A national survey of travelers by Norartis Consumer Health found that 63 percent reported that they or a travel companion, including cruise passengers, have become sick while on vacation. I’ve noticed travelers tend to forget insurance when they travel, particularly on cruises.
I get many questions on whether to buy travel insurance. I say, if you’re going somewhere close and staying with family, I wouldn’t get it. However, if you’re spending a lot of money on a hotel, cruise, honeymoon, or safari, or going far from home or you travel often like I do, then I definitely would. See here for another post I wrote on what to think about when considering travel insurance.
Accidents can happen onboard a cruise, but also on cruise excursions. Many people don’t realize even if a cruise line sponsors activities, the cruise lines may not be responsible for the actions of independent excursion companies.
It can be easy to forget that when you travel you might be hundreds of miles from a properly equipped doctor. Even if you’re in great health, it’s not worth the gamble, in my opinion, if you’re on a cruise. You could break an ankle on a cruise excursion or catch any number of viruses out there.
I have a policy with Allianz Travel Insurance and I’m one of their brand ambassadors, as well. Check out one of their policies or any other policy to keep yourself safe when you’re on vacation.
Allianz also gives out this checklist of questions to remember to ask your cruise company:
- Is the local excursion provider insured, licensed and properly trained?
- Has the cruise line evaluated the reliability of the local excursion provider?
- Have the cruise line and/or the local excursion provider disclaimed liability for injuries that passengers might sustain during excursions?
Disclaimer: I have a working relationship with Alliance Global Assistance USA. However, the opinions expressed in this post are mine based on the findings of the Vacation Confidence Index.
