Cuba cruises and travel insurance

Itinerary changes to Cuba cruises are not considered a
covered reason to cancel a sailing, according to several travel insurance
providers.

Following the government’s banning of cruise ships from
calling in Cuba, insurers said the 800,000 affected cruisers wouldn’t be able to cancel a trip
because of an itinerary change.

Yonder Travel Insurance said it was “unlikely” an
itinerary change would be a covered reason to cancel. However, those who
purchased cancel-for-any-reason coverage in advance could potentially recoup a
portion of the cost of their trip. That coverage needs to be purchased within a
set number of days from the initial deposit on the trip (usually around 10 to 21),
and the cancellation needs to occur 48 hours before the departure date.

Yonder recommended checking with the cruise lines, which
have been offering refunds and credits to affected passengers.

TravelInsurance.com also said that travel insurance wouldn’t
provide coverage if a consumer wanted to cancel their trip because of an itinerary
change, unless the traveler had previously purchased cancel-for-any-reason
coverage. The insurance comparison site also advocated for working with the
cruise lines in the event of an itinerary change.