In our business we too often see situations arise which cause our clients to have to cancel travel plans at the last minute that can cause them to lose their entire vacation investment. Accidents, illnesses to someone in your immediate family, and/or trip irregularities can and do occur which is why we strongly recommend trip cancellation & interruption insurance to protect your travel investment. Each cruise line offers their own travel insurance that is described in their cruise brochure, as is the trip cancellation policy which you should carefully review when you purchase any cruise. Cancellation policies and penalties vary widely between cruise lines, but all of them will keep your entire cruise amount if you cancel your cruise a few days prior to your cruise. In addition to the cruise lines insurance we have made arrangements with Travelex, a top independent travel insurance company in America, to offer our clients an alternative to the cruise line's insurance.
In many cases Traelex TraveLite costs less money than the cruise lines insurance. For example, insurance through the cruise lines generally ranges from $89-139 per person for a 7-night cruise. TraveLite has essentially the same coverage as most of the major lines, but can often cost less, especially for people 55 and under. For $1501 to $2000 per person of insurance the price is only $53 per person if each person is 55 or under. Also, if anyone needs to cover "pre-existing" medical conditions - serious ones such as cancer, diabetes, etc. - for themselves or anyone in their immediate families, TraveLite will cover this as long as you take the insurance within 21 days after making your deposit. This is very important for travellers who may have relatives with a serious condition that may flare up and cause you to cancel at the last minute. (If you take it after that date, pre-existing is not covered.) And with TraveLite, you can cover additional expenses: airfare if you got your own, hotel cancellation penalties, etc., which cannot be covered with insurance through the cruise line or land vendor.
Cruise line policies on coverage differ from line to line, although all will cover cancellations for new medical emergencies. After that point, though, you will find differences in coverage. For example, Royal Caribbean covers pre-existing medical conditions, but it pays a claim in the form of a cruise credit that must be used within one year from the cancelled cruise. Celebrity is similar. Princess has a different approach. Princess gives a refund if you cancel for a new medical emergency after buying the insurance, just like the others. However, if you cancel for any other reason, including pre-existing medical, they cover you at either 75% or 90% of the cost of the cruise, again with credit to be used toward another cruise within one year, depending on whether you paid for their "standard" or their more expensive "gold" policy.
For people who worry that they may have to cancel, say, for a job-related reason, Princess' insurance is a great choice, since the other insurances cover you only for medical emergencies. And it goes on, with each line having slightly different policies, and prices dependent on the length or cost of your cruise. Whichever cruise you choose, be sure that you understand the comparisons between the policy of that cruise line and other insurance choices such as Travelex & TravelGuard to know which will fit your needs better. There are a lot of "gray areas" in any insurance coverage, such as trip delays due to missed or delayed flights, but we can help you understand the major coverages.
The bottom line is that we always recommend trip cancellation insurance and we always buy it for ourselves when we travel.
The Captain & First Mate