Should You Buy Cruise Insurance?

When it comes to important purchases and managing your money, you want to be sure you’re making the right decision.

If you’re buying a new computer, you talk to tech experts. If you need someone to help manage your retirement funds, you go to an investment broker. If you need to rewire your house, you hire a certified electrician. And in each of these scenarios, you probably aren’t choosing the first listing you see. You do your research.

The same goes for purchasing travel insurance to cover your cruise vacation. Be sure to consider all your options and choose the provider and plan that offer the best protection for your trip.

Is Cruise Insurance Worth It?

Travel insurance for cruises, sometimes also referred to as cruise insurance, is typically worth it when you consider how it can help. Not only can travel insurance for cruises help protect the money you spent for your trip if you have to cancel or come home early for a covered reason, but it can also help with medical expenses if you get sick or hurt while away from home on a cruise.

Many travelers find it difficult to put a price on the financial peace of mind that cruise insurance provides.

Is it compulsory to have travel insurance on a cruise?

In most cases, it is not required to have travel insurance for a cruise. However, it’s always best to check with your cruise line about their requirements. You don’t want to be prevented from boarding because you don’t have proof of insurance.

If you plan to get off the ship for land excursions during your cruise, confirm whether the countries hosting your stops require travel insurance for international visitors. Some destinations now require travel insurance with COVID coverage. Even if travel insurance is not required for entry, you may find that having it in case of emergencies gives you the confidence to enjoy your trip more fully.

Why Choose Seven Corners Cruise Insurance?

Seven Corners has been a leader in the travel insurance industry for 30 years. We offer a variety of plans that can be customized to fit your needs, whether you’re a first-time cruiser, taking the family for a semi-regular sail, or someone who takes multiple cruises throughout the year.

Our travel insurance for cruises includes protection for trip cancellations, delays, and interruptions from the beginning to the end of your trip. 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. Insurance from the cruise line may not cover trip costs apart from the cruise itself.

Should I buy insurance from the cruise line?

Cruise lines may offer travel insurance and do so in a temptingly convenient way by allowing you to add it to the price of your cruise when you purchase your ticket. However, you might not be getting the right coverage, no matter how easy it seems.

Just like you shop around for the best electrician to rewire your house, it’s worth looking elsewhere to make sure you choose the best travel insurance for your trip. We recommend talking with an agent who sells travel insurance or a company like Seven Corners that specializes in travel insurance.

What Does Travel Insurance for Cruises Cover?

Your cruise insurance coverage will depend on the benefits you select. The right trip insurance can make a difference for you in many different ways.

Is cruise insurance different from travel insurance?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but benefits differ by plan. That’s why it’s important to review the plan document, so you know what is covered and how the benefits work. One important thing to remember is that the insurance you purchase directly from a cruise line typically is not as robust as insurance you purchase from a travel insurance company.

Here are some of the things you should look for in travel insurance for cruises. You’ll find this coverage in most of Seven Corners’ trip protection plans.

Travel insurance for missed connections

An important benefit you may not see on trip insurance offered by cruise lines addresses one of cruisers’ biggest worries: “What if my plane is late, and I miss the ship?” Seven Corners’ cruise insurance includes missed cruise connection benefits.

If you miss your cruise ship due to a delay that meets the time length stated in your plan document (three hours for Seven Corners’ RoundTrip Basic and RoundTrip Choice), the missed cruise and tour connection benefit reimburses you for these items:

• Additional transportation costs to join your cruise.
• Meals, local transportation, and lodging.

In order for a benefit to be paid when you make a claim, your situation must have been triggered by a covered reason. All trip protection plan documents will have details about these covered reasons. Our plans provide the missed connection benefit if you miss the ship for one of these covered reasons:

• Your plane is late.
• A documented inclement weather condition.
• 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) 

Cancel for Any Reason is an optional benefit you may not see offered by the cruise line. Most trip insurance includes a list of covered reasons that trigger benefits. One of these triggers — including sickness, injury, traffic accident, and weather, for example — must occur before you can cancel your trip.

But when you add the optional CFAR benefit, you can cancel your entire trip for any reason you wish*.

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. Seven Corners offers CFAR on our RoundTrip Basic and RoundTrip Choice plans.

You must select this benefit within the time sensitive period and pay the additional plan cost to receive it. For the plans mentioned above, the phrase “time sensitive period” means you must purchase your plan within 20 days of the date your initial payment or deposit of your trip is received, and within 15 days of payment for any subsequent travel arrangements added to your trip. Other terms apply.

Protection for an emergency medical evacuation

This benefit is a big deal. If you are in a location that cannot provide the medical care you need, the emergency medical evacuation benefit covers the cost to move you to a location where you can receive appropriate care.

Emergency medical evacuations vary a great deal in terms of cost because they can range from an upgraded airline seat to much more expensive options depending on the medical condition you have. The cost can vary from $500 to $200,000 or more.

Without trip protection that has an emergency medical evacuation benefit, you would be responsible for the cost.

Read Ed and Marilyn’s story to see how Seven Corners handled a real-life emergency medical evacuation when Ed got sick on their cruise.

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 covers pre-existing conditions, so it's recommended that you talk to a licensed travel insurance agent to better understand if a pre-existing conditions waiver is included in a plan. This waiver essentially eliminates the exclusion for pre-existing conditions in the plan document if you meet the stated requirements.

To get the waiver, you must buy the plan within the time sensitive period, which varies by plan. For example, like the CFAR coverage we mentioned above, in order to receive the waiver you must purchase a RoundTrip Choice plan within 20 days of the date your initial payment or deposit for your trip is received and insure the cost of subsequent travel arrangements added to your trip within 15 days of the date you paid for each of them. You must also be medically able to travel at the time you buy the plan.

Protection for your belongings

We all travel with luggage and items that are important to us. A good trip protection plan will cover loss, theft, and damage to baggage and personal effects. These benefits are typically secondary to other coverage, such as any reimbursement an airline would provide for losing a bag.

24/7 Travel assistance services

Last but not least, most trip protection plans come with travel assistance services. Seven Corners Assist provides 24/7 non-insurance services from our multilingual team. If you need an emergency medical evacuation, this team will handle it.

They can also help you locate medical care when you're abroad and arrange translation services. And when you're hospitalized unexpectedly, they can help coordinate direct billing with medical facilities.

How Much Does Cruise Insurance Cost?

The general rule of thumb for the cost of trip insurance is that it is roughly four to eight percent of the cost of your trip. The factors that drive the price include your age and the cost of your trip, as well as the benefit levels you want.

It’s easy to check pricing for all our trip insurance plans so you have an idea of the cost before purchasing anything.

Need Help Finding the Right Cruise Insurance for Your Trip?

Now that you know the answer to “Do I need special travel insurance for a cruise?” contact our sales team for help choosing the best plan for your situation.

Email sales@sevencorners.com

Toll free 1-800-335-0611

Worldwide 317-575-2652

Collect 317-818-2809

*Cancel for Any Reason does not cover the failure of the Travel Supplier to provide the bargained-for Travel Arrangements due to cessation of operations for any reason. 

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Important Information from the United States Fire Insurance Company

AH-3998