How much wind for Princess Cays to be cancelled?

[Paula_MacFan]

I've read several reports of the Princess Cays port being cancelled due to wind speed that makes tendering unsafe. Does anyone know what the wind speed is that would cause a cancellation? We're scheduled to be there in 5 days, and the forecast says 'windy with speeds of 21 mph'. I'm wondering if that would be enough to cancel the day?

 

Thanks!

[chrysalis]

Also depends on the wind direction, too...and the height of the "rolls" on the sea.

[chrysalis]

this might help....

 

http://www.stormsurf.com/locals/bahaman.shtml

[skynight]

Lots of factors, including wind, swells, surf, ability of the tenders to safely make it into the marina.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree lots of factors that can differ from cruise to cruise.

No way to tell and predict this.

[peety3]

My suggestion is to not analyze it too deeply. The reality is that the captain will decide yes/maybe/no, and that decision is most certainly final. You're not going to be able to walk up to Passenger Services and say "I object! Last week, the ship docked in 22 knot winds, but today they're 21 knots. We must dock, I said so!"

 

Figure out your plan B and execute it, if it comes to that.

[Katie333]

I'm a planner as well so I get why you are trying to forecast this to know what to expect. We had PC cancelled on our most recent cruise but I don't remember what the winds were. I remember the captain saying conditions were also expected to worsen, so they look at the whole day, not just that moment. Finally, we were all the way at PC when they made this call, literally we could see the island and were located at the usual tendering spot, and they made the announcement at around 7:30am with a start time supposed to be at 9:00am. So I think they make this choice at the last possible second, believe me, it causes lots of chaos for the staff as well as passengers. With that said, if you miss it PC is very common for Caribbean itineraries and you'll likely hit it on another cruise.

[shredie]

I agree lots of factors that can differ from cruise to cruise.

No way to tell and predict this.

 

What we need around here is a crystal ball.

[Paula_MacFan]

My suggestion is to not analyze it too deeply. The reality is that the captain will decide yes/maybe/no, and that decision is most certainly final. You're not going to be able to walk up to Passenger Services and say "I object! Last week, the ship docked in 22 knot winds, but today they're 21 knots. We must dock, I said so!"

 

Figure out your plan B and execute it, if it comes to that.

 

Wow....no where in my post did I say anything about stomping to Passenger Services and yelling about not stopping. I think you misinterpreted my simple question.

 

We have a shore excursion pre-purchased (dune buggies), and are just looking forward to going there for the first time. I have no intention of having a melt down if it doesn't happen!

[Paula_MacFan]

I'm a planner as well so I get why you are trying to forecast this to know what to expect. We had PC cancelled on our most recent cruise but I don't remember what the winds were. I remember the captain saying conditions were also expected to worsen, so they look at the whole day, not just that moment. Finally, we were all the way at PC when they made this call, literally we could see the island and were located at the usual tendering spot, and they made the announcement at around 7:30am with a start time supposed to be at 9:00am. So I think they make this choice at the last possible second, believe me, it causes lots of chaos for the staff as well as passengers. With that said, if you miss it PC is very common for Caribbean itineraries and you'll likely hit it on another cruise.

 

Thank you for the very reasonable response:) We are sailing from Houston, and this is a special itinerary not usually offered from Texas. In fact, they are only going there twice this season. As such, the demand and therefore prices have been somewhat higher for these itineraries. So I will be disappointed if we don't get to go for the first time, but I will deal with it.

[LeeW]

Wow....no where in my post did I say anything about stomping to Passenger Services and yelling about not stopping. I think you misinterpreted my simple question.

 

We have a shore excursion pre-purchased (dune buggies), and are just looking forward to going there for the first time. I have no intention of having a melt down if it doesn't happen!

 

On recent B2B we made it in to Princess Cays on the first trip but second was cancelled due to developing tropical storm. Good call - winds were over 45 mph at 3 PM when everyone would have been returning to the ship. Instead we had about two hours dodging rain storms and nice weather. If it happens your excursion will be refunded as onboard credit (assuming it is a Princess tour) and will be refundable, so you can get it back at the end of the cruise. Sometimes they will give you cash, other times they send a check.

 

We had winds near 20 offshore on the first trip, and it was a pretty bumpy ride to shore. Took the snorkeling tour and when we came back watched them retrieving three sets of people on paddle boats and bicycles that were being blown out to sea. No real danger, but did keep the lifeguards busy.

[geoherb]

We've missed Princess Cays due to wind just once. The worst part was seeing a HAL ship being able to tender its passengers to Half Moon Cay, which is just a few miles away. But as Chrysalis mentioned, everything depends on several factors.