Traveling is a fantastic and enriching investment. People are traveling in huge numbers, too, with over $640 billion spent on leisure travel in 2014 according to the US Travel Association. If you’re not careful during the Hurricane Season, however, your traveling plans could fall through. This is particularly true of cruises, which commonly travel through hurricane-building waters to places that are affected by hurricanes.

For the Atlantic, hurricane season starts June 1 and ends on November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center. For the Eastern Pacific, hurricane season begins May 15 and also ends on November 30. The Weather Channel reports that eight named storms formed in the Atlantic Basin in 2014. Of those, six became hurricanes and two reached major hurricane status. The Eastern Pacific, meanwhile, saw 20 named storms, with 15 becoming hurricanes.

So if you’re planning to take a cruise this summer, we recommend travelers insurance. That way, you’ll be reimbursed if your cruise plans are derailed by threatening weather.

What does Travel Insurance cover?

It’s important to choose travelers insurance that fits your plans. If you have a travelers insurance plan that only covers airfare, that won’t help you if your cruise gets canceled. So you’ll want to make sure you get a plan that’s geared toward cruise travel.

You also want to tailor your travelers insurance around trip cancelation and interruption due to bad weather. Make sure to get coverage early, too, because insurance companies sometimes won’t offer insurance after a hurricane’s been named, even if you haven’t left for your cruise yet.

Once you have these particulars lined up, your insurance should cover cancelations as a result of dangerous weather.

What kind of reimbursement will you receive?

Although policies vary from company to company, you’ll generally receive a full reimbursement of travel expenses with travel insurance. As long as there’s adequate reason for the cancelation (and you didn’t choose to cancel preemptively because of possible bad weather), you should even be reimbursed non-refundable costs.

If your cruise is canceled halfway through, you’ll probably receive a comparable portion of the reimbursement, because you’ve actually taken part of the trip. Your policy could even cover any travel as a result of cancelation, in case your cruise ship docks unexpectedly in a foreign place.

Again, it’s important to nail down the specifics of your plan, so you’re fully covered. That’s why you’ll want to examine your trip for possible losses. For example, if you have to fly into your port, you’ll want to choose a plan that covers the flight if you’re forced to cancel.

Cruise lines may also reimburse you, depending on their policies. Not all do, so travelers insurance is still important, but any reimbursement from the cruise line will most likely be deducted from your insurance’s reimbursement. Cruise lines may also add credits to your account or allow you to take another cruise in place of the canceled one. This usually counts as reimbursement.

Cruises are a relaxing way to spend your summer vacation, and we encourage you to plan for one. Just make sure you’re covered should a hurricane strike.

Have a conflict with your travelers insurance company? Contact an Orlando insurance lawyer today at the Law Offices of Michael B. Brehne. We have offices in Orlando, Melbourne, and Tampa.