Should You Buy Trip Insurance from a Cruise Line?

Would you buy auto insurance from a car dealership? Probably not. For the same reason, we don’t recommend buying trip insurance from your cruise line. 

A car salesperson knows a lot about cars and can help you choose one, but they can’t help you with car insurance because they’re not in the business of selling car insurance. They could tell you the basics about it but nothing more. Same is true when it comes to cruise lines and cruise insurance. 

 

Buy trip insurance from someone who understands it. 

The cruise line has detailed information about their cruises, itineraries, and amenities because they are in the business of selling and providing cruises. Travel insurance is not their main focus. Although they may offer it (and in a convenient way — often it can be added to the price of the cruise), it’s worth looking elsewhere to make sure you choose the best travel insurance for your trip. We recommend you talk with an agent who sells travel insurance or a company that specializes in travel insurance plans, like Seven Corners.  

 

Seamless coverage.

A good cruise insurance or trip insurance plan will protect you for trip cancellation, delay, and interruption for all facets of your trip from the beginning to the end of it. For example, if you are flying to the port where your cruise will depart, you want coverage for your airline fare if it’s nonrefundable. That way, if your airline cancels your flight, the money you spent for it is protected. Insurance from the cruise line may not cover trip costs apart from the cruise itself. 

 

Missed connection — an important benefit for cruising.  

This is an important benefit you may not see on trip insurance offered by the cruise line. Seven Corners offers it on our cruise insurance plans, because we designed it specifically for cruises. 

It addresses one of a cruisers biggest worries:  “What if my plane is late, and I miss the ship?" 

If you miss your cruise ship due to a delay of at least three hours, the missed connection benefit on our plans will reimburse you for these items:  

• Additional transportation costs to join your cruise.
• Accommodations and meals.
• Non-refundable trip payments for the unused portion of your trip. 

All trip insurance plans provide covered reasons for which benefits are paid. Our plans provide this benefit if you miss the ship because of the reasons below.  

• Your plane is late.  
• A documented weather condition prevents you from boarding the cruise ship before it leaves.  
• You are under quarantine.
• You experience a hijacking.
• A strike occurs that affects you and your travel plans. 
• A natural disaster affects you and your travel plans. 
• A terrorist event or a riot occurs that affects you and/or your travel plans. 

 

Optional Cancel for any Reason (CFAR)

This is another benefit you probably won’t see offered by the cruiseline. CFAR is an optional benefit that allows you to cancel your entire trip for any reason at all. Yes, your heard right! Most trip insurance plans include a list of covered reasons that trigger benefits. One of these triggers must occur before you can cancel your trip. Examples include:  sickness, injury, traffic accident, weather.  

This benefit costs extra, and you are reimbursed for 75% of your nonrefundable trip costs instead of 100%, but if you have an unusual situation you feel could cause you to cancel your trip, it’s worth it. We offer CFAR on our RoundTrip Elite trip insurance plan. 

You must select this benefit and pay the additional premium to receive it. 
 

 

Pre-existing conditions 

If you have health conditions or you are traveling with someone who does, it’s important to secure coverage for pre-existing conditions. Not all trip insurance plans cover pre-existing conditions, and it is often lacking in trip insurance offered by cruise lines. 

A pre-existing condition is a medical condition that predates the start date of your trip insurance plan, and they are typically excluded from coverage unless the plan has a pre-existing condition waiver. To get the waiver, you must buy the plan within a specified timeframe, which varies by plan. For example, you need to purchase our RoundTrip Elite plan within 20 days of your payment or deposit for your trip and insure the cost of subsequent travel arrangements added to your trip within 20 days of the date you paid for each of them in order to receive the waiver.    

 

Need help finding a the right trip insurance plan for your cruise?

If you are planning a cruise and not sure what trip insurance plan to buy, reach out to our sales team. They are always interested in helping you choose the best plan for your situation. You can reach them at sales@sevencorners.com or by calling 800.335.0611 or 317.818.2809.