InsureMyTrip 2015 Cruise Trends Guide Reveals Top Trends

WARWICK, R.I., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- InsureMyTrip, the nation's top travel insurance comparison site, today announced the launch of the first-ever Cruise Guide. The Cruise Guide is a compilation of data-driven insights to help cruisers travel smarter in 2015.

To compile the research, a team of data scientists at InsureMyTrip analyzed online traffic and buying habits in order to identify trends. In addition to internal data, customer surveys and feedback from InsureMyTrip travel experts were also utilized to gauge insights on the cruise industry. Here are the results:

TRAVEL TRENDS FROM THE 2015 CRUISE GUIDE

TOP 5 CRUISE LINES

1. Carnival     
2. Royal Caribbean
3. Norwegian
4. Celebrity
5. Princess

TOP 5 DESTINATIONS FOR CRUISERS

1. Caribbean
2. Bahamas
3. Alaska
4. Italy
5. Mexico

STATES WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF TRAVELERS BOOKING A CRUISE

1. Alabama
2. Mississippi
3. Florida
4. South Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Delaware
7. Arkansas

As part of the Cruise Guide, InsureMyTrip also surveyed 800 travelers. The survey reveals that a vast majority of cruisers have experienced some kind of travel disruption during a trip. The most common frustrations included cruise itinerary changes and medical issues. Health reasons also led the majority of travel insurance claims with travelers listing "medical care during a trip" as a top issue. 

"The customer survey results show that the majority of cruisers will experience some kind of travel inconvenience that is completely out of their control," said CEO Jim Grace of InsureMyTrip. "Cruisers also clearly share unique healthcare concerns during a voyage; with medical issues resulting in many insurance claims. Despite these issues, most travelers appear to be pleased with their overall cruise experience and look forward to cruise vacation."

CRUISE WOES

The poll reveals that most cruise passengers have experienced a travel disruption during a trip. Respondents could choose more than one answer:

56% Cruise itinerary change during a voyage
26% Seasickness
7%   Quarantine
6%   Stomach illness

TOP TRAVEL INSURANCE NEEDS FOR CRUISERS

Travelers, who voluntarily participated in this survey, had all researched or purchased travel insurance within the past 24 months. Out of those polled, 19% had filed a travel insurance claim for a cruise-related issue. Here are the top reasons for filing a claim:

1. Medical care required during cruise
2. Medical issue forced trip cancellation
3. Bad weather forced delay or cancellation of cruise
4. Missed flight led to delay or cancellation of cruise
5. Items stolen or lost during trip

MOST POPULAR CRUISE DESTINATIONS

Despite internal data showing most travelers booking cruises to the Caribbean, our customer survey results indicate that many travelers are very interested in the cruises that include European countries.

37% Caribbean
36% Europe
10% Alaska
17% Other

RIVER CRUISING GAINS SPEED

Seventy-seven percent of those polled have either been on a river cruise or would like to go on a river cruise. Twelve percent have no desire to go while 10% prefer larger cruise ships.

TOP TRAVEL INSURANCE BENEFITS FOR CRUISERS

The InsureMyTrip research team also found that cruisers can make smarter choices about their travel insurance purchase based on flight data. For example, passengers with departing flights at busier airports are more likely to utilize a travel delay benefit and, therefore, may want to compare travel insurance policies with better delay protection.

"Our data indicates that when travelers are made aware of the probability of delays, they are more likely to compare and buy travel delay benefits during a purchase," says Melissa Caldarone, data analyst at InsureMyTrip.

Travel delay benefits vary with each travel insurance provider, generally between a 5 and 24-hour window. The benefit is designed to provide reimbursement for reasonable meals and accommodations while unable to travel.

Tip: Travelers must be delayed for a certain number of hours before this benefit can be applied. When comparing travel insurance, look for the minimum delay time to start qualifying for coverage as soon as possible.  

MISSED CONNECTION BENEFIT

The Cruise Guide estimates 80% of travel insurance consumers purchase a comprehensive policy. For those concerned about a delayed flight adversely affecting a cruise or tour departure, travelers may also want to ensure a missed connection benefit is included under a selected comprehensive travel insurance plan. This benefit is designed to provide travelers with coverage if a delayed flight (for example, of 3 hours or more) causes a traveler to miss a cruise departure.

In addition to travel delay benefits, travelers can also use comparison tools available at InsureMyTrip to review the following benefits available under comprehensive travel insurance plans:

• Trip Cancellation
• Trip Interruption
• Baggage Delay
• Cancel For Any Reason

Comprehensive travel insurance provides a variety of benefits including medical coverage, emergency travel services, baggage protection, and trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Tip: Florida airports tend to be very busy during cruise season, so plan for delays.

METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this analysis comes from a variety of sources including internal data and customer survey results. The flight delay data comes from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics figures and Hopper. For more information on the methodology or to request additional research from the IMT Research team, contact [email protected].

About InsureMyTrip:

InsureMyTrip is the leading online travel insurance comparison site featuring top products from the most trusted providers in the industry. A trusted resource that serves millions of customers worldwide, licensed insurance agents at InsureMyTrip help travelers find the right insurance plan. Referenced as a helpful website by U.S. Federal Consumer Information Center and featured by Consumer Reports, InsureMyTrip offers one of the industry's largest customer ratings and reviews forum and a unique customer advocacy program that provides one-on-one assistance to travelers before, during, and after their trip. Established in 2000, InsureMyTrip is a division of IMT Services Corporation and headquartered in Warwick, R.I. Winner of the Bronze Stevie Award (2014) in Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats) - Financial Services Industries category. For more information on InsureMyTrip, please visit www.insuremytrip.com.

SOURCE InsureMyTrip