Travel Insurance Direct

Cruise Travel Insurance

Our policies automatically include cover for cruises.

Planning a cruising holiday? Find out what TID can cover you for.

If you’ve always envisioned sailing into tropical waters, the breeze in your hair as you swill cocktails on the deck at sunset, you’re not alone.

Cruising has long been the holiday of choice for global travellers, whether they be singles, couples, or families, and with the slow travel movement gaining momentum, we don’t blame you for wanting to chart a course of your own.

Travel Insurance Direct covers cruising as a standard inclusion, which means you won’t need to fork out for additional premiums and can keep the cash you’ve saved for land visits or the fun stuff on board.

Why should I consider travel insurance?

Every year millions of travellers board vessels, big and small, bound for dreamy destinations like the South Pacific, to places like Fiji, Samoa, Noumea and the Solomon Islands.

While most of the time it is smooth sailing, things can sometimes go off course, for example, your boat may encounter unexpected conditions; you might fall ill mid-journey; or you could face delays you hadn’t counted on. All these circumstances can prove costly if you don’t have insurance, medical expenses and evacuation costs alone can be exorbitant depending on the location. Even a three day trip for a hens getaway out of Sydney puts you in Australian and International waters, which means Medicare won’t be able to foot the bill if things go wrong.


What's covered?

  • Overseas medical expenses (international plans only - Australian waters are not considered domestic waters).
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation - if additional travel and accommodation is needed to get you to the nearest appropriate medical facility, we may be able to help. 
  • Cancellation or holiday deferment costs - if you are forced to cancel your trip due to illness or injury that is unexpected or out of your control (see the policy for details).
  • Luggage and personal effects - Our standard travel insurance includes cover for these items if they’re accidentally lost, stolen or damaged, subject to terms and conditions (see the luggage section of the policy for details). Benefit limits and depreciation apply. 
  • Coronavirus travel costs - If you or someone travelling with you is diagnosed with the virus and you need to cancel your trip; or a close relative is hospitalised or dies due to coronavirus and it forces you to shorten your trip, travel insurance may be able to help - benefit limits apply as do exclusions if government warnings are not adhered to. 
  • Personal liability - TID may be able to help with damages and compensation if your negligence causes injury to a person or loss or damage to property. This excludes injury to yourself or your travelling party, or property owned by you or a member of your family or travelling party, or for which you are responsible. Travel insurance provides cover for the costs you may incur because of that negligence, but only if you get our consent before legal costs are incurred or take legal action. 


What's not covered

  • Reckless behaviour - If you intentionally and recklessly place yourself or your travelling party in circumstances, or activities, which pose a risk to their personal safety (except in an attempt to save a human life) it may affect your cover.
  • Intoxication – While we all know drinking and driving isn’t a good idea, drinking and then doing many other activities can make them downright risky… if you’re intoxicated by alcohol, any events that arise because of that intoxication will not be covered. 
  • High-risk activities - We’re talking things like sitting on a railing high above a drop to a deep gorge for a selfie, or diving into the shallow end of the pool just because you can... - it’s not just a stupid idea - it's also not covered.
  • You travel when there are ‘Do Not Travel (DNT)’ warnings in place - TID travel insurance won’t cover you for losses that arise from that event if you:
    • plan to travel to; or
    • travel to; or 
    • remain in; 
      a region the Australian Government has issued a DNT warning.  
  • Luggage and personal effects - If you leave items unattended in a public area and they get stolen, it doesn’t matter if it’s an airport, a beach, or a hotel lobby, you may not be covered. 




Choose a plan that suits your holiday.

Just like choosing the perfect destination for your next getaway, selecting a travel insurance plan to suit your needs may be just as important. We have four plans to choose from, each offering a different level of cover. Check out each of the plans below where you'll find loads of information about each one.

Domestic

If you're taking some time to explore your own backyard, our Domestic plan protects you for trips within Australia. It can cover you for car hire excess, lost or stolen valuables and cancelled accommodation.

The Works

Our most popular plan, The Works offers broad cover for international trips including cover for costs such as unlimited medical expenses for up to 12 months and cancellation as well as added benefits.


The Basics

Sticking to a shoestring budget? The Basics plan is designed for travellers who want coverage for all the important things, like hospital bills and stolen luggage, without breaking the bank.


Annual

Are you a frequent flyer? If you travel often for business, or have a few holidays coming up, our Annual Multi Trip plan could be for you. Made for globetrotters, your trips can be up to 35 days in duration and there is no limit to the number of trips you can take during a 12 month period.

This is a brief summary of cover only and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Read the PDS before purchasing.

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Cruise travel insurance FAQs

Am I covered for Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

All international plans include cover for overseas medical expenses including evacuation and repatriation. Depending on the plan you choose, there may also be cover available for some other Coronavirus related events under the Coronavirus travel costs benefit.

Can I be covered on a domestic policy if I’m only cruising in Australian waters?

Our domestic plans do not cover cruises in Australian waters. For cover to apply you will need to choose an international policy for a cruise around Australia or further afield by selecting Australian Waters when you purchase. If you’re not sure, check carefully or contact us as medical care and evacuations off the ship can be very expensive if needed. If you return to port and receive medical treatment in Australia, there is no cover for these expenses as these events would be covered by Medicare or your private health insurance.

We are only going on an overnight cruise for part of our journey, do we still need cruise cover?

As cruise cover is included our policy, you just have to make sure you’ve included all destinations or the regions (for longer cruises with multiple stops) when purchasing a policy including those you may go to on an overnight cruise. We have the most popular cruises taken by customers listed in the destination selection, if your cruise destination is not listed, select the countries you will be departing, porting and disembarking from, to be provided cover for those destinations.

My cruise stops at multiple destinations. Do I need to list them all?

You should make sure that you list all the Destination Countries or regions you'll be visiting – we don’t need to know every city or town you’ll be visiting. For example, you can choose "South Pacific" as a destination, which covers you for the most common cruises out of the east coast of Australia, then also choose the countries you know you’ll be visiting on the cruise. Likewise, you can choose 'Europe' as a region if you’re doing a river or Mediterranean cruise over there and then select every country the cruise will take you to if they continue on outside Europe. Similarly all the stops on Caribbean cruises are provided cover when you choose ‘USA’ as your destination but you should make sure to enter the countries you’ll be visiting so border authorities know you have cover at your destination.

What if I need to get off the cruise ship halfway through?

Chances are, this will only be necessary in a medical emergency. The first step is to offload you from the cruise ship to the nearest available hospital. If you need to be admitted, there’s a good chance the cruise will sail on without you! Assuming we provide cover for your condition, we can look after you (and your family, if necessary) until you’re well enough to go home, or we may decide to repatriate you home if medically necessary. There is also cover for the transport costs you’ve paid to resume your trip once you’ve had to return home due to illness if, at the date you return to Australia:

  • you have more than 25% of the duration of your trip remaining, and
  • you resume your journey within 6 months from the date that you
  • return to your home in Australia, and
  • you have not made a claim for cancellation costs under this policy.

This is a brief summary of cover only and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Read the PDS before purchasing.

Travel Insurance Direct is rated 4.2 out of 5 by 2494 customers.