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Travel insurance for river cruising

From the mighty Murray to the wilds of Kakadu, Australia’s rivers are rich in history and full of natural wonders. Learn why you should consider travel insurance before your next river cruise.

15% off travel insurance for nib Health members*

Whether you’re planning to float down one of the world’s longest navigable rivers—the Murray River stretches more than 2,500kms—or marvel at the craggy ochre cliffs steeped in 50,000 years of Indigenous history in Kakadu, if things get choppy along the way, it helps to know you may be covered.

Cover for river cruises in Australia and overseas

Cruising is a great way to experience a new or favourite destination. That’s why our travel insurance can cover you for both domestic and international river cruising.

Our domestic travel insurance plans provide cover for inland river cruises within Australia, however, if ocean cruising beckons to you like a siren, you should consider our international travel insurance plans—even when cruising just off the coast of Australia.

As part of our International plan, we offer cover for publicly available international river cruises, and ocean cruises within Australian waters or International waters.

Stopovers while cruising

If you also plan to make any stopovers while on your cruise you will need to let us know if you decide to stop at a destination for more than 72 hours.

What do we mean by International waters?

When setting of on your next cruise please be aware that we define International waters as, “the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation”. In case you were wondering, travelling in international waters in a private sail vessel or privately registered sail vessel is not covered.

While we hope your cruise holiday is smooth sailing, at nib, we’re no stranger to cruise-related mishaps like unexpected delays, lost luggage, and medical evacuation. That’s why we’re here to help you navigate your way if things get choppy.

Cover that takes you across the seasˆ

Cruise cover

Cover for publicly available cruises, including international ocean or river cruises, and domestic river cruises depending on the plan.

Existing medical conditions

Get automatic cover for more than 40 existing medical conditions, provided all criteria for the condition are met.

Luggage and personal effects

Cover for accidental damage, theft or permanent loss of your luggage and personal effects.

Cancellation costs

Cancellation or holiday deferment costs are included in all plans. Select the limits that suit your holiday.

^ Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions for each policy, as contained in the Product Disclosure Statement. This is a brief summary of cover and does not include the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Please read the international and domestic Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

Does my policy have cruise cover?

Why consider travel insurance for your river cruise holiday

When you take a nib travel insurance policy with you on your holiday, we may help get you back on track if the unexpected takes you off course. Such as:

You suddenly become unwell

Suddenly realise all that rocking back and forth turns your tummy? Travel insurance may help when Medicare can’t. Like when you need on-board medical treatment while cruising Australia’s spectacular coastline.

If the weather impacts your cruise

Whether you can’t go on a pre-paid shore excursion because of severe weather, or your cruise is delayed because a cyclone has other plans for your itinerary, weather can impact a cruise in all sorts of ways. You may also be covered even before you get on your cruise if severe weather ruins your cruising plans.

We may offer cover under our International policies if:

  • You’re unable to arrive at your departure point due to start your trip due to a natural disaster causing road closures.

  • You’re unable to start your trip due to severe weather or natural disaster causing damage to your home or business within 72 hours of your trip departure date.

If you’re impacted by COVID-19

Since the pandemic, boats are notorious hotspots for an outbreak of COVID-19. Our plans may offer cover for a range of coronavirus-related events (excl. Cancellation and Additional Expenses Plan); however, the benefits and limits vary depending on the level of cover you choose.

If you need medical evacuation

Our plans cover medical evacuation and repatriation if you need to disembark early because it’s medically necessary.

With Comprehensive and Essentials Plans, you can compare and choose the cover that’s right for your cruising holiday.

What’s not covered

Our travel insurance plans are there to help when the unexpected happens while you’re on holiday. But they’re not designed to cover everything. Some things we don’t cover include:

  • Medical treatment on-board an ocean-based cruise if you’ve chosen a domestic travel insurance policy, even if you’re just off the coast of Australia.

  • Changing your mind: If you decide not to travel because you’ve changed your mind.

  • If your luggage is lost or stolen because you left it unattended, or did not take reasonable care to look after it.

  • Any medical, hospital, dental or ambulance expenses you incur in Australia.

  • Any existing medical condition where your plan does not include it, or an additional premium has not been paid.

It’s always a good idea to read the terms and conditions carefully, so you’re comfortable with your level of coverage.

Frequently asked questions about river cruising

Need to know more?

If you’re still unsure which travel insurance policy is right for you, or what to do if things go wrong, we’re here to help. Get in touch.

In case of emergency, the Emergency Assistance Team is available 24/7 to help you out with any medical issues you may have.

The above features and benefits are a summary of cover only. Cover is subject to the full terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions outlined in the Product Disclosure Statement.

nib Travel Insurance Distribution Pty Limited, ABN 40 129 262 175, AR 336467 is an authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd (nib), ABN 81 115 932 173, AFSL 308461 and act as nib's agent and not as your agent. This is general advice only. Before you buy, you should consider your needs, the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Financial Services Guide (FSG) and Target Market Determination (TMD) available from us. This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd, ABN 83 169 311 193.

We are a signatory to the General Insurance Code of Practice developed by the Insurance Council of Australia and enforced by the Code Governance Committee, an independent body whose purpose is to drive better Code compliance and help the insurance industry improve its service to consumers. The Code is designed to promote good relations and insurance practice between insurers, authorised representatives and consumers. The Code sets out what we must do when dealing with you. You can obtain a copy of the Code from codeofpractice.com.au.

*The discount applies to the total nib travel insurance premium and is for customers that currently hold an Australian health insurance product, or an Overseas Student Health Cover product with nib. The discount is not available to customers who hold an Overseas Visitors Health Cover product. Discounts do not apply to the rate of GST and stamp duty or any changes you make to the policy. nib has the discretion to withdraw or amend this discount offer at any time. This discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer or discount.