Previous Exp Travelling in Sept - Hurricanes?

[Katie333]

Hi all,

 

I'm taking my first cruise in the thick of the hurricane season and based on the 2005 experience, I'm still excited but somewhat leary.

 

I'm truly not afraid to get caught in the weather, becuase I have confidence that the Captain and cruiseline will be prepared for such eventualities.

 

My main concern is that we might miss ports and/or suffer bad weather in ports because of this. In regards to the weather (or other experiences) what has anyone experienced in GC, Jamaica etc during September?

[karen2cruz]

Hurricane season is formally June-December. September and October are the worst months. 2005 we had to out run Wilma on a cruise. But we knew it might happen and we had picked a ship and stateroom we could love if there were extra sea days.

 

Just dont have your heart set on an itinerary, have travel insurance and flexible air plans in case port of departure has problems during hurricane season.

 

The biggest plus is that prices are traditionally lower during this season.

[Katie333]

We did get a great deal, and I must admit (other than my pre-booked private tours) we wouldn't be too upset to miss the ports. I would however; prefer to have some substituted ports vs. those indicated as there are quite a few sea days.

 

We are actually leaving from NYC which I think will help mitigate some of the potential flight issues (not to mention we are travelling down early to sightsee there). :) I think NYC will be a better departure point than FL at that time of year ... maybe?

[Cotton]

Official hurricane season is June 1 through November 30. August and September have been the worst hurricane months in history.

 

I choose to cruise in September; almost all my cruises have been around the first of September (when I know most kiddies are back in school). I have experienced many, many hurricanes, living here on the coast, and lost my home to Katrina. I know I'm much safer on a ship out in the ocean than here. The captain will definitely take the ship out of harm's way.

 

You might miss a port or two, but that's the chance you (and I) take cruising during hurricane season.

[captNcrunch]

We did the RCL Jewel out of Boston in September, we were supposed to spend two days in Bermuda but due to high winds and seas caused by tropical storm Phillipe the port was closed. RCL made arrangements for us to go to St. Thomas, and then made arrangements for us to stop in Bermuda on the return trip. End result we got an extra port and an additional day at sea. We have been cruising in September and October for several years and this was the first weather related diversion we had.

[Katie333]

Thanks Cotton. :)

 

We've got 4 ports and 5 sea days already so I really do hope something gets substituted if we have to miss another one (have you had substitutions made or did they mostly just skip?).

 

So sorry to hear about your home, and I agree that the ship would be safer, I'm not worried about that aspect.

 

I plan to be on my balcony in the rain if that is my fate, because I chose a covered one, lol.

[Katie333]

Thanks for the reply Captn, I see you are going to try out the Crown as well, I'll try to keep her in good shape for you as we depart about 2 weeks prior.

[wrp96]

If at all possible, they will try and substitute another port but it's not always possible. What will frequently happen though, if a hurricane is headed towards your path, is they may switch a Western Caribbean cruise to an Eastern itinerary or vice versa.

 

Sometimes there is no choice though and the only thing they can do is another sea day. This can be due to all close ports are closed due to hurricane damage (happened to a couple of Western Caribbean sailings during Wilma). It can be due to there are no close ports less than a sea day away. Or all the close ports already have too many ships scheduled there already.

 

Go and be prepared to have a great cruise no matter where you are going. The Captain will do his best to give you a great cruise with great weather.

[lv2crooz2]

In 2004, we cruised in September the week after Francis hit us. We left out of Port Canaveral and they switched us from Western to Eastern due to Ivan going into the gulf. We arrived in St. Maarten, left early because Jeanne was coming up and they cancelled St. Thomas so we could outrun her!:eek: Ship ended up in Nassau and then back to port. I was disappointed but sea days are better than NO days, right? We got to do our Western in early 2005. Carnival did not comp us well but RCL gave friends of ours 2 for 1! We did an Oct. cruise and the seas were worse than during all of the storms. The Capt. will keep everyone safe and the complainers on the ship will find something to gripe about anyway. We all are lucky to be able to cruise period! Whatever happens...... the food will be great, the room will be comfy, the shows will be fantastic and the time spent with family and friends ....priceless!

[TrentS]

The best advise is to be flexible and HAVE TRAVEL INSURANCE! Don't get all bent out of shape if you miss a port or 2 or go somewhere entirely different. Remember, you book a cruise for the SHIP, NOT the ports - Ports can change at any time for any reason. They'll do the best they can, but just adding a port at the last minute is not as easy as some people seem to think it is. You should also know that you may be stuck out at sea for a few extra days, again BE FLEXIBLE. If your embarkation/debarkation port is closed, there isn't much they can do, they have to either divert if it's possible, or wait until the storm has passed.

[cruzin girl]

We were cruising during hurricane Rita. The captain just changed course and we had beautiful weather for the whole week. I am sure thats not always the case but the few times we have cruised in September the weather has always been perfect.