Q: If I’m only going on a cruise around Australia, I won’t need travel insurance right?
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A lot can happen when you’re on cruise, especially if you don’t have your sea legs! That’s why it is important to consider having a travel insurance policy for you and your family while on a cruise.
Some people don’t believe they need cover for Australian cruises, but this is not the case. As many Australian cruises cross into international waters, it’s actually an international travel insurance policy that you require. Domestic policies do not cover any medical or hospital expenses.
The cost of seeing a doctor onboard can be a costly exercise. Travel insurance covers medical treatment on cruise ships even if that ship is within Australian territorial waters. In the worst case scenario that you need serious medical attention, you may need an emergency evacuation to be airlifted off of the ship to the nearest hospital. You can only imagine how expensive this would be, but is also covered by most travel insurance policies.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Medicare benefits are only available to you when you cruise if:
But here's the catch: most cruise ships don’t have Medicare-registered doctors, especially if the cruise line isn’t Australian.
So, Medicare won’t cover you if one or all of the below apply:
That’s why travel insurance is strongly recommended, even for cruises that stay within Australian waters.
R.A.C. Travel Services Pty. Limited (ABN 17 009 164 176, AR No. 228577) (RAC) is an authorised representative of the RAC Travel Insurance insurer Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (ABN 80 000 438 291 AFSL 246 548) (Tokio Marine). Tokio Marine Management (Australasia) Pty Ltd (ABN 69 001 488 455, AR No. 1313066) is an authorised representative of Tokio Marine, and administers RAC Travel Insurance as the managing agent on behalf of Tokio Marine.
Terms, conditions (including eligibility criteria), exclusions, limits and sub-limits apply. Any advice is general advice only, and does not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation or needs. Before you purchase, please consider the Combined Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) / Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Target Market Determinations (TMDs) available on RAC’s website, or on request from RAC.