Sailing the seas and discovering the coastal cities of the world is an exciting and enlightening experience. That’s why we don’t want anything to spoil it for you!
Travelling by cruise ship allows you to see the world without risking your physical health, or spending weeks planning extensive itineraries! However, there are still risks involved with cruise travel.
If you’re planning on embarking on a cruise, it’s crucial that you have ample cruise insurance cover, providing a vital financial safeguard if something were to go wrong. To help you, I have compiled the 5 best policies currently available.
Comparison of the best insurance for cruises
In my many years of travelling, I’ve found that the absolute best way to get the best insurance at the cheapest price is to compare the top policies on the market. This will allow you to find the ideal policy for the type of trip you’re taking.
To provide you with the best insurance comparison, I have selected the following policies based on their coverage.
Cruise insurance cover is tailored to the needs of travellers on a cruise, with medical cover and international repatriation as the principal benefits.
In addition, our selection was also based on the type of traveller. Thus, in the following table, you can see a comparison of the 5 best cruise insurance policies in December 2024:
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IATI Star | Assistance | Premium | Single trip | Diamond | Premier | |
Travellers from | 🇪🇺🇬🇧 | 🇪🇺 | 🇪🇺🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 |
Price 10 days | 138€ | ?€ | 65€ | £? | £122 | £116 |
Discount valid until 05/12/2024 | – 5% | – 5% | ⚠️- 15%⚠️ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Activate Discount | Activate Discount | Activate Discount | Get a Free Quote | Get a Free Quote | Get a Free Quote | |
Covid-19 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Medical expenses | 1,000,000€ | 1,000,000€ | 10,000,000€ | £20,000,000 | £20,000,000 | £10,000,000 |
Hospitalisation | 18,000€ | 50,000€ | 60,000€ | £20,000 | info | £20,000 |
Theft or loss of luggage | 2,500€ | 3,000€ | 2,500€ | £2,000 | £3,000 | £2,000 |
Repatriation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Phone theft | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Optional | ❌ |
Early return | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Reviews | IATI travel insurance | Chapka insurance | Heymondo insurance | Coverwise Insurance | Oasis insurance | Post Office Insurance |
Discounts | Promo Code IATI | Promo Code Chapka | Promo Code Heymondo |
Heymondo Premium: the best for digital nomads
Can you imagine working on a cruise ship while discovering different coastal cities every day?
If you’re a digital nomad, the cruise ship lifestyle is entirely possible – one of the many advantages of working remotely!
However, insurance is vital for peace of mind during your trip. Heymondo Premium is the ideal choice for nomads like you, so let’s take a look at its benefits.
- Extensive medical coverage on board and on land with its cruise option.
- Optional coverage for electronic equipment.
- Displacement of a family member to the destination in the event of an accident.
- Legal assistance in your language.
If you’re interested in learning more about Heymondo’s exclusive discounts, click here!
IATI Standard: the best for solo travellers and couples
If you’ve opted for a cruise for your next solo or couples’ trip, taking out IATI Standard insurance is your best option. This is one of the more affordable cruise travel insurance policies on our list.
It does, however, have coverage in all of the world’s major tourist destinations. This makes it ideal for cruise travel. I’ve highlighted its most important benefits below:
- It offers coverage in the event of trip cancellation.
- It has medical assistance abroad, including dental expenses and pre-existing illnesses.
- It has coverage for theft and damage to luggage.
- It offers advance of funds and legal defence abroad.
Want to take advantage of IATI’s promo codes? Click here!
IATI Star: the best for families with children
Travelling with kids can be a stressful time, but it doesn’t have to be! IATI Star cruise travel insurance is the best option for families, thanks to its comprehensive coverage.
It has the highest level of medical expenses on our list, allowing you to travel with greater peace of mind – as you never know when the kids are going to fall ill!
In addition, it offers the possibility of adding the option of cancellation in case of any unforeseen event that forces you to cancel your cruise. These are its most useful benefits:
- Extended coverage for cruises, i.e. medical assistance onboard and on land.
- Guarantee for accidents during the trip.
- Reimbursement for delays in the departure of the cruise or missed connections.
- Theft and damage to luggage.
- Delivery of medication abroad.
Click here to read our full IATI Insurance review.
Oasis Insurance: the best for short cruises
Oasis’ Single Trip policy with cruise cover is perfect for short-term cruises due to its broad coverage of all the basics.
With the cruise supplement, you can enjoy a relaxing cruise, and rest assured that you have insurance specifically designed for cruises.
To give you a better idea of Oasis’ stand-out features for short-term cruises, I’ve summarised the benefits below:
- Medical expenses coverage.
- Repatriation and early return.
- Luggage compensation.
- Cruise insurance cover, i.e. Missed port, cabin confinement, and missed excursion cover.
Please note that this policy is only available to residents of the United Kingdom. If you’re a non-UK resident seeking cruise travel insurance for a short-term trip, I suggest looking at IATI Standard.
Post Office Insurance: the best for adventure travellers
Thanks to its comprehensive medical and cancellation coverage, the Post Office Premier Single Trip policy with cruise cover is the ideal option for adventurers.
If you like to live on the wild side when you travel, you need broad coverage that reflects this, even if you’re going on a cruise! Cruises dock in some exciting places, and you don’t want to miss out on any of the action just because you’re uninsured.
Here’s my summary of Post Office’s most useful benefits for adventurers going on a cruise:
- Among the highest medical coverage on the market.
- Cancellation and interruption coverage.
- Missed departure reimbursement.
- Civil liability expenses.
- Personal luggage coverage.
Please note that this policy is only available to residents of the United Kingdom. If you’re a non-UK resident looking for broad coverage for your next cruise adventure, I recommend taking a look at IATI Star.
Is it compulsory to take out cruise travel insurance?
Taking out cruise travel insurance is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended. Whether you’re onboard or on land, health costs are very high, which could mean an excruciating medical bill if you have an accident, for example.
In addition, cruise travel insurance typically includes the option of cancellation or interruption of the trip. This allows you to get your money back if you are forced to cancel your trip.
Leading authorities also insist that you take out insurance if you are travelling on a cruise, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s always a good idea to check your Government’s travel recommendations before heading on any sort of overseas trip.
Key cruise travel insurance coverage
Cruise travel insurance should be designed to cover any type of incident during your trip, whether on the ship, or on land.
As you know, a cruise ship makes stops in different cities, so it is important that you have coverage at every destination.
With that said, all insurance for cruise ships should have the following main coverages:
- Cancellation or interruption of the trip. Cruises are expensive trips and if an unforeseen event occurs, the cancellation or interruption cover will allow you to recover 100% of your money.
- Medical coverage on land and on board. It is essential that the medical expenses of the cruise insurance cover incidents both on land and onboard the ship. In both cases, these are very high costs that are not worth taking on because you don’t have insurance.
- Repatriation due to illness or death. All cruise insurance should cover repatriation from the place where you are at the time of any unforeseen event.
- Loss or theft of luggage. Luggage insurance should cover both loss of your personal belongings on-route to, and at, your various destinations.
How much does cruise travel insurance cost?
The average price for a 10-day cruise insurance is 96€.
However, the price will likely increase if:
- You need electronic equipment coverage.
- You are travelling to the United States or Canada.
- You are a senior citizen or have pre-existing medical conditions.
How to take out cruise insurance
Taking out cruise travel insurance is really easy. Just follow the steps below:
- Click on one of our discount links for the policy that best suits your type of travel.
- Fill in the information requested to calculate the price. The discount will be applied automatically.
- Fill in the personal information for each traveller.
- Add any extra coverage you need.
- All done! Now remember to familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of your policy in case of any incident.
Are cruise ships safe?
After the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship a few years ago, many people are wondering whether cruise ships are truly safe.
Well, official sources say that the safety of a cruise ship lies with the person in control of the ship, and as with any type of travel, there will be risks involved.
A bad manoeuvre by the captain of the Costa Concordia led to an accident. But this does not always have to happen! In fact, there are have been very few tragedies in recent decades.
However, you should know that an accident is not the only thing that can occur on these big ships. Fires or food poisoning can also happen, forcing you to abandon your trip. For this reason, cruise insurance is crucial so that you don’t lose your money.
As a general rule, your cruise insurance should always include medical coverage and repatriation expenses, but there are many other traveller-specific benefits that you’ll have to consider.
I hope this post has provided you with some insight, and I wish you safe travels!
