On my recent Legend of the Seas cruise, my port stop at Naples was unexpectedly cancelled.
The Captain made an announcement in the evening that came directly through the speakers in our cabin.
Because I have travel insurance that includes missed port cover, as soon as I heard the announcement, I was looking for one particular thing.
I needed written confirmation from the cruise line that the port had actually been cancelled.
Thankfully, Royal Caribbean provided exactly that.
What Happened To Our Naples Visit
We were supposed to visit Naples, Italy.
Royal Caribbean said a recent dock assessment by the Italian Port Authority found that pier conditions prevented the ship from visiting as planned.
Naples was cancelled and replaced with a sea day followed by Marseille.
Our arrival/departure times in Palma, Mallorca, were also changed.
This wasn’t the only sailing to have Naples cancelled, the one after also missed Naples, and only time will tell when the problem will be sorted out.
This wasn’t us personally deciding not to get off the ship in Naples. The ship itself did not make the scheduled port call due to a dock assessment by the Italian Port Authority deeming it unsafe for the Legend to dock at the pier.
The ship had nearly reached Naples, when it did a complete U-turn and headed off to Marsailles instead.
You can see this clearly on my Cruise Globe app – which shows the actual route taken by the ship (not the scheduled route).
You can download this app for free here:
The One Thing I Was Waiting For
After hearing the Captain’s announcement, I wanted an official letter confirming the itinerary change.
Travel insurers may ask for evidence that the cruise line cancelled/missed the port.
A verbal announcement onboard isn’t particularly useful once you’re home trying to make a claim.
Ideally you want something from the cruise line stating:
- Which port was missed
- That the cruise line cancelled the call
- The reason, if available
- The revised itinerary/date
Royal Caribbean Actually Mentioned Insurance In The Letter
Royal Caribbean specifically wrote: “Feel free to use this letter for insurance purposes.”
This made it very clear that this was the document passengers should keep.
The letter also showed the original itinerary change and the replacement visit to Marseille.
I would recommend you photograph and save paperwork like this carefully, rather than assuming you’ll be able to find another copy later. No letter – no compensation!
What Is Missed Port Cover?
Some cruise/travel insurance policies pay a fixed amount if your cruise ship fails to visit a scheduled port.
It isn’t automatically included with every insurance policy.
The amount and qualifying circumstances vary considerably between insurers.
The policies I have taken out tend to give you £75/£100 or $ 100/$135 per missed port, per person on the policy.
There is often a cap on how much you can claim back per cruise.
It is worth checking the wording of your own policy to see if any cancelled port means you can claim back money.
A Cancelled Excursion Refund Is Separate
Royal Caribbean automatically refunded its pre-paid Naples shore excursions. Other cruise lines do the same thing.
In our case, the refund was initially provided as onboard credit, with any refundable amount remaining at the end of the cruise returned to the card that was held on file.
That’s completely separate from making a missed-port claim through travel insurance.
You don’t normally get to claim the cost of something (like shore excursions) that the cruise line has already refunded. After all, you haven’t actually lost that money; you aren’t “out of pocket”.
If you have booked an independent excursion in port, you are on your own! Some companies will refund you if your ship doesn’t make it into port – others will not!
What To Do If Your Cruise Misses A Port
Don’t panic. It happens for lots of reasons – weather, operational, port or safety reasons.
Listen carefully to the Captain’s/cruise line’s announcement.
Check your cabin, app, email or Guest Services for written confirmation.
Keep or photograph anything confirming the missed port.
Check your insurance policy to see whether you have missed-port cover.
Keep any other documents your insurer asks for, such as your original itinerary and booking confirmation.
When I sailed on P&O’s Arvia, the weather for our port stop in Lisbon looked terrible, and the Captain didn’t think he would be able to dock safely. The port stop was cancelled the day before we were due to visit.
I was able to claim for that on my travel insurance.
P&O then decided that the next day, they would make an unscheduled stop at Gibraltar. The weather was wonderful, and I much prefer that port stop anyway! It was a win – win situation!
Have a look at that eventful cruise below. We had bad weather, missed ports, a medical evacuation – we even had to turn around to pick up a lost lifeboat. (Luckily the lifeboat was empty!)
The Important Bit
The thing I cared about on my Legend of the Seas cruise wasn’t knowing why Naples had been cancelled – it was that I needed proof that the cruise line had cancelled it.
If your insurance has missed-port cover, that boring-looking piece of paper delivered to your cabin could actually be worth money.
Don’t chuck it in the bin with the Daily Planner!
We had a similar missed port situation when I took a Christmas cruise on P&O’s Ventura. We got SO close to docking at Madeira, then the Captain made a last-minute decision that it was too unsafe, turned the ship around and sailed away again!
On this occasion, we had to go to Reception and ask for a letter from P&O; they didn’t automatically supply it.
It was rather disappointing to miss Madeira, as it is a lovely port stop. But of course, safety must come first, and we understood the Captain’s decision.
Hear all about that in the video below:
My advice would be, if your cruise has missed a port stop, check if missed port cover is included in your insurance policy. You might be glad you did!
Before You Go
Find out why you need travel insurance and how to get it here:
Cruise Travel Insurance – Why You Need it and How to Get It: (Step by Step Illustrated Guide)
You can often buy a better policy for less money by organising your own travel insurance, not just buying the cruise line’s policy. Find out more here:
Should You Buy Your Travel Insurance Through The Cruise Line or Directly from an Insurance Company?
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