A Few Tips When Sailing During Huricane Season

[loudbmw]

We have been sailing for years and have never been impacted by a Huricane. Our lucky streak ended last year when our seven day Oasis cruise was extended to ten days due to a storm that hit Florida on turnaround day. Some things we learned:

 

1) Pack at least a week's extra meds, I ran short on two drugs and had to buy some in Cozumel where everything was $20 per prescription at the pier.

 

2) If driving to the pier, consider using the pier parking garage. Park above the ground level (but not the roof). Some of my fellow passengers who parked on surface lots had damage to their cars due to wind.

 

3) Be sure you park with a full tank of gas if you have a long drive home. Gas was scarce and long lines were common all the way to Georgia when we drove home.

 

4) Get a passport. We had about 300 people leave the ship early when they found out that the cruise was going to be extended. A birth certificate or passport card is not valid for international travel.

 

The cruise line was great, they took very good care of us during the extra days. They extended drink packages and offered deals on specialty restaurants. They had enough food and fuel for two weeks so that was never an issue.

 

Any other tips?

[mafig]

Very good tips.

 

I knew about taking more pills but I didn't think about gas.

Thanks!

[klfrodo]

Know what IS and more importantly, what is NOT covered by your particular travel insurance policy.

Particularly Definitions and terms of Trip Delay and Trip Interruption.

[OCruisers]

Great Tips! (y)

Some don't realize how important it is to have extra meds, a full tank of gas, and a passport!

[Luckynana]

Thank you for the tip on a full gas tank. We're heading to Florida for our cruise in a couple of days by car.

 

Sent from my SM-J320P using Forums mobile app

[TwoMisfits]

Pack extra motion sickness meds of all types...Before my hurricane reroute last year, I had Dramamine, Ginger Gum, and Chewable Cherry Stomach Settling Pills, since I tend to get motion sick. I had to double dose my Dramamine and chew some of the gum through the trip...and I gave out so many cherry chewables and gum that I became a favorite cruiser (3-4 people told me I literally saved their cruise).

 

Now, I pack extra even if the weather is supposed to be fine, b/c if the ship stabilizers ever have an issue, it feels like you're in a hurricane anyway:)...

[cruisegirl1]

Great tips. Thanks for the reminder

 

We must have been on the sailing with the OP. Luckily we had extra meds, had parked in the covered lot but unfortunately did not have a full tank of gas to get back to SC. Once we got off the ship, we headed north and there was no place to get gas in Florida. The first 50 or so miles into Georgia had every exit closed to non local traffic because of area flooding. There was law enforcement at the exits. We were lucky to finally find gas.

 

We always carry extra meds, but also had an extra stop in Mexico to get what one might need. And, if I recall some meds were dispensed by the ship and there were med exchange messages on the community bulletin board.

 

Three extra days on a ship sounds like a dream come true, but it was also a headache for many folks. Many passengers were concerned about their homes and loved ones. We were on a B2B so we had a total of 17 nights on board. They made a good offer for folks to stay for the next cruise that was shortened from 7 nights to four, but all the cabins were guarantee. Y category. It did not make sense for us to pack after 17 days in the same cabin and move to a new cabin for 4 days.

 

We have several cruises this summer/fall and will keep all of the OP's tips in mind.

 

Thanks

M

[cruisemom67]

Good tips! I just packed an entire bottle of ginger pills. We leave Sunday, directly at the storm.

 

My tip would be BE FLEXIBLE. last time we went when there was a storm in the gulf, we were not sure which direction we were going. We ended up doing the same route, but one island was dropped as it got hit, plus the waiting to see took an extra day. We had a group of fifteen and half of us felt seasick. As we embarked, they did tell us they could revise the route. Thankfully it was Carnival, and they gave us $100 OBC per cabin, plus port charges back.

[juliea344]

I leave on Vista Sunday and I'm dreading it a little bit. Thanks for these tips, I just added twice as much bonine to my purse and packed a few extra clothes!

[Honeyroastedmelnut]

Remember all port changes are both for your safety and for reasons outside of the cruises control (ports themselves closing and nature of course). Yes we can get our hearts set on seeing a certain town/island or doing a particular excursion but safety matters more.

 

Also, a Hurricane is a very tasty beverage and could be deemed appropriate to drink!

[holden0301]

Thanks for the reminder about meds. Packing a week's extra now!

[Aggiebuttercup]

DO NOT rely on the cruise line to make the best decisions regarding your personal safety in getting to the port.

 

Last year, when Hurricane Harvey was headed towards the Texas coast, RCCL delayed cancelling the cruise out of Galveston until essentially the last minute. RCCL reps consistently said that the cruise would sail - even though the Port of Galveston was closed, the weather forecast was calling for pure nastiness in the Houston/Galveston area, and Houston/Galveston authorities were begging people to stay home and off the roads.

 

A lot of passengers had made plans to arrive in the port area 2 or 3 days in advance of when the cruise would sail - 1 or 2 days before RCCL actually cancelled it. Many of them actually came to Houston/Galveston, believing that RCCL would have their best interests at heart, and many of them were stranded in their hotels for days when the streets and highways flooded. (At least a few posted here on CC that their cars flooded...no way to get home!)

 

The cruise lines won't cancel the cruises until the last possible moment...and just because it isn't currently cancelled DOES NOT mean that it is safe for you to journey to the port area.

 

Have trip insurance, and be prepared to make a hard decision to stay home if it looks like the port area will be hit hard by bad weather. (And note that Harvey did not actually hit Galveston - its rains just stuck around for days to flood the region.)

[cb at sea]

Definitely good tips...hopefully won't be needed..but you never know!!

[LuCruise]

Good tips. I always pack extra meds (and even out in carryon or split between suitcases incase luggage gets lost). Hope it's a quiet season in terms of hurricanes (and current threat passes).

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk