Arctic voyage coverage
Northwest Passage insurance: what your policy has to cover
A Northwest Passage voyage needs a trip protection plan with three things: a high medical evacuation limit, trip cancellation for the full non-refundable fare, and trip interruption, missed connection and itinerary change benefits for a route that changes with the ice. On the expedition plans we quote, medical evacuation pays up to $500,000 on RoamRight Pro and $1,000,000 on RoamRight ProPlus and CancelFlex, for transport to the nearest hospital where suitable treatment is available.
Reviewed by Al Ste-Marie, Founder, Expedition Insure. Last updated November 4, 2026.
Five benefits to check before you buy
Read these in the policy wording, not the brochure. The figures are the maximum benefit amounts in the wordings we hold.
- Medical evacuation: $500,000 on RoamRight Pro and $1,000,000 on ProPlus and CancelFlex. It has to meet your operator’s published minimum.
- Trip cancellation: up to the trip cost you insure, for the reasons the policy lists, such as a sickness or injury that a physician certifies stops you traveling.
- Trip interruption: up to 100% of insured trip cost on RoamRight Pro and 150% on ProPlus and CancelFlex.
- Missed connection: $500 on RoamRight Pro and $1,000 on ProPlus and CancelFlex, when a delay of 3 or more hours makes you miss the departure.
- Itinerary change: up to $500 for a prepaid activity you lose when the operator changes the route after departure.
Medical evacuation from the Canadian Arctic
Size evacuation first. From a Northwest Passage transit the evacuation chain runs through Resolute or Iqaluit to Ottawa or Montreal, and from the Greenland end through Nuuk to Denmark.
The plans we quote pay for transport to the nearest hospital or medical facility where suitable treatment is available, when your local doctor and the insurer or its assistance provider agree your condition is acute, severe or life threatening and adequate treatment is not available nearby. A later transfer home is covered when it is medically necessary, by a method the insurer approves in advance.
Medical evacuation and emergency medical limits by plan:
| Plan | Medical evacuation | Emergency medical | Cancel for any reason | Pre-existing waiver window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoamRight Pro | $500,000 | $25,000 | Not in the wording | Buy within 14 days of your first trip payment |
| RoamRight ProPlus | $1,000,000 | $100,000 | Not in the wording | Buy within 21 days of your first trip payment |
| RoamRight CancelFlex | $1,000,000 | $100,000 | 75% of non-refundable trip cost | Buy within 21 days of your first trip payment |
Figures are the maximum benefit amounts in each plan's policy wording, checked in November 2026. Which plans you can buy depends on where you live, and your certificate states the terms that apply to you.
None of the plan wordings we checked names a separate search and rescue benefit. Evacuation pays to move you once you have been reached, so do not read the evacuation limit as rescue cover.
When ice changes the route
A route change for ice or weather is not, on its own, a listed reason for trip interruption. If the operator changes your itinerary after departure and you lose a prepaid activity, the itinerary change benefit pays up to $500 for it, provided you paid for it before departure, it was on your itinerary, nothing comparable of equal cost replaced it, and the operator confirms the change.
The plans exclude a tour operator or cruise line failing to provide what you paid for, for any reason other than bankruptcy or default. A refund for a shortened or rerouted voyage depends on the operator’s own terms.
More on what interruption pays: trip interruption on remote expeditions.
A late flight and a missed ship
If a delayed flight makes you miss the ship, three benefits can apply, depending on how long the delay is and why it happened.
- Missed connection pays when your arrival is delayed 3 or more hours by a common carrier delay, a documented weather condition or another listed reason. It covers the extra transport to join the departed trip and the prepaid land or water arrangements you could not use, up to $500 on RoamRight Pro and $1,000 on ProPlus and CancelFlex.
- Trip delay pays for extra hotel nights, meals and local transport after a delay of 6 hours or more, up to $1,000 ($250 a day) on RoamRight Pro and $2,000 ($300 a day) on ProPlus and CancelFlex.
- Trip interruption, as a delayed arrival, applies when weather stops your carrier completely for 24 consecutive hours or more within 7 days of your departure date, and pays up to the trip interruption limit.
Arrive in the departure city a day or two early. The policy pays for a covered delay, but it cannot hold the ship.
Insure the full fare
Trip cancellation pays up to the trip cost you insure and never more than you prepaid, so any part of the fare you leave out is not covered. The pre-existing condition waiver on these plans also needs 100% of your non-refundable trip cost insured and the policy paid within 14 days of your first trip payment on RoamRight Pro, or 21 days on ProPlus and CancelFlex. More in should you insure the full trip cost.
RoamRight CancelFlex adds cancel for any reason: it pays 75% of your non-refundable trip cost when you cancel 48 hours or more before departure, provided you paid for the policy within 21 days of your first trip payment and insured 100% of the trip cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does travel insurance cover a Northwest Passage cruise?
How much medical evacuation cover do I need for the Northwest Passage?
Am I covered if ice changes or shortens the voyage?
What if my flight is late and I miss the ship?
Can I cancel a Northwest Passage voyage for any reason?
When should I buy Northwest Passage insurance?
Get a Northwest Passage quote
Tell us your voyage, dates and total trip cost. We compare plans against your operator’s requirements and show the evacuation limit and policy wording for each.
Get a quoteThis page is general information about travel insurance for Northwest Passage voyages. It is not legal or medical advice. Your certificate of insurance states the terms that apply to you.