getting quotes for individual policies and comparing that against a group one.
• The age of those travelling: Older travelers might have higher prices due to an increased likelihood of medical issues.

Cruise cover is usually more expensive than other types of travel insurance due to there being fewer amenities available while you’re at sea. While many ships have medics and basic equipment on board, this won't be enough if you need to go to hospital or leave the boat in an emergency.

These extra considerations mean more risk, so you'll pay more for this cover compared to a standard travel policy.

When comparing quotes, you’ll see policies with airlift options, in case you need to go to hospital but are far from the mainland. You’ll also see cover for things like abandoning your trip due to extreme weather. These extras all help determine your policy cost.

Private healthcare systems can mean the cost of medical treatment is much higher in some countries. This is also taken into consideration in the cost of your policy. For example, it's a lot more expensive to seek medical treatment in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean than it is in France, for example.

Travelling with a pre-existing medical condition can also increase the cost of your travel insurance. But it’s important that you declare it when getting your quote to be sure it’s covered when you travel.