Such an event might cause you to cut short your cruise or cause your trip to be canceled altogether.  Since the cruise business works on a small profit margin per person,  most cruise lines impose penalties for canceling a cruise within 60 days of departure, up to and including loss of the entire cruise price.  A few lines penalize for cancellations as much as 90 or 120 days in advance of departure.     If you get a last minute cruise deal you may take the chance and not get the insurance since it would be so close to the cruise date anyway.   But Murphy's Law seems to be par for the course so when you have insurance you can feel assured that you will be covered.    

           Because cruises are not only an  investment in your time in planning for your special getaway but for the cost that you will be paying.   So it just seems reasonable to  have some form of insurance to protect yourself.   Cruise lines encourage their passengers to get insurance so that you will not suffer from any financial loss in the event something happens.   This holds true for auto and house insurance.   Then if some event does happen that would interrupt your much anticipated vacation,  you'll be able to recoup your losses and be able to plan again when possible.   Details and prices vary from each cruise line.   Some lines even cover airfare tickets  and some have exclusions.  

           Based on the input that this site has received, most travelers strongly recommend that  you  purchase insurance.  The cost is not that high when you consider the possible benefits.   There are at least two options available to you.  You can go with the cruise line's plan or use our independent insurance provider, CSA.   Both are good plans and some offer more coverage than others.