Cruise holiday travel insurance warning

As the popularity of taking a cruise holiday is rapidly increasing, cruise passengers are being warned to check their travel insurance.

The market for cruise holidays is growing so fast that more people are taking a cruise than going skiing.

Travel insurance may not be foremost in the minds of cruise passengers, but it is just as essential as on any other holiday according to American Express.

Although all cruise ships have trained medics on board, passengers taken ill at sea with more serious conditions will need to be airlifted to hospital.

Figures from the Foreign Office show that use of an air ambulance can cost anywhere between £8,000 and £32,000 depending on where you are in the world – and without travel insurance you would have to foot the bill.

Cruise holiday-makers should also be vigilant about the claim limit for cancellation of their holiday on their travel insurance policy.

Policies typically have an upper limit of about £5,000, but the cost of a cruise holiday can often exceed this. It is important therefore to take out a policy with a claim limit that covers the cost of your holiday.

American Express also advises cruise passengers planning a long cruise holiday to check that the policy does not restrict the number of days per trip that can be spent out of the UK.

"Travel insurance is just as important on a cruise as for any other type of holiday. Clearly it is reassuring to know that there are trained medics on board but that does not make travel insurance any less essential," said American Express's Joanne Field.

"When people are taken ill at sea and need urgent treatment, transportation from the cruise ship to the nearest hospital can be an added complication sometimes involving the use of an air ambulance. Without insurance, the cost of this alone is likely to run well into four if not five figures as illustrated."

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