# of Bermuda Cruises Diverted to Canada

[gszach]

I am considering a Sept 20, 2008 sailing to Bermuda, but would be super disappointed to get diverted to Canada. How many different cruises to Bermuda have been diverted to Canada/New England because of hurricanes or bad weather? How probable is a diversion in September? Who has been diverted to Canada?

[*Luv2Cruz*]

We had one nearby two years ago when we went in August so this time we're going in June!;)

[The Queen]

I remember one....1995...it was in mid August...Hurricane Felix caused the cruise the week before ours to be diverted to Canada.

 

Felix hung around all week for our cruise, but the captain decide to try to skirt the storm and go to BDA anyway....boy was that a rocky ride out....3/4 of the passengers were sick and 1/2 the crew. Our first cruise, and yet it didn't keep us from going back...we're going on our 12th in October!

[time4agetaway]

Eeks, I hope my cruise in August 2009 doesn't get diverted!!!!! What do they do for you when that happens?

[iheartbda]

Eeks, I hope my cruise in August 2009 doesn't get diverted!!!!! What do they do for you when that happens?

 

What do you mean what do they do for you?

[time4agetaway]

Do they tell you before hand so you can make decisions about your trip? Is there OBC when that happens? Just wondering. It must be mighty inconvienent to think you're going to Bermuda and then end up in Canada! I've been both places and no offense, but one doesn't compare to the other. Canada is great for a three or four day cruise, but not for a 7 dayer.

[iheartbda]

Most of the time there is no way to tell beforehand, Mother Nature can be very fickle.:)

 

If you read the fine print in your contract, and by paying for the cruise you have agreed to the contract, you will find:

"Carrier may for any reason, at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any schedule sailing or port of call, or substitute another vessel or port of call, and shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever to Passenger by reason of such cancellation."

 

This is from Celebrity but I'm sure all cruie lines have something similar. Any deviation can happen at anytime, anywhere and on any ship.

 

Will they issue some OBC? Maybe, but they are under no obligation to do so.

[herb]

The only thing you can do if you're diverted to Canada instead of going to Bermuda is go to your cabin and sulk for about an hour and then get a grip and decide to make the best of the situation and have a good time on the ship! (that's what I would do ;) )

[ndavis7515]

We were diverted to Canada during the 2nd week of September in 2003. We knew about it on Friday and we were leaving for Bermuda on Sunday from Boston. We unpacked and repacked warmer clothes, but a couple we had dinner with had gotten to Boston from Georgia on Wednesday to spend a couple of days in the city before the cruise and they only had summer clothes.

 

If the ship sails you sail. If you chose not to, it is your dime. If the ship doesn't sail then they will compensate somehow.

 

That season we were the only week that got diverted. The tried to divert us to the Bahamas but unfortunately there was another hurricane coming across Florida.

 

So we went to Canada. One guy waved to his condo in Halifax from the ship. He was so pissed.

[gszach]

Here is a list of hurricanes to hit Bermuda since 1963. I would guess that for every hurricane that hit Bermuda since 1990 at least one cruise ship must have been diverted. Notice that since 1965 there are 4 hurricanes affecting Bermuda in August, 12 in September and 4 in October. That equates to roughly a hurricane affecting Bermuda 1 out of every 4 Septembers, 1 out of 12 Octobers, and 1 out of 12 Augusts.

 

 

1963. August 9. Hurricane Arlene a direct-hit, winds to 90 mph, much damage to vegetation. She dad been threatening the Island for almost a week before she came ashore. In her wake she left hundreds of boats, homes and vast areas of vegetation destroyed or damaged. It was the first time in a decade that a hurricane had not veered its course away from the Island.

 

1966. August 31. Fringe of Hurricane Faith, heavy rain and winds to 62 mph.

 

1973. July 3/4. Hurricane Alice, minimal 26 miles away, but heavy rain.

 

1975. September 26. Hurricane Faye 40 miles away, strong winds, heavy rain.

 

1977. September 27. Hurricane Dorothy 60 miles to SE, heavy rain.



1981. September 7. Hurricane Emily passed over, only with 35 mph winds.

 

1987. September 25. Hurricane Emily, only a Category One, moved unexpectedly swiftly, causing tornados, chaos and much damage. With wind gusts recorded up to 125 mph, many were caught off guard as the storm was expected to miss the Island. Small, but vicious and spawning several tornadoes, Emily caused widespread chaos and damage - mostly to cars and boats, though houses experienced severe damage during the storm’s passage as well. St. George’s was hit hard, as was the Hamilton Princess hotel when all 80 windows shattered. More than 100 people were treated at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for broken bones from flying debris and part of the hospital’s roof was blown off. Ultimately Emily caused $35 million in damage to the Island. No one was killed but Emily was the strongest hurricane to hit Bermuda since 1948.

 

1989. August 4. Tropical Storm Dean 23 miles away with 90 mph winds.

 

1991. October 27/29. Hurricane Grace forms in Bermuda area, hovers, gave massive seas.

 

1995. August 14. Hurricane Felix 50 miles away, winds up to 75 mph, pounding surf for 3 days on South Shore.

 

1996. October 20. Hurricane Lily 140 miles to SE, rain and 42-knot winds.

 

1997. October 8/9. Hurricane Erika 300 miles away, no damage.

 

1998(i). September 2/3. Hurricane Danielle 200 miles NW. Rain, thunderstorms, winds to 46 mph.

 

1998(ii). September 21/22. Hurricane Karl formed near Bermuda. Winds were up to 44 mph with heavy showers and thundershowers.

 

1998(iii). November 6. Hurricane Mitch. Extensive damage beyond Bermuda but heavy rain and wind gusts in Bermuda to 69 mph.

 

1999. September 21. Hurricane Gert passed 120 miles east of Bermuda. Wind gusts of up to 75 mph, many beaches damaged.

 

2000. September 16. Hurricane Florence 60 miles away. Winds up to 50 knots.

 

2001(i). September 9. Hurricane Erin was 90 miles to E. But with only tropical storm force winds that caused battering waves and some coastal erosion.

 

2001.(ii) October 7. Tropical Storm Michelle threatened but fizzled on approach. Little damage.

 

2002. September 30. Hurricane Kyle came within 100 nautical miles to the south, but with little effect.

 

2003. September 5th. Bermuda was struck head-on by Hurricane Fabian. The worst to affect Bermuda since 1926. Four lives lost, an estimated $300 million in property damage resulted. Killed were Stephen Symons, Nicole O'Connor, Gladys Saunders and Manuel Pacheco. They all died when they were swept from the Causeway during the hurricane. Later, the September 5th Foundation, a registered charity, erected a memorial bench in Kindley Field Park, near to the scene of the tragedy. The foundation has since created a scholarship fund for the Fabian victim's children. Cable TV and some phone service were still off more than two months later, including partial destruction of the Causeway for the third time since 1889. It left 25,000 of the Island’s 32,000 households and commercial customers without power.



2006. September. Hurricane Florence caused only superficial damage overall. 23,000 out of 68,500 residents had electricity outages. Only one hotel was damaged, with the beach of another having disappeared. American and Canadian newspapers, Internet services and other news sources gave the hurricane extensive coverage but there was no mention of it in the United Kingdom's BBC or newspapers or European equivalents.



This list was taken from: http://www.bermuda-online.org/climateweather.htm

[gszach]

The only thing you can do if you're diverted to Canada instead of going to Bermuda is go to your cabin and sulk for about an hour...

 

 

This is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous that cruise ships are allowed to divert to a completely different location and not offer cancellations and give refunds. Customers pay for food, transportation and lodging. If I'm on an Amtrak train and they decide to travel to Canada instead of Washington D.C. because the weather is bad, I get my money back. If I book an all inclusive Sandals resort in St. Lucia and they decide to close for repairs and send me to Mexico instead, I get my money back. It makes no sense what so ever that the cruise line should not be held liable if they don't come through. I guess it comes down to the fact that it happens so rarely that people accept it. But that doesn't make it right. What is the point in advertising a destination for a cruise if they are allowed to change the destination whenever they feel like it? If they are going to reserve the right to change destinations, then they shouldn't be allowed to advertise destinations for specific cruises. If they advertise a trip somewhere they should have to fulfill it and if they can't fulfill it they should have to refund the customers money. It is false advertising. Car dealierships get in trouble for it all the time, the ole' bait and switch. They claim it's not false advertising because of the "allowed to change destination" clause in the contract. Most people's first thought is the dates and destination when booking a cruise, and secondly the ship. If I book a trip through a travel agency to an all inclusive resort, but a hurricane strikes and the planes can't go there, I get my money back from the agency because they didn't do what they said they would do. But if I book a cruise to Bermuda through the same agency and a hurricane strikes and I can't go there, I don't get jack squat. It is so so so wrong. But again, it isn't corrected because it happens so rarely that cruise lines can just basically ignore and treat bad the small amount of people it happens to. If that small amount of people are getting screwed over who cares, apparently. How very very sad for the poor very hardworking family from New England who saved money for years so that all five of them could finally go on a cruise to the Bahamas from Boston to find out on the day of departure their $6000 saved over many years is now being spent on a cruise of New England where they live. It's not right. The cruise ships are screwing the little guys who can't fight back. I'm sorry for this rant. I just so strongly dislike this sort of thing.

[iheartbda]

gszach

I usually dislike when someone posts, "maybe you should stick with a land vacation" but that's all I can think of with your last post. If you are so worried about the weather and the possiblity of not getting to Bermuda, maybe cruising is not the way to go.

[smeyer418]

I was one of the people who in 2003 went to Canada instead of Bermuda. I do think that insurance should be mandatory and that if this happens you should be given the option of canceling. The vast majority of people won't cancel. In fact NCL left some people complaining at the dock because the captain refused to let them board(they were really loud and obnoxious) and they were not at first offered an refund. I believe(but don't know for sure) that they were eventually given a refund- there were very few who didn't board. Celebrity had a ship(the Zenith) that also went North. It too at first didn't allow people to get off and get a refund(or a future cruise credit) . Its my understanding the X does have a guarantee that if you don't like the cruise you can get off at the first port and get back a partial refund. A small number got off.

 

PS we had a great time any way.

 

This really rarely happens when a cruise must be totally rerouted. It happens a few times a year, most often between July and October.

[herb]

Now I'm curious... since most Canada cruises are 4-5 days and Bermuda is a 7 day, how did the cruiseline fill in the extra days ---> sea days or ---> an added port of call?

[iheartbda]

Its my understanding the X does have a guarantee that if you don't like the cruise you can get off at the first port and get back a partial refund. A small number got off.

 

They both start with C but it's Carnival that offers the guarantee.;)

[smeyer418]

Now I'm curious... since most Canada cruises are 4-5 days and Bermuda is a 7 day, how did the cruiseline fill in the extra days ---> sea days or ---> an added port of call?

Lots of Ports. we stopped at Halifax, Sydney, Boston Newport and Bar Harbor and still were given some port charges back.

[Charles4515]

many years is now being spent on a cruise of New England where they live. It's not right. The cruise ships are screwing the little guys who can't fight back. I'm sorry for this rant. I just so strongly dislike this sort of thing.

 

If you cruise during hurricane season then you should not be surprised the ship might be diverted. They are not going to sail into a hurricane. As far as canceling the cruise many who arranged for that week off would be upset if an alternative itinerary was not done. Also the ship is stocked and staffed, you expect the cruise line and workers are going to do nothing that week and eat the loss? That would cause the prices of all cruises to go up. I have cruised many times during September and only lost one day in Bermuda as we had to beat a storm back. I knew the risk. But also all the September cruises were great deals. Because it was hurricane season the prices were a lot less than cruises I took on the same itinerary in the summer and spring. Quite a savings. Last September I went on the upscale Azamara and was not charged an upscale price. So really it is up to you. None are forcing you to book during prime hurricane season.

[iheartbda]

What is the point in advertising a destination for a cruise if they are allowed to change the destination whenever they feel like it?

 

Something else you don't seem to understand is they are NOT changing a destination whenever they feel like it. They certainly want to fulfill their part of the bargain, so to speak. It's only for weather, emergency or something they cannot control that they go elsewnere.

I doubt you would want to be caught in something like this.

 

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/503533/rough_cruise/

[family cruisers]

Heres a question for you. What if you have no passport to go to bermuda as scheduled but now you're diverted to canada and have NO passport, then what ?

[Charles4515]

Heres a question for you. What if you have no passport to go to bermuda as scheduled but now you're diverted to canada and have NO passport, then what ?

 

Nothing. You don't need a passport right now to cruise to Bermuda or Canada. Or anywhere else the ship might be diverted to. (for example the Bahamas).

[bluesea777]

1987. September 25. Hurricane Emily, only a Category One, moved unexpectedly swiftly, causing tornados, chaos and much damage. With wind gusts recorded up to 125 mph, many were caught off guard as the storm was expected to miss the Island. Small, but vicious and spawning several tornadoes, Emily caused widespread chaos and damage - mostly to cars and boats, though houses experienced severe damage during the storm’s passage as well. St. George’s was hit hard, as was the Hamilton Princess hotel when all 80 windows shattered. More than 100 people were treated at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for broken bones from flying debris and part of the hospital’s roof was blown off. Ultimately Emily caused $35 million in damage to the Island. No one was killed but Emily was the strongest hurricane to hit Bermuda since 1948.

 

 

This Hurricane Emily was a shock visitor to the island. Just the day before she was still hovering about slowly in the Bahamas and was slowly getting into the course toward Bermuda and we were not expecting her for another 2 days or so (due to her speed at the time).

 

BUT .... during the night this bloody lady moved her speed up to 45-50 knots and sped and made a direct hit to Bermuda at 7 am - the whole island woke up to tree-bending winds and emergency radios blaring! An amazing (should say 'bad') thing about Emily was that she was a very small one - only about 150-200 miles in diameter - and her eye ACTUALLY went over the 21 sq mile island bang in middle of the vast Atlantic Ocean. We had about 15 minutes of sheer calm when the eye went over and some islanders thought it was all over. After 15 mins the winds picked up - in opposite direction - and this was the part when the trees, weakened at their roots during the first part, finally uprooted when they moved to the opposite direction. The while thing lasted just over 3 hours!

 

In Hamilton Harbour, cruise ship "Doric" (she had no time to sail out to avoid Emily - Emily was too fast for the ship) had to be tied up triple, yet got pulled away (the dock anchors broke off - away from the concrete!). Captain had to drop anchors in harbour (not in Grassy Bay/Sound, but in harbour) and had to use engines to keep ship forward to ride out the storm. He did well!

 

Pretty incredible shocking experience.

 

When Fabian (19 hours) came we all were totally prepared (we had 5 days' warning), so we recovered well afterwards. Same with Florence (16 hours, I think) (also with some days' warning). To us, we felt Emily was the worst of the 3, emotionally.

[bluesea777]

In Hamilton Harbour, cruise ship "Doric" (she had no time to sail out to avoid Emily - Emily was too fast for the ship) had to be tied up triple, yet got pulled away (the dock anchors broke off - away from the concrete!). Captain had to drop anchors in harbour (not in Grassy Bay/Sound, but in harbour) and had to use engines to keep ship forward to ride out the storm. He did well!

 

 

 

Sorry it was not "Doric", but "Atlantic" (Home Lines).

[chief d]

IN May of 2007 we got a extra day in Bermuda due to the weather. (High winds and we couldn't go thru the cut.) So should I except NCL to comp me for this. Come on weather is weather. Haven't you ever been on a airplane that had to divert due to bad weather? Try flying to Bermuda get on final, then hear sorry BUT we are going back to the states, HIGH WINDS AND WE CAN'T LAND.

 

As Iheartbda say: read your contract.

 

As Herb say: sulk, then suck it up. Your still on a cruise. Better than being at work.

[family cruisers]

Nothing. You don't need a passport right now to cruise to Bermuda or Canada. Or anywhere else the ship might be diverted to. (for example the Bahamas).

My Mistake, I thought for canada we'd need one ?

[iheartbda]

Try flying to Bermuda get on final, then hear sorry BUT we are going back to the states, HIGH WINDS AND WE CAN'T LAND.

 

As Iheartbda say: read your contract.

 

As Herb say: sulk, then suck it up. Your still on a cruise. Better than being at work.

 

But according to the OP you could get your money back.;)

 

chief d

I think that's part of the problem...he knows what's in the contract and he doesn't like it but, it is what it is.

P.S. Wasn't able to meet up with our buddy last year but did talk to him on the phone a couple of times, maybe this year.:)