Cunard travel insurance compared: what CunardCare typically includes, why evacuation cover matters on a transatlantic crossing, and what 14 nights costs.
EKTA
Start hereOnline travel insurer for international travelers with medical, evacuation and trip-cancellation cover, bought in minutes before departure.
VisitorsCoverage
US marketplace that compares cruise-specific plans from several insurers in one quote, including medical-only and cancel-for-any-reason options.
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
$95 – $152
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.
Cunard's guests tend to be adult couples, many of them British and many past retirement age, and its signature trip is a week on the North Atlantic with no ports at all. Both facts make insurance a real decision rather than a box to tick. In our price data, Cunard's median cheapest fare is €1,710 per person for a 14-night cruise, and the cheapest we hold is €339 for a two-night Queen Mary 2 trip from Southampton to Hamburg.
When you book, Cunard offers its own plan, CunardCare. Cunard sells in several countries, including the UK, the US, Germany and Australia, so check that the plan document you read is the one for the market you booked in.
Like most cruise-line plans, CunardCare typically works this way:
Check the plan document for the details, especially what it says about existing medical conditions. Do not assume anything is covered because another line's plan covers it.
A third-party policy is bought from an insurer or comparison site rather than from Cunard. It adds choice:
The Queen Mary 2 crossing between Southampton and New York spends seven nights at sea, often days from the nearest hospital. The ship's medical center can treat a lot, but it charges for treatment and bills you. A serious illness may mean a diversion or an evacuation once the ship is in range, and medical evacuation from a ship can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Watch out: Neither a UK GHIC nor Medicare pays for treatment in a ship's medical center or for evacuation from the ship. Check the evacuation limit in any plan or policy, not only the medical one.
| Question | Cruise-line plan | Third-party policy |
|---|---|---|
| How is it priced? | Typically per fare band | Typically by trip cost, age and cover level |
| When can I buy it? | Usually up to final payment | Any time before departure; waivers and CFAR need early purchase |
| How is a cancellation refunded? | Often partly as future cruise credit | Usually cash, up to the insured trip cost |
| Can I choose medical limits? | No, they are set by the plan | Yes |
| Flights booked separately? | Often not covered | Can be included |
| Existing medical conditions? | Check the plan document | Waiver (US) or medical screening (UK) |
The industry rule of thumb is that a comprehensive policy costs about 4–10% of the insured trip cost, more for older travelers and with CFAR.
In our price data, Cunard's median cheapest fare is €1,710 per person for a 14-night cruise. For a couple who sail one way and fly home:
So a couple would pay roughly €175 to €440, and older travelers should expect the upper end or more. Age is one of the biggest factors in the price of an independent policy, and premiums climb steeply past 70, so many Cunard guests will find quotes well above the middle of that range. Our cruise insurance for seniors guide explains how to compare them. If you sail a round trip from Southampton and drive to the terminal, there are no flights to add. The estimator above runs the sum for your own numbers.
Buy soon after the deposit. Waivers and CFAR usually need early purchase, UK policies want your medical declaration up to date from the start, and CunardCare typically has to be added before final payment.
Tip: Know the fare before you insure it. A price alert tells you when a Cunard fare drops, and if your booking is repriced, tell your insurer the new trip cost.
EKTA sells travel insurance to travelers from most countries outside the US, including the UK. If you live in the US, compare cruise plans at VisitorsCoverage. Both are in the boxes above. Policies differ by country of residence and insurer, so read the plan document before buying.
More reading: the Cunard cruise line guide, the cruise insurance hub, UK cruise insurance and best cruise insurance.
CunardCare is Cunard's own optional protection plan, offered when you book. Like most cruise-line plans it is typically priced per fare band, usually has to be added before final payment and may refund part of a cancellation as future cruise credit. Check the plan document for the exact terms in your booking market.
No. Insurance is not part of a standard Cunard fare. CunardCare is an optional extra, and you can buy a third-party travel insurance policy instead.
The Queen Mary 2 crossing between Southampton and New York spends seven nights at sea with no ports, often days from the nearest hospital. A serious illness can mean a diversion or an evacuation, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so check the evacuation limit as well as the medical one.
Age is one of the main factors in the price of any travel insurance policy, and premiums rise with it, especially past 70. Older guests should compare the line's plan and an independent quote on the same trip cost and read both plan documents.
Neither covers the ship's medical center, which is private and bills you for treatment. A UK GHIC gives access to state healthcare ashore in participating countries, and Medicare does not cover you at sea or abroad, so you need travel medical cover from a plan or policy.
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · data refreshed nightly
Buy soon after you pay the deposit. Pre-existing condition waivers and cancel-for-any-reason cover usually have to be bought within a set window after the first deposit, and CunardCare typically has to be added before final payment.
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