Why Trust MoneySmart?Cruise ship holidays continue to be a popular getaway from Hong Kong for people of all ages, but with the cost and specific travel risks involved, a standard travel insurance policy isn’t enough. MoneySmart has put together some cruise insurance recommendations for you, saving you from scrolling through different websites to find the best cruise insurance.
Key Takeaways
Cruise travel involves unique risks requiring specialized coverage beyond what standard travel insurance policies offer.
Protection for scenarios like missed departures, onboard delays, shore excursion cancellations, and medical emergencies at sea is crucial.
Check age eligibility requirements, ensure adequate coverage for recreational activities and medical emergencies, and understand delay/cancellation policies.
Senior travellers and retirees should pay close attention to insurer age caps, as several popular plans reduce cover or exclude applicants once they pass 70 or 75.
Premiums vary widely by trip length, cruise region and coverage limits, so getting several cruise insurance quotes before you book is the best way to avoid overpaying.
What Does Cruise Insurance Cover?
Before comparing individual plans, it helps to know what a genuine cruise insurance policy is designed to cover, on top of the usual medical and baggage protection found in standard travel insurance:
Missed departure or missed reboarding at a port
Cruise cancellation, curtailment or itinerary changes
Onboard or port delays
Shore excursion cancellation or curtailment
Emergency medical treatment and evacuation at sea
Emergency satellite phone or onboard Wi-Fi communication costs
Cruise ship sinking, onboard security incidents or piracy-related personal accident cover (offered by some specialist cruise plans)
Why Does Cruise Insurance Matter?
Many people mistakenly believe that cruise travel is similar to regular trips and that a standard travel insurance policy is sufficient. However, cruise travel comes with unique risks, making it essential to get cruise-specific coverage in your travel insurance. Here are some realistic scenarios to show you why:
Missed Departure
Imagine this scenario: You're flying from Hong Kong to Singapore to board your cruise, but your flight gets delayed due to a typhoon. By the time you land, the ship has already departed. With good cruise insurance, you'll receive compensation for the missed boarding and can arrange alternative transportation to meet your cruise at the next port.
Onboard Delays
Rough seas or port restrictions may delay your return to Hong Kong by a day or more. With cruise travel delay coverage, you can receive compensation for extra accommodation and meal expenses.
Shore Excursion Delay/ Cancellation
If your paid excursion is cancelled because the ship can't dock safely due to bad weather, local situations, or other issues, cruise insurance reimburses your prepaid fees.
Medical Emergencies at Sea
Cruise ships have onboard doctors, but serious illnesses often require air evacuation to the nearest port hospital. Medical evacuation can be extremely costly, especially in foreign countries, and a good travel insurance policy can cover these unexpected expenses.
Cruise Ship Emergencies: Sinking, Piracy & Onboard Security Incidents
While rare, some cruise-specific plans also cover personal accidents resulting from a cruise ship sinking or an onboard security incident such as piracy or hijacking on higher-risk routes. This is one of the clearest differences between a standalone cruise insurance plan and a general travel insurance policy with a bolt-on cruise benefit, since most add-on benefits stop at cancellation and delay cover and do not extend to these worst-case scenarios.
What to Look for in Cruise Insurance?
For most travel insurance policies, cruise coverage is an add-on item that requires separate purchase, often resulting in a higher premium. There are also specialized cruise insurance plans designed specifically for cruise travel. Regardless of which option you choose, here are some common guidelines to follow:
Check Age and Eligibility
Many travel insurance policies limit coverage for elderly travelers, typically those aged 70 or above. Some may require additional medical screening or documentation, while others reduce coverage limits for important benefits like emergency medical expenses or evacuation services and charge higher premiums.
Before purchasing cruise insurance, make sure to verify the plan covers your age group adequately without excessive fees or unreasonable exclusions.
Assess Coverage Adequacy
Cruise ships offer a wide range of recreational facilities, allowing passengers to swim, ice skate, and enjoy various activities. If you're injured during these activities, while cruise ships do have medical staff onboard, serious cases will require treatment at the nearest land hospital.
A comprehensive cruise insurance should cover emergency transportation, medical consultation, hospitalization arrangements, translation services, and all associated expenses to ensure your complete protection.
Look into Delay/Cancellation Policies
Travel delays and cancellations in cruise travel are much more complicated than airline ones. Make sure to carefully review and understand the provisions for delays or cancellations related to various circumstances, including health emergencies, unexpected weather disruptions, personal reasons, or operational delays that may affect your travel plans. Take note of any refund eligibility, rescheduling options, and required documentation.
Does Cruise Insurance Provide ‘Cancel for Any Reason’ Cover?
True "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR) cover is still relatively rare among Hong Kong cruise plans. Most cruise and travel insurance policies only pay out for a defined list of covered reasons, such as illness, injury, death of a family member, or severe weather.
If flexibility matters to you, a small number of Hong Kong insurers offer CFAR-style add-ons on their general travel plans, such as FWD's MyTravel Insurance — Superior plan, Allianz Travel — God Plan, and MSIG iTravel Go's Plan A, which typically reimburse 50%–75% of prepaid, non-refundable costs if you cancel outside the standard covered reasons.
These add-ons usually need to be bought within a short window after your first trip deposit, so it's worth checking eligibility as soon as you book your cruise.
Compare Cruise Insurance Quotes Before You Book
Cruise insurance premiums can vary significantly between insurers for the same trip, mainly due to differences in coverage area, sum insured, and how comprehensive the cruise-specific benefits are. Before settling on a plan, get cruise insurance quotes from at least two or three providers and compare them side by side on the same trip details (dates, region and number of travellers) so the figures are directly comparable. Use MoneySmart's travel insurance comparison tool to pull quotes from multiple insurers at once, rather than checking each insurer's website individually.
Cruise Insurance for Seniors
Cruises are a popular travel style for retirees and older travellers, since they involve less walking and packing/unpacking than a multi-city itinerary. However, age is one of the biggest factors affecting both eligibility and price for cruise insurance:
Many standalone cruise add-ons cap enrolment at age 70–75, after which applicants may need to rely on a general annual or single-trip plan instead.
Some insurers reduce medical and personal accident sums insured for travellers aged 70+, even when there is no hard age cap.
A handful of plans, such as those with no upper age limit on single-trip cover, are worth prioritising if you are travelling with elderly parents or grandparents.
Pre-existing medical conditions are commonly excluded regardless of age, so check whether a plan offers a pre-existing condition waiver before you buy.
When comparing cruise insurance for seniors, look beyond the headline premium and check the age band each benefit limit applies to; two plans with the same advertised medical sum insured can pay out very differently once age-based reductions are applied.
How Much Does Cruise Insurance Cost in Hong Kong?
Cruise insurance is typically priced higher than standard travel insurance for the same trip length, because of the added cruise-specific benefits. Here are some of the most popular Cruise Insurance plans and their coverage in Hong Kong:
Travel Insurance Plans | Cruise Cancellation | Cruise Delay | Shore Excursion Cancellation Allowance | Satellite phone call on cruise |
AXA SmartTraveller Plus Premier Plan (with optional Enhance cruise benefit) | HK$25,000 | HK$25,000 OR HK$10,000 (Rejoining the Cruise at the next port) | HK$5,000 (HK$1,000 per excursion) | HK$3,000 |
Dah Sing Insurance JourneySure Travel Insurance - Diamond
| HK$50,000 | HK$15,000 + HK$5,000 (Additional transport ticket) + HK$ 750 per day (Cash allowance, max. 4 days) | HK$5,000 | N/A |
Zurich Deluxe (with optional benefit) | HK$50,000 + HK$20,000 (Top-up in Cruise Tour Cover) | HK$5,000 (HK$1,000 per excursion) | N/A | |
BlueCross Global Cruise Plan | HK$50,000 | HK$50,000 | HK$10,000 | HK$3,000 |
