GREENSBORO, N.C. — Right now, some travelers who left the Port of Baltimore on a cruise ship, won't be porting back in the same place. The Baltimore Key Bridge collapse is creating all kinds of chaos, including in the travel world.
Fortunately, there are only two ships, the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas and Carnival's Pride ship that leave from the Maryland-based port. At least one of those cruise lines is due back in in less than a week.
"Both cruise lines are implementing the Norfolk Cruise Terminal which really isn't in use. They're coming into Norfolk and the cruise lines are bussing the passengers back to Baltimore," said Ginny Maurer of Cruise Planners.
Maurer says for the foreseeable future the plan is for all Baltimore cruises to now go in and out from Norfolk. Thankfully, Baltimore is not a major cruise port. To put it into context for you she says about 450,00 people cruise out of there per year. Compare that with Port Canaveral in Florida with 6.8 million passengers a year. It is the busiest port.
The big 2 Wants To Know takeaway from all this is travel insurance and there's a difference in who covers what.
"Cruise lines sell insurance but generally, that only includes the cruise portion, and for some of those they will only give you a cruise credit. What we recommend is third-party travel insurance which covers you from the day you book it and everything, air, hotel, even if you had a car accident on your way, all those incidental things," said Maurer.
Maurer shared the names of two insurance companies her business uses the most: Allianz and Trip Mate.
"I would note that even within the companies all policies and who you purchase it from are not created equal. It is very important to review the coverages and terms and conditions," said Maurer.
Keep in mind, that your regular medical insurance will cover you in the States, but on a cruise ship or internationally, your coverage can be limited.