Holland America travel insurance: the line's plan vs a third-party policy

Holland America sails long itineraries to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe and around the world, and its guests tend to book early and travel far. That makes insurance worth a proper look. In our price data the median cheapest fare is €2,667 per person for a 12-night cruise, and most of that money is paid well before you sail. The data blocks on this page show where Holland America fares sit; this guide explains how to protect them.

Who sells insurance when you book with Holland America

When you book, Holland America offers its own plan, the Holland America Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP). Like most cruise-line plans, it is typically priced per fare band rather than as an exact percentage of your fare, and it can usually only be added before final payment.

Cruise-line plans of this kind tend to share a few traits:

• Cancellation is often refunded partly as a future cruise credit rather than all in cash, depending on why you cancel.
• Some medical and evacuation cover is typically included, through an insurer the line works with.
• Cover is tied to what you booked with the line: the cruise fare and, typically, anything else bought through Holland America.

The plan is also sold in more than one tier, which is why people search for "Holland America platinum insurance". Tiers and their terms change, so check the plan document for the exact tier you are quoted.

What a third-party policy adds

An independent travel insurance policy is bought from an insurer or a comparison site rather than from the line. Its advantages are choice and reach:

• Choice of medical limits. You pick the level of medical and evacuation cover, which matters on long voyages and in Alaska, where the ship can be far from a major hospital.
• Cancel for any reason (CFAR). Many insurers sell CFAR as an add-on, usually only within a short window after your first deposit. It costs more and pays back part of your trip cost, not all of it.
• Pre-existing condition waiver. Some policies waive the exclusion if you buy within a set number of days of your first deposit and insure the full trip cost.
• Flights and hotels booked separately. A third-party policy can cover the flight to Seattle, Vancouver or Fort Lauderdale and the hotel the night before, which a line plan may not.

For US residents one point matters more than any other: Medicare does not cover you at sea or abroad, and the ship's medical center charges for treatment and bills you.

Watch out: Medical evacuation from a ship can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Whichever cover you choose, check the evacuation limit, not just the medical one.

Holland America plan vs a third-party policy

What Holland America travel insurance costs: a worked example

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, Holland America's median cheapest fare is €2,667 per person for a 12-night cruise. For a couple:

• Cruise fare: 2 × €2,667 = €5,334
• Flights: assume €400 per person return, so €800
• Insured trip cost: €6,134
• At 4%: about €245. At 10%: about €613.

So a couple would pay roughly €245 to €615 to insure that trip with a comprehensive policy, and more if both are over 70 or add CFAR. The estimator above runs the same sum for your own numbers.

Fares vary widely. The cheapest we hold is €132 per person, for a one-night Pacific Northwest sailing from Vancouver, while the longest voyages in our data run past €25,000 per person. Insure what you actually paid, and update the figure if your fare changes.

When to buy Holland America travel insurance

Buy soon after the deposit. The time-sensitive benefits, the pre-existing condition waiver and CFAR, usually have to be bought within a window after the first deposit, and cancellation cover only helps if it is in place before something goes wrong. The line's plan typically has to be added before final payment, so compare both before that date.

Tip: Know the fare before you insure it. A price alert tells you when the fare drops, and if Holland America reprices your booking, tell your insurer the new trip cost.

If you have not booked yet, find a cruise filters every Holland America sailing by ship, month and price, so you can see the fare you would be insuring.

Where to compare quotes

If you live in the US, compare cruise plans at VisitorsCoverage, which quotes several insurers at once. EKTA sells to travelers from most other countries. Both are in the boxes above, next to the cost estimator.

Look at the same three things in every quote: the medical and evacuation limits, how cancellation is refunded (cash or credit), and whether your flights are covered. Policies differ by country of residence and insurer, so read the plan document before buying.

More reading: the Holland America cruise line guide, the cruise insurance hub, best cruise insurance, what cruise insurance costs and cruise insurance for seniors.