Cruising In Hurricane Season

[smplybcause]

The only time a hurricane will have a huge effect is if it goes to the home port. Anywhere else and they will just switch up the itinerary. Not the best if you really wanted to go to the ports scheduled, but it'll still be fine and likely pretty good weather as hurricanes tend to suck up any weather around them. (Some of the nicest days during Fl summers are the day before and after the storm... assuming you don't lose power).

 

So a hurricane will really only finally screw stuff up if it lands the day before or after you're scheduled departure. The cruises after are usually most effected as if the hurricane delays them getting home those days come out of the next cruise. But when that happens they give you options for cruise fare. But not for airfare.

 

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[mek]

Sandy gave us 4 extra cruise days including an unscheduled overnight stop in Boston on 10/31/12. Was fun to decide which people were going to a costume party and which ones were in their normal clothing.

 

We frequently cruise in the fall during hurricane season and were also in Sandy. We left Charleston when the hurricane was 300 miles to the east of us. Our departure was delayed a few hours and we did just fine even though we were in one of the smaller, older Carnival ships.

 

OP - if you are on the ship you will be fine, but agree with everyone else to get insurance just in case the port is closed on either end of your cruise.

[GenHawk]

Hi Beth,

 

I was also cruising during Hurricane Sandy were you on the Allure of the Seas? The ship handled it very well. We were the last plane out of Florida before they closed the airport. Then had to fly over Sandy to get back to Baltimore.

 

Wendy

 

why? only if the cancel or shorten your cruise....otherwise, you're still cruising and they'll just go to where the hurricane isn't..

 

we cruised during hurricane sandy, which was a massive hurricane with an enormous footprint....

still we had a great cruise....one of our best ever....

 

we always cruise during hurricane season as that's when we can cruise...

in all of our cruises, that one cruise was the only one affected by a hurricane....

and as i said, it didn't stop us from having a spectacular time...

[NancyK0904]

We were on RCCL Allure in September last year when all the hurricanes hit. Our 7 day cruise turned into I believe a 10 day (maybe 11). Royal did a great job. Communication I believe was as good as they could. Our itinerary was completely changed. We changed our flights three times. But we knew what to expect because they communicated. We in return had added days for free. They discounted everything. Overall it wasn’t a ruined vacation by any means. We are cruising again in hurricane season.

 

 

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agree, we were on the same cruise and thought we were treated so well and kept updated, as you mentioned, 10 days for the price of 7--traveling on Allure at the same time again this year--our anniversary and a good ship for us--

[OCruisers]

The worst is if a tropical disturbance is due to hit your port of embarkation or disembarkation.

Otherwise, the ports of call can be changed to avoid the storm.

[ggtjr]

We were scheduled to sail out of Galveston(live 50 miles away) last year when Hurricane Harvey hit and Houston and surrounding areas were under water. RCCI sent text messages and email stating is we were affected by the flood or had trouble getting to the port( many freeways closed, port closed for a time, etc) to call number xxxxxxx. Our home received 4 ft flood water from an overflowing resevoir. Called the number, verified our zip code was one of the flooded areas. We had travel insurance to recoup payments, but Royal did reimburse all Cruise Planner charges. I don't know what happened to passengers who did not have insurance.

 

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[Reijo]

Most all of our 31 cruises have been during hurricane season. We've only had one cancelled and that was Sept. 2017, the was the hirticane that devastated Puerto Rico and other islands. We were given the option of taking a shortened cruise but decided to just go a couple of months later. We one time had three hurricanes pestering us during one cruise. One hurricane was coming across Florida on the day we drove down to the Port, there was a cruise at sea and our itinerary was reversed to stay away from it and one hurricane was practically following us back into port. It hit the day after we got off the ship. It was a VERY busy hurticane season that year, BUT....it was seriously one of the calmest sailings we have been on. RCCL is not going to put billion dollar ships in the path of a hurricane or making passengers uncomfortable. You won't regret it.

[FLgemini]

There’s always hurricane and tropical storm risk sailing the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico from June 1 to November 30. Some areas more than others depending on what time of year within that six-month window. According to the NOAA, the sharpest peak for hurricane and tropical storm activity is mid-August through mid-October with September 10 being the absolute zenith. You definitely roll the dice at this time of year with all the U.S. Gulf states, Bahamas, Turks + Caicos, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, St. Martin, Jamaica, the Caymans, and the Yucatán peninsula.

 

In 2010, we were on an Eastern Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Oasis which was over the last days of August and first few days of September. We were celebrating a milestone birthday, so the date was what it was. Before we even pulled away from Ft. Lauderdale, the captain notified us at muster drill that we would be switching to a Western Caribbean itinerary and we would not be calling on any of our planned stops. There was a hurricane expected to hit St. Thomas and St. Martin (which it did) on the exact dates we were supposed to be in the vicinity. I’ve never heard 6,000 people moan at one time in my life. I even saw one poor woman sobbing. Dashed wedding plans perhaps?

 

As everyone before me has said, don’t let the risk scare you, keep an eye on the weather before heading out, and roll with the punches if plans change. Royal Caribbean will keep you safe.

Edited August 17, 2018 by FLgemini

[alaska_planner]

as someone mentioned, you should fly in at least a day early..

 

since we're also coming from overseas (much further than from where you're coming from), i have us fly in at least 3 days early..

but i tend to be a worst case scenario sort of person...

 

we go to disney world before the cruise....i know...such a hardship... :cool:

 

.

[alaska_planner]

Hi Beth,

 

I was also cruising during Hurricane Sandy were you on the Allure of the Seas? The ship handled it very well. We were the last plane out of Florida before they closed the airport. Then had to fly over Sandy to get back to Baltimore.

 

Wendy

 

no, not on the allure - i bet that ship handles bad weather really well ...i LOVED the allure!! she's a great ship! she's so wide i would imagine she doesn't have as much of a sail effect as the tall, narrower ships do..

[EmilyJay]

I've sailed all my cruises in hurricane season specifically the months of September-October.

We've NEVER had a problem with rough seas or weather, the seas have always been calm and the weather fantastic. The odd shower of rain here and there but only lasting around 5-30 minutes.

 

However, last year our October 2017 cruise we sailed just after Irma, and our itinerary was completely changed.

Obviously gutted to miss the ports we wanted to visit, however, completely understandable as the ports of call were so badly damaged.

RCI have weather experts who are always tracking the weather. If you're at sea and something was to form, many things could happen.

1. You'll get diverted out the path.

2. You may leave a port early to keep ahead of the hurricane.

3. You may skip ports.

There are many other scenarios too, but it really depends on the type of weather/ severity etc.

Google hurricane tracker and the National Hurricane Centre can give you information.

 

However, don't worry about it! RCI will keep you safe and in all my Hurricane Season cruises we've never been effected fully.

Would I sail again during hurricane season- YES.

Tips: Have insurance and don't get too upset if your itinerary changes, they only do it for safety reasons.

[KnightsFan]

Get trip insurance and in a week or two start checking the US National Hurricane Center website. That will give you a good idea of storm activity.

 

They have a 48-hour and a 5-day forecast model. They will show likely storms and current storms.

 

The week before if there is any activity in the Caribbean heading toward Florida you'll want to call RCI to get information about your sailing. And call your airline to see what their policies are, that's the most likely point of interruption.

 

But like others have said it's been a quiet season and they just reduced the number of named storms they expect.

[bouhunter]

They wont put their expensive ships in harms way! we've been through 3 or 4 hurricanes and definitely still had a great time! have a safe and wonderful trip!!

 

I would assume (hope) their first priority is not putting PEOPLE in harms way.....:rolleyes:

[Aggiebuttercup]

as someone mentioned, you should fly in at least a day early..

 

since we're also coming from overseas (much further than from where you're coming from), i have us fly in at least 3 days early..

but i tend to be a worst case scenario sort of person...

 

.

 

Be careful if you are flying in that early, especially if you are flying from overseas to a port in the range of the storm. When Hurricane Harvey bore down on Texas last year, there was some confusion over exactly where it would land, and if that would affect the Port of Galveston. RCCL didn't cancel the cruise until the day before it was scheduled to leave. We had several people posting here on CC that they had flown in two or three days early because RCCL was still insisting that the cruise would go on, and then they were stuck in the aftermath of the storm (because by the time the cruise was cancelled most of the airlines had cancelled flights out of the area).

 

If there is a storm headed in the general direction of your departure port, listen closely to the US national hurricane center's predictions, and pay close attention to the roll calls and threads about the storm here on CC. Locals will tell you what the conditions are and are expected to be around the departure point time. [Those of us here in the Galveston area posted when the port of Galveston closed and provided the information that the port had given about when it would reopen...which made it clear a few days out that there would be no RCCL cruise.]

 

RCCL is quite concerned about the safety of their ships and the passengers on those ships, but from what I saw was far less concerned with the safety of those who had yet to board.

 

And read your travel insurance documents closely to see what type of weather-related criteria are necessary for you to get your money back.

[CORKY_Q]

LadyDi's birthday is 09/11 and I try to give her a cruise to celebrate. We sail the Caribbean from PCL, FLL, MIA and San Juan. (Occasionally Tampa.) Love our cruises shortly after school begins in the fall. :cool::cool:

[islandwannabee]

We were on the Oasis last Sept, hurricane week, got an extra 3 days and loved every minute of it. Loved it so much booked again for the same week, Sept 2, doing btb, Plus another benefit, the prices are lower.

[vacationlover_mn]

It’s a crapshoot. I’ve only traveled once during hurricane season (mid-October), and it was cheap and amazing :)

 

 

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[alaska_planner]

Be careful if you are flying in that early, especially if you are flying from overseas to a port in the range of the storm. When Hurricane Harvey bore down on Texas last year, there was some confusion over exactly where it would land, and if that would affect the Port of Galveston. RCCL didn't cancel the cruise until the day before it was scheduled to leave. We had several people posting here on CC that they had flown in two or three days early because RCCL was still insisting that the cruise would go on, and then they were stuck in the aftermath of the storm (because by the time the cruise was cancelled most of the airlines had cancelled flights out of the area).

 

If there is a storm headed in the general direction of your departure port, listen closely to the US national hurricane center's predictions, and pay close attention to the roll calls and threads about the storm here on CC. Locals will tell you what the conditions are and are expected to be around the departure point time. [Those of us here in the Galveston area posted when the port of Galveston closed and provided the information that the port had given about when it would reopen...which made it clear a few days out that there would be no RCCL cruise.]

 

RCCL is quite concerned about the safety of their ships and the passengers on those ships, but from what I saw was far less concerned with the safety of those who had yet to board.

 

And read your travel insurance documents closely to see what type of weather-related criteria are necessary for you to get your money back.

 

 

we prefer to fly in at least 3 days early as there are just so many events that can keep us from the US....airline strikes, airport strikes, weather, volcanoes deciding to blow their tops and stop all air traffic across the atlantic etc etc etc

 

in any case, we NEVER enter the state of florida without making a pilgrimage to mickey's house (usually a 3 week long visit to mickey and his pals), so the cruise really is secondary...

 

as for flying into a hurricane zone, not to scare the OP, but one time we flew in during three hurricanes.....

the pilot had to thread the needle getting to orlando...there was one off the gulf coast, two in the atlantic, not far from the coast..

 

it was entertaining to say the least.....it was back in the days of Song (was that the name of the airline?)..

we were flying down from JFK (of course, our usual airport of entry into the US)....

Song was one of the first with seat back TVs on domestic flights and they had the weather channel which seemed to be what everyone on the plane was watching as the pilot reported on his detours as he made his way down through the storms...

i wonder if he would have even been allowed to fly today - what with all the ground stops..

 

anyway, as he got closer to florida it was obvious to even the most clueless passenger that the skies were far less than friendly that day...

 

it was such a 'fun' ride into orlando that when the wheels touched down, the passengers broke out into spontaneous applause and one woman shouted out what no doubt many were thinking, "THANK YOU JESUS!!".....and we all laughed...

 

but now i've probably scared the OP.....

as someone who has flown millions upon millions of miles, of course i have more than a few stories like that one, but it shouldn't stop anyone from traveling...