The cruise news, reviews and community site, Cruise Critic has been surveying its readers and discovered that an astonishing 58% of them are not put off booking a cruise in hurricane season.

Indeed some, over a quarter of those polled, said they look for Hurricane season deals.

June 1st is the official start of 'Hurricane season' over on the other side of the Atlantic, so it's a timely moment for Cruise Critic to ask cruisers if they will sail during hurricane season. Of the 2,380 cruisers who responded to the survey, 32% said they have already booked a cruise during hurricane season and 26% are hoping to find a hurricane season cruise deal. A further 19% responded that they were undecided. Only 23% said it was too risky and they would not cruise during this time.

Fortunately, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prediction for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season is for a less active season compared to recent years with a near-normal number of named storms expected this year.

"Cruise ships operate year-round in some of the most hurricane-prone regions in the world, yet the chance of actually experiencing a hurricane during a cruise is very slim as cruise lines will re-route ships away from the path of a storm," explained Carolyn Spencer Brown, Cruise Critic editor in chief. "This means itineraries may be changed, and you might experience some rainy days and choppy seas, but hurricane season deals, which offer some of the best prices of the year, will entice cruisers to sail despite the threat of disruption and a cloudy day or two."

Cruise Critic tracks storms and provides round-the-clock updates for cruise travelers at the Cruise Critic Hurricane Zone. The Hurricane Zone offers a resource for news on effected ports and itineraries, as well as essential information on purchasing travel insurance, preparing for hurricane season sailings and hurricane season cruise deals.

Image: James Melzer