Has anyone been on a cruise during hurricane season or around where a hurricane originated?
I know people travel on cruises year round, hurricane season or not! but I was wondering if people can tell me their experiences. I asked the booking agent if cruises get canceled if a hurricane is in the path of the cruise or what and she said captains are trained to evade the hurricane, go around it, and even change the port itineraries if need be. Please help! My trip is about 3 weeks away.
Tagged with: booking agent • cruise • cruises • experiences • hurricane season • itineraries
Filed under: Hurricane Questions
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It is very rare for a cruise to be canceled due to bad weather. Technology allows hurricanes to be spotted far off before they are a threat. In the event of a hurricane the captain will just change your route and possibly your stops. Have fun
I’m going on a cruise during hurricane season also
The captain is ultimately responsible for the safety of the passengers, crew and ship. The bridge crew and captain always review weather report, especially during hurricane season. The captain will change course or itinerary to avoid dangerous weather. This includes skipping a port if necessary.
A couple of years ago, I was on a cruise that had to make an adjustment to avoid a hurricane. We had some rougher seas (nothing major you could just feel the ship rocking a little more than usual). The captain had warned us and said that we should be through the rough spot by a certain time. He was absolutely correct. Everything smoothed out right at the time he had said.
I wouldn’t worry about it, just enjoy your vacation. You will have a great time.
I was once on a Trans-Atlantic crossing on the QE2, and our track took us about 200 miles north of a tropical storm. One evening the water was very rough and the air was foggy, so the Captain ordered all access to the decks locked.
Hurricane Ike chased us back to Galveston in 2008!
Our cruise was just fine, but the cruise after us loaded up quickly and took a different route, to stay out of the way of the hurricane. That cruise ended up coming back to some other port - it may have been New Orleans or Mobile AL - because the port facilities in Galveston were too badly damaged to bring cruises in for quite a while after that.
My flight home the next morning was canceled because they closed both airports in Houston in anticipation of the storm. I was stuck in Houston from Friday through Tuesday, right through the storm. Fortunately, my mom’s best friend lives in Houston, so I rode out the storm with her & her husband instead of in a hotel. My mom’s friend didn’t get her power back in her house until 2 weeks after the storm!
The only time a cruise will be canceled is if the home port is damaged and the ship cannot dock there.
Your booking agent is right. Captains will evade the hurricane.
Your travel agent is absolutely right. Cruises aren’t going to be cancelled. The one YOU are supposed to be on may start late or end late, or you may have to divert from particular ports, but it won’t be cancelled.
We were on a cruise when a hurricane was heading toward Ft. Lauderdale, where we were supposed to return. We stayed in the Gulf, cruising off Havana [you could see the high-rises far in the distance] for two extra days [free] to wait for it to pass. We would not have know there was a storm, except for the Captain’s updates on our status. It WAS pretty rocky when we did return to FLL, though!
We were on a cruise in 2004 and they closed all the ports for a hurricane. We got 2 extra days on the cruise and they kept us in great weather. The cruise after us everyone got a certificate for a discount on their next cruise.