Top 10 Travel Insurance for Cruises in USA

Travelers who have booked a cruise will certainly be looking forward to a relaxing vacation sailing on the ocean or along a scenic river, likely with some fun activities and excursions planned at various destinations along the way. However, unforeseen issues like severe weather, mechanical problems or an onboard emergency could cause the ship to divert and your itinerary to change. In these cases, you'll miss out on the places you were scheduled to visit and the tours you were planning to enjoy.

But if you purchase cruise travel insurance, you'll be able to get some money back for those prepaid excursions and for the inconvenience that comes along with a cruise ship diversion or schedule change. Cruise travel insurance also protects policyholders in the case of illness or injury, offering coverage for emergency medical situations and emergency evacuation, if needed. It can also reimburse travelers for missed connections, trip delays or interruptions, and lost or delayed bags.

Here, in this blog, we will get to know about the Top 10 Travel Insurance for Cruises in USA.

What Is Cruise Travel Insurance And How Does It Work?

Cruise travel insurance works just like conventional travel insurance. It provides financial protection if something goes wrong before and during your trip, including health-related emergencies and other disruptions. In fact, the most comprehensive travel insurance policies already provide cover for cruises.

For policies offering specialist cover, the features and benefits vary depending on the travel insurance company. That is why it is important that you read the policy details carefully before purchasing a plan, so you can be sure that it matches your coverage needs.

List of Top 10 Travel Insurance for Cruises in USA

#1. Nationwide Travel Insurance

Nationwide is a long-standing and reputable brand within the insurance marketplace that offers cruise insurance plans with solid coverage and reasonable rates.

It has three cruise insurance options: Universal, Choice, and Luxury. The Nationwide Choice plan, for example, offers $100,000 in emergency medical coverage and $500,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage. It also offers coverage for itinerary changes that caused you to miss pre-paid excursions, from $250 up to $1,000 depending on the plan.

The right plan for you depends on your budget and coverage needs. But each plan offers cruise-specific coverage like ship-based mechanical breakdowns, coverage for missed prepaid excursions if your cruise itinerary changes, and covered service disruptions aboard the cruise ship.

#2. AXA Assistance USA

AXA offers three comprehensive coverage plans: Gold, Silver, and Platinum. Each of these plans offers coverage for issues like missed flights, medical emergencies, lost luggage, and more.

The highest-tier Platinum plan provides $250,000 in medical emergency coverage and $1 million in medical evacuation coverage. The baggage loss coverage is $3,000 per person, and their missed connection coverage is $1,500 per person for cruises and tours.

In addition, travelers can take advantage of AXA's concierge service, which provides an extensive network of international service providers. They'll be able to assist you with things like restaurant reservations and referrals, golf course information, and more. This service could come in handy if you're stopping at a variety of unfamiliar destinations during your cruise.

The coverage limits on AXA's policies are on the higher end compared to other providers. And you can buy coverage for a little as 4% of your trip cost depending on your age, travel destination, and state of residence.

#3. Seven Corners Travel Insurance

Seven Corners Travel Insurance lets cruisers enjoy traveling in their golden years with the knowledge they're covered in the event of an accident or emergency. While other providers do offer coverage to those 80+ years old, Seven Corners is known for its affordable premiums while offering above-average medical expenses and medical evacuation coverage limits — two areas of travel insurance coverage that are even more important as we get older.

Seven Corners also offers the option of a pre-existing conditions waiver and CFAR insurance at an additional cost, plus "Trip Interruption for Any Reason" coverage, which you won't find on many policies.

You can choose between the Trip Protection Basic or Trip Protection Choice plans, with the higher-tier Choice plan costing more but providing more coverage.

#4. HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance

HTH Worldwide is one of the cheapest travel insurance companies. It offers three levels of trip protection: TripProtector Economy, Classic, and Preferred. The higher the tier, the more coverage you'll get for things like baggage delays, trip delays & cancellations, and medical expenses. But their premiums remain reasonable even at the highest tier of coverage.

Not only does the HTH Worldwide Trip Protector Preferred plan offer higher-than-average medical emergency and evacuation coverage limits ($500,000 and $1 million, respectively), but you'll also get a baggage loss coverage limit of $2,000 per person and coverage for trip interruption of up to 200% of the trip cost. You also have the option to add CFAR coverage for an additional cost, as long as you purchase within 21 days of your initial trip deposit.

#5. World Nomads Travel Insurance

World Nomads is a top choice for people taking cruises that offer adventure activities, including coverage for over 300 activities, like snorkeling, kayaking, and deep sea fishing. This benefit will cover the myriad of excursions you may book while on your cruise.

The basic Standard Plan comes with $125,000 in medical emergency coverage and $400,000 in emergency evacuation coverage. You'll get higher coverage limits with their Explorer or Epic plans, plus a greater variety of covered activities. However, it's worth noting that emergency evacuation coverage maxes out at $700,000. Additionally, the Epic plan is quite expensive.

Additionally, World Nomads is one of the few travel insurance providers that sells policies to people who have already departed for their trip. However, you'll have to wait 72 hours before the policy kicks in.

#6. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

There are several travel insurance options from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, ranging from affordable to mid-range to luxury policies. Berkshire Hathaway also provides category-specific options like travel insurance for adventure travel and cruises. WaveCare is the company's specialty cruise travel insurance, which comes with coverage for trip cancellation, lost or delayed bags, missed connections and medical emergencies, in addition to reimbursement for cruise disruption, itinerary changes and cruise disablement.

WaveCare is the best policy to protect your cruise vacation, where you'll get:

• Trip cancellation coverage of 100% of insured prepaid trip costs, up to $25,000
• Up to $75,000 in emergency medical coverage
• Up to $1,000 in trip delay coverage
• Itinerary change coverage for ship diversions up to $500
• Missed connection coverage up to $500
• Cruise disablement coverage up to $500

#7. AIG Travel Guard Travel Insurance

AIG Travel Guard offers Essential, Preferred and Deluxe plans, as well as an annual plan and Pack N’ Go plan for same-day travel. Add-ons include coverage for rental vehicles, pets, adventure sports and wedding cancellations. You can cancel for any reason coverage. Add-on to Preferred and Deluxe plans reimbursing 50% of trip costs if purchased within 15 days of initial deposit. You will also get a Pre-existing condition waiver. It is available with any plan purchased within 15 days of the initial trip deposit.

AIG Travel Guard Preferred includes coverage for one child age 17 or younger with each related adult.

Standout benefit: Useful add-ons include wedding cancellation insurance and protections for traveling pets. Plans can include coverage for prepaid deposits.

#8. Trawick International

Year after year, Trawick International plans continually rank among the most popular cruise insurance plans. With an average premium of around $285, many of their plans offer generous coverage limits such as 100% Trip Cancellation coverage and Trip Delay benefits that kick in if your trip is delayed at least six hours. Early purchase benefits include Pre-Existing Condition Waivers and Travel Provider Financial Default.

#9. Tin Leg

One of the reasons Tin Leg ranks high among the best travel insurance for cruises is because of the medical insurance coverage it provides, offering high reimbursement limits for unforeseen injuries, illnesses, and medical evacuations while at sea. Some plans also include the Cancel for Work Reasons benefit, which can reimburse your travel expenses if you are forced to cancel due to revoked vacation time.

#10. Travel Safe

Itinerary changes can happen on any trip for any reason, ranging from inclement weather to an unexpected mechanical breakdown. Travel Safe has specific benefits for those unforeseen circumstances, ranking them highly among cruisers. The Classic and Classic Plus plans offer up to $250 in itinerary change coverage, allowing travelers to recover some of their prepaid activity costs if a travel supplier disruption forces them to miss a scheduled event.

Wrapping Up!

A cruise is an expensive investment for many, so it pays to have it insured, especially with all the uncertainties brought about by the current economic climate. It also involves so many moving parts – like visiting multiple locations and doing a range of activities in different countries. If something goes wrong and you don’t have insurance, that’s money down the drain for you.

If you can’t afford to lose the hard-earned cash you spent on the non-refundable expenses of your trip, then cruise travel insurance can give you peace of mind, as well as financial protection if your trip doesn’t go as planned.

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