Oceania Cruises Travel Insurance - 2026 Review

Oceania Cruises is known for the finest culinary experience at sea and destination-rich itineraries. The cruise line sets sail across the globe, with cruises lasting anywhere from 10-46 days, and stops at more than 450 ports throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the South Pacific, and more, in addition to their grand 180-day Around the World Voyages. They feature six luxurious ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests, with a seventh, 1,200 guest ship set for delivery in 2025.

With luxurious cabins, award winning food and high-class service, one would think Oceania Cruises trip insurance would protect their passengers with the same care they take with their food, service, and ship.

AARDY has found that Oceania Cruises Travel Insurance coverage lacks in many areas.

Overview of Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program

The Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program is underwritten by Nationwide, a strong insurance partner that writes many travel insurance policies.

Their Travel Protection Program offers many of the benefits and coverages found in the travel insurance policies offered at AARDY. Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Medical Insurance, and Medical Evacuation are all included.

However, we need to look at the limits of these common benefits.

When traveling outside the United States, we advise travelers to carry a minimum coverage of $100k in Medical Insurance, $250k in Medical Evacuation, and a Pre-existing Medical Condition Waiver, if possible. If traveling to far locations such as Asia or Africa or beyond, we recommend a minimum of $500k in Medical Evacuation.

The Travel Protection Program does not provide adequate levels of coverage for international travel. The limits offered for Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation are far too low for our comfort. Additionally, the Travel Protection Program does not offer coverage for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions, an important piece of coverage for many senior travelers.

We’ll discuss these limits and coverages further later in our review.

Cost of Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program

For our example, we chose a 10-day Oceania Cruise that begins in Rome, Italy and ends in Venice, Italy, with stops in Malta, Greece, Croatia, and Slovenia.

The cruise dates chosen were 5/10/22 – 5/15/22, for two travelers aged 55 and 60, priced at $3,749 per person, for a total cost of $7,498.

The Travel Protection Program offered by Oceania Cruises costs $374.90 per traveler, for a total of $749.80, which brings the combined total cost of the cruise and Travel Protection Program to $8,247.80.

Travel Insurance Alternatives to Oceania Cruises

Based on our sample couple, ages 55 and 60, we created a comparison quote with the policies offered through AARDY. The trip cost used for this comparison is the cruise cost for both travelers: $7,498.

The least expensive plan with adequate coverage on our quote from AARDY is the Trawick First Class for $354.20.

For a Cancel For Any Reason policy, we chose the Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%), because it’s the least expensive plan with Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) benefits.

Now, we’ll take a look at the benefits of each policy in a side-by-side comparison.

Benefit	Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program	Trawick First Class	Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%)
Trip Cancellation	100% of trip cost, up to $50k	100% of trip cost	100% of trip cost, if for a covered reason 75% of trip cost, if for any other reason
Trip Interruption	150% of trip cost, up to $75k	150% of trip cost	150% of trip cost
Medical Insurance	$20,000 per trip	$150,000 per traveler	$150,000 per traveler
Medical Evacuation	$25,000 per trip	$1,000,000 per traveler	$1,000,000 per traveler
Baggage Loss/Damage	$250/article up to $1,500 per trip	$500/article up to $2,000 per person	$500/article up to $2,000 per person
Baggage Delay	$500 per trip	$400	$400
Travel Delay (Incl quarantine)	$500 per trip	$1,000 per person	$1,000 per person
Missed Connection	No	$1,000 per person	$1,000 per person
Cover Pre-existing Medical Conditions	No	Yes, if purchased within 14 days of deposit	Yes, if purchased within 14 days of deposit
Cancel For Work Reason	No	No	No
Interrupt For Any Reason	No	N/A	No
Cancel For Any Reason	No	No	Yes, if purchased within 10 days of deposit
Accidental Death & Dismemberment	No	$25,000	$25,000
Cost of Policy	$749.80 (10% of trip cost)	$354.20 (4.7% of trip cost)	$602.14 (8.1% of trip cost)

As you can see, the Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program offers minimal coverage and low limits of benefits, especially for Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation. Travel Medical Insurance is only effective when it can mitigate a worst-case scenario. Therefore, we recommend travelers venturing abroad carry at least $100k in Medical Insurance. Although that may seem high, it’s important to note that international private hospitals can charge between $3k-$4k per day.

We also recommend carrying at least $250k in Medical Evacuation coverage for international travel. Travelers venturing even further from the US, such as to Asia, Africa, or Australia, would need a minimum of $500k in Medical Evacuation coverage. A medical air evacuation can cost between $15k to $25k per flight hour, so it is vital to ensure you are properly protected for a worst-case scenario.

In addition to minimal coverage, the benefits offered through the Travel Protection Program are on a per trip basis, as opposed to per person benefits.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Travel Protection Program only covers the cost of the cruise fare, up to $50k. How would a traveler protect other costs they’ve paid towards their trip? Cruise fare exceeding $50k would not be covered, along with any other travel arrangements purchased separately from the cruise package, such as airfare, train tickets, tours and excursions, rental cars, etc.

On the other hand, the Trawick First Class and Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%) plans offer more benefits with higher per traveler limits, at a lower cost. By purchasing a travel insurance policy over The Oceania Cruises Travel Protection program, our travelers would be able to protect any other pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs they’ve paid towards their trip aside from the cruise fare.

Cost Comparison

By purchasing the Trawick First Class standard cancellation plan for $354.20, our two travelers would save $395.60, a significant savings over the Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program. With the added piece of mind that comes with a Cancel For Any Reason policy, these travelers could also select the Trawick First Class (CFAR 75%) plan for $602.14 and still save $147.66.

These savings could then be applied towards other costs of the trip, such as shopping, dining, shore excursions, and other expenses.

While the Travel Protection Program does offer some coverage, it’s simply not enough coverage for the price.

In the following sections, we’ll discuss these coverages in more detail.

Trip Cancellation

Trip Cancellation coverage protects a traveler from losing their pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs if they must cancel the trip due to covered reasons listed in the policy.

Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program has a short list of covered reasons:

• Your Sickness, Accidental Injury or death, that results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician at the time of Loss preventing Your participation in the Trip. A Physician must advise to cancel the Trip on or before the Scheduled Departure Date.
  
  
• Sickness, Accidental Injury or death of a Family Member or Traveling Companion booked to travel with You, that results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician preventing that person’s participation in the Trip.

• Sickness, Accidental Injury or death of a non-traveling Family Member.
  
  
• You or a Traveling Companion being hijacked, Quarantined, required to serve on a jury, subpoenaed, the victim of felonious assault within ten (10) days of departure;
  
  
• Having Your principal place of residence made Uninhabitable by fire, flood, volcano, earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster;
  
  
• You or a Traveling Companion being directly involved in a traffic accident substantiated by a police report, while en route to departure

This is just too short of a list of reasons to cancel. AARDY recommends that cruise insurance policies also include:

• Your or Your Traveling Companion’s primary place of residence ordestination being rendered uninhabitable and remaining uninhabitable during Your Scheduled Trip by fire, flood, burglary, or other Natural Disaster.
• Unannounced Strike that causes complete cessation of services for at least 12 consecutive hours of the Common Carrier on which You are scheduled to travel;
• Inclement Weather that causes complete cessation of services for at least 12 consecutive hours of the Common Carrier on which You are scheduled to travel;
• You or Your Traveling Companion or Your Family Member is in the military and called to emergency duty for a national disaster other than war;
• A Terrorist Incident that occurs within 30 days of Your Scheduled Departure Date in a city listed on the itinerary of Your Trip;
• Revocation of Your or Your Traveling Companion’s previously granted military leave or reassignment. Official written revocation/re-assignment by a supervisor or commanding officer of the appropriate branch of service will be required;
• Your family or friends living abroad with whom You are planning to stay are unable to provide accommodations due to life threatening illness, life threatening injury or death of one of them;
• Felonious assault of You or Your Traveling Companion within 10 days of the Scheduled Departure Date;

Many reasons can pop up to cause a traveler to cancel a trip, and although trip insurance can’t cover all the reasons that may come up, it should at least cover those listed above.

Trip Cancellation For Any Reason

In our reviews of other cruise lines, we have found that many of them include coverage for Cancel For Any Reason.

This added benefit allows the traveler to cancel for any reason not otherwise covered by the policy and still receive a reimbursement of a portion of their trip costs. Most cruise insurance plans will reimburse up to 75% of the pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs in the form of cruise credits.

Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Programdoes not include a Cancel For Any Reason benefit, so the traveler has only a limited amount of reasons to cancel.

Trip Interruption

The Trip Interruption benefit will reimburse the unused portion of your trip if you must interrupt your trip and/or return home early for any of the covered cancellation reasons listed in the policy. It can also help with the added expense of getting home prior to your scheduled return date.

The Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program states that up to 150% (with a maximum of $75k) of the trip cost listed in the policy, they will pay for:

• a) pre-paid unused, non-refundable land or sea expenses to the Travel Supplier;
  
  
• b) the airfare paid less the value of applied credit from an unused travel ticket, to return home, join or rejoin the original Land/Sea Arrangements limited to the cost of one-way economy airfare or similar quality as originally issued ticket by scheduled carrier, from the point of destination to the point of origin shown on the original travel tickets.
  
  
• The Company will pay for reasonable additional accommodation and transportation expenses incurred by You (up to $200 a day) if a Traveling Companion must remain Hospitalized or if You must extend the Trip with additional hotel nights due to a Physician certifying You cannot fly home due to an Accident or a Sickness but do not require Hospitalization. In no event shall the amount reimbursed exceed the amount You prepaid for the Trip.

Medical Insurance

The Medical Insurance coverage will cover the costs associated with seeking medical treatment for an emergency illness or accidental injury that may occur while on a traveler’s trip. Most private health insurance plans, including Medicare, do not provide coverage outside of the United States, so this coverage is critical for those are traveling internationally.

Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program offers only $20k for Accident Medical Expense and Sickness Medical Expense. We feel this limit is far too low for adequate medical coverage overseas.

For international travel, AARDY recommends carrying at least $100k in medical coverage. While that may seem like a lot, an unexpected traumatic injury or illness often results in significant medical expenses, as international private hospitals can charge up to $3,000-$4,000 per day. Carrying travel medical insurance of at least $100k will ensure one is covered for those unforeseen expenses.

Emergency Medical Evacuation

The Medical Evacuation benefit will cover expenses incurred for emergency transportation to a facility able to treat your medical emergency, or back home to the US, if deemed necessary.

The Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program covers expenses up to $25k and covers the following:

• The Company will pay benefits for Covered Expenses incurred, up to the Maximum Benefit shown on the Confirmation of Coverage, if an Accidental Injury or Sickness commencing during the course of the Trip results in Your necessary Emergency Evacuation. An Emergency Evacuation must be ordered by a Physician who certifies that the severity of Your Accidental Injury or Sickness warrants Your Emergency Evacuation.
  
  
• Covered Expenses are reasonable and customary expenses for necessary Transportation, related medical services and medical supplies incurred in connection with Your Emergency Evacuation. All Transportation arrangements made for evacuating You must be by the most direct and economical route possible. Expenses for Transportation must be:
  (a) recommended by the attending Physician;
  (b) required by the standard regulations of the conveyance transporting You; and (c) authorized in advance by the Company or its authorized representative.

Aardy recommends travelers who travel within 3-4 hours of the US border should carry a minimum $250k of Medical Evacuation benefits.

Travelers venturing further from home need a minimum $500k of Medical Evacuation coverage – the cost of a long-range private jet staffed with a medical evacuation team.

$25k is an extremely low limit to offer. This is a critical coverage to have in place, and for that reason, the Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program is not suitable, in our opinion.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

According to the Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program, a Pre-Existing Medical Condition means an illness, disease, or other condition during the sixty (60) day period immediately prior to the Effective Date for which You, a Traveling Companion, or a Family Member booked to travel with You:
1) exhibited symptoms that would have caused one to seek care or treatment; or
2) received or received a recommendation for a test, examination, or medical treatment; or
3) took or received a prescription for drugs or medicine.

Item (3) of this definition does not apply to a condition that is treated or controlled solely through the taking of prescription drugs or medicine and remains treated or controlled without any adjustment or change in the required prescription throughout the sixty (60) day period before the Effective Date.

Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Program specifically excludes coverage for pre-existing conditions, which means there will be no Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption or Medical Insurance coverage if a loss occurs that is caused by a pre-existing condition as defined in the policy.

All comprehensive trip insurance plans exclude pre-existing medical conditions. However, most policies will waive this exclusion and cover pre-existing conditions if the insurance is purchased within a certain period of time after the first payment or deposit is placed on the trip, known as the Time Sensitive Period.

Usually, this time sensitive benefit is available if purchased within 14-21 days (depending on the policy) of the initial payment or deposit. We recommend having this coverage, if possible, as it does not cost anything extra and it is included in the policy, as long as you purchase within the Time Sensitive Period.

AARDY offers many plans that include this Pre-Existing Medical Condition Waiver. It is unfortunate that Oceania Cruise Travel Protection Program does not include a Medical Waiver, because most comprehensive travel insurance policies will provide a Medical Waiver to those travelers who book a policy promptly and insure all their pre-paid and non-refundable trip costs.

Our Conclusion

The Oceania Cruises Travel Protection Plan lacks in many areas. While it does have a strong insurance partner, the cost and low coverage limits are not beneficial, nor are they valuable to the traveler.

We spend a lot of money on cruises, and we sometimes book and pay for them months, or even over a year in advance of the departure date. This investment needs to be properly protected.

AARDY allows you to quickly get a quote for your specific travel details and shows a great set of product choices available from some of the top-rated travel insurance companies in the United States.

If I Go Directly to the Travel Insurance Company, Will I Get a Better Deal?

No, you will not get a better deal by going directly through the travel insurance company. Travel insurance is strictly regulated, and the policy rates are filed with each state. That means no one can sell a plan for more or less than the filed rates.

AARDY guarantees you will not find a lower price anywhere on any of the plans found on our site.

Questions?

Have questions? We would love to hear from you. Send us a chat,email, or call at (650) 492-6298.

Safe Travels!