Coverage explainer
Does travel insurance cover a missed embarkation or an expedition cut short?
Yes, when the reason is one the policy lists. Trip interruption pays back the unused, prepaid part of your trip and the extra transport to rejoin it or get home when you, a family member, a traveling companion or a business partner dies or has a covered sickness or injury that a physician certifies stops you continuing, or when another listed event happens. On the expedition plans we quote it pays up to 100% of your insured trip cost on RoamRight Pro and 150% on RoamRight ProPlus and CancelFlex. Missing the ship because your arrival was 3 or more hours late falls under a smaller missed connection benefit of $500 or $1,000. An operator that reroutes the voyage for weather or ice is an itinerary change, which pays up to $500 for a prepaid activity you lose.
Reviewed by Al Ste-Marie, Founder, Expedition Insure. Last updated November 4, 2026.
Trip interruption limits, plan by plan
These are the maximum benefit amounts in the policy wording we hold for each plan. Trip interruption is measured against the trip cost you insure, so insure the full non-refundable cost of the trip.
| Plan | Trip interruption | Missed connection | Itinerary change | Trip delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoamRight Pro | 100% of insured trip cost | $500 | $500 | $1,000 ($250 a day) |
| RoamRight ProPlus | 150% of insured trip cost | $1,000 | $500 | $2,000 ($300 a day) |
| RoamRight CancelFlex | 150% of insured trip cost | $1,000 | $500 | $2,000 ($300 a day) |
Source: 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.
Missing the ship at embarkation
Expedition ships leave remote ports such as Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and Longyearbyen on a fixed schedule, and once a ship has sailed it is hard to rejoin. Two benefits can apply, depending on why you are late.
- Missed connection pays when your arrival is delayed 3 or more hours by a common carrier delay, a documented weather condition, quarantine, a strike, a natural disaster, a terrorist incident or a riot. 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 interruption, as a delayed arrival, pays up to the larger trip interruption limit when a listed reason happens within 7 days of your departure date. Listed reasons include weather that stops your airline completely for 24 consecutive hours or more, and a mechanical breakdown that cancels or delays your flight for 24 hours or more when no other flight is available.
Arrive in the port city a day or two early. The policy pays for a covered delay, but it cannot put you on board.
Weather, ice and a changed itinerary
Expedition operators change routes for weather, ice and sea conditions. A route change on its own is not a listed reason for trip interruption. If the operator changes your itinerary after departure and you miss a prepaid event or 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.
Any refund for a shortened voyage depends on the operator's own terms. The plans exclude a travel supplier's failure to provide what you paid for, for any reason other than bankruptcy or default, which falls under the financial default clause.
Illness or injury during the voyage
If you fall ill or are injured during the trip and a physician certifies that you cannot continue, trip interruption pays the unused, prepaid part of your trip and one-way transport to rejoin it or return home, in economy or the class you originally booked. It also pays when a family member, traveling companion or business partner dies or has a covered sickness or injury while you are away.
The flight off the ship or out of camp is a separate benefit. Medical evacuation pays to move you to the nearest hospital where suitable treatment is available, up to $500,000 on RoamRight Pro and $1,000,000 on ProPlus and CancelFlex. See medical evacuation insurance.
What trip interruption does not cover
- Anything known, foreseeable, expected or already happening when you bought the policy.
- An operator, cruise line or airline failing to provide what you paid for, for reasons other than bankruptcy or default.
- Weather that delays or reroutes you without stopping your carrier completely for 24 consecutive hours. Shorter delays fall under missed connection, or under trip delay, which pays hotel, meals and local transport after a delay of 6 hours or more.
- More than you prepaid. RoamRight Pro pays up to the lesser of what you prepaid and the limit, and ProPlus and CancelFlex cap trip interruption at 150% of what you prepaid.
When cover starts and when to buy
Trip interruption and missed connection start when you leave on the first travel arrangement of your trip. Some listed events only count if your payment for the policy arrives within the time sensitive period: 14 days from your first trip payment on RoamRight Pro, 21 days on ProPlus and CancelFlex. They include a strike, an airline, cruise line or tour operator default, and an airport shutdown ordered after a natural disaster.
Frequently asked questions
Does travel insurance cover missing my expedition cruise departure?
Is a voyage shortened by weather or ice covered?
If I am evacuated from the ship, what pays to get me home?
How much trip interruption cover do I need?
When should I buy trip interruption cover?
Check the interruption limits on your quote
Tell us your trip cost, dates and departure port, and we will show each plan's trip interruption, missed connection and evacuation limits side by side.
Get a quoteThis page summarises policy wording for general information. It is not legal or financial advice. Coverage, limits and eligibility are governed by the policy you buy, terms vary by plan and state of residence, and your certificate states the terms that apply to you.