Cruising Bahamas during hurricane season

[lovedisneycruise]

So for the first time my daughter and I are going to attempt a last minute September cruise--specifically Labor Day week. I've read over the years how if bad weather is close/imminent that an Eastern may become a Western, and vice versa. However, we are only taking the 4-day Bahama on the Dream this time, partly because of schedules and partly in case of a hurricane I am hoping I'd be less disappointed.

I'm usually beyond excited for an upcoming Disney cruise, but I find my anxiety worsening as I compulsively check the NOAA hurricane tracker. (and yes, this is probably not the best time of year for me to go, but it's a rarity for us and a necessity due to need to get away--WDW/DCL is my happy place, hopefully even in September) So my question is how do they adjust a Bahama cruise if weather is bad? It's not like there are alternative ports to Nassau or CC they can head to--correct? Do they just plow through or head out to sea near those ports?? I'm hoping someone here can answer this or has experience with these shorter cruises. I thought about calling DCL, but figured I'd get better answers here.

Hoping for some reassurance it might be ok so that I spend the next week excited for my first last-minute cruise (9th on Disney)!!
PS and yes we have hurricane insurance.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

So for the first time my daughter and I are going to attempt a last minute September cruise--specifically Labor Day week. I've read over the years how if bad weather is close/imminent that an Eastern may become a Western, and vice versa. However, we are only taking the 4-day Bahama on the Dream this time, partly because of schedules and partly in case of a hurricane I am hoping I'd be less disappointed.

I'm usually beyond excited for an upcoming Disney cruise, but I find my anxiety worsening as I compulsively check the NOAA hurricane tracker. (and yes, this is probably not the best time of year for me to go, but it's a rarity for us and a necessity due to need to get away--WDW/DCL is my happy place, hopefully even in September) So my question is how do they adjust a Bahama cruise if weather is bad? It's not like there are alternative ports to Nassau or CC they can head to--correct? Do they just plow through or head out to sea near those ports?? I'm hoping someone here can answer this or has experience with these shorter cruises. I thought about calling DCL, but figured I'd get better answers here.

Hoping for some reassurance it might be ok so that I spend the next week excited for my first last-minute cruise (9th on Disney)!!
PS and yes we have hurricane insurance.

You need to stop looking at the trackers. Only a very small percentage of cruises are impacted by hurricanes.

It really depends on what path the storm is taking. The 3 and 4 night cruises are most likely to be outright cancelled in the event a hurricane is in their path, just because there aren't enough nights on these cruises to allow for a rerouting. With the 7 night cruises, they have more time to take a different path.

 

[lovedisneycruise]

Thank you. (but I will still watch the trackers)
I didn't realize these were more likely to be cancelled. Good to know.

 

[FSU Girl]

Honestly I think you should keep an eye on the tracker, there is a storm that could pose an issue when you’re sailing. I live in Florida so I’m always keeping an eye on approaching storms. The tropical storm is too far out to know it’s path at the moment. Did you get travel insurance?

 

[lovedisneycruise]

Yes we did get insurance. We aren't flying in until the day before, so I presume by the weekend we'll have a good idea.
I do a lot of preparatory shopping, etc for a cruise, and it's hard to do all of that while wondering if it's going to happen.
Ps my daughter lived in Florida until recently, so we are used to watching the pending storms too.

 

[Karin1984]

Next to all the bad scenarios you can google, have you tried googling how many Disney cruises get cancelled during hurricane season? When I google, I find 3 in a row that got cancelled in 2017, due to hurricane Irma and some cruises in 2013. That's a lot of cruises which do set sail in hurricane season. Dorian is still a tropical storm, which can also dissipate instead of growing stronger, like Chantal did a few days ago. Stop checking the tracker, as it is having a bad influence on your mood.

Instead of focussing on the negative, focus on the positive. You will have a wonderful getaway with your daughter. And in case some bad weather does happen, you will have an extra sea day. Disney will add more movies, characters etc to the entertainment on board.

 

[FSU Girl]

Yes we did get insurance. We aren't flying in until the day before, so I presume by the weekend we'll have a good idea.
I do a lot of preparatory shopping, etc for a cruise, and it's hard to do all of that while wondering if it's going to happen.
Ps my daughter lived in Florida until recently, so we are used to watching the pending storms too.

Looks like the storm is going to fall apart so you don’t need to stress

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Looks like the tropical storm is about to strengthen and become a hurricane. So be prepared. https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2019-08-24-tropical-storm-dorian-hurricane-caribbean

 

[FSU Girl]

Looks like the storm is going to fall apart so you don’t need to stress

And then weaken into a depression before getting to the Bahamas. If it stays on this path it won’t be any threat

 

[lovedisneycruise]

Thanks so much for the encouragement--and warnings! I knew bad weather might be an issue, but we just planned this 2 weeks ago, and I've decided to continue to pack and (try to) get excited. We're also doing 2 days at POP afterwards and hopefully MNSSHP too. So I'm organizing and packing my DCL tees and glow-in-the-dark Haunted Mansion tee too! I decided if worst case scenario we'll know by Saturday, so I'm trying to go with the flow and hope for the best.

 

[disneylove69]

Been on many a cruise in September. They skirt around it very well. Enjoy your trip.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Safe travels Op!

 

[lovedisneycruise]

Thank you - good to hear!

 

[lovedisneycruise]

Safe travels Op!

Thank you!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Yes the Fantasy is now rerouting the upcoming cruise itinerary because of the current tropical disturbance

 

[CamDisDay]

Yes the Fantasy is now rerouting the upcoming cruise itinerary because of the current tropical disturbance

Can you share where you found that information? I'm on the upcoming western that leaves 8/31 and can't find anything that would suggest a change. The weather advisory page says "Disney Cruise Line has no current announcements or advisories". Nor has there been any communication to passengers from Disney.

 

[Joel0917]

I'll be on Dream 8/30 departure. Anxiously watching the Bahamas.

 

[Dug720]

Can you share where you found that information? I'm on the upcoming western that leaves 8/31 and can't find anything that would suggest a change. The weather advisory page says "Disney Cruise Line has no current announcements or advisories". Nor has there been any communication to passengers from Disney.

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...-the-disney-fantasy-to-the-western-caribbean/
If you are already on a scheduled Western, there will likely be no impact to yours - and therefore no need to communicate - based on the projected path. Now, if the path changes and seems like it will go into the area that the Western covers on the 8/31 cruise, yes, they could change it to an Eastern or alter the ports. And there could be very little notice. It's most important that they keep guests, crew, and ships safe, and they will make decisions based on that.

 

[DVC_HK]

From my understanding it seems sailing in Hurricane season is a kind of Russian Roulette? You might have different ports or maybe an extra day. At worst some kind of refund if they have to

 

[Trera]

We had our cruise cancelled when Irma came through 3 years ago. Disney refunded our monday and gave us a discount to use off of a future cruise within a year I think