As Cruise Bookings Increase During Wave Season, Travelers Look to Protect their Options & Investments

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New Cruise Plus Insurance Provides 100% Cash Back for More Covered Reasons

RICHMOND, Va., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The travel industry fondly refers to the first quarter of the year as "wave season" because the cold weather drives Americans to reserve vacations for warm-weather cruises. By booking early, travelers can usually get the best price and secure a cabin on their ideal cruise. However, the earlier you book, the greater the chance that some unforeseen incident, like sickness, or work or family obligations, may cause you to cancel your trip. The safest, most economical bet is to reserve a cruise early and buy travel insurance at the same time just in case you have to cancel.

Travel insurance offerings vary widely, from deluxe comprehensive plans to niche policies, so travelers should be careful to choose coverage that is right for them. Access America has recently introduced a new travel insurance and assistance plan designed just for cruisers. Available exclusively through travel agents, Access America Cruise Plus provides significant advantages for cruise vacations, especially those booked far in advance, including 100% cash back for more covered reasons for cancellation.

"Since cruise vacations represent a significant investment, travelers need insurance that is affordable and covers a variety of reasons for cancellation. Cruise Plus gives 100% cash back to insured travelers if they must cancel their trip for a covered reason," said Beth Godlin, Senior Vice President of Travel Markets at Access America, noting that cruise lines also offer insurance, but those plans typically provide refunds in the form of a partial cruise credit that have to be used within a year. Also, the cruise lines' plans usually lack coverage for third-party airline tickets and financial default.

"Many travelers don't realize that the cruise lines' cancel-for-any-reason policy is usually refunded with partial cruise credits that have stipulations and expiration dates. A credit ties up your money and may expire before you can use it," Godlin explains. "Statistics show that most travelers cancel trips for covered reasons, not because they just change their minds."

Access America Cruise Plus was designed to outperform the coverage offered by cruise lines by offering the following advantages:

* 100% cash back, not partial cruise credits, when a cruiser cancels for
a covered reason

* Coverage available for cruise line bankruptcy and supplier default

* Waiver available for pre-existing conditions

* Coverage available for airline tickets bought separately from the
cruise

Cruise Plus is sold exclusively by travel agents and is available for passengers sailing on Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Agents who want to sell Access America products, including Cruise Plus, should visit http://www.accessamerica.com/ and click on Travel Agents, or contact an Access America Sales Representative at (800) 284-8300.

About Access America

Access America provides travel insurance and assistance to millions of travelers each year. As the travel division of World Access Service Corp., a global leader in insurance products and emergency assistance services, Access America uses cutting-edge technology to deliver customized solutions that increase revenue and enhance value for travel agents, travel suppliers, credit card companies and more. World Access Service Corp. is a member of the Mondial Assistance Group, an international leader in travel insurance and assistance with operations centers in 28 countries. Visit http://www.accessamerica.com/.

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