How Hurricanes Idalia and Franklin Are Impacting Cruise Schedules

hurricane on cruise ship

It is unlikely that your cruise during Caribbean hurricane season will be canceled, but it is not guaranteed. That’s why it’s a smart move to purchase travel insurance (for any cruise vacation), and most necessary if you choose to cruise during hurricane season. If you think it’s best to avoid booking a cruise vacation during hurricane season, there are certain factors to consider that may change your mind. In fact, cruising during hurricane season may actually be an advantageous time to cruise.

Cruising During Hurricane Season: Everything You Need to Know

If you are cruising in hurricane season, it makes sense to keep track of the weather prior to your cruise so you aren’t blindsided should changes occur. Check with your cruise line if you have concerns and to stay up to date on any announcements made by the company. Canceled cruises are rare and cruise lines generally opt to change their itineraries instead. Exceptions are generally limited to anticipated direct strikes on major ports of embarkation, like Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Getting to your ship on time can feel stressful, especially when dealing with the unknowns of inclement weather.

Your cruise itinerary may be changed

Cruise lines and captains may agree to push back a port of call by a day or exchange one port for another depending on where the hurricane is forecasted to strike. Regional itineraries could be flip-flopped as well; for example, an eastern Caribbean cruise itinerary may be traded out for a western Caribbean itinerary to avoid the storm's path. For those temped by the savings, it’s worth noting that most cruises are not physically impacted by hurricanes. But if you book a cruise that takes place during hurricane season, be prepared for possible last-minute itinerary changes and cancellations should there be storms. If you have your heart set on your cruise visiting a particular island, you may be better off avoiding hurricane season sailings—no matter how good the deals are. Just as important, you should purchase your travel insurance immediately after booking your cruise.

How Can Cruise Passengers Stay Safe?

And you should be prepared to be flexible in terms of any possible itinerary changes. More importantly, you will not be covered for a change of cruise itinerary. Say you booked a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean, but to avoid a storm, the cruise line changes the itinerary to the Eastern Caribbean. If you're onboard for all seven nights, you will receive no compensation from your insurance provider. When cruising during hurricane season, you might encounter stormy weather, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that you’ll have to contend with rocking and rolling onboard your ship.

Pacific Hurricane Season Cruising: What You Need to Know

Beyond a 48 or 72 hour window, tropical storm predictions can vary considerably with many possibilities. With Hurricane Ian, the models were rarely in agreement, and most of the time there were wide arcs of possibilities. Cruises can be expensive and some cheaper travel insurance policies have a relatively low limit on how much will be covered. Although there is certainly the possibility for disruption, the vast majority of cruises during hurricane season won’t be affected by any more than a few short showers. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival usually offer refunds in the form of future cruise credit only.

hurricane on cruise ship

If your contracted guide or tour company doesn't give full refunds for missed port calls, you might want to invest in travel insurance (see above) to cover you if you must cancel the excursion for weather delays. Also, travel insurance covers only unexpected events, unless you've purchased a special plan. If you've neglected to prebook insurance, your cruise departs in a week, and the weatherman is suddenly reporting on an upcoming storm, don't bother calling up an insurance broker.

Late summer and early fall is when seas are calmest, other than when there's a hurricane in the basin. When a hurricane is in the area, waters can be quite rough even if you're far from the storm. Generally speaking though, usually it's in the winter and early summer when storms are stronger across Northern latitudes, projecting big waves. Sometimes hurricane-related problems don't have anything to do with the ship and everything to do with conditions at the port of embarkation.

When is hurricane season for cruises?

Having a plan in place and understanding when hurricane season is in your desired destination(s) means you can enjoy your cruise stress-free. It’s important to be prepared for the worst, especially if you know you’re booking a cruise during the Caribbean hurricane season. Considering a hurricane season cruise to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexican Riviera or even Canada and New England?

Hurricane Lee is impacting cruise itineraries (updated) - Seatrade Cruise News

Hurricane Lee is impacting cruise itineraries (updated).

Posted: Tue, 12 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

While it’s unlikely you will need to submit a claim to your travel insurance provider, knowing that you have the option in emergencies is a great way to give yourself some peace of mind. If you feel unsure or anxious about a situation, the best thing you can do is ask them for guidance. It is also important to personally review any safety information about the ship, usually found in your cabins. By staying informed on emergency procedures and evacuation protocols, you can ensure that you will be well-equipped to keep yourself and your loved ones safe in any emergency. April through June sees hurricanes forming on the other side of the Pacific, usually developing off the western coast of Mexico and traveling west towards the islands of Hawaii. The U.S. government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expected to release its official forecast for the number of named storms and hurricanes in 2024 in May.

hurricane on cruise ship

Now it is predicted to become a major hurricane before making landfall in Florida. A 4-night Eastern Caribbean cruise onboard Independence of the Seas, for instance, starts at $559 per person for an interior room during July 2024. ► Celebrity Cruises replaced stops in Belize and Cozumel on a Celebrity Infinity sailing from Fort Lauderdale Sept. 24 with visits to Nassau and Labadee, the Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson said.

"Very active" Hurricane season predicted for 2024: What that means for cruise ships - Royal Caribbean Blog

"Very active" Hurricane season predicted for 2024: What that means for cruise ships.

Posted: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

If you decide not to go on the cruise at the last minute, you will not receive any compensation from the cruise line. Unless it is flat-out canceled by Royal Caribbean, the ship is still going to depart, and they will deliver a cruise vacation to all passengers, regardless of whether or not the itinerary stays the same. They predict that this season will be "very active" with a total of 23 named storms, 5 of which are projected to be major hurricanes. Carnival Paradise, which is on a sailing from Tampa, extended its Tuesday stop in Cozumel through Wednesday. That is expected to take place Saturday, though the ship had been scheduled to return Thursday.

It’s equally important that you stay calm and continue to enjoy as much cruise activity as you would like. Be sure to pay attention to the captain’s daily messages about sea conditions, and always heed crew members directions. It is the Chief Meteorologist’s job to keep a close eye on weather patterns and monitor any brewing storms that may affect a ship’s route. If a storm develops, the Chief and his team do everything in their power to avoid a ship being in harm’s way. The peak of hurricane season occurs between mid-August and early November. While he may not know more than anyone else as to what the storm will do, his many years of experience as a meteorologist in Florida gives him insight into the nuances of tropical storms that can put many minds at ease.

Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. At the height of the hurricane imminent threat to Florida, he took to answering questions from passengers both on video and on social media. "I was luckily able to switch my Friday flight to Sunday. Because it's over a weekend, I won't really miss anything at home thankfully." At first, they were flip-flopping her schedule to bypass Mexico and go to Grand Cayman.

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