P&O travel insurance: the line's plan vs a third-party policy

P&O Cruises is one of Britain's best-known cruise lines, run from Southampton, and most of its guests sail from there without flying at all. That changes the insurance sums: on a no-fly cruise the trip cost is mostly the fare itself. In our price data, captured from P&O's UK site, the median cheapest fare is €1,304 per person for a 14-night cruise, and the cheapest we hold is €432 for a four- or five-night short break from Southampton.

Who sells insurance when you book with P&O

When you book, P&O offers travel insurance through a partner insurer. This page calls it the insurance offered when you book with P&O. Cover offered by a cruise line, whether its own plan or a partner's policy, typically works this way:

• It is offered alongside the booking, so it is easy to add, but check how late it can still be bought.
• The cover levels are set by the policy rather than chosen by you.
• How a cancellation is refunded, in cash or partly as future cruise credit, depends on the wording.
• Medical and repatriation cover is typically included, with limits set by the policy.

Check the policy document for what is covered, how refunds are paid and what it says about medical conditions.

What a third-party policy adds

A third-party policy is one you buy yourself from an insurer or comparison site. For a P&O cruise, the main gains are:

• Choice of medical limits. You set the medical and repatriation cover, rather than taking what is offered.
• Cruise cover added to the policy you already have. If you hold an annual multi-trip policy, it may already be the cheapest route, but only if cruises are included.
• Flights booked separately. On a fly-cruise from Tenerife, Barbados or Malta, a third-party policy can cover flights you booked yourself.
• Cancel for any reason (CFAR). This is mainly a US product and rare in the UK, so do not expect to find it on most British policies.

Why your GHIC does not work at sea

The UK Global Health Insurance Card gives you access to state healthcare ashore in participating countries. It does not cover the ship's medical centre, which is private and bills you for treatment, and it does not pay for evacuation from the ship or for getting you home. Medical evacuation from a ship can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

Watch out: A GHIC is not travel insurance. On a cruise, you need a policy with cruise cover even if you never leave Europe.

Medical screening and annual policies

UK insurers usually ask you to complete a medical screening and declare existing conditions. A condition you leave out can lead to a claim being refused, so answer every question and update your insurer if your health changes before you sail.

Many UK annual multi-trip policies exclude cruises unless you add a cruise extension. That extension typically adds benefits such as missed port departure and cover for being confined to your cabin by the ship's doctor. Check the wording of the policy you already hold before you assume your P&O holiday is covered.

P&O cover vs a third-party policy

What P&O cruise 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 travellers.

In our price data, P&O's median cheapest fare is €1,304 per person for a 14-night cruise. For a couple sailing from Southampton:

• Cruise fare: 2 × €1,304 = €2,608
• No-fly cruise: no flights to add, so the insured trip cost is €2,608
• At 4%: about €104. At 10%: about €261.

On a fly-cruise, add the flights. Assume €300 per person return to Tenerife or Malta, so €600, and the insured trip cost becomes €3,208, or roughly €128 to €321. The estimator above runs the same sum for your own numbers.

When to buy P&O travel insurance

Buy as soon as you pay the deposit. Cancellation cover only helps if it is in place before something goes wrong, and your medical declaration should be on file from the start.

Tip: Know the fare before you insure it. A price alert tells you when a P&O fare drops; if your booking is repriced, tell your insurer.

Where to compare quotes

EKTA sells travel insurance to UK residents and travellers from most other countries. 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 policy document before buying.

More reading: the P&O Cruises guide, the cruise insurance hub, UK cruise insurance and cruise insurance for seniors.