Tenerife is a major cruise port: some Atlantic and Canary itineraries start right in Santa Cruz. And if you are boarding a ship, it is worth understanding that a cruise is not an ordinary trip and carries its own risks.
How a cruise differs from a normal trip
The medical centre on board is chargeable. There is a doctor on the ship, but it is a private medical service. Consultations and treatment are billed to your cabin at rates closer to a private clinic. There is no “insurance by default” there.
Evacuation is expensive. In a serious case the ship does not turn back — a medical evacuation is organised to the nearest port or by helicopter. That is one of the most expensive items in the whole of insurance.
The ship does not wait. Miss the departure at a port of call and you catch it up at the next port, at your own expense.
Several countries in one trip. An itinerary around the Canaries, Madeira and Morocco already means multiple jurisdictions and different health systems.
What the policy must include
- Medical care on board — with a sufficient limit, because “on board” is expensive.
- Medical evacuation and repatriation — the key item; without it a cruise policy is pointless.
- Cancellation before departure — cruises are booked far ahead and paid in full, in non-refundable amounts.
- Missed departure — the cost of catching the ship up.
- Baggage — including delayed delivery to the ship.
- Cover for every country on the itinerary, not just the country of departure.
Check the geography against the actual route. A “Canaries” cruise may call at Morocco or Madeira — and that is already outside the EU.
Who this matters to in Tenerife
Two different groups:
- island residents setting out on a cruise from Santa Cruz — for you this is a trip, and your ordinary health policy does not work on board;
- visitors who flew in, spent time on the island and are boarding a ship — they need cover for the whole chain, not just the hotel days.
If the cruise is not your only trip this year, look at an annual multi-trip policy — it sometimes covers the cruise and everything else for less.
Common misconceptions
“I have health insurance in Spain, that is enough.” It is not: a health policy is for living somewhere, not for travelling. The difference is set out in the article on arriving in Spain.
“The cruise line already included something.” Usually the bare minimum, and only for certain events. Read what exactly.
“I am healthy, nothing will happen.” The most common claim on a cruise is not a catastrophe but ordinary food poisoning, an injury on an excursion or a chronic condition flaring up far from shore.
What next
For a quote we need the itinerary, dates, number of travellers and ages. Everything else is cover detail, matched to the specific cruise.
Message us in the chat — we will quote a policy for your itinerary free of charge and confirm that evacuation and missed departure are actually in it.