Crazy to cruise during hurricane season?

[disneynutt1225]

I've never been on a cruise before, and I want to take my family on a cruise when my DH comes home next summer (early August). It would be kind of a combination family trip/anniversary trip for my parents plus it would give them a much needed vacation that they wouldn't necessarily go on otherwise.

So, I was talking to my mother about it today and she said I would HATE to cruise during hurricane season because of the rough waters. Is this a bad idea?

Help a cruising newbie out. Oh, and it would probably be Norwegian Cruise Line if that makes a difference.

 

[ducklite]

We cruised DCL the last week of August and RCCL the first week of October, both in the Caribbean. Smooth waters on both.

That said, buy insurance.

Anne

 

[mommasita]

No, I have done it a few times. We only got caught once with Hurricane Jeanne...The great part about cruising is the weather. The captain will do his finest (and it is fine) to steer out of ALL storms, and into sunshine. If you stay at a resort, you are stuck with the weather, good or bad..

I can say INSURANCE, INSURANCE, INSURANCE....It is a small price to pay considering the cost of your cruise, and secondly don't cruise for the ports of call, they can change at any time, especially in hurricane season...

We had a great time, even stuck with Jeanne at sea. We NEVER saw bad weather, not once....We had to port a day early, and were fully taken care of at DW by DCL...We rented a car to come home, and our insurance reimbursed us the full amount, plus all meals..

That is my 2 cents.

 

[Beth76]

No it's not crazy. Just make sure you buy travel insurance. The good thing about cruising is the ships can get out of the way of hurricanes. So as long as your departure port doesn't get hit right before your cruise you should be fine. Your itinerary may be changed but that could happen at any time for any reason.

I'm taking a cruise this November. But I will not take a land vacation to the caribbean during hurricane season ever again. We were in Mexico when Wilma hit.

 

[DMickey28]

It's a Crap shoot seriously.

I have done two cruises in the Fall. One was October 2004, my wedding. It was our second cruise and it was fabulous. We got married on the first day of the cruise. Never thought to get cruise insurance. Weather was as perfect as could be. We went out of San Juan and did the Southern Caribbean. We went on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas.

Second one was October 2005. It was horrible. It was out of Ft. Lauderdale and was a Western Caribbean cruise. We scooted out of here just before Wilma hit, (I think it was Wilma) it was between the two that crossed Florida that year. We ended up with 5 days at sea and stopped at a few random islands. The seas where horrible and being locked up on the cruise ship that long was tough. We cruised with family both times. This cruise was Princess Cruise Lines.

Good Luck making the decision. Cruise insurance wasn't all that expensive but it wouldn't have helped for the cruise we were on, just if it was cancelled or something. I watched the hurricane's the whole season but it came down to there being nothing you could do when one was coming. We ended up leaving Ft. Lauderdale a few hours before schedule for that second cruise.

You can get amazing last minute deals in the Spring as well. Then you are pretty safe from everything except the random thunderstorm!

 

[disneynutt1225]

Thanks for all the advice! I figured it would be ok, but it never hurts to ask. I think my mother has only cruised twice in her life and that was back in the 80's so I'm sure things have changed since then. I would probably get the insurance whether I was traveling during hurricane season or not - I'd rather be paranoid than unprotected.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We cruised a couple of weeks ago; my mom was a little anxious about the hurricane issues but we didn't have any problems. Got the trip insurance just in case (included when booking through Costco).

The prices were GREAT that time of year!

 

[Green Tea]

Great time to cruise. The only time you'd have rough waters in the summer would be if there was a storm and the captain would stear out of the way. Summer seas were calmer than winter, in our experience.

 

[tevagirl]

Our first two cruises were in October and we lucked out with perfect weather. I would definitely buy the insurance but I wouldn't hesitate to go at that time of year again.

 

[Karel]

The sea can be rough at any time of the year. We were at sea three years ago when a hurricane came roaring through the Caribbean and Florida. We had five seconds of rain and one day of rough sea in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricanes can keep you guessing so you need to be flexible. Ports can change quickly and you could be leaving the ship sooner that expected.

Buy trip insurance and some seasick meds and have fun.

 

[lsyorke]

We cruised to Bermuda quite a few years ago in September. NEVER again!! We cruised back in Hurricane Gloria. Horrendous!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

no big deal really, we often travel that time of year. The ships can out manuever the storms...we sailed during Hortense: at one point it shifted course and we were headed toward each other, so the Capt just changed course so we dropped down behind it - seas never got all that rough.

we have had really rough seas (halloween cruise 2006) coming into Port Canaveral with no hurricane anywhere near - so you just never know....

I would get the insurance - I think the biggest deal is getting to the cruise and missed days at ports, etc...

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I'd rather be paranoid than unprotected.

THAT would make a great tag!

 

[pppiglet]

As much as I plan for my vacation, I would hate for the plans to be ruined, so I personally would never plan a cruise during hurricane season. (or a land vacation)

 

[Mom2Angels]

I wouldn't do it again, we didn't have rough waters or anything serious, but last October we were on the Carnival Pride and were supposed to sail to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallarta, and due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Paul we ended up in beautiful Ensenada (not), San Diego (even worse) and Catalina (been there, done that) actually done them all since I live in Southern California. Soooooo many people got of the boat once we got to Ensenada and took buses back to Long Beach, we didn't because we had relatives we met from Michigan so we were able to spend time with them, it was still very disappointing after planning for a year.

Like the othes said, make sure you get insurance.

Debbie

 

[MrsPete]

No problem! I've cruised twice during hurricane season without difficulty. You just have to know what you're getting into. Here's the good and the bad:

Prices are considerably lower during hurricane season (which, by the way, makes up a full 25% of the year!).

Cruise ships always sail -- they just don't always sail to the places where they're scheduled to sail. If there's a hurricane down around Jamaica, and it'd be dangerous to go there, the captain is authorized to make changes to the itinerary. The ships (and the weather service) are very precise in their hurricane-tracking, so you'll never be in any danger. So you might have an extra day at sea (far from any rain), or you might end up visiting a "surprise" island.

The ship is MOBILE. You will not be taken anywhere near a hurricane, so the water will not be more rough during this season. Large cruise ships have stabilizers, and you're not likely to feel more movement at any particular time of year. If you're very worried about seasickness, book a mid-ship cabin on a low deck; you'll feel less movement there than at other points on the ship.

The weather during hurricane season is ideal: warm enough to be comfortable in shorts during the day, but not so hot that you'll sweat; chilly enough that you'll need a jacket after dark.

Occasionally the hurricane might affect the port city from which you're scheduled to sail -- it could change your cruise dates. If you're scheduled to sail out on Sunday, but the ship cannot dock, the people onboard may get an extra day (or two!) of cruising, while you may end up boarding on a Monday or Tuesday. When you're making your reservations months ahead, there is no way to predict this, and there's no good answer to the problem, if it should arise. However, it is very, very rare.

Most people fly to their cruise port city. It's possible that a hurricane could disrupt air traffic, and you could have difficulty getting to your port (or getting home). Again, this is rare. Also, it's not going to be dangerous; it's just a matter of whether you can get to the ship.

If you're going to cruise during hurricane season, you should get insurance. If you should be unable to reach the ship because of weather, you would receive a refund for your cruise. Also, if you were to find yourself stuck in your port city because of weather, your insurance would pay your hotel bill. It would be disappointing, but you could re-book for a later date.

Yes, it IS a risk to cruise during hurricane season, but it's our favorite time of year to cruise! Just look into all the details and decide whether the risks are worthwhile for your circumstances.

 

[disneynutt1225]

Thank you all for the great information! I really appreciate it. MrsPete, I'm going to print out your post and show it to my mother. She made it seem like we were going to be cruising in a sardine can. I knew I could count on the DIS to get the real scoop!

 

[Karel]

I wouldn't do it again, we didn't have rough waters or anything serious, but last October we were on the Carnival Pride and were supposed to sail to Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallarta, and due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Paul we ended up in beautiful Ensenada (not), San Diego (even worse) and Catalina (been there, done that) actually done them all since I live in Southern California. Debbie

You do need a relaxed attitude for hurricane season. Due to Frances, we skipped Key West, sailed to Castaway Cay early, made it to Cozumel and Grand Caymen, took side trips to Costa Maya and Texas and ended up in Port Everglades. Our van was at Port Canaval and we spent several days wondering if it was floating in the Atlantic.

It was definetly an adventure, wondering where we would end up. But there was enough to do on the cruise ship and that was special enough, so it didn't really matter where we were.

 

[scarlett873]

We just returned from a cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess about 2 weeks ago! It was fabulous...even if we did have Hurricane Dean beating down the back door...

We had zero rough water, until the very last day of the cruise. And that may have been a combination of the impending hurricane and the captain hauling *** to get us out of the path. I felt a little movement every now and then throughout the week, but I really felt it that day. However, I popped a dramamine every day, like clockwork, before bed. Except for the second to last night. For some reason, I forgot it and that could have been why I may have felt it more than before. Not sure...DH says that he felt movement a lot more on the last day too. He never took any of the dramamine the whole week. BTW, our cabin was about as mid-ship as you could get. We were in an inside cabin on the Caribe deck...right in the middle of the ship!

The cruise for the week after us was supposed to be a Western Caribbean itinerary. (We did Eastern) There were some folks who were planning to stay on board for a full two week cruise. Because of Dean, they did the same cruise twice! We heard all of the announcements for them and the captain said that they would be doing the same itinerary they had just done, only in reverse. Some people were mad, but most were thankful that their vacation was "saved" from the nasty weather.

We had beautiful weather all week too! The only rain we had were two 5 minute showers while in St Martin, and then some cloudiness and a little rain the morning of our day on Princess Cays. The sun came out after about an hour or so once on the beach. The sun was shining each and every day for us!

I would cruise during hurricane season again...but not without trip insurance!! Better to be safe than sorry...