Hurricane Season in the Caribbean

[TXCruzing]

I was looking up hurricane predictions for 2016 since we are booked for September. It seems that this hurricane season is either going to be more active than usual or less active than usual. Very helpful, right? ;) My understanding is that cruises are unlikely to be cancelled due to a hurricane but that the ports may change. If you have had a trip changed or cancelled because of a hurricane, I would love to hear about your experiences.

[pjnj40]

it all about risk and waiting. There was few times they said a lot and nothing happen. This is the reason i don't sailed during the season. I always waited till thanksgiving and onward. I love to sail december to february. best time to go. beside it like having a mini summer vacation.

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

Ya we never really have paid much attention to Hurricane season, other that taking cruises during that time of year because they are cheaper. We have never really been disrupted because of a storm, my wife did a girls cruise during Katrina and they still made all there stops and did suffer a bit of rocking etc.

 

We also have been redirected because of storms etc where you don't get to go where you thought you were but we are always prepared for that. I October of 2015 we departed Galveston about 14 hours late but we still made all our stops they just got re arranged in order.

 

Happy sailing

 

Don't let storms change your plans and don't worry you may just end up in a different destination which can be fun too

[DeadPhish]

Get travel insurance!

[TXCruzing]

Get travel insurance!

 

That's the plan. :)

[cruisingsince94]

We don't really care what the ports of call are. We enjoy the cruising aspect. They will avoid any potential storms for safety. We feel safe cruising at any time of the year.

[cb at sea]

The "season" is about 6 months...doesn't mean a hurricane will happen..just means it could! Sort of like "flu" season, or "cold" season... or summer!!!

Edited February 3, 2016 by cb at sea

[TXCruzing]

We don't really care what the ports of call are. We enjoy the cruising aspect. They will avoid any potential storms for safety. We feel safe cruising at any time of the year.

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking. The only port being changed that would concern me would be the departure port.

[pharaoh]

I cruised in September several years ago. No hurricanes, but there was a tropical storm which affected us. We didn't re-route, but our excursion in Jamaica (blue hole! [emoji24]) was cancelled due to flooding, and we skipped Grand Cayman due to high seas.

 

Hurricane Season is really long so there's always a risk, but the cruise line and the captain do a great job keeping everyone safe. I live in Miami and I would certainly rather be on a cruise ship avoiding a hurricane than at home being hit by one! [emoji16]

[TXCruzing]

I cruised in September several years ago. No hurricanes, but there was a tropical storm which affected us. We didn't re-route, but our excursion in Jamaica (blue hole! [emoji24]) was cancelled due to flooding, and we skipped Grand Cayman due to high seas.

 

Hurricane Season is really long so there's always a risk, but the cruise line and the captain do a great job keeping everyone safe. I live in Miami and I would certainly rather be on a cruise ship avoiding a hurricane than at home being hit by one! [emoji16]

 

Were you able to get a refund on the missed excursions?

 

And I agree that I would rather be on a ship avoiding a hurricane that at home being hit by one. :)

[cincicruisers]

First I would get cruise insurance and book excursions thru Royal as you will be reimbursed is the port is missed or skipped. There are some private companies that will offer a refund, but not all.

[riclop]

I was looking up hurricane predictions for 2016 since we are booked for September. It seems that this hurricane season is either going to be more active than usual or less active than usual. Very helpful, right? ;) My understanding is that cruises are unlikely to be cancelled due to a hurricane but that the ports may change. If you have had a trip changed or cancelled because of a hurricane, I would love to hear about your experiences.

 

The Captain will sail via the safest route. Sept is the peak of the hurricane season.

[Keith1010]

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

The major impact it could have is if it hits the port of embarkation or disembarkation but otherwise they will substitute ports of call and the changes are remote this will happen the time you are sailing.

 

Keith

[N41EF]

I was eating dinner near the port, the night before a western caribbean cruise when I got an email from Disney that it was now an Eastern cruise due to tropical storms. All excursions were cancelled, and we had to book new things once on board.

 

Was still a great trip!

[Trainman-2]

RCI gives it Captains wide latitude to change the route and itinerary in the event of a hurricane.

 

RCI's main interests are to protect the passengers and ships.

 

Of course, RCI doesn't want thousands of passengers posting what a horrible cruise they had either.

 

The worst thing that could happen (which, to my knowledge, has never happened) would be for a hurricane to be sitting very close to or on top of the departure port when the ship is scheduled to return at the end of the cruise. This would prevent the ship from returning on schedule.

 

Keep in mind that on a 7 night cruise, the ship is stocked with food and drink for only 7 nights. if a ship is prevented form returning to its home port for a day or two or even three, RCI will have to send the ship to another port for food and drink and if the passengers are unloaded at this other port, RCI will have to arrange transport to get them to the ship's home port to pickup their cars or make flight arrangements.

 

 

When sailing during hurricane season there are two important things to keep in mind.

 

1. You pay your money and take your chances!

 

2. Really smart people buy a comprehensive cruise insurance package!

Edited February 3, 2016 by Trainman-2

[Clarea]

The Captain will place safety and comfort of the guests above the planned itinerary.

[poncho1973]

I live in Florida. We get the forecast every year on hurricanes and toss it out the window. It's junk. If they predict 8, there either will be 1 or 20. If they predict 15, it's bound to be 3. If they predict 4, it's bound to be 18.

 

Utter junk.

 

We do many last minute cruises and have sailed during hurricane season several times. The key is being flexible in your mind. We've missed ports, we've swapped ports, we've gone the complete opposite direction (Eastern Caribbean when we were supposed to do Western) and etc.

 

We've had cruises where there was constant, low motion for the entire cruise. We've had one where I thought I was living in a washing machine... seriously, it was CRAZY. Thankfully we aren't the seasick type. My poor head was brutalized by the ceiling in the hallway that trip. I'm tall and the up & down motion was so serious that I kept hitting the ceiling in the stateroom hallway.

 

We've had cruises in the middle of tropical storms or hurricanes where NOTHING was changed and we hardly felt any motion at all. The captains try hard to do whatever they can to make it safe and smooth.

 

Buy your travel insurance in case, but odds are you'll be fine.

[Havingfun2010]

Ya we never really have paid much attention to Hurricane season, other that taking cruises during that time of year because they are cheaper. We have never really been disrupted because of a storm, my wife did a girls cruise during Katrina and they still made all there stops and did suffer a bit of rocking etc.

 

We also have been redirected because of storms etc where you don't get to go where you thought you were but we are always prepared for that. I October of 2015 we departed Galveston about 14 hours late but we still made all our stops they just got re arranged in order.

 

Happy sailing

 

Don't let storms change your plans and don't worry you may just end up in a different destination which can be fun too

 

Hurricane season last 6 months and occurs during the peak travel season, and during periods of time where the cruise cost is highest! Not sure why you say it's cheaper, other than September and October, after the summer.

 

Hurricanes will happen and you can't predict them. I always say, if you are concerned about Hurricanes, than go to Alaska, but than I say, it might be cold.

[SailingSal]

I was looking up hurricane predictions for 2016 since we are booked for September. It seems that this hurricane season is either going to be more active than usual or less active than usual. Very helpful, right? ;) My understanding is that cruises are unlikely to be cancelled due to a hurricane but that the ports may change. If you have had a trip changed or cancelled because of a hurricane, I would love to hear about your experiences.

 

Back in 2009 we sailed in November. The last possible time that hurricanes will hit. Well, Ivin did hit us. We had a lot of rain in Cozumel and the ship was rocking and rolling. But - it was fun. We didn't have sun pool-side but my husband and I did have quality time enjoying ship activities. We don't even worry about hurricane season anymore - we just book and sail;)

[jonj]

it all about risk and waiting. There was few times they said a lot and nothing happen. This is the reason i don't sailed during the season. I always waited till thanksgiving and onward. I love to sail december to february. best time to go. beside it like having a mini summer vacation.

 

That is awesome if you can - some people cannot due to kids schools, or if they are a teacher or work putting a ban on taking off during their busy times of year, etc.

 

There were a few cruises just in January that had to be changed due to weather so for the OP go when it is convenient for you and enjoy

 

I was on a cruise (not Royal) during Hurricane Katrina, we didn't miss any ports and didn't have a drop of rain

[pharaoh]

Were you able to get a refund on the missed excursions?

 

And I agree that I would rather be on a ship avoiding a hurricane that at home being hit by one. :)

 

All of my excursions on that cruise were third party. For Grand Cayman, the tour operator refunded us the same day, before I was even able to reach out to inquire about a refund. They processed the refund as soon as they found out the ship would miss the port.

 

For Jamaica, we were not able to do our blue hole excursion because of the flood, but the tour operator picked us up and drove us around for several hours, sightseeing, lunch, shopping, etc. So that made up for the price originally paid.

 

RCI would refund any cancelled excursions booked through them, I believe.

[TXCruzing]

All of your replies have been so helpful in easing our minds. We will just keep in mind that weather is unpredictable, buy the insurance, and go with the flow. We rarely go on a vacation without the kids, so we are looking forward to rest and relaxation, no matter what.

[bigsky]

Cruised many times in September and only had to reroute one time. Actually cruising this Sep. Captain came on that evening while we were watching a show. Told us we're going to the Bahamas instead of this one port I can't remember. Wasn't a fav by many. Everyone cheered when he told us :D

 

Was quite a storm coming. Basically turned around and went in the other direction. Was a little rough that night.

 

Obviously, we're not afraid to book that time of the year. It's also cheaper. Just have an open mind that anything can happen so you won't be too disappointed if things change.

 

But look at the recent storm that kept many from sailing. Was a snow problem, not hurricane. Anything can happen.

 

Have fun and don't worry!

[Sandy Sails]

My suggestion regarding excursions is if you choose to do a private one, don't book one that you have to prepay. I've always booked the ones where you pay afterward.

 

We were on a Mexican Riviera cruise that began August 30th - due to a rare Pacific hurricane, we had to reverse our itinerary. The private zip lining company we booked was very flexible, since they had a lot of reservations from our ship. It turned out fabulous!