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What’s the difference when your clients are cruising?

Is it really true that cruise travellers need more insurance coverage than other types of travellers? If you think of their trip not just as the cruise itself — but as a vacation that starts the day they leave home, includes a connector flight, perhaps a cab ride to the ship, and then a cruise that likely stops at several ports, you can see how a cruise leaves your clients open to all types of travel emergencies.

What if their flight is delayed and they miss their cruise? Perhaps they get sick on board or are injured while exploring a port. Is there a big difference between the travel insurance offered by cruise lines and that offered by travel insurance providers?

"Most cruise passengers are not aware that the in-house trip insurance sold by cruise lines can be very inferior to the all-inclusive single trip or annual health plans designed specifically for Canadian out-of-country travellers," says Juliann Martyniuk, president of Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA). “It covers only evacuation to the nearest available hospital, wherever that may be, in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. It is not repatriation to a hospital back in Canada."

Plus, many cruise lines offer trip cancellation that protects your clients only if they have to cancel their cruise before they leave home.

"There have been many stories of inadequately insured cruise passengers with medical emergencies being disembarked in foreign ports who had to find their own way home, at their own expense, and without the expert assistance necessary to help them ensure admission to a hospital at home," says Martyniuk.

A two-day hospital stay could cost over $10,000 (U.S.) and an air ambulance flight could be an extra $15,000 (U.S.). Even with reimbursement by provincial government health insurance plans, these expenses could make for an expensive, not-so-great holiday.

Another important item to check is whether medical services on the cruise ship are free or provided by a physician who expects payment for services. These services can add up if passengers need ongoing treatment during the cruise.

How is RBC Insurance^® different? RBC Insurance offers two packages that are specifically designed with cruise travellers in mind — the Deluxe, for clients aged 0-74 and TravelCare^®, for cruise patrons 75 and older.

“RBC Insurance provides clients with comprehensive travel insurance coverage that starts even before they reach their intended destination,” says Stan Seggie, president and CEO of the travel insurance division at RBC Insurance. “This coverage is especially useful for cruise vacations because unexpected events such as flight delays or severe weather can mean your clients literally miss the boat through no fault of their own.”

The RBC Insurance Deluxe and TravelCare^® package plans include cruise cancellation benefits that may provide up to $1,000 per person towards expenses that accumulate if their cruise ship has been redirected or grounded because of weather conditions, mechanical failure or quarantine. In addition, your clients may be eligible to receive 100% of the non-refundable portion of their travel investment if they have to cancel or come back early. They also cover other emergencies such as baggage loss or delay and flight and travel accidents.

If your clients experience a travel emergency, they have access to personal, multilingual service from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This service may include help to coordinate air ambulance services and to bring a travel companion to their bedside as well as up-front payment of covered medical services.

The next time your clients plan a cruise with you, let them know the difference between travel insurance offered by cruise lines and that offered by travel insurance providers. There’s a big difference, and they’ll thank you for showing them the better choice.