DVC Member Cruise - Anyone Concerned about Hurricane season?

[lyncruiser]

We just had our 7-day cruise on the Navigator of the Seas reduced to a 5-day cruise. We had 8 family members and had burned up $2,500 in airfare from the midwest before RCCL announced that NOS would sail 1 day late and passengers had the option to rebook. Too late, we were already in Miami. I flew my elderly parents and baby straight into the path of Jeanne because we had no choice but to go. RCCL told us the morning we left that NOS was on schedule -- no problems. Six hours later they announced the delay and rebooking option. It was another 24-hours before they announced NOS would in reality sail two days late on an very different itinerary. We have cruised before in September because it's my son's birthday.

Let me tell you never again. And for those who think this past month was an anomoly, according to weather experts we have definitely moved into a period (based on ocean currents, etc.) of more hurricanes and more intense hurricanes. So I would not expect next year to be any different.

I will not book a cruise during hurricane season again at any price. I wouldn't even go if it were free. The stress of flying straight into a hurricane, being at a beach hotel, not knowing if we should evacuate inland given that the authorities were all over the TV saying beach hotel guests should evacuate immediately, not sure if we could find rooms if we needed to evacuate inland, buying flashlights, batteries, food for the room etc. (remember we weren't at a Disney hotel, but a small, independent beach hotel) -- all of it did not make for a nice vacation.

As for insurance, if the ship sails, they won't pay. They will pay for the costs incurred due to the delayed sailing. That's it. So don't think insurance is the answer. And if you've paid with points, I don't know how your insurer would calculate it anyway. You have to have receipts. I speak from first hand experience.

And, to pay a premium to cruise during hurricane, all I can say is, "I don't think soooo!"

 

[eileenfk]

Being on a cruise ship during a Hurricane, is not my main concern.
I wouldn't mind being on a ship, safe as we avoid the hurricane. My main concern is getting too and from the cruise, not what happens while on the cruise.
Hurricane season can be a mess. This season may not be a fluke. It may just be part of a cycle, that is headed into a phase of increased tropical storm activity effecting this area.

While I admire the business sense behind the scheduling of this cruise, I am not biting.
It is completely about maximizing the profit, for the ship, during this timeframe.
Based on the number of people who are very excited about this cruise, I guess it was a really good business decision.
In fact, so good, that I expect similar gimmick cruises to be scheduled.

I am wondering if this cruise (along with the dates) was planned before or after this last September.

The timing of this cruise is NOT for the sake of making the cruise available to the maximum number of members. If that were the case, it would not intersect the start of school, for many people.
June has a far lower risk of a hurricane then September. July has a far lower risk of a hurricane then September.

 

[jkfreeman33]

The part that amazes me is how expensive this member cruise is. Get a quote from any other cruise line for the same time and see the diference in price. Every time I have taken a cruise in Sept/Oct, my bar bill far exceeded the cruise price. Cheaper to get on the cruise than get off! Most cruise lines have trouble filling a ship in Sept, so they drop the price big time and hope to make it up on drinks, photos, etc. I guess Disney feels that the price of cruising with our DVC family is worth prime time prices during a time when they usually can't fill a ship. I just got off my 14th cruise, and paid $610 for a week cruise on the Golden Princess out of San Juan. I find it an insult that Disney posts those prices. Sorry guys, I'll be waving to you from some other ship and will have paid at least half of what Disney wants.