CONSUMER advocacy group
CHOICE has urged cruisers to take
out travel insurance, revealing
48% of 258 Voice Your Choice
respondents didn’t take out travel
insurance at the time of making
their booking.
In the survey, which took a look
at the top things which can “rock
the boat”, 8% of respondents
didn’t take out any travel
insurance at all.
Just under half said destination
is a key reason for choosing to
go on a cruise, but the watchdog
advised “It’s a good idea not to
have your heart set on reaching
a particular destination when
going on a cruise, since changes
to itineraries are particularly
common”.
The majority (79%) of survey
respondents reported booking
onshore activities with the cruise
company came at a premium.
CHOICE advised going local
might often be cheaper, but that
cruise-organised tours come with
the guarantee the ship will wait
if the tour is delayed and doesn’t
make it back on time.
The quiz found 37% chose to
do a mix of activities offered by
the cruise company and those
they planned on their own, while
29% only participated in activities
offered by the cruise ship.
“If you think the term ‘all
inclusive’ applies to cruises,
then think again,” CHOICE said,
reminding consumers on board
optional extras are common
practice.
The value of these extras
split respondents, with 54%
considering the prices charged
as expensive, while 44% said
prices were reasonable or even
somewhat inexpensive.
Another bugbear for the
cruisers was internet access, the
price of on board medical services
& prices at on board retail shops.
Getting sick was also a top
concern, with 85% of respondents
reporting they were worried
about catching norovirus.
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