What should I look out for with travel insurance for my cruise?

As many seasoned travellers would be aware, it’s essential to prepare for the unprepared when it comes to travel, and cruising is no different. So, before you set sail, here’s what to look out for in travel insurance and make your trip stress-free.   

While cruising might seem fairly low-risk when compared to other types of travel, there are still things that can go wrong. You’ll want to make sure your travel insurance covers you for events such as:  

• Getting gastro on your cruise.  
• Flight delays, impacting getting to your cruise on time for departure.  
• Luggage items becoming accidentally lost, stolen or damaged. 
• Being made redundant before you embark on your cruise. 
• Ending up out-of-pocket when you miss a shore excursion because your cruise is delayed due to severe weather. 
• Needing medical evacuation from your ship.

COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon, and this is especially true with cruise travel.   

It’s a good rule of thumb to make sure your insurance has at least some level of cover for coronavirus-related events.  

The types of benefits and benefit limits will usually vary. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) carefully to know what is, and isn’t, covered before you buy.

The first and most important thing is to isolate, follow government recommendations and seek appropriate medical attention. 

Don’t delay the cancellation of your plans. If you know you need to cancel, you’ll need to contact your provider as soon as possible to maximise the opportunity of refunds from your providers. 

Depending on the plan you have chosen, you may be able to make a claim for non-refundable travel costs up to the benefit limit.  

Always keep receipts for any payments you make and wherever possible, request written reports from providers or local authorities. 

Follow travel and health advice—different countries have different rules. What’s OK in Australia may not be OK in the countries you visit. 

Before you select your insurance, consider a plan that includes cover for overseas medical expenses. Just keep in mind, this coverage will be subject to the terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions including those related to existing medical conditions. 

It’s also a good idea to check your plan includes cover for medical evacuation and repatriation, if the insurer agrees it’s medically necessary, up to the relevant benefit limit.  

Consider a plan that includes some level of cover for travel costs for coronavirus-related events, including cover for quarantine expenses and trip cancellation if you are diagnosed with coronavirus, up to the relevant benefit limit. 

Even when cruising just off the coast of Australia, for example, to Norfolk Island, which is outside Australian coastal waters, you will need to select an international plan to have cover on board for medical treatment.  

This is a brief summary of cover and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Please read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before buying any Travel Insurance plan.  

National Seniors Australia Ltd ABN 89 050 523 003, AR 282736 is an authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd (nib), ABN 81 115 932 173, AFSL 308461 and act as nib's agent and not as your agent. This is general advice only. Before you buy, you should consider your needs, the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Target Market Determination (TMD) available from us. This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd, ABN 83 169 311 193.