Compare Cruise Insurance Plans & Prices

No, you’re generally not required to purchase protection directly through your cruise operator. Most cruisers opt to insure their cruise through third-party travel insurance providers due to lower costs, better coverage, and customizable options.

Requirements vary by cruise line and destination. In most cases, travel insurance is not required to take a cruise, but nearly every cruise line strongly recommends having travel insurance before embarking due to high medical costs at sea, strict port departure deadlines, nonrefundable trip costs, and more.

Check your cruise line’s insurance requirements before departing.

Travel insurance through credit cards offers limited coverage versus comprehensive third-party travel insurance plans.

Many credit cards have low coverage limits for medical emergencies and medical evacuations, which could leave you exposed to out-of-pocket costs. Credit cards also will not include cruise-specific benefits found on third-party cruise travel insurance plans.

Some cruise-specific policies can cover missed ports or unexpected itinerary changes due to weather or mechanical issues.

If your policy includes severe weather coverage, you could receive a reimbursement via benefits like trip cancellation, interruption, travel delay, and itinerary change coverage. This coverage is especially useful for cruises during hurricane season. Specific conditions depend on the policy, and minor inconveniences are not typically covered.

Some policies are able to reimburse you via Trip Interruption coverage if a mechanical breakdown or shipboard service disruption ends your cruise early. For example, Trip Interruption coverage can reimburse the unused portion of your trip as well as alternate travel arrangements if you are forced to return home early.

Keep in mind, voluntary changes due to inconvenience are not covered by standard travel insurance. Optional CFAR and IFAR coverage are the only types of travel insurance that can reimburse you for voluntary changes, interruptions, or cancellations due to convenience.

Yes, nearly all comprehensive cruise insurance plans include flight coverage that reimburses you for costs and expenses related to flight cancellations, flight delays, missed connections, lost or delayed baggage, in-flight medical emergencies, and incidental expenses you incur while delayed or stranded.

If you are wondering which insurers cover missed ports due to airline delay, you can use Squaremouth’s “cruise” filter found on our comparison tool to see plans that offer missed port protection.

Sometimes. Many travel insurance plans with missed connection coverage can help you rejoin your cruise at the next port if you missed the departure due to a covered reason. However, the legality of joining your cruise after a missed departure typically depends on the cruise line’s policy and local cabotage laws, such as the Passenger Vessel Services Act in the United States.

Typically, you can buy cruise insurance anytime after paying your first trip deposit and up to a day before your trip departure date. We recommend buying cruise insurance within 10 days of making your initial trip deposit, as waiting longer than this could mean missing out on the eligibility window for important time-sensitive benefits like:

• Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR)
• Pre-Existing Condition coverage
• Financial Default protection
• Terrorism coverage
• Cancel for Work Reasons

Buying cruise insurance soon after your initial deposit also extends the amount of time you are covered for pre-departure benefits like trip cancellation protection.

At a minimum, be sure to have travel medical coverage when taking a cruise, and opt for at least $100,000 of Emergency Medical coverage and $250,000 of Medical Evacuation coverage to ensure you are adequately covered.

It’s best to look for comprehensive policies from third-party insurers that can also offer cruise-specific benefits like coverage for missed port connections, itinerary changes, onboard quarantine, shipboard disruption, and reimbursement for tours and excursions. These policies usually offer stronger protection at more affordable prices than policies from cruise lines.

Yes, annual travel insurance can cover you if you take multiple cruises per year without having to buy separate policies for each trip, but it often lacks cruise-specific coverage.

Annual multi-trip plans are best if you prioritize medical coverage, as they have limited trip cancellation and cost-protection benefits. They sometimes carry geographic restrictions, like only offering coverage outside your home country, and limit trip lengths.

Yes, third-party cruise travel insurance policies offer the most comprehensive cruise cancellation protection around, as plans from cruise lines often come with greater restrictions, don’t offer full-trip protection, and may not offer cash refunds. See our full guide on how travel insurance can help with cruise cancellations.

Some policies offer extension of coverage, which can allow your coverage to stay in place for extra time if you are forced to quarantine. Some cruise-specific policies may also offer a cabin confinement benefit. However, whether or not this coverage is available depends on the specific policy, and typically requires quarantine to be ordered by a physician or other authority for coverage to apply.

Requesting a reimbursement via the cruise insurance claims process typically goes as follows:

1. Contact your insurer for assistance and clarification
2. Gather required and supporting documentation to back up your claims
3. Fill out a claim form through your insurer
4. Follow up with additional documentation requests

Visit the Squaremouth claims center to find guidance on starting a cruise insurance claim, answers to common questions, and a list of frequently required documentation.

Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance is the only type of travel insurance that can cover fear of travel, which is excluded from standard plans.

As an optional upgrade, CFAR increases your premium by 40%-60%, but can offer a partial reimbursement of 50%-75% of your total trip cost when you cancel within 2-days of your planned trip departure date.

CFAR is especially beneficial for things like named storms, on-board norovirus outbreaks, and more. CFAR is not available in all states or on all policies, and requires you to insure 100% of your trip cost for eligibility.