How bad of a hurricane does it need to be...

[CalDisneyMomof2]

to alter the itinerary?

My friends are leaving tomorrow out of San Diego to Cabo. Hurricane Norma is growing but won't grow NEAR the size of any that the Gulf and Caribbean have had recently. She's making her way up Baja California throughout the week.

Nothing on Disney's site saying anything about itinerary changes. Has anyone been on a Baja California cruise during a tropical storm or hurricane and how was (if anything) it altered?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Even a low-grade hurricane is enough to alter itinerary if it's in the path.

The Saffir-Simpson Scale (the Cat 1-Cat 5) only measures wind, not other hurricane-related impacts, such as storm surge, rainfall-induced floods, and tornadoes. Cat 1 is still 74-95 mph winds.

 

[CamColt]

The itinerary can be altered for really any kind of weather, with very little notice. We were on the 8/5 Fantasy that missed Cozumel due to Franklin. A few years ago too we had to switch up St Maarten for San Juan and were advised of this at the sail away party. We have also had to stay in Nassau later than planned and switch our CC day and sea day, which had to do with just normal weather, not a hurricane (this was Dec). From my experiences I would say it's really hard to guess what is going to happen in any situation. There isn't really any set rule of thumb, just what the Captain feels is necessary at the time.

 

[OhKenada]

Sorta related...what about port closures, I see two storms brewing and am afraid that port canaveral might close again

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sorta related...what about port closures, I see two storms brewing and am afraid that port canaveral might close again

Right now the storms are fairly far out, and just "storms" not hurricanes. Port Canaveral hasn't closed all that often, but it will, if necessary.

I'm not sure anyone here has a definitive answer as to "How bad..." or "How windy....".

 

[Evil Queen 2]

We did the Panama Canal cruise out of San Diego in 2014. We didn't even think or realize it would be hurricane season when we booked just thought having the long plane ride at the beginning of the cruise would be better. We realized about the hurricanes about a week before we left and were staying in San Diego for a couple of days before the cruise.

We got the following information in an email (our prefer method) on 9/11/14


"We look forward to our 14-night Panama Canal voyage and wanted to provide you with an update on the current weather conditions in the Pacific.

As you may be aware, the latest reports from the National Weather Service indicate Tropical Storm Odile is moving slowly through the Pacific. Current forecasts predict that this tropical storm will become a hurricane in the coming days as it continues up the Mexican coastline.

Given this information, it is likely that our ship’s Captain will need to alter the first part of our scheduled itinerary either by visiting alternate ports or spending time at sea. While it is too soon to say what modifications may be needed, we want to alert you of this possibility.

We realize this information may be disappointing to some and trust you understand that the safety and well-being of our Guests and Crew Members is our highest priority. Our goal is to provide a first-class Disney Cruise Line experience for our guests while remaining a safe distance from any approaching weather system.

At this time, we continue to monitor this weather system closely and prepare to sail as scheduled on Friday, September 12, 2014. As weather conditions change we will provide any necessary itinerary updates as needed.

Again, we truly appreciate your understanding regarding the possibility of an itinerary change and look forward to providing you with an enjoyable sailing.

Sincerely,

Cast & Crew
Disney Cruise Line"

We were staying at a hotel that had been booked through DCL as part of our package. We received a printed note the morning of the cruise regarding changes and even more information when we checked in at the port. I'll look to see if I see have those. We did hear from several folks that they had received text messages about these changes on Thursday evening and Friday morning.

DCL, and I'm sure other cruise lines, aren't going to risk sending their multi-million dollar asset into harms way, in addition to not risking human lives. But they are going to wait as long as safely possible to make changes to the itinerary so not to inconvenience or upset their customers.

We basically left San Diego, went straight west for while then turned south to skirt around Odile and the tropical storm (forget that name right now) that followed on the heels of Odile. While on these sea days we did notice that there always seemed to be commercial ships within sight of the Wonder which made us think we were following a route that had been established for ships avoiding the storms.

On this cruise we set all kinds of records for DCL - had to miss 2 ports that were hit by Hurricane Odile, had 2 different captains during the cruise, didn't make landfall after leaving San Diego until we got to Cartagena. DCL made up a cute certificate for everyone about the 'firsts' of this cruise.

We're crazy mid-westerners but we loved this cruise even with the stormy weather.

Probably more information that you wanted but just know that DCL will keep you posted.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

Thanks for the responses. There really is nowhere else to go but into the ocean for Baja California. That may be where they'll go! But hopefully it will weaken. An updated report has said that may be the case however flash flooding is still expected in Cabo around the time they're set to be there.

 

[Evil Queen 2]

We actually teased the captain after boarding that if he needed to divert to Hawaii we would be fine with that too.

We had Captain Gus for the 1st portion of the cruise and saw him on a cruise earlier this year and had a good time talking about that epic cruise.

 

[bbel]

We did the Panama Canal cruise out of San Diego in 2014. We didn't even think or realize it would be hurricane season when we booked just thought having the long plane ride at the beginning of the cruise would be better. We realized about the hurricanes about a week before we left and were staying in San Diego for a couple of days before the cruise.

We got the following information in an email (our prefer method) on 9/11/14


"We look forward to our 14-night Panama Canal voyage and wanted to provide you with an update on the current weather conditions in the Pacific.

As you may be aware, the latest reports from the National Weather Service indicate Tropical Storm Odile is moving slowly through the Pacific. Current forecasts predict that this tropical storm will become a hurricane in the coming days as it continues up the Mexican coastline.

Given this information, it is likely that our ship’s Captain will need to alter the first part of our scheduled itinerary either by visiting alternate ports or spending time at sea. While it is too soon to say what modifications may be needed, we want to alert you of this possibility.

We realize this information may be disappointing to some and trust you understand that the safety and well-being of our Guests and Crew Members is our highest priority. Our goal is to provide a first-class Disney Cruise Line experience for our guests while remaining a safe distance from any approaching weather system.

At this time, we continue to monitor this weather system closely and prepare to sail as scheduled on Friday, September 12, 2014. As weather conditions change we will provide any necessary itinerary updates as needed.

Again, we truly appreciate your understanding regarding the possibility of an itinerary change and look forward to providing you with an enjoyable sailing.

Sincerely,

Cast & Crew
Disney Cruise Line"

We were staying at a hotel that had been booked through DCL as part of our package. We received a printed note the morning of the cruise regarding changes and even more information when we checked in at the port. I'll look to see if I see have those. We did hear from several folks that they had received text messages about these changes on Thursday evening and Friday morning.

DCL, and I'm sure other cruise lines, aren't going to risk sending their multi-million dollar asset into harms way, in addition to not risking human lives. But they are going to wait as long as safely possible to make changes to the itinerary so not to inconvenience or upset their customers.

We basically left San Diego, went straight west for while then turned south to skirt around Odile and the tropical storm (forget that name right now) that followed on the heels of Odile. While on these sea days we did notice that there always seemed to be commercial ships within sight of the Wonder which made us think we were following a route that had been established for ships avoiding the storms.

On this cruise we set all kinds of records for DCL - had to miss 2 ports that were hit by Hurricane Odile, had 2 different captains during the cruise, didn't make landfall after leaving San Diego until we got to Cartagena. DCL made up a cute certificate for everyone about the 'firsts' of this cruise.

We're crazy mid-westerners but we loved this cruise even with the stormy weather.

Probably more information that you wanted but just know that DCL will keep you posted.

It was tropical storm Polo. I only know because we encountered it three years ago today, apparently, according to my timehop. It's been keeping me entertained with memories of that cruise all week "another day at sea. Another tropical storm. Another day of not being able to walk in a straight line..."

A year later we got threatened with hurricane Patricia, and while she was apparently bigger, she didn't get in the way as much as Odile so we weren't treated to a million days at sea haha!

 

[MPS516]

On our EBPC the hurricane sent us out further west to skirt the edge and ended up changing a port which was getting hit while we were out at sea. Actually preferred our substitute port more than we would have original port. Seas were a bit rougher than usual but no so bad that they closed the deck, it was windy though. Great fun and we got a I Survived the Hurricane certificate.

 

[mmouse37]

We also missed a port during the EBPC cruise back in 2005. I think it was Hurricane Hilary that we were trying to avoid but did get hit with some of it. Made for some rough seas and they eventually closed all the outdoor public decks. The winds were fierce and seas high. I liked it but many onboard were ill from it.

MJ

 

[SteveMP]

to alter the itinerary?

My friends are leaving tomorrow out of San Diego to Cabo. Hurricane Norma is growing but won't grow NEAR the size of any that the Gulf and Caribbean have had recently. She's making her way up Baja California throughout the week.

Nothing on Disney's site saying anything about itinerary changes. Has anyone been on a Baja California cruise during a tropical storm or hurricane and how was (if anything) it altered?

We did a Mexican Riviera cruise that was Mazatlan, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta several years ago. A few weeks before they cancelled Mazatlan due to cartel violence. A tropical storm was approaching and the seas were pretty rough, but we did cabo 2 days instad of Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Rough seas on the way home. Some friends were doing the same cruise the following week and they had to alter course and not do Puerto Vallarta.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

I don't think it matters much to the ships because they can go through it, it's more what effect it has on ports and passenger comfort that are the factors.

 

[SteveMP]

I don't think it matters much to the ships because they can go through it, it's more what effect it has on ports and passenger comfort that are the factors.

True, on our last cruise in November, the Captain canceled Jamaica day of, because he said there were large swells that made it dangerous for a ship of our size. I guess its a narrow port/harbor? Or maybe the dredging is narrow?

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Having experienced many storms at sea and 2 hurricanes (1 cyclone in the Pacific and 1 hurricane in the Atlantic) I can categorically state that the Captain, the company cannot 'go through' a hurricane. We've all seen the film on the news of the huge waves crashing in on shore in addition to storm surge, offshore, waves in a CAT5 would be at least halfway up a Dream class and the seas are so confused that the ship would be beat mercilessly. Even warships, which are built to withstand the pounding, have predetermined techniques to get out of the way. Mother Nature always wins.

As far as closing ports, the port itself isn't the problem (though not much fun with a storm raging), but rather the transit into and out of the port is nigh on impossible. The storm surge will push the ship at incredibly fast speeds in addition to the wind pushing on the freeboard (area of ship above the waterline). A navigator can quickly loose control of their vessel in such a situation and, literally, end up on the rocks.

To sum up, how 'bad' is bad? Yeah, tropical storm and up are to be avoided. Despite how large and imposing the cruise ships appear, they cannot operate in such weather.

 

[DWillowBay]

Having experienced several, it is the word "hurricane" that make it 'bad'. ...not just a 'storm'. Respect nature...it wins every time!

 

[cruiser21]

I do believe Marie is now a hurricane and taking the same path as Irma at the moment. My biggest concern would not be sailing through a hurricane because cruiselines won't do that. It would be getting stuck in Florida for days with cancelled flights. On the west coast it's a better. You may miss ports in Mexico, but the likelihood of a hurricane hitting San Diego is slim to none. Earthquakes and brush fires in So Cal yes.....Hurricanes not so much.

 

[SteveMP]

I do believe Marie is now a hurricane and taking the same path as Irma at the moment. My biggest concern would not be sailing through a hurricane because cruiselines won't do that. It would be getting stuck in Florida for days with cancelled flights. On the west coast it's a better. You may miss ports in Mexico, but the likelihood of a hurricane hitting San Diego is slim to none. Earthquakes and brush fires in So Cal yes.....Hurricanes not so much.

As a San Diego native, i couldn't help but laugh when they spent a few Million dollars to install "Tsunami Evacuation Route" signs at the beach. I wasn't sure what was worse, the amount of money spent, or the fact that you had to tell people to go east, or AWAY from the water.

 

[Bear3412]

It could be like this as posted.

Or it could be like this.

It's hard to predict.

Best of Luck

And hopefully they won't have to resort to this tactic on your sailing.
Attempting to secure the chairs.

And hopefully you won't have this disembark scene.
DCL is awesome at crowd control and whatnot on their terms.
But, .... if DCL gets off on their terms and timing they are not the best.

 

[Bear3412]

duplicate