Cruising in September?

[WitchyWoman14]

I apologize if this has already been asked, but my husband and I are thinking about cruising on the 9-26-09 sailing of the Glory. How risky is it to sail (due to storms, weather, and so on), in September? I'm sure Carnival would never put their passengers in harm's way if at all avoidable, but any idea how much they would change the ports of call? We have went Western Caribbean 3 times now and although we had a blast, we are ready to see new ports.

 

Thanks! :D

[SouthernCaribbean]

I apologize if this has already been asked, but my husband and I are thinking about cruising on the 9-26-09 sailing of the Glory. How risky is it to sail (due to storms, weather, and so on), in September? I'm sure Carnival would never put their passengers in harm's way if at all avoidable, but any idea how much they would change the ports of call? We have went Western Caribbean 3 times now and although we had a blast, we are ready to see new ports.

 

Thanks! :D

That almost smack dab in the middle of Cane season. Anything can happen. You could end up doing Eastern or an abbreviated Western..or maybe up to Rhode Island :)

 

Just go with the idea of adventure and dont stress over where you end up.

[wasiii]

I apologize if this has already been asked, but my husband and I are thinking about cruising on the 9-26-09 sailing of the Glory. How risky is it to sail (due to storms, weather, and so on), in September? I'm sure Carnival would never put their passengers in harm's way if at all avoidable, but any idea how much they would change the ports of call? We have went Western Caribbean 3 times now and although we had a blast, we are ready to see new ports.

 

Thanks! :D

 

.....you risk the chance of having a port or ports canceled. My son and I usually cruise at the end of August because we really don't care what ports we go to. We just love being on the ship.

 

wasiii

[yogimax]

Your question is really impossible to answer. Safety is always of primary importance. It will determine port changes, if any.

[Lovharvey]

We had one cruise that we had to cancel because we couldn't get to Mobile, which is where the cruise was moved after the hurricane struck NO. I then booked another cruise out of Galveston and of course it was cancelled because of IKE. Both these cruises were in Sept 2008. We have cruised out of Galveston in Sept before and never had a problem. We cruised out of Long Beach in 2006 and we were in between storms. The only answer to that question is "you take your chances". We are going to plan a cruise this year, but, it is going to be in Feb or March. I'm not going to take a chance again. I guess one of these days I need to drop the banner about the Sept cruise. Good luck and have fun.

[Scooters]

Are you driving or flying? Many got a longer cruise, but lost their cars in the Galveston lots when Ike came in. This is certainly not the "norm", but a consideration.

[WitchyWoman14]

Are you driving or flying? Many got a longer cruise, but lost their cars in the Galveston lots when Ike came in. This is certainly not the "norm", but a consideration.

 

We would be driving. We plan on staying at the Radisson and getting the shuttle package. That's true. I just made my last car payment (I'm 26 so this is my first car that has been "paid off"), that would stink! We will end up booking, more than likely. For those whose cruises have been cancelled, what is the policy for that? Does Carnival refund your money or would that only be covered if you have travelers' insurance?

[firefly333]

I was on the Ike cruise. We got once a day updates on the hurricane, but you were told to watch CNN otherwise for more up to date info. Cruises before us were disrupted. The Ecstasy cruise to nowhere went from 5 days to 3 days I believe, so they hit no ports. The cruise after us was cancelled when we got in late, and so on.

 

People told me when I came back, you have to expect the possibility of a hurricane in Sept, or you were naive. Im on the 9/20/09 Crazies and if there is even a hint of a hurricane next time I will find another way to the port and not park there.

[firefly333]

For those whose cruises have been cancelled, what is the policy for that? Does Carnival refund your money or would that only be covered if you have travelers' insurance?

 

You can reschedule if your cruise is totally cancelled. The ones who were not told they could cancel were those who cruised during the hurricanes. I read a post this past few days, someone who said they are finally going on the cruise they were supposed to do in September that got rescheduled.

 

We skipped Grand Cayman, so any excursions thru the ship were refunded. We went in early to Cozumel and spent the night while Carnival decided what to do with us. Better than anchoring out at sea like some other cruises did, at least I could get to cheap internet and phone. They finally left as most know and took us back to New Orleans. I dont know if all cruise insurance would have paid for you to get home from there. Some insurance like I have for Dec 09 cruise, they said it is for a certain number of days, so if the cruise is extended it wouldnt cover it.

 

I dont know that there is any way to prepare, or make sure you have the right insurance. We mostly were concerned with health coverage and turned out it didnt help.

[tkportersat]

I have traveled twice in September....Once there was a hurricane in the Gulf and my trip was shortened a day, the second time it was the smoothest seas I have ever experienced. It is pretty much a crap shoot. You get better prices but yes there is a chance your vacation will be altered in some way. The cruiselines have your safety as a priority and track the storms constantly.

[kmills]

Like all have said you take your chance on what the weather will be. We went on the Legend on 9/22/07 and had a wonderful cruise. When I booked it I did not even think about cane season until after. We had beautiful weather the entire time and hit all four of our ports. We would do it again. On the other hand my son and his wife went 9/17/07 and they had rain almost the entire cruise with some choppy waters. The DIL is not sure that she would want to cruise again (it was their first cruise), but the son is ready to try again.

So I would book knowing that there is a possibility of changing ports or not making all ports.

[LRY229]

I've cruised approx 20 times and most of them have been in Sept. We've been lucky - only one cruise was effected by a storm. We had to drive to Pt Canaveral and were bused to Ft Lauderdale because the storm had shifted sand in Canaveral. Of course, we live in FL and know it's just the luck of the draw. You have to remember Hurricane Season is 6 months long - yes, Sept is the prime time but you never know. We were on the Glory 9/27/08 and had beautiful weather.

[Cigar Dude]

We usually cruise in September and only once have we been rerouted to a different port. No big deal. It's a crap shoot that time of year but it's not that bad. We already have a cruise booked for September 6th, 2009 aboard the Victory! :)

[happy flamingo]

Hey KonasMom

We're booked on the 9/26/09 Glory sailing (me, DH, adult stepson, sister and BIL) - please join us on our roll call! This will be our 6th cruise and the 1st during hurricane season. Being from FL originally we know that it's a crap shoot during hurricane season and are going to take a chance. It's BIL's 1st cruise and sisters 2nd so I hope for good weather. We will buy insurance and hope for the best. I've talked to friends who have never had any problems during hurricane season while on a cruise and then there's others who have so ...............

We're really looking forward to this cruise - the Glory is a beautiful ship - went on her on our 1st cruise.

Hope to see you in September!:)

[serene56]

We cruise in Sept too for the awesome prices.

 

Do NOT book a cruise for this time of year basing your decision on certain ports. You take the chance of not going.

[Vanessa L]

We cruise in Sept too for the awesome prices.

 

Do NOT book a cruise for this time of year basing your decision on certain ports. You take the chance of not going.

 

This is the best advice I've seen. The beauty of cruising during this time of year is, usually prices are better, and the Captain will ensure that you are safe at all times. However, as serene has noted, you do run the risk of missing ports due to a storm, or as others have noted, missing ANY port and just having a CTN for 5-7 days or so. If the idea of this doesn't bother you in the least (i.e. don't plan on coming back here and complaining that you missed ports because you will get flamed to Hades), then book, book, book!!!

[WitchyWoman14]

This is the best advice I've seen. The beauty of cruising during this time of year is, usually prices are better, and the Captain will ensure that you are safe at all times. However, as serene has noted, you do run the risk of missing ports due to a storm, or as others have noted, missing ANY port and just having a CTN for 5-7 days or so. If the idea of this doesn't bother you in the least (i.e. don't plan on coming back here and complaining that you missed ports because you will get flamed to Hades), then book, book, book!!!

 

Honestly, the change of ports does not really bother me, I am just hoping for some different ports.... On our second cruise, we were going to Cozumel (went there on the first and liked it so we were OK with going back), then we were told the port changed due to damage, to Costa Maya (and we were OK with that as we had not been there yet), then as we were boarding the ship we were told it had been changed again... Costa Maya was "overcrowded" so we went to... Jamaica and we were REALLY OK with that! I loved Jamaica! :D

 

If we do go and the ports are changed, you can be sure I will not be complaining on here. I know Carnival and the ship's captain will do their best to keep us out of harm's way and if that means changing a port, that's OK. I rather see that port (maybe for the 2nd or 3rd time) than risk my life or other passengers' lives on the ship. I can understand someone being a little disappointed that they did not get to see a certain place, but good grief! Some people go a little "overboard" (pun intended) complaining and acting like they would rather sit on the beach in a hurricane than go somewhere else that is much safer. :confused:

 

Thanks for all the replies! :D

[WitchyWoman14]

Hey KonasMom

We're booked on the 9/26/09 Glory sailing (me, DH, adult stepson, sister and BIL) - please join us on our roll call! This will be our 6th cruise and the 1st during hurricane season. Being from FL originally we know that it's a crap shoot during hurricane season and are going to take a chance. It's BIL's 1st cruise and sisters 2nd so I hope for good weather. We will buy insurance and hope for the best. I've talked to friends who have never had any problems during hurricane season while on a cruise and then there's others who have so ...............

We're really looking forward to this cruise - the Glory is a beautiful ship - went on her on our 1st cruise.

Hope to see you in September!:)

 

I will look for that roll call! We have not booked it yet, but more than likely, we will. :) I'll keep my fingers crossed for good weather!!!! I have not sailed on the Glory. We had a cruise booked for this past October and a lot of things came up and we had to cancel. We have sailed on the Liberty though....

[cruzkitty]

We have cruised 4-5 times in September and only once had our Ports changed. We did the Western instead of the Eastern Caribbean. I really like cruising in September-it's the end of summer for me and the cruise is our las Ha-Rah, so to speak.

[misguidedangel]

The quick answer is if that is when you want to go go, but remember to keep your options open for ports becuase they could change if there is a storm in the area.

 

I was follwing the NOAA website everyday to track Ike, and a week out I knew the Liberty would not be going where we were to go because we would have sailed right through the front edge of Ike heading towards St. TRhomas--something the Captain and Carnival thought wise not to do. We went West instead and we got four ports in place of our missed four ports. I had a great time even though I didn't get to my own private paradise (Half Moon Cay).

 

Your best bet is if you book during that time of the year to check NOAA website daily and you will know the most up-to-date info possible.

 

This september I'll be in the Pacific instead of the Caribbean...alas, that is where the Splendor will be, so I shall head to Mexico...