This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine. Nationwide provided me with information regarding the policies and coverage.

Our Alaska Cruise was ROUGH! It was like a ghost ship when the boat was rocking so much it nearly emptied this pool. Passengers retreated to their cabins, as did I, with seasickness. I remember thinking it was odd that I was seasick as I was wearing a prescription anti-nausea patch, but it turns out it was much worse and almost ended my cruise.
I’ve had the pleasure of taking several cruises from the warm sandy shores of the Caribbean to the ice-covered Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska. Some cruises more enjoyable than others, but all were purchased with an eye for price and the adventures the ports of call could provide. My only worries were what to pack. I was oblivious to the hazards associated with cruising and the financial consequences that can result when I opted out of purchasing travel insurance to save a few bucks.
But after my last cruise to Alaska where I contracted norovirus (read: Cruise Ship Illnesses: My Norovirus Experience), I realized that I could no longer foolishly and naively play tourist without the safety net that travel insurance provides. I was fortunate that I could be treated by the ship’s doctor and that no other medical attention was required, but for a while they considered sending me to a hospital in Canada. Had that happened, I would have been on my own to find my way home and all of the expenses associated with it. That’s a sobering thought.
After that trip, I became a champion for travel insurance and I’ve shared how important I think it is, especially for my adult children. My oldest son travels the world several times a year, the younger once every decade or so, but both need the financial protection that travel insurance can provide. While they assumed only older people like me needed the coverage, they soon realized (with a little “what if” prodding from me) that anyone can suffer financial losses because of travel issues and they’ve become subscribers to my way of thinking.
Thankfully there are plenty of travel plans available, but the important thing is to choose one that’s reliable and trustworthy. Purchasing insurance that never pays out is not much better than going without it. Nationwide is a trusted name in the insurance industry and they offer several plans. In addition to a single trip plan and annual multi-trip plan, they also offer three new cruise vacations insurance plans. These plans go beyond coverage for cancelled flights and in some cases include trip cancellation, trip interruption coverage, lost baggage, and medical benefits.
Cruise Insurance from Nationwide
Nationwide began offering cruise-specific insurance packages in January 2015. In addition to the basic features above, it includes a Port of Call Changes (Itinerary Change) benefit that’s available when the cruise line changes the itinerary prior to departure. This recently happened to a friend whose cruise line removed several ports of call she’d already purchased excursions for. Not only was she disappointed with the new route, she was out the cost of her island tours. If she’d have had Cruise Insurance from Nationwide, she may have been eligible for a one-time benefit of up to $1250 per person for the inconvenience of the itinerary change making the route change more bearable.

My mom on our Long Beach CA to Ensenada, Mexico via Catalina Island cruise.
Nationwide’s new Cruise Insurance also covers Shipboard Service Disruptions (Itinerary Change Inconvenience Benefit). With so many ships making the nightly news because of mechanical breakdowns, fires, and even virus outbreaks, this is valuable coverage. It pays a one-time benefit of up to $250 per person if the itinerary changes during the cruise because of covered shipboard disruptions. My mom and sister had this happen when their ship was refused entry at a foreign port because of the fear of a viral outbreak. They ended up spending extra days at sea instead of enjoying the exotic port of call they’d planned. Had they prepaid for an excursion at that port, they may have been covered by Nationwide’s Pre-Paid Excursion Reimbursement (Itinerary Change Pre-Paid Excursion Benefit).
If your itinerary changes after departure and that change results in you missing out on your pre-paid shore excursion, you could be eligible for up to $1000 per person for your cancelled activities. With excursions being a substantial expense, it would be tough to lose the money and miss out on the activity. But what if you have to leave the cruise? It happens more than you think. A death in the family, medical emergency, etc., are all reasons people have had to disembark from their cruise. Nationwide’s Return Home Early (Interruption for Any Reason – Return Transport Benefit) coverage reimburses your transportation costs, up to $1000 per person to return home. A lifesaver if you’ve already got your hands full with the emergency that’s pulled you from your dream trip.
Cruise Insurance Cancellation Benefits
All of these cruise-specific benefits are available and they’re so important when you’re making a huge financial investment in your vacation. Many cruises are booked up to two years in advance so it’s important to have coverage in case something happens – two years is a lot of time for things to change. Travel insurance gives you the ability to make those plans confidently with the knowledge that if something happened, you’d be able to cancel without incurring a penalty. These can include canceling because the school year is extended to accommodate snow make-up days, in the event that the CDC issues a warning for a port of call on your itinerary, as well as other legitimate reasons found in the policy.

Shots like this one are what makes Alaska Cruises worth the occasional rough waters and even norovirus. It’s stunning.
Choosing the Travel Insurance Plan That’s Right for You
Now that you have an idea of how comprehensive the Nationwide Travel Insurance plans are, you can learn more and choose the one that’s right for you. For me, I would likely choose a single trip policy. Having the ability to cancel a trip without a huge financial loss would give me peace of mind and knowing that should I become ill, some of the expenses of getting myself and my family home may be covered is priceless. For my oldest son he’d likely want the Annual/Multi-Trip plan because he’s a frequent traveler and he’d enjoy the convenience of one policy to cover a year’s worth of travel. For my youngest who’d love to relive his honeymoon cruise again, he’d find the cruise coverage perfect as it addresses the special needs of cruises.
Have you opted out of travel insurance and then wished you’d had it? I’d love to hear about it! Also, what travel do you have planned for 2015 and how can Nationwide cover you?
Travel Insurance from Nationwide – get a quote

Our Disney Wonder Eastern Caribbean Cruise – the best vacation we’ve ever had hands down.
Legal Notes: Travel insurance plans from Nationwide are available to U.S. residents only. Nationwide’s single trip travel insurance plans, including the cruise travel insurance plans, are available in all 50 states and D.C, The Annual/Multi-Trip plans, however, are not available in WA, OR, NY, NH or FL. Not all plan benefits are available in all states. Specific benefit amounts vary by plan and certain restrictions may apply; please check the specific plan for coverage details before purchasing.
I love Princess Cruises and did their Alaska voyage too. Great shot of the pool like that! I’ve just started buying cruise insurance too, but fortunately haven’t had to call upon it.
this is a livesaver no doubt!
I have never heard of Cruise Insurance before. I will have to look into getting some when i go onto the cruise this summer.
This is awesome information to know for all whom go on a cruise. I would love to go on a cruise some day. It is important to have insurance for everything. Thanks for sharing.
I have never been on a cruise. I’d love to go but my husband doesn’t like water so…it won’t happen any time soon for me. Your post is very informative. We don’t travel much but getting insurance is important.
Ah, maybe a girls weekend then!
Now I am singing the Nationwide is on your side jingle in my head. LOL I didn’t know that cruises had their own travel insurance. I just always assumed that travel insurance was travel insurance. But then again, I haven’t really traveled that much to know any better.
This is really great information. There are so many things that can go wrong before or on a vacation travel insurance should at least be a consideration.
I don’t travel much but I can understand how important that would be to have insurance while away from home like that. Great post.
I’ve never been on a cruise but I always buy insurance when I travel. I feel it is better to be fully insured in case something happens.
Before I was a mom, I didn’t even consider insurance. Now I have learned to expect the unexpected. Especially for something like a cruise, insurance is a must have.
We always take out trip insurance no matter where we go! With all of the cruise ship issues, like norovirus, I would definitely take out trip insurance on a cruise!
We’ve been wanting to take our family on a cruise but one thing I haven’t considered was cruise insurance which makes total sense to have! I had no idea that nationwide provided this type of Insurance, I’ll have to look into it further!
There are so many things that can go wrong on a cruise or even before you go. It’s a wise investment for sure with the hope that you never need it. Cruising as a family is fantastic! I highly recommend it.
Good to know. I haven’t been on a cruise yet. I’ll keep this in mind though.
My dream cruise is one of the River tours overseas – seeing a new ancient city every day while sleeping in the same bed every night seems like perfection.
I have never been on a cruise but this is really useful information to keep in mind. Thank you for sharing.
what great info!!! We love cruises in my family!! Seriously best way to travel if you ask me 😉
Our Disney cruise 10 years ago is the one we still talk about to this day – best trip ever!
Great tips for people about to travel! I’m Canadian so I’m lucky to already have coverage when I travel out of country!
My health coverage has limited out-of-country coverage, but it doesn’t cover transportation home or trip changes.
Sorry for hear you caught noro, I suffered from that last year and I don’t wish that on anyone! I didn’t even catch it on a cruise, but it certainly makes me a bit weary of going on a cruise. Never want to deal with that again!
People think it’s “just the stomach flu,” oh, but it’s so much worse! Sorry you went through it too. I’ll still cruise, I just will cruise on ships with a great record of not infecting their customers 🙂
I agree travel insurance is always really important whether on a cruise or traveling otherwise. You never know what happens. WoW it’s incredible that when a cruise company changes the ports, they do not refund the people that already bought excursions for these stops.
I know, it’s in that fine print we all skip over. Like act of nature or something like that – it’s not their fault so the’re not liable. I guess on their end it makes sense, but passengers need to inform themselves.
The cruise ships always look so amazing. I’m so curious to go. I wonder if we’d get seasick, ha! My biggest worry. 😉
I do get seasick, especially on days when the water is as rough as it was in that picture, but cruising at the right time can help avoid that. We took the last cruise of the season and when the water was at its roughest – not good planning on our part. I’d still go again though, even with the seasickness and norovirus. The fjord was AMAZING and I love the towns I got to explore.
To be honest I never thought about cruise insurance. I’ve been on a cruise once and I loved it!
I went three times without it – I won’t do it again. I think of it like my car insurance – I’ve been paying it for 35 years and never made a claim, but it was there in case I needed to.
I’ve never been on a cruise but would love to one day! I had no idea insurance was so important, but if I ever go I will not pass up the insurance offer. Thanks!
Cruising can be very affordable – watch for deals and then compare what you would have spent on food & entertainment while away and you’ll see it’s really an affordable way to travel. I hope you have a chance to try it soon!
Insurance is something we should all have, it’s so important even when on vacation with the kids; who knows what could happen!
I have never been on a cruise sadly! I would love to go on one. Maybe I can find one where they would allow pets!
My hubby and I have been looking into buying this insurance. We plan on cruising a lot, so this would be useful to have!
Sounds like the multi-coverage would be perfect and can you adopt me so I can come along too? 🙂
I have never been on a cruise before. My husband and I want to take our kids on one someday. Thank you for all this information. It will help out a lot if we decide to go on a cruise.
Kathy – cruising with kids is AMAZING. Especially on Disney. They treat the kids like royalty and mom and did get some alone time. Truly a magical experience.
One can never underestimate the value of insurance.It’s something that you buy and hope that you never have to use. But when it does happen you are thankful that you have it when you need it.
Isn’t that the truth! You hate paying the premiums until they day you need to use it. 🙂
This is an excellence wealth of information. If I am being honest I never would have thought about any of this.
Thanks Nina!
I haven’t been on a cruise in about 12 years. I am so over due for one.
You are completely overdue! 🙂
Insurance is so very important for vacations in general. We travel with kids and my in laws so you never know what could come up!
The larger the travel party the more room for illness or injury to interrupt a trip for sure!