Cheap Cruise Insurance Companies
We researched dozens of travel insurance plans to find good deals offering solid cover specifically for cruises, with cruise-specific features such as cabin confinement, emergency airlift to hospital, missed port and unused excursions. Check out our recommendations, which we tailored to specific categories and consumer needs. If you're not sure where to start check out our cruise insurance guide.
The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.
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What to Look For
Cruise-specific cover features explained -
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
What to look for and specialist providers -
Older Travellers
What to expect as you get older
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How Does Cruise Insurance Work?
Cabin confinement, missed port, airlift and more -
How to Choose
Picking the right plan for you -
Cost
How much does cruise insurance cost?
Cruise insurance is one of the most specialised types of travel insurance, and one of the most important. A cruise holiday involves unique risks that standard travel insurance policies often don't cover — or may exclude entirely. This guide explains what to look for, what you can expect to pay, and how to find the right cruise insurance for your situation.
What to Look For in Cruise Insurance
The single most important thing to understand when buying cruise insurance is this: many standard travel insurance policies do not cover a trip that includes a cruise. Some specifically exclude cruises in their terms; others will cover basic elements like Emergency Medical, Cancellation and Baggage but leave out cruise-specific protections entirely. If you book a cruise holiday and want cover for what can actually go wrong on a cruise — being confined to your cabin with illness, missing a port, needing an emergency airlift to hospital — you need a policy that explicitly includes cruise cover.
When comparing policies, look for these cruise-specific features in addition to standard travel insurance cover:
- Cabin Confinement — pays a daily benefit if the ship's medical officer orders you to remain in your cabin due to illness (typically to prevent spreading infection to other passengers). Limits typically range from £250 to £1,000 per policy, with a daily cap. This is one of the more commonly claimed cruise-specific benefits.
- Emergency Airlift to Hospital — covers the cost of a helicopter or emergency transfer from the ship to a shore-based hospital for urgent medical treatment. This can run to many thousands of pounds and is rarely covered by standard travel insurance. Look for this to be explicitly included.
- Missed Port — provides a daily payment if the ship cannot dock at a planned port of call due to bad weather, timetabling or other circumstances outside your control. Limits typically range from £250 to £1,000 per policy. Note: this is different from Missed Port Departure (see below).
- Unused Excursion — reimburses the cost of pre-booked excursions you are unable to take due to illness or injury. Check whether this applies only to excursions booked as part of your original cruise package or also to excursions booked independently on board — some policies only cover the former.
- Missed Port Departure (also called Missed Ship Departure) — covers additional accommodation and travel costs to reach your cruise at its next port of call if you arrive too late to board at the original departure point due to circumstances outside your control, such as a delayed connecting flight. Not available on all policies; worth specifically seeking out if you are flying to join your cruise. Key things to check: the minimum time you must have left between your flight arrival and the ship's departure time (often 3 hours), and the maximum limit payable.
- Cruise Interruption — covers reasonable travel costs to rejoin the ship at its next port if you are hospitalised on shore during a cruise and miss one or more ports of call as a result. A premium feature not found on all policies.
You'll also want robust levels of the standard travel insurance features:
- Emergency Medical Expenses with a sufficient limit for the region you're sailing in. For European cruises, a minimum of £5 million is recommended; for worldwide cruises — particularly those visiting North America or the Caribbean — look for £10 million or more. Note that your GHIC card cannot be used for medical treatment on board a cruise ship, even if the vessel is docked in an EU country. It may help with treatment costs on shore in EEA countries, but it is not a substitute for medical cover.
- Cancellation and Curtailment at least equal to the total non-refundable cost of your trip. Cruises are typically among the more expensive holidays, with both the cruise fare and any pre-booked excursions at risk if you have to cancel. Premium policies offer £5,000 or more of cancellation cover per person.
- Baggage/Personal Belongings cover with adequate single-item limits for what you're bringing — especially important on cruises where formal eveningwear, cameras and gadgets are commonly taken.
- Scheduled Airline Failure (SAFI) and/or End Supplier Failure (ESF) if you're booking independently. If your cruise line, airline or pre-booked accommodation provider were to cease trading, ESF cover could reimburse your financial loss. SAFI covers airline failure specifically; ESF is broader. These features are worth looking for on any cruise policy given the potentially high prepaid outlay.
- Travel Delay — important for fly-cruises where a long flight delay can cause you to miss embarkation entirely.
A useful practical tip: when using a comparison site, make sure to tick the "cruise" option in the quote form. This filters results to only show policies that include cruise-specific benefits — otherwise you may receive quotes for policies that won't cover you properly.
Cruise Insurance for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
Getting cruise cover with a pre-existing condition requires a bit more care than standard travel insurance. You must declare your condition fully and accurately when applying for cover — any undisclosed condition that gives rise to a claim will typically result in that claim being rejected. This is especially important for cruises, where the combination of distance from shore-based healthcare and the high cost of emergency medical evacuation makes having proper cover in place critical.
A few things to prioritise if you have a medical condition:
- Declare your condition to every insurer you quote with, even if you've been told it's unlikely to affect your trip. The onus is on you to disclose, and insurers take a strict view.
- Check what's covered and what's excluded — some conditions will be accepted at standard rates, others will carry a premium loading, and a small number may require a specialist provider. Make sure medical events related to your condition are explicitly covered, not excluded.
- Look for higher Emergency Medical limits — if your condition carries any risk of a serious medical event while abroad, a higher limit of £10 million or more provides a much larger safety net. This matters even more on a cruise, where getting to hospital quickly may involve a costly airlift or transfer.
- Check whether repatriation is covered, including medically supervised transfer back to the UK. Complex or ongoing medical cases often require this, and it can be extremely expensive without cover in place.
- Check the maximum trip duration — those with conditions that require ongoing monitoring may be heading on a longer cruise, and many standard policies cap individual trips at 30 to 45 days.
Specialist travel insurance providers known for covering travellers with medical conditions include goodtogoinsurance.com, JustTravelcover.com, OK To Travel, Saga, AllClear and Virgin Money. Fit2Travel and Free Spirit are options for those where mainstream providers may not be able to offer cover.
Bear in mind that cruise cover with a pre-existing condition will typically cost more than standard cruise insurance. Comparing quotes across specialist providers is particularly worthwhile in this situation, as prices can vary significantly for the same condition.
Cruise Insurance for Older Travellers
The cost of cruise insurance rises considerably with age, and more steeply than for standard travel insurance. Prices typically more than double from age 65 to 75, and rise further again for those aged 80 or over — reflecting the higher statistical likelihood of health-related claims and the cost of medical treatment and repatriation on a cruise. That said, a healthy older traveller can still find comprehensive cruise cover at a reasonable price, particularly for European routes.
There are some important things to be aware of when buying cruise insurance at an older age:
- Maximum age limits — some travel insurance providers impose an upper age limit for new customers. This restriction applies more commonly to cruise policies than to standard cover. Always check the maximum age at the time of purchase, not just at the time of travel.
- Medical screening — older travellers are more likely to have one or more medical conditions that need to be declared and accepted before cover is confirmed. Allow time for this when buying your policy.
- Compare individual policies vs. joint policies — for couples, buying two separate individual policies sometimes comes out cheaper than a joint policy for the same cover levels. This is particularly worth checking for premium policies with worldwide cover. Compare both options before buying.
- Consider buying direct as well as through a comparison site — for older travellers with medical conditions, some specialist providers may not appear on all comparison sites, or may offer better cover when approached directly. It is worth checking both channels.
- Trip length limits — older travellers may be considering longer cruises, and many policies cap individual trip lengths at 30 or 45 days. Check the maximum trip duration carefully, especially for world cruises.
For more on pricing by age, see our average cost of cruise insurance article.
How Does Cruise Insurance Work?
Cruise insurance includes the usual components of travel insurance — Emergency Medical, Cancellation, Baggage — plus a set of specialist features designed to cover risks specific to cruise holidays. Some of these cruise-specific features are not available at all on standard travel insurance policies; others are available only as optional add-ons.
| Features for Cruise Cover | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cruise-Specific Features to Look For | ||
| Cabin confinement: Pays a daily benefit if the ship's medical officer has ordered you to remain in your cabin due to illness (e.g., to prevent spreading infection to other passengers). | ||
| Emergency airlift to hospital: Covers the cost of emergency helicopter or boat transfer from the ship to a shore-based hospital, including emergency helicopter transfers if necessary. | ||
| Missed port: Pays a daily benefit if a planned port of call on your itinerary is cancelled due to bad weather (e.g., high winds making it unsafe to dock) or timetabling issues. A way to recoup some value if you miss a destination on your itinerary. Note: distinct from Missed Port Departure (see below). | ||
| Unused excursion: Reimburses the cost of pre-booked excursions you are unable to take due to accident, injury or illness. Check whether this covers only excursions booked with your original cruise package or also excursions booked independently once on board — policies differ. | ||
| Missed Port/Ship Departure: Covers extra accommodation and travel costs to join your cruise at its next port of call if you arrive at the international departure point too late to board, due to reasons outside your control (e.g., connecting flight delays, public transport failure, or airline overbooking). Usually requires you to have allowed a minimum time gap between your flight landing and the ship's departure (typically 3 hours). Not available on all policies. | ||
| Cruise Interruption: Covers reasonable travel costs to rejoin the ship at its next port if you are admitted to hospital ashore during the cruise and miss one or more ports as a result. A premium feature found on fewer policies. | ||
| Standard Travel Insurance Features You Should Also Get | ||
| Emergency Medical: Covers medical treatment costs abroad and repatriation back to the UK. Especially critical on a cruise, as the ship's own medical facilities are typically private and expensive, and your GHIC card is not valid on board. | ||
| Cancellation/Curtailment: Reimburses non-refundable costs if you have to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to a covered reason (e.g., unexpected illness or bereavement). | ||
| Baggage: Covers loss, theft or damage to your personal belongings. Check single-item limits — many budget policies cap these at a level too low to cover a smartphone or camera. | ||
One terminology note worth flagging: Missed Port Departure (extra costs to join the ship if you miss embarkation) is a different benefit from Missed Port (a daily payment if your ship cannot dock somewhere). The two are often confused. If you want protection in both scenarios, check that your policy includes both — they are usually separate line items in the policy schedule.
Some cruise lines — including P&O, Cunard and Royal Caribbean — now require passengers to hold cruise-specific travel insurance as a condition of boarding. Check your cruise operator's terms before travelling.
How to Pick a Good Cruise Insurance Plan
To find the right cruise policy, work through the following checklist:
- Make sure the policy explicitly includes cruise cover — don't assume. Standard travel insurance may exclude cruises entirely, or cover only the basic elements without any cruise-specific benefits.
- Choose cover for the right geographical area — European cruise cover is cheaper than worldwide, and worldwide excluding the USA/Canada/Caribbean is cheaper than worldwide including them. Make sure your policy covers every country and territory your ship will visit, including any ports of call, not just your main destination.
- Check the Cancellation limit matches the value of your trip — a cruise is typically one of the larger single-item holiday purchases. Look for at least £3,000 per person for a standard cruise, or £5,000 or more for higher-value itineraries. World cruises with costs running to tens of thousands per person may require a specialist policy with enhanced limits.
- Look for Missed Port Departure if you are flying to board — if your cruise starts abroad and you're flying to join it, a missed connection could mean missing the ship entirely. Missed Port Departure cover provides for the additional costs of catching up with the vessel.
- Check the Emergency Medical limit for your destination — at least £5 million for European cruises, £10 million or more for worldwide. Your GHIC card provides no cover on board, even in European waters.
- Declare all pre-existing medical conditions and confirm they are accepted before purchasing — don't proceed on the basis of a provisional quote.
- Check the maximum trip duration — if your cruise is longer than 30 days, verify the policy covers it. Many standard policies cap individual trips at 30 or 45 days.
If you're going on a cruise as part of a fly-cruise package and haven't bought separately, check whether your package operator's insurance includes cruise-specific features — many don't. You may be better served by an independent policy.
Cost of Cruise Insurance
Cruise insurance costs significantly more than standard travel insurance — typically two to three times as much as equivalent non-cruise cover for the same destination and age. This reflects both the cruise-specific benefits included in the policy and the higher likelihood of claims on a cruise (particularly medical claims, given the age profile of cruise passengers and the cost of offshore medical evacuations).
Indicative price ranges (all for a one-week cruise; prices vary by insurer, age, destination and cover level):
- Aged 45, European cruise — budget policies from around £20 to £30; premium (£5,000+ cancellation) from around £40 to £55.
- Aged 55, European cruise — budget policies from around £25 to £35; worldwide from around £35 to £55 depending on whether the USA/Canada/Caribbean are included.
- Aged 65, European cruise — budget policies from around £35 to £50; premium worldwide cover from around £100 to £150 or more.
- Aged 75, European cruise — budget policies from around £40 to £65; premium policies from around £100 to £200+. Worldwide cover (including USA/Canada) at this age starts from around £100 for budget cover and can rise considerably for higher cancellation limits.
The main factors affecting what you pay:
- Age — the single largest driver of cruise insurance cost. Prices roughly double or more between ages 65 and 75, and rise sharply again beyond 75.
- Destination — European cruises are significantly cheaper to insure than worldwide ones. Cruises calling at the USA, Canada or the Caribbean are more expensive due to higher underlying medical costs. Worldwide cover excluding these regions is usually mid-priced.
- Cancellation limit — budget policies typically offer £1,000 to £2,500 of cancellation cover; premium policies £5,000 or more. Higher limits cost more, but often less than you'd expect relative to the additional protection.
- Trip length — longer cruises cost more to insure.
- Pre-existing conditions — can add significantly to the premium, particularly for conditions that carry any risk of a medical event.
- Couples vs. individuals — a joint couples policy costs roughly twice as much as an individual policy. For premium worldwide cover, it's worth comparing the cost of two individual policies against a single joint one, as individual policies are sometimes cheaper overall.
For a more detailed breakdown, see our average cost of cruise insurance article.