Can you purchase cruise insurance to cover your vacation expenses in the event of a hurricane? The answer is a qualified “yes”. First consider the cost of your vacation, and decide if losing that amount of money is acceptable should the weather or other factors ruin your plans. Then, shop around for primary or secondary policies according to your needs.
Here are the basic situations that can be covered by a cruise insurance policy:
The Weather
Cruise vacations can be interrupted or completely cancelled due to the weather. Cruise lines can change the itinerary, skip certain ports of call and shore excursions, or even cancel your entire vacation plans. This can be particularly troublesome if you’ve scheduled time off from work. You can purchase a policy with weather coverage, but read the fine print. There can be exclusions (including hurricanes) since they are not ‘unexpected’ weather events. Some policies will also cover bad weather at your home if it requires you to change your plans.
Medical situations
There is always the unfortunate chance of having a medical issue interrupt or change your cruise vacation plans. If you are sick at home prior to departure, cruise insurance can cover the cost of changing or cancelling your trip. If you get sick or injured onboard, you’ll want a policy to help with those costs. Serious medical situations while on the ship could require air transport to shore or a hospital stay in another country. Both of these circumstances can be quite expensive; and it’s unlikely that your regular health insurance policy will pay.
Unexpected events
Any number of events could impact your cruise plans including trip delays, mechanical problems with the ship, cruise line financial solvency, or even military conflict. While we don’t like to think about these issues, you may want to purchase a policy that will cover your costs in these unexpected circumstances.
Start by doing a bit of research on your current insurance policies (health and homeowners) to see what might already be covered. Then, the recommendation from travel industry professionals is to shop around online, comparing the items covered and costs between several companies. Most will allow you to pick and choose the events you would like to cover. It is also suggested that you purchase cruise insurance from a third party (rather than the cruise line), just in case your issue is with the cruise line company.
The standard average rate for a policy should be right around ten percent of the cost of your cruise. Also, each person in your party should be covered by their own insurance policy.
So you can purchase cruise insurance to cover your vacation costs if a hurricane or other circumstances should change or cancel your plans. But you must carefully read the details in order to protect your finances. Check our Q and A article on the specifics of primary versus secondary policies and where to buy them for a closer look at cruise insurance.
Angela is a professional freelance travel writer and published indie author – AngelaMinor.com
