What is Cruise Ship Return Transport?
If you’re evacuated from a cruise ship due to a physician-ordered air ambulance transport, MASA will coordinate and pay for eligible one-way commercial airfare for you and a companion. This allows you to return to the nearest airport to the cruise so you can rejoin the ship if it’s still sailing, or head to the final disembarkation port.
This membership protection is available once you’ve been discharged from the medical facility and are medically able to fly without causing further injury. It also requires that you choose to return to your cruise rather than head home. Coverage is provided worldwide, subject to travel notice requirements and destination-based exclusions.
Why do I need Cruise Ship Return Transport?
Being transported off a cruise ship for emergency medical care can leave you far from your ship, your itinerary, and your plans. Even after you’ve recovered enough to return to your trip, arranging and paying for last-minute international airfare to catch up with your cruise can be stressful and expensive.
This protection helps remove that burden by coordinating your return to the ship and covering the cost, so you can focus on recovering and continuing your trip.
Cruise Ship Return Transport in action
Picture this: You’re on a cruise in the Caribbean, spending the day at sea, when you suddenly develop severe chest pain. The ship’s medical team evaluates you and determines you need immediate care that can’t be provided onboard. You’re airlifted by helicopter to a hospital on a nearby island for emergency treatment.
After a few days in the hospital, you’re stabilized, discharged, and cleared to fly — but your cruise ship has already continued on to its next ports of call. Now you’re faced with figuring out how to catch up, navigating international flights, timing, and cost on your own.
With MASA’s Cruise Ship Return Transport membership protection, that burden is handled for you. Your return is coordinated, and one-way airfare is arranged for you and a companion to an airport near the ship's final destination, so you can rejoin your trip instead of ending it early.
