Travel With Peace Of Mind On A Windstar Cruise
Windstar Cruises offers an elegant cruise experience for travelers. Our small boutique ships carry fewer than 350 passengers and are designed to fit in unique ports where larger cruise ships cannot. When you book a cruise with Windstar, you receive an intimate travel experience that allows you to connect with your travel partner, fellow travelers and ship crew. Our cruises take travelers 180 degrees from ordinary.
We are known for our authentic experiences and award-winning hospitality. Our unfailingly attentive service delights in bringing you just the right thing at just the right time. As the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation, Windstar also boasts an innovative culinary program.
Take advantage of our onboard amenities, like our watersports platform, library, lounge, pool or tranquil WindSpa.
Can You Buy Cruise Insurance After Booking
You can buy cruise insurance after booking your trip, right up until just before departure. The downside to waiting is that you likely wont be able to cover pre-existing medical conditions, and youll lose the option to add cancel for any reason coverage.
Buying right after you book also lets you lock in trip cancellation coverage right away.
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What Is Cruise Cover Insurance
Cruise cover insurance can mean a general travel insurance policy that includes cruises, or it can mean specialist cruise cover for specific things that could only happen during a cruise.
Cruise travel insurance can be a standalone travel insurance policy, or it can be a specialist cruise cover that you add on to your existing travel insurance policy.
You can buy cruise cover for a single cruise, or as an annual policy that covers all your travel during a 12-month period.
Where You Are Going
To save themselves the cost of tourists unexpected medical expenses or hospital stays, many countries require all travelers to have travel insurance. Some destinations that require this are:
- Schengen Nations
- Antarctica
- Thailand
You should also take into account the climate and weather conditions of your destination. For example, if you are cruising in a hurricane-prone area during the active season, travel insurance is essential in the event of dangerous weather conditions ending your trip early.
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Do I Need Travel Insurance For A Cruise Holiday
Travel insurance is not a legal requirement for any kind of travel. However, its always wise to get because unforeseen costs due to medical emergencies, cancellation and lost luggage while travelling can be very high.
If youre taking a cruise, then medical bills can be even higher than usual, particularly if you need to be taken ashore for medical treatment. One British grandmother was hit with a bill for £50,000 after she was airlifted to hospital from a cruise ship in Mexico.
Travel insurance for a cruise is strongly recommended. A standard travel insurance policy that also covers cruises is sufficient, but for extra protection you can get specialist cruise cover that includes things like missed port of call or confinement to your cabin.
Do You Need Travel Insurance For Trips Within Canada
When planning a trip, a worst-case scenario is the last thing that most travellers consider. Whether you are planning on exploring Canada by car or by flight, you should be covered in case of an accident or illness. While you have medical coverage through your home province, it may not be enough if you travel to other provinces.
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Decide On A Cover Type
After clicking get a new quote youll be sent to a page where you have to decide if you would like an annual policy or a one-trip policy.
For the purposes of this, I will be selecting a one-trip policy but if you do think youll be traveling multiple times per year, it may be worth doing an annual quote.
You can always do both quotes.
All travel insurance quotes from MoneySuperMarket cover emergency medical expenses and repatriation if you catch COVID-19 while youre away.
Is Travel Insurance Worth It
Travel insurance is a type of protection for your trip. It ensures that you will receive compensation for any unplanned expenses due to medical emergencies abroad, loss of personal items while travelling, for missed or delayed flights, or in case you have to cancel your trip.
So, if you get into an accident or become ill while youre in a foreign country and have to get medical assistance, then your travel insurance will cover the cost of your medical bills.
If you have to cancel your trip for some reason, then your travel insurance makes sure you dont lose all your money. They will reimburse you part of your pre-paid expenses, such as accommodation and flight.
If you lose your luggage or it gets stolen during your travels, then your travel insurance will reimburse you for the cost of lost items.
You can get even more coverage, such as repatriation or emergency evacuation, where your insurers cover the costs of you having to evacuate a foreign country.
Some countries demand that you have travel insurance so that you can pay for your medical expenses. In some cases, healthcare is really expensive, and tourists leaving without paying their medical bills can put a strain on the hospitals.
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What Does Cruise Insurance Cover
Every policy is slightly different there is no set requirement of what is covered. That said, youll find most cruise insurance covers the same basic things. Here are the major items that youll want to make sure your policy covers.
Trip Cancellation The most basic coverage with cruise insurance, trip cancellation protection allows you to get your money back that youve paid for your trip if you cancel for specific, predetermined reasons. This coverage doesnt allow you to get repaid if you just decide to cancel because you dont want to go.
The specific reasons will be laid out in your policy. In general, they fall into several major groups:
- Major illness or injury to you, traveling companion, or family member
- Death of you, traveling companion, or family member
- Quarantine
- Being fired/laid off
- Travel delays
Trip Interruption Similar to trip cancellation, this coverage pays you for an interruption for specific reasons like the ones mentioned above after your trip has already started or when travel is delayed. In addition to being reimbursed for the remainder of what youve paid for your cruise, youll also be reimbursed for expenses like flight and hotel to get back home.
Emergency Medical If youre worried about getting sick or injured while on your cruise, then know that most plans offer emergency medical coverage. This is exactly as it sounds. It provides medical insurance for serious illness or injury. Many plans also offer some dental coverage.
Know What The Insurance Plan Covers
What is covered or not covered depends on the plan you purchase. A comprehensive cruise insurance plan protects the financial investment you put into the cruise and helps cover any expenses incurred due to unexpected events that happen while you travel, such as adverse weather, mechanical breakdown, or illness.
Our most popular cruise insurance plan, Safe Travels Voyager, has a generous 30 covered reasons for trip cancellation, and some plans even offer coverage for bankruptcy of the travel supplier. But you should be aware that if you cancel your cruise due to fear of travel or if the cruise line cancels the sailing, you are only covered if you have Cancel For Any Reason added to your plan.
The key here is reading through the plan and understanding what your plan covers. Trawick International Customer Service can help you understand which plan is best for you and answer any questions you may have.
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What Does Travel Insurance Not Cover
Conway with Battleface notes that government regulation or prohibition is not covered by travel insurance. So if you are denied entry to a port based on current entry rules and restrictions, you are not eligible to file a travel insurance claim for reimbursement.
Also, if you are severely intoxicated and slip and suffer an injury due to your condition, you will not be covered. Most travel insurance policies have exclusions in the policy language that will not cover a travelers negligence due to excessive alcohol or illegal drug use.
Should I Buy Cruise Insurance
If you want to have some peace of mind on your trip, then yes. However, the vast majority of cruise passengers will never use their insurance.
The problem is that for issues that do come up, the expenses can be large and unknown. For instance, there is no price list of having to be evacuated medically from a cruise ship. The cruise insurance offers valuable peace of mind.
If you do decide to purchase, we highly suggest that you shop around for prices and also read your plan carefully . And while every cruise line strongly recommends purchasing some sort of insurance for your cruise, we dont recommend purchasing insurance offered through them, as traditional plans offer better coverage for a similar price.
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When Should You Buy Travel Insurance For A Cruise
Travel insurance for a cruise should be bought as soon as the cruise is booked. The travel insurance comes into effect as soon as it is purchased. This means that if the cruise was canceled it would be covered by travel insurance.
The price of travel insurance doesnt get cheaper closer to the sailing date so there really is no reason to put of purchasing insurance.
Your Credit Card May Offer Built
You may have a credit card in your wallet that offers travel insurance. “Travel insurance is a common benefit for credit cards that often comes at no additional cost to the cardholder,” says Francis Hondal, president of loyalty and engagement with MasterCard. “It can also be extremely easy to take advantage of itthe key is knowing what coverage you have so you don’t waste money on additional coverage you don’t need.”
Coverage is automatic when you make a relevant purchase, she says. “So, for instance, if you have trip cancellation insurance on a card, you’re covered when you book a flight using that card. Same goes for checking your bag and activating your lost luggage protection,” Hondal says.
It’s important to know if and how you’re covered when making travel-related purchasing decisions. Mastercard offers a digital insurance platform, mycardbenefits.com. You can usually find more information on your credit card’s website.
To ensure you reap the travel insurance benefits your card offers, you must charge the trip expenses on your card.
“Where credit card travel insurance can shine is if you run into weather problems or mechanical delays, or if you get sick while traveling or even if your luggage gets lost or delayed,” says Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst, Bankrate.com.
If your luggage is late, you can get up to $100 per day for up to five days to buy necessities.
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Do You Need Special Insurance For A Cruise
Due to the unique nature of traveling by cruise ship, travel insurance is strongly recommended for all travelers. Depending on the plan, cruise travel insurance can protect against missed connections, an emergency evacuation, unexpected medical issues, baggage loss, and more.
As of July 2021, some cruise lines now recommend or require unvaccinated American passengers to show proof of valid travel insurance as a condition of boarding. InsureMyTrip offers cruise travel insurance plans that meet and/or exceed such requirements.
What Is The Best Cruise Insurance
The best cruise insurance is one that includes cruise-specific features such as confinement to your cabin and missed ports. However, this could cost more than standard travel insurance that includes cruises.
To work out which type of cruise insurance is the best value, think about:
- The price of the policy
- How much you are covered for for cruise-specific problems
- The chance of a cruise-specific problem
- How much the excess is
For example
Lets say it costs £20 extra to be covered for missing a port of call.
Lets say the payout for a missed port is £50.
The chance of a port being cancelled depends on the itinerary.
The excess is £60.
In this scenario, the cover is cheap and the payout for a missed port is decent. However, the excess is higher than the payout. So it would only be worth it if you missed two or more ports. Missing one port happens from time to time, but missing two is very unlikely, so it wouldnt be worth it.
However, if the same insurance policy also paid out £100 for each day that you are confined to your cabin, then that could be worth it in case of illness.
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Cruise Travel Insurance Faqs
Before we wrap up our yearly review of the best cruise insurance companies and plans, we want to answer some frequently asked questions we get on this subject. If you still have questions after reading through these FAQs, dont hesitate to reach out were passionate about helping you get coverage that fits your needs and budget!
Best Cruise Insurance For Families
This is the best cruise insurance for parents traveling with children. Families will have extra concerns to consider, and this plan covers families better at a good price. Again, all recommendations are from reputable companies that specialize in travel insurance.
What makes this the best plan for families? This plan covers hurricane warnings, while many plans dont. It covers school year extension for cancellations, for something like extra school to make up for snow days. It has missed connection coverage to help you catch up to your ship. It has the option for Cancel For Any Reason coverage, which has become very popular since Covid. Finally, the pricing is very good when traveling with children under 18.
- Includes itinerary change coverage
- Very good Missed Connection coverage $2,500/person after 3 hour delay
- Great for: The best overall pick is also great for senior travelers. The pricing is competitive in this higher premium bracket, plus it covers pre-existing conditions
Example quote $938 : For the above plan, the example trip includes 2 travelers on a 14-day cruise with airfare, with a total trip cost of $9,000).
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Optional Cancel For Any Reason
Cancel for Any Reason is an optional benefit you may not see offered by the cruise line. Most trip insurance includes a list of covered reasons that trigger benefits. One of these triggers including sickness, injury, traffic accident, and weather, for example must occur before you can cancel your trip. But when you add the optional CFAR benefit, you can cancel your entire trip for any reason you wish**.
This benefit costs extra, and you are reimbursed for 75% of your nonrefundable trip costs instead of 100%, but if you have an unusual situation you feel could cause you to cancel your trip, its worth it. Seven Corners offers CFAR on ourRoundTrip Basic and RoundTrip Choice plans.
You must select this benefit within the time-sensitive period and pay the additional plan cost to receive it. For the plans mentioned above, the phrase time-sensitive period means you must purchase your plan within 20 days of the date your initial payment or deposit of your trip is received, and within 15 days of payment for any subsequent travel arrangements added to your trip.Other terms apply.
Are All Travel Insurance Policies The Same
Travel insurance is state regulated, but the policies do not have to conform to an industry standard like your homeowners or automobile policy.
Every travel insurance policy is unique and has different restrictions, and who you buy it from and what you pay can mean a world of difference.
Its vitally important to read and understand whats included in the policy youre purchasing, and make sure it meets your needs.
Even two policies that seem to offer the same essential benefits at first glance could be very different once you read the details.
The amount youll be reimbursed for a particular incident, the specifics of what constitutes a covered reason for a cancellation, and important details like if youll need to pay upfront for an airline ticket to catch up with the ship or even a medical evacuation can make a big difference in stress levels and initial out-of-pocket costs.
As mentioned above, Travel Protection sold directly by the cruise line may not offer all the same benefits as an actual travel insurance policy sold by an insurance company, so its important to do your homework before you agree to a slick sales pitch or bargain add-on when you book your cruise.
Though its costly and may be hard to find, some travel insurers offer Cancel for Any Reason add-on policies in all states except New York.
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What Should A Good Travel Insurance Policy Include
A good travel insurance policy should cover any medical emergencies which may happen abroad, as well as protect you against financial loss. You can customize it according to your needs, but a basic policy must always have the following features:
- Medical emergencies coverage
- Trip disruption coverage
- Coverage for loss of personal belongings
- Coverage for emergency evacuation or repatriation