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Hurricane protocol


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Hello, I am looking into booking a cruise for this summer and when the topic of “bad weather” came up I realized I have no clue what cruise ships do in bad weather.

 

Are cruises cancelled completely and if so, does the cruise line refund you?

 

Do cruise lines change their itinerary last minute to avoid bad weather?

 

Do cruise lines turn around and head to land in the case of bad weather and would we have to get a hotel?

 

How does personal travel insurance work in these scenarios ? I am Canadian and will depart out of Florida if that makes a difference.

 

Also, is there something to be said for choosing a southern or western Caribbean cruise because the likelihood of bad weather is lessened?

 

Thank you for your help and guidance.

 

 

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Very very rarely does the cruise line cancel.

They usually reroute the ship and move out of the area.

 

Insurance. Can only speak of coverage from USA. Canada could be different..

 

Insurance coverage is not going to cover and refund unless your primary residence becomes uninhabitable. You may be covered under Trip Delay if your scheduled airline cancels flights. However, you MUST try to catch the ship to continue your trip. Insurance will pay for new tickets and expenses up to covered amount. If and only IF you cannot catch the ship or would miss more than 50% of the covered trip, then you may be reimbursed up to the covered amount.

Insurance is reimbursement only. You have to pay, then file a claim.

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The ship will do anything to avoid a hurricane. The last place a ship wants to be during a hurricane is tied to a dock in the path of a hurricane. That is the way to total a 500 million dollar investment.

 

The ship will alter course as appropriate.

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As others said, the cruise ship will be fine. It's you who has to worry. I highly recommend trip insurance (and pay attention to the details). Even on the rare case they cancel, you have to deal with the airlines and see when you have time to travel again.

 

I did one of the first cruises out after Hurricane Wilma for our honeymoon. It departed on Sat. Hurricane Wilma hit the week before. The airport opened up Wed and the cruise dock opened up Thursday. It was a lot of added stress. The ship was fine though. I think it was out in the Caribbean somewhere outside the path of the storm. We only skipped one port, but did stop there to drop off relief supplies.

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The cruise is rarely cancelled altogether. As mentioned, the Captain will never steer the ship, crew, and passengers into a storm but will either change course and go to other ports to avoid (the worst of) it, stay out to sea and not dock at any port (called a "cruise to nowhere"), or stay in port until the worst of the weather passes. As you can see if you expand my signature, we have cruised through/around/averted several hurricanes. Hurricane Sandy, we stayed in Boston port for two days with a tug boat pressed against our side before the Captain departed. We missed two of our ports to make up for that. On our other hurricane cruises we were out to sea and the swells and winds were fierce, but we made it through. We consider it one of the many adventures of cruising; you have to. You can't control the weather and that is the chance you take when you book a cruise in hurricane season, which incidentally is six months long.

 

Book the cruise you want to go on and hope for the best. You can't predict a hurricane or tropical storm.

.

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Cruises are almost never canceled due to bad weather. If possible, they will change their itinerary to avoid the storm. It can mean visiting different ports or having more sea days. You may not know until after you sail that change(s) have been made.

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Your itinerary may be changed, you may have an extra sea day or two, there is no way to predict what a hurricane will do or where it will go.

 

The captain is not going to risk his/her ship, crew and passengers, so realize changes may be made and accept it or don't book a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season.

 

I have lived on the gulf coast for over sixty years. When it comes to weather it is what it is.

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You can check out the threads on hurricane changes from last September.

 

Some people on a cruise, got their cruise extended. Some people waiting for their cruise got a shorter cruise, and some compensation.

 

Also, due to port damage, your cruise may depart or arrive back to a different port. And the ports visited may change.

 

Unless you get Cancel for Any Reason coverage, you are only covered for exactly the things stated. And many people found out, that if they wanted to cancel to deal with home or family issues, they were not covered.

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I suggest you and others read the cruise contract (look on the cruise line's web page) you agree to when you set foot on the ship. You will be shocked what the cruise line guarantees and what they are not responsible for from the moment your on the ship.

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