This Phoenix woman thought she was covered when she was hospitalized during a ‘dream’ 72-day cruise — and then her insurer denied her $45K claim. Here’s why and what to know before you travel

“I thought, ‘We’re going to be gone a long time,’” she told Arizona’s Family News, “‘we better cover ourselves.’ So I went ahead and paid for it on both trips, just as a precaution.”

Unfortunately, the safety net vanished when they needed it most. Now, they’re left with a little more than $45,000 in uncovered expenses, despite having paid for a policy they thought would protect them.

A $45,000 shock

Wuensche fell ill and was hospitalized once the family arrived in Japan.

“So, [the doctor] said, ‘How long can I keep you in the hospital?’ And I said, ‘How about one day?’” Wuensche said. “And he said, ‘No, you need to cancel the whole rest of your trip.’”

The second cruise was canceled, and Wuensche spent a total of 57 days in the hospital.

“The doctors knew very few [English] words,” she said. “When they first discovered it was COVID, I was put in isolation so my family couldn’t even visit. I was really in isolation. It was tough.”

Wuensche knew the bills would be steep, but she felt reassured by the insurance she’d purchased.

When she got home, Wuensche filed a claim with Aon, the company affiliated with the cruise line.

Instead of reimbursement, Wuensche says she faced months of silence and repeated requests for more documents.

“It is frustrating because you think you can go there with peace of mind knowing if something happens, you’re OK,” she said. “And unfortunately for us, something happened.”

After months of back and forth, Aon responded. According to the company, Wuensche’s policy only covered her cruise, not the medical emergency that caused her to cancel it.

They agreed to cover the $8,000 cruise cancellation fee, but not the $45,000-plus in hospital and hotel costs.

“It should be covered. Absolutely,” Wuensche said.

The policy did save the family from cruise cancellation penalties, but it left them on the hook for the much larger cost: the actual medical emergency.

It’s a tough lesson in the realities of travel insurance.

Travel insurance can be quite specific, and even a slight change in your itinerary can make your coverage null and void.

The fine print travelers can miss

For millions of Americans, like Wuensche, travel insurance feels like peace of mind.

According to Hotel News Resource, the number of paid claims for travel delays grew by 15% in 2024, with average payouts rising by 8% compared to 2023. The most common claims were emergency medical ones — for the first time in more than a decade — making up 27% of all paid claims.

However, insurance can feel like a maze of fine print, exclusions and technical loopholes that most travelers only likely discover after their claims are denied.