October 8 Day Cruise - Are we nuts?!

[hallsn3961]

My boyfriend (praying for it to turn into fiance' this trip) and I are pretty sure we are going on the 8-Day Southern Caribbean on the Breeze.

 

Are we nuts for wanting to go in October? He is planning all of this and the best time for him (due to "season" of "snowbirds" in FL) is October. We would go summer, but I think he's "timing" this for a reason... hopefully!

 

I'm terrified due to hurricane season. It goes to Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao. Any advice for us prior to booking?

[suzycruiser2]

We like to cruise in October. Yes, there is the potential for storms, but honestly storms can hit almost any time of the year. To me, I have enjoyed October cruises better than the others. The daytime temperature is really warm, but not so hot that makes it hard to walk barefoot across the pool deck (that was our experience in August).

[Guindalf]

We often cruise in September/October. My wife works for a college, so this is the best time, plus it's not quite as hot as summer (we're not beach bums!).

 

IMO, it's the best time to cruise as you get some of the best rates and less crowded excursions (sometimes), so no, you're not nuts!

 

If you think about it, the captain, even if he doesn't care about you, cares about the hundred million dollars worth of ship in his control, so will do everything in his power to avoid damaging bad weather, which we've been lucky enough not to encounter in the Caribbean. There is always the possibility that the itinerary may change if there's a hurricane in the area, but it's slim.

 

Go ahead and enjoy your cruise - and pending nuptials if it all works out!

[pirate4me2]

The temps will be better during that time. We did the Southern route in May and it was pretty hot on the islands.

Good luck! You will love the itinerary and the Breeze. It's my 2 favorites put together in one!

[derek005]

Have fun is the only advice I can give!!!!!!:) We usually cruise in October as well and so far have not ran into anything.

[Taylor95]

Another positive thing is Aruba and Curaçao are not in the hurricane belt so very slim chance of a hurricane at those ports.

[carrieluvsgreg]

We've cruised September, October, November and December. We've never encountered storm issues. There are less kids and the weather is still nice!

[stargate fan]

My boyfriend (praying for it to turn into fiance' this trip) and I are pretty sure we are going on the 8-Day Southern Caribbean on the Breeze.

 

Are we nuts for wanting to go in October? He is planning all of this and the best time for him (due to "season" of "snowbirds" in FL) is October. We would go summer, but I think he's "timing" this for a reason... hopefully!

 

I'm terrified due to hurricane season. It goes to Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao. Any advice for us prior to booking?

 

We love cruising in October. The temps are nice and the ocean is still warm from the summer jet stream and currents. In our eight hurricane season cruises, we only had one where the ship was diverted from the original itinerary. The ports were beautiful but our last sea day was a bust as it poured all day. We still found so much to do.

 

We sailed that itinerary in February. Great ports!

If I may, I'd like to suggest the ''Pro Saona for Cruisers'' excursion on La Romana, through Pro Excursions. This was one of the best catamaran/snorkeling/beach tours we have ever taken!

On Aruba we booked a segue tour with Segway Tours Aruba. So much fun!

Check both out on TripAdvisor. They are rated very highly, and were fabulous.

 

Have a great cruise, and may you become a fiancee. :)

[cb at sea]

The Southern Caribbean rarely gets hit with hurricanes...they tend to turn northward, not southward!

[kelkel2]

I would say go for it. Carnival does it's best to keep you out of harms way, so just be prepared that the itinerary that you have now may not be the one you end up with. If the Captain feels like he must change the itinerary to go around or avoid a storm he will and it's just to keep the passengers and the ship safe. If you're ok with that, then go for it! I'm sure the savings are well worth it!!

[Lisichka]

I am doing that same cruise in July. I would much rather go in October.

[Ykgorbie]

We normally cruise in the Fall. Well, except for the most recent cruise, which we took in March - a first for us. Let me tell you, NEVER EVER will we go on holidays again in March, specifically because of increased cost. March is Spring Break for about 2.6 billion college and University kids as well as every other kid enrolled in any type of school in North America. Lol, ok, perhaps I exaggerate, but my point is, March is more expensive to travel. Supply and demand....Our airfare for travel this March was more than double what we pay in October/November. As were the hotels more $$$. I am convinced that March may be the most expensive time of the year to travel, with maybe the exception of U.S. Thanksgiving weekend and Xmas. Yes, the fall is prone to more hurricanes, but in the 10 cruises we've taken, only once did we miss a port. And that was not due to any weather issues. The Miracle was suffering from propulsion problems and we didn't have time to make it to our planned stop of St. Lucia. We have been on the tail end of hurricane Otto and saw some washed out roads and a murkier ocean on Tortola. As well, we saw a 4 hour "Dry Lightening" storm (tailing Otto) which was amazing. I have never seen anything like it. No rain but lightening (mostly "sheet" lightening that would illuminate the entire sky) strikes every 5 seconds. So, I would not hesitate to cruise in the Fall - you'll find even the cruise prices are lower then.

Have fun !

[WAHMto5]

We normally always cruise September/October and have always had great weather. It is actually a great time with lower prices, lower crowds, and some great weather;) We are actually booked on a 8-Day Southern Caribbean on the Breeze leaving September 26th!

[Cruisegirl6]

May and October are my favorite cruise months! Kids are in school, less kids on ship, great weather not too hot and less rain. Curacao and Aruba and maybe perhaps Dominican Rep is out of the hurricane belt, honestly, cruise ships go around hurricanes you never run into one....you could miss ports but not with the ports on that itinerary maybe Grand turk but the chances are very remote it will happen. I love that itinerary and 8 nights is better than 7, its perfect.

[kam2718]

I am on the Carnival Breeze October 24, 2015 going to all the ports you mentioned. I have done one other cruise during that week in the past and didnt have any issues. Do you know which date your BF was looking into?

[TerReuv]

We, too, have only cruised in October. Less kids and not as blazing hot. We love cruising then. Have not had any problems with hurricane season. It actually ends in October so, there are few hurricanes to worry about.

[stlouistravelers]

I have had the pleasure of cruising in October when there was a Hurricane in the waters. For a couple of days the water was a bit rough but it did not slow anyone's fun. The Captain navigated well around any dangers so we had a sun filled nice cruise. October is my favorite time to vacation in the Caribbean.

[stargate fan]

We, too, have only cruised in October. Less kids and not as blazing hot. We love cruising then. Have not had any problems with hurricane season. It actually ends in October so, there are few hurricanes to worry about.

 

From NOAA: "The official hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin (the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico) is from 1 June to 30 November."

Edited April 10, 2015 by stargate fan

[Havingfun2010]

Hurricane Season last 6 months and includes the summer months. Not exactly sure what you are afraid off, the ocean is really big, and with modern technology, the captain, stays away from major disturbances.