Any Hurricane Season cruisers out there?

[edjny]

My husband and I sailed on Carnival Dream during hurricane Sandy. Our 7-day turned into an 8-day; the last day sailing in a big circle off the coast of Miami in rough seas because PC had been closed. Our days in port though (eastern Caribbean) were absolutely beautiful. It was a bit of a hassle changing our return flight from sea, but I do give credit to Carnival for doing their best to accommodate everyone. Even though we were rocking and rolling, and blocked from going out onto our balcony, we never got sea sick, and I never felt like we were in danger.

 

Now we're planning our first back-to-back on FOS for September. Our friends who sailed with us think we're nuts.

 

Anyone else out there who enjoys the adventure (and low fares) of cruising during hurricane season?

 

We were on Explorer of the Seas for the Halloween cruise that sailed through Hurricane Sandy. While the people who did not take their seasick meds were not feeling too well, we had a ball watching those huge waves. We enjoyed it so much that this past Halloween we went on another Halloween cruise on Explorer to celebrate the first anniversary..... :cool:

[LindaO]

BEST CRUISE EVER -- Hurricane Gustav -- North Atlantic Crossing... Brilliance of the Seas... September 2002 -- Deck 10, Balcony Cabin... Captain goes north into rough seas to avoid the storm. Storm takes a turn towards us. I'm on the cruise with my mother... my dear husband (who couldn't make the trip due to his extended duties with the Coast Guard) sends me a one line email... You are about to get your b*tts kicked! And we did. Pitching and Rolling for 3 days. First night knock on the door... security advises us - DO NOT OPEN THE BALCONY DOOR... the waves are braking on our balcony!! Many people walking around with PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices aka Life Jackets). Dining room fairly empty. All weather decks closed. Most of the staff is sleeping in the upper lounges.. the noise is deafening as the ships hull hits the water - over and over and over. Pitching and rolling makes walking sort of a challenge. Sitting and watching people try to walk becomes the sport of the day. We never got sick. I was never afraid and I slept like a baby. Our room attendant wasn't so lucky, she was green for days! Last two days of the cruise... all the rocking stops almost immediately, as if someone just turned it off. Smooth sailing from then on... very weird feeling as it was now so smooth!

 

Would I do it again??? Yep... It was the BEST CRUISE EVER! Oh... and we didn't get an OBC, no credits... nothing extra... never expected anything... I'm afraid today people would blame the cruise line and expect a free cruise! Not me... Best Ride Ever!! :)

Edited March 20, 2014 by LindaO

[mommyz]

BEST CRUISE EVER -- Hurricane Gustav -- North Atlantic Crossing... Brilliance of the Seas... September 2002 -- Deck 10, Balcony Cabin... Captain goes north into rough seas to avoid the storm. Storm takes a turn towards us. I'm on the cruise with my mother... my dear husband (who couldn't make the trip due to his extended duties with the Coast Guard) sends me a one line email... You are about to get your b*tts kicked! And we did. Pitching and Rolling for 3 days. First night knock on the door... security advises us - DO NOT OPEN THE BALCONY DOOR... the waves are braking on our balcony!! Many people walking around with PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices aka Life Jackets). Dining room fairly empty. All weather decks closed. Most of the staff is sleeping in the upper lounges.. the noise is deafening as the ships hull hits the water - over and over and over. Pitching and rolling makes walking sort of a challenge. Sitting and watching people try to walk becomes the sport of the day. We never got sick. I was never afraid and I slept like a baby. Our room attendant wasn't so lucky, she was green for days! Last two days of the cruise... all the rocking stops almost immediately, as if someone just turned it off. Smooth sailing from then on... very weird feeling as it was now so smooth!

 

Would I do it again??? Yep... It was the BEST CRUISE EVER! Oh... and we didn't get an OBC, no credits... nothing extra... never expected anything... I'm afraid today people would blame the cruise line and expect a free cruise! Not me... Best Ride Ever!! :)

 

Omg i love your attitude :). You just never know when a storm will hit and the path it will take!

[mek]

My husband and I sailed on Carnival Dream during hurricane Sandy. Our 7-day turned into an 8-day; the last day sailing in a big circle off the coast of Miami in rough seas because PC had been closed. Our days in port though (eastern Caribbean) were absolutely beautiful. It was a bit of a hassle changing our return flight from sea, but I do give credit to Carnival for doing their best to accommodate everyone. Even though we were rocking and rolling, and blocked from going out onto our balcony, we never got sea sick, and I never felt like we were in danger.

 

Now we're planning our first back-to-back on FOS for September. Our friends who sailed with us think we're nuts.

 

Anyone else out there who enjoys the adventure (and low fares) of cruising during hurricane season?

 

We sailed during Sandy also. We were on Fantasy out of Charleston when the hurricane was directly east of the port. We made it out, but heard that the sailings from Florida had been delayed and then everything north of us was totally cancelled. That first evening was rough, but honestly, I've sailed in worse weather. The captain did a fantasic job! We had beautiful weather after the first day and we only missed Half Moon. We always take a fall cruise and I never worry about the weather.

[debshomespun]

We were on Explorer of the Seas for the Halloween cruise that sailed through Hurricane Sandy. While the people who did not take their seasick meds were not feeling too well, we had a ball watching those huge waves. We enjoyed it so much that this past Halloween we went on another Halloween cruise on Explorer to celebrate the first anniversary..... :cool:

 

We were also on this same cruise. We had 45+ ft. waves, 100+ MPH winds with gusts up to 180 MPH, for the first 24 hours. There were 4 of us and we started on pure ginger tablets just before we left home. Once on the ship, I took Bonine every 8 hours, and also wore my wristbands. Never got sick! :D We are sailing out of Boston this year on the 14 night repo on NCL Dawn, and are hoping the seas stay nice and calm.

Edited March 20, 2014 by debshomespun

[TexCruise371]

We sail every Sept. during hurricane season (and other times too) but only one time have we had to divert...because of Isidore. A few years back there was a statement that every year since the Weather Service had kept records, there was an active hurricane in the Atlantic on Sept. 15 or 17 or there abouts (can't remember the exact date). I think that record has been broken now.

 

 

We cruise every October and have done several August and September cruises.

 

We were on Freedom of the Seas when Sandy came through on an eastern cruise. We were in front of her on the way to St Thomas and we had to leave Coco Cay early. We caught the backside of her on the way back. We had 85 mph winds coming across the bow

And the outside decks were closed the last day and a half. The last night was quite a ride as we heeded back into port!

 

 

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[jules815]

We were also in a cove and once the seas got rough there was the loudest banging coming from our balcony that went on for 24/7 and never stopped. We went to Guest Services several times and begged them to send someone to check it because it sounded like something wasn't bolted down properly.

 

They finally sent the supervisor of maintenance to our room who informed us it was the way the coves were constructed and there was nothing they could do! So we literally did not sleep from time they closed off the balcony until we got back to PC. And that part was brutal!!

 

I swore I wasn't going to cruise again for a long time, but by January I was right back on another ship......LOL

 

Oh yes, the constant banging. We had that too. And when it wasn't banging, we had the "Titanic" creaking. We didn't sleep much those last couple of days either.

[PuterMonkey]

Out last cruise was in October. I guess the odds were not in our favor because we had a hurricane follow us the whole trip, causing cloudiness, excursion cancelling and one port skipped altogether. We're pretty active vacationers so it ended up being more chill-in-the-cabin time than we would have liked. I don't think I'd jump at that season again unless we could afford to cruise more often.

[fourkittys]

We have been on eight cruise in the past eight years. We have sailed from the last of Oct. to the last of Nov. Only one cruise was going to change our itinerary because of weather but was cleared the next day to the original.

 

We have had a few ROCKY days/night due to weather but nothing serious or dangerous. In fact our first cruise to Alaska in September was VERY ROCKY.

 

I don't worry much because the captains and their cruise line are so careful to where they sail.

[summersigh]

We've been lucky twice ... not a bit of rain on either ... BUT ... we always buy insurance just in case :D

[cjdixon4]

My wedding anniversary falls in October, so hubby and I can't worry about hurricane season when it comes to cruises. Our best cruises were on Monarch in October. We've also done Oasis in August. Each time we've had a ball, and gotten great deals on prices for our sailings. Never sail without insurance if you have serious concerns about the season, but I believe that you'd be fine.

[Mickeygrl71]

We are going on Navigator Sept 28 and Oct 5. Hoping for the best. We don't sail any time of year without insurance.

 

My DH and I will be on that cruise as well. I am so ready!

 

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[Spoely]

My husband and I sailed on Carnival Dream during hurricane Sandy. Our 7-day turned into an 8-day; the last day sailing in a big circle off the coast of Miami in rough seas because PC had been closed. Our days in port though (eastern Caribbean) were absolutely beautiful. It was a bit of a hassle changing our return flight from sea, but I do give credit to Carnival for doing their best to accommodate everyone. Even though we were rocking and rolling, and blocked from going out onto our balcony, we never got sea sick, and I never felt like we were in danger.

 

Now we're planning our first back-to-back on FOS for September. Our friends who sailed with us think we're nuts.

 

Anyone else out there who enjoys the adventure (and low fares) of cruising during hurricane season?

 

We're sailing on the Vision September 1. We are Floridians and we know and respect our weather. :)

[Desiree D]

So far, we've been very lucky, with 5 cruises during the fall. Once, in 2008, early Nov, we we were the first cruise back (to cruise out of) from original port of Galveston some weeks after hurricane IKE (Sept 13, 2008) destroyed much of Galveston (and the cruise terminal). The CCL Conquest was late arriving to port due to having to drop off previous passengers in HOUSTON'S port first, then on to Gal to pick us up after cruises being "transferred to Houston" because of IKE's damage in Galveston. We got a very good deal for pre-cruise hotel, on the sea wall, in Gal, too.

 

It wasn't so bad, we were happy that the hurricane was over, that Gal and the port were being restored, and it didn't affect us much. The people on board the Conquest DURING IKE didn't fare so well, with a delayed re-route/late disembarkement to/in New Orleans, and damaged parked cars left in Galveston... That is a long story-stories, found here in Cruise Critic and elsewhere. BUT we had a VERY lovely cruise, made up for the lost time of a late departure... We had such a great time AND gorgeous weather!

 

Two yrs later, due to a storm in the gulf, we were told on day 3 of our cruise that in order to avoid a bad storm, that we would be routed to KEY WEST FLA instead of Cozumel and Grand Cayman. VERY DISAPPOINTING NEWS, but then it was announced that the storm had changed course and WE were back on COURSE to our original islands/itinerary. We were quite happy with that bit of news!

 

Other than that, we have had very smooth and fun sailings, saving lots of money- traveling during huriccane season (Oct-Nov). It's always a gamble, you never know- but we have been VERY fortunate, so far!!!! We will keep doing that as as often as we are able to, as we love cruising in the fall! So far so good!

[grab007]

Having lived in FL for 25 yrs (now GA) and over 30 cruises - most during hurricane season - we can say there is rarely a problem with the ships. Its getting TO the ships you need to be aware of. We ALWAYS travel the day before the cruise to make sure we're in the departure city so there are no issues with transfers, baggage, etc.

[negc]

We were on Jewel of the Seas when Hurricane Sandy caused us to have our sailing delayed by two days. Even though we were in port for those two days and not sailing southward to the Caribbean, we were well fed, provided with plenty of liquid refreshment and entertained royally. On a few other cruises, mostly westbound transatlantics, our course has been adjusted to avoid the effects of passing storms, but we have always felt safe and comfortable. In fact we have suffered more disruptions due to hurricanes when we have taken land vacations. (Not much a land resort can do to avoid an oncoming tropical storm.) I suspect that in any given year, the number of weeks without a tropical storm, during the June-November "hurricane season", is far higher than the number of weeks when a storm is somewhere on the horizon. We always purchase travel insurance, not only because of concerns about possible storms, so we don't let the time of year play a major role when we decide when and where to cruise.

[negc]

BEST CRUISE EVER -- Hurricane Gustav -- North Atlantic Crossing... Brilliance of the Seas... September 2002 -- Deck 10, Balcony Cabin... Captain goes north into rough seas to avoid the storm. Storm takes a turn towards us. I'm on the cruise with my mother... my dear husband (who couldn't make the trip due to his extended duties with the Coast Guard) sends me a one line email... You are about to get your b*tts kicked! And we did. Pitching and Rolling for 3 days. First night knock on the door... security advises us - DO NOT OPEN THE BALCONY DOOR... the waves are braking on our balcony!! Many people walking around with PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices aka Life Jackets). Dining room fairly empty. All weather decks closed. Most of the staff is sleeping in the upper lounges.. the noise is deafening as the ships hull hits the water - over and over and over. Pitching and rolling makes walking sort of a challenge. Sitting and watching people try to walk becomes the sport of the day. We never got sick. I was never afraid and I slept like a baby. Our room attendant wasn't so lucky, she was green for days! Last two days of the cruise... all the rocking stops almost immediately, as if someone just turned it off. Smooth sailing from then on... very weird feeling as it was now so smooth!

 

Would I do it again??? Yep... It was the BEST CRUISE EVER! Oh... and we didn't get an OBC, no credits... nothing extra... never expected anything... I'm afraid today people would blame the cruise line and expect a free cruise! Not me... Best Ride Ever!! :)

 

We were there with you Linda. Neither Rita nor I were sick either and I remember sitting up in the Viking Crown lounge watching the waves break over the bow of the ship. Captain James did a marvelous job of shifting his route to minimize the storm effects (a Princess ship that arrived in NYC at the same time we made Boston, wasn't quite as fortunate). I do remember one of our fellow passengers who had an outside room on one of the lower decks who said that the water swirling outside her porthole made her think she was inside a washing machine:D). That was the first of our several transatlantic cruises and was also marked by a very moving ceremony hosted by the cruise director, Clo O'Connor, commemorating the 1st anniversary of 9/11.

Say hi to your Mom for us. It was great to see you both on Freedom in January.

[Ocean View]

Way back when we sailed they hurricane Bertha. Everyone home was worried about us had all kinda if gilliagians(?) island jokes on out answering machine and it was one of the best cruises we ever had! Turned around followed the storm changed a port it was wonderful you never know :):):)

 

 

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[negc]

On a westbound TA on Celebrity's Constellation a few year's back, we encountered for a relatively brief period, high seas and winds, so strong that when the ship docked in Halifax, NS, we discovered that the name of the ship had been scoured off the bow. Despite those high seas, the ship handled them wonderfully and, aside from being barred from the outside decks for a day, we had no significant effects of the weather.:)

[Paulette3028]

Since DH and I both work, and the available time we have for vacation is during Hurricane season, which actually runs from June to November....we book cruises when we can cruise and don't worry about what we have 'no control over happening'.

 

Even without a hurricane, if a cruise is going to encounter unusually rough seas, the ship changes its itinerary, if necessary.

 

Since we live in S. Florida, we have learned that 'not planning something just in case a hurricane happens' isn't very practical.