Hurricanes and cruises......

[EzPartyBox]

Hi all,

We're booked for the July 20th Western cruise, YEA!, and I'm wondering if anyone knows the policies of DCL if there should happen to be a hurricane or tropical storm in the area at cruise time. Do they cancel or change itinerary? We booked using our DVC points and wondering if the cruise should happenned to be cancelled, would we loose these or what? I'm calling MS in the morning but know the knowledge on this board can also help. thanks.

 

[Hygiene99]

hi , they change the route the ship will take , and some people have gone to South Carolina, and other ports. on there cruises
cancel i dont think so , i have not heard of one being canceled yet
if they did cancel im sure they would let u use your points
to rebook another cruise ...
peter

 

[Wonderwoman1982]

On our first cruise last October, there was quite a bit of severe weather in the carribean. Our itinerary totally changed, and it was GREAT. We went to Castaway Cay FIRST on Sunday, Monday wewere at sea, Tuesday we went to San Juan Puerto Rico instead of St. Maarten, Wednesday we went to St. Thomas but stayed longer, Thursday we were at sea, and Friday we went BACk to Castaway Cay!! It was great, BUT chances are, you'll be going were you are expecting to go; but in my opinion, we lucked out BIG time.

 

[Mjasp]

WOW You sure did Luck out.

But somewhere on this board I read that a captain on DCL went right through a hurricane. If you were on that cruise can you please let me know the captains name and if he is still with DCL.
Thanks

If we like cruising, when we go in May. I think I would like to book again in August, but if they don't divert in EVERY case then I won't do it in August. In the thread people were saying everyone was sick including the crew.

So if anyone remembers that thread or was on that cruise can you please give us your opinion. Thanks again

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by Mjasp

Somewhere on this board I read that a captain on DCL went right through a hurricane... Can you please let me know... if he is still with DCL.

That's a <i>bit</i> of an exaggeration. There was one cruise where the captain chose to go through a tropical depression, but not a hurricane. This was decided by the captain with consulation from DCL top management when they determined that if they tried to go around the depression, everyone would still have a rough ride that would last quite a while. In this isolated case, they decided to go through the depression in order to get to the calm seas on the other side. It meant one rough night at sea and then the rest of the cruise was calm.

They would never go through an actual hurricane.

 

[albiats]

I recall reading a thread recently about this and someone related that they were on a cruise from a different cruise line (NCL maybe?) and they went through very rough waters during a storm. He said the ship was late and the captain wanted to make up time and had even disabled the stabilizers.

Like Dave said, I believe the Captain will confer with DCL Top Management and all other resources at his disposal and then make a determination that will provide the maximum safety and comfort to the ship, the crew, and the passengers.

The captain is in charge of a multi-million dollar asset and more than 3000 people, including the crew and himself, and I'm sure he considers that with every decision about the course.

My personal opinion is that when the Western Itinerary gets going and they have contracts in place with the tour operators and vendors located there, they'll be able to switch to the other itinerary if the weather is bad in the planned area.

 

[pgesler]

I was on a MAGIC cruise last June. One day at sea we had a question & answer session with the Captain and several other senior officers. I asked what the worse seas the Captain had ever sailed through. He immediately laughed and made me feel as if I had asked a stupid question.

His answer was that on one earlier cruise he was watching a hurricane that was several hundred miles away. All the weather forecasts said that it was going to turn and head away from their cruise. But itstead it turned and he said they sailed through part of it. He said the seas were so bad that it ruined alot of the carpet on one of the decks. If I remember correctly (??) he said the waves were in the 40 to 60 foot area. He even made the comment that the ship was not in danger but that there were alot of sick passengers.

Perhaps someone who is going on a cruise in the near future can ask the question again if they still have these question & answer sessions.

 

[Mjasp]

It's Just that when I read that post, the person who wrote it seemed to be VERY upset. So of course its a concern.


I'm glad you guys are very confident. Maybe I will take the chance and book an August cruise. Kids are out of school so it is easier.

 

[DARWIN91]

BUMP

 

[Mjasp]

August 2003 is starting to look better and better. Can I please hear from some August cruisers about the calmness of the waters

 

[Michelle]

I was on an October cruise that was re-routed due to THREE hurricanes in the Caribbean, and at the start of the cruise we titled it the "mystery cruise" as we had no idea what our itinerary would actually be. DCL kept us apprised of the possibilites (one was going NORTH up the Eastern coast of the U.S., not an exciting prospect for anyone expecting a Caribbean cruise!) and as soon as they were confident of the weather patterns they let us know the outcome.

We ended up with a GREAT itinerary, Key West, a couple of days at sea, St. Thomas (missed St. Maarten), another day at sea and Castaway Cay. The ships go to great lengths to avoid bad weather and there are several navigational routes they can take on any given itinerary.

Cruise lines almost NEVER cancel a cruise due to weather. They reroute as necessary. Don't hesitate to book a cruise during hurricane season, some of the BEST weather I've ever had has been on September and October cruises, and the seas were CALMER than December cruises (outside of hurricane season).

 

[lydia]

Mjasp, I guess your booking through the hurricane season depends on whether or not having the best possible trip for you and your family should be left up to mother nature. I personally could not travel the caribbean again with my kids knowing there is the potential for bad weather. We were in the British Virgin Islands once on land during hurricane season, and it was unnerving. Even if nothing really "bad" happens, the sea-sickness and sleepless night/s could totally ruin the carefree mood of being on such a fantasy-like ship We are just back from our first ever cruise (mar/02) and weather was not an issue. It was close to perfect. Two weeks previous, we were told, there was a rocky day or two. But that was just regular not so nice weather. Sorry if i sound negative. Just giving my opinion.

 

[pal2pluto]

I think you just have to take your chances, and look for the best in all situations. We sailed the Magic in January. The previous week, they said that castaway cay was only 55 degrees! Our week, it was a beautiful 75 degrees. My point is that any time of year, you are at the mercy of the weather.

 

[Ginny]

This is an excellent question to ask if you are thinking about booking during Hurricane Season. If you choose to book a cruise during hurricane season, you have to willingly accept the potential that your itinerary may be altered. No one can control the weather. But, I would not hesitate to book a cruise with DCL in the heart of Hurricane Season. Our experience was outstanding. Our first cruise was in September, 99 and we spent 4 days avoiding Hurricane Floyd and the aftermath.

We never had any idea where we were going because of the fickleness of the storm BUT the Captain and the crew were all outstanding. They kept us informed, they planned lots of fun things and somehow the Captain kept finding the most incredibly beautiful weather for cruising. We only had one port: Key West and our exposure to CC was from a distance watching motor boats from the Wonder help evacuate staff from the island. WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND A GREAT ADVENTURE!! I wouldn't have missed it for the world.