Ill Winds Cruise the Caribbean

In the wake of Hurricane Flossie, and with the development of Hurricane Dean and Tropical Storm Erin, August is blowing in the most active period of Hurricane Season 2007. Experts predict a busier than average storm season, forecasting as many as sixteen tropical storms with nine reaching hurricane strength. If you have a Caribbean cruise booked in the next few months, you should be planning more than what you'll wear on formal night. While predictions aren't always accurate, it's wise to be prepared.

Peter Evans, Executive VP of InsureMyTrip.com, advises, "With several more weeks of summer still to enjoy and the rapidly approaching fall travel season, travel insurance is the best protection for tropical vacations in hurricane prone areas. The key is to plan ahead as trip cancellation and interruption protection is based on the occurrence of unforeseen events. This means you need to purchase coverage before a tropical storm or hurricane is named and possibly affects a part of your itinerary." You also need to know that not all policies are created equally. "Coverage for weather-related trip cancellations and interruptions differs by company and plan," explains Evans. The coverage spectrum includes:

• Common carrier (airline, cruise line) stops travel to a particular destination due to weather
• Destination uninhabitable -- if your hotel or vacation resort is devastated by a storm
• Your own home sustains storm damage and is made uninhabitable
• Cancel for Any Reason -- 75% of your trip cost can be recovered

Another reason to plan ahead is to maximize the complete range of benefits offered by trip cancellation policies. The majority of policies require that you make your purchase within 7 to 21 days of your initial trip deposit to be eligible for financial default protection and coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Travel insurance is a prudent investment that provides peace-of-mind protection. To find a protection plan that best suits your needs, visit InsureMyTrip.com, the world's leading, consumer-oriented on-line travel insurance aggregator.

Get more information from CruiseDiva.com: Here's how a storm could impact your cruise!