| Cruise Insurance |
Should I buy travel insurance? Yes. Yes. Yes.
We can't stress enough the importance of travel insurance, whether it's because you find out you have to cancel the trip or your
luggage is lost or you miss the ship -- or you have a health emergency.
There are two kinds: Cruise lines offer travel insurance which basically, and reading the fine print offers all of the same benefits as
traditional travel insurance, such as trip cancellation, trip delay, missing or damaged luggage, or a medical emergency. If you have a
pre-existing condition there may be exceptions. Traditional travel insurance providers such as CSA, Access America, and Travel
Guard (just to name a few) may cover pre-existing conditions as long as the coverage is purchased at the time of or within two or
three weeks of booking. There is one big difference between coverage provided by the cruise line and third party vendors such as the
aforementioned companies; if the cruise line files for bankruptcy or goes out of business you will probably not receive any
reimbursement from the cruise line but probably would from third party insurance providers.
If you think that you will never need to purchase travel insurance for your cruise, think again. The cruise lines have taken an
increasingly hard line in recent years, and they rarely reimburse uninsured passengers for cruise cancellation or interruption
anymore. Travel insurance is a small price to pay for the financial peace of mind a full coverage policy provides. Some travel
insurance policies also cover missed connections, lost or delayed baggage, emergency medical evacuation, emergency medical
and dental expenses and emergency legal assistance. Be certain to closely review the details of your policy prior to purchase to be
certain you have the coverage you need.
Travel insurance prices used to be based solely on the cost and/or length of the trip, on a per person basis, regardless of age. Now,
more and more companies are basing premiums on the total cost of the trip per household and/or on a combination of the cost of
the trip and the ages of the passengers. Many travel insurance companies cover children under certain ages for free, if they are
traveling with their parents. Here are some other tips to keep in mind about travel insurance:
Medicare, as well as some HMOs, will not cover you outside of the United States.
You can purchase travel insurance through one of our insurance vendors or the cruise line, generally the cost is less from a vendor.
The following link will take you to our cruise insurance vendors where you can compare coverage costs and conditions:
theCruiseCenter Travel Insurance Site
In some parts of the world, you must pay in cash at the medical facility at the time of treatment. Travel insurance will cover this, up to
the limits of your policy.
If you are injured or become ill in a remote location, or a place that does not have suitable treatment facilities, you may need to be
airlifted to the United States or another country for care. Emergency medical evacuations can run into the tens of thousands of
dollars, and your insurance will cover this, up to the limits of your policy.
Some companies do not cover preexisting medical conditions at all, while others require that the insurance be purchased within
seven to 14 days of making the initial cruise deposit in order to provide this coverage. Most of the policies available through the cruise
lines exclude coverage for preexisting medical conditions.
When it comes to trip cancellation or interruption due to death, illness or injury, most travel insurance companies normally cover you
for yourself, your traveling companions and your immediate family members. Check with your travel insurance company to find out
how they define immediate family members.
Some cruise lines offer cancellation waiver insurance, which is not the same thing as trip cancellation or interruption insurance.
Waivers generally only apply to cancellations made at least several days prior to the scheduled start of the trip. Trip cancellation and
interruption insurance will cover you from the time that you purchase your cruise until you return from the trip. To be covered in both
instances, you may need to purchase a combined waiver and cancellation and interruption insurance policy.
We can't stress enough the importance of travel insurance, whether it's because you find out you have to cancel the trip or your
luggage is lost or you miss the ship -- or you have a health emergency.
There are two kinds: Cruise lines offer travel insurance which basically, and reading the fine print offers all of the same benefits as
traditional travel insurance, such as trip cancellation, trip delay, missing or damaged luggage, or a medical emergency. If you have a
pre-existing condition there may be exceptions. Traditional travel insurance providers such as CSA, Access America, and Travel
Guard (just to name a few) may cover pre-existing conditions as long as the coverage is purchased at the time of or within two or
three weeks of booking. There is one big difference between coverage provided by the cruise line and third party vendors such as the
aforementioned companies; if the cruise line files for bankruptcy or goes out of business you will probably not receive any
reimbursement from the cruise line but probably would from third party insurance providers.
If you think that you will never need to purchase travel insurance for your cruise, think again. The cruise lines have taken an
increasingly hard line in recent years, and they rarely reimburse uninsured passengers for cruise cancellation or interruption
anymore. Travel insurance is a small price to pay for the financial peace of mind a full coverage policy provides. Some travel
insurance policies also cover missed connections, lost or delayed baggage, emergency medical evacuation, emergency medical
and dental expenses and emergency legal assistance. Be certain to closely review the details of your policy prior to purchase to be
certain you have the coverage you need.
Travel insurance prices used to be based solely on the cost and/or length of the trip, on a per person basis, regardless of age. Now,
more and more companies are basing premiums on the total cost of the trip per household and/or on a combination of the cost of
the trip and the ages of the passengers. Many travel insurance companies cover children under certain ages for free, if they are
traveling with their parents. Here are some other tips to keep in mind about travel insurance:
Medicare, as well as some HMOs, will not cover you outside of the United States.
You can purchase travel insurance through one of our insurance vendors or the cruise line, generally the cost is less from a vendor.
The following link will take you to our cruise insurance vendors where you can compare coverage costs and conditions:
theCruiseCenter Travel Insurance Site
In some parts of the world, you must pay in cash at the medical facility at the time of treatment. Travel insurance will cover this, up to
the limits of your policy.
If you are injured or become ill in a remote location, or a place that does not have suitable treatment facilities, you may need to be
airlifted to the United States or another country for care. Emergency medical evacuations can run into the tens of thousands of
dollars, and your insurance will cover this, up to the limits of your policy.
Some companies do not cover preexisting medical conditions at all, while others require that the insurance be purchased within
seven to 14 days of making the initial cruise deposit in order to provide this coverage. Most of the policies available through the cruise
lines exclude coverage for preexisting medical conditions.
When it comes to trip cancellation or interruption due to death, illness or injury, most travel insurance companies normally cover you
for yourself, your traveling companions and your immediate family members. Check with your travel insurance company to find out
how they define immediate family members.
Some cruise lines offer cancellation waiver insurance, which is not the same thing as trip cancellation or interruption insurance.
Waivers generally only apply to cancellations made at least several days prior to the scheduled start of the trip. Trip cancellation and
interruption insurance will cover you from the time that you purchase your cruise until you return from the trip. To be covered in both
instances, you may need to purchase a combined waiver and cancellation and interruption insurance policy.
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