Are worries about losing your job holding you back from booking a cruise? You might want to take another look at Carnival Cruise Line, which is following in the footsteps of Norwegian Cruise Line and JetBlue in offering "job loss insurance" to customers.

Carnival today announced it was enhancing its Cruise Vacation Protection insurance plan to include a clause that will give cruisers a full refund if they need to cancel due to a job loss.

The new job loss clause will kick in if a Carnival customer who has purchased the Vacation Protection plan is terminated by their employer after they have booked a voyage but before they set sail. The customer has to have worked for the employer for at least one continuous year.

Carnival also announced several other enhancements today to its travel insurance plan, including the addition of a severe weather watch/warning protection clause. The clause provides reimbursement in the event the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and/or National Weather Service issues or maintains a severe weather watch or warning within 48 hours of a cruise departure. Should the watch or warning affect either the cruise departure city or the passenger's route to that city, the plan will allow for cancellation and reimbursement up to the full amount of the cruise cost.

Another new weather protection feature provides that if a passenger is traveling to the cruise departure port via a common carrier (airplane, bus, train, etc.) and inclement weather ultimately causes the passenger to miss 50% or more of  the cruise vacation, the passenger may receive reimbursement up to the total cost of the cruise. 

The new clauses will apply to customers who buy Carnival's Vacation Protection Plan starting today.  The plan, administered by insurance company BerkelyCare, must be purchased at least 14 days prior to the start of a cruise. Prices start at $49 per person and vary by cruise length.

Some travel insurance plans that cruisers can buy from independent insurance companies include a job loss insurance clause, but it has not been a common feature with the policies sold directly by cruise lines. Norwegian Cruise Line added a similar job loss protection to its travel insurance plan in February.

For more information call Tyus Tours & Travel at 1-866-547-5362