CRUISE TIPS: Here’s how to buy COVID travel insurance for a cruise. InsureMyTrip and Yonder Travel Insurance are seeing an increase in travel insurance policies purchased for cruises and here is their advice.
Please note that this information can change suddenly so check with the cruise line and insurance company about their requirements closer to your cruise date. This information is intended as a general guide only.
On July 29, 2021 InsureMyTrip cited that Royal Caribbean1, Carnival2 and now Disney3 cruise lines require unvaccinated passengers 12 and older, to show proof of a travel insurance policy ranging from $10,000 – $25,000 per person in medical expansive coverage and $20,000 – $50,000 in medical evacuation coverage.
InsureMyTrip offers cruise travel insurance plans that meet and exceed these requirements. Travelers can purchase cruise-specific travel insurance from InsureMyTrip, a trusted third-party travel insurance comparison site that also offers personalized insurance quotes and options for insuring redeemed vouchers.
MORE: Travel Insurance for Cruisers
Note: Travel insurance plans with an optional “cancel for any reason” coverage offers the most protection for cruisers who may want coverage for COVID-19 related fears. Traditional trip cancellation coverage does not cover COVID-19 related cancellations.
InsureMyTrip, the nation’s first-and-largest unbiased travel insurance comparison site, said the number of policies sold for future cruises hit their highest levels since February 2020 — up 60 percent from four weeks ago. This comes as the first trial cruise set sail from the United States in over a year.
“Travel insurance has always been top-of-mind for cruisers. We expect the cruise industry to really pick up speed following the pandemic-related slump — and we are doing everything we can to ensure cruisers have the right travel insurance,” says Cheryl Golden, vice president of ecommerce for InsureMyTrip.
Here’s how to buy Covid travel insurance for a cruise. Travel insurance agents urge travelers to buy cruise-specific travel insurance from InsureMyTrip, an unbiased and trusted third-party travel insurance comparison site that also offers the most options for insuring redeemed vouchers.
1 https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/will-i-require-travel-insurance-for-my-cruise
2 https://www.carnival.com/Legal/covid-19-legal-notices/covid-19-guest-protocols
3 https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/before-you-leave-home-us/
Source: InsureMyTrip
Yonder Travel Insurance
Yonder Travel Insurance reported on June 29, 2021 that after two unvaccinated travelers recently tested positive for COVID-19 on a Royal Caribbean cruise the line made changes to its requirements a few days later.
The line had announced it required unvaccinated guests over the age of 12 to provide proof of travel insurance for all Florida cruise departures between August 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021.
Even if cruisers are vaccinated, having a travel insurance policy provides extreme peace of mind when planning your long-awaited cruise.
The experts at Yonder Travel Insurance (insureyonder.com) provide advice as to what to look for in a cruise travel insurance policy. Here’s how to buy Covid travel insurance for a cruise:
Insurable Trip Expenses
Most travel insurance policies offered by cruise lines only protect the non-refundable cost of your cruise. Other non-refundable trip expenses such as your airfare, excursions or additional accommodation expenses are not insurable under a cruise line travel insurance policy. By purchasing a comprehensive policy through a travel insurance comparison site like Yonder, you may insure all non-refundable trip expenses under one travel insurance policy.
Trip Cancellation List of Covered Events
Here’s how to buy Covid travel insurance for a cruise. When looking at a travel insurance certificate, the first benefit highlighted is often a list of covered trip cancellation events. In a previous study of airline and cruise line insurance policies, it became very apparent that cruise line policies have a substantially smaller list of covered events for trip cancellation.
“We’ve seen cruise line policies with as little as 5 reasons to cancel,” says Beckah Morris, Operations Manager at Yonder Travel Insurance. “A comprehensive policy bought elsewhere includes 20-30 covered trip cancellation events on average.”
In addition, Cancel for Any Reason has seen a dramatic increase in popularity this past year due to pandemic exclusions. Yet, with cruise line policies, Cancel for Any Reason will likely result in a future cruise credit instead of a cash refund.
Medical Expense Limits
Medical treatment or an emergency medical evacuation from a cruise ship can quickly add up. Royal Caribbean is requiring unvaccinated travelers to provide proof of insurance with a medical limit of $25,000 and a medical evacuation limit of $50,000, common minimum limits on a standard comprehensive travel insurance policy.
The experts at Yonder Travel Insurance have poured over hundreds of policies from the best travel insurance providers in the U.S. to provide the best travel insurance recommendation for how you travel.
Run a quick quote and compare travel insurance policies for your next trip using the instant quote tool. Yonder donates meals to vulnerable children in need with each policy sold so you can travel well, and do well, when you go Yonder.
Source: Yonder Travel Insurance
Sources: InsureMyTrip and Yonder Travel Insurance
