Whether you’re sailing on the seas or a river, we’ve designed our cruise travel insurance to keep you protected onboard and ashore. With no upper age limit and cover for pre-existing medical conditions, we cover potential issues that are specific to cruise travel.
What is cruise travel insurance and do you need it?
Just as cruises provide a unique style of holiday, they can also potentially come with their own unique issues. For example, bad weather could mean missed excursions or, if you get particularly unwell on a cruise, it could cost tens of thousands of pounds to airlift you for medical treatment. That’s why our cruise travel insurance covers you for any cruise-specific issues you could encounter.
For example, cruise insurance means you’re financially protected for costs from:
- Missed departures. Traffic jams always happen when you need them least, but this shouldn’t hinder your holiday. Cruise insurance means we’ll compensate you if you miss your cruise departure.
- Cabin confinement for any reason. It’s tough enough being cooped up, let alone having to worry about the money you’ve already spent. Cruise cover means you’ll get some money back for every day you’re confined to your cabin.
- Any money spent on unused excursions. If you miss an excursion for any reason, such as bad weather or illness, cruise cover means you’ll be compensated.
- Flights back to the mainland in case of illness. A 2010 study found that more than 12% of injuries aboard cruise ships are reported as serious. If you suffer a serious injury, you want to make sure you are covered for medical transport to a hospital if needed
- Repatriation back to the UK. In extreme cases, you may need to be flown back to the UK for treatment, which can be costly. Cruise insurance policies will cover you for this.
Some cruise providers require you to have comprehensive travel insurance arranged to travel – just one more reason to make sure you’re fully covered.
To get cruise travel insurance, you’ll need to buy travel insurance and add the cruise cover option while you’re looking at the quote.
What does InsureandGo’s cruise travel insurance cover?
What’s covered?
- Cabin confinement: If you’re feeling a bit poorly and need to be confined to your cabin, make sure you confirm it with the ship’s medical officer so we can help with your compensation cover. We’ll pay £100 for each day you’re trapped inside, up to a limit of £1,000. If this confinement is due to a pre-existing illness you must have disclosed and discussed this with us before your cruise insurance purchase.
- Cruise interruption: If your cruise is interrupted because you need unexpected hospital treatment, we’ll cover up to £1,000 to help get you to the next port to rejoin the cruise and continue your holiday. Alternatively, our insurance for cruise holidays covers repatriation where necessary.
- Itinerary changes: If your cruise ship misses a port due to poor weather or timetable restrictions, our cruise insurance will cover you for up to £100 per port for up to 5 ports.
- Missed cruise ship on port: No one’s holiday deserves to be lost at sea! If you missed your cruise due to problems with public transport, experienced a vehicle breakdown or were affected by an accident-induced traffic jam en route to the port – we’ll cover up to £1,000 to get you to the next docking port point to meet your cruise.
- Unused excursions: If you missed out on some great activities or excursions that you’d booked and paid for before suddenly being taken ill and confined to your cabin, our cruise travel insurance will cover you up to £500.
(Note: The above is only available on our Silver, Gold and Black policies, and only when you pay the extra premium for cruise cover)
For more details on what you’re covered for, see our full cruise travel insurance policy breakdowns.
Anything else?
All our yearly holiday insurance policies include:
- Emergency medical expenses
- Cover for cancellation of your trip
- Personal belongings and baggage cover
- Personal money, passports and travel documents cover
The excess and amount of cover available varies depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. Make sure you have a look at our policy wording to see the full terms and conditions.
What’s not covered?
We aim to provide as much cover as we can on our policies. However, there are some situations no travel insurance will cover. For example:
- Events or reasons to claim which took place before you booked the trip or the insurance was purchased cannot be covered. Insurance exists to cover unexpected events outside of the insured’s control.
- Claims which are less than the excess for that section of cover. For example, you cannot claim a £40 lost item if your baggage excess is £60
- All of our cruise travel insurance policies include cover for cancellation of your trip, but there may be some exclusions. For example, you won’t be covered to cancel if you simply decide not to go.
Remember that to get cruise insurance, you need to book travel insurance and add cruise cover to that policy.
The best travel insurance for your cruise
Cruise insurance can be added to another type of travel insurance, and we have plenty of options to suit your holiday style. Wherever you’re travelling, and however long for, we’ll have a policy for you:
- First time cruising? Simply add cruise cover to a single-trip insurance policy. Easy peasy.
- Doing multiple holidays or cruises this year? It might work out better to get annual travel insurance and add cruise cover to that.
- Enjoying later life? Cruise travel insurance can be added to plans that suit your needs better, whether that’s travel insurance for over 50s, or even travel insurance for over 80s.
- Have a pre-existing health condition? Make sure your medical travel insurance covers your cruise
- Cruising along multiple stops? Depending on your cruise destinations, you might need worldwide travel insurance or travel insurance for Europe.
Choose a cover level to suit your travel needs
| Excess Payable | ||||
| Benefit | Sum insured | Silver | Gold | Black |
| Cabin confinement | £100 per day up to £1,000 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Cruise interruption | £1,000 | £60 | £50 | £0 |
| Itinerary changes | £100 per port up to £500 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Missed port departure | £1,000 | £60 | £50 | £0 |
| Unused excursions | £500 | £60 | £50 | £0 |
Which destinations are covered by our cruise travel insurance?
Our travel insurance policies are based on the following four groupings:
- The UK.
- Europe (plus countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, plus Madeira and The Azores)*.
- Worldwide (except the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean).
- Worldwide.
*Europe includes: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Balearics, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia And Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine.
If you’re already insured for a particular geographical group but want to make changes or add in new countries, we can always alter that for you. Just give us a ring, or send us an email.
How to buy travel insurance for cruises
We know your to-do list for your next trip can be a long one, so we make getting cruise insurance as simple as possible:
1. Let us know a little info
We need to know a bit about your cruise, who you want to cover and when you want the policy to start. We will also ask you for information regarding any pre-existing medical conditions so that we can ensure we provide you with the right level of cover.
It’s quick and easy to give us this information, either online or by calling our team:
2. Get your quote
Once we have all the details we need, we will send you your quote. At this stage, you can go ahead and buy your policy, or save the quote for the future.
“Cruise cover is an absolute must-have for anyone taking a cruise because it covers for issues you might face, like a missed departure or being confined to your cabin. Regular travel insurance doesn’t cover these, so specific cruise cover is super important. Without it you won’t have any cover while on a cruise.”
Russell Wallace – Travel insurance expert
Cruise travel insurance with pre-existing medical condition cover
We cover a wide range of medical conditions on our policies, including those with insurance for a cruise, and we will never refuse to cover a diagnosed pre-existing medical condition without prior consideration.
We consider pre-existing medical conditions to be any illness or condition that has occurred before you take out an insurance policy, ranging from asthma to cancer. We can usually cover any medical conditions, often with no additional premium, and medical cover on your cruise holiday is no exception.
All you need to do is disclose your pre-existing condition during your quote, and we’ll sort the rest.
Frequently asked questions on cruise travel insurance
Why do I need special insurance for a cruise?
You need special insurance for cruises in case you run into any cruise-specific complications. These include things like cabin confinement if you are unwell, missed departures for any reason, and unused excursions, as well as typical holiday issues like delays or cancellations.
Some normal travel insurance plans might cover some of these problems, like delays or cancellations, they won’t cover cabin confinement and might not cover repatriation.
Do you need travel insurance for a domestic cruise?
Whatever the destination of your cruise, you will need to add cruise cover to your travel insurance – even if it’s a cruise around the UK. Cruise travel insurance makes sure you’re fully covered and includes elements of cover that are specific to cruises, such as being airlifted to the mainland.
While typical UK travel insurance usually covers land-based holiday issues, they won’t cover many of the issues you could face on a domestic river or sea cruise holiday.
Can I buy travel insurance after booking a cruise?
Some travel operators may require you to buy your insurance at the same time as booking your cruise holiday. Others are more flexible as long as you purchase your cruise travel insurance before you set sail.
It is a good idea to check with your cruise provider before booking insurance. Some cruise providers have specific requirements for travel insurance, such as having a certain amount of medical and COVID-19 cover.
How much is cruise insurance?
Insurance for a cruise doesn’t have to be expensive. The price you pay will depend on where you’re going, how long for, and whether you have any medical conditions. Choose either a single-trip or annual multi-trip policy and you’ll be given the chance to add cruise travel insurance to your policy.
Will my EHIC or GHIC cards cover my cruise?
The GHIC, or EHIC as it was previously known, does not cover specific costs that you might encounter when on a cruise, and it does not cover repatriation costs either.
Although the GHIC covers some of the medical costs when travelling in Europe, the UK Government website recommends that all UK travellers take out appropriate travel insurance when travelling abroad. It’s also important to note that the GHIC will not cover other cruise-specific issues, such as missing the departure or cabin confinement.
Does regular cruise insurance cover medical expenses?
Our cruise travel insurance covers emergency medical bills, as well as other complications, like delays, cancellations and missed departures.
Be sure to check the wording on your policy to find out exactly what is covered and what is not.
Who can buy an InsureandGo cruise insurance policy?
All our annual travel insurance policies are available to UK residents. This means:
- Someone who has been living in the UK or the Channel Islands for at least six of the last 12 months
- They must be in the UK at the time of buying
- All trips must start and end in the UK
Unfortunately, we can’t provide cover to anyone who doesn’t fit this description.
Get a quote online or browse our policy documents for more information.
To choose the right cruise travel insurance policy for you, get a quote online or read our policy documents for more information.
Frequently asked questions
If you’ve got more questions about how our cruise travel insurance works, or more general travel insurance queries, have a read through our FAQs.
Travel advice
Our travel advice section offers handy tips and guides to specific countries, from what documents you need to what you might visit while you’re there.
Travel insurance reviews
If you want to know what our customers think of us, and why they rate us so highly, have a read through some of the reviews they’ve left us.