Excursions and cruise insurance

Excursions are a big part of the cruise ship experience. However, many cruisers don’t cover their shore excursions when they buy travel insurance for their cruise, and that can cost them. 

Let’s take a closer look at excursions, why they often aren’t covered, and what travelers can do to make sure they’re covered. 

The Growth of Cruise Excursions 

Cruises – and by extension, cruise excursions – are more popular than ever. 

According to the Cruise Lines International Association, 31.7 million people took a cruise in 2023, up 2 million from pre-COVID highs. 

When it comes to excursions, CLIA found that 68% of those cruisers booked an excursion – and many booked more than one. 

Types of Cruise-Ship Excursions 

Excursion types range from mild to wild, but they fall into seven main categories: 

• Adventure and outdoor activities 

• Beach and water-based excursions 

• Cultural and historical experiences 

• Wildlife and nature tours 

• Luxury/leisure experiences 

• Shopping and local markets 

• Family-friendly activities 

Let’s look at these in more detail, along with the risks associated with each. 

Adventure and outdoor activities 

These are generally more popular with younger cruisers, thrill-seekers, and nature enthusiasts. Specific activities include: 

• Snorkeling and scuba diving  

• Ziplining and canopy tours 

• ATV and off-road tours 

• Hiking and eco-tours 

• Caving and spelunking 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related mishaps, equipment failures, insect/snake bites, medical emergencies/evacuations, rip currents and other water conditions, stranded travelers. 

Beach and water-based excursions 

These are more popular with slightly older cruisers who crave sun and sand, and include: 

• Private beaches, resort day passes and cabana rentals 

• Catamaran and sailboat tours 

• Kayaking and paddleboarding 

• Deep-sea fishing 

• Dolphin, shark, stingray, whale, or sea-turtle watching 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related mishaps, equipment failures, boat issues, scams, medical emergencies/evacuations, waves and wakes, stranded travelers. 

Cultural and historical experiences 

These are most popular with older cruisers interested in local heritage and history. They include: 

• Architecture tours 

• Historical-ruins excursions 

• Local food and cooking classes 

• Winery, distillery, and agriculture tours 

• Museum tours 

• Indigenous cultural experiences 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related mishaps, medical emergencies/evacuations, scams, slip-and-fall injuries, stranded travelers. 

Wildlife and nature tours 

Primarily older nature lovers and eco-tourists like to indulge in: 

• Rainforest and jungle safaris 

• Botanical-garden and butterfly-farm visits 

• Birdwatching excursions 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related mishaps, insect/snake bites, medical emergencies/evacuations, scams, equipment issues, stranded travelers. 

Luxury and leisure experiences 

For cruisers of all types looking for relaxation and premium service, ships often offer onshore excursions like: 

• All-inclusive resort day passes 

• Private yacht charters 

• Spa retreats and wellness excursions 

• Golf trips 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related cancellations, medical emergencies/evacuations, scams, boat issues, stranded travelers. 

Shopping and local markets 

There’s a group of cruisers on every sailing that likes to explore: 

• Jewelry and duty-free shopping 

• Local craft and food markets 

• Art galleries 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related cancellations, medical emergencies/evacuations, scams, slip-and-fall injuries, pedestrian and motor-vehicle injuries, stranded travelers. 

Family-friendly excursions 

Cruisers with children often look for: 

• Waterparks 

• Glass-bottom-boat tours 

• Themed adventures 

• Wildlife sanctuaries 

Associated risks: Natural disasters and other weather-related cancellations, medical emergencies/evacuations, scams, boat issues, insect/snake bites, water dangers, stranded travelers. 

That’s a lot of excursion types ... and risks ... and costs. The excursions we just listed can cost $50-$500 a person per excursion. If you have five or six people in your party taking two or three excursions, costs can multiply fast. 

That wouldn’t be a big issue if most cruisers shopped for these excursions before they purchased their travel insurance. 

But they don’t. 

If you bought cruise insurance before you booked your excursions, you need to go back into your policy and cover the added cost of those excursions, so you can be reimbursed if things don’t come off as expected. 

Adding Excursion Coverage To Your Policy 

There are two elements to coverage for excursions you need to be aware of when buying travel insurance for your cruise: 

• Whether your policy covers excursions 
• How to edit your policy to cover excursions 

Learning how and whether your policy covers excursions 

To learn whether your policy can cover excursions, read the policy you’re considering before purchasing it. See if it covers you when you’re off the ship. 

If you don’t find that information, ask your travel specialist or contact the travel insurance company directly. 

Changing trip cost 

The premise behind adding excursion coverage starts with trip cost. When you buy any sort of travel insurance, you’re asked how much the trip costs. The price of the policy is based in large part on how much cost that policy has to cover. 

When you add excursions you’re changing the total trip cost – substantially, in some cases.  

Since crucial components of travel insurance like trip interruption and cancellation are based on reimbursing you a percentage of your trip cost, a trip cost minus the cost of excursions could mean less money in your pocket. 

To make sure everything is appropriately covered, you need to change the trip cost in your policy – and usually pay a little extra premium. 

Editing your policy 

Travel-insurance plans from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection make it easy to edit your policy to cover excursions. 

Here’s what you do: 

• Find your policy number. It’s usually in an email confirming your coverage. 

• Go to bhtp.com and click on “My Trip” in the header. 

• Enter your policy number, email, and postal (ZIP) code. 

When you do that you’ll be taken to a screen that states the coverage you bought. One of the options at the top will be “Edit Policy.” Click on that and confirm your identity, and you’ll be able to change trip details. 

Things to keep in mind: 

• You’re changing the total trip cost, so be sure to add the cost of excursions to the cost of the cruise. 

• You’re probably going to be paying some added premium, so make sure your payment method is still valid or have a new payment method on hand. 

• Save your new cost when you’re done. 
  
  

Cruise-Specific Travel Insurance 

Regardless of the plan you choose it’s a good idea to choose cruise-specific travel insurance when you cruise.  

WaveCare® from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection covers mishaps like cruise-ship disablement and also has high limits for the mishaps that often befall cruisers – medical emergencies, lost luggage, and trip cancellation and interruption. 

Everything about WaveCare is easy, from quoting to purchase to policy edits to claims. Start here – and enjoy all your extra adventures on your next cruise.