A cruise can be something special to look forward to after a cancer diagnosis. It might be a long-planned holiday, time away with family, a celebration after treatment or simply a chance to get back to travelling in a way you enjoy.
But cancer can also add questions that were not part of planning your previous holidays. Can you get travel insurance for a cruise if you have cancer? Can you travel while having treatment? What medication should you take? What happens if you become unwell while you are away?
Having cancer does not necessarily mean that a cruise is out of reach.
Whether you are currently receiving treatment, recovering, in remission or living with cancer longer term, what matters is your individual health, treatment and the trip you are planning.
At Lighthouse Travel Insurance, we help people living with and recovering from cancer explore cover that takes their medical circumstances into account.
This guide brings together some of the practical things to think about before a cruise, so you can deal with the important questions before you leave and spend more of your holiday concentrating on the places you travel to and people you are travelling with.
Can you get travel insurance for a cruise if you have cancer?
Yes, travel insurance may be available if you are living with cancer, receiving treatment, have completed treatment or are in remission.
When you get a quote with Lighthouse, you will complete a travel insurance medical screening. We may ask about your cancer diagnosis, treatment, medication, current health and ongoing care.
Someone travelling shortly after chemotherapy may have very different circumstances from someone who finished treatment several years ago. Similarly, somebody taking ongoing cancer medication may have different considerations from somebody who no longer needs treatment.
The screening process helps us understand your circumstances as they are today and assess the cover available to you.
You do not need to decide which parts of your medical history are relevant before you start. Our medical screening process will guide you through the questions we need to ask.
It is important to answer those questions accurately so you can be confident that you have declared the medical information we need.
Planning a cruise with cancer
There is no single way to plan a cruise after a cancer diagnosis.
Your considerations will depend on your health, where you are in treatment or recovery, the itinerary you have chosen and how you are feeling.
A few practical checks before booking can help you decide whether the trip works for your circumstances.
Speak to your healthcare team
If you are receiving treatment, have recently finished treatment, have had surgery or have concerns about travelling, discuss your cruise plans with your consultant, specialist nurse or another member of your healthcare team.
Tell them where you are planning to go, how long you will be away and how you will be travelling.
They can advise whether your current health and treatment make the trip appropriate and whether there are any precautions that apply specifically to you.
Being able to arrange travel insurance and being medically fit to travel are separate considerations.
Plan around treatment and appointments
Check that your cruise dates do not clash with treatment, blood tests, scans, follow-up appointments or other care your healthcare team considers important.
If you are receiving treatment in cycles, do not assume that the gap between hospital appointments will automatically be a suitable time to travel.
How you feel and your medical circumstances can change throughout a treatment cycle.
Ask your healthcare team whether there is a time when you may be better able to travel, and do not change, delay or miss treatment to fit around a holiday unless this has been agreed with them.
Visit our pages on Travel Insurance During Active Cancer Treatment and Travelling During and After Cancer Treatment for extra information.
Think about the whole itinerary
A cruise holiday includes more than the time you spend onboard.
Think about how you will reach your departure point, how demanding the journey will be, the destinations you will visit and what you want to do when you get there.
If fatigue, pain, breathlessness or reduced mobility affects you, consider how much walking, standing and travelling your plans involve.
You may prefer to leave some flexibility around days ashore rather than feeling that you have to fit something into every stop.
If you need assistance with part of your journey, check what support is available from the relevant travel providers before you leave.
Know how you would get medical help
Before travelling, think about how you would access medical assistance if you became unwell.
You may find it useful to ask your cruise operator what medical support is available onboard and what you should do if you need medical help during the trip.
You should also think about access to appropriate healthcare at the destinations on your itinerary, particularly if your healthcare team has given you specific instructions about when to seek urgent medical advice.
Keep your travel insurer’s emergency assistance details somewhere you can access them easily, and make sure somebody travelling with you knows where to find them.
Check the latest travel advice
Check the latest Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice for the destinations on your itinerary before travelling.
Lighthouse can offer cover for UK, European and Worldwide trips, provided you are not travelling against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s travel advice.
Going on a cruise during cancer treatment
Some people may be able to take a cruise while receiving cancer treatment. Whether that is appropriate will depend on the treatment you are having, how it is affecting you and advice from your healthcare team.
Treatment can include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted treatment, hormone therapy and other forms of ongoing cancer care.
Different treatments can bring different considerations.
You may need to think about:
- Treatment dates and hospital appointments
- Possible side effects
- Your current energy levels
- Infection risk
- Blood tests or monitoring
- Medication and storage requirements
- Vaccinations for the destinations you will visit
- How quickly you could obtain appropriate medical care if you became unwell
Do not judge whether you should travel based on somebody else’s experience of the same cancer or treatment.
Your healthcare team understands your circumstances and is best placed to advise whether the cruise you are considering is appropriate for you.
If you are currently having chemotherapy, you can find more detailed guidance in our dedicated guide.
Going on a cruise after cancer treatment
Finishing treatment can make a holiday feel like an important milestone.
You might have spent months thinking about where you would like to go once appointments became less frequent, or you may simply want a change of scene after a difficult period.
There is no universal waiting period after cancer treatment before you can travel.
Your recovery will depend on the treatment you received, your current health, any ongoing side effects and your healthcare team’s advice.
Finishing treatment also does not necessarily mean that its effects disappear immediately. Fatigue and other treatment effects can sometimes continue during recovery.
If treatment finished recently, speak to your healthcare team about the cruise you are considering and whether the journey and itinerary are suitable for you.
Your first trip after treatment does not have to prove that everything is back to how it was before your diagnosis. Choosing a holiday that works for how you feel now can make it much easier to enjoy being away. For some helpful information, visit our page on Travel Insurance after Cancer Treatment.
Taking cancer medication on a cruise
If you take cancer medication or medicines used to manage treatment side effects, plan what you need well before departure.
Make sure you have enough medication for your whole trip, with additional supplies where appropriate in case your return is delayed.
You may also need to think about:
- Keeping essential medication with you during your journey
- Leaving medication in clearly labelled or original packaging
- Carrying a copy of your prescription or a medical letter where needed
- Storage requirements, including medication that needs to remain within a particular temperature range
- Travelling with liquid medication, needles or syringes
- Restrictions relating to controlled medication
- Managing doses if your itinerary crosses time zones
- What you would do if medication was lost or damaged
If your cruise visits more than one country, check the medication rules that apply to the destinations you will enter. Medicines that are routinely prescribed in the UK can be subject to different rules elsewhere.
Do not stop or change cancer medication to make travelling easier unless your healthcare team has told you to do so.
Travelling with medical equipment or additional supplies
Cancer and its treatment can sometimes mean travelling with equipment or supplies that you did not need before your diagnosis.
This might include stoma supplies, a catheter, injectable medication, mobility equipment or other items you rely on while you are away.
Think about what you normally use during the length of your trip and take additional supplies where appropriate.
Keep important items somewhere accessible rather than relying entirely on luggage that may not always be immediately available.
If you are unsure how to manage particular medical equipment while travelling, speak to the healthcare professional who normally helps you with it.
You may also need to check requirements with your travel provider before departure, particularly where equipment needs special handling, power, storage or additional space.
For more specific guidance, visit the Cancer and Travel Hub or the guide relating to your type of cancer.
What if you need to fly to join your cruise?
Some cruises begin overseas, which can mean flying before or after the cruise itself.
If you have recently had cancer treatment or surgery, or if you experience symptoms such as breathlessness, speak to your healthcare team about whether you are fit to fly.
There is no single waiting period after cancer treatment starts or is completed that applies to everybody.
Your treatment, recovery, blood counts, breathing, risk of blood clots and other medical circumstances may all need to be considered.
Your airline may also have its own medical requirements.
Cruises while your cancer is in remission
Being told your cancer is in remission is a big moment, and many people plan holidays such as a cruise to celebrate.
You may be planning a cruise for the first time after treatment has completed or returning to a type of holiday you have enjoyed for years.
However, even if you have been told your cancer is in remission, you may still need to tell us about your previous cancer diagnosis when completing medical screening, even if treatment has finished and you feel well.
Answer the questions you are asked accurately, including any questions about previous treatment, medication, follow-up appointments, scans or other medical conditions.
If you are still taking medication, make sure you have enough for the duration of your cruise and check any requirements for taking it to the destinations you are visiting.
Declaring cancer on your travel insurance
Your travel insurance needs to reflect your health when you arrange your cover.
When completing your medical screening, you may need to provide information about:
- Your cancer diagnosis
- Treatment you are receiving or have recently completed
- Medication you take
- Surgery you have had
- Ongoing hospital appointments, scans or follow-up care
- Medical conditions or symptoms connected to your cancer or treatment
- Any other medical conditions you have
Do not assume that cancer no longer needs to be mentioned simply because treatment has finished, your condition is stable or you are in remission.
Answer the medical screening questions based on your current circumstances and medical history.
Providing accurate information allows us to assess your circumstances and explain the cover available to you.
If relevant medical information is not declared, it could affect your cover and may mean that a related claim cannot be paid.
What happens if your health changes before your cruise?
There can be a long gap between booking a cruise and the day you travel, and your medical circumstances can change during that time.
If your health changes after buying your policy, contact Lighthouse before you travel.
This could include:
- A new diagnosis
- Starting new treatment
- A change to your treatment plan
- New medication
- A change in an existing medical condition
- New tests or investigations
Do not assume that your existing policy will automatically cover the change.
Contacting Lighthouse means we can review the information and explain whether your policy or cover is affected.
Travel through treatment, remission and beyond
Cancer can change the practicalities of travelling without changing how much a holiday matters.
A cruise might be a celebration after treatment, a chance to spend uninterrupted time with family, a return to a favourite way of travelling or simply the next holiday you want to take.
Lighthouse has been created to support people at different stages of life with and after cancer, from active treatment and recovery to remission and the years that follow.
Why Choose Lighthouse Travel Insurance?
Our policies can offer:
- Up to £10 million emergency medical expenses.
- Up to £10,000 cancellation cover, based on the trip cost per person declared.
- Up to £5,000 cover for your personal belongings, depending on the policy selected.
- 24/7 access to an Emergency Medical Assistance team.
- Cover for UK, European and Worldwide trips, provided you are not travelling against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) travel advice.
- Access to Air Doctor Connect is available on numerous policies, allowing you to connect with over 20,000 doctors in 78 countries. Where non-urgent outpatient treatment is provided through Air Doctor Connect, your policy excess is waived, and you may claim back the cost of prescribed medication when you return home.
Please Note: Any amounts listed above are per insured person on the policy. Cover limits, benefits and exclusions vary between policies. Full details can be found in your policy wording, available in your Customer Area
