To say the cruise industry is doing well right now would be an understatement. According to Travel Weekly, the Big Three cruise companies – Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Cunard – began the year at their highest booked positions in history. Currently, year over year cruise bookings are almost 30% higher than they were in 2023. 

What does this mean for you? If you’re planning on booking a cruise soon, good luck. Many Big Three cruises are already booked well into 2025 and beyond. 

However, if you’ve already booked a cruise, you should be safe, right? Not necessarily. And the reason why comes down to the product cruise lines often sell as “travel insurance.”

Do Cruise Lines Offer Travel Insurance?

Most cruise lines sell coverage that they may refer to as “travel insurance” or some sort of a protection plan or waiver plan. And while it can sound convenient to buy your insurance from the same company as your cruise, the travel insurance sold by cruise lines has some major flaws.

How Cruise Lines Reimburse You

If you have to cancel your cruise at the last minute or there’s an issue that delays or prevents the cruise from embarking, the cruise line’s travel insurance can typically reimburse you, but it’s usually in the form of credits or vouchers that you must use within the next year.

However, if the cruise line is already booked out a year in advance, you can see how this could cause a problem. A voucher or credit isn’t going to do you any good if you can’t use it.

The Best Travel Insurance for Cruises

Unlike cruise line vouchers or credits, cruise travel insurance from an independent broker always reimburses you in US dollars. And if you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason, your travel insurance plan can cover any prepaid, nonrefundable expenses, not just those related to the cruise line. 

Combine this with the emergency medical coverage, travel delay coverage, trip interruption coverage, emergency medical evacuation coverage and repatriation of remains coverage offered by independent travel insurance and the choice is easy. Buy cruise travel insurance and you’ll be able to enjoy your cruise with peace of mind.