Cruising in August

[JediFam]

Has anyone ever cruised mid August western Caribbean? I'm afraid with it being hurricane season...how was the weather? I don't want to pay $5000 to be in the rain for a week

 

[ZerasPride]

I'm interested in this too. Our first 7 night will be next August. Unsure if we should chance a hurricane in August or possible snow storms leaving from our home airport in January.

 

[Aby]

We did the Eastern Caribbean cruise with DCL last August and had fabulous weather. It was very hot and humid, but we got very little rain - in fact, the only time it rained was when we were in St. Thomas and only near the end of the day and only for about 15 minutes. The chances of a hurricane are low, but of course with the weather there aren't guarantees - we just make sure we have trip insurance and think happy thoughts!

Aby

 

[AvaandJoshmom]

We cruised on the Fantasy in August of 2014 and had fantastic weather. I think I remember it rained a little one evening but other than that it was HOT and sunny!

 

[TeaBee]

We cruised in late August last year and did have a scary couple of days right before we left because Tropical Storm Erika was predicted to become a hurricane and hit the east coast of Florida on the day we were set to embark. Luckily for us, it fell apart before then (but not before terrible flood damage in Dominica). Our cruise ended up with beautiful weather with a couple of late afternoon thunder/rain storms which are typical for the season. We're planning to cruise again this August. We have trip insurance and crossed fingers!

 

[samily]

We've cruised a few times in mid to late August. We had an issue with the cruise this past August- it was supposed to be an eastern caribbean cruise but there were tropical storms brewing there so it was changed to a western caribbean cruise. The weather was perfect the whole cruise.

 

[RedSox68]

We have done 5 Disney cruises in August, one including the Western Caribbean. The LA one we ran into Hurricane Hilary, but all was handled beautifully, with a port being added and us making it on time to the locks in Panama Canal.

The Western Caribbean one we were outrunning Hurricane Frances, so we did CC first and skipped Key West (very disappointing), no problems in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We had beautiful weather and wonderful excursions. We were stuck out at sea for three extra days because Port Canaveral was under water and we could not return there. Disney docked in Galveston (first historic stop there also) and loaded up on supplies and flew entertainment in from L.A. The next three nights were like any other cruise. We finally docked in Fort Everglades and they bused us back, put us up at a WDW hotel and made arrangements with our airlines -- no extra fees at all on any end. Historically, our 7-day turned into Disney's first 10-day. The only hysteria we witnessed were (1) the kids crying becuase they would be missing their first day of school (this was over Labor Day weekend) and (2) the mothers we saw sitting on the floor crying because Disney announced the option to disembark in Galveston and be bused to Houston for flights and they couldn't decide what to do We decided to stick with Disney because we knew in the end they'd work everything out.

Now I tell you all this not to discourage you, but to point out that both cruises were wonderful, full of great care and food and entertainment and the slight diversions make for great stories. They do absolutely everything they can to keep you out of harm's way and out of bad weather. We never felt threatened or uncomfortable. We love cruising in August because it's our anniversary and hurricane season has never deterred us (we've sailed in September, October and November, too).

 

[M<3'sMickey]

The only times we have cruised were in August because my mother and I are both teachers so that's the most convenient time, plus the cruises are generally cheaper. It being hurricane season is a risk you take, but we have never (knock on wood) had any problems cruising then, and we usually go the very last week in August, prime hurricane time. As for thunderstorms while you're sailing, we've had the captain sail around them. I mean, there's nothing you can do about them if you're on an island, so pack umbrellas and ponchos with you. But for the most part, we've never had any big issues. Last summer there was the threat of one hurricane, but it ended up getting shredded up and we had great weather on our cruise.

 

[argomANIA]

Our cruise director last cruise said "a rainy day on vacation is better then a sunny day at work." Says the guys who is always on "vacation" right? lol

 

[Hundredacre]

We have done 5 Disney cruises in August, one including the Western Caribbean. The LA one we ran into Hurricane Hilary, but all was handled beautifully, with a port being added and us making it on time to the locks in Panama Canal.

The Western Caribbean one we were outrunning Hurricane Frances, so we did CC first and skipped Key West (very disappointing), no problems in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We had beautiful weather and wonderful excursions. We were stuck out at sea for three extra days because Port Canaveral was under water and we could not return there. Disney docked in Galveston (first historic stop there also) and loaded up on supplies and flew entertainment in from L.A. The next three nights were like any other cruise. We finally docked in Fort Everglades and they bused us back, put us up at a WDW hotel and made arrangements with our airlines -- no extra fees at all on any end. Historically, our 7-day turned into Disney's first 10-day. The only hysteria we witnessed were (1) the kids crying becuase they would be missing their first day of school (this was over Labor Day weekend) and (2) the mothers we saw sitting on the floor crying because Disney announced the option to disembark in Galveston and be bused to Houston for flights and they couldn't decide what to do We decided to stick with Disney because we knew in the end they'd work everything out.

Now I tell you all this not to discourage you, but to point out that both cruises were wonderful, full of great care and food and entertainment and the slight diversions make for great stories. They do absolutely everything they can to keep you out of harm's way and out of bad weather. We never felt threatened or uncomfortable. We love cruising in August because it's our anniversary and hurricane season has never deterred us (we've sailed in September, October and November, too).

just curious as to whether you know what happened to the people on the cruise following yours? Did they just have a four night cruise? If so, any refund for the first three nights?

 

[RedSox68]

just curious as to whether you know what happened to the people on the cruise following yours? Did they just have a four night cruise? If so, any refund for the first three nights?

Yes, their cruise was shortened so the ship could get back on schedule. I know they got compensation, but don't remember if it was by way of a future ship credit, a partial refund, etc. But I know they were reimbursed somehow. And having already arrived for the cruise, they were put up by Disney at a WDW resort until the ship returned.

 

[Hundredacre]

Sounds fun, actually!

 

[CamColt]

We were on the Fantasy in August of 2014 and had to switch St. Maarten to San Juan because of a hurricane but we had mostly great weather. I have sailed during hurricane season many times and also a few Jan/Feb cruises. I have fond the weather better during hurricane season.

 

[ZerasPride]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. Makes me feel better about our choice.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We have done 5 Disney cruises in August, one including the Western Caribbean. The LA one we ran into Hurricane Hilary, but all was handled beautifully, with a port being added and us making it on time to the locks in Panama Canal.

The Western Caribbean one we were outrunning Hurricane Frances, so we did CC first and skipped Key West (very disappointing), no problems in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We had beautiful weather and wonderful excursions. We were stuck out at sea for three extra days because Port Canaveral was under water and we could not return there. Disney docked in Galveston (first historic stop there also) and loaded up on supplies and flew entertainment in from L.A. The next three nights were like any other cruise. We finally docked in Fort Everglades and they bused us back, put us up at a WDW hotel and made arrangements with our airlines -- no extra fees at all on any end. Historically, our 7-day turned into Disney's first 10-day. The only hysteria we witnessed were (1) the kids crying becuase they would be missing their first day of school (this was over Labor Day weekend) and (2) the mothers we saw sitting on the floor crying because Disney announced the option to disembark in Galveston and be bused to Houston for flights and they couldn't decide what to do We decided to stick with Disney because we knew in the end they'd work everything out.

Now I tell you all this not to discourage you, but to point out that both cruises were wonderful, full of great care and food and entertainment and the slight diversions make for great stories. They do absolutely everything they can to keep you out of harm's way and out of bad weather. We never felt threatened or uncomfortable. We love cruising in August because it's our anniversary and hurricane season has never deterred us (we've sailed in September, October and November, too).

And that kind of service is what makes Disney worth the extra money, in my mind.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Yes, sailed August 21-24 last year. Weather was great for us, but it all depends!

 

[Disney_King]

We did the Western Caribbean in August 2013. We gave the hurricane potential a lot of thought, because on the cruise just before that one, we were on the Dream during Hurricane Sandy. We ended up having incredible weather. Castaway Cay (luckily) was probably the nicest of all the days, with temperatures in the mid-80s and there were clear skies.