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A travel health expert explains how to stay safe while sailing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suspended its Covid-19 cruise program. Here are some ways you can continue to stay safe.
Claire Hardwick, USA Today
Philippe Perey took a vacation to Mexico with his family in November, but researching the travel insurance they bought to protect their trip turned out to be anything but relaxing.
A few months before the trip, he received a refund from Celebrity Cruises after the insurance he purchased online for him and his wife, Lindsey, was mistakenly canceled.
When his flight to Miami was delayed, he bought a good new policy with a different service and paid for part of the original fare in conjunction with another airline. “The cruise vacation wasn’t the way you wanted it to start,” Pere, 45, told USA TODAY.
But when he tried to help his in-laws – his wife and parents who joined him on the ship and bought insurance through the village – to get the money back, he had no luck. Aon Affinity, which managed the coverage for the in-laws, asked for a document explaining the reason for the airline delay, Perey, who did not know how to get it (although the parents could reply without providing that document) ).
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“It leaves a bad taste in my mouth about that policy,” said Perry, a minister in St. Charles, Missouri. “We love celebrities, we keep traveling with celebrities … but I don’t buy their insurance.”
While purchasing travel insurance through a cruise line can be convenient, passengers say the coverage may not be as comprehensive as that purchased separately through third-party providers, and they may want to think twice about the type of policy they choose.
“Royal Caribbean Group guests can purchase travel protection through our trusted partners to protect their vacations,” said a spokesperson for the line’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Group. The company “does not operate the travel protection program,” the spokesperson added, and referred questions about celebrity coverage to Aon.
Aon did not immediately respond to USA Today’s questions about Perry’s experience.
Do passengers have to purchase travel insurance with a cruise line?
When booking a vacation, purchasing travel insurance can be as simple as checking a box at checkout. “That’s why it’s so successful,” said Susan Morrow, senior vice president of InsureMyTrip. “Because it’s easy, and you don’t have to think about it.” (Cruise lines usually work with third-party insurance for the policies they offer.)
Travel companies may use “scare tactics” to encourage those purchases, she said. “Are you sure you want to risk X dollars?” They enter.
But these policies may not provide the kind of protection customers expect.
Morrow said travelers should first ask themselves whether they want money or a loan. “A lot of cruise line insurance,[that]doesn’t give you money back. You get a cruise credit for a future cruise,” she says.
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Those policies can be “skinnier” than what travelers can buy on their own. If passengers have to cancel their trip, for example, insurance may cover a few reasons, according to Morrow.
Luxury travel consultant and travel agency founder Morris Smith echoed that, saying third-party policies generally have high limits for health coverage.
Many health insurance plans don’t cover medical expenses at sea or abroad, Dr. Joe Scott, senior director of inflight medical operations for cruise line operator Carnival Corp., told USA Today in February. He said at the time that he was “not aware” of any cruise line that accepted insurance in his medical facilities, and said it was highly recommended that passengers buy travel insurance, which is more likely to cover the bills.
Story continues below.
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Travelers will be able to permanently float aboard a luxury residential cruise ship starting in 2024. Correction: An earlier version of this video misstated the number of living quarters on the ship.
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How much does ship insurance cost?
According to Morrow, insurance rates purchased by cruise lines will be a percentage of the cost of the trip. But the cost of a policy that travelers buy on their own can depend on a number of additional variables, including age and destination.
“There are many more factors that go into the cost calculation, and often you can pay less and get more coverage,” she said.
Browsing beyond cruise line offerings can help travelers find deals on insurance, Smith said. “Sometimes you can’t get a better price if you shop around,” he said. The cost of a policy also depends on the type of cover a traveler needs.
Cruise lines, like airlines or hotels, typically offer some amount of protection even without passengers purchasing insurance, such as a refund or credit in the event of a cancellation, Morrow said. “And then the next step is what you buy to extend that coverage or get better coverage or get more reasons,” she said.
How to get ship insurance
Smith advises travelers to weigh the pros and cons of policies offered by cruise lines versus those that can be purchased through a third party. Details of coverage can be found on cruise lines and insurance providers’ websites, he said.
Travelers can compare options through sites like InsureMyTrip or Squaremouth. Many insurance providers’ customer service agents talk to travelers, Morrow added.
“It seems simple on the surface … but it really comes down to each trip and what you’re taking, and whether you want to have some peace of mind or not,” Morrow said.
Nathan Diller is US TODAY’s consumer travel reporter in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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