When I booked our cruise, I mentioned to the
DCL Rep that I wanted to get insurance that would cover cancellation for any reason.
Cancel for any reason insurance is typically quite pricey and comes with certain terms and time limits within which you have to buy the insurance. We almost never buy this type of insurance. We only did once when we had to purchase nonrefundable business class flights two weeks prior to when our friends were able to confirm dates and flights in order to lock in the price. We were lucky in that there was a special deal that month which would give you cancel for any reason insurance for the same price as regular if we booked the flights directly through the TA and purchased insurance right then.
Will be well over $1000.00 for two people for both segments.
We never buy insurance through the cruise line. We always purchase on our own through our TA. I really don't see any advantage to purchasing the cruise line's insurance other than that it's convenient. It doesn't always seem to be cheaper, often doesn't kick in until you arrive unless you've also purchased flights through the cruise line and/or you're arriving on the departure date, can end before you fly home if you stay a few days more and haven't booked it through them, is fully structured for the advantage of the cruise line and is focused on the cruise portion of the trip not necessarily the whole trip. If you buy your own insurance with your own criteria, you'll probably get more competitive quotes and will get more of what you need, less of what you don't, and only cover what you can't get refunded.
I do know that we paid a pretty hefty price for our insurance in 2015 for DH and I for our Baltic cruise, plus hotels, plus flights (business class which also included a side trip to family in Germany) - probably in the $1300 range. That was partially due to the cost, a large portion of which was non-refundable, and the length of the trip (24 days) plus a few options that we chose to add to the insurance (e.g., luggage coverage, medical evac, etc.).
My father purchased insurance through Princess - which he normally doesn't - and missed it in December due to weather/flight delays. The insurance denied his claim because he was supposed to call them in advance to let them know he wouldn't make the cruise in time - something that apparently was in the fine print. He tried calling them 5 times when they were sitting on the tarmac but no one answered. In the end, Princess gave him a credit and rebooked him for later this year, so it worked out sort of OK, but lesson learned. He'll go back to buying through his TA.
