Princess Vacation Protection (PVP) or your own cruise insurance? How the plan typically works, what outside cover adds on long voyages, and a cost example.
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
$110 – $176
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.
Princess Cruises offers its own plan, Princess Vacation Protection (PVP), when you book. It is optional, sold alongside the fare, and often simply called the Princess protection plan.
Cruise-line plans like PVP typically work along the same lines:
Those are general patterns, not PVP's terms. Check the plan document for the actual benefits, limits and exclusions.
Princess sells longer itineraries than most of the big lines. In our data its most common lengths are 7 and 14 nights, the median is 11, and much of the program sails to Alaska, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Japan.
That changes the insurance picture in three ways. The insured amount is higher, so the policy costs more. You are often a long flight from home, so missed connections and interruption cover matter. And Princess is popular with retired travelers, so age-based pricing on third-party policies counts for more.
A policy from an insurer covers the same core risks but lets you choose:
| Question | Cruise-line plan | Third-party policy |
|---|---|---|
| How is it priced? | Typically by fare band, per guest | Typically by trip cost, age, residence and options |
| Does age change the price? | Check the plan document | Usually yes; older travelers pay more |
| Cancellation refund | Often partly cruise credit; check the plan document | Typically cash for covered reasons |
| Medical and evacuation limits | Set by the plan | You choose them |
| Independent flights and hotels | Typically outside the plan | Included if added to the insured cost |
| Cancel for any reason | Check the plan document | Often available, bought early |
| Deadline to buy | Final payment | Before departure; waivers and CFAR earlier |
In our price data Princess's median cheapest fare is €1,701 per person for an 11-night cruise, and the cheapest fare we hold is €207 per person. Because the voyages are long, insured amounts run higher than on the short-cruise lines.
A worked example, using the rule of thumb that a comprehensive policy costs about 4–10% of the insured trip cost:
For travelers in their seventies, or with cancel for any reason added, expect the quote to sit at the top of that range or above it.
Watch out: On a 14-night voyage with pre- and post-cruise hotels, the non-cruise costs can add up fast. Insure everything you have prepaid and cannot get back.
Medicare does not cover you at sea or abroad. The ship's medical center charges for treatment and adds it to your account, and evacuation from a ship can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The longer and more remote the voyage, the more the evacuation limit matters, so find it in the plan document of any cover you consider.
Neither option is right for everyone. PVP is bought in one step and stays attached to the booking. A third-party policy takes longer to arrange but can be built around your age, health and the whole trip, flights included.
Compare any quote with PVP on the same questions:
On a long, expensive voyage the answers to these questions move far more money than the difference in premium.
Know the fare before you insure it. A price alert flags a drop on your sailing, and Princess deals lists current reductions.
US residents can compare cruise plans from several insurers at VisitorsCoverage. EKTA sells travel insurance to travelers from most other countries. The estimator above gives a first figure; your real quote depends on age, residence and the cover you choose.
Read more in the cruise insurance guide, cruise travel insurance for seniors and how much cruise insurance costs.
Policies differ by country of residence and insurer, so read the plan document before buying.
Princess Vacation Protection (PVP) is the optional travel protection plan Princess Cruises offers with a booking. Plans like it typically combine trip cancellation and interruption cover with medical, evacuation and assistance benefits, priced per guest by fare band. The plan document sets out the actual benefits and limits.
Cruise-line plans are typically sold only up to final payment. After that you can usually still buy a third-party policy, but options that depend on early purchase, such as cancel for any reason or a pre-existing condition waiver, may no longer be available.
Cruise-line plans often pay part of a cancellation refund as future cruise credit, depending on the reason for canceling. Check the PVP plan document to see how Princess settles each kind of claim.
Insurance is priced on the trip cost, and Princess sells longer voyages. In our price data the median cheapest Princess fare is €1,701 per person for an 11-night cruise, against €500 for a 6-night Carnival cruise, so the insured amount is several times higher.
Age is one of the main factors in a third-party policy's price, so older travelers usually pay more, especially on long voyages. Cruise-line plans are typically priced by fare band instead; check the plan document for any age-related terms.
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · data refreshed nightly
A cruise-line plan typically protects what you bought from the line. Flights and hotels booked independently may fall outside it, while a third-party policy can include them if you add their cost to the insured trip total.
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