Storm alternatives

[oskarNZ]

Hi everyone.

 

Thanks so much for answers to my questions so far. I hope you don't mind if I keep bombarding you with them.

 

I am travelling during hurricane season and am aware that this could mean a change to our Eastern itinerary. I would be a bit disappointed if we didn't get to Castaway Cay, but at the end of day, I'm going with an open mind and am prepared for changes.

 

I'm just curious more than anything about what changes people have encountered when the ship diverts? In the past have people found that Disney has headed for other locations (e.g , the Bahamas, other parts of the Caribbean, up the West Coast etc) or have people found that they've spent the whole time at sea dodging the storm?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Hi everyone.

 

Thanks so much for answers to my questions so far. I hope you don't mind if I keep bombarding you with them.

 

I am travelling during hurricane season and am aware that this could mean a change to our Eastern itinerary. I would be a bit disappointed if we didn't get to Castaway Cay, but at the end of day, I'm going with an open mind and am prepared for changes.

 

I'm just curious more than anything about what changes people have encountered when the ship diverts? In the past have people found that Disney has headed for other locations (e.g , the Bahamas, other parts of the Caribbean, up the West Coast etc) or have people found that they've spent the whole time at sea dodging the storm?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

In August 2009 we had a 7 night EASTERN and it became a modified Western, we went to CC first as they thought we couldnt get in there later in the week but in the end had two stops there. In 2006 Simular they amended our route and got us in on another day.

 

Normally the route will consist of some of thier normal posts of call, ie Nassua, East/West where they have contracts and shore trips all organised, storms normally move slowly so they can predict how to avoid it.

[Shmoo here]

Hi everyone.

 

Thanks so much for answers to my questions so far. I hope you don't mind if I keep bombarding you with them.

 

I am travelling during hurricane season and am aware that this could mean a change to our Eastern itinerary. I would be a bit disappointed if we didn't get to Castaway Cay, but at the end of day, I'm going with an open mind and am prepared for changes.

 

I'm just curious more than anything about what changes people have encountered when the ship diverts? In the past have people found that Disney has headed for other locations (e.g , the Bahamas, other parts of the Caribbean, up the West Coast etc) or have people found that they've spent the whole time at sea dodging the storm?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

Generally, if there is a storm, the captain will do all he can to not be where the storm is. If there is a storm when the ship is supposed to be in port, it is possible the port will be skipped. Sometimes they can transpose a sea day with the missed port day. Sometimes you will just get an additional sea day.

 

I can remember there was one cruise that was diverted from PC to Galveston because of a hurricane. The people on that cruise got 2 extra days on thier trip. And the cruise that was cut short, people were compensated with WDW tickets and hotel stays.

 

:cutie:

[OceanLiner]

Hurricane season is really a great time to cruise: less crowds and much less expensive. Cruise lines will not risk being near the hurricane so there isn't any dodging around. They scurry way out of the way the storm track.

 

The really great part of this season is that the ships have many cancellations or open berths, so the chance of purchasing a low cost upgrade at the port is very good.

[oskarNZ]

Thanks everyone. Very interesting. 2 days at Castaway Cay would be great.

[GBChicinMaine]

Hi everyone.

 

Thanks so much for answers to my questions so far. I hope you don't mind if I keep bombarding you with them.

 

I am travelling during hurricane season and am aware that this could mean a change to our Eastern itinerary. I would be a bit disappointed if we didn't get to Castaway Cay, but at the end of day, I'm going with an open mind and am prepared for changes.

 

I'm just curious more than anything about what changes people have encountered when the ship diverts? In the past have people found that Disney has headed for other locations (e.g , the Bahamas, other parts of the Caribbean, up the West Coast etc) or have people found that they've spent the whole time at sea dodging the storm?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

Our last 2 cruises have been in September and we've been lucky enough to not have any issues. Though, interestingly enough, CC DID get hit with a hurricane last year just PRIOR to our arrival. We had a cabana and our attendant was telling us stories of how the cabanas were actually buried in nearly 2 -3 feet of sand. They had to re-grade all of the beaches, clear all the pathways, remove fallen branches and other foliage, repair damage to some of the other structures, etc. She noted proudly that it took the emergency staff (that was airlifted in) less than 3 full days to have CC back up to Disney standards and ready for guests (us) arriving 2 days later.

 

In all honesty, the ONLY thing we noticed is that there wasn't a lot of flowers (there are usually a ton) due to the high winds having stripped a lot of them from the bushes and the beaches were SUPER shallow. (We WALKED out nearly the length of a football field before we were in water above our waists.) They had the time to regrade/clean the beaches, but not enough time to dredge the beaches.

 

My husband and I decided right then and there as we heard our attendant's story, looked around our pristine cabana, the gorgeous beach and the smiling faces all around that "Disney Magic" is alive, well and absolutely REAL. ;)

[TifffanyD]

Hi everyone.

 

Thanks so much for answers to my questions so far. I hope you don't mind if I keep bombarding you with them.

 

I am travelling during hurricane season and am aware that this could mean a change to our Eastern itinerary. I would be a bit disappointed if we didn't get to Castaway Cay, but at the end of day, I'm going with an open mind and am prepared for changes.

 

I'm just curious more than anything about what changes people have encountered when the ship diverts? In the past have people found that Disney has headed for other locations (e.g , the Bahamas, other parts of the Caribbean, up the West Coast etc) or have people found that they've spent the whole time at sea dodging the storm?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

I cruised Halloween 2011 on the Magic and there was a Hurricane brewing in the gulf. We were diverted to an Eastern (got a note 2 days before) and went to st maarten and tortola. I really appreciated that they gave us a different port (Tortola) rather than the usual Eastern. I'm not sure if that was intentional or if St Thomas was just booked up.

[Gatrcruzer]

Depending on where the storm is located, your itinerary could change, but it could also be canceled entirely. Hurricanes can also damage ports sufficiently that they are no longer viable cruise stops, so that even when the storm is gone, you need to stop elsewhere. That said, hurricanes are not that frequent, so hopefully you will not have any problems during your cruise. Have fun!

[jallen109]

I cruised to Bermuda and there was a hurricane approaching. We were supposed to be in Bermuda for three full days and were only there for 1 because of Hurricane Bill. We ended up at see the entire cruise with the exception of that first day in Bermuda. Worst cruise ever for me. I am more of a port/excursion girl and was not happy to be at sea the entire time.

[oskarNZ]

Depending on where the storm is located, your itinerary could change, but it could also be canceled entirely.

 

Gosh, that would be disappointing. A change of itinerary is something that I'm okay with. A cancelled cruise would be heartbreaking. New Zealand is a bit too far to pop back and make up the cruise on another day. Touch wood that won't be an issue.

[oskarNZ]

I cruised to Bermuda and there was a hurricane approaching. We were supposed to be in Bermuda for three full days and were only there for 1 because of Hurricane Bill. We ended up at see the entire cruise with the exception of that first day in Bermuda. Worst cruise ever for me. I am more of a port/excursion girl and was not happy to be at sea the entire time.

 

I must admit I'm usually a port/excursion girl myself. If it was just my husband and I on the trip we would probably be heading for a cruise around the Baltics or perhaps South East Asia.

However, this holiday is about quality family time, so we're picking the ship over the ports. I must admit, I think I would be disappointed also if we spent the whole time at sea, but I'm going to have a few extra books on hand just in case. Can't wait! :)

[oskarNZ]

I cruised Halloween 2011 on the Magic and there was a Hurricane brewing in the gulf. We were diverted to an Eastern (got a note 2 days before) and went to st maarten and tortola. I really appreciated that they gave us a different port (Tortola) rather than the usual Eastern. I'm not sure if that was intentional or if St Thomas was just booked up.

 

I just googled Tortola (not too clued up on that part of the world :o) and it looks beautiful. It sounds like the hurricane did you a favour :)

 

GBChicinMaine, great story. Thanks for sharing :)

[TifffanyD]

I just googled Tortola (not too clued up on that part of the world :o) and it looks beautiful. It sounds like the hurricane did you a favour :)

 

GBChicinMaine, great story. Thanks for sharing :)

 

Well kind of... I love the western ports but Tortola was an interesting stop. We ended up going to The Baths at Virgin Gorda (neighboring island)... it was beautiful but the water was ROUGH and I got beat up a bit (not to mention scraped by brambles and bit by fire ants when the tour went awry)

[islandpalm]

Our First DCL Cruise we missed CC and went to Nassua.

 

Some people dont really like Nassua, But we always find something new and interesting to do there.

 

Sometimes we just get off for a little and enjoy the less crowded ship.

 

Also even though i am in the minority, CC is not one of my favorite stops, so after having been there once i look for an itenerary wihtout CC.

 

At any rate, no matter where or what Disney Cruising is always fun and memorable!!

[TifffanyD]

Our First DCL Cruise we missed CC and went to Nassua.

 

Some people dont really like Nassua, But we always find something new and interesting to do there.

 

Sometimes we just get off for a little and enjoy the less crowded ship.

 

Also even though i am in the minority, CC is not one of my favorite stops, so after having been there once i look for an itenerary wihtout CC.

 

At any rate, no matter where or what Disney Cruising is always fun and memorable!!

 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I can't believe I found someone else who isn't in CRAZY LOVE with CC too!!! It is definitely NOT the reason we cruise DCL. I mean it's realllllly pretty and all, but it's also reallllllllllly pretty from the boat. :) The last cruise we went on I intended to get off just for the 5k but I woke up with a sore throat and ended up skipping that. So we just stayed on the ship instead. Walked right on the aquaduck a couple times, played in aqualab, went to the kids clubs (they let adults in there on CC day!!!), played midship detective. It is super pretty but I'm not a beach person... the family beaches are a pain, the adult beach takes awhile to get to and by the time I am there I am ready to go back! I prefer regular beaches (Mexico, etc) with real shops (not just the Disney shops on the island) and where I can get away from the folks on the ship for awhile! I think our favorite "private beach" stop was on Carnival... Mahogany Bay <3

[RosebudA]

We were on a back to back on the Dream last August right at the tail end of Irene. The first night out of Port Canaveral was quite the wild ride!! Thankfully my kids handled it like pros, but I was not nearly so happy. :rolleyes: We missed Castaway Cay because it was hit (like a PP mentioned), and ended up doing back to back Nassau. We really aren't a fan of Nassau and were not overly pleased about this. There were still sandbags everywhere and everything was a mess. On the second leg they had managed to put Castaway Cay back together and we were just amazed about what they managed to pull off in such a short period of time. I can't imagine how much work the staff did!! You could see a lot of damage (dead, brown plants for example), but it was still a wonderful day.

[chipq]

Have traveled a few times in Caribbean and only once, back in early 80's was there a hurricane which affected our s. Caribbean route. We lost a port and added a sea time due to the added time to sail around the storm. A little rough for one night but back then the ships were much smaller than today.

 

 

http://luc2cruise.blogspot.com

[Host Mick]

Depending on where the storm is located, your itinerary could change, but it could also be canceled entirely. Hurricanes can also damage ports sufficiently that they are no longer viable cruise stops, so that even when the storm is gone, you need to stop elsewhere. That said, hurricanes are not that frequent, so hopefully you will not have any problems during your cruise. Have fun!

 

DCL has never cancelled a cruise due to a storm. The closest that they have ever come is once the Magic came into Ft. Lauderdale a day late because a storm rolled over FL on the Port Canaveral port date. Port Canaveral needed time to clean up and repair so guests were given accomodations and shuttled to/from Ft. Lauderdale.

 

The cruise lines can see hurricanes coming days in advance so they have time to make port and itinerary changes in advance. They're usually even able to set up excursions in the alternate port.

 

Some people get very upset with itinerary changes but whenever to go to sea on any type of vessel, you have to be ready to deal with and adapt to changing conditions. Pack your sense of adventure if you're sailing during hurricane season.

[oskarNZ]

DCL has never cancelled a cruise due to a storm. The closest that they have ever come is once the Magic came into Ft. Lauderdale a day late because a storm rolled over FL on the Port Canaveral port date. Port Canaveral needed time to clean up and repair so guests were given accomodations and shuttled to/from Ft. Lauderdale.

 

The cruise lines can see hurricanes coming days in advance so they have time to make port and itinerary changes in advance. They're usually even able to set up excursions in the alternate port.

 

Some people get very upset with itinerary changes but whenever to go to sea on any type of vessel, you have to be ready to deal with and adapt to changing conditions. Pack your sense of adventure if you're sailing during hurricane season.

 

Thank you. That is good to hear that they've never cancelled a cruise.

 

I will certainly pack my sense of adventure. I'm doing this cruise for the ship, not the ports, so won't be too worried if they take us elsewhere. In fact, I secretly hoped we might end up travelling up the West Coast towards New York (an itinerary I'd love) - but it sounds as though that never happens.

[Host Mick]

Thank you. That is good to hear that they've never cancelled a cruise.

 

I will certainly pack my sense of adventure. I'm doing this cruise for the ship, not the ports, so won't be too worried if they take us elsewhere. In fact, I secretly hoped we might end up travelling up the West Coast towards New York (an itinerary I'd love) - but it sounds as though that never happens.

 

Hurricanes frequently travel up the East coast so they wouldn't want to go THAT way.

[oskarNZ]

 

I am pretty sure that they DO NOT allow adults in on other port days. Reason being the kids are using the clubs! Sometimes adults go to port and leave kids in clubs... or they just all stay on the ship. However, at CC the kids club moves onto the island... so that's why the ones on the ship are ghost towns!

 

That makes sense. We might need to spend just half a day on CC and return to the ship to check out the kids club. If they won't let us in at least the pool deck will be quieter. :)

[oskarNZ]

Hurricanes frequently travel up the East coast so they wouldn't want to go THAT way.

 

 

Eeek, West = East. I'm getting my compass points a bit muddled :o

 

Thanks again for the info :)

[TifffanyD]

That makes sense. We might need to spend just half a day on CC and return to the ship to check out the kids club. If they won't let us in at least the pool deck will be quieter. :)

 

If you don't have something specifically planned on CC (parasailing, etc), then I would suggest doing it the other way. Checking out the empty pools, Aquaduck (you are going on the fantasy, right??) kids club, etc then going offship for lunch and staying on the island.

 

EVERYONE rushes off the island first thing in the morning to grab a great chair, etc... and they stay through lunch. Then people start trickling back on. By 2ish or so... the pools are getting full again! Around this time the island starts getting less crowded :) Of course - you do have to pack up that day so that is another reason why ppl come back earlier.

[oskarNZ]

If you don't have something specifically planned on CC (parasailing, etc), then I would suggest doing it the other way. Checking out the empty pools, Aquaduck (you are going on the fantasy, right??) kids club, etc then going offship for lunch and staying on the island.

 

EVERYONE rushes off the island first thing in the morning to grab a great chair, etc... and they stay through lunch. Then people start trickling back on. By 2ish or so... the pools are getting full again! Around this time the island starts getting less crowded :) Of course - you do have to pack up that day so that is another reason why ppl come back earlier.

 

What an excellent suggestion!

I doubt that we will have anything planned or booked. What I like about the sounds of CC is that it can be a fun port excursion with little to no cost. We are more than happy just to find a soft spot on the sand (no deckchairs needed) to build sand castles and have a splash in the ocean.

And yes, we have booked the Fantasy. Can't wait!

[TifffanyD]

What an excellent suggestion!

I doubt that we will have anything planned or booked. What I like about the sounds of CC is that it can be a fun port excursion with little to no cost. We are more than happy just to find a soft spot on the sand (no deckchairs needed) to build sand castles and have a splash in the ocean.

And yes, we have booked the Fantasy. Can't wait!

 

Oh awesome! We just got off her in June and she's a beautiful ship!

 

If you do go on the island later you will miss some of the festivities (character meets, games, music)... but you will get a navigator of activities so you can see if you would want to go see any of that! Also check the weather - if it looks like it might rain later in the day then you might want to make sure you get your beach time in!! :)