Hurricane season cruising

[cruiseaholic777]

Has anyone cruised in september? Iam looking to book a cruise on sept. 2nd. My wife is worried about us having a bad cruise due to weather. :rolleyes:

[klfrodo]

Yes I have cruised during that time frame.

[cb at sea]

The season doesn't dictate the seas....so don't worry about that. It's just that hurricanes are "likely" during the season....

 

If there isn't one....everything's good. If there is one, the ship will avoid it. Your ports may be changed, but they will NOT take you into a storm!

 

It's just like today's weather.....maybe last year, it rained...today, it didn't! There's no predicting what will happen, but just because it's "hurricane season" doesn't mean you'll have high seas or bad weather.....unless a hurricane or tropical storm forms! That's why these cruises are a bit cheaper...the risk factor!

[skrufy]

Have sailed in Aug. and Sept. twice no hurricanes.

[xxoocruiser]

For what it's worth the Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st and goes through to November 30th. However, the formation of tropical cyclones is possible at any time.

[5fathom]

Our anniversary is Oct 12 so we have sailed many late Sept and early Oct cruises. We have never had a problem. As an example, a couple of years ago on a 14 day Grand Princess cruise we were introduced to Hurricane Tomas. The Captain announced he was sailing 120 miles to the South of the intended course to come in behind Tomas. No problem and smooth seas. As we sailed to our last two ports before Ft Lauderdale Tomas instead of heading North as expected hooked back and came at us again. The two Ports were cancelled and we sailed to San Juan instead. Not to say you won't run into bumpy seas, this can happen in any month, but don't worry about hurricanes ! These Captains know what they are doing and passenger comfort comes first. Have a great cruise !

[vivavegas]

Has anyone cruised in september? Iam looking to book a cruise on sept. 2nd. My wife is worried about us having a bad cruise due to weather. :rolleyes:

 

While no one can perdict the weather, we've cruised several times in September and have never had a problem. Enjoy!

[bbwex]

They are saying the area of the Atlantic where the storms are born appears a bit cooler than usual, so this might be a slight hurricane season, but who knows. Even if it is, there still will be a few. The other posters have really put it straight. If there is one, the ships will avoid it. The biggest complication would be if the ship has to avoid the disembarkation/embarkation port due to the weather. The likelihood of that is even more remote. Just remember, cruise ships deal with hurricane season every year.

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes, have sailed most months of the year and have sailed around two hurricanes. As stated, you will not be in jeopardy. The Captain would never put his passengers, crew, and ship in danger. Book your cruise and please try not to worry about this. The odds are in your favor. :)

.

[Starbright]

We sailed in September. There was a hurricane the week before we sailed. One of our ports should have been Granada but it had been flattened by the hurricane. Instead we called at Dominica. Apart from that slight change our cruise was just as normal - calm seas and wonderful weather. We've also spent many holidays in Florida during September, which is also prone to hurricanes, and only once encountered one.

[zacc]

We have cruised in Sept. every year since 2002. We are still well and looking forward to Sept. 2012!

[RoofingPrincess]

When you sail during hurricane season, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

While the captain has good weather facilities onboard and will do everything in his power to avoid a storm, for the safety of his ship and its passengers, there may be rough seas on the route he has to take. Itineraries may be modified radically. And there may be more "surprises" at the end of the cruise.

 

I sailed out of Galveston on Sept 6 2008, a 5-night to Cozumel and Progreso on the Carnival Ecstasy.

We arrived back in Galveston on Thursday morning with Hurricane Ike nipping at our heels. The ship loaded up its new passengers and took a different route out than it normally does, to avoid Ike.

Ike flattened Galveston and the Ecstasy could not return to Galveston. I think it ended up debarking its passengers in New Orleans.

As for me, I made it back up to Houston that day. My flight wasn't scheduled to leave until Friday morning. They announced they were going to close the airports at 9 am Friday, and I managed to reschedule my flight. Then they changed it to something like 6 pm on Thursday, and I did not manage to reschedule. So I was in Houston during Hurricane Ike. I was not able to leave Houston until the airports reopened on Tuesday.

Travel insurance reimbursed me for the extra expenses I incurred due to the hurricane. And Southwest Airlines was awesome in terms of rescheduling me.

 

OTOH, I sailed the Eastern Caribbean last year in early November, which is still hurricane season, and had no problems whatsoever.

[cruiseaholic777]

Thank you all for the information. Cruise Critic members always help a friend. I can know book my 8 day eastern caribbean cruise. I am not the biggest Carnival fan but in september my choices are limited. I will be sailing on the Freedom of the seas on september 8th. If you don't cruise you lose. ;)

[Karysa]

I worry about the home part more than the ports of call. We would have been affected by Hurricane Katrina if we would have left from Miami or New Orleans. We booked our cruise only a few weeks out and I was too nervous flying in to either of these ports so we flew to San Juan and left from there. This is one time that my worrying paid off.

[beachbum53]

Has anyone cruised in september? Iam looking to book a cruise on sept. 2nd. My wife is worried about us having a bad cruise due to weather. :rolleyes:

 

Thank you all for the information. Cruise Critic members always help a friend. I can know book my 8 day eastern caribbean cruise. I am not the biggest Carnival fan but in september my choices are limited. I will be sailing on the Freedom of the seas on september 8th. If you don't cruise you lose. ;)

 

We, too, have cruised in Sept. Something else to keep in mind that no one has mentioned. Hurricanes don't move very fast. It's very easy for a cruise ship to avoid a hurricane. It's not like you're sailing along and the weather is great, and then the next minute you're caught in a Category 5 history-making storm. You may, as someone else said, have a little rough water to get through, and one of your ports may be closed because of bad weather, but you won't be in any danger, at least not from the weather. Inconsiderate or grouchy cruise mates, on the other hand, well, that's a seperate issue. :rolleyes: Hope you have a great cruise!

[toribug]

This is great because I was looking at a CCL leaving from New Orleans Aug 30th. I have wanted to take my kids on a cruise and I can't afford one during the summer months.I have 1 in high school and 2 in college. I figured I would book this and get travel insurance and take our chances. Hopefully we will have great weather

[zookiebird]

We've cruised in September twice. First time, no problem. Second time, a hurricane swept thru Bermuda the day before we were to arrive so our whole itinerary was changed. It was disappointing not getting to Bermuda but we still has a great time and the future cruise credit we received from HAL really helped us in taking another cruise.

[Jimnbigd]

I have cruised during USA Labor Day (1st Monday in September) a few times with no problems. I think the worst case would be if a hurricane hit my home port (Galveston) during my cruise. I drive to Galveston, so I'd probably have no car if that happened. I use EZ Cruise parking there, and EZ Cruise said all their shuttle buses and all the parked cars were totaled during Ike. I think the water covered all the cars. Maybe some CC-er actually had a car destroyed during Ike (or another storm) and can comment on this.

 

We now wait and cruise the 1st week in December, mostly because the ships are decorated for Christmas then, but also because it is past hurricane season. My November, 2005, cruise, was just after USA Thanksgiving. There were four category 5 hurricanes that year (who can forget Katrina). Wilma tore up Cozumel pretty bad a few weeks before that cruise, including the piers. We tendered into Cozumel. It was interesting and sad to see all the destroyed buildings.

[Krazy Kruizers]

No one can predict what the weather will be.

A few years ago there used to be a couple of cruise ships from each cruise line that sailed in the Caribbean in the summer.

Then came along several hurricanes -- disrupted cruises -- some cruises were lengthened because the ships couldn't get back to port -- thus making the the next cruise short.

The cruise lines were picking up the tabs for many of the misplaced people and the changing of flights -- booking people into hotels, food, etc.

HAL is one cruise line that has pulled out of the Caribbean completely in the summer while others have cut back on the number of ships sailing then.

SO -- be prepared is the best advice that I can give you.

[NOLA MOM]

I can be a pessimist, but I like to see all of the different scenarios before I make a decision.

 

I'd prefer to take a 12/2/12 cruise out of New Orleans; less chance of a hurricane and the prices are more reasonable for a family of 6 needing 2 rooms. Did I read that the ship would be decorated for Christmas? How would the Bahama ocean water feel? Too cool for the kids to want to swim onboard and in the ocean?

 

For a little more $, hubby would prefer to take the 9/2/12 cruise out of New Orleans instead. We'd be taking the kids out of school for one less day and the water will still be warmer. He plans on playing golf on one of the ports of call. More chance of a hurricane during this time of year.

 

We would be purchasing 2 inside cabins; 4 kids in one and me/hubby in the other (oldest child will be 25 yrs. old).

 

If the ship changes course related to a hurricane or if there is rain for the entire 7 day cruise, should I be concerned about our inside cabins being too small? If the weather is bad and all passengers have to stay indoors, is there enough space for everyone to have a good time? It would be a bummer if hubby couldn't play golf because of bad weather, or if the kids couldn't swim all day while on board. With no internet or cable tv, I'm wondering how all the passengers could be entertained. The bingo rooms, theater, casino can only hold so many people.

 

Also if the cruise is shortened for any reason because of weather, does the cruise company give you any perks? Just curious. I know Mother Nature doesn't guarantee cruises will have perfect weather.

 

I know I can purchase trip insurance that will allow me to cancel for any reason and get my $$ back, but just trying to weigh the pros and cons before I book our trip.

 

Thanks for any input.

[zookiebird]

I wouldn't worry too much. With today's technology the ship can easily steer clear of a hurricane. As has been mentioned, your itinerary might change but they'll do whatever is necessary to keep you safe and give you an enjoyable cruise. In consideration if the itinerary changes they will probably give you a future cruise credit. Enjoy!!