Hurricane season cruise veterans - got a question.

[Tony1865]

We're sailing on the FOS Sept. 5, Western Carribean. 30th anniversary - woohoo!

 

We've sailed Disney and NCL, but this is our first RCCL cruise. And, yeah, we're well aware of what time of year we're headed out. I know that if we can board the ship, we'll go somewhere. And that's fine. We're up for some adventure, and we are the very soul of flexibility.

 

I'm just wondering about anyone's first-hand experiences of being routed to another port, missing some ports entirely, etc. How'd it go? Do share, and be kind to the first-time poster!

[Host Kewlguy]

In September of 2005 we had our Grandeur cruise shortened from 9 days to 8 days due to Hurricane Ophelia. The cruise from the previous week couldn't get back into Baltimore until a day later than usual. We received $250 credit since we were in a Junior Suite. During the same cruise we were out running Hurricane Rita through the Gulf causing us to miss three out of five scheduled port stops. We received nothing in terms of compensation for the missed ports nor did we expect any. It was quite an interesting cruise but something you have to occasionally expect when cruising in September.

[bobert]

I was on the Navigator going Western when Wilma pounded Cozumel in'05. Had to completely change direction and ports missed Ocho Rios and Cozumel and was replaced with San Juan. Interesting that I got to know the Captian on that Cruise, Captain Bang, and got to hear a fair amount about his thought process. Many passengers were not happy with the swap but Captain Bang's attitude was with enough food and fuel to avoid where ever it goes, where better to be. You will be safe and well fed and you will go to whatever ports the Cruising Gods allow you to enjoy. It was interesting and weird since Wilma did a number on my home and business in Miami but until I got back she was only an annoyance.

 

If you go with the idea that you will enjoy the ship and the ports are an enhancement, then huricane season is no big deal. If you view the ports as extremely important than you should reconsider the time of year you cruise. For me it matters but not enough to change my plans.

[Marilyn Johannes]

We were on a ship that left out of Galveston on the Sunday before Katrina hit. We did not miss any ports, but were very sick. Our first port was Key West which had been hit by another hurricane a few days before. We still went to the port, but many excursions had been canceled.

Also was on a ship that couldn't get to a port in the Caribbean and spent extra time in the next port.

We've been on 14 cruises, all in Aug or Sept. and Katrina is the only cruise that the hurricanes really made us sick.

[wave2me]

We're sailing on the FOS Sept. 5, Western Carribean. 30th anniversary - woohoo!

 

We've sailed Disney and NCL, but this is our first RCCL cruise. And, yeah, we're well aware of what time of year we're headed out. I know that if we can board the ship, we'll go somewhere. And that's fine. We're up for some adventure, and we are the very soul of flexibility.

 

I'm just wondering about anyone's first-hand experiences of being routed to another port, missing some ports entirely, etc. How'd it go? Do share, and be kind to the first-time poster!

 

 

We've sailed when two hurricanes were approaching. Each time the captain steered the ship to calmer waters and blue skys. On one of the trips we spent 3 days in the sun doing large 'figure 8s' off the coast of the Florida Keys and Cuba while the middle of Florida was getting hammered with a storm. The second time we went to a different port during the trip. We also could not get back into the port we sailked from becausae of shifting sands in the channel - so we disembarked at another port and they bused us back to the port we sailed from. Let me say that in both occasions the crew ran a full day of activites and tried their best to keep everyone entertained and happy.

[cruisinlawn]

....diverted us from the west and went east. Doesn't matter to us as we usually sail in the Fall and realize the possibility of this. We always suggest to others if you have your heart set on ports, don't try it in the Fall. Put us on ship and we're fine. Enjoy.

[GarrenS]

We were on navigator for an eastern cruise leaving the week before labor day in 2004. Our 7 day cruise was 9 days because of hurricane Frances.......we stopped in 2 ports, only one of which was on the original itinerary. But it was some of the best weather we've ever had on a cruise, since they kept us far from the storm. It was battering florida on the day we were supposed to return to Miami, so we hung around the south side of Cuba for a few days until the port was reopened.

I think you've got the right attitude, since you are okay as long as you go somewhere!

This was actually one of our favorite cruises, because we never knew what was going to happen next!

I'm sue you'll have a blast.

Garren

[THEWIFE]

One of the first cruises we took was to the caribbean. The captain reversed our itinerary to avoid a hurricane. There was no problem at all; in fact, if we hadn't known our itinerary in the first place, we wouldn't even have noticed anything unusual. However, the last day at sea was very "rocky". The waves had caught up to the ship :eek:! We sat in the MDR and watched the tables tilting, occasionally grabbing an item to prevent its falling. It left us queasy, but not sick, and it certainly provided conversation between all the passengers. It was an experience that I still like to talk about, although I wouldn't go out of my way to have it happen again.

 

Hurricane or not, you will be just fine!

[NanciRDH]

We've sailed when two hurricanes were approaching. Each time the captain steered the ship to calmer waters and blue skys. On one of the trips we spent 3 days in the sun doing large 'figure 8s' off the coast of the Florida Keys and Cuba while the middle of Florida was getting hammered with a storm. The second time we went to a different port during the trip. We also could not get back into the port we sailked from becausae of shifting sands in the channel - so we disembarked at another port and they bused us back to the port we sailed from. Let me say that in both occasions the crew ran a full day of activites and tried their best to keep everyone entertained and happy.

Were you supposed to be heading back to Port Canaveral? In 2004? The only cruise I ever had affected by a hurricane was in 2004, because the channel into Port Canaveral needed to be dredged due to the storm surge bringing in too much sand.

 

 

We were on navigator for an eastern cruise leaving the week before labor day in 2004. Our 7 day cruise was 9 days because of hurricane Frances.......we stopped in 2 ports, only one of which was on the original itinerary. But it was some of the best weather we've ever had on a cruise, since they kept us far from the storm. It was battering florida on the day we were supposed to return to Miami, so we hung around the south side of Cuba for a few days until the port was reopened.

I think you've got the right attitude, since you are okay as long as you go somewhere!

This was actually one of our favorite cruises, because we never knew what was going to happen next!

I'm sue you'll have a blast.

Garren

I had a coworker who was probably on the same cruise! My cruise got cancelled but hers was extended...she had to pay the ship to shore phone fees to call herself out! lol She used up more vacation time than she had, but said she got the better end of the deal. I have to agree, she got 2 of my cruise days!

[cruiselovincouple]

Tony1865 - we're on the same sailing!! You should come over and join our roll call. :) There's a link to the roll call in my signature block.

 

We usually sail in October or later and hit rough seas every now and then but it's never been bad. I've heard tons of additional stories that are exactly the same as the tales already posted on this thread. I'm sure we'll have an AMAZING time!

 

Welcome to the boards! About 99% of the posters on these boards are more than kind to all, newbie or veteran, don't let the few stinkers worry you about asking questions. I've found everyone to be the most wonderful and helpful cruise buddies in the world.

 

~Lisa :p

[cofgren]

I've been on 2 hurricane cruises. Both with excellant results. On the 1st was with Disney. Upon departure the captain announced that because we couldn't go to the Bahamas we would just cruise around and everyone would get I believe was a 100.00 OBC. After about an hour he announced that the Hurricane had shifted and said we were now going to Cozumel. The 3 day cruise ended up being a 7 day cruise. Of course 2 cruises after ours got cancelled. But. We never sailed into rough seas and we had a great time. Other than the 1st ever cruise and the Alaskan cruise and the Hawaiian cruise, this one was the best.

[willysgrandma]

We ALWAYS cruise during hurricane season and have never had a cruise affected by a hurricane.

 

On our first cruise, we skirted a tropical storm and thought we wouldn't get into Key West but we ended up being able to go anyway and we were the only ship in port.

 

In fact, the only cruise we ever missed a port on was a cruise in April out of Florida. The wind caused waves that were too high for us to tender in one port and we got in late to a second port thanks to the high winds and they canceled an excursion we were going on because of the winds And it was only a three night cruise! Give me hurricane season ANY day.

:D

[Tagsalong]

We were on navigator for an eastern cruise leaving the week before labor day in 2004. Our 7 day cruise was 9 days because of hurricane Frances. Garren

 

We were booked on the Navigator following yours and ours was cut to 5 days. We were called before leaving home in Florida and so no great inconvenience for us. And those pax who had already left for the port were given free hotel stays and meals. Everyone was given $500 OBC and a half-off voucher for a future cruise.

[ProbablyRachel]

We were on FOS last Sept and didn't have any itinerary changes, but we ran into storms pretty much every day which was probably the only "damper" on the trip.

 

Congratulations on 30 years!

[GarrenS]

We were booked on the Navigator following yours and ours was cut to 5 days. We were called before leaving home in Florida and so no great inconvenience for us. And those pax who had already left for the port were given free hotel stays and meals. Everyone was given $500 OBC and a half-off voucher for a future cruise.

 

Nice! We just got an extended trip. We were fortunate that we had booked our air with rcl, so they just took care of rebooking us. Didn't even miss a day of work, because it was a Saturday to Saturday cruise and Monday was labor day.

 

We rebooked the same cruise next year so we could see what we missed!

 

Garren

[Tony1865]

Tony1865 - we're on the same sailing!! You should come over and join our roll call. :) There's a link to the roll call in my signature block.

 

We usually sail in October or later and hit rough seas every now and then but it's never been bad. I've heard tons of additional stories that are exactly the same as the tales already posted on this thread. I'm sure we'll have an AMAZING time!

 

Welcome to the boards! About 99% of the posters on these boards are more than kind to all, newbie or veteran, don't let the few stinkers worry you about asking questions. I've found everyone to be the most wonderful and helpful cruise buddies in the world.

 

~Lisa :p

 

Hey, Lisa! Fun! Yeah, we are definitely the type to go with the flow, and while we did pick the Western for the ports, it isn't the Apocalypse if we don't make some ports. We've cruised before, as I noted, but we've never been in a situation where weather was an issue. And, we live in Katrina Country (shudder - THERE was a challenge for ya), and have lived in costal Florida, so we are veterans of several hurricanes, altho from a land-based perspective.

 

Re the "few stinkers" - I'm a moderator on a Marine Parents' website, so, yeah, I'm used to the wild and wooly world of cyberspace. But y'all have been too, too kind.

 

Life is too short to get bent out of shape over what, in the grand scheme of things, isjust no big deal. There is a difference in being disappointed and being in a crisis, y'know?

[B-52]

Mariner, out of Canaveral, September 08(?)

 

Very active hurricane season. There was one that turned up into the Gulf, and one that was headed straight for the east coast of Florida.

 

RCL, Disney, and Carnival, left port early, as soon as all were on board. We headed straight south hugging the coast of Florida, all the way to Cuba. We were so close the ship could not use the stabilizers. Very rough that first night too.

CoCo Cay, our first scheduled stop was canceled.

We then headed east, hugging the coast of Cuba, just a few miles off the coast, and headed below the storm to St. Thomas.

 

Even though we were below the storm, we still had to pass each other, so to speak. Very high winds, NO ONE was allowed out on deck.

 

Sailing in September, everyone on board were veteran cruisers and no one complained at all about the weather. All knew the risks for that time of year, and took it all in stride.

 

After we completed our schedule and started back to Florida, a 3rd storm developed and followed us towards Florida. We had to make all possible speed home, and the Capt. said they would have to load the next cruise and get out of there ASAP again.

[niecyd]

I remember on our first cruise (Sovereign of the Seas 2002), we had to skip the private island, Coco Cay :mad:because of bad weather. It wasn't a hurricane but it was just bad weather with lightening. So we spent an extra day at sea. Adventure of the Seas Southern Caribbean(2004 end of August), was Hurricane Frances. Captain changed the scheduled ports around, last ports because first ports at first of the week and so forth. He just went around the Hurricane. The waters were definitey choppy. At one point, we all went to one side (the ship slightly listed) but no one was hurt. Then in Aug. 2005 (not related to cruise) skipped cruise that year and vacationed West Coast Florida (Clearwater/Tampa). That year was Hurricane Katrina. Our vacation wasn't affected when Katrina came up the coast but the waves were unbelievable. I spent my entired vacation week glued to CNN.:eek: I had a lot of family & co-workers worried back home.

[jackdiamond]

I do not believe that you will be in any peril; however, you may wish to pack a fair amount of dramamine, or whatever for sea sickness.

[Reijo]

I would go for this in a heartbeat!!!!! I remember hearing about those two cruises.

[FLACRUISER99]

Funny how everyone now seems to think cruising in cane season is so great. Just wait until a storm and intermarries have to be changed, ports missed, flights get screwed up, etc. All of a sudden the cruise lines are the worst bad A$$es in the world:(. Just watch!

[Tony1865]

We're viewing this as an assumed risk, and aren't "worried," per se. Just curious as to your collective experiences.

 

A couple of years ago we were on the Disney Wonder and had terrific weather. But the cruise following ours got in some nasty stuff at Castaway Cay, Disney's cool private island. Because the ship docks instead of tenders, and the approach channel to the dock is manmade and narrow, the ship couldn't dock. Even in good weather, making that little port is like threading a needle with a bulldozer.

 

Dunno if it was just an ornery group, but the message boards lit up speaking of a near-mutiny at sea (OK, hyperbole there.) Well, the cruise documents clearly stated that if you couldn't make port, you, uh, couldn't make port, and Disney wasn't contractually obligated to refund anything. I think there may have been some onboard credits offered. My approach is to think that I'm not entitled to anything other than what has been spelled out, and anything otherwise is just a nifty perk. But that's just me.

 

We're excited, for sure. Whatever happens, happens, y'know?

[Sherman793]

We were on Mariner in Aug?/Sept 2008 (can't remember which month exactly) and three hurricanes chased us that cruise. We were caught in Frances driving from Atlanta to Florida and after a nail biting 8 hour drive we got to Port Canaveral. We were supposed to go Western Carribean but they could not because two more hurricanes were coming in side by side and we ended up going Eastern. We only were able to port in St. Thomas and St Marteen but to Capt. Kristophersons great credit, we had quite a few sunny days as they sailed right down the middle of the ocean between the storms. It was truly memorable with some nerve racking moments but the crew made the cruise awesome anyway. Always carry Dramamine, I totally agree with the previous post.

 

It actually took us three tries to make it to a Western Carribean cruise as we sailed two years in hurricane season. Finally in frustration we booked in May of this year to avoid that issue and successfully made it to Mexico. We have never had a bad cruise however!!:)

[Duke95]

I think your years are a little off. Hurricane Frances was in September 2004.

 

We drove through it to get to Port Canaveral only to find that Port Canaveral was closed and that the Mariner would be sailing out of Miami 2 days later. We ended up racing to Miami and had a great 5 night cruise and a free weeklong cruise 5 months later.

[Jimnbigd]

Of course there are many who have lost cars parked at cruise terminals when a hurricane hit. Ouch! :(