Seven Reasons Why a Cruise Travel Insurance Plan is Worth It

Cruise travel has been growing in popularity over the past few years, bringing in more travelers than ever. In 2024, around 35.7 million travelers set sail on their cruise adventures to explore new countries, enjoy fun activities and get some well-earned rest and relaxation¹.

There are a lot of travel insurance plan options on the market. While that can seem overwhelming at first, it means you have the opportunity to find a plan that best suits your needs. A travel insurance plan can provide protection for certain parts of you trip that don’t take place on the ship. In other words, you could get coverage for flights, hotel stays and other prepaid nonrefundable expenses before and after your cruise.

Plus, if you’re one of the 12% who take multiple cruises per year², consider an Annual Travel Insurance Plan. One plan for multiple trips makes travel planning a little bit easier!

Once you have a travel insurance plan picked out, you can tailor your coverage to best fit your needs with optional add-on coverages. Travel Guard offers a selection of additional add-ons to help travelers make the most of their travel insurance plans.  For example, many cruise and shore excursions may fall into “Adventure Activities,” which can sometimes be excluded from coverage on a regular travel insurance plan. If you plan on participating in activities like skydiving, scuba diving (at certain depths) or jet skiing, you may want the Adventure Sports Bundle added to your plan, so coverage related to those activities will be included in your plan. The Medical Bundle is another option cruise travelers might find beneficial to add-on. You can’t plan when you might experience a medical situation while you’re cruising – you could be out at sea on the ship or even in port in a more remote area with difficult access to healthcare. Customizing your travel insurance plan with the Medical Bundle increases the benefit limits for Travel Medical Expense and Emergency Evacuation coverages, which can be crucial if you need to be transported to a hospital for treatment.

Cruising has something for everyone and it’s a great vacation for travelers of any age. About one third of families cruising have at least two generations on board³ which means you’ll want to make sure you have everyone covered – from the youngest traveler to the youngest at heart. Seniors may find a travel insurance plan to be extra beneficial since Travel Guard offers a Pre-Existing Medical Conditions Exclusion Waiver that removes the exclusion for pre-existing medical conditions if coverage is purchased within a certain number of days of your initial trip deposit.

Sometimes cruise lines will offer amazing last-minute deals to travelers. So, if the cruise of your dreams has a sale you can’t ignore, you’ll want a travel insurance plan that can pick up and go when you’re ready. Most Travel Guard plans can be purchased up to 24 hours before your departure. But if you’re really traveling on a whim the Pack N’ Go Plan can provide immediate same-day coverage.

Even with last-minute deals, the cost of cruise vacations can add up when you start to account for expenses like your accommodations, port activities, meal plans and, of course, the travel to reach your departure city. Whether you’re a seasoned cruise traveler or one of the 71% of travelers who are considering taking their first cruise⁴, you’ll want a comprehensive travel insurance plan that provides a wide range of coverage and helps protect your travel investment.

Even when you do your best to be prepared for cruising, there are still events outside of your control that can change your travel plans. For instance, you might face severe weather conditions, which causes your ship to change course making you miss one of your scheduled ports. Travel Guard has a unique coverage called Travel Inconvenience Benefits that provides a flat payment for, you guessed it, certain covered inconveniences you experience on vacation. Missing a cruise port for a covered reason is one of those Travel Inconvenience Benefits on several travel insurance plans.

No one wants to think about the worst-case scenarios while daydreaming about their vacation, but you’ll be glad you packed a travel insurance plan if you do find yourself in an emergency. Accidents can happen and illness can spread quickly. There is usually a doctor onboard, but in some situations, you might need to be medically evacuated to receive proper treatment, which can be costly. For example, the Caribbean is a popular cruising destination but if you needed to evacuated off the ship for medical care, the cost of the evacuation could be up to $25,000⁵. Travel Guard can provide coverage for emergency medical evacuations and our 24/7 travel assistance team can help make transportation arrangements so you can just focus on your health.