Travel insurance is something many travelers overlook when planning their trips, but you want to make sure you’re covered should something go awry before you leave or if something happens and you need to leave your cruise early. So, if you’ve forgotten to purchase insurance when you booked your trip, you may wonder when is it too late to buy travel insurance? Here’s a closer look at when you can, and should, book your travel insurance.
So, When Is It Too Late To Buy Travel Insurance?
You can buy travel insurance for your cruise until the date of your planned trip. But once your trip has started, or your ship has departed, you can no longer purchase travel insurance. The ideal time for buying travel insurance is as soon as possible after booking the ticket since this will give you the most options. In short, when is it too late to buy travel insurance? After your trip has begun!
When Is The Best Time To Purchase Travel Insurance?
Now that you understand “when is it too late to buy travel insurance,” you may be wondering what the best time is to buy it. We recommend purchasing your travel insurance as soon as possible after booking your trip. However, don’t buy travel insurance before booking all the significant elements for your trip. This may lead to your travel insurance offering insufficient coverage for the entire trip.
Buying travel insurance as soon as possible after securing your cruise will ensure you have the biggest selection of insurance policies. Buying travel insurance sooner also allows you to find the most affordable insurance, depending on what coverage you are looking for.
Can You Buy Travel Insurance After Booking Your Ticket?
You can buy travel insurance after booking your cruise ticket. It’s recommended that you wait until the ticket price is secured and you have paid for the cruise before buying the travel insurance to have insurance for the total amount of the cruise.
That said, it’s also recommended that you start looking for travel insurance as soon as you have secured your cruise ticket to have sufficient time to get competitive quotes. The earlier you buy travel insurance, the more affordable it is. In addition,
Most travel agencies and cruise lines have contracts with certain travel insurance companies. They will often offer you a specific travel insurance package. However, you aren’t compelled to use this travel insurance. You can search for more affordable insurance if you want to. Ensure the travel insurance package you opt for covers everything you would like to have included.
Can You Buy Travel Insurance While On A Cruise?
Since your travel insurance takes effect the moment you start your journey, you can no longer purchase the travel insurance once you’re on your trip. You must secure travel insurance before the date you will start traveling. For example, if you must fly to another city before boarding your cruise, you must secure travel insurance before boarding your flight.
Some travel insurance agencies offer last-minute insurance that you can get on the day of your planned departure. While this is an option in case of emergency, last-minute travel insurance is often far more expensive than travel insurance purchased earlier.
Do Cruise Ships Offer Travel Insurance?
As mentioned, cruise lines often work in partnership with certain insurance companies. They will offer you a travel insurance package once you secure your booking. These packages are sometimes more affordable than competitors, but we recommend getting quotes first.
If the cruise line’s travel insurance is a reasonable offer, you can usually purchase it after securing your ticket and before the final payment deadline for your trip. However, be sure to read what exactly is included in the travel insurance package, so you know what you are covered for and how to claim it.
Closing Thoughts
Best case scenario, nothing will ruin your cruise, but it’s always best to plan for the unknown and purchase travel insurance before the start of your trip.
David Chapman
Contributor
