Theoretical (?) Scenario

[VentureForth]

Its a Friday morning and I'm bored. So I was pondering (a dangerous thing by any means).

 

You book a cruise smack in the middle of Hurricane Season. You're a cheapskate so you don't but travel insurance.

 

Sure enough, there is a descent threat of inclimate weather on the horizon. Your CL won't cancel the cruise, opting rather to make the best of it and hopefully make at least one of the three ports of call with the rest of the trip "Days at Sea" - and those seas are rough.

 

Do you bite the bullet and go anyway knowing this ain't the trip you paid for? Or do you go ahead and cancel with full loss, knowing that at least you'll stay sane?

[nbsjcruiser]

I would go. Might as well get something out of it. At least you would get all of your days on the ship and be able to eat your share of chocolate melting cake

[ljslight]

Yes I would still go, but I would have bought insurance! I would still go and enjoy my fancy floating hotel even in the worst of storms!!

[magictam]

I'ld go. What a new adventure it could be :D

[SWPSquared]

I'd go for sure. Storms make for very dramatic views.

 

Now getting my wife on the ship, that's another story :D

 

- Steve

[Tiffany1203]

By all means I would go!!

[big_duck]

One problem with your "scenario". Regular travel insurance will not cover you if the CL decided to go and you don't want to. You would need the more expensive "cancel for any reason" plan.

 

Just saying.

 

Travel insurance is not vacation enjoyment insurance.

[golfadj]

I am on the ship having a great time.

 

We sail every year during hurrican season. If they change the itinerary so what have been to all the islands multiple times as we sail for the ship not the ports anyway.

 

And since we have health insurance that covers us anywhere in the world we do not take out insurance but self insure.

[Nunu]

I'm a theoretical physicist irl. Let me work on this.

[balcony bound]

I would go. For us the issue is not the cruise, but our house - depending on where the hurricane path is projected. Even though there is little we can do, it's hard not to be home during a hurricane.

 

We left one year when we were having wildfires, and there was one within a couple miles of the house. That was a tough one, getting evacuation plans ready for our animals with petsitters, etc. When we came home, the fire was still burning within a short distance of us.

 

In my mind, I try to remember that there isn't a lot we can do for our home during a storm/fire... and the ship will always stay out of harms way.

 

Now, there were some particular hurricanes that I wish I had been on a cruise during - since we were without power for about 7 weeks. Ugh! I would have given anything for hot showers and meals! Oh, and A/C!

[lollylew]

I would go ahead and do the cruise since I would much rather be on a cruise ship than at home even if it turns into a 4 night (or 7 night) Cruise to Nowhere! :D

 

Plus I would bet that Carnival would probably dock SOMEWHERE even if it's not on your original itinerary.

[JGaleCPA]

Heck yeah, go.

 

I travel a lot. My bank clerk just asked me "How can you go on all these trips" (the answer is for another Post).

 

I can say unequivocally (Sp?) that the best memories were from totally unplanned things.

 

You never know what is around the next corner, and that can be half the fun.

[kyrisong1]

I always have insurance, it's not really expensive.

I'd never book a cruise in the fall with the expectations of getting to the ports booked (although we always have gotten to the ports booked, never had to go a different route)

I think the waters in the places I go is warmer and better for snorkeling, I'm a cold hater and even in Grand Cayman the water was too chilly for me to snorkle comfortably in Feb, but in September, Oct? Beautiful.

I don't worry too much about rough waters in the fall , our first cruise ever was in Feb, and the water was terribly rough, we even stopped in the middle of the night to help a smaller vessel in trouble.

It can be rough anytime, it's up to Mother Nature, but I love it all the same.

Carole

[Sarah@Sea]

Its a Friday morning and I'm bored. So I was pondering (a dangerous thing by any means).

 

You book a cruise smack in the middle of Hurricane Season. You're a cheapskate so you don't but travel insurance.

 

Sure enough, there is a descent threat of inclimate weather on the horizon. Your CL won't cancel the cruise, opting rather to make the best of it and hopefully make at least one of the three ports of call with the rest of the trip "Days at Sea" - and those seas are rough.

 

Do you bite the bullet and go anyway knowing this ain't the trip you paid for? Or do you go ahead and cancel with full loss, knowing that at least you'll stay sane?

 

I live in Miami, so I'd go...rather be out at sea where we can sail around the storm than stuck on land dealing with all the crazies buying last minute supplies. =)...and I always use the motion sickness patch. A storm typically isn't that big (as in geographically) so I can't imagine all days of the cruise being rough seas. My first cruise was in Nov. 2008 right after a TS passed by, the first night was rocky but the rest of the cruise was GREAT.

[Sarah@Sea]

I'ld go. What a new adventure it could be :D

 

That's exactly what my mother said when I told her I booked a cruise in September for my b-day...oh hurricane season that should be an adventure!!!

[VentureForth]

One problem with your "scenario". Regular travel insurance will not cover you if the CL decided to go and you don't want to. You would need the more expensive "cancel for any reason" plan.

 

Just saying.

 

Travel insurance is not vacation enjoyment insurance.

 

I knew someone would bring this up... ;)

 

So let's change just a bit - what cost threshold would you consider full-cancel-insurance? I probably wouldn't buy it for a cruise under $500 pp, but if I ever booked a cruise of a lifetime like on Oasis or Epic or any Disney boat, I'd sure consider it. I mean its just mitigating risk. The higher the risk (weather*cost/insurance) the better the value...

[Kurbanfan]

Regular insurance will not cover for hurricanes........and the cruiseline will not let me re schedule? I might mysteriously get sick and use my insurance:D

But I wouldn't book in height of hurricane season to begin with......

Now if I'm on the cruise and **** happens.....I have no choice.....

[Upandadam]

Sane? The only way I'd keep sane is by going.

[Kurbanfan]

I knew someone would bring this up... ;)

 

So let's change just a bit - what cost threshold would you consider full-cancel-insurance? I probably wouldn't buy it for a cruise under $500 pp, but if I ever booked a cruise of a lifetime like on Oasis or Epic or any Disney boat, I'd sure consider it. I mean its just mitigating risk. The higher the risk (weather*cost/insurance) the better the value...

 

You would rather pay a higher insurance premium and sail say in Sept.......they paying more for your cruise and cruise in April or May:confused:

Makes no sense to me........

[sassy0930]

well, seeing as though the cost of a november cruise is less than a summer cruise I might eat it. I HATE being on a ship when the seas are rough. That was my biggest complaint of this last trip. And the sea weren't even that bad. I didn't expect such crappy weather so I didn't dig out my sea bands and I was miserable for the whole sea day and last night.

 

I also don't like a lot of the activities they offer on board and I can only sit around on deck for so long before I get bored.

 

If CCL knew of the itenerary change prior to the ship leaving home port then all customers SHOULD get the option to at least re-book for a cruise that will sail a more suitable route. But Carnival's new policy is that they won't let you do anything, so we simply aren't booking any Carnival cruises from here out. (More the fact that we're done with cruising for a while, but the new policy certainly isn't hurting our decision to step away)

[VentureForth]

You would rather pay a higher insurance premium and sail say in Sept.......they paying more for your cruise and cruise in April or May:confused:

Makes no sense to me........

 

Again - it's all about probabilities. It doesn't hurricane every day between June and October. The rates can be more affordable, and for some the fact that they're not competing for deck chairs with school kids is a definite component to decision making. So it goes back to the original post - not that this is something that I'm planning. It really is theor- and hypo- thetical. There can be a rogue storm in May and June. Ships miss their ports and have to change plans all year 'round. So the scenario for this post is: You've contemplated the risk vs value of the cost of your cruise and the cost of insurance. You decide to forgo the insurance and go for the trip. It's non refundable and the CL won't cancel the cruise. Would you rather weather the storms or eat the cost?

 

The rest of the talk about the cost of insurance, level of insurance, cost of insurance vs a more suitable time is all valid, but not the premise of this thread.

[DanJ]

It's non refundable and the CL won't cancel the cruise. Would you rather weather the storms or eat the cost?

 

The rest of the talk about the cost of insurance, level of insurance, cost of insurance vs a more suitable time is all valid, but not the premise of this thread.

 

I'll take this from the angle that you are wondering if I would rather no-show and eat the cost of the cruise rather than risk the discomfort of being on a ship in rough seas. For me, thankfully I've never been seasick, but I can't imagine how it feels to somebody who is and there is simply no escape from it when you are on a ship. If I was the type of person who would worry about being sick and miserable on the ship, I wouldn't have booked a cruise in the first place, likely at anytime of the year. Based on my experience with trailing edges of tropical storms, and being a ship rocky enough to basically cancel all entertainment for the evening, I would still go on the cruise knowing there were storms nearby.

[Kurbanfan]

Again - it's all about probabilities. It doesn't hurricane every day between June and October. The rates can be more affordable, and for some the fact that they're not competing for deck chairs with school kids is a definite component to decision making. So it goes back to the original post - not that this is something that I'm planning. It really is theor- and hypo- thetical. There can be a rogue storm in May and June. Ships miss their ports and have to change plans all year 'round. So the scenario for this post is: You've contemplated the risk vs value of the cost of your cruise and the cost of insurance. You decide to forgo the insurance and go for the trip. It's non refundable and the CL won't cancel the cruise. Would you rather weather the storms or eat the cost?

 

The rest of the talk about the cost of insurance, level of insurance, cost of insurance vs a more suitable time is all valid, but not the premise of this thread.

 

Fine......take your game and go home....your rules stink:mad::p:D

[nothomeonacruise]

Having been through many hurricanes, including a high cat. 4, I'd be very hesistant to go. I know logically my brain would tell me that the ship would steer clear, however I couldn't sleep knowing that monster is swirling and I'm out to sea. I know a lot of people who do cruise during hurricane season and I think it's great if you can enjoy yourself. One reason we pick mid to late November to cruise.. also, it's a bit cooler.

[Smithkids5521]

I would go...since you won't get your money back anyway! Might as well go and have fun on the ship...and hope you get at least 1 port in there somewhere...

 

That is why, personally, I booked my excursions with Carnival. Since we are cruising in August, there really is the possibility of hurricanes, but this way if the ports are cancelled, at least I won't be out any money on that end. (I'd sure be disappointed, but oh well :().