Does trip interruption insurance cover missing the boat at a port of call?

[herbanrenewal]

I rely on Chase sapphire reserve and allianz annual travel insurance when i travel.  I know i have "trip interruption" coverage. Does this cover missing return to port if i book an independent tour and some unanticipated event  (for example car trouble/accident). I'm planning a month long b2b along east coast of Africa with independent excursions. Some of these ports have little history with excursion providers. 

[CDNPolar]

That is a question that you need to pose directly to your insurance company.  This could be different with every insurance company.  Personally I doubt it however.  

[Torquer]

Does trip insurance cover the cost of a shore excursion because the ship could not dock at the port?

 

I have a somewhat different question.  We typically buy insurance through SquareMouth using companies such as Trawick or General Global Assistance, but we have not bought it yet for cruise in March 2025.  At one of the ports, Salavery (Trujillo) Peru, it seems all the private tour companies will not refund the cost of the excursion if your ship does not arrive in port.  We have found this to be quite rare, and we would normally stay away from a tour company with that policy, but in this port, all the companies have this same policy.

 

So I want to know if trip insurance would cover this loss if we were onboard the ship and willing to go on the tour, but the ship did not arrive in the port for whatever reason like weather?  I read the fine print on prior insurance policies we have had and they do not address this point.  Does anyone have experience with a scenario like this?  Obviously, the policy could vary by insurance company, but I would like to know if anyone has a past scenario they experienced to help us decide what to do.

[CDNPolar]

Again, this is a question (above) to put to your insurance company.  You may not find obvious language in the policy that covers this specific situation, but that does not mean that it is not covered.  

 

When you call and if they do - for either post #1 or #3 - tell you that you are covered, then get this in writing.

 

Here is my opinion, that may be right or wrong, but after months of reading insurance policies of many companies this is my thinking:

 

1)  Trip cancellation / Interruption insurance is likely only going to cover you for something booked through the cruise line.  If you go out on your own and book some random company and they are late returning you to the ship, I would doubt that you would have coverage.

 

2) We have booked tours with companies that will automatically refund if the ship has to miss the port.  We have never booked with one that did not refund for that reason.  These are companies that know well the situation of cruising and want the cruise ship business.  I do think that this could be covered by cancellation / interruption insurance BUT, again, I would call the insurance company and get their answer in writing.

 

I have also found with insurance companies that you have to be very detailed in your description of the situation as some agents react and answer without fully understanding the situation.