Cruise

Cruise With Confidence

If you love cruising you are in great company! New Zealand’s boom in cruising holidays continues to grow with almost one million passengers a year leaving our shores to relax on holiday while cruising the seas.

There are huge benefits to cruising:

• You can explore all corners of the world from the South Pacific to Asia, all the way to North America and the Caribbean Islands, Europe, Antarctica or even cruise in New Zealand waters;
• Unpacking gets done once so you spend maximum time exploring the ship and its delights or exotic destinations for day trips;
• Many cruises have meals, activities and entertainment included, allowing you to manage your budget.

What many people don’t understand though are the risks of cruising, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition, making appropriate cover for your cruise holiday vital.

There are some key things to consider for your cruise holiday travel insurance:

• Public Health Service entitlements do not necessarily apply onboard, even if the cruise ship is registered to a New Zealand company. There is no obligation on cruise companies to employ doctors who are Public Health Service registered practitioners.  If you fall ill or are injured onboard, the cost of the treatment provided will be added to your account for settlement prior to the end of the cruise. If you are in need of urgent medical treatment which cannot be provided onboard, you will be evacuated from the ship for treatment in a conventional hospital.  Depending on the cruise you have selected, this could involve admission to a foreign hospital and yet further medical costs, so this is where travel insurance is invaluable.
• If your cruise ship is too far from land and you fall seriously ill, it won't be possible for you to be evacuated by helicopter and cruise ships can’t accommodate a plane landing. The potential of evacuation not being possible is a real risk to consider, especially if you have serious medical conditions.
• If you have a significant pre-existing medical condition and you fall ill whilst cruising, you may require urgent or specialist treatment and it may not be possible for this to be provided onboard. In this case, the risk of you being offshore may be considered too high.  We can explain how this may affect your travel plans.
• What happens if your flights are delayed and you fail to board the cruise at the point of departure?  Travel insurance can pick up the cost of additional travel costs incurred to join the cruise at the next port.

Cruise holidays present unique risks and challenges for insurers to accommodate and it is important that you understand the cover being provided by the policy you select.

We offer a Cruise extension which is designed to provide a range of cruise-specific benefits such as compensation for cabin confinement, missed shore visits, additional baggage allowances and emergency formal attire.

The diversity of a cruise holiday means that you have the potential to travel from city to city, experiencing different surroundings and cultures on a daily basis. With so many options available and so much planning needed, Go Insurance takes pride in communicating all of the details of our cruise insurance options with you online or via phone to suit your budget and itinerary, so you can cruise with confidence.