Hurricane Matthew Thread

[moki'smommy]

Any chance that the Dream goes to Puerto Rico?

 

Not on her regular schedule, but possible in a storm situation. Magic docks at San Juan, so DCL knows the set up there. I think Fantasy did a storm diversion stop there once.

Edited September 30, 2016 by moki'smommy

[Tonka's Skipper]

Not on her regular schedule' date=' but possible in a storm situation. Magic docks at San Juan, so DCL knows the set up there. I think Fantasy did a storm diversion stop there once.[/quote']

 

The Fantasy did 8 or 9 cruises into San Juan a couple of years ago.;)

 

 

AKK

[2thesea]

Hi 2Thesea and everyone!

 

I wish I could give you excellent news' date=' However its all still a big question mark as to where the Hurricane will go. Below is the 5 day chart, and as you will see....the Bahamas are going to be hit with a class 2 storm.......other wise we really have no idea after that, so we are going to have to wait.

 

 

 

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/atlantic/2016/Hurricane-Matthew?map=5day

 

 

 

 

I will put my neck out here a bit and say I think there is a chance that as Matthew comes north, it may arch eastly..........Keep those fingers crossed.

 

As to the DCL vessels and Master......everything Moki Mommy said is totally correct..The Master will be working with a number of excellent weather services and experts and the shore office. They will plan route around any major storm and if required change ports etc. Safety first. In the end the Master has the final say as o what actions are taken to avoid Matthew.

 

Ill check in over the weekend and see where we are!

 

 

AKK[/quote']

 

Thank you Tonka!!! Much appreciated. I keep hoping that old Matthew prefers Margaritas and will head in the gulf. :D

[KBD1516]

Obviously most of you are seasoned cruisers and know about motion sickness, but just in case there are new cruisers out there

 

There are a number of methods of reducing sea sickness but this is what the ship will give you on board if you need it

 

Motion sickness - Possible sea sickness on board

 

First symptoms may be minor - being tired, not hungry, or upset stomach.

 

Take the BONINE medicine before you board or at the first symptom. It works better when it is in your system in advance

It should not make you sleepy. If you feel queasy later, take another pill.

 

Most cruise ships provide generic Bonine ( Meclizine) for free in the ship medical center (usually located on the lowest deck) but it will be available at Guest Services if the seas are rough.

 

From Web MD

Meclizine is an antihistamine that reduces the effects of natural chemical histamine in the body.

 

Meclizine is used to treat or prevent nausea, vomiting, and dizziness caused by motion sickness. Meclizine is also used to treat symptoms of vertigo (dizziness or spinning sensation) caused by disease that affects your inner ear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Tonka's Skipper]

I would only add to KBD1516 good suggestions, is a old salts remedy.........SALTINE CRACKERS.... it really does work for some people.:D

 

The dry crackers dry up the liquids in the tummy, and prevent the sea sickness feeling.

 

AKK

[moki'smommy]

Just an obvious warning:

If you have medical conditions or are on medications from your physician, so not take medications for motion sickness (including over the counter meds) without first clearing them with your doctor. This includes meclizine, ginger root, etc. which may interfere with some prescription medications.

 

No, you don't need to make a visit to the doc in advance, but a simple phone call asking "What can I take if necessary" can potentially prevent issues while cruising.

[Ex techie]

DCL have issued an advisory on the website:

 

Advisory Message



Tropical Weather Update

October 1, 2016

Disney Cruise Line is monitoring the weather conditions and predicted path of Hurricane Matthew. At this time, no itinerary changes have been made to the following sailings:

 

October 1, 2016 – Disney Fantasy

October 2, 2016 – Disney Magic

October 3, 2016 – Disney Dream

 

While it’s too early to tell if Hurricane Matthew will impact any of the sailings above, we can alter the itinerary of our ships to ensure the safety and comfort of our Guests. We will provide updates as they are available.

 

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/advisory/

 

ex techie

[moki'smommy]

I've seen three different forecasts today, each making different predictions about the hurricane. The "best" one gave a couple different possibilities and said they'd be able to tell more in 6-12 hours.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Hi Everyone,

 

Well this guy seems to be moving very slow and has grown into a pretty strong storm. The weather underground site is linked below.

 

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane

 

 

Right now it looks like Matthew will hit Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas pretty hard and then start moving north/northeast, faster. It will likely reduce in strength as well.

 

The reports I have followed seem to think it will stay off the east coast, but not really to far off, so anything could happen.

 

 

 

There is a new invest off Africa...........we will be keeping a eye on that as well, so present guess work suggests it will be traveling faster then Matthew.

 

We should be able to get a much forecast idea by Wednesday.

 

 

I would strongly suggest you all follow DCL messages for any Itinerary or routing changes.

 

AKK

Edited October 2, 2016 by Tonka's Skipper

[Tonka's Skipper]

Seems this morning we also have another invest off Africa,forecast to move fairly fast northwesterly. so we will have to keep a eye on this to.

 

AKK

[ducklite]

Ginger cookies and candy are both effective against motion sickness.

 

I had a closed TBI in 2012 and even after an Epley Manuever, I was still having some vertigo and balance issues. Ginger candy definitely helped with the nausea caused by the vertigo.

[ducklite]

I've seen three different forecasts today' date=' each making different predictions about the hurricane. The "best" one gave a couple different possibilities and said they'd be able to tell more in 6-12 hours.[/quote']

 

 

 

Best site with no hype to get info is http://www.flhurricane.com. Check out the hype scale. They aren't around to get ratings, and are primarily self-funded, although gladly accept donations from the people who visit the page to help defray the cost of the server space. I send them $5 a year to do my part.

[alaska_planner]

sea bands - they're a miracle for my family...

they work on land and sea as well as in the air for us (DD and i have severe motion sickness issues both on water and in trains, planes and automobiles)..

 

i was on a cruise during hurricane sandy and we were rocking and rolling so much that i was sure we were going to tip right over...

but i never felt even a twinge of seasickness...those sea bands are amazing..

in fact, i kept thinking to myself how i should be seasick but i wasn't...

made it all like a really fun roller coaster ride...well fun while i wasn't worrying we were going to tip over... :eek:

 

by the way, despite the hurricane we had a great time and i would do it all again, hurricane or not...

Edited October 2, 2016 by alaska_planner

[alaska_planner]

DCL has revised their website advisory message as follows:

 

Advisory Message

Tropical Weather Update

October 2, 2016

 

Disney Cruise Line

is monitoring the weather conditions and predicted path of Hurricane Matthew closely.

 

The October 2, 2016,

Disney Magic

sailing itinerary remains unchanged.

 

The October 3, 2016,

Disney Dream

sailing will now sail to the western Caribbean and feature a stop in Cozumel, Mexico. The revised itinerary is below:

October 3 – Port Canaveral

October 4 – Day at Sea

October 5 – Cozumel, Mexico

October 6 – Day at Sea

October 7 – Port Canaveral Florida

 

While it’s still too early to tell if any future itineraries will need to be adjusted due to Hurricane Matthew, we are always prepared to visit alternate ports or spend days at sea to ensure the safety and comfort of our Guests. We will continue to provide updates as they are available

Edited October 2, 2016 by alaska_planner

[RPD]

Saw that the Dream is now headed to Cozumel. Does DCL typically give passengers OBCs in these circumstances?

[belle907]

Saw that the Dream is now headed to Cozumel. Does DCL typically give passengers OBCs in these circumstances?

 

Not normally. They are given the option to do a date change without a change fee for the 10/3 Dream sailing.

[moki'smommy]

No, there is typically no financial reward for a port change. If you read the cruise contract, they can basically do anything they wish and owe you nothing. That said, DCL usually offers the ability to change the date of the cruise with no penalty and typically attempts to notify passengers by e-mail and/or phone of the changes. This is one place where use of a TA can be a pain; if you use a TA, they will notify you thru the TA. It is then the agency's job to notify you. Agency closed on weekends = tough luck.

[OCruisers]

Our TA continues to do business on the weekends/evenings ... also on holidays. :)

[moki'smommy]

Our TA continues to do business on the weekends/evenings ... also on holidays. :)

 

Mine does too--the one I've used for these last many years. The one I was using when our 7 night cruise became a 4 night cruise...not so. And the funny thing on that one was that I was at WDW and had called DCL that morning. THey had agreed that since I had already started my vacation, they would contact me directly. Nope, I got back from a day in the parks to find a phone message to call my agent. Had I been an hour later, ....well, I probably would have called DCL again anyhow because the TV reports were in disagreement with the answers from DCL.

 

Recently, when a Princess cruise was delayed my agency sent me an e-mail and called me on a Sunday.

(I had already gotten the e-mail from the cruise line) and then sent me an e-mail list of placed near the port that according to their ads would deliver food to the terminal! How's that for service?

Edited October 2, 2016 by moki'smommy

[ArthurUSCG]

Mine does too--the one I've used for these last many years. The one I was using when our 7 night cruise became a 4 night cruise...not so. And the funny thing on that one was that I was at WDW and had called DCL that morning. THey had agreed that since I had already started my vacation' date=' they would contact me directly. Nope, I got back from a day in the parks to find a phone message to call my agent. Had I been an hour later, ....well, I probably would have called DCL again anyhow because the TV reports were in disagreement with the answers from DCL.

 

Recently, when a Princess cruise was delayed my agency sent me an e-mail and called me on a Sunday.

(I had already gotten the e-mail from the cruise line) and then sent me an e-mail list of placed near the port that according to their ads would deliver food to the terminal! How's that for service?[/quote']

If I remember reading it right, the last time DCL had a delay in the ship arriving at the port and thus a very late boarding, they had food brought into the terminal and had increased character interactions.

 

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[ArthurUSCG]

Saw that the Dream is now headed to Cozumel. Does DCL typically give passengers OBCs in these circumstances?

Not usually, since DCL is planning for additional sea days, it should have more activities planned.

While it stinks missing castaway cay, Cozumel should be lot nicer then Nassau.

 

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[moki'smommy]

If I remember reading it right, the last time DCL had a delay in the ship arriving at the port and thus a very late boarding, they had food brought into the terminal and had increased character interactions.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Hey, that's great. My last delayed disembarkation on DCL was AWFUL, but it wasn't DCL's fault. Customs and Immigration really dropped the ball in San Juan. We were in line for 2 1/2 hours after leaving the ship, and our friend on an EU passport was delayed an hour longer than we were. We had a 3pm flight and I was actually beginning to worry that we wouldn't get to the airport on time. We got off the ship about 10. DCL did provide beverages in the various holding areas around the ship while we waited.

 

I have no idea what was happening with the people waiting to board. I do know that they weren't in the same area of the terminal that we were. I heard that they didn't start boarding till after 3pm. Makes sense since we were still in the terminal at 1:30!

[ArthurUSCG]

I have heard issues from a few people now on multiple cruises lines dealing with disembarking in PR. I am surprised the mouse has not flexed it's political muscle to speed up Customs.

 

Customs for the Alaska cruise sucked. Having to go thru Canadian and US back to back was ridiculous.

 

The above was just at the Port Canaveral location.

 

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[moki'smommy]

I have heard issues from a few people now on multiple cruises lines dealing with disembarking in PR. I am surprised the mouse has not flexed it's political muscle to speed up Customs.

 

Customs for the Alaska cruise sucked. Having to go thru Canadian and US back to back was ridiculous.

 

The above was just at the Port Canaveral location.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

It makes sense that DCL has a lot more control at PC than at other ports. Princess did provide complimentary shuttle bus service to a restaurant area; it was our choice not to go as the buses were not accessible, and the issue of taking the rollator (like a walker), carry on bags, etc. seemed too much for us.

 

We found Canadian Immigration to be among the most rude we've ever encountered...but at least they were efficient!

 

San Juan was a pain. We were told by DCL CMs that they had requested 12 open stations and got 6. Then we stood in line and watched the agents take breaks and leave for lunch. They would just close their station and disappear for a while. Breaks were staggered so only one station at a time closed, but when it hit 12:00, they closed 3 stations. It was quite frustrating to be able to watch them do this while we continued to stand in line. Part way thru the line the non US passports were sent to another line--our friend had her own horror story. Bottom line is that we will not consider any cruise that involves San Juan, regardless of the cruise line. Yes, it was that bad.

Edited October 2, 2016 by moki'smommy

[belle907]

Hey' date=' that's great. My last delayed disembarkation on DCL was AWFUL, but it wasn't DCL's fault. Customs and Immigration really dropped the ball in San Juan. We were in line for 2 1/2 hours after leaving the ship, and our friend on an EU passport was delayed an hour longer than we were. We had a 3pm flight and I was actually beginning to worry that we wouldn't get to the airport on time. We got off the ship about 10. DCL did provide beverages in the various holding areas around the ship while we waited.

 

I have no idea what was happening with the people waiting to board. I do know that they weren't in the same area of the terminal that we were. I heard that they didn't start boarding till after 3pm. Makes sense since we were still in the terminal at 1:30![/quote']

 

Sept. 2014 - you must have been on the repositioning cruise that ended in SJ. We were in the terminal waiting to check in and then board. Boarding began about 1:30 or so, not 3:00. The captain was outside handing out water to those that were waiting out there. Those of us stuck in the terminal waiting to board were not given anything as there wasn't anymore room in the terminal for anyone to move around. When it came time for those of us with boarding card 1 to begin it was a nightmare as people couldn't/wouldn't move and everyone wanted to board and not wait for their number.

Lesson learned, never be the first cruise that starts in SJ after a repositioning cruise and don't take a repo cruise that ends there as all crew has to go thru passport control as well as guests leaving the ship.

 

DCL or any other cruise line as no 'muscle to flex' when the customs agents don't show up for work. DCL had requested 15 officers that day and 6 showed up for work.