When choosing travel insurance it is important to find the perfect cover to protect you, and your belongings, just incase things go wrong. With the guidance for cruise lines still changing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is vital that you find the cover that is going to be accepted by your cruise operator.
For example, with P&O cruises you need to be sure to have comprehensive cruise-specific travel insurance with a minimum of £2 million medical cover, as well as cover for emergency evacuations and medical expenses relating to COVID-19. Your policy must also cover for repatriation, cancellation and curtailment including in the event of you contracting COVID-19 and having to leave the ship due to a medical emergency. You must also declare any pre-existing medical conditions.
Now, yes, I hate reading terms and conditions (who doesn't), but when purchasing travel insurance online, you are often shown an over view of the cover detailing all the specifics of the cover, so it is important to take your time and double check that the cover you are choosing is right for you.
Here's where things get fun, and not in a "visiting a themepark" sense.
When we booked a trip with P&O cruises, we used their link to Holiday Extras, their partner for travel insurance. Initially on completing the form and receiving a quote, we were surprised at the cost, they came in around the £200 mark for an annual multi-trip insurance, including pre-existing medical conditions.
However, we were unable to purchase then and there as we were counting down the days until payday. Just under a week later, we were ready to purchase our insurance, submitted the form once again, and were met with exactly the same cover, for £406!
On reaching out to Holiday Extras, I was informed that
details were different for one member of the party (they weren't), I completed the form again, double checking what I had done, and again, £406.
I then visited MoneySupermarket, completed the form, exactly the same as I had for Holiday Extras and was surprised to see that the option that best suited us, was £227. However, what surprised me more, was that the company offering the insurance, was Holiday Extras. The same answers, the same level of cover, the same annual multi-trip policy, £179 cheaper.
So, to summarise the above, make sure to check those comparison websites. Don't always go with the with the travel insurance provider that the travel agent recommends. I appreciate the prices of insurance are a "live" price, and do change closer to the time, but to almost double in price shocked me. It seemed to me to be more of a fault on the end of Holiday Extras, especially as the price we were quoted on a comparison site was vaguely similar to our initial quote.
Other comparisons sites, such as comparethemarket.com, are also great for searching multiple providers at once, and you never know, they may have a promotion on too, such as 2-4-1 dining.
For ourselves, we decided to go with an annual worldwide (incl USA & Canada) multi-trip option as we have a few trips coming up within the next year, so it was more economical when compared to several single trip policies. However, if you believe you are only going on one, or two, trips over the course of the year, then it may be worth doing two separate single trip policy quotes and work out which may be more beneficial to your plans, and your pocket.
Here's some other great tips to help you get the policy that may best suit you:
(click the arrows to expand)
Shop Around
Single trip or Annual
Choose the relevant destination
Declare any pre-existing medical conditions
Cruise Cover
Read the Policy Carefully
Ensure your activities and excursions are covered
Have you booked flights separate to your cruise?
Meet the requirements of the cruise operator
Check the company underwriting the insurance
Take note of contact details
To summarise, although this may look like a lot of information waffling on about travel insurance, we would never travel without it for that extra peace of mind. Not only that, for many cruise operators, it is a must have to allow boarding.
There are also options for you to add-on extras to your policy prior to purchasing, such as; winter sports, sports, gadget cover, theft, etc. It is definitely worth searching around and researching your options before committing to one provider.
After all, you may end up saving £179 like we did!
