Travel insurance for your Kimberley Cruise
The rugged and remote wilderness region of the Kimberley in Western Australia, occupying the entire north-western corner of Australia (and three times the size of England), is a spectacular part of Australia to cruise to.
There are breath-taking gorges and landforms, ancient Aboriginal rock art, waterfalls over cliff-tops and an abundance of wildlife including whales, dolphins, turtles, saltwater crocodiles and native birds. And you won’t be at a loss for what to do too – you can swim in freshwater rock pools, picnic on pristine white sandy beaches and get wet under the waterfalls… the bonus is that you don’t even need a passport to get there!
Besides choosing which Kimberley Cruise company to go with, you should also consider getting travel insurance for your Kimberley Cruise.
5 Things you should know about travel insurance for Kimberly Cruises
- Kimberley Cruise travel insurance includes cover for evacuation or repatriation in medical emergencies.
- Cancellation cover can be included with your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance and can protect the deposits that you’ve already paid for your cruise.
- We don’t need you to fill in a medical assessment to buy Kimberley Cruise travel insurance.
- Your pre-existing medical condition may be covered under your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance.
We can cover a huge list of leisure and sport activities on your Kimberley Cruise, including fishing, camel riding and helicopter rides.
Why do I need special travel insurance for the Kimberley Cruise?
Even though you’re cruising within Australia, the unexpected can still happen: you may become sick or injured before you’re even able to leave for your Kimberley cruise, lose your camera while taking pictures of the amazing view or fall and hurt yourself while taking in the sights.
And more importantly, due to the remote locations that you’ll be cruising to along the Kimberley coast, in the event of a medical emergency, there may not be roads for ambulances to get to you or a runway where the Royal Flying Doctor service can land a plane to retrieve you.
Kimberley Cruise travel insurance can compensate you for your out of pocket expenses or cover you to be evacuated to where medical assistance is available.
How does the Repatriation or Evacuation benefit work?
The repatriation & evacuation benefit provides for any necessary private transport (eg a tourist helicopter) to pick you up from your remote location and transfer you to where medical transport is able to take over.
If you’re seriously sick or injured in a remote location and need urgent medical assistance, you should contact our Emergency Assistance Team on 02 8320 7999 or the AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) on 1800 641 792 / +61 2 6230 6811 to arrange an evauation for you.
There is no cover under your Kimberley cruise travel insurance for medical costs in Australia, including air ambulance (plane or helicopter), the Royal Flying Doctor Service or road ambulance as you are travelling domestically. So once you are transported to a transfer location an ambulance or Royal Flying Doctors Service can access, you can use your Medicare card or private health insurance for any medical expenses that you incur.
What is included in travel insurance for Kimberley Cruise travel insurance?
Depending on the type of travel insurance you buy for your Kimberley cruise, you can have cover for:
Let’s face it, a Kimberley cruise isn’t the cheapest domestic holiday. The Cancellation benefit can reimburse you for the payments or deposits you’ve already made towards your trip, not just for the cruise itself, but also any flights and accommodation.
So you’ll have cover if you’re unexpectedly sick and not able to go on your cruise, or if you have to cut your cruise short because you’re in an accident or suffer illness.
If you have a medical emergency while on your Kimberley Cruise, you can be covered to be evacuated to where you can be picked up by air or land ambulance or the Royal Flying Doctor service.
Contact our Emergency Assistance Team on 02 8320 7999 or the AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) on 1800 641 792 / +61 2 6230 6811 to arrange an evauation for you.
You can have cover for the things that you take with you on your Kimberley Cruise, including hearing aids and your camera and video recorders to capture the memories of your trip.
If you have to return home because you, a family member back home is seriously sick or injured or natural disaster prevents you from continuing your trip, you can claim for the additional transport and accommodation expenses that you incur.
This benefit provides cover for the extra expenses that you incur including accommodation, food and taxi fares if your planned transport is delayed for more than 6 hours from the scheduled departure time.
To get you to your Kimberley Cruise on time, if your booked transport is delayed or cancelled, which means that you will miss your cruise, you can be reimbursed for the cost of another mode of transport to get you there on time. We don’t want you to miss your trip of a lifetime!
You can be reimbursed for up to $250 cash if it is stolen from you while you’re on-board the cruise or from a secure locked compartment.
What isn’t included in travel insurance for my Kimberley Cruise?
Regardless of where you are in the Kimberley, you’re still travelling within Australia and the following is not able to be covered:
The great thing about travelling domestically is that if you’re sick or injured, you can use your Medicare Card or private health insurance to cover your medical expenses or hospitalisation.
This is why there’s no need for medical cover for medical expenses or hospitalisation with your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance.
There’s no cover if your luggage is delayed, misdirected or misplaced by your airline or Kimberley cruise line. You should contact your airline or the cruise line in this type of situation.
If your credit or debit cards are lost or stolen, you should notify your bank as soon as you can.
Will the Coronavirus epidemic affect my Kimberley Cruise?
The conditions around the Coronavirus pandemic will evolve and change over time.
If you or your travelling companion require medical care, you would have medical cover under Medicare and/or your private health insurance. However, you should still keep an eye on developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic situation before and during your Kimberley Cruise, as these developments may affect your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance.
Useful resources to keep an eye on include:
- Australian Government smartraveller
- Our Travel Advisories
- Local media
- Your cruise company
Please note there is a General Exclusion for Pandemics and Epidemics, which means there is no cover for SARS-CoV-2 virus, the COVID-19 disease or any mutation of either.
How can I buy travel insurance for my Kimberley Cruise?
The Kimberley Cruise is in Australia, so you should select the Domestic region, choose “Yes” to the Cruise option, and select the answers which best describe your cruise. This will ensure that you have cover while you’re on the mainland and also while on your cruise. If you do not select “Yes” when asked about going on a cruise, you won’t have cover if you go on a cruise in Australia.
You can get a quote online, send us an email to info@fastcover.com.au or call our friendly and helpful team to put together a quote for you on 1300 409 322.
When should I buy my Kimberley Cruise travel insurance?
You can purchase your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance cover:
- Up to 12 months before you leave for your cruise
- Up to the day that you board your plane to get to the cruise
- Even up to the day you board your cruise.
However, one important thing to keep in mind is that you won’t have cover for unexpected cancellations unless the cancellation benefit is included with your policy and you purchased your policy before the event occurred.
So if you become sick or injured and you need to cancel the cruise, you could be left out of pocket if you don’t already have your Kimberley cruise travel insurance policy with Cancellation cover in place.
You may wish to consider purchasing your Kimberley Cruise policy with Cancellation cover as soon as you book and pay for your cruise, flights, accommodation and tours to get the full advantage of the cancellation cover on your Kimberley Cruise travel insurance policy.
What companies offer Kimberley Cruises?
The below are some of the cruise companies who provide a variety of cruises to the Kimberley that you could consider if you haven’t already booked:
If you’ve always thought about visiting the Kimberley or not sure where to go next, maybe you should consider a cruise to the Kimberley? You’ll be helping out your local tourism industry, but also, it’s without a doubt a unique and amazing part of Australia to visit.
Just make sure you look into getting Kimberley cruise travel insurance so you can have peace of mind, and be able to truly indulge and bask in the wonder and beauty of the Kimberley.
Kimberley Cruise Travel Insurance FAQs
^ Price as at 27/10/2024 compared to the price calculated today for this policy.
* See Product Disclosure Statement for full terms and conditions and exclusions and limits that apply.