Cruise Travel Medical Insurance - FAQ's

Having good cruise insurance can make all the difference for a memorable vacation should a vacationer face any adverse situation during the cruise. The cost of cruise travel insurance varies depending on the coverage benefits included, but they typically cost between 5 to 10% of the non-refundable cruise trip costs. Given the cruise health insurance coverage benefits, this additional cruise insurance expense is definitely worth it.

Some of the benefits provided by cruise insurance include coverage for cruise cancellation expense, any additional expense due to flight or travel delay, baggage loss or baggage delay, expense due to medical evacuation to healthcare facility as well as the healthcare costs if one falls ill or is injured during the cruise.

Most cruise travel insurance plans provide the following coverages :

1. Trip cancellation
2. Trip delay
3. Emergency medical evacuation
4. Baggage loss
5. Baggage delay
6. Medical coverage

Some add-on coverage available with some plans include - Cancel for any reason cancellation. Please look at the plan brochures for details of the coverage.

There are many coverage benefits provided by Cruise insurance which are very important while going on a cruise vacation. Cruise insurance provides coverage for trip cancellation, trip delay, flight delay or missed connections resulting in missed cruises and any additional expenses related to making the cruise, baggage loss, baggage delay, medical evacuation if needed to healthcare facility as well as covering the medical expenses of the traveler.

All of these cruise insurance coverage benefits are very important given the nature of traveling on a cruise. Given the Covid pandemic, some cruise lines are recommending cruise travel insurance, especially for unvaccinated travelers.

Irrespective of whether cruise insurance is mandated or not, given the relatively low cost of cruise insurance when compared to the coverage benefits provided, buying the best cruise travel insurance is strongly recommended. Cruise health insurance provides peace of mind and can make all the difference in making in one’s cruise vacation memorable.

It is best to buy the cruise insurance as soon as you make the first payment for the trip. The Cruise cancellation insurance benefit starts as soon as you buy the insurance well before the actual cruise start date. It is possible that you cancel the trip for valid reasons well before the journey and if you have cruise insurance, you are eligible to get the benefit of this coverage.

Some benefits such as the ‘Cancel for any reason’ is also time sensitive and usually needs to be bought within 21 days of the first payment. However travelers can buy cruise insurance later as well and can be bought just before the cruise starts. Some plans are even available post-departure of the cruise.

Cruise insurance plan coverage vary depending on the insurance plan and the underwriting companies. At American Visitor Insurance, we do have cruise health insurance plans which cover Covid19 as any other illness. This implies that you will be covered for health expenses incurred due to treatment of Covid19 as well as medical evacuation expenses if you need to be evacuated to a healthcare facility.

While purchasing a good cruise insurance policy travelers can look for a complete coverage with benefits like cancellations and medical emergencies, in addition to standard coverage included in the travel insurance. A comprehensive cover generally offers full coverage that can save some extra money for the travelers.
Some of the benefits that are included in Cruise cancellation insurance are:-

1. Trip Cancellation: Offers a reimbursement for the traveler's prepaid and non-refundable trip expenses, including their airfare, cruise, excursions, and tours. Hurricane & Weather coverage is included in most policies with Trip Cancellation coverage.
2. Emergency Medical: The cost of routine medical checks have increased hence its advisable that travelers travelling by cruisers buy a travel insurance policy a minimum of $100,000 for Emergency Medical.
3. Medical Evacuation: Cruisers should purchase a policy with a minimum of $250,000 for Medical Evacuation coverage as the chances for evacuation is higher on the cruise.

Apart from the coverage for cancellations and medical emergencies, a good travel insurance plan will include travel delay, missed connections, and luggage. There are few policies that offer coverage for Itinerary Change, where a reimbursement can be claimed by travelers for missed events in the event of their travel supplier changing their itinerary.

Travelers can choose to purchase the travel insurance until the day before the cruise begins the trip. However it is advisable that travelers should purchase a travel insurance policy at the earliest to enjoy the benefits for unexpected events that impact the trip.

For example, if a traveler is planning a cruise and if there is a forecast of a storm then it would be too late to buy a policy for that storm. Few add-on benefits like Cancel For Any Reason or Pre-Existing Condition coverage are time-sensitive which are available within 10-21 days of the initial trip payment like cruise down payment.

There are various factors that affect the cost of the cheap cruise travel insurance. A standard policy with Trip Cancellation coverage will cost between 5% and 10% of a traveler’s total trip cost.

1. Age of the traveler: The cost of travel insurance is directly proportional to the age of the traveler. The older the traveler and greater will be the cost of the visitors health insurance.
2. Type of travel insurance: Comprehensive travel insurance which provide exhaustive coverage are more expensive than fixed benefit travel insurance
3. Medical maximum coverage and deductible options: The price of visitors' medical insurance is directly dependent on the maximum medical coverage and inversely proportional to the deductible of the plan chosen.
4. Region of coverage: Travel insurance depends on the coverage region. The cost for visitor health insurance for the United States is most expensive.
5. Duration of travel insurance: The longer the duration of visitor medical insurance required, the higher will be the cost.

Travelers can check with the cruise if they will provide a refund or voucher if you cancel. If yes, then travelers do not need to insure the cost of the cruise to make the travel insurance policy a little cheaper.

There are multiple platforms that travelers can buy the cruise medical insurance policy .And one such platform is American Visitor Insurance works with reputed US travel insurance providers to give international travelers a wide range of travel insurance options. Our company has two decades experience in understanding the diverse requirements of international travelers and in offering appropriate travel insurance options to them.

Our typical customers range from international travelers visiting family in the US, international students, J visa holders, H1b Visa holders, US travelers going overseas, travelers to Schengen countries who need travel insurance to satisfy visa requirements, Cruise travelers ,trip cancellation customers to insurance their trip expenses, travelers looking for Covid19 travel insurance with quarantine coverage as mandated by certain countries, corporate professionals and business travelers who travel internationally regularly as well as other diverse traveling groups with unique needs.

Our licensed dedicated customer support team provides service at all times helping customers find the most appropriate travel insurance for their needs as well as guide them when using the insurance in the event of a medical or travel emergency. We also provide answers to all international cruise travel insurance questions , reviews of different cruise travel insurance products, testimonials for customers as well as provide an user-friendly travel insurance comparison tool where travelers can compare different products based on price as well as the coverage benefits. All of these tools help travelers make an informed decision while buying travel insurance.

Cruisers can choose to insure all of their trip expenses when booking a cruise. It’s always best for travelers to insure non-refundable deposits. This includes down payment, excursions, travel expenses, airfare and hotel accommodations.

Don't worry! Your coverage will be worldwide, so you don't have to enter each and every port of call on your itinerary. If one of your stops will be in the US (besides the start or end of the cruise), then you should enter the United States as your destination so that you get a plan that includes domestic travel. Otherwise, you can enter your first port of call and you will be covered for your entire cruise!

Don't worry! Your coverage will be worldwide, so you don't have to enter each and every port of call on your itinerary. If one of your stops will be in the US (besides the start or end of the cruise), then you should enter the United States as your destination so that you get a vacation travel insurance that includes domestic travel. Otherwise, you can enter your first port of call and you will be covered for your entire cruise!

That depends. Did you look over their policy carefully? The cruise insurance may be focussed on getting your money back for what you paid for the cruise. What about your plane tickets to get you to the initial port and home from the last port? What if your luggage is lost on the way? What if you get sick or hurt during your cruise? Be sure that you have cruise health insurance that is good while you are away from home.

Going abroad or even out of state can increase deductibles and/or coinsurance or you may not even be covered. Find out ahead of time! Know the limitations of the cruise medical insurance and figure out if you would like to be more secure in your purchase. Finally, trip cancellation insurance companies are experts at helping travelers and they have thought of a lot of things going wrong that you may not have! So, consider your options carefully.

The travellers on cruises are not aware of the expensive healthcare cost while on a cruise ship. The basic diagnosis and treatment of regular health conditions can cost thousands of dollars on board a cruise ship. In case the passenger has to be evacuated to the nearest port the cost of evacuation can be astronomical.

Cruise insurance offers travelers medical insurance coverage for unanticipated illness or injury during the cruise. Most policies offer benefits for on-board medical treatment, as well as additional coverage for an evacuation in case of an emergency.

Cruisers whose primary domestic health insurance does not offer coverage outside of the US borders or to any inaccessible locations should choose comprehensive cruise insurance. There are also a few Cruise travel insurance plans that offer coverage for acute onset of Pre-existing conditions.

Most of the travelers plan a cruise vacation during the summer which happens to be the hurricane season. This makes cruising risky as it is exposed to cancellations due to bad weather conditions.

Cruise travel insurance offers coverage for Hurricane & adverse weather, where cruisers can reimburse the cost of the trip in case the trip gets cancelled due to extreme weather, a storm at their destination or any delays due to weather.

Yes, travel insurance with trip cancellation insurance coverage provide coverage for cruise trips.

There are many plans offering coverage for cruise and the price depends on the cost of the trip, the coverage benefits in the plan and the details of the customer like the age and policy maximum and deductible amounts on the plan. Here you can get price quote for cruise travel insurance by filling your details.

Yes, there are plans that provide "Cancel for any reason" benefit and here you can see the list of plans with this benefit

A cruise specific travel insurance has all the benefits of any other travel insurance. However, it also includes coverage for incidents that might happen when you are on the cruise. Those incidents could be:

• Trip or cruise cancellation
• Luggage loss or delay
• Missing the cruise
• Sickness while on the cruise
• Emergency assistance
• Misplaced or lost documents