Cruising woes seem to constantly be in the news these days, from passengers getting ill with norovirus, to hurricanes disrupting itineraries, to cruisers falling overboard or being left behind in ports. Unforeseen issues like these, plus mechanical problems or other onboard emergencies, are all in the realm of possibility on a vacation at sea. These issues could cause the ship to divert and your itinerary to change. In such situations, you’ll miss out on the places you were scheduled to visit and the tours you had already booked.
If you protect your trip with cruise travel insurance, you’ll be able to get some money back for those prepaid excursions – and for the inconvenience that comes along with a cruise ship diversion or schedule change. Cruise travel insurance also protects policyholders in the case of illness or injury, offering coverage for emergency medical situations and emergency evacuation, if needed. It can also reimburse travelers for missed connections, trip delays or interruptions, and lost or delayed bags.
Our rankings, ratings and product reviews are unbiased. We do not rank or rate products or services based on our financial relationships with the companies that produce them. Our in-house research team collects extensive information used in our evaluation process, although we may not cover all options available in the marketplace. See our full methodology.
Please note: All data was accurate at the time of publication and the ratings are based on data collected in October 2025. User ratings can fluctuate as more reviews are posted to independent websites. Also note, every plan may not be available for residents of every state.
Key Takeaways
- Seven Corners is the best cruise insurance company for 2026, with coverage for missed prepaid excursions, itinerary changes, trip cancellation or interruption, damaged luggage, passport replacement and more.
- Coverage for itinerary changes, cruise ship diversions, missed tours or excursions, and cruise disablement or delay are important things to look for in a cruise travel insurance policy.
The Seven Corners Cruise Insurance plan comes with:
- Trip cancellation coverage of 100% of nonrefundable insured trip costs, up to $30,000
- Up to $250,000 in emergency medical coverage
- Up to $1,000 in coverage for trip delays ($250 a day)
- Itinerary change coverage up to $500
- Missed tour or cruise connection coverage up to $1,500 ($250 per day)
- Inconvenience coverage if the ship becomes disabled or diverted up to $500
- Optional cancel for any reason upgrade; up to 75% of nonrefundable trip payments.
With Berkshire Hathaway’s WaveCare policy you’ll get:
- Trip cancellation coverage of 100% of insured prepaid trip costs, up to $25,000
- Up to $75,000 in emergency medical coverage
- Up to $1,000 in trip delay coverage
- Itinerary change coverage for ship diversions up to $500
- Missed connection coverage up to $500
- Cruise disablement coverage up to $500
IMG’s iTravelInsured Choice Cruise plan comes with:
- Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the insured costs (up to $10,000)
- Medical coverage up to $100,000
- Trip delay coverage of up to $150 per day, per person (maximum $1,000 per person)
- Prepaid excursion coverage due to itinerary change of up to $100
- Missed trip protection of up to $500 per person
Tin Leg’s Cruise policy offers the following benefits:
- Trip cancellation coverage of 100% (up to $30,000)
- Travel medical expenses up to $100,000
- Trip delay coverage of up to $2,000 ($150 per day)
- Prepaid excursion coverage (due to itinerary change) up to $250
- Missed connection and baggage delay coverage of up to $500 each
- Missed port of call up to $500
The following describes our approach to researching and analyzing travel insurance companies to guide prospective consumers. U.S. News & World Report rates the best cruise travel insurance companies to help travelers determine what policy will help them protect their investment in their cruise trip vacation.
To determine the Best Cruise Insurance Companies, we first scoured the web for all providers that offer travel insurance plans. In total, we assessed 45 companies. To be considered for the Best Cruise Insurance Companies rating, a company must be available to U.S. residents; must allow anyone to purchase travel insurance; and must specifically offer trip cancellation and interruption protection.
We collected data across multiple sources – Professional Ratings & Reviews, Consumer Ratings & Reviews and Credit Ratings – which are all weighted equally and averaged to determine each travel insurance company’s Overall Rating.
- Professional Ratings & Reviews: Our travel insurance ratings take into account the top credible expert sources that have vetted and recommended specific travel insurance companies and plans. These expert sources are reviewed annually before data collection begins to ensure they are offering up-to-date information and accolades. Our team reviewed the methodologies of these expert outlets to look for data-driven rankings that were editorially independent. There are 10 expert sources that are factored into the 2026 ratings, including NerdWallet, Business Insider and MarketWatch, among others. Professional sources often recommend different options. U.S. News believes it benefits consumers to pool and analyze independent reviews as a group, to factor in multiple data sources and provide the most robust look at the top travel insurance companies. To be considered a Best Cruise Insurance Company, the provider must appear on a minimum of three expert lists. Our team tallies the number of accolades a travel insurance company receives from these 10 expert sources, and converts them into points. Points earned for the number of accolades are outlined below:
- 7 or more accolades: 5 points
- 5 to 6 accolades: 4 points
- 3 to 4 accolades: 3 points
- 1 to 2 accolades: 2 points
- Consumer Ratings & Reviews: U.S. News also researched published consumer ratings on travel insurance companies. Our research team collected and analyzed review data from SquareMouth and Trustpilot, which are independent third-party reviews sites that collect verified reviews from travel insurance users. Travel insurance companies must have at least 20 reviews on one of these sites to be considered. Providers must have a consumer rating score (the averaged rating of the two review sites) of 4.0 or higher to make the Best Cruise Insurance Companies list.
- Credit Rating: A.M. Best provides financial strength ratings of insurance companies that indicate providers most likely to weather major global travel disruptions. Only travel insurance companies with an A rating or better are considered for this rating. Points earned for the A.M. Best ratings are detailed below:
- A++: 5 points
- A+: 4.5 points
- A: 4 points
- A-: 3.5 points
- Cruise-specific Plans and Benefits: Cruisers will want travel insurance that offers specialty coverage exclusive to cruise issues, such as reimbursement for cruise disablement, diversions and itinerary changes; and missed tours or excursions; in addition to important standard coverages for trip cancellation and interruption. To qualify for this rating, a travel insurance company must offer a cruise-specific plan that provides a minimum of:
- Missed connection coverage
- Itinerary change coverage
- Reimbursement for prepaid excursions
- Trip inconvenience or cruise disablement coverage
The Overall Rating is the average of the professional rating, consumer rating and credit rating scores. Travel insurance companies with an Overall Rating of 3.75 or greater and a cruise-specific travel insurance plan with the coverages listed above made the 2026 Best Cruise Insurance Companies rating.
These ratings are updated once per year. However, pricing and plans displayed on the page are updated occasionally throughout the year. This is to ensure we are presenting the most accurate quotes and rates possible for consumers to consider.
Erin Evans is the managing editor of U.S. News Travel. She has been on staff since 2013 and has become an expert in travel insurance since the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the industry. She aims to make it easy for everyday travelers to understand the ins and outs of travel insurance and why it’s beneficial, especially in today’s world. She has 15 years of writing and editing experience.
Nicola Wood is a senior travel editor at U.S. News, where she writes and edits content covering cruises, vacation rentals, hotels and resorts, vacation destinations, travel insurance and more. Wood has worked at U.S. News since 2016 and has more than a decade of editorial experience.
