Should I be worried about sailing the Caribbean late September weatherwise?

[jspitz1]

Hi, we have just booked Wonder of the Seas for September next year as the price was pretty good for a new ship.  Just wondering if it's quite risky to be going to the Caribbean during the middle of hurricane season.  Is there anyone who has travelled this part of the world late September and had great weather?  

[firefly333]

The weather usually is fine but those of us who have sailed in sept have missed 1 or 2 ports too. Last sept my car was parked in Galveston and it had a cat 1 hurricane hitting it. It happens. I'm more worried about my car than me. The waves dont bother me and I've seen these ports. But after this sept I've promised myself to not book until oct. 

 

I think bigger waves add some fun to my cruise so that doesnt bother me. 

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, jspitz1 said:

Is there anyone who has travelled this part of the world late September and had great weather?  

Yes.

[Cutigerlady]

As long as you aren’t tied to the ports, you should be fine.  We booked an Eastern Caribbean and it was switched to Western Caribbean because of a storm. It was a little rough the first day of our trip, but then was beautiful!  

[Big_G]

The cruise lines are pretty good at dodging storms. On a rare occasion itineraries may change. The year Maria came through we were on western and without the news you wouldn't have know there was a storm in the neighborhood. If I remember correctly some ships were delayed getting back to port until the storm passed but it's a rare occasion.

[twangster]

Over the years the vast majority of Caribbean cruises have executed normally.  As you noted September is still in hurricane season and itinerary changes can result from a tropical storm or hurricane.   Remain flexible and understand that ports of call can change.

 

Consider travel insurance in case you experience difficulties getting to the cruise.  Sometimes airlines cancel flights depending on the track of a storm.

 

I last experienced a hurricane modified cruise in September of 2019.  I flew towards an incoming hurricane that was expected to arrive in South Florida a few days after the sail date.  The day before boarding they announced the 4 night cruise would be a 5 night cruise to Cozumel instead of Nassau & CocoCay.    I boarded knowing of the modified itinerary the day before the Port of Miami announced they were closing and all ships must head out to sea.   I was also booked on the consecutive 3 night cruise which was shortened to a 2 night cruise.  Compensation was offered for both and was generous considering Royal didn't cause these changes.  I was awarded C&A points for the extended 5 nights and for the original 3 nights of the B2B which resulted in more points compared to the original 4 + 3 expected points.

 

Both cruises were great.  We never experienced the storm in any meaningful way.  Many guests chose the refund option that was offered so the ship was below 50% capacity which back in those days was rare.  It was wonderful.   

 

September often has lower fares because kids are back in school so demand tends to drop after Labor Day.  It's a great time to cruise if you can remain flexible and understand that ports can change.  Most of the time cruises go as expected but when storms cause changes there will be complaints "I booked this cruise for <insert destination> and we sailed to <insert alternate destination>.  This is bait & switch!".  It is what it is.  Cruise lines won't sail ships into harm's way.   If you can go with the flow and be accepting of potential changes it really is a great time to cruise. 

 

 

[jspitz1]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies.  Fingers crossed for this cruise to not be too disrupted if at all.  This is school holidays for Australia, so is a great time for us to travel to the U.S. when you are back in school.  

[boscobeans]

4 hours ago, jspitz1 said:

Hi, we have just booked Wonder of the Seas for September next year as the price was pretty good for a new ship.  Just wondering if it's quite risky to be going to the Caribbean during the middle of hurricane season.  Is there anyone who has travelled this part of the world late September and had great weather?  

A few times. Once we had to skirt around some weather and another we just sailed through it. 

[leaveitallbehind]

Hurricane season (June 1 - November 30) season - which is half of the year -  just means that is the time when conditions are most favorable for hurricanes to develop, and is not a guarantee that they will.  And even when they do the Caribbean is a fairly large body of water where a hurricane can affect certain areas but other areas would show no affects at all.  As mentioned, the cruise lines' main priority is the safety of the passengers, crew and the ship and great measures will be taken to avoid any storms that may develop.

 

I guess we've been fortunate but in 30 years of cruising with a number of Caribbean cruises during the hurricane season we have never been affected by a hurricane.  Simply because it is that time of year would not be a reason for me to avoid cruising then.

[AlohaLivin]

Yes. Many times. And we have traveled on numerous non-hurricane season dates with wind and other bad weather. DH was a meteorologist for the USMC and with 30 years of experience. And his take is essentially what @leaveitallbehindjust stated; the hurricane season is essentially a time of higher probability of an event (not an indication the weather event will happen). To avoid that long hurricane “season” you would lose a huge part of the year when you could be cruising!

[Joseph2017China]

Oh no, hurricane season lasts 6 months every year......Hurricane is a really big storm, that can be tracked, and the ship is not sailing into it.  But I live in hurricane land, and so I don't even think of it.  

[Starry Eyes]

Sure, we often get great weather.  Cruise ships are sometimes re-routed, so keep your mind open to alternate ports if you cruise then.

The Atlantic hurricane season peaks in mid September, so realize you are close to the peak.   https://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/hurricanes 
It is not just weather during the cruise.  Flights can be disrupted or canceled, so some people do not arrive in Florida for their scheduled trips.  Others might they have trouble leaving  Florida when they planned.   Are you spending some time in Florida before your cruise?

[Jasukkie]

I would worry more about flight interruptions if that's applicable to your situation. I have had a Bermuda cruise turn into a Canadian cruise due to a hurricane, lots of rocking and rolling on that one.

[cajunfla]

We had a cruise re-directed on another cruise line a few years ago, not that it makes any difference what cruise line.  Our re-directed ports were better than those we booked!

[minnie00]

Other than the hurricane possibility it really is a beautiful time of year to cruise. Just be flexible knowing there may be a change if there are active storms in the region. 

 

We were affected in August 2019 and our cruise was shortened to 3 days instead of 7...we flew to Florida and stayed in the Disneyworld area for the 4 days prior waiting...had fun at Disney. then did the 3 day cruise. We got a huge OBC and a free cruise for the next year. We did have the option of full cancel refund. We have cruised a few times at this time of year and this was the first interruption this big. we say go for it

[leaveitallbehind]

10 hours ago, jspitz1 said:

Hi, we have just booked Wonder of the Seas for September next year as the price was pretty good for a new ship.  

Just to add, the reason for the pricing to be attractive then has little to do with it being hurricane season.  In the US, that is the month that most children are back in school after their summer break and as RCCL markets primarily to families, this also starts an off-peak season for them.  Prices are often lower then to attract those without families, etc., to assure filling the ships.  It actually is a great time to cruise RCCL as the amount of children is typically quite low, if that appeals to you.  But if you are traveling with children, all of the children's programs and activates are still available, just with a lower children's on board population.

Edited April 29, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[awahrer]

As others have stated, the cruise lines do well modifying itineraries to avoid major disruption. The biggest risk, in my opinion, is when the storm in tracking towards the departure port as they cannot safely bring the ship in to unload and load new passengers. Hurricane Dorian stalled heading up the East coast of Florida in Sept 2019 causing major disruption to ships based out of Port Canaveral. My 7 day Harmony itinerary was ultimately shortened to a 2 day cruise (keep in mind that means folks on the previous sailing were extended from a 7 day to 12 day with no option to get off). 

 

My family elected to take the the FCC and then COVID happened a few months later. Let's just say, it took us over 2 years for sailings to start up again in order to use that credit. By no means RC's fault, but just a scenario I had not imagined when the original cruise was booked in 2018 haha.

[Biker19]

37 minutes ago, awahrer said:

Let's just say, it took us over 2 years for sailings to start up again in order to use that credit.

Welcome to CC.

[ssb]

10 hours ago, firefly333 said:

The weather usually is fine but those of us who have sailed in sept have missed 1 or 2 ports too. Last sept my car was parked in Galveston and it had a cat 1 hurricane hitting it. It happens. I'm more worried about my car than me. The waves dont bother me and I've seen these ports. But after this sept I've promised myself to not book until oct. 

 

I think bigger waves add some fun to my cruise so that doesnt bother me. 

Hurricane season isn't supposedly over until after October .

But twenty years ago in November planned trip after October to  BVI  and was just missed by

Lenny a Cat 5 Hurricane. It trashed  St Martin.   

[firefly333]

7 minutes ago, ssb said:

Hurricane season isn't supposedly over until after October .

But twenty years ago in November planned trip after October to  BVI  and was just missed by

Lenny a Cat 5 Hurricane. It trashed  St Martin.   

I think officially it's not over until nov.

 

About 12 years ago my car was parked at ezcruise parking in Galveston and hurricane Ike wiped it out. This last sept wasnt much damage. I was already booked for sept 2022 before last sept. I was thinking covid, not hurricanes. I'll try and cruise a little later after twice now. 

 

Not worried about missing ports on my cruise, just my car. I enjoy the waves. 

[ssb]

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I think officially it's not over until nov.

 

About 12 years ago my car was parked at ezcruise parking in Galveston and hurricane Ike wiped it out. This last sept wasnt much damage. I was already booked for sept 2022 before last sept. I was thinking covid, not hurricanes. I'll try and cruise a little later after twice now. 

 

Not worried about missing ports on my cruise, just my car. I enjoy the waves. 

We live in Galveston and there are many cruise parking lots available to avoid flooding in Galveston !  

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by ssb

[Starry Eyes]

9 minutes ago, ssb said:

Hurricane season isn't supposedly over until after October .

But twenty years ago in November planned trip after October to  BVI  and was just missed by

Lenny a Cat 5 Hurricane. It trashed  St Martin.   

Atlantic hurricane season officially ends November 30, so nobody should be surprised that you encounter a storm in November.   Occasionally tropical storms do occur in the Atlantic in months outside of the official season of June-Nov.  

[MLP12]

I've cruised over 20 times.  The one time we had a cruise scheduled in September, we ended up cancelling.  There was a hurricane and RCI changed our 7 night cruise to a 5 night, then a 4 night due to the risk.  Of course, this was all very last minute, which made it very stressful.  After that, we said never again in Sepember.  

[jspitz1]

Yes, we're planning to spend a few days in Orlando/Cocoa beach before the cruise as I have never been to Florida.  Late September was about the only time of the year when the price for Wonder of the Seas wasn't too crazy and my kids were on school holidays in Australia-thanks so much for all your wonderful replies!!!

[Baron Barracuda]

When we sail August - October we target the ABC islands which lie outside the hurricane belt.