Hurricane Season

[audball]

HI Everyone,

 

We just booked a Royal Family Suite on the Navigator (Eastern Carribean - Sept 9,06). We are love cruising with RCCL (this will be our third one - we've done the 12-day Mediterranean and 7-day Mexican Riveira in 2003 and 2005) and we are looking forward to this cruise but I am a bit concered about hurricanes in September. I know its a risk that we take but I would like to hear from past Carribean cruisers who have dared to go in September. Also, I know that the ships can navigate around the hurricanes but is the weather generally stormy in the ports or do you end up in another part that is still hot and sunny? Finally, I'm looking for firsthand accounts of passenger experiences when they were on a cruise during a hurricane. This is my first time in this forum and the information has been great. Thanks!

[ElvisandTracey]

The cruise ships arn't the problem in hurricane season, it's the planes some of us must take to get there.

 

I was supposed to be on the Mariner last Sept., but I couldn't get a flight from Los Angeles, so I re-booked. The ships can sail around it, the airports are another matter!!!

 

I couln't fly in because the airports at Orlando, Miami and FLL were all closed. If there's no flights involved, no problem-if there's a plane ride, it could be an issue. GET INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

[SissasMomE]

August and September are the worst months for hurricanes during hurricane season. The 2 major problems are airlines cancelling flights, and the ship not making it back to port. Once you're on the ship and sailing, there's really nothing to worry about. Just make sure you buy insurance and you will be fine.

[Theresa522]

Hi, our first cruise was on Carnival, Sept 3rd out of New York. We had a great time. My cousin got a bit sea sick but took bonnie and was fine!! You will have a great time. Like the previous posters stated once on the boat it is smooth sailing.

[brn2crz]

We have sailed in Sept/Oct 4 times,and have had problems 2 times.

First was with Ivan in 04...Ivan had all but obliterated GC as we boarded Rhapsody on Sun...Now..Being the Internet savvy :cool: consumers that we are,and having a home possibly in the line of Ivan,we had a good handle on this storm and what it was doing...We new that GC was out,and Key West most likely was as well,as we would have had to cross right through Ivan to get there..As we checked in...We inquired as to what changes were made..."Oh,there have been no changes,we are still sailing to Key West" Yeah,right....About 3 Pm,announcements were made that we would no longer go to Kw or Gc (duh) and would do Belize and Costa Maya instead...Ok..welll not our favorite ports of call...But hey,at one point they were threatening us with Vera Cruz :eek:

We were told we would steer as far away from the storm as possible,but we would encounter some rough weather...Ok,can you say UNDERSTATEMENT :D

Monday afternoon,we were sitting by the pool watching the belly-flop contest,all was well,beautiful day..smooth sailing.By the time the contest was over,maybe an hour.We were rocking so hard,the water was sloshing from one end of the pool,back to the other,and the kids in the shallow end could not stand up.

We decided to go get lunch...Got our food,not too bad..Went up front for some strange reason...And the minute we looked out those panoramic windows,and could see the horizon going all the way to the left...all the way to the middle,all the way to the right all the way to the middle all the way to the left all the way to the...Well..you get the picture I am sure..

My poor Little DS 5 at the time was panicked thinking the ship was going to tip over...We stopped at the pursers desk,by this time there were barf bags...and barf everwhere....for some meds....and about 8 of us went to one inside mid-ship cabin and slept until dinner...Did that very quickly,then back to bed.Got up about 3 am...to the most horrible shaking rocking and moaning you could ever want to hear....(the ship,not my neighbors)

bathroom door would not stay closed...It was banging all night...

We found out later we had passed Ivan,in the Yucatan channel,150 miles from center,and 30 ft waves...Got up at 7 for breakfast,back to bed till 2...then...All was fine...It was really funny at the show that night.Peter was our CD,who stated he had been sailing since 1976,and it was the first time he had ever gotten sick.He is Brittish...He said,about 4 O'Clock,his staff came to his room and woke him and said...Your gonna have to get up,these Damn Texans are ready to party....He shared with us how much fun he knew the Captain was having,and that at times like these,the Captain is completely on his own,as far as decisions go...And he had changed into his Captain Jack Sparrow costume..Also at the Captains Q&A that week (very active) the Capt told us that he had been basically in constant contact with Houston weather center,and spoke frequently with Dr Neil Frank,who is now Houston's CBS chief meteorologist,and former head of the National Hurricane Center..

The staff and crew were amazing...By first thing Monday morning,these guys had complete new Daily Compasses ready,and excursions at the new ports ready to book...everyone was friendly, helpful upbeat....I never heard one passenger complain about anything..The lady at the pursers desk said they only had about 5 people who complained to them and wanted refunds...The Rhapsody's Map of her Itinerary route from Galveston, hangs near the pursers desk in the Centrum.Next time you are on board,check out the new,penciled in coordinates of our Voyage..

 

Last Oct,Mariner...We left PC,to Bahamas,St Thomas and St Martin.We did not stop rocking until we left St Martin.The day we were in St Thomas they said it was the first day since Sat they had not had rain.Many trips to St John were canceled.It rained a lot the whole trip,but we also had lots of good weather.Found out we had sailed right through what had been TS Tammy...Sept 03 and 02...perfect sailing,smooth as glass at times...

[brn2crz]

Also,its not just the airports...Remember in 04 Port Canaveral was closed for a week or so,because of all the sand that got pulled into the channel..I mean,look at NO.The port a ship sails from can go down as well...If Rita would have come in to Galveston last year,as it looked like she would 48 before landfall...Galveston might not be running yet..

 

Of course,we had to evacuate our own home 1 week prior to our Mariner sailing,due to Rita...We did have insurance that would have more than covered things,including flights,due to our home being un-inhabitable..

 

So yes,Hurricane season poses many threats....But man,theres some good deals out there is Sept and Oct...:D

[Jason's Storm]

Prepare for a potential rocky ride and get the cruise insurance from trip advisor.

 

~JS

[Dawniepoo]

We were on the Sensation in Sept of 2000 and got lucky with an extra day beacause of hurricaine Gilbert... or was it Gordon?? ANYWAY, we were lucky to have an 8 day cruise for the price of a 7 day. Until a nasty rumor started circulating that they ran out of eggs! Almost sent the whole ship into a panic. Hee hee

[Seaside2358]

Definitely get insurance. Who would have thought a hurricane would hit Fort Lauderdale in late Oct. My Enchantment cruise was cancelled and I was stuck there for days before the airport opened again. I will never cruise again in hurricane season...

[karessamom]

Do you really have to worry about hurricanes when going the Baja California cruises. I know they're not likely to hit.

[Xine]

We sailed on Sovereign just as Hurricane Ivan was making his way across the carribean (before it got to the gulf) in September 2004.

 

It was touch and go for the week before as we monitored the RCCL website to see if the cruise was even a go or not due to all the other hurricanes that had already hit FL.

 

Only the day before we left did we know that we would be leaving from Port Everglade since Port Canaveral was still closed due to the navigation buoys being knocked off their marks and the extra sand in the channel that was causing the draft to be lower than normal.

 

Also, our pre-cruise hotel was severely damaged in the prior hurricane (and I don't think it ever reopened), so I had already booked a different hotel in Orlando instead of Cocoa Beach.

 

We parked at Canveral and were bussed to Everglades. The ship's departure was delayed until 8 pm (instead of 5 pm) to make up for those folks who had flights getting in close to departure time that still needed to make the 2.5 hour trip from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale.

 

CocoCay was closed, so we had an extra day at sea.

 

Nassau was all brown and icky due to all the sea salt in the air (from the wind) that killed all the vegetation. The roads were covered in sand.

 

Thankfully we had cruise insurance, but as long as the cruise actually sailed we didn't have a choice to go or not -- otherwise we forfeited our money. Check your insurance policies carefully!

 

Prices are low in hurricane season for a reason. Just know that it might not be as "smooth sailing" as you had hoped. For us, it's part of the adventure!

[GarrenS]

Hi -

We were on the Navigator in 2005 when Hurricane Francis was wandering around the caribbean before she hit Florida - our cruise was fine - one of the best I've been on - however, we only hit 2 ports, (St Thomas and Antigua and only one was on the original itinerary) plus because the port of Miami was closed our 7 day cruise was 9 days. We had luckily booked our airfare thru the cruiseline (coming from the west coast, they then cover your hotel for the night prior and it was last minute so the airfare independently vs book the cruise line were very comparable) so they were responsible for getting us home - and they rebooked us on a flight out around 2 pm on the day we docked.

The people who hadn't booked cruise air spend several days while at sea trying to get in touch with the airlines to rebook themselves, and were a little more panicked. Our dinner tablemates had gotten a great airfare deal to fly in from New York, but had to rebook themselves. All ship to shore calls were free after the 4th or 5th day of the cruise - but you had to get a line first......

 

All in all, I'd totally do it again, the captain kept us very far behind the weather and it was beautiful almost the whole time.

 

Good luck!

[Firefighterhoop]

I also agree with the above! 1) Make sure you have Cruise Insurance!!!!! 2) Remember, if there is a hurricane near by, the ship will not be there, meaning, if the port you are dying to see has even the slightest chance of being hit by the hurricane, you will not be stopping there. If you are on the ship you will NOT be even remotely in danger of being hit by the storm, however the only problem you may encounter would be a hurricane at the embarkation city the day of your departure, because, again, the ship will not port, they will hold it out at sea

[yogimax]

We paid for a five day cruise... we wound up on a seven day cruise! Safety is of primary importance and you will never be placed at risk. There were moans and groans about not docking at Ocho Rios, but who cares... two extra free days at sea, not bad! Having said that, the only problem may be return airline connections.

[Buccaneergirl]

I have to repeat it ...... get the insurance! We live in FL, so we don't cruise during hurricane season because we might need to evacuate during that time. It is scary, but the cruise prices are the lowest, so it is a gamble. If I didn't live in a hurricane area, I would book it and buy the insurance. Good luck!

[BearySweet2Cruise]

we love to book in Sept- Nov because the rates are so much cheaper. My fear is that a port will be destroyed before we get to visit it, not the fear of the hurricaine at sea.. the ship can get around that, they can move faster than the hurricaine. We are on a Nov sailing, and hope the ports survice with little to no damage. we went last October and there was some damage in grand cayman. Happy sailing to all. :)

[pcur]

Get insurance and be flexible. The experiences are endless on this board, us included.

 

We've missed ports, left ports early, sailed in a circle for a day, couldn't get out of Miami without a bunch of tugboats pulling us, and had just really windy weather or rocky seas.

 

If the captain can sail around it, he will, and that's usually what's happened except where we left port early, missed the next port, and sailed in a circle for a day!

 

Enjoy your cruise, but do get that insurance. This year's hurricane season is going to be hefty.

[audball]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the advice. We are definitely getting insurance but so far I just have a quote from my TA. Is there one that covers missed flights if the cruise extends due to port closure or bad weather? I'm so confused now since I only have 2 weeks off this year and I dont want to spend half of it in a trip where there's so many potetial headaches exist.

Thanks again!

Audrey

[pcur]

Go to insuremytrip.com and compare the travel insurance policies. We got RCCL's CruiseCare last October, and here's what their policy says about air:

 

They do cover for adverse weather. You can see all the wording by using this link:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/vacationProtectionPlan.do;jsessionid=0000sln2Pvjtlv8_HUKvUdtJX2l:10ktmf1jr?cS=SITEMAP

 

I'm not pushing CruiseCare; I just know they have some options not available in other policies, and they paid for our trip delay last October ($1,000 max). Some pax on our ship didn't get their air reimbursed.

[GarrenS]

Audball-

If you are truly concerned about the rebooking of airfare, then book it thru the cruiseline - it is typically more expensive than doing it separately, but it usually includes transfers to the pier and sometimes a hotel the night before if they have to fly you in a day early. Then the cruise line is responsible for getting you back to your place of origin, rather than the port the cruise goes out of. You can pay for custom air if you'd like to fly at a certain time, but all 3 times I've gone my times have been close to what I would have booked anyway.

 

we do it that way because I don't want to hassle with it if something happens. But it's each traveler's decision....!

 

Garren

[mothwoman]

okay does anyone have experience w/travelex...i purchased the travelite package and cruising in September. I thought it covered what I needed but I got so confused with all the mumbo jumbo that I finally just bought some to get some. I booked our flight with flyer miles,( on delta none the less, yikes) if something happened and the ship was delayed would we be stuck buying a new airline ticket and no money from insurance or do they cover the cost of the ticket change price or how does insurance work. I'm so confused, there is way to much to think about.

[audball]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. We are reconsidering this trip now as we have booked the Royal Family Suite and with 6 adults and one baby, the cost is still over $1200 per person (airfare not included, which is another $750). I just don't think its worth paying that much for a cruise that's in the middle of hurricane season. We originally booked the cruise cause the 3rd - to 7th passenger was only about $250 and once we calculated the combined cost divided among us, we though that $1200 per person for a Royal Suite was still a decent deal - not considering the hurricane season.

 

I'm looking into the Vancouver to Hawaii cruise that leaves mid September but it seems pretty booked. I'm pretty sure my sister's baby will have to pay the adult price. We don't mind paying full price but we are travelling with a baby that's less than 1 year old and to pay over $700 for a baby that won't even eat anything on the cruise is a bit much. I know NCL has a tiered pricing but I want to stick with RCL as much as possible as we are C&A members and would like to get the credits..Plus, I heard that NCL food and service is not very good...sigh..the search is on..

[jeffaggy]

Now I'm getting a little nervous for my AOS cruise on 8/13 :) The prices are very good for a reason, I think it is worth taking the chance...

 

I was on the Brilliance almost 3 years ago in the Med and we hit smack in a typhoon or monson where the boat did a very nice tip for almost an hour in the middle of the night, it was not fun, but it really didn't ruin the cruise in the end.

[sk8man]

If you count October as part of hurricane season, 3 of our 4 cruises have been during hurricane season. All trips have been great with no problem. One of the reasons we sail then is that the price is cheaper because people are afraid to sail then. We know going in that there "could" be a problem and have insurance and are prepared. We are willing to take the risk.

[pcur]

Remember, folks, RCCL are EXPERTS at sailing in hurricane weather. They AVOID them; that's the reason you have to be flexible, because they will move the ship around to another port (or open sea) to avoid the weather.

 

That's also why people have sailed several times in hurricane months and not had problems; just like us most of the time.

 

Stats are WITH you that you'll enjoy your cruise if you aren't absolutely dying to see the ports on the itinerary and can handle a change.

 

I watched one woman on the cruise where we had to get out of St. Maarten FAST because the hurricane was due to hit at 5PM THAT day. This woman pitched a fit about missing St. Thomas for her jewelry buying trip. The Cruise Director kept repeating, "but, M'am, it's a HURRICANE; the shops will be CLOSED". It was rather amusing to watch; she just didn't get it.