Hurricane Season?

Planning on cruising the Western or Mexican Riviera in mid October, is there anything to worry about?

ScooterTrash...

Planning on cruising the Western or Mexican Riviera in mid October, is there anything to worry about?

 

ScooterTrash...

I am worried!! Hurricanes were really bad in September, but can spill over into October. Even if the things blow through violently the month before your cruise, if it/they hit the islands you are going to, (as they did last year) the destruction that was left behind is no fun either.

Lots of people in my area still have the "blues"...as in blue tarp covered houses, even yet.

My cruise is in early June, and is actually the start of hurricane season. Just hope they don't come early!! :eek:

Cheers!

Scooter, two words - Trip Insurance

We cruised twice in October and the only problem we had was missing Grand Cayman after last year's hurricane.

I agree....get insurance! And go the day prior!!!

Hurricane season is something no one can predict other than June - November, we never know what Mother Nature has in store for any of it.....last year was a very bad season, I hope this year is not a repeat!!! :eek:

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We were on the Caribbean Princess on the eastern itinerary last year during the week of Oct 15. No problems with hurricanes at all. Had absolutely great weather all week.

I never book a cruise that time of year.....I've rode out Hurricanes on an Aircraft Carrier and had seas over the flight deck...they are not fun. Most ships, however have advance warnings and adjust accordingly. It's the ports of call that get hammered and often are bypassed if they get hit.

Good luck and I hope the season is not as bad as 2004 was.

Scooter, honestly, any time you cruise it's a gamble. Last year, the first six hurricanes/tropical storms were in August. Unless you can, and want, to cruise during late fall, winter or spring, I wouldn't worry too much about the weather. Just be sure to get insurance to be covered in case your vacation gets thrown a curve.

I, on the other hand, always cruise in October. Mid to late October, Hurricane season is usually over. I have never encountered or not been able to cruise because of a hurricane. Even if the hurricane hits an island in July or August, the island will still be in a shambles in October. So, go ahead and book your cruise and have fun.

We cruised in late September last year, smack in the middle of Hurricane Jeanne. In fact, ours was the last ship out of the port of Miami before they closed it. And yes, we had our itinerary completely changed around -- but in a way, that kind of added to the adventure for us. We didn't really care where we were going, we were just thrilled to be cruising. :D

So I guess my advice would be: unless you reeeeeeeeally have your heart set on a particular itinerary, book your cruise, get travel insurance, and relax. :) The chances of a hurricane putting your ship in any danger is very slim. The cruiselines are overcautious when it comes to staying out of harm's way. While there's no way to guarantee your cruise won't be impacted by hurricanes, it also wouldn't be the end of the world if it were. JMHO.

Took both of my cruises during hurricane season, first one was re-routed from Western to Eastern Caribbean. It was a fun adventure as they didn't officially tell us until almost 24 hours out of port. I knew earlier than the offical announcement since I had my handy dandy GPS receiver with me, and we were already hundreds of miles off course! :D

We had no problems other than what you would ordinarily imagine with trying to re-arrange shore excursions at the last minute.

Now here is something interesting to consider.

After last fall's disasterous hurricane season, I am rather surprised that the prices for this fall are still as high as they are. I personally expect them to fall as we get closer to the season. Of course, demand is a lot higher this year as well, and people do tend to put a lot of faith into "it won't happen to me"... so they might not fall at all.

One resource you will want to keep your eye on is Dr. William Gray, out of the University of Colorado. He puts out a report several times each year outlining his predictions for the upcoming hurricane season. He has a reputation for being very accurate. His last report came out in December, and he said this year would be above average again, but not as bad as last year. So... I guess you have to determine your tolerance for risk!

Theron

Took both of my cruises during hurricane season, first one was re-routed from Western to Eastern Caribbean. It was a fun adventure as they didn't officially tell us until almost 24 hours out of port. I knew earlier than the offical announcement since I had my handy dandy GPS receiver with me, and we were already hundreds of miles off course! :D

 

We had no problems other than what you would ordinarily imagine with trying to re-arrange shore excursions at the last minute.

 

Now here is something interesting to consider.

 

After last fall's disasterous hurricane season, I am rather surprised that the prices for this fall are still as high as they are. I personally expect them to fall as we get closer to the season. Of course, demand is a lot higher this year as well, and people do tend to put a lot of faith into "it won't happen to me"... so they might not fall at all.

 

One resource you will want to keep your eye on is Dr. William Gray, out of the University of Colorado. He puts out a report several times each year outlining his predictions for the upcoming hurricane season. He has a reputation for being very accurate. His last report came out in December, and he said this year would be above average again, but not as bad as last year. So... I guess you have to determine your tolerance for risk!

 

Theron

I always get a kick out of reading your posts.:) I'm a weather geek too. Farmer's Almanac says we should get hit by a Tropical Storm in July and a direct Hurricane hit in early September. Oh yea.:rolleyes:

I LOVE cruising during October. The times I've been affected by hurricanes (missed ports, rocky seas) have been in Sept. (Sept. 10 is considered the height of hurricane season) and in late October early November on both sides of the Panama Canal (same cruise). Both of these cruises were more than six years ago. I agree with the above posts about getting to your port a day early and getting cruise insurance.

If you watch The Weather Channel, as the season progresses they show charts on the different areas likely for development at certain times as the season progresses and how many hurricanes have been recorded in those areas over the last 100 years.

I also pay very close attention to Dr. Gray, however, his comments are more general -- he cannot predict WHEN a major storm will hit -- what month. He also often revises his findings about half way through the season -- at least that's what I remember over many years. However, as far as ******** is concerned, he is pretty accurate.

I would say go ahead an book during hurricane season but be flexible IN CASE you need to change course. It's for your safety. As an aside, the last four cruises I took during hurricane season the weather was glorious -- Eastern Caribbean three times, Southern once.

I have a cruise booked in August which could be a real gamble after last year. I really don't care what ports I get to, or even if it is a cruise to nowhere. The only thing that worries me is that a hurricane will hit while I am on the cruise. Not that I am worried about being on the ship during the storm, but that something will go wrong at my house. So, I have insurance and if it looks like there is potential for a hurricane I will cancel and book for another time.

If you are flexible with your cruise plans, go ahead and book. But be sure to fly in a day early. You just never know during hurricane season.

I have a cruise booked in August which could be a real gamble after last year. I really don't care what ports I get to, or even if it is a cruise to nowhere. The only thing that worries me is that a hurricane will hit while I am on the cruise. Not that I am worried about being on the ship during the storm, but that something will go wrong at my house. So, I have insurance and if it looks like there is potential for a hurricane I will cancel and book for another time.

 

If you are flexible with your cruise plans, go ahead and book. But be sure to fly in a day early. You just never know during hurricane season.

Yup....I have a time share week the second week in September on the West coast of Florida. After Charley went through in August, we were not sure if it would still be there. Ok...whew...safe. It was still there.

2nd hurricane...Francis hit on our side, the East coast. Clean up...and then good to go.

It was a mess over on the West coast, but we still had most of a good week.

Ok...watching the weather channel from our condo over there...Jeanne has made an abrupt 360 turn....Yikes!! Packed up early and headed back to the house here on the East coast to button it up. With only a day to "batten down the hatches" it was a good thing we came running back. Jeanne was the worst.

I know what you mean about not wanting to be gone during hurricane season. Not to mention the awful weather to spend on a vacation you have planned and waited for.

Cheers!

I always get a kick out of reading your posts.:) I'm a weather geek too. Farmer's Almanac says we should get hit by a Tropical Storm in July and a direct Hurricane hit in early September. Oh yea.:rolleyes:

Ha ha.. I'm glad you enjoy my posts!

If you get a direct hit in Va Beach, then most likely we'll see some of it as well. Our biggest problem is usually downed trees and no power for days on end.

By the way, Host Miriam, as was covered in a couple other posts recently, apparently the board software thinks that "atcivity" is a bad word! (by the way, I transposed two letters, but the human brain is smart enough to still read it... maybe even without noticing! :D)

Theron

Very funny TP, I didn't even check my own post!! I'll have to look into it!!! Well, you knew what I was saying!! lol

One of the reasons that cruise prices this summer are not as low as one would think, is the Celebrity is NOT sailing from Florida. This means a lot fewer berths, therefore, higher prices. I live in Fl, and after last summer, I wouldn't sail in the summer. Having been hit directly with 3 hurricanes, I feel I have had my share, thank you. I would still consider a cruise in June or late October. I know the weather channel said this year will have as many or more hurricanes, but hopefully not ones that will affect us or the same Caribbean Islands as last year. I think if I planned a cruise for the summer, it would be Alaska, Canada or given a stretch, Mexican Riviera. Other than that, I need to stay home and watch what damage my house might have---------hopefully none though--last year cost a bundle.

Katie

Very funny TP, I didn't even check my own post!! I'll have to look into it!!! Well, you knew what I was saying!! lol

Yeah.. lucky I happened to see those other posts... it would have been very very confusing, since that word isn't even a "suspect" in normal thinking about such things!

Theron

Let's put things into perspective:

You will never be in danger because you cruise during hurricane season. The ship's captain has access to the best weather forecasting information, and he is authorized to change the ship's itinerary at the last minute. He will not risk his ship and his passengers, and he will err on the side of caution by taking you far away from the hurricane.

On the other hand, if the captain decides that going to Cozumel (or whatever port you're really anticipating with mucho joy) is too dangerous, he might give you an extra day at sea or he might make an unscheduled stop at some other port. You won't "lose" with either of these possibilities, but you might end up missing a much-anticipated excursion, or you might end up going somewhere with no time to research private excursions.

Now, travel to the port is another thing. I live close enough to drive to the port, so my potential trouble isn't as great as someone who has to fly. Still, you should consider the possibility.

Let's keep our fingers crossed. After last hurricane season I was ready to move back up north. Did you hear the stories of people evacuating on cruise ships last year? I heard Carnival was offering sailing for $100 pp b/c they had so many cancellations. I would have jumped on it, but would be too worried about my little kitty cats at home!

Being pretty new to cruising and not too sure what trip insurance covers and doesn't cover, I have to ask. What exactly do you do... hear about a potential hurricane and then cancel your trip? Does the cruise line cancel trips as well or simply reroute the ships? Is it always worth getting trip insurance. I have pulled together 35 people for a cruise on july 29th and can't even imagine ever rescheduling that many people from all over the nation. When does hurricane season start and end?

thanks for your help!!!:)

June 30 - November 30....I am not sure what the specifications are on hurricanes and travel insurance, but I have some other ways around it. I work for a health care facility and could easily provide documentation that I am unable to travel due to an illness or injury! ;)

According to the Osceola County EOC, this storm season will be as bad, if not worse than last year

According to the Osceola County EOC, this storm season will be as bad, if not worse than last year

Oh dear....Last year was bad....batten down the hatches :eek: :eek: :eek:

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