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Cruise holidays are becoming more popular again with British holidaymakers after a dip in popularity following Covid. A holiday on a cruise ship is a great way for individuals, couples, and families to visit multiple holiday destinations in the luxurious surroundings of a cruise liner.

Cruise travel insurance provides financial protection for before and during your cruise holiday, which is generally different to a traditional travel insurance policy. There are certain other things that would need to be covered by a cruise travel insurance policy, such as:

  • Falling ill at sea (repatriation to land)
  • Missed or delayed departures
  • Technical problems (ships)
  • Adverse weather conditions

Below is a list of the Top Five Cruise holiday operators around the world based on the size of their fleet and the number of passengers that they carry.

  1. Carnival Cruise Line (27 ships)
  2. Royal Caribbean International (28 ships)
  3. MSC Cruises (23 ships)
  4. Norwegian Cruise Line (20 ships)
  5. Princess Cruises (17 ships)

Cruise travel insurance can give flexible and affordable cover to protect your holiday against theft, accidents, injury, and hospitalisation.

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60 Second Summary – How to find the best cruise travel insurance

Cruise travel insurance is a specialist holiday insurance policy that provides medical and financial protection for you and your family. Cover usually starts from as low as £10 for a single trip policy and premiums will vary depending on your circumstances or your destinations.

You can get an instant cruise travel insurance policy online from the best cruise insurance companies, including Ageas, Avanti, Coverwise, Goodtogo, Post Office, and Staysure.

  • Cruise travel insurance is specifically designed to offer cover for things that happen at sea or specifically on a cruise holiday.
  • Not all traditional travel insurance policies cover cruise holidays and you should check your terms & conditions very carefully before you travel.
  • There are some very different risks to think about with cruise holidays and the costs of treatment or care if needed can be far higher if you don’t have cover.
  • Cruise travel insurance usually costs more than traditional travel insurance because of the extra risks that can cost more when travelling at sea, such as medical care and medical repatriation.
  • You can compare cheaper cruise travel insurance online from iam|INSURED with our panel of carefully selected top travel insurance partners.

What is cruise travel insurance?

A cruise travel insurance policy is a specific type of holiday insurance that covers people, couples, and families for cruise holidays. Most travel insurance companies allow you to add cruise cover as an add-on, or you can get specialist cruise insurance cover.

Travel insurance for cruise holidays is a specialist product and it is designed specifically for these types of trips. There are very different potential risks with cruise holidays and not all travel insurance policies offer this type of cover, so you need to check your policy very carefully.

What does cruise travel insurance cover?

All cruise travel insurance policies are generally slightly different, but they all tend to offer the same core coverage. Cruise holidays are very safe in terms of the ships themselves, but there are other risks and possible events that can happen which would be covered by cruise travel insurance, such as:

  • Emergency medical treatment and expenses covers the cost of treating most medical emergencies both on and off the ship, as well as transportation to hospital such as helicopter and ambulances. This can also include full medical repatriation back to the United Kingdom if required.
  • Baggage, personal belongings and valuables will cover the cost of theft or loss of any valuable items whilst on the ship or during your excursions.
  • Lost or stolen money will also be covered if this occurs whilst on the ship or during day trips and excursions. Each policy will have its own limits and you should make sure that you ideally don’t travel with more money than is allowed on your policy.
  • Cancellation and Curtailment cover protects you against losing money because you might have had to cancel your cruise holiday or if you’ve had to leave the ship early for any reason (e.g. illness, bereavement, family emergency).
  • Missed sailing departures or itinerary changes for certain eventualities that might have caused you to miss the departure of your sailing, such as connecting train or flight delays, adverse weather conditions, car accidents and car breakdowns.
  • Cruise interruptions will provide cover for any costs that might be incurred for rejoining your cruise ship or holiday if you’ve been taken away to hospital due to illness or an accident.
  • Excursion and Event cancellation repays any lost costs for travellers who have been unable to take part in a pre-paid excursion or an event that they have paid for.
  • Cabin confinement is also a potential risk when travelling on a cruise ship and this is mainly due to medical problems. Cruise travel insurance will cover the costs of the days that you have lost from your cruise holiday if you are confined to your cabin (usually to a maximum of £500 per day).
  • Port cancellation cover will provide some compensation or full reimbursement to cover the costs of any missed locations, such as a port that could not be visited due to bad weather, conflict, or other potential issues.

Note: The quality and levels of cover with cruise travel insurance can vary dramatically, so it’s important to carefully read the terms and conditions on your policy documents. You should check to make sure that your insurance provider has a proper Defaqto Star Rating and that it covers all of the things that you need.


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How much is cruise travel insurance?

Cruise travel insurance premiums are usually slightly higher than traditional or non-cruise specific travel insurance policies. Statistically a cruise travel insurance policy costs between 5% and 10% of the cost of your holiday although this is dependent on your circumstances and medical history.

Most cruise travel insurance policies will cost extra because they are either classed as an add-on to a standard travel insurance policy, or it is a specialist stand-alone product. Typically these policies will cost between 10% and 20% more than standard holiday insurance because they provide additional cover for medical care and repatriation at sea and will cover other risks related to cruise ships.

Note: You should shop around to find the best deals and this type of cover isn’t always available on price comparison websites. The cheapest cruise travel insurance providers tend to be companies like All Clear, Avanti, InsureandGo, and StaySure.

What are the best cruise travel insurance policies?

Based on our latest extensive research, we’ve listed the best cruise travel insurance policies below and details of the policies we’ve found. These products are listed in order of policy rating, quality of cover, and value for money.

Note: The best cruise travel insurance policies for you will also be based on your needs and circumstances because not all policies fir everyone’s situation. For example, if you’ve got a pre-existing medical condition or another specific requirement then you might need a specialist product.

Can I get cruise travel insurance with a pre existing medical condition?

It is usually possible to get cruise travel insurance for people with pre-existing conditions. Travel insurance premiums for people with medical or health issues can be higher, so it’s important to factor this in to the cost of your holiday.

WARNING: It is extremely important to be open and honest about your medical history and disclose everything on your application.  If you fail to disclose information about your medical history, then it could invalidate your cover in the event of a claim.

Common pre existing medical conditions for travel insurance:

Cover for people with medical complications will provide cover for them if anything happens to them medically while you are on your cruise. Pre existing medical conditions cruise travel insurance is more common than you might think and there are usually plenty of options.

Our carefully selected panel of travel insurance partners specialise in pre existing medical conditions travel insurance. You can compare the best policies from our panel of top medical travel insurance companies in minutes.

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How can I find cheaper cruise travel insurance?

There are lots of different options for buying cruise travel insurance and most consumers now buy this type of cover online. If you need a quote for cheap cruise travel insurance then you can use our iam|INSURED online price comparison tool which features some of the biggest and best holiday insurance brands.

We also specialise in offering the best and cheapest cruise travel insurance policies with our panel of carefully selected partners. There are also several other options for getting cruise travel insurance such as price comparison websites (e.g. MoneySupermarket.com, Go.Compare.com, Comparethemarket.com, and Confused.com).

Cruise travel insurance specialists include Staysure, Avanti, AllClear, and Just Travel Cover. You can also shop around to find the best deals to protect your holiday against loss.