Travel insurance for river cruises

A river cruise is type of cruise experience where you travel along a river (or rivers) rather than the open ocean. It can be a great way to travel in style without having to deal with unpredictable seas and will often have less ‘cruising’ days, as you’ll always be relatively close to land.

If you’re taking a multi-day cruise (whether it’s a river cruise, an ocean cruise or both), you’ll typically need to take out cruise cover as an optional extra on your policy. However, if you’re not spending at least one night on the cruise ship, then a regular travel insurance policy will usually cover you.

Most travel insurers won’t include cover for cruises automatically. Generally, you’ll need to purchase cruise cover as an add-on to your travel insurance policy. Not all levels of cover may offer optional extras, so if you’re planning on a cruise holiday you may need a standard or comprehensive policy (as opposed to a medical-only policy).

If you don’t purchase cruise cover, you usually won’t be covered for any losses relating to your cruise. This may include:

• Emergency medical treatment onboard
• Bad weather stopping you from making port
• Instances where you can’t attend a pre-booked tour.

Instead, any losses relating to your cruise will need to be paid out-of-pocket.

Even when you aren’t travelling in international waters, you typically still need to take out international travel insurance cover that covers cruises.

This is because Medicare and private health insurance won’t usually cover medical care onboard a cruise ship, or other important benefits like medical evacuation back to land. However, if you take out travel insurance these costs may be covered—but transport to a medical facility or hospital expenses once you’re on land won’t be.

In some cases, domestic policies may offer cruise cover, but this is less common. When comparing policies, check you’re covered for what you need before you purchase travel insurance.

When you take out international cruise cover, it typically comes with specific benefits relating to your cruise such as:

• Missed port benefit. If your cruise misses one or more ports stops on the trip.
• Cabin confinement benefit. If you end up confined to your cabin due to illness or injury.
• Missed departure. If you miss your cruise departure due to a covered event, your travel insurance may pay to transport you to the next available port stop, so you can continue your trip.
• Medical treatment. If you need medical assistance from the medical team onboard, or in severe cases, need medical evacuation to shore, you could be covered for those costs.
• Missed shore excursions. If your cruise is unexpectedly cut short or cancelled by the cruise company (e.g. if a natural disaster impacts your trip), you could be covered for costs relating to lost onshore excursions.

Your travel insurance isn’t limited to benefits relating to cruises. Providing more than just peace of mind, an international policy, may cover the following:

• 24/7 emergency assistance
• Medical expenses if you fall ill or are injured on land (if your cruise is overseas)
• Medical evacuation and repatriation back to Australia if there’s a medical emergency
• Trip cancellation fees and lost deposits (unrelated to the cruise)
• Luggage or personal effects that are stolen, damaged or lost during your trip
• Personal liability cover.

Not all policies will offer the same inclusions or benefit limits. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to understand exactly what your policy covers. To know more about whether a policy is suitable for your circumstances, read the Target Market Determination (TMD).

If you’re planning to take out cover for a river cruise, here are some exclusions that might be relevant to you:

• Acting recklessly or illegally. If you suffer a loss due to acting in a dangerous or illegal manner, you may not be covered.
• Being intoxicated. If you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol and suffer a loss as a result, your travel insurance company may not cover you.
• Disregarding travel alerts. If the Australian Government issues a ‘do not travel’ warning and you decide to travel anyway, your policy may be voided, or they may choose not to cover your claim.
• Pre-existing medical conditions. If you don’t declare your pre-existing conditions (and agree to pay the additional premium if necessary), any related medical or cancellation costs may not be covered.
• Leaving luggage unattended. Most travel insurance policies won’t cover you if you leave your personal belongings unsupervised in a public space.

For the full details on the exclusions, limits and sub-limits, read the PDS of your travel insurance policy as they may vary between insurers and levels of cover.