What is the worst that can happen with hurricane season?

[ChicosWife]

I just booked our Caribbean cruise in September (middle of hurricane season). I read and it said that the chances of the weather affecting our trip is slim to none. Has anyone been on the Western Caribbean cruises in September? Other than the hurricane risk, is it really rainy?

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I just booked our Caribbean cruise in September (middle of hurricane season). I read and it said that the chances of the weather affecting our trip is slim to none. Has anyone been on the Western Caribbean cruises in September? Other than the hurricane risk, is it really rainy?

Also curious about how rainy September is, except for the Eastern Caribbean! It's $5k less in September than in July!

 

[ChicosWife]

Also curious about how rainy September is, except for the Eastern Caribbean! It's $5k less in September than in July!

That's why we booked in September.

 

[mmouse37]

We have sailed several times in the Fall (September, October, November). We experienced hurricanes activity two times. Once our cruise was delayed for 2 days because a hurricane was making landfall right in Port Canaveral. Luckily we were headed to the Port on a Friday and just happened to be passing WDW when we got the word that the ship was delayed (getting back to port). We pulled into WDW and rode out the hurricane at the Poly (never lost power, TV or anything). If I had to ride out a hurricane I am glad it was at WDW.

Our cruise left on a Monday from Ft. Lauderdale instead of Saturday from Port Canaveral due to the delay and port being closed. DCL was great and compensated us. Our cruise turned into a 5 day cruise instead of a 7 day one. We were fully 90% reimbursed for all our out of pocket expenses while at WDW (extra car rental days, resort hotel, meals).

Another cruise we could not visit Castaway Cay because it was too damaged from a hurricane the week before.

I have no problem cruising in the Fall and would do it again in a heartbeat. We always take out travel insurance to cover our flights, pre-stay and cruise.

MJ

 

[pfp258]

Spent Thanksgiving for two years in a row on a week long cruise on the Magic. First year was awesome! Talked it up so much that my sister and her family joined us the next year. Second year......ummmm hurricane Wilma (I think that was the name). Rough seas ( the worst I have ever experienced!), rained most of the day at Castaway Cay, Grand Cayman was scrapped as we couldn't tender in, Cozumel had to be changed as there had been major damage.
It's a crap shoot when you travel in hurricane season!

 

[SgtTibbs]

The worst? Well something akin to this I suppose.

 

[ChicosWife]

So, the trip insurance would cover any issues affecting the cruise itself, due to inclement weather, basically?

 

[vinotinto]

I lived in the Caribbean for 18 years and my family still lives there and I visit a couple of times per year. Here are my thoughts:

The chances of a hurricane, even during the peak of the season (September), are very small. Many hurricanes that start forming in the Atlantic don't even reach the Caribbean.

However, what you *do* find more frequently is unstable weather. Lots of smaller systems that dump rain and may have wind gusts. Some water activities may get cancelled due to winds. Some days may be rainy. Water may be choppy and unclear - make it hard to snorkel. In a week-long cruise in thee peak of hurricane season, this is a definite possibility.

If there isn't a system in the area, or the systems are far away, the rain and winds will get sucked into the system so your days will be hot, humid, and sunny, with little winds. I've been plenty of times in August-October with very hot, sunny, calm weather, with only a quick 30-60 minute downpour in the afternoon.

Yes, it's possible to get the plans messed up if there is a true hurricane in the area. The ship will have to be diverted to a different port/itinerary. You may have a sea day, instead of a port day. The main responsibility of the crew will be to keep everyone safe. Air transport may be affected and may make it difficult to get to port.

Not all insurance policies cover weather, so make sure to read the inclusions, if you purchase insurance.

I wouldn't stop traveling due to hurricane season. Technically, it extends from June 1 through November 30 and chances are most of that time will be hurricane-free.

 

[phinz]

Don't forget there was a hurricane in January this year.

 

[Barefoot Princess]

The worst? Well something akin to this I suppose.

XKCD!!!! I thought DH and I are the only ones who loved the comics by xkcd. Glad to see that there are others who appreciate the humor

 

[truck1]

To all of those that keep saying that a line deliberately sails a ship into harms way keep this I'm mind. When a decision is made to go from point a to b, it is based on the best info at hand at that time. Not after the fact, not 2 weeks before. Using RCCL Anthem as a neutral example, there was nothing in the reports that said the ship would hit hurricane force winds, huge waves etc. The actual weather forecast is posted online to view. What happens is and this applied to the Fantasy,Freedom and just about every other instance I can think of. Mother Nature threw a curveball. In Anthems case things were 2x what was predicted. Not hurricane force like the weather guessers said they were saying. The new line of thinking is that the Gulf Stream played a bigger part in the weather conditions then what was previously imagined. Same thing with the Fantasy during Sandy. They went with what the National Weather Center predicted and found things worse then what was forcast. Not dangerous. Worse. Fantasy calls up and says heres the actual conditions. The other ships stayed clear because of what the Fantasy found. Its the luck of the draw. If it was that dangerous for the ship they would have slowed down and let the storm pass them. Same thing with the Freedom a year before. NWS in Melbourne predicted 1 thing. Freedom left PC. Freedom and a Carnival ship coming down from Jax both said hey Melbourne, this is what's out here. Dream and Sensation stayed for a few extra hours to let the system pass. Bottom line is no capt is going to deliberately sail a ship into a storm because corporate tells them to. The Capt has the absolute right to tell corporate no I'm not doing this and corporate can't do anything about it. The Capts are backed up by a shore side staff on weather issues. The Capt comes up with a plan based on what they are told, and it's gets approved or modified. If the Capt doesn't think it's safe he can say no. With 1 exception. And he's in jail. If any one looks none of the Capts that have taken a ship into severe weather have been relived of command. The companies all looked at what happened and put additional safeguards in place to help the Capts with the decision making process. Then go look at the NWS. They already stated that due to budget cuts among other things there aging satellite can't be trusted and their predictions are going to suffer and to expect black out coverage of the oceans.

 

[Bear3412]

So, the trip insurance would cover any issues affecting the cruise itself, due to inclement weather, basically?

Hardly. Read the fine print, which varies widely.
It could offset most of the unforeseen expenses given a hurricane/inclement weather.
But could help big time with air fare down to ship.

You must read each policy's terms and conditions. I was surprised how each varied.
Some cover this and that, some don't, but cover other things.

Search cruise ship trip policy's, and do some research to decide what may fit your traveling company.
Book within 7-14 days of deposit for better coverage IMO.

 

[RedSox68]

We were on the Disney Magic in 2004 when she sailed out of Port Canaveral as Hurricane Frances was heading toward the states. We were supposed to do Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and CC. They made the decision to sail to CC first, and skip Key West so they could head west and avoid the hurricane. However, she hit pretty hard and, as a result, our 7-day became a 10-day (their first I might add). Disney was beyond amazing -- they kept us informed with several announcements, both around the ship and in our staterooms, almost every couple of hours. They stopped in Galveston to refuel, pick up supplies and had pre-arranged for additional entertainment to fly in from L.A. They gave passengers the option to get off the ship in Galveson and Disney would bus them to Houston, but then they would be on their own. We chose to remain and be taken care of by Disney. For the next 3 nights we had no worries. We could not return to Port Canaveral because of damage, so we docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, and Disney had taken care of everyones air arrangements (even if you didn't book with them). They bused us from Fort Lauderdale to the airport, where Disney reps were there to meet us and take us to a free room at a Disney resort. The next day they took us to the airport. My daughter missed the first two days of school, but we never felt in danger or uncomfortable. As a side note, my daughter's teacher was on a Royal Caribbean ship and they did not stop anywhere to restock and were not only running out of clean linens, but food and water!

Unfortunately, the people who were able to get to Florida for their cruise following ours were only given a 4-night cruise and compensated.

We sailed through Hurricane Hillary in 2005, again on the Magic, along the California coast on our way to meet our gate time in the Panama Canal. That one was a bumpy one and many were sleeping in the hallways, waves were reaching our deck 6 verandah, and I slept through the whole thing LOL. They cancelled one port, but added another at last minute the next day. Of course, Disney is Disney and always go one step beyond.

At no point did we ever feel in danger!

We always sail between August and November, and take out trip insurance, and never worry about it. In 10 cruises on Disney and 5 on other lines, we've only had two hurricane experiences and none of them put us in danger. It

 

[jcota]

worse case??? Death and burial at sea...Have a great time!