Cruise Passenger’s guide to the best cruise insurance for Australians

If you need any convincing that travel insurance for your cruise is an absolute must, you only need to consider cases like the one of Joshua, where he suffered a heart attack on board and had to be emergency evacuated off his cruise ship and taken to a hospital onshore, before being then airlifted to another hospital.

These sort of events are more common than one might think, and will be have costs high enough to send the average Australian family into bankruptcy if the cruiser doesn’t have insurance.

Even more basic care on a cruise ship can rack up considerable costs, there have been cases of a cruise medical bill charging upwards of $300 for paracetamol alone.

Even if you want to seek medical treatment at sea for something minor, after adding on the cost of the consults, medicines prescribed, medical treatment administed as well as things like bandages and x-rays, your bill could be in the thousands.

Cruise ships have state of the art health services but even domestic cruises sailing in Australian waters are not covered by Medicare and the medical services onboard do not come cheap.

It’s been reported that nearly 70 per cent of Australians think the government will help them receive medical treatment if they have a medical emergency overseas, and 50% believe the government will arrange and fund their repatriation. 

This is simply not the reality, and while government support could be offered in extreme circumstances, it generally will not be, and costs will always need to be paid out of your own pocket.

A staggering 41% of Australians would consider travelling overseas without insurance.

Whether your cruise is international or stays in Australia, and however short it may be, cruise insurance is an absolute necessity. 

Attempting to navigate which insurance to buy can be overwhelming, so this guide has you covered with what insurance policies Cruise Passenger recommends, everything you could ever need to know about travel and cruise insurance and what cover the major Australian insurers provide.

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Cruise Passenger’s top insurance takeaways 

• You ALWAYS need insurance for your cruise, whether it’s domestic or international. Medicare does not apply on domestic cruises.
• To find an insurance policy that works best for you, you can consult with a travel/cruise agent, even if you did not make the cruise booking through them.
• The best providers Cruise Passenger recommends are Go Insurance, NIB and Cover-More. 
• The best providers for senior travellers include 1Cover, Insure and GO, NIB and Cover-More.
• Whether your credit card insurance will cover your cruise or not can be complicated, read more here.
• It’s generally best to opt for an insurer that offers cruise specific coverage or add-ons, as opposed to an insurer that adds cruise coverage, but simply applies its general benefits to its cruise coverage.
• Even if you are only sailing on a three-day cruise, you still need cruise insurance.
• It’s generally best not to buy cruise insurance directly through your cruise line.
• When taking out a travel insurance policy for an international cruise, make sure you list all the countries in which you’re planning to sail to. 

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Who are the best cruise insurance providers in Australia?

According to agents 

As recommended to Cruise Passenger by expert cruise agents, two stand-outs for cruise insurance are Go Insurance and NIB. 

Belle Goldie, highly acclaimed cruise agent from The Cruise & Travel Store says she’s had only great experiences with Go Insurance.

“The insurance providers I’m using at the moment are NIB and Go Insurance. I’ve had to do a few claims with clients through Go Insurance and they’ve been fantastic. 

One client of mine was quarantined on a ship, they thought she had COVID she didn’t, but she ended up with a nasty respiratory infection and just 24 hours in the medical centre cost USD$5000. And Go Insurance was very easy, the claims process was very easy and the client got their money back in about a week.”

Michelle Levins of My Cruise Concierge also endorses Go Insurance, as well as NIB and Covermore. 

“We are selling a lot of Go Insurance, NIB and Covermore. 

“They all have excellent policies which can be customised according to the value of your trip and what you require.  We encourage all our clients to read the PDS to understand what they are covered for and what may be excluded.“

These recommendations apply specifically for cruisers and are offered by expert cruise agents. However, you should always carefully read the policies of any travel insurance product you’re thinking about buying, and if possible, review it with a cruise agent.

Other platforms such as Finder and Trust Pilot don’t offer cruise specific recommendations, but can help in locating a travel insurance provider that is reputable and reliable.

According to Finder

Finder recommends Southern Cross Travel Insurance as the most comprehensive policy for Australian travellers. 

They recommend Fast Cover Travel Insurance for those looking for a cheaper option.

According to Trust Pilot

Trust Pilot is a platform where consumers share their experience of products and offer ratings and reviews. According to Trust Pilot these are the best travel insurance providers in Australia.

1. Insure and Go
2. Fast Cover
3. Budget Direct
4. Medibank
5. 1Cover
6. Go Insurance
7. Cover-More
8. Southern Cross
9. Allianz 
10. Bupa

What is the best cruise travel insurance for seniors?

Navigating cruise travel insurance for seniors can be more difficult, as some insurers will charge much higher premiums for older passengers or those with pre-existing conditions. 

Furthermore, some insurers have age-limits for their policies, meaning older travellers may not be able to obtain a policy at all.

The reality is that if you are on the older side, you unfortunately should expect to pay more for your cruise insurance, but there are a few insurers that are recommended for older cruises.

For more info, check out our complete guide on cruise travel insurance for seniors here.

Here are some recommended insurance providers if you’re an older cruises.

• 1Cover. Cruise Passenger has heard anecdotally from readers that 1Cover has provided satisfactory service to older cruises.
• Allianz, Worldcare, Cover-More, Insure and Go, NIB. Insurance expert at Choice Jodie Bird recommends these providers and notes they cover travellers up to 100 years of age.
• World Care Insurance and HIF. These providers are recommended by Finder and have no specific age-limit for policies.

Does regular travel insurance cover cruising? 

Generally, no! The vast majority of travel insurers will not cover cruise ship journeys as part of their general travel insurance plan, and will rather require that you opt into a special cruise care plan.

Amongst the major Aussie insurers, only NIB will automatically include multi-day cruise trips as part of its regular comprehensive policy.

This will generally cost more than just the regular insurance by itself, but is critical to ensure you are covered for anything that happens on the ship. 

Some insurers may include journeys on cruise ships as part of their regular cover, but even if they do, you should carefully read their terms and conditions because the cover may not be as comprehensive as you might require.

It’s also worth noting that some insurance providers will offer cruise specific add ons with policies specific to cruise travel, such as port cancellations, shore excursion cancellations, emergency formal attire and more. 

However, other insurance providers will simply just apply their regular benefits to your cruise travel. This can sometimes be a bit cheaper but may not always be as comprehensive. 

The cruise policies recommended by expert agents generally include cruise specific add-ons, that provide precise clarity on what will and won’t be covered on your cruise vacation.

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Will a domestic policy cover a cruise in Australian waters?

A basic domestic travel insurance policy will not cover what happens onboard a cruise ship, even if it is sailing in Australian waters. 

You need to instead buy an international policy and ensure it has specialised cruise cover.

Expert cruise agent Belle Goldie explains: “Even though the ports are domestic, the cruise lines are still international.

“When you are purchasing travel insurance you need to make sure you are looking at the policy wording, for instance, some providers if it is an international cruise line like let’s say Royal Caribbean, then it is an international ship, it’s internationally registered, it’s essentially an international location and the doctors on board are international.”  

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Do you need cruise insurance for a domestic cruise in Australia?

Yes! You absolutely need cruise insurance for a domestic cruise in Australia, any medical expenses incurred onboard will NOT be covered by medicare. 

You could be just off the coast of Australia, but if you fall ill or suffer an accident on a cruise ship, if you don’t have insurance, you will have to pay these costs out of pocket and it won’t be cheap.

Michelle Levins explains: “Yes, you need insurance for a domestic cruise, you are cruising, you need to be covered for evacuation, and repatriation. Shipboard medical treatment is often very expensive and this is not covered by your health fund or Medicare.

“All of our clients use policies that cover cruising when travelling domestically. We recommend it to everyone getting on a ship.”

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Do you need cruise insurance for an international cruise?

Yes! If you are travelling internationally you need to make sure you have purchased a travel insurance policy that either covers cruise ship journeys or has a specific cruise care add on. Furthermore, when listing the countries that you will visit, you need to list all countries where you will disembark the ship, even if you only be there for a short time.

This ensures that if you have an accident in port, you will be covered for whatever country you are in. 

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Will your credit card insurance cover your cruise? 

This is a tricky topic to navigate, because the answer is ‘sometimes’. If you want to know if your credit card insurance will cover your cruise, and how comprehensive, reliable and valuable the coverage will be, here are a few key considerations to keep in mind. 

For a larger deep dive, read our full guide on whether you should use credit card insurance for your cruise here, but below you can find the basics.

1. Contact your credit card provider or read your insurance product disclosure statement and see if your provider will cover cruise travel. Search the word “cruise” in the PDS to make this process less painstaking.
2. Some credit card insurers may not include cruise automatically, but will have an option to upgrade to cruise cover for an extra fee.
3. If they do, credit card insurance requires that you have ‘activated’ your travel insurance benefits, so make sure you do this before any travel.
4. Read the particular policies for cruise and decide if they are adequate for your travel needs. Sometimes credit card companies will only include the basics for cruise, such as medical cover. But they may not offer cover for missing a port, lost luggage, shore excursion injuries and so on.
5. Check what your excess is. Some credit card insurers have an extremely high excess of up to $500, if this is the case it means any claim lower than that amount won’t be worth claiming and it could be worth considering a policy with a lower excess.
6. If you have any pre-existing conditions, make sure to clarify whether your credit card insurer will cover these. Many policies that come with credit cards exclude pre-existing conditions. 
7. If cruising domestically, clarify how your insurance companies categorize this. Some credit card policies will consider this an international trip, and their domestic policies may not cover you.

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Do you need insurance for a three-day cruise? 

Yes! Even if your cruise is just a quick weekend break, you absolutely need to have insurance. One small accident can make your quick weekend escape turn extremely costly if you are not covered.

The good news is that generally cover for such a short period is usually very cheap, often around $40 – $100 depending on your age and pre-existing conditions. The small extra expense to add onto your holiday is absolutely worth the peace of mind that if something goes wrong, you won’t suffer financially.

For even more info, check out our full-guide on whether you need cruise insurance for a three-day cruise.

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What should you make sure your cruise insurance covers?

Medical cover and repatriation/medical evacuation costs are always the most important policies to check, but some other useful cruise specific coverage to make sure you have included are cabin confinement cover, COVID-19 coverage, missed cruise cover, missed port cover and luggage loss cover. 

It is always worth scanning and comparing policies (which can be done below), but the reality is that most offerings across cruise insurance will generally be fairly similar.

The most important thing is to make sure you have a reputable insurer, you have clarified any pre-existing conditions and that you lock-in your insurance as soon as you start putting down non-refundable deposits for your cruise. 

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Should you buy your cruise insurance directly through the cruise line?

Generally, Australians should not purchase their insurance directly through their cruise line, and should rather use a third-party provider. 

This is due to the fact that while many cruise lines do offer insurance, it is generally just an extremely basic cancellation or deposit cover, not a comprehensive policy.

Therefore, if you have an option during your booking process to check a box for some kind of insurance or cancellation cover, don’t think that this is a full insurance policy.

Michelle Levins explains: “Australian cruise passengers cannot purchase a comprehensive policy via their cruise line, some cruise lines do offer a cancellation cover or a deposit cover.

“Keep in mind that not all policies cover all things, in all countries, in all situations. You need to make sure you choose a travel insurance policy that suits your needs covering medical including COVID, cancellation, personal liability, luggage and many other areas of cover that may be relevant to your trip.”

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Can you go to a cruise agent for insurance only? 

Yes! Even if you have not made your booking directly through a cruise agent, you can still go to an agent to book your insurance policy or ask them questions about which insurance is right for you.

Cruise Passenger always recommends using a cruise agent in order to get the best deals, recommendations and advice for your cruise. However, if you do prefer to book your trip without the help of an agent, if choosing an insurance policy is overwhelming you, contacting a cruise agent and arranging insurance via them is a great option. 

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Which insurance providers offer cruise insurance?

Most large Aussie providers offer at least some form of cruise travel cover, for example St George, ANZ and Qantas all offer cruise travel insurance. 

For a more detailed list of some of the main insurance providers and what they offer, check out the list below.

NIB 

• NIB’s international travel insurance plan includes cruise cover. Some of the benefits are as follows
• Coverage for sudden illness or injury
• Coverage for medical evacuation
• Coverage for unexpected delays
• Coverage for lost, stolen or damage luggage
• Coverage for cancellation

Insure and Go

• Insure and go has a cruise specific policy available with very comprehensive coverage for your cruise and entire trip. Some of the benefits are as follows
• Unlimited medical coverage
• Up to $50,000 for a missed cruise departure
• Up to $3000 for cruise delay expenses 
• Up to $100 per missed port
• Up to $15,000 for loss of or damage to personal belongings and baggage 

Fast Cover

• Fast Cover has an optional cruise add-on. You must select cruise cover when booking your policy.
• Once this extra cover is selected, their general policies will simply apply to your time on the cruise ship. Some benefits include 
• Unlimited medical care and repatriation
• Up to $1000 for overseas emergency dental
• Up to $50,000 for trip disruption expenses
• Up to $15,000 for luggage and personal effects
• Unlimited care for COVID-19 related medical issues and trip cancellations

Budget Direct

• Budget Direct has an optional cruise cover add-on.
• Unlimited on-board medical and dental cover.
• Ship to shore medical cover.
• Sea sickness cover.
• Cabin confinement up to $100 per day, for a maximum of $1500.
• Missed port cover for embarkation up to $1000.
• Missed shore excursions up to $1000. 

Medibank

• Medibank travel insurance offers an option for mult-night cruise cover.
• Unlimited on-board medical and dental cover.
• Ship to shore medical cover.
• Sea sickness cover.
• Cabin confinement up to $100 per day, for a maximum of $1500.
• Missed port cover for embarkation up to $1000.
• Missed shore excursions up to $1000. 

1Cover

• 1Cover offers an add-on cruise pack.
• Unlimited onboard medical expenses. 
• Up to $1000 for pre-paid shore excursion cancellation.
• Up to $2500 for missed cruise departure.
• Up to $1500 for cabin confinement. 
• Up to $750 for missed port cover.
• Up to $1500 for formal attire cover. 
• Up to $250 for formal attire delay allowance.

Go Insurance

• Go Insurance has optional extra cruise cover. Benefits can include 
• $2500 for pre-paid excursions
• $100 per missed port 
• $2000 for missed port connection
• $50 per day for cabin confinement
• $500 per day for emergency formal attire

Cover-More

• Cover-More has option extra cruise cover.
• Unlimited onboard medical and dental cover 
• Cruise cancellation cover (amount varies)
• Unlimited ship to shore medical cover
• Unlimited sea sickness cover
• Up to $100 per day for cabin confinement
• Up to $1000 total for missed port in embarkation 
• Up to $1000 for missed shore excursions 

Southern Cross 

• Southern Cross travel insurance has an option for added cruise cover. They do not offer cruise specific benefits but will rather apply their general benefits to your cruise.

Allianz 

• Allianz has an optional Cruise Pack that can be purchased.
• Unlimited medical cover while cruising
• Unlimited evacuation cover – ship to shore
• Cabin confinement up to $500 
• Pre-paid shore excursion cancellation up to $1000
• Formal wear up to $1000
• Formal wear delay expenses up to $250
• Marine Rescue Diversion up to $500

Bupa 

• Bupa has an optional cruise cover add-on.
• Unlimited on-board medical and dental cover.
• Ship to shore medical cover.
• Sea sickness cover.
• Cabin confinement up to $100 per day, for a maximum of $1500.
• Missed port cover for embarkation up to $1000.
• Missed shore excursions up to $1000.