Thinking of cancelling

[CruiseWhere]

I would have cancelled as well. Sadly, none of these locations are going to look like paradise in the short term. Unless you have visited these locations before, you don't want your impressions of these beautiful islands to be a horrible one. :(

 

 

 

Very well said!

 

 

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[herdingdogmom]

NCL has done a great job. Taking their employees and their families on board Escape today, what a great way to show their priorities. I am impressed with how they have handled this storm. Sure, they have insurance for this but, they have been a class act in this situation, IMHO.

So who is on the Sky - just the original crew?

[BirdTravels]

Well, some of you are - perhaps - not prime for T/A crossing with many sea days. If only those displaced and left homeless in Barbuda, St. Thomas & St. Maarten can be housed temporary - I am sure they will be 100% grateful.

 

Unconfirmed news report out of MIA that at least one cruiseline HQ (that is, NCL ... bravo) is closing their office and evacuating their employees onto one of their company ship to safely ride out the storm - one of the best shelter-in-place, fully self-contained; and, they can launch their own tender boats if necessary to go ashore even if the ports are heavily damaged. It's one way to demonstrate caring & appreciation of their best & most important assets - employees. Excellent decision by management and operations.

The Escape is underway to Cozumel and will arrive on Saturday.

[nikki218]

I went to Jamaica and Haiti after hurricane Mathew and I went 3 weeks after the hurricane. To be honest you couldn't tell from where you are on Port. We had a blast and it the cruise ship brought materials for the islands as well.

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

NCL has done a great job. Taking their employees and their families on board Escape today, what a great way to show their priorities. I am impressed with how they have handled this storm. Sure, they have insurance for this but, they have been a class act in this situation, IMHO.

I just hope all those who find CC just to knock NCL and FDR read this. Way to go NCL.

[newmexicoNita]

The cynic in me says many of those folks will be working from the ship.

 

But still...a cool thing to do.

you may be right, but someone has to man those phones. From my personal experience in the travel industry, after and during a disaster things get really crazy.

[fshagan]

you may be right, but someone has to man those phones. From my personal experience in the travel industry, after and during a disaster things get really crazy.

 

And, most people would rather work than take an unplanned, unpaid "vacation" due to a mandatory evacuation.

[BlueHonu]

I cruised to Bermuda the week after the hurricane hit them last October. I know it's not the same category, but with only a week to clean up, they really made it hard to tell. I couldn't imagine canceling that far away from the trip date, but I guess you could always rebook and hope for a last-minute deal if you really don't want to chance it.

We leave for Bermuda in 9 days. Jose is inching that way. Also just found out 2 days ago that my mom is having a double bypass when we r on our way there.

Contemplating on what to do.

 

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[LoDivaLoca]

We are behind you by a few weeks on the BA and insured, not going to cancel either - plan for the worst & hope for the best ... Nassau & GSC being a popular stop. But, Irma has a mind of her own - until it passed over Bahamas - nothing can be certain.

 

Making a wild guess - still 2 to 3 weeks out, BA could do Bermuda, which would be nice ... if Jose & others don't visit. Dawn is still sailing to BDA but assuming Dockyard is available (might not, taken by other lines, etc.) IMO, should be less moaning & groaning than a N.E. Canada run (have a feeling foilage will be early this year).

 

I'm on the 10/8 BA sailing, and was wondering the same thing "where will we end up?"

 

Are there any articles of what has happened in the past? Obviously, I'm hoping for a tropical destination (as opposed to Canada.) So sad this is happening, and really praying these hurricanes just disappear into the sea without anymore destruction!

[kevmoley]

The Storm may be over in the Caribbean but the danger is far from gone.

 

Looters ‘armed with machetes and guns’ ransack hotels on St Maarten after Hurricane Irma

 

 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/10/looters-armed-with-machetes-and-guns-ransack-hotels-on-st-maarten-after-hurricane-irma-6916033/

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[davesgirl51]

you really need to look at two things: Is the port (physical docking location) open and are the excursions you want available. My fear is that our christmas cruise will arrive at a perfectly functional port, with a city or town behind it that is still decimated. So, you may go to an island with little to do.

 

I don't want to sound callous about this - i have friends and family still reeling from harvey, and there are many places i would really like to visit in islands that are being engulfed at the moment. It's just many people tend to look at flooding and think "there goes my vacation" instead of "how can we help?"

 

we won't cancel (we're past final payment, anyway) and we really want a reason to get away for christmas, and we have a really good itinerary, depending on how the islands survive the storm(s). So, we will find a way to spend some money on each of the islands we visit on our cruise, because many of them depend on tourism, so that's how we can help them rebuild. (it's not a vacation, it's a humanitarian visit. There's a way to justify rum punch!)

 

i would give it up until your final payment to decide, though.

 

Kevin

 

 

love it ❤️

[CUontheC]

The Storm may be over in the Caribbean but the danger is far from gone.

 

Looters ‘armed with machetes and guns’ ransack hotels on St Maarten after Hurricane Irma

 

 

http://metro.co.uk/2017/09/10/looters-armed-with-machetes-and-guns-ransack-hotels-on-st-maarten-after-hurricane-irma-6916033/

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Wow...just read the story you posted and a then few others about the same incidences on St Maarten. How horrible...bad enough the island was hit by Irma but to loot the people who were stranded there and who help your economy is horrible.

[mking8288]

love it ❤️

I think alike ... as many claimed the ships are the destination & they don't get off the ships at some of the ports anyway. It shouldn't make any difference where & what the new/revised itineraries are.

 

And, we don't even stay in Haven for all that extra pampering to have a great time onboard ... this morning, I think about & said a prayer to a friend, ex-colleague lost 16 years ago along with others, on that cool September morning.

 

 

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[hawk/hornfan]

Mid-hurricane, maybe this could happen. But months after the fact; no way. Either the ports will be rebuilt or they'll make back up arrangements. No one wants to spend 7 days at sea.

 

 

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I do,did 5 days at sea on X from Vancouver to Hawaii, had a blast and made a lot of new friends.

[WL56]

Hi all,

I live in Fort Lauderdale and have done nothing for the last week but prepare for Irma and listen to the news obsessively including what has been happening two hours east of us in the Virgin Islands.. St. Thomas and St. Maarten are completely devastated. It went through as a Category 5. It will be a very long time before they are ready to receive tourists. I have been through many hurricanes in 18 years, but this was the most frightening. We thought this was going to hit us in Fort Lauderdale as a Category 5, we have hurricane windows, hurricane shutters to put over the windows (so they don't get scratched up) concrete block first floor, hurricane rated doors and straps on our roof. Despite all that, we honestly thought we would lose the roof and second floor if a Cat 5 hit us dead on (the way it did in the USVI). Our home was built to the hurricane codes after Andrew. If a Cat 5 could take out our second floor I feel so sad for the people on the islands. I have been to these islands many times and I did this itinerary 10 months ago and trust me when I say that these unfortunate people do not have the type of homes that can withstand this level of destruction. So anyone saying that it will be fine in a few months, may not know about how bad a Cat 5 is, or how the homes are built in the Caribbean or how long it takes for building projects to finish in the Islands. I hope you know I say this with much compassion toward the good people in the Caribbean, but after spending the day taking down our shutters, the power out in over half of Florida and widespread flooding I honestly do not believe that St. Maarten or St. Thomas will be ready before December. If you chose your cruise based on the ports then you may want to reschedule to a different date. The people in St. Maarten and St. Thomas will gladly appreciate your business in 6-12 months when they can benefit from your tourist dollars, bu they cannot benefit now when no ships are going. See links below to recent news on the devastation. By the way, I'm going on the Escape again in October (I won the free cruise in Bingo a year ago and the voucher is about to expire) then I'm going again on the Escape in November my son is coming home from being deployed and we're doing a family vacation. I have no idea which ports we will be routed to but wherever we go will probably have very busy ports as all the ships (with all the cruise lines) will need to reroute to different ports in the Caribbean.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/world/americas/irma-caribbean-st-martin.html?mcubz=0

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/americas/caribbean-reacts-hurricane-irma/index.html

[Shayhooper]

I think alike ... as many claimed the ships are the destination & they don't get off the ships at some of the ports anyway. It shouldn't make any difference where & what the new/revised itineraries are.

 

And, we don't even stay in Haven for all that extra pampering to have a great time onboard ... this morning, I think about & said a prayer to a friend, ex-colleague lost 16 years ago along with others, on that cool September morning.

 

 

I'll be happy with wherever my ship ends up going but there are those who booked certain cruises specifically for the itinerary. To someone who has been to Rotan several times but never has been to Tortola, the change would be very concerning.

[hawkman402]

Hi all,

I live in Fort Lauderdale and have done nothing for the last week but prepare for Irma and listen to the news obsessively including what has been happening two hours east of us in the Virgin Islands.. St. Thomas and St. Maarten are completely devastated. It went through as a Category 5. It will be a very long time before they are ready to receive tourists. I have been through many hurricanes in 18 years, but this was the most frightening. We thought this was going to hit us in Fort Lauderdale as a Category 5, we have hurricane windows, hurricane shutters to put over the windows (so they don't get scratched up) concrete block first floor, hurricane rated doors and straps on our roof. Despite all that, we honestly thought we would lose the roof and second floor if a Cat 5 hit us dead on (the way it did in the USVI). Our home was built to the hurricane codes after Andrew. If a Cat 5 could take out our second floor I feel so sad for the people on the islands. I have been to these islands many times and I did this itinerary 10 months ago and trust me when I say that these unfortunate people do not have the type of homes that can withstand this level of destruction. So anyone saying that it will be fine in a few months, may not know about how bad a Cat 5 is, or how the homes are built in the Caribbean or how long it takes for building projects to finish in the Islands. I hope you know I say this with much compassion toward the good people in the Caribbean, but after spending the day taking down our shutters, the power out in over half of Florida and widespread flooding I honestly do not believe that St. Maarten or St. Thomas will be ready before December. If you chose your cruise based on the ports then you may want to reschedule to a different date. The people in St. Maarten and St. Thomas will gladly appreciate your business in 6-12 months when they can benefit from your tourist dollars, bu they cannot benefit now when no ships are going. See links below to recent news on the devastation. By the way, I'm going on the Escape again in October (I won the free cruise in Bingo a year ago and the voucher is about to expire) then I'm going again on the Escape in November my son is coming home from being deployed and we're doing a family vacation. I have no idea which ports we will be routed to but wherever we go will probably have very busy ports as all the ships (with all the cruise lines) will need to reroute to different ports in the Caribbean.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/world/americas/irma-caribbean-st-martin.html?mcubz=0

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/americas/caribbean-reacts-hurricane-irma/index.html

Unfortunately many of the people posting on Cruise Critic asking about how their cruise will be affected don't seem to understand that this isn't a "normal" hurricane recovery.

These islands have been devastated. St. Thomas will probably bounce back the fastest but that could still be many months. St. Marteen, Tortola, St. John's, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda all look like bombs went off. The majority of the vegetation is gone, the mountains are mostly brown instead of green, and who knows how much beach erosion there has been. Most structures, utilities, etc. are compromised. I suspect it will be a year if not more before tourists can come back.

Unfortunately it's not getting enough coverage because of the threat to Florida and what happened to Houston (understandably).

 

Keep them in your prayers and donate to their reconstruction if you can.

 

This site has been posting aerial views of all the islands. It is heartbreaking.

 

Also see Coast Guard flyover of St.Thomas.

[hawkman402]

Unfortunately many of the people posting on Cruise Critic asking about how their cruise will be affected don't seem to understand that this isn't a "normal" hurricane recovery.

These islands have been devastated. St. Thomas will probably bounce back the fastest but that could still be many months. St. Marteen, Tortola, St. John's, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda all look like bombs went off. The majority of the vegetation is gone, the mountains are mostly brown instead of green, and who knows how much beach erosion there has been. Most structures, utilities, etc. are compromised. I suspect it will be a year if not more before tourists can come back.

Unfortunately it's not getting enough coverage because of the threat to Florida and what happened to Houston (understandably).

 

Keep them in your prayers and donate to their reconstruction if you can.

 

This site has been posting aerial views of all the islands. It is heartbreaking.

 

Also see Coast Guard flyover of St.Thomas.

To follow up on my earlier post. These images of before and after from NASA show how much devastation there was to just the vegetation alone.

 

 

[david5272]

I think I'm gonna cancel my cruise to the eastern carribean. The damage from Irma could be catastrophic and I really don't want to switch to the western. My cruise is in 4 months. I have 5 more weeks before my final payment.

 

 

go for it, cancel...why do we need to know? seriously

[madgran]

go for it, cancel...why do we need to know? seriously

 

 

 

I think she did a few days ago.

[BirdTravels]

go for it, cancel...why do we need to know? seriously

David, the OP was seeking advice. Why are you sooooo mean to the OPs here on CC?

[triptolemus]

go for it, cancel...why do we need to know? seriously

 

And you all think that I'm a jerk... :cool:

[thetaro]

I booked 12/12-23 on GEM, and if I cancel, priceline would charge me $100. I think tomorrow is the last day to cancel. I really want to go to St. Martin, but that place probably won't recover till next year.

[hawkman402]

I booked 12/12-23 on GEM, and if I cancel, priceline would charge me $100. I think tomorrow is the last day to cancel. I really want to go to St. Martin, but that place probably won't recover till next year.

Zero chance in my opinion that it recovers by then. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't reopen until 2019.

[boscobeans]

Zero chance in my opinion that it recovers by then. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't reopen until 2019.

 

Very severe damage, not that optimistic about 2018 as well.