The Best Travel Insurance for Cruises
Cruises are one of the most popular vacation types, and they can be some of the most expensive. Each year, from January through March, travelers are offered a variety of hot deals on cruises for the year. This period is known as Wave Season.
Each Wave Season, many travelers consider travel insurance to protect their trip investment, and themselves, during their vacation. Finding the best policy for your specific trip can lead to significant financial savings in the event of travel complications. Squaremouth explains the best travel insurance for cruises.
The Best Travel Insurance for Cruises Has High Medical Coverage
Medical treatment on a cruise ship is often significantly more expensive than travelers receive at a normal doctor or hospital. Even common illnesses like a respiratory infection can cost more than $1,000 to diagnose and treat onboard a cruise ship.
Because of this increased cost, Squaremouth recommends cruisers purchase a travel insurance policy with at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage. This benefit can reimburse the costs of treating a medical emergency that incurs while traveling, including physician services, hospital fees, x-ray examinations, ambulance services, and medication costs, among others.
Many cruise travelers are worried about being evacuated in case of an emergency while at sea. The Medical Evacuation benefit can transport travelers to the nearest hospital in the event of a medical emergency. This includes emergencies that occur while at sea, during an excursion, or while at port.
Squaremouth recommends a policy with at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage for cruisers. In addition to transportation to the nearest hospital, this benefit can transport travelers back home for better care if the treating physician deems it medically necessary.
The Best Travel Insurance for Cruises is Comprehensive
Along with these high amounts of travel medical insurance, the best cruise insurance will include these other benefits:
- Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption can protect a traveler’s prepaid and non-refundable trip expenses if they need to cancel their trip or return home early. This can include their cruise payments, airfare, and the costs of tours and excursions
- Travel Delay and Missed Connection can refund travelers for expenses incurred during a delay in reaching their departing port, and can help them catch up to their itinerary if they miss their ship’s point of departure
- Baggage Delay can refund travelers for the purchase of clothing, toiletries, and other essentials while their luggage is delayed. Baggage & Personal Items Loss can refund the cost of the items that are lost or damaged
Should I Buy Travel Insurance From My Cruise Line or Somewhere Else?
Squaremouth always recommends the least expensive travel insurance policy that matches a customer’s coverage needs. For that reason, we suggest comparing your cruise line’s policies to the policies offered by a third-party site like Squaremouth.