Cruise insurance usually costs 4–10% of the trip cost. Worked examples from real fares on nine lines, what pushes the price up, and how to get a cheap quote.
VisitorsCoverage
Start hereUS marketplace that compares cruise-specific plans from several insurers in one quote, including medical-only and cancel-for-any-reason options.
EKTA
Online travel insurer for international travelers with medical, evacuation and trip-cancellation cover, bought in minutes before departure.
Policies are priced on the trip cost you insure and the oldest traveler's age. Enter the total you would lose if you canceled (cruise fare, flights, hotels, excursions paid upfront).
Typical premium
$65 – $104
About 5–8% of the trip cost for 2 travelers. Real quotes depend on your state or country of residence, trip length and the plan's medical limits; a medical-only plan without cancellation cover is usually far cheaper.
The industry rule of thumb is simple: a comprehensive cruise insurance policy costs about 4–10% of the trip cost you insure. A "comprehensive" policy here means one with trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical, medical evacuation, baggage and delay cover.
The trip cost is not just the fare. It is everything you would lose if you had to cancel: the fare for everyone in the cabin, flights, hotels before or after the cruise, prepaid excursions and transfers. The estimator above uses the same rule and adjusts for age and cancel-for-any-reason, so enter that full total to get a sensible range. It is a guide to set expectations, not a quote.
To make the rule concrete, here are typical trips built from our own fares. In our price data, these are the median cheapest fares per person for each line's typical sailing length, for the cheapest cabin.
Each example is a couple sharing a cabin, so the fare is doubled. We have added a flight allowance of €600 for the two of them, as an assumption for a short-haul flight to the port; your real figure may be higher or zero. The last column applies the 4–10% rule to the result.
| Line (typical length) | Median fare per person | Couple's insured trip | Premium at 4–10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival (6 nights) | €500 | €1,600 | €64–160 |
| Royal Caribbean (6 nights) | €663 | €1,926 | €77–193 |
| MSC (7 nights) | €919 | €2,438 | €98–244 |
| NCL (7 nights) | €1,011 | €2,622 | €105–262 |
| Disney (4 nights) | €1,229 | €3,058 | €122–306 |
| Celebrity (9 nights) | €1,505 | €3,610 | €144–361 |
| Princess (11 nights) | €1,701 | €4,002 | €160–400 |
| Cunard (14 nights) | €1,710 | €4,020 | €161–402 |
| Holland America (12 nights) | €2,667 | €5,934 | €237–593 |
Two things stand out. First, the premium follows the trip cost, not the number of nights: a four-night Disney cruise costs more to insure than a seven-night MSC sailing because the fare is higher. Second, an upgrade to a balcony or suite raises the trip cost, and the premium rises with it.
Tip: Fares change daily. Check today's price on find a cruise and set a price alert from the plans page. Know the fare before you insure it, because a lower fare means a lower premium.
Age is the biggest single factor. Medical claims and evacuations become more likely as travelers get older, so premiums climb. A policy for travelers under 50 often sits near the bottom of the range, while travelers in their seventies can pay well above 10% of the trip cost. If one of you is much older, the quote reflects that traveler. See cruise insurance for seniors.
Cruise lines' own plans, such as Carnival Vacation Protection or the Royal Caribbean Travel Protection Program, are usually priced by fare band rather than age. That can make them competitive for older travelers, so compare the line's price and plan document with a third-party quote.
The more you insure, the more you pay. Insure what you would really lose. If part of your trip is refundable, such as a hotel with free cancellation, you can leave it out. If you booked flights yourself, include them, because the line's plan will not cover them.
Cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) cover lets you cancel for reasons a standard policy will not accept, and get part of your costs back. It is an add-on that raises the premium noticeably, and it usually has to be bought within a short time of your first deposit. The estimator above shows a rough uplift. See cruise cancellation insurance.
A medical-only plan covers emergency treatment and evacuation but not cancellation. Because cancellation is often the largest part of a premium, these plans cost less, and they are sometimes priced by age and trip length rather than trip cost. They suit travelers with refundable fares or card cover for cancellation. See cruise medical insurance.
Longer trips and remote itineraries with many sea days cost more to cover. Where you live matters too: policies are written for residents of a given country, and prices and benefits differ by market.
Choosing a higher deductible lowers the premium. Choosing lower medical or evacuation limits does too, but that is where cheap policies cut the cover you most need on a ship.
Cheap cruise insurance is possible, but some savings are false economies. Ways to pay less that keep the important cover:
Ways to save that usually backfire:
Watch out: A cheap quote is often cheap because the evacuation limit is low. On a ship, evacuation is the claim that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
On long voyages the numbers grow quickly. A world cruise or a multi-month grand voyage can cost many times a week in the Caribbean, so even the low end of the 4–10% rule becomes a large premium. Several things change at that scale:
Some travelers split the risk: a cancellation-focused policy for the fare and a medical plan for the time aboard. Compare that combination with a single comprehensive quote.
If you take two or more trips a year, an annual multi-trip policy can cost less than buying single-trip cover each time. It covers every trip within the year, up to a maximum length per trip. Check two things: that the maximum trip length is longer than your longest cruise, and that the cancellation limit is high enough for your most expensive trip. See annual multi-trip cruise insurance.
Have these ready before you start: the total trip cost, each traveler's age, travel dates, country of residence, and the regions your cruise visits. Note your first deposit date, since it affects waivers and CFAR.
If you live in the US, VisitorsCoverage compares cruise plans from several insurers in one quote. If you live elsewhere, EKTA sells to travelers from most other countries. Both are linked above. Compare the medical limit, evacuation limit, cancellation reasons and deductible, not just the price, and use our best cruise insurance guide as a checklist.
Policies differ by country of residence and by insurer, so read the plan document before you buy. For the bigger picture, see the cruise insurance hub.
A comprehensive cruise insurance policy usually costs about 4–10% of the trip cost you insure. For a couple on a €2,500 trip that is roughly €100 to €250, with older travelers and cancel-for-any-reason cover pushing the price higher.
Insurers mainly price a policy on the trip cost you insure and the age of each traveler, then adjust for the length of the trip, where you live, the destination and any add-ons such as cancel-for-any-reason. Cruise lines' own plans are usually priced by fare band instead.
Medical claims and evacuations become more likely with age, so insurers charge more for older travelers, often well above the 4–10% rule of thumb for travelers in their seventies and beyond. Comparing several insurers matters most at these ages.
Insure only the costs you would genuinely lose, compare quotes for the same trip, and consider a medical-only plan if your fare is refundable or your card already covers cancellation. Cutting medical or evacuation limits to save money is the false economy to avoid.
Yes. Cancel-for-any-reason is an add-on that raises the premium noticeably, and it usually reimburses only part of your trip cost. It also typically has to be added within a short time after your first deposit.
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · data refreshed nightly
It can be if you take two or more trips a year. An annual multi-trip policy covers every trip within the year up to a set length per trip, so check that the maximum trip length and cancellation limit fit your longest cruise.
Have your total trip cost, travelers' ages, dates of travel, country of residence and destination ready. Marketplaces such as VisitorsCoverage in the US show several insurers' plans in one quote, and EKTA quotes travelers from most other countries.
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