Whether it’s your first voyage or you’re a cruise veteran, having the right travel insurance is important. This is especially true if you’re a senior traveler who wants a high level of medical coverage while traveling.
Here are good starting points for coverage you’ll likely want in a cruise insurance plan:
Trip Cancellation Insurance
Trip cancellation insurance reimburses you 100% for the pre-paid and non-refundable deposits you lose if you have to cancel for a reason covered by the policy.
Trip Interruption Coverage
This will reimburse you for unused trip costs if your trip is cut short because of illness, injury, death, a family emergency back home or other reasons. Trip interruption insurance can also pay for the extra expenses of a trip interruption, such as a one-way plane ticket home on short notice. The reason for the interruption has to be listed in the policy.
Travel Medical Insurance
This pays for medical expenses associated with injuries and illness you get while on the trip. The top travel insurance plans have $500,000 in travel medical insurance, but you might find $150,000 to be sufficient for a cruise. If you’re a senior, good travel medical coverage is crucial.
U.S. health plans may have very limited or no coverage when you’re outside the U.S. And Medicare doesn’t cover medical care outside the U.S., with only very narrow exceptions.
Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage
Medical evacuation travel insurance covers the costs to get you to the nearest adequate medical facility or even back home if it’s medically required. Your travel insurer’s emergency assistance team can also help arrange for the medevac.
Coverage for Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Many travel insurance plans give you a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver if you buy the plan within two to three weeks after your first trip deposit. This is one of the advantages to buying travel insurance shortly after you book your trip. Without the waiver, medical expenses related to pre-existing conditions that flare up during your trip won’t be covered.
“Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) Travel Insurance
Canceling for reasons that aren’t listed in the policy isn’t covered, unless you have already purchased a CFAR upgrade. This typically reimburses you 75% of trip costs, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your departure. Adding it increases a policy cost by an average of 50%.
For example, you could make a “cancel for any reason” claim if you’re worried about being seasick—a reason not covered by standard trip cancellation insurance. Buy this coverage shortly after you make your first trip deposit or the purchase window for it will close.
“Interruption for Any Reason” Travel Insurance
Cutting a trip short for reasons that aren’t listed in the policy aren’t covered, unless you have already purchased “interruption for any reason” travel insurance. This coverage typically reimburses you 75% of trip costs. It usually adds 3% to 10% to your travel insurance cost. You generally must buy it within 15 to 20 days of making your first trip deposit. Benefits don’t kick in until you are a specified amount of time into your trip, for example 48 or 72 hours.
Only a few travel insurance companies currently offer “interruption for any reason” coverage, such as Nationwide, Seven Corners, Travel Insured International and WorldTrips.
Additional Types of Travel Insurance for Cruises
A comprehensive travel insurance plan will package additional benefits such as travel delay insurance, baggage insurance and missed connection travel insurance.
The best travel insurance plans offer high levels of reimbursement and short waiting periods for benefits to go into effect when things go wrong. A travel insurance agent can help you match your concerns to the right travel insurance package.
Source: forbes.com
George Barham, an accomplished journalist and avid gambling enthusiast, serves as the esteemed Editor-in-Chief at fly-to-australia.com, Australia’s leading source for comprehensive gambling news and insights. With an unwavering passion for both the written word and the ever-evolving world of betting and gaming, George brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the helm of our editorial team.
