September cruises

[Schoifmom]

There is always the risk of hurricane during September, no matter the itinerary.  Thousands and thousands of people have successfully cruised both CA/NE and the Caribbean during this month without any issues (myself included).   Don't let the threat of bad weather effect your decision.

 

FWIW, IMO the decision of which itinerary you take depends on what you want out of the cruise.  Lots of sightseeing with historic locations and wonderful views ... CA/NE.  Beaches, warm weather, relaxing or partying atmosphere ... Caribbean.  Your choice 🙂

[donaldsc]

Define "better" in order to get a reasonable answer.  What might be "better" for me might not be "better" for you.  For example, almost any place in the world would be better for me than the Caribbean.  

 

DON

Edited April 22, 2019 by donaldsc

[George C]

13 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

There is always the risk of hurricane during September, no matter the itinerary.  Thousands and thousands of people have successfully cruised both CA/NE and the Caribbean during this month without any issues (myself included).   Don't let the threat of bad weather effect your decision.

 

FWIW, IMO the decision of which itinerary you take depends on what you want out of the cruise.  Lots of sightseeing with historic locations and wonderful views ... CA/NE.  Beaches, warm weather, relaxing or partying atmosphere ... Caribbean.  Your choice 🙂

Another factor for some is wife had a coworker whose car was destroyed by hurricane in Galveston several years ago while parked for a cruise. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Hi Hank:

 

i think you you misunderstood me, I meant my choice of the two in the question was New England because of hurricanes. 

LOL  that does make more sense.   But the NE/Canada cruises also have their weather related problems including some hurricanes and noreasters.    We have run into major weather problems on 2 of our 5 cruises to that region.  On both of those cruises very bad storms (we call them Noreasters) came up the Atlantic coast and completely closed Prince Edward Island and some other ports.  In fact, on one HAL cruise that started from Quebec City, our Captain decided to keep us in the river for 2 extra days..and we diverted up to La Baie (an unscheduled port) and has to skip PE Island.  Three years ago when on the Voyage of the Vikings cruise we actually missed Halifax (during the return part of our long cruise) because of high winds (we could not dock...even with the assistance of two tugs).  

 

Because weather issues can happen on any cruise we just do not see it as an issue when deciding between the Caribbean and NE.  As to Hurricanes, in dozens of cruises from the East Coast we have only run into 1 hurricane...which was Hurricane Bob in 1991!  That nailed us badly, on a Meridian cruise from NYC to Bermuda in August.  It is the only time we have ever been on a ship that cruised right into a major hurricane and we were truly rocking and rolling (about 40 foot seas) for 12 hours.

 

Hank

[dkjretired]

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

LOL  that does make more sense.   But the NE/Canada cruises also have their weather related problems including some hurricanes and noreasters.    We have run into major weather problems on 2 of our 5 cruises to that region.  On both of those cruises very bad storms (we call them Noreasters) came up the Atlantic coast and completely closed Prince Edward Island and some other ports.  In fact, on one HAL cruise that started from Quebec City, our Captain decided to keep us in the river for 2 extra days..and we diverted up to La Baie (an unscheduled port) and has to skip PE Island.  Three years ago when on the Voyage of the Vikings cruise we actually missed Halifax (during the return part of our long cruise) because of high winds (we could not dock...even with the assistance of two tugs).  

 

Because weather issues can happen on any cruise we just do not see it as an issue when deciding between the Caribbean and NE.  As to Hurricanes, in dozens of cruises from the East Coast we have only run into 1 hurricane...which was Hurricane Bob in 1991!  That nailed us badly, on a Meridian cruise from NYC to Bermuda in August.  It is the only time we have ever been on a ship that cruised right into a major hurricane and we were truly rocking and rolling (about 40 foot seas) for 12 hours.

 

Hank

 

I remember years ago one Celebrity cruise to Bermuda where they didn't make the decision to go North because of a Hurricane until last minute.  People boarded only to be told they were going north and I believe it was late September so N.England had some cool weather.   

[navybankerteacher]

On 4/22/2019 at 10:06 AM, Hlitner said:

...

 

Since the OP is from GA, they might really get a lot out of NE/Canada trip.  Consider extending your trip for some land time at your embarking/disembarking port(s).  Cruises tend to use ports like NYC, Boston, and Quebec City which are all fabulous places to spend some land time.

 

Hank

Great suggestion: especially for someone from the Southeast. Consider flying to New York or Boston - ideally Quebec City - spend a few days there then bounce down the coast.  I think HAL’s end of season sailing from Quebec stops in New York and continues down to Fort Lauderdale — bringing a southerner close to home.

[paul929207]

We did the Canada New England cruise on the Royal Princess last autumn. We did a b2b from NYC to Quebec City and back to NYC. 21 days for the round trip.

[AF-1]

paul929207,  did you enjoy the cruise; what month did you travel?

[Aplmac]

On 4/21/2019 at 11:30 PM, NantahalaCruiser said:

Yes, they do get them there occasionally 🙄

.

They go racing up the East Coast producing Nor-Easters!

Then on to Greenland, Iceland or Ireland -depending on how they feel.

 

-----------------------------------

 

Paradoxically,  ocean conditions in these Eastern Caribbean islands

are never calmer and flatter than they are in September and October

when wind speeds drop.

[evandbob]

While certainly rarer, tropical storms can impact Canadian cruises.  Think Sandy. They couldn't escape it or avoid it like a Caribbean cruise might. There were others as well.

Edited April 25, 2019 by evandbob

[lynncarol]

On 4/17/2019 at 4:36 PM, lpmom said:

I've heard both good and bad things abut taking a cruise from Baltimore. Anyone have an opinion on Grandeur of the Seas New England cruise because I'm leaning toward that one in September

My husband and I took our three grandchildren (a young adult and 2 teenagers) on The Grandeur of the Seas New England cruise this past July.  Leaving out of Baltimore was without any hassle (an easy exit to find and great parking availability) and squeezing under that bridge (the Francis Key?) right after our sail-away from Baltimore was exciting. The food was good (our skinny and always hungry grandson gobbled down 3 entrees each night and our two vegetarian grand-daughters found plenty to enjoy), the ports were fun and we all had a great time. Have we been on 'newer' ships? Sure, but the Grandeur still has charm and, for us, was just the right size. 

(Plus, I would worry about hurricanes in the Caribbean during September).