Emerald Sky docked across from the Parliament building in Budapest. © 2016 Ralph Grizzle

Emerald Cruises is taking the stress out of trip planning by offering a River Cruise Travel Guarantee. The program, which was first launched by Emerald Cruises sister company Scenic Luxury Cruises last year, is being offered to all travelers at no charge. The guarantee is backed by Chubb Insurance, a top global insurance firm, to automatically cover every guest on the commencement of their cruise for any delays or cancellations due to weather, natural disasters, mechanical breakdowns or labor strikes.

Coverage will include high/low water issues that plague the industry every year, and approved claimants will receive direct monetary refunds, up to US$475 (CAD$600) per day with a maximum of seven days or US$3,325 (CAD$4,200) per guest, instead of the industry standard of future cruise credits.

“The River Cruise Guarantee is a natural extension of our Exceptional Emerald Value brand promise,” says Lisa Norton, Vice President of Brand Management for Emerald Cruises, North America. “We hope our guests never experience unforeseen events on their journey, but if they do, we feel good that we have their best interests at heart with the most comprehensive insurance policy in the cruise industry.”

In the event an Emerald Cruises cruise is delayed or cancelled once it has commenced and before disembarkation, guests will be reimbursed for some or all of their cruise fare (up to the aforementioned cap) under the following circumstances:

• A complete halt to the itinerary where the Star-Ship is unable to sail and where Emerald Cruises cannot deliver the scheduled shore excursions except by way of coach rides of greater than three hours each way;
• Where Emerald Cruises has the ability to accommodate guests on another Emerald ship due to high/low water but the itinerary is delayed for more than 24 hours;
• If there is a mechanical breakdown on the ship that results in it not being able to continue the cruise and there are no alternative ships available;
• If due to industrial action (strikes, riots, river or canal lock damage or closure) Emerald is unable to pass through a lock stopping the cruise from continuing.

The insurance is designed to insure for unforeseen events rather than minor delays or deviations. Embarkation or disembarkation less than 100 kilometers from the scheduled port, ship swaps that do not incur a delay of more than 24 hours, replacement of scheduled itinerary activities with alternates of similar quality, and short term delays in the itinerary due to high/low water issues are examples of items that do not meet the criteria for insurance coverage.

Emerald Cruises strongly recommends its guests purchase personal travel insurance, as the River Cruise Travel Guarantee does not cover travelers for the cost of trips should they be unable to commence or finish a trip due to their own personal or medical issues or for medical needs or evacuation during the cruise.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours’ Family of Brands has grown over its 30-year history to include award-winning, all-inclusive escorted tours that take participants to many of the world’s most fascinating destinations; two award-winning river cruise lines – Scenic and Emerald Cruises; and, in 2018, the World’s First Discovery Yacht – Scenic Eclipse. Emerald Cruises’ seven Star-Ships offer deluxe cruises in Europe, the Mekong, and Russia, while Scenic’s 15 Space-Ships offer the only truly all-inclusive, five-star river cruises in the same destinations as well as the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar.