What Its Like To Cruise During A Hurricane Porthole Cruise and Travel

Table Of Content

• Royal Caribbean Changes The Game With Muster 2.0
• What it's like if your cruise is extended because of a hurricane?
• What happens if my car is damaged in port while I'm at sea?
• More Royal Caribbean
• Travel insurance is key for fall cruises

If you see there's a hurricane churning toward the Caribbean a few days before your departure, you can't call your cruise line, cancel the trip and expect to get your money back. Virgin Islands (a common port on Eastern Caribbean sailings), for instance, is likely to have little or no impact on a Western Caribbean or Southern Caribbean sailing happening at that time. Although a cruise can be affected by a hurricane and need to make changes, the weather outside of those storms is often nice, hot and sunny. Now those are amazing places, and people book Canada/New England cruises all the time, but, if you were planning on Bermuda beaches, and end up at Peggy’s Cove…. In the recent past, we’ve seen cruises that were supposed to be going to Bermuda, have a itinerary change to avoid a storm.

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Royal Caribbean Changes The Game With Muster 2.0

Major cruise lines have adjusted plans due to Hurricane Ian, in some cases changing nearly entire itineraries or canceling sailings altogether. As The Points Guy notes, Atlantic Ocean hurricanes can develop at any time, but the majority occur between June and November, according to the National Hurricane Center. The good news is that you'll likely be able to stay ahead of the hurricane even if it occurs while you're on board. Cruise companies track weather carefully using satellites, maps, and predictive storm models through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

What it's like if your cruise is extended because of a hurricane?

The travel agent cancelled my cruise, my flights and my hotel booking on my behalf. Because I booked it as a package holiday, the ATOL scheme in the UK meant that I would not lose any money on the flights or hotel that I had booked. The average speed of a cruise ship is 23 mph, with maximum speeds reaching 34 mph.

What happens if my car is damaged in port while I'm at sea?

If a hurricane is headed for your departure port, you might have to decide whether to travel to the departure port (and possibly into a dangerous storm) or stay home and risk losing all the money you paid for the sailing. This happened in 2017 when some lines delayed departures out of Florida as Hurricane Irma approached. The lines that delayed departures allowed passengers to cancel for a refund in the form of a cruise credit.

In both cases, the issue was Port Canaveral closed and that prevented the ship from getting back into port. That isn't to say they've never done it, but time and time again, we see ships getting re-routed and extended instead. Sailings can be extended or shortened, but Royal Caribbean very rarely cancels an entire sailing.

Am I likely to get a deal during hurricane season?

Independence of the Seas' Friday voyage will now leave on Saturday, as well, and will not visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, but will stop in Nassau on Sunday as scheduled. Other major lines such as Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International have similarly altered itineraries as a result of Hurricane Ian. The spokesperson said Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on its next cruise.

And as you’re headed toward clearer skies, there are plenty of ways you and the whole family can enjoy yourselves—like watching jaw-dropping shows across air, water, ice and stage to roller skating, laser tag and bumper cars. Leading up to Hurricane Ian, the Florida ports of Key West, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Port Canaveral were shut down, leaving some ships at sea. Carnival similarly monitors weather conditions from its fleet operations center, which opened in 2018 at the company’s Miami headquarters and runs 24/7. He provides public reports on forecasts and conditions on his Instagram account.

The coasts of North and South Carolina could see "life-threatening storm-surge" Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The changes come after Hurricane Fiona disrupted cruise schedules, forcing Norwegian to reroute a cruise bound for Bermuda to Canada last week. RJ Whited posted a video on Facebook showing damage on the ship and the large waves hitting the vessel. "This was also around the time our internet went out, so we weren't able to look at the weather online, or contact anyone." "The sound of us crashing into the swells could be heard over the music playing" at the show he was at, he said. "Stage lights mounted on the ceiling began to shake, the disco ball started swinging and the LED wall on the stage… began rolling side by side on its own."

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What happens if my flight is cancelled and I can't get to the port because of the storm?

You might think about avoiding booking a cruise during hurricane season, but the lower prices and demand might have you reconsidering. Carnival Elation also swapped its scheduled visit to Princess Cays for a day at sea Tuesday and visited Freeport in the Bahamas Wednesday in place of a planned sea day, during a sailing from Jacksonville. The ship, which had been scheduled to come back on Thursday, is set to dock in Jacksonville when the port reopens, which Lupoli said is expected to take place Saturday. While your ship can avoid the brunt of a storm, you shouldn’t assume you won’t feel some rocking and rolling. If you are cruising in hurricane season, it’s best to be prepared with a seasickness remedy.

No matter the weather that’s brewing, you can count on catching perfect waves on the FlowRider surf simulator and braving the tallest slide at sea when you’re on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Cruise ships easily travel from one place to the next, meaning they can conveniently ditch bad weather at a moment’s notice. Take it from James Van Fleet, Royal Caribbean’s chief meteorologist and the first in the cruise industry. He keeps an eye on our 25-plus ships and two private destinations around the clock, so that you can keep the good times rolling.

Ships sailing the Caribbean during hurricane season have an out -- they can move. Cruise ships have sophisticated technology onboard to monitor the weather. Plus, cruise lines can augment the information they have onboard with forecasts from weather assessment companies.

In the case of Disney Wish, the first announcement came on the evening of Sept. 27 as the storm moved closer to shore. Based on updated forecasts, the captain announced the ship would not return to port until Saturday or Sunday, after the storm had passed and they could better assess the situation at Port Canaveral. That meant passengers would remain on board one or two days longer than expected. For Disney Wish, a port change announcement came on the morning of Sept. 28 when the ship was scheduled to dock at Castaway Cay for the day.

Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston

Table Of Content

• Leave a Reply Cancel reply
• You aren't entitled to compensation for itinerary changes
• Other Cruise Lines (Disney, Virgin, Norwegian)
• Search
• "Very active" hurricane season prediction for 2024

I hope this article has helped anyone whose cruise has been affected by a hurricane or who is concerned about cruising in hurricane season. This is just my experience of having a cruise booked with Royal Caribbean during Hurricane Dorian. This is one reason why being on a cruise ship during hurricane season might be safer than on land. If a cruise captain notices a hurricane obstructing their ship’s route, they can simply reroute away from the storm. If you're particularly prone to seasickness, hurricane season might not be the best time for you to cruise.

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You may have heard or read that there were some cruises that were canceled in the wake of Hurricane Irma in 2017, but the fact is that it’s actually extremely rare for a cruise to be canceled during Caribbean hurricane season. While my cruise only had a change in itinerary, other cruise ships had to remain out at sea longer because of the closure in Port Canaveral. As anyone that deals with hurricanes a lot will tell you, the forecasts for tropical storms are quite variable and prone to changes that greatly benefit or penalize your situation. One day it might look like your ship will be clear of any issues, and the next, it looks like you're stuck. Some travel insurance policies offer cover for missed ports but check this carefully. If you’re only offered £25 per missed port, but your excess is £100, then this isn’t actually worth anything.

You aren't entitled to compensation for itinerary changes

Cruising during hurricane season is something thousands of cruisers do every year, and enjoy it! It’s important to remember that if there is an itinerary change, the cruise lines are doing this to keep everyone safe. Cruise lines will sometimes make a decision to make a cruise shorter, or even longer by adding days, to avoid bringing a cruise ship into a storm. Start monitoring tropical storm conditions a week before you leave by visiting Cruise Critic's Hurricane Zone or by watching weather reports. Be proactive if your cruise seems to be lying in the path of a storm by contacting your travel agent -- or the cruise line directly -- in case contingency plans are necessary.

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Other Cruise Lines (Disney, Virgin, Norwegian)

The fine print in your cruise contract gives lines the right to substitute and/or eliminate ports if and when necessary. However, you may be entitled to refunds on prepaid port taxes or fees when ports are missed. Keep in mind that airports in these regions can also be affected by severe weather. Hurricanes in the Caribbean seasons are often easy to track, so finding a hurricane-free embarkation area should be simple.

Is the Air on a Cruise Ship Safe?

Cruise ships can easily avoid storms by sailing away from them and chasing better weather. As that announcement was made, audible cheers confirmed that most guests were thrilled that their vacation was just extended indefinitely. "The general sentiment is that people are content and happy about the extra day(s)," Roseboom said.

Carnival Cruise Line

Obviously if you are cruising to Alaska, the Mediterranean or somewhere else, this will not be an issue for you. After rapidly strengthening, Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the gulf coast of Florida this morning. Per the cruise contract that you agreed to when you booked the cruise, no compensation is required to be given if your itinerary changes. That means that if your cruise changes from an Eastern Caribbean cruise to a Western one, you will not be compensated for the change.

Expertly designed and rigorously tested features such as ship stabilizers allow cruises to safely sail through rougher weather. These stabilizers are so effective that, often, passengers onboard don’t even realize they’re sailing through rough water. These safety features and modern weather tracking technology make encountering a storm or hurricane during your cruise vacation extremely uncommon.

"Very active" hurricane season prediction for 2024

Itinerary changes are not uncommon, regardless of if it's hurricane season or not. Finally, you must get your travel insurance as soon as you book your cruise (or a year before you sail, whichever is sooner). If you wait until the last minute to buy your insurance and a hurricane is named before you buy it, you won’t be covered. Some travel insurance doesn’t cover cruises at all, so the first thing to check is that your policy includes ‘cruise cover’. Then you’ll want to check that hurricanes and other natural disasters are not excluded. However, if you’re happy to accept itinerary changes, and want great value for money, then a cruise in hurricane season is certainly worth considering.

Travel insurance policies also won't help if you cancel a cruise to avoid a storm — unless you've bought a pricey "cancel for any reason" policy. If you're flying to your cruise departure point, build in plenty of wiggle room in case air travel is affected by a big storm and flights are delayed. Your flight could be delayed by a storm that is far away from the destination where you are flying. During hurricane season, tropical storms moving through the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast of the U.S. can sometimes snarl air traffic across a wide swath of North America. Even during the busiest of hurricane seasons, there will be many weeks without a single tropical storm in the Caribbean or Bahamas. When a large storm does swirl through the Caribbean or Bahamas, it'll likely only affect a small portion of the region and, thus, only a small number of cruise ships.

The ship will now leave on Sunday, due to a port closure in Charleston, South Carolina, that has delayed its return. Passengers will "receive a one-day pro-rated refund of our cruise fare and a $50 onboard credit," and those who decide not to sail will get a full refund, according to Lupoli. "A lot of people have the perspective that we are safe and have much to be thankful for," she added. Crew and passenger safety is the reason cruise lines make the decision to stay at sea past the end of their scheduled itinerary. Yes, it can be inconvenient, but cruise lines do go out of their way to make the most of the experience for their guests, and safety is always the top priority.

Dedicated specialists are available 24/7 to work on your behalf should you experience a flight delay or interruption. They will work to get you on the next available flight so you can still get to your cruise ship on time, or get back home as quickly as possible if your return flight is affected. Look for policies that include coverage for trip interruptions or cancellations due to severe weather or a hurricane. Travel insurance policies should also offer medical coverage and non-medical evacuation. If a policy doesn’t include hurricane coverage, you may be able to add optional “cancel for any reason” coverage, but your best option is to purchase a policy that has specific hurricane coverage. Booking your Caribbean cruise vacation before peak time, say in June or July or at the end of November, is one way to cruise during hurricane season.

Major cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, and Princess Cruises, continuously monitor weather patterns around the world. The largest storms tend to hit the eastern Caribbean in August through October and the western Caribbean from September through November. These late summer and fall periods are also when you are likely to find some of the best cruise deals of the year. Unfortunately, you're pretty much out of luck if your car is damaged in a port parking lot while you're at sea. Many passengers experienced this very thing during Superstorm Sandy when they returned to find their cars parked in Brooklyn and Bayonne had been flooded or otherwise damaged. However, if you need to reschedule a flight and the airline has agreed to waive change fees -- or if a cruise is cut short by a day, but the line reimburses you for the missed day -- you won't get additional compensation payment.

Essentially, you can't expect every question you might have to be answered and you may have a sense of "que sera sera" as it pertains to going on the cruise. We made our decision to cruise based on the best information we had at the time we were to depart, and would trust in the cruise line to provide information and changes as needed. Once forecasters saw a hurricane was going to form, they produced an early track that seemed to put the storm in the way of our cruise. If you’ve enjoyed this or found it helpful, please don’t keep it to yourself ;-). Having a good attitude and trying to be flexible if there is a change, will help you to have the the very best cruise. This goes without saying, but keep informed so that you know if an itinerary change is likely.

We rarely felt much motion, and the sea conditions ended up being extremely calm. As you might imagine, having a cruise extended means logistical changes to get home. First time cruisers will often post on Facebook to ask if their cruise will be cancelled, and it's clear that it's very unlikely a cruise will be totally cancelled. There are some great deals to be had on cruises at this time of year, and, as it coincides with school summer holidays in the UK, it is generally a convenient time for families to cruise in the Caribbean. For Royal Caribbean cruises which are extended, no charge is made, and extras such as drinks packages, dining packages or WiFi packages will also be extended free of charge. In my case, the cancellation of my cruise meant that Royal Caribbean gave me a credit to use towards a future cruise in the next 12 months.