Final pay due Tomorrow! Would you cancel a November Thanksgiving cruise due to Dean?

[232271]

We make our final payment tomorrow, so I am trying to decide....

Should we cancel our Carnival Conquest out of Galveston cruise :confused:

I didnt know what the ports would be like in 3 months if they get hit by Dean.

Will Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel still be in recovery mode?

 

We got such an awesome price nearly a year ago and it has gone up $1000 since then, and it is a family tradition to vacation at Thanksgiving, so it is hard to think of cancelling at this point.

 

What will they do if the ports are out of service still? Will they pick different ports IF these ports are not open?

 

Anybody have experience with this? All opinions and advice welcomed and appreciated!

[beachbum6264]

I'm sailing next Saturday, and not even thinking of cancelling :D

I look at it this way.. I'll be on a ship, we'll sail SOMEWHERE, and I'll be having FUN!!!! Cancel??? NO WAY:D

[GoinCruisin]

If you are deadset on going to those places, yes, cancel... not because of Dean, but because they are in a hurricane zone and other hurricanes could also hit them... and a good rain will cause you to miss Grand Cayman... and if your ship has to tender and there is bad weather at all you will miss Coz. So yes, if you are worried about not going to those specific places, cancel... but I would also suggest not to cruise simply because the ports are never guaranteed. Yes, we have had experience with islands being damaged and missing them... the ports were either replaced, or not... but we still had an absolute blast. When we have gone to Caymans, Cozumel and other places after a hurricane, we have also had a great time. It's up to you how important it is that THOSE are the places you go to.

[CC Help Michell]

Yes, if they can they will visit different ports if the scheduled ones aren't receiving ships (it's happened before). Yes, Dean looks like a bear for Jamaica and the Yucatan, and neither region is exactly afloat with money to fix things quickly.

 

At this point, however, no way I'd cancel a Thanksgiving cruise. I'd try to think of the "worst case" -- they give us a "cruise to nowhere" because they can't port anywhere (not likely, but I said worst case). If I can live with that, which I personally could, then I'm good to go. You'll still have your family tradition, and the ship's amenities. However, if you couldn't live with that and the ports are your primary focus, you might want to research other itineraries with ports you are also interested in to see if you can transfer the booking. We're entering the height of hurricane season, however -- no guarantee those other ports won't also incur damage. I think at this point you should wait and see what happens with Dean, since you were happy with your plans initially.

[abitaturbodog]

No! Do not cancel your cruise because the ports might be hit by a hurricane!

 

A cruise is what you make of it. If you never get off the ship you will still have a wonderful time.

[HookedOnCruisin'2]

Our December cruise includes a stop in Grand Cayman. Though I've been there before, it is a beautiful island. It also includes Costa Maya which will probably be affected by Dean. I've not been there before. No way I'll cancel.

[*Mach*]

I wouldn't cancel.

 

Consider that the storm is passing south of Jamaica which will keep the strongest winds away from the island. It would be reasonable to expect that Montego Bay will suffer little damage, indeed. Grand Cayman is further north still and should fair pretty well.

 

The current projections of the storm's track put it south of Coz, as well.

 

Nope, hang in there. Thanksgiving should be a great time to cruise.

[Snoozeman]

Great advice so far.:)

[halos]

I'm cruising in the very beginning of November and will be visiting many of the ports hit by this horrendous storm.

NO WAY would I cancel my cruise.

 

#1, I like the cruise I have booked. I can have fun no matter what the conditions of the ports.

#2, These peoole need tourist dollars to rebuild. They can have some of mine. :D

[232271]

I'm cruising in the very beginning of November and will be visiting many of the ports hit by this horrendous storm.

NO WAY would I cancel my cruise.

 

#1, I like the cruise I have booked. I can have fun no matter what the conditions of the ports.

#2, These peoole need tourist dollars to rebuild. They can have some of mine. :D

 

 

good point!

 

thanks for all the advice! we will go ahead and keep our cruise and at least have some great food and time away, no matter where we go!:)

[rhuntington3]

I wouldn't cancel either. Great advice so far, be sure to read it.

[firefly333]

FOX just said maximum sustained winds reported are 81 mph at Kingston.

 

Where I lived we were away from the eye and had 92 mph and we had lots of uprooted trees, but if 81 mph is about the worst, they will survive. They said the eye is now making its closest approach.

 

I think this is good news for Jamaica.

[Name game]

My cruise leaves the day after Thanksgiving and I wouldn't even consider canceling it. I cruise this time of year every year and have yet to have a problem. If the ports get changed, so be it. I'm still on a cruise. :cool:

[bonniemari]

You have choices:

 

1. Go on a nice cruise, with warm tropical weather, beautiful ocean water, fun things to do at all hours of the day and night. Have a nice smiling people cook and serve you food and drinks. Then as a bonus you will get to stop at lovely islands.

 

2. Cook your own Thanksgiving dinner. You will be the one serving your family food and drinks (hopefully with a smile). Then you get to clean up the mess cause most of us are messy when we cook and I know my family (all 30 of them that come over Thanksgiving) are messy. If you are lucky some of those family members will help you clean but most will go and watch the Dallas Cowboys play football on TV. Then as a bonus someone in your family (there is always one) will guilt you into getting up before the crack of dawn to go stand in line at Toy's R Us cause little Johnny has to have the lastest toy that they only have 10 of at a rock bottom price.

 

So when you look at these choices which one would you choose?

 

I really hope you decide to go. We went on a cruise not to long after the hurricane packed year of 2005 and still had a great time. We missed Grand Cayman but still enjoyed our cruise.

 

I would love to cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday but those previously mentioned family members would disown me. My younger sisters especially cause cooking Thanksgiving dinner would fall to my older sister and although she is a great person her cooking sucks.

[SheriNtexas]

We make our final payment tomorrow, so I am trying to decide....

Should we cancel our Carnival Conquest out of Galveston cruise :confused:

I didnt know what the ports would be like in 3 months if they get hit by Dean.

Will Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel still be in recovery mode?

!

 

 

I definitely would NOT cancel!! 3 months is a long way out, and any damge that is done might be minor and might be fixed by the time your cruise, OR, if not, you might go to alternate ports! There are other reasons a port could get cancelled, so I say make the pymt and plan on going!!:D :D

[halos]

The current projections of the storm's track put it south of Coz, as well.

 

 

I hope you're right. I'm cruising to Coz in Nov and then again in March '08. It's not that I'm worried about MY cruise, I just LOVE Cozumel and I adore the people of Cozumel and I'd hate to see them suffer through horrendous damage again.

Not that I want anyone to suffer damage or worse, loss of life, but Cozumel is special in my heart.

[rebeljohn]

We have a cruise planned for the week after Thanksgiving and for NYE, and we wouldn't even THINK about cancelling. Is the ports are still in repair mode, the cruise line will probably take us someplace else..........but it doesn't matter....we'll be on a cruise ship and we'll have fun no matter where they sail to...........

[firefly333]

It could take Cozumel another 2 years to build back the piers, cant cancel every cruise unless you want to stay home.

[Payd]

good point!

 

thanks for all the advice! we will go ahead and keep our cruise and at least have some great food and time away, no matter where we go!:)

 

I'm glad to hear you are planning to go on the original cruise over Thanksgiving. I too think it would be a mistake to not go.

 

We went to Cozumel one pre and once post hurricane. We were skeptical about how worthwhile it would be to visit again after hearing about the intense devestation.

 

We learned an amazing lesson the second time. After stopping at a less popular beach to snorkel and have drinks we chatted with the waiter (who was the owners brother) who dropped of a photo album. We looked at pictures - the images the owner and family saw after the hurricane. What stood out to us...a picture of the extended family in front of a "destroyed" business...they looked tired but all smiled. We should all learn from their loss and see the bright days they have ahead.

 

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

Payd:)

[ManyMore]

I wouldn't cancel if I was supposed to be going there tomorrow let alone NOVEMBER!

[Pegs222]

We make our final payment tomorrow, so I am trying to decide....

Should we cancel our Carnival Conquest out of Galveston cruise :confused:

I didnt know what the ports would be like in 3 months if they get hit by Dean.

Will Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel still be in recovery mode?

 

We got such an awesome price nearly a year ago and it has gone up $1000 since then, and it is a family tradition to vacation at Thanksgiving, so it is hard to think of cancelling at this point.

 

What will they do if the ports are out of service still? Will they pick different ports IF these ports are not open?

 

Anybody have experience with this? All opinions and advice welcomed and appreciated!

 

You are not leaving for three months, why would you cancel now? They can spiffy things up, and you will never even know that anything had happened, much less a hurricane.

[PhotoPete]

Well, the wife and I are booked on the Ledgend 1/20/08. We have been watching Dean with concern as last place we want to visit is a hurricane destroyed port. We have enought of that here in Pass Christian Miss. So, if Dean does his deed we will likely move our booking to perhaps the Glory.

[marym933]

I sailed on the Glory Thanksgiving week 2005. Our ship was one of the first back in Cozumel after Wilma. The other ports we were to visit were changed twice because of T.S. Alpha. The vegetation in Cozumel was very bad. All the trees were defoliated, but iit not hurt the spirit of her people. Everyone was happy we had come. The piers were a pile of concrete rocks, but the tendering worked great. It was a nice visit. Go with the flow, be flexible, have a great time!

[The4Cruisers]

Why is the final payment due tomorrow? We're sailing in early November and the payment is not due for another 3-4 weeks. Re-check your date and give yourself more time to decide if you can.

 

Beyond that, I would not cancel the cruise. Like the others have said, you could be doing a different, surprise itinerary. It's vacation...go with it! :)