The Best Cruise Insurance in March 2024

Most major travel insurance providers offer cruise insurance at varying levels of coverage and cost.
Alisha McDarris
By Alisha McDarris 
Updated

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Cruising is back, but many travelers are still reluctant to board ships alongside thousands of other travelers. Cruise insurance has you covered if:

  • You need to be reimbursed for canceling your trip.

  • Your flight to the port gets delayed.

  • You need to pay for medical care if you get sick on board.

  • You need to fly home in case of an emergency.

Of course, there's much more than just this list that cruise insurance can cover.

No matter the reason you might be looking for coverage, here are some of the best cruise insurance companies available to help bring you peace of mind on your next experience at sea:

What to look for in cruise insurance

When shopping for cruise insurance, make sure to look for coverage that offers the following:

  • Trip delay and cancellation.

  • Medical expenses, including emergency evacuation.

  • The option to cancel for any reason (including COVID-19).

  • Adventure activities if you’re planning certain onshore excursions.

Cruise insurance isn’t much different than traditional travel insurance. Any good travel insurance should cover cruises in addition to travel by air or car.

After our analysis, we've determined these are some of the best cruise insurance options available.

Factors we considered when picking the best cruise insurance companies

We used the following factors to choose top insurance providers to highlight:

  • Specifics of coverage: Including what coverage plans include and whether they offer useful coverage and benefits for cruises specifically.

  • Amount of coverage: Including the maximum payouts for trip cancellation and trip interruption claims.

  • Cost: We compared prices to determine average costs across basic plans.

  • Customizability: We checked to see if policies allow users to customize options to suit their specific needs.

An overview of the best cruise insurance

We searched for quotes from several companies for a seven-day trip in February 2023 from the U.S. to Mexico. The traveler was 35 years old, from Georgia, and planned to spend $2,500 total on the whole trip, including airfare.

The average price of each company’s most basic coverage plan was $124. These policies didn't include optional add-ons, such as Cancel for Any Reason coverage or coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

Company name

Basic coverage cost

Recommended for

Allianz

$106.

COVID-19 cancellation.

World Nomads

$63.

Adventure activities and budget-friendly coverage.

Berkshire Hathaway

$202.

Cruise-specific emergency medical care and evacuation.

Travelex Insurance Services

$116.

High daily limit for trip delays.

Travel Guard by AIG

$133.

Cancel For Any Reason and pre-existing conditions waivers available.

Best cruise insurance options

Here’s a closer look at our five recommendations for cruise insurance and what makes them unique.

Allianz Global Assistance

What makes Allianz Global Assistance a top choice for cruise insurance:

  • Multiple policies are available for international and domestic travel.

  • Plans offer trip cancellation and interruption coverage for COVID-19.

  • Offers emergency medical and transportation.

For our test trip, Allianz Global Assistance’s basic plan cost $106, slightly below average.


World Nomads

What makes World Nomads a top choice for cruise insurance:

  • Adventure activities like mountain biking and scuba diving are covered, perfect for land-based experienced (though which sports are covered varies from plan to plan).

  • Offers comprehensive travel insurance plans for domestic and international travel.

  • Larger-than-average coverage for baggage loss and delays.

For our test trip, World Nomad’s basic plan cost $63, well below average. But the actual trip cost isn’t taken into consideration for trip cancellation and interruption coverage.


Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

What makes Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection a top choice for cruise insurance:

  • A wide range of comprehensive plans cover cancellation, emergency medical and transportation coverage, and emergency travel assistance.

  • A cruise-specific plan includes some compensation for cruise disablement and the most emergency medical and evacuation coverage of any of these plans.

  • There are many plans available, including plans that cover adventure activities.

A Berkshire Hathaway WaveCare cruise-specific plan was $202, quite a bit more than average, but with the most medical evacuation coverage.


Travelex Insurance Services

What makes Travelex Insurance Services a top choice for cruise insurance:

  • Three comprehensive plans are available.

  • Kids-included pricing is available with the Travel Select plan.

  • There's an option to add accidental death and dismemberment coverage to the basic plan.

The Travel Basic plan from Travelex Insurance Services cost $116 for our sample trip; just below the average for plans listed here.


Travel Guard by AIG

What makes Travel Guard by AIG a top choice for cruise insurance:

  • Three comprehensive plans are available.

  • Cancel For Any Reason coverage is available as an optional upgrade on two plans.

  • A pre-existing condition waiver is also available as an add-on.

Travel Guard by AIG offers a basic Essential plan for $133, just a little higher than average, but adding coverage may raise that price.

More resources for cruise travel insurance shoppers

Bookmark these resources to help you make smart money moves as you shop for cruise travel insurance.


How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:

Cards for Travel Insurance from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-10x

Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Points
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

on Chase's website

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
4.2
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-2x

Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

50,000

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Points
See more cards
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