After this year's active hurricane season will others be reluctant to book next year?

What are your thoughts? Has this made a difference in your booking? I am already booked for Sept 17, 2005, and am committed to friends, so it's a done deal for me, but I am wondering if we will see LOWER fares this time next year???????

Marie

What are your thoughts? Has this made a difference in your booking? I am already booked for Sept 17, 2005, and am committed to friends, so it's a done deal for me, but I am wondering if we will see LOWER fares this time next year???????

 

Marie

I sincerely hope we, once again, book at least one set of b-to-b's for the Caribbean next summer. We have cruised the Caribbean between June and November for many years, a great many cruises, and very much hope we do again.

We live in Boston and we book winter cruises as well. It snows in Boston. Air flighs get cancelled all the time. We have to fly to get to FLL to board the ships. We haven't stopped booking winter cruises either.

We have a family cruise booked for August 20th next year. I figure the worst that can happen is I get a longer cruise if the hurricane hits while we are at sea, or my cruise is cancelled if the hurricane hits right before sail date. Could loose some air fare but I believe that is covered by post departure insurance.

I wouldn't hesitate for a minute. I wish I were on her right now getting a couple bonus days!

But yes, I am sure there are some who would shy away and I can't really blame them. Everyone's circumstances are different. If I had saved up for years for this cruise and it were the only time I could go, had arangements to take care of children, ill family members, pets, the house, etc. then I would be really bummed but alas even though I do work fulltime, I have some flexibility.

What are your thoughts? Has this made a difference in your booking? I

No difference at all. Summer is for cruising in Alaska, the Baltic and north Atlantic. Decenber-March is Caribbean season as well as South America, Australia & New Zealand. Spring & Fall we'd likely head for the Med or a US coastal cruise. There's lots of places to go, no need to ask for problems! :)

We tend to avoid the Caribbean during the peak of hurricane season. However, we do have cruises planned for 2005 already. One from Los Angeles to Tahiti on another line in January and another from Ft. Lauderdale to Rome on Westerdam in late April.

I might if we were not in driving distance or if we were not retired.

We have booked cruises lots of times in September and October before. I guess we have been lucky because hurricanes have never been a problem on our cruises.

Won't make any difference to me. I wouldn't book a Caribbean vacation, cruise or otherwise, duing hurricane season anyway.

We have never booked cruises for either August or September out of Ft Lauderdale for the Caribbean. But we have booked cruises for the very end of October, first part of November - haven't had any bad weather.

It won't make any difference to us. Since we're retired the timing isn't important and cancellations or extensions, delays, etc., mean very little. I hope the industry itself recovers from these disasters quickly as Florida's economy had just recovered the past year from the 9/11 attacks and their effect on the travel industry.

Keep the money flowing in! :)

slinkie

I've got two cruises booked one in Feb on Maasdam Southern Carb, the other Summit Hawaii in Jan 06. Looking into Jan Feb 07, single cruise or group cruise next.

Wouldn't change our plans because we wouldn't be cruising in the Caribbean between July-mid October anyway. Did it one time in July and unless it was because you had kids on vacation who could only go then, I can't imagine why any adults would do this cruise in the summer. Waaaay tooooo hot, too many kids, hurricane season, in the case of HAL no choice of ships during the summer, and too many other places to cruise that are more enjoyable in the summer. Which, of course, is exactly why HAL only has the Zuiderdam cruising the Caribbean and the other ships are in more desirable locations.

I have to agree with many, we would never consider cruising this time of year in the Atlantic especially since we have so far to travel. We prefer the Caribbean in March or April and the Pacific in the Fall. It would not effect how we choose our cruising this is just how we have always planned our vacations.

Sounds like there should be a lot of good deals out there next fall.. That's my favorite time to go... Bombero

Wouldn't change our plans because we wouldn't be cruising in the Caribbean between July-mid October anyway. Did it one time in July and unless it was because you had kids on vacation who could only go then, I can't imagine why any adults would do this cruise in the summer. Waaaay tooooo hot, too many kids, hurricane season, in the case of HAL no choice of ships during the summer, and too many other places to cruise that are more enjoyable in the summer. Which, of course, is exactly why HAL only has the Zuiderdam cruising the Caribbean and the other ships are in more desirable locations.

Isn't it wonderful to have choices. What you want or like....is not necessarily what I want or like.

It isn't waaaay tooooo hot for us.....we love heat. The ship is air conditioned, the shops ashore are air conditioned. The beach has an ocean in which we swim to cool off.

Too may other places to cruise. Yes, there are. IF that is where one wishes to cruise. I have absolutely no desire to cruise Alaska. It is highly unlikely I will EVER cruise Alaska. It holds no attraction for me. Canada/New England, Indeed. Fabulous. AND we cruised that route this summer.

Europe I like. We have cruised in Europe a number of times. In the present mood of the world, I am not eager to go there right now. Maybe again soon......but not now.

Too many kids.......most of them are just fine and a pleasure to enjoy. The pain in the bucket brats-----I have a very good method of handling the little pains. They don't often bother me very much.

Hurricane Season is six months of the year. We do not choose to stop cruising the Caribbean for six months. We live in Boston. We get snow storms in Boston. Airports close and flights get cancelled when we get a bad snow storm. I suppose by the same thought process, we should also not cruise in the winter. Might run into weather problems. So, We should not cruise in January, February, March as it may snow. I guess it's okay to cruise in April and May.........But then forget cruising June through November as that is Hurricane Season. Forget December, it might snow.

So......according to that thought process of avoiding 'possible weather' folks who live in parts of the world that get snow, they can only cruise the Caribbean in April and May.

But....Forget April. That's Easter. There will be too many kids.

So.......It is May or Nothing!!!

For crying out loud.......life is a risk. One evaluates the level of risk. If one has absolutely no tolerance for any risk at all I have no clue how they get through life.

:) As always.......JMHO

Lucky we don't all think exactly the same. :D Thankfully.

If the predicted El Nino occurs (and the impact that it usually has on the hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin) next year may be ideal for cruising the Caribbean between June and December.

I can't imagine doing the Carribean in the summer. Not because of hurricanes but I really don't like the intense heat/humidity that time of year or the crowds. We've gone in Nov and May and even then it was too warm for me so I think we'll stick with Jan-Mar. for that area. It's a good thing we don't all want to go at the same time or it would really be crowded!

We were on Zuiderdam last year starting on 8/30 and sailed to the East to meet Hurricane Fabian. We avoided it, and had to skip St. Maarten. Otherwise, it was a nice cruise. This year we booked the Caribbean Princes for 9/4, but we had to cancel since the storm was heading towards our house (and it passed over here today - still on the back side of the storm as I type this). We plan to book something for about the same time next year. The heat, not a problem, we live in the heat.

Ken

Sharon.....

One of the BEST parts of cruising the Caribbean in the summer is there are NO crowds. There are very few ships sailing the Caribbean during the summer in comparison to other times of the year....therefore, NO crowds. :)

We did a couple of cruises in the Caribbean in the summer - WAY too hot for us. Even more so for DH now. A couple of his prescriptions make him sweat a lot and he will react to the heat - so no more summer Caribbean.

I have absolutely no desire to cruise Alaska. It is highly unlikely I will EVER cruise Alaska. It holds no attraction for me.

Oh, please give it some more thought. Alaska is absolutely fabulous. The scenery is breathtaking, and the ports are quaint in a "taking you back" sort of way. And watching (and hearing) glaciers calve is a unique experience. I'd bet you would be very pleased with an Alaskan adventure.

Sail - Yes, please reconsider. I believe ALASKA is another one of those places everyone should experience. The beauty is breathtaking...pictures, do not do it justice, one must experience it.

Marie

Oh, please give it some more thought. Alaska is absolutely fabulous. The scenery is breathtaking, and the ports are quaint in a "taking you back" sort of way. And watching (and hearing) glaciers calve is a unique experience. I'd bet you would be very pleased with an Alaskan adventure.

I have to agree with Jim, Prior to our Alaska cruise I was always a Beach/ Tropical person. We have spent many a vacation in Hawaii and for cruising I could not imagine any thing but warm beautiful weather. We are originally from Iowa so cold and snow are the last place I would go. Plus I am definitely not the Out Doors adventuresome type person, with that said last year we were talked into booking an Alaskan Cruise with some friends that had never cruised but if they did, wanted to go to Alaska. To the surprise of both DH and myself we LOVE Alaska. We especially liked that we went in early May, NO kids and lots snow capped mountains. It was truly breath taking. It was more than a cruise. We are so hoping that the Noordam will go to Alaska in her first season. If not we still plan to cruise Alaska in May 2006 again.

Fares are usually cheaper during the Fall so I'll continue booking during this season. If it gets cancelled, I usually purchase travel insurance or the cruiselines seem to offer something. I have a Fall cruise booked for October next year without any worries. Usually by the end of October the seas have calmed down. I'm hoping the same will be for this year too.