Cruising during hurricane season...

I am starting to regret booking a cruise during the "height" of hurricane season. I am booked on the Caribbean Princess September 2-9. I guess I should have known better, especially since I am from Florida and have been hit directly by Jeanne and Frances and indirectly by Wilma. I looked up some info and from Aug 05- Oct 05 there was only 12 days with out a Hurricane/tropical storm. A total of 10 storms during that time frame that would/could have altered the interary. Seven would have changed a Eastern to a Western, one western to a eastern and two that could have changed both.

The cruise that I am booked on is an Eastern which I am now convinced will change to a western after that research. Last year during Sept 2-9 there was three hurricanes, two that would have affected the EC, Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Nate. Hurricane Ophelia was out also out there but wouldn't have affected either route.

In 2004 there was two storms during that time frame that would have affected travel plans, Jeanne and Ivan.

I was on a western during hurricane Isabel in 2003. It was a Cat 5 at the time and we didn't feel a thing. The next week they were going to go eastern and it changed to a western caribbean route.

So has anyone traveled through a hurricane? In 2000 my wife went through one and said it was bad...20-30 foot waves and winds around 70mph.. I would just to hear some experiences if anyone has some. Thanx

Cruise ships do not travel through hurricanes. They would not take a chance with people's lives. You are right in thinking that the itinerary may get switched but that's the worst of your worries. Rough seas can happen at any time of the year.

We were at sea last year doing an eastern itinarary during Katrina and never felt a thing. In fact the sea was very calm where we were. We will be on the Crown end of August again this year and I can't say I'm worried at all.

Cruise ships don't sail into hurricanes. That's why you might go western rather than eastern, or vice versa as the case may be. The key is to be able to adjust to changes, take each day as it comes, and make your best of what you get.

Cruise ships don't go through hurricanes, at least not the very strong winds. Last year we raced out of Mobile Bay to beat the arrival of Dennis. We had very heavy seas in the early morning. I regret that it was too dark for photos. We were also in the fringes of Wilma last year while in the Bahamas. We had high winds but the ship was very steady except when turning. We had 24 hours to kill so the ship just crawled around waiting for the storm to pass.

Hurricane season can be a great time to cruise. Just be prepared for itinerary changes.

We were on a cruise one year leaving on Sept 13 when Isadora decided to follow us . They finally made a decision to divert the ship for the safety of paxs and vessel and we went to Nassau instead of Cozumel . I was disappointed at the change of itenary however we still had a great time at the Atlantis Hotel and Casino , spent time on the beach and did some fabulous shopping . I bought a Fendi Gold Watch a Versace purse ......

We were on the Star last year when Wilma was attacking the Western Carib. We were intially supposed to be going Western, but the ship left port at that time it had not changed direction yet. The following day it was announced that we would be going Eastern. I was shocked at how many people were yelling at the Purser's desk about the change in itinerary. Wilma then went from Jamaica to Grand Cayman and finally got Cozumel. Exactly where we were supposed to be headed, thank goodness for the change to the Eastern Carib. On Friday of our cruise we were told it was likely we would not be able to make it into port as Wilma was headed for S. Flo. Fortunately on Sat. the Captain informed us that the Coast Guard would keep the port open until 2:00 PM on Sunday and we would be able to dock. The ship planned a quick turnaround in order to get back out by 2:00, don't know if that really happened or not. The seas on the eastern trip were beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and perfect weathwer. When we arrived home on Sunday everyone was putting up shutters, etc. Thank goodness we made it home before the hurricane. We were without power for almost two weeks, all telphone poles were snapped in half, most roofs gone, as well as screened buildings, and most trees. We moved our usual trip to November instead of October as a result.

However, you might want to prep your home for a hurricane before leaving to protect yourself while you're away. You will most likely have an uneventful trip, but with an itinerary change.

Happy Sailing!

We cruised while there was a hurricane in November. The hurricane was in the Eastern Caribbean and we went West. It was smooth for us after the first night.

The main concern I have seen that people have is "what is going on back home". I was on a cruise in the NE/Canada last October and many people disembarked their cruise early to go home so that they could protect their house or be there in case the storm hits their house.

Yes, we folowed you out on the Star that Sunday....Certainly did have a quick turnaround!...My travel agent called while our group was on the bus going down to Lauderdale..Said "Tell the driver to put the pedal to the medal",,"They are waiting for you and will be closing the port early"..They did..We left at 230....In 22 cruises that is the fastest I ever boarded!..We got to the Pier, and I don't think it took more than 15 minutes to get us processed!!...The weather was GREAT, except for the last day, when we couldn't tender into Princess Cay....We also went eastern....The storm(Wilma) came thru while we were in beautiful weather in St Thomas. tearing thru Miami-Lauderdale...At one point there was a rumor going around the ship that we may have had to stay out at sea due to power being out in Lauderdale...But it didn't happen..The power came on a few days later..We are booked for the CB this Oct 21st, and I am not going to worry about it at all...Although to be honest we all had a lot of anxiety the week before the cruise, as to wheter we would make it to the ship with that thing swirling around...Couldn't believe people actually complained about the change of itinarary!...We were happy campers just to have made it out!...Some people! Go figure!

DanBoy, Glad to hear you had a good trip. We did also, other than worrying about where Wilma was headed. It is true about the anxiety re: home and family being safe. When we were in St Thomas I called "Bed 'n Biscuit", the "camp" where our "kids" go to make sure they would be safe if Wilma moved quicker than projected. Once I knew the "kids" would be safe, I didn't worry any more.

Hope your Oct. cruise is uneventful as well as all other cruisers who are sailing during Hurricane season.

That picture above is awesome! We are sailing on Oct. 7th this year, and not worried at all with the weather. It's our first cruise too :)

So has anyone traveled through a hurricane? In 2000 my wife went through one and said it was bad...20-30 foot waves and winds around 70mph.. I would just to hear some experiences if anyone has some.

I did feel sorry for the Florida residents that wanted to get off the ship and secure their homes before it hit. There was nothing Princess could do for them as we waited at sea a couple of extra days while the hurricane hit the coast and the clean-up began. :(

We are booked on the 9/30 CB, eastern this coming fall. Same time frame as last year. :eek: What are the statistics for 9/30 - 10/7? We plan to mostly stay on the ship anyway, but I love the beauty of St. Thomas and St. Maarten, plus we will be going to PC for the first time, so I hope we don't have an itinerary change this cruise.

We are booked on the same cruise. Join our roll call.

If you will be disappointed if your itinerary would be changed then I suggest not cruising during hurricane season. You also have to face the possibility that the cruise might be cut short or even extended. If you don't have a problem with any of that be happy, look at the discount in pricing you are getting.

Have a great day and hope to see you on the roll call.

Have cruised the mid week of Sept. for 3 years and have had an extended and two rerouted cruises ... hoping this year on Sept 16 we do go to St Maarten since that was reason for booking (new DH wanted to go then, he knows perils of hurricane season)..

bottom line: if you are not prepared for itinerary changes and shorter/longer cruises don't book during hurricane season esp. during height of the season from August-October... there are no guarantees...:(

Re: Hurricane Season - a great site for info is www.hurricanecity.com. This should have some stats somewhere on the site. For some awesome info from knowledgeable people, check out the message boards. Thank goodness I was able to read these boards while on board the Star, with Wilma bearing down on South Florida. We are from Margate (Broward County) and I can tell you it was a very scary time waiting to see where Wilma was going to hit. We had just enough time to pick up the "kids" and secure the house once we got home from the cruise. But like the above poster said, as you long are aware there could very well be itinerary changes, and you are fine with that, then sailing during hurricane season should be just fine for you.

One more note though, if you do live in a hurricane prone area, be sure to secure your home before leaving on vacation - this way you will eliminate one worrisome thought from your mind.

We were booked on Crown for the week of 11/4, but changed to Caribbean for the week of 2/11. Although we don't like delaying our cruise, we were concerned about the possibility of being onboard during hurricane season. We book the cruise for the itinerary as much as anything, and would rather not have it switched due to weather. Sounds like it will be another active season this fall! (Plus there is something sweet about being on a cruise in February while everyone else is up to their knees in snow!!!)

DH & I have sailed every year for the past 6 years in Sep or Oct, peak hurricaine season. If you are not bothered by intinerary changes then you will not have a problem.

Ships nowadays can navigate around the storms at sea. Last year a 7 days trip was turned into 8 days, YIPPEE!

Go and Enjoy !

We sailed from Boston to the Caribbean leaving on Oct 2 and only encountered and one night of rough seas the night before we docked back in Boston. I actually enjoy the motion because it rocks me to sleep.

We are booked to sail out of NY on the Crown Princess Sept 30 this year and just hope the weather is as delightful this Fall as it was last year.

In Sept. '01 we were on the Dawn and on the fringes of a hurricane...trying to get out of the way. Waves were about 30 feet...lasted about 8 hours. My hubby was in the cabin...being very sea sick...I was down having the drink of the day and playing bingo..which I won 'cause there weren't many people playing. Cabo got blasted the day after we left..the Princess Sea got it much worse than we did and we were about 4 hours late into the next port. I don't necessarily want to do it again but the crew and captain did a good job of keeping us happy campers.:)

We were on the Caribbean Princess the same week last year, the week of Labor Day...it was our wedding anniversary....Eastern Caribbean. We usually cruise in Jan/Feb so it was a first for us, and it will be our last cruise during hurricane season. The ship was up and down from bow to aft 7-12 feet. We would be walking down the hall as it tipped up and then back and forth like we were drunk when it dipped down. It was so rough that at Princess Cays (last day of cruise), we only tendered for a couple of hours and the Captain actually cruised around the back side of the Bahamas so it would be a little smoother. DH was not feeling well, as were a lot of people. I was very glad we had a balcony (Baha Deck) because I spent a lot of time there. We expected the water to be a little rougher, but we didn't think it would be that rough, but it was. DH will not cruise again during hurricane season...period. I'm sure a lot of people don't have a problem with the water being rough, but it was just too much for DH. He felt sick for over a week after we got hom.So this year for our anniversary, we decided to spend a little more $$ and do a land vacation to St. Martin instead. Yes, there may still be storms, but at least we will be on land and not at the mercy of the sea. We always book our cruises based on the itinerary going to St. Martin anyway, so we are very excited to stay a week there. We will stick to our Jan/Feb cruises from now on.

We were on the Star last year when Wilma was attacking the Western Carib. We were intially supposed to be going Western, but the ship left port at that time it had not changed direction yet. The following day it was announced that we would be going Eastern. I was shocked at how many people were yelling at the Purser's desk about the change in itinerary. Wilma then went from Jamaica to Grand Cayman and finally got Cozumel. Exactly where we were supposed to be headed, thank goodness for the change to the Eastern Carib. On Friday of our cruise we were told it was likely we would not be able to make it into port as Wilma was headed for S. Flo. Fortunately on Sat. the Captain informed us that the Coast Guard would keep the port open until 2:00 PM on Sunday and we would be able to dock. The ship planned a quick turnaround in order to get back out by 2:00, don't know if that really happened or not. The seas on the eastern trip were beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and perfect weathwer. When we arrived home on Sunday everyone was putting up shutters, etc. Thank goodness we made it home before the hurricane. We were without power for almost two weeks, all telphone poles were snapped in half, most roofs gone, as well as screened buildings, and most trees. We moved our usual trip to November instead of October as a result.

 

However, you might want to prep your home for a hurricane before leaving to protect yourself while you're away. You will most likely have an uneventful trip, but with an itinerary change.

 

Happy Sailing!

Thank You....

I have my dad coming to the house to stay and I will most of the shutters up before I leave. Living in fl I am on less than 24 hour notice and I can have my house ready for a hurricane.

My DH and I sailed during a hurricane in 1999.....and while it was a wonderful cruise I personally would never book during hurricane season again. We did miss one port of call and we went to St. Thomas the day after the hurricane hit which was a total waste since there was a lot of clean up going on. I'll continue to cruise in January or February........Mary

We are booked on the same cruise. Join our roll call.

 

If you will be disappointed if your itinerary would be changed then I suggest not cruising during hurricane season. You also have to face the possibility that the cruise might be cut short or even extended. If you don't have a problem with any of that be happy, look at the discount in pricing you are getting.

 

Have a great day and hope to see you on the roll call.

I don't care eastern or western it doesn't matter.....living in fl I understand weather can change everything. Also I bought insurance to cover if the cruise is cut short so I guess I am good.

I have to agree with all the previous posts: if you don't mind a possible itinerary change, then sailing during hurricane season is fine.

My other thought on sailing during the hurricane season: unlike going to a specific Caribbean destination which could be damaged (severly or lightly) by a hurricane, a cruise ship will navigate toward a safe port so you are guaranteed a vacation. If you're in a hotel in a hurricane-hit desitination, you could be without power, food, water, etc. Or, worse, be stuck there.