a little worried about cruising during hurricane season

My b/f and I want to book the crown eastern at the end of august but I am a little worried about crusing during hurricane season. I have been on 4 cruises and he has been on 3 but only the first one was during hurricane season. The crown looks like it will be an awsome ship and I really like the itinerary since there are 3 ports we have never been too. I really want to book it but I guess I would like some reassurance that cruising during this time will be ok. Has anyone done an eastern from new york during hurricane season? If there is a hurricane in the area how do you think that would affect the itinerary? I would be ok with it switching to western even though I have done those ports before but I would not like the ship to go north say to canada. Any experiences with this?

Also we have never bought travel insurance before and fortunately have never needed it. Since this cruise is during hurricane season I should probably get insurance but exactly what would the insurance cover in the case of a hurricane? I know that it doesn't cover a change in itinerary or missed ports. If there is a hurricane in the area that would affect the course of the cruise would you get a chance to cancel?

I am going to be on rotations all this year so the only time I have off is during august or x-mas/new years which is way to expensive. Sorry about all the questions. I would really like to book this cruise but I am a bit nervous. Thanks :)

We cruised last year the week of Labor Day on the Caribbean Princess. It was about a week after Katrina hit and there were 2 other storms off the coast of Florida around Jacksonville and one further south. I will tell you that it was a rough ride. The ship tipped from bow to aft between 7-12 feet up and down motion. Hubby had a hard time the last day. He didn't actually get sick, but his equalibrium (sp?) was really off and spent the last day in our room. I was really glad we had a balcony! The last day was at Princess Cay and was so rough that the ship had the side jets on to keep the ship in place for tenders. We also left about 2-3 hours early because of the wind and rough water. The Captain took us around the Bahamas on the west side so that we would have a smoother ride. The week of Labor Day is our wedding anniversary so we usually travel that week. This year we decided to take a land vacation to St. Martin...Hubby won't cruise during hurricane season again, we will stick to Jan/Feb for our cruises from now on.

hey kitten,

Love your siggy, i am a cat lover myself.

I just booked the sept 3rd crown, i am not worried about hurricane season but my parents are and they are going w/ us.

I tend not to sweat the small stuff, the worst thing that can happen is they will re-route us to different ports, not the worst thing that can happen, i like to cruise in the fall, no kids, quieter and the price is right!!!!

The reports are that the hurricane seasons are going to be equal to the past couple of seasons for the next several years. I have cruised in November with no storms, and in mid-October when we had to run from Wilma.

During Wilma, our itinerary was western, and we were changed to eastern. The seas and weather weren't bad until we got back to FLL, but we were racing the storm back. The ship's captain kept us alerted and safe, but there was question as to whether we were going to be able to make it back to port or hold up in Puerto Rico for a couple of days waiting for the storm to pass. Lucky for us the storm stalled over Cozumel and we were able to come back to FLL as planned -- the ship reloaded pax and set sail early to avoid the storm. The next day FLL was in serious trouble with the storm, but we were safe further north where I live in the Jacksonville area.

The risk of storms is the reason the fares are less during hurricane season.

September and October are historically the most active months for storms, and with the forecast of increased activity, I will not be cruising during those months because we choose our cruises based on ports we want to visit. If the itinerary is changed, the cruise is still fun, but you have no plans for the new ports and it is difficult to scramble to make new plans.

You will be safe if you do, as the captain will keep the pax and ship safe - but you may not get the vacation that you had planned.

You can't predict the weather, so you have to be prepared for changes to your itinerary. We have sailed during September. The first day out a hurricane 250 miles away from us had the waves and wind going, but after that we had fantastic sailing conditions. When we returned, the next group embarking found out that they would be going on a Western Caribbean cruise instead of Eastern as planned because another storm was threatening.

I think it was last year, a Royal Caribbean cruise was changed from a Caribbean cruise to Canada/New England because of the storms. There were some very unhappy people on that ship! It goes with the territory however and definitely that was an extreme example of what might happen.

We always buy a third party insurance (from our TA ... as opposed to Princess Brand). It is a little bit more expensive, but it seems to cover more.

My biggest concern would not being out in the ocean, they can avoid a direct hit by the storm, but what would happen if FLL got wiped out.... Then, that is what travel insurance is for.

If you are just going on vacation, and the biggest risk is losing money, then I would book the trip, and buy insurance to cover the dollars. The cost of the insurance is small price to pay for the peace of mind over the next 6 months. In addition, if you purchase good insurance, then there is also peace of mind about having flights canceled, missing the boat due to airline issues, lost luggage replacement, and _medical coverage on the boat_.

If you are booking for some special event, where being forced to miss your vacation would be traumatic (ie getting married on the boat), then I personally would not take the risk.

If there is a hurricane the ship will avoid it. Cruises are rarely cancelled. They may be delayed in which case you might be reimbursed by insurance. If the itinerary changes neither cruise insurance nor the cruise line are are required to compensate you. In any event you should always have insurance. One of these cruises you may need it.

Since our anniversary is in October, we sailed many times during the hurricane season. Oddly, the only time we experienced a hurricane, was on a vacation cruise from New York to Bermuda in July '85.:D

thanks for all the help ;) I think I am going to book this cruise. The itinerary adn ship are too good too pass up. Will just have to hope for the best that there will be no hurricane in the area at that time. Can anyone recommend a good travel insurance that isn't too expensive. We will be driving so flights and lost luggage isn't an issue. I am not worried about missing the cruise due to poor health since both of us are in our 20's and in good shape. I just want to be covered in the event of a hurricane though I am still not sure what they will cover. Is it better to buy insurance through the agent when you book the cruise or go to one of the trip insurance sites? I will either be booking through a land based or internet based travel agency.

Thanks :D

We booked through an internet company (with live agents) and we got our insurance included in our package. If you are a savy consumer, you may be able to bargin with your TA and get them to include this in your package. However if you don't (or they won't) you can always go to www.insuremytrip.com (you must buy insurance within 7 days of booking your trip, whether throught your TA or seperately). On the website, you can get quotes for everything from a basic plan to an elaborate one and they will give you plan details and the cost. I have had friends use it and they were very happy (one even had to file a claim and had no issues).

(you must buy insurance within 7 days of booking your trip, whether throught your TA or seperately).

Q. What is the latest date I can purchase travel insurance?

A. You can purchase a policy up to the day before you travel. However, our recommendation is to purchase as soon as possible to maximize your benefits. If you wait, you always run the risk that something will happen before you buy your insurance and you won't be covered.

This is from the insuremytrip.com website

We plan to cruise in October too and I'm not concerned. Cruise lines have contingency plans. Also, we purchase travel insurance. As I read on another post, "ship happens" so we will just make the best of whatever comes our way.

Crussinkitten:

Enjoy your cruise. Worst case is you may not visit all ports you want but you may visit other ports at the last minute. The cruise line will do everything possible to make this an enjoyable cruise regardless of weather. If flying in, get in the day before just to be sure to get there without weather delays.

BTW - I'm from south Louisiana and will be heading north to Alaska this year in September for a cruise! But I would cruise anytime in the

Caribbean! Hurricane season, I would go for the price, not the itinerary, since that could change overnight.

Again - ENJOY!

Another advantage of buying travel insurance early is that some companies have an existing medical conditions clause that requires the policy to be purchased within 15 days of the reservation. I think this covers cancellation if a family member became critically ill and you were needed at home also.

Our last 3 cruises were in October as this is our anniversary month & haven't has any problems at sea. However last year a hurricane came thru Ft Lauderdale a few days before we disembarked. We buy the travel insurance and it protects you.

Enjoy and relax as October as we think October is an wonderful time to cruise:)

I know hurricane season is generally from September to November in the Caribbean. However, we would like to plan a trip to Asia and want to avoid their hurricane (typhoon) season. Can anyone tell me when that occurs?

I cruised in August last year and I just booked another August cruise for this year. I'm not afraid of cruising during hurricane season. The hurricane season begins in June not in September.

I know hurricane season is generally from September to November in the Caribbean.

Cruising the Atlantic or Caribbean during hurricane season is risky. That's all there is to it. For those who say the worst that can happen is you'll get re-routed, sorry, that is not by any means the worst that can happen. Your ship can be delayed returning to port if the Coast Guard has closed the port. If that happens, you'll be on land for the hurricane. You won't be re-routed around it! You'll be a sitting duck, just waiting for it. That's what happened to us with Hurricane Jeanne 2 years ago. We lost two days of our cruise, but also had to hunker down and endure the hurricane. If we had been forced to evacuate inland, we might have had to go to a shelter since every room in Miami was booked for the night. It was very stressful. There is a reason prices are good in the fall. And, they are particularly good this year since everyone has been so spooked by the last two hurricane seasons.

The OP is cruising from Brooklyn, NY, not Miami. ;)

Your ship can be delayed returning to port if the Coast Guard has closed the port.

We're on the Crown on September 3. Over the years, I've learned not to stress about things that are out of my control, especially the weather. We are well aware that we may not visit Bermuda or the other ports. You just have to go with the flow. ;)

I would not cruise from anywhere to anywhere without travel insurance.

I certainly agree with you - but some on these boards seem to thrive on stress.

I much prefer Alfred E. Neuman's quote from Mad Magazine: "What, me worry?"

Amen, Michael. ;)

I certainly agree with you - but some on these boards seem to thrive on stress.I much prefer Alfred E. Neuman's quote from Mad Magazine: "What, me worry?"

Cruisingkitten, I would never NOT purchase the insurance, it is so inexpensive for what you get. We use TravelGuard, which covers: trip cancellation/interuption, travel delays, loss of baggage, baggage delays, medical expenses (up to a limit), and emergency medical transportation, among other things.

You said you've "never needed it", but you just never know. On our most recent cruise, we purchased expanded coverage, as DH was recovering from a pre-existing condition, AND his DM has been in very bad health and there was a possibility we could have gotten one of "those" dreaded phone calls.

I think the rate for expanded coverage for our balcony stateroom was under $100 in our age category (35-59). Your age group would be around 20-25% less even. I never purchase the insurance for airfare when taking land-based vacations, but always with a cruise. Although the cost is so small, maybe I'll re-think that for future flights no matter what...

As I said, you just never know. Its a small price to pay, we just think of it as part of the vacation expense. Especially if travelling during hurricane season, you could end up in a different port, or any number of things. And just like medical insurance, if you don't have it and you need it, you could pay quite a price.

I don't know about other plans, but TravelGuard allows 15 days to purchase after paying the initial deposit. You can go online or ask a TA for a brochure, or check out insuremytrip.com for other plans.

Good luck with your decisions, and happy sailing!:)

And for all those brave enough to book a cruise during Hurricane Season please don't whine , complain , expect refunds, etc if your vacation is all messed up.:eek:

They're predicting at least one hurricane will hit the northeast this season.