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Hurricane Matthew

Retiredarmygal

By Retiredarmygal,
in Royal Caribbean International

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orville99 "Live from...." Rare

orville99

Posted
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Departing Sunday from Galveston on Liberty of The Seas. With current Hurricane, have there been any changes with Itinerary?

 

Any changes to itineraries will usually be posted on RCL's home page. They generally don't post anything more than 24-48 hours out, however, so it may be a bit too early for them to make any calls on this one.

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champagne123

champagne123

Posted
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Departing Sunday from Galveston on Liberty of The Seas. With current Hurricane, have there been any changes with Itinerary?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. You will receive notification via text from them or you can check RCCL'S web page. At the top of the page, they will have Alerts in Red. They usually do not advise of changes until the day before and the day "of" the cruise. :) Good luck and try to enjoy your cruise!!!

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artypharty

artypharty

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Welcome to Cruise Critic. You will receive notification via text from them or you can check RCCL'S web page. At the top of the page, they will have Alerts in Red. They usually do not advise of changes until the day before and the day "of" the cruise. :) Good luck and try to enjoy your cruise!!!

 

From experience, don't count on a text or call from RCCL, check their web page for any changes that might occur.

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CruisingMermaidMommy

CruisingMermaidMommy

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Hi! This is my first ever cruise. We are supposed to go on the Majestic that leaves Port Canaveral this up coming Monday Oct 2. We have a toddler with us. Our goals were to snorkel and dive this trip so water clarity is important to us. My dad cruises a lot and on this same boat some years ago was rerouted and stuck on that boat for days during a storm. He said they were told to stay in their rooms and the boat rocked a lot, the pools emptied out on the decks and people were seasick everywhere. He loves cruising and encouraged me to finally go on one. We paid extra for the protection plan from Royal Caribbean, & I may be able to get my doctor to sign a note since I did just get diagnosed with a disease this week and started treatment. So that could cover our money coming back to us. I did really want to go back to Nassau. We booked our own excursion that has a money back guarantee with 24 hours cancellation notice. How bad is it when you've gone out like this? Also, have any of y'all canceled successfully before using medical reasons? Thanks!

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Brendaflamingo

Brendaflamingo

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I went to RCL website there are no red alerts regarding any changes but on Cruise Critic news it shows a couple.

Monday we go on the Enchantment. According to the map it looks like our itinerary is going to change from Western maybe to Eastern. Im good with that just get me on the ship. Last year I was on the Independence and Joaquin was in full force. We just went more south and it was smooth sailing the whole way. Its was great. People on land were worried and showed pictures how calm it was.

As long as I can get on the ship before hand, Im good.

Brenda

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MommaBear55

MommaBear55

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Hi! This is my first ever cruise. We are supposed to go on the Majestic that leaves Port Canaveral this up coming Monday Oct 2. We have a toddler with us. Our goals were to snorkel and dive this trip so water clarity is important to us. My dad cruises a lot and on this same boat some years ago was rerouted and stuck on that boat for days during a storm. He said they were told to stay in their rooms and the boat rocked a lot, the pools emptied out on the decks and people were seasick everywhere. He loves cruising and encouraged me to finally go on one. We paid extra for the protection plan from Royal Caribbean, & I may be able to get my doctor to sign a note since I did just get diagnosed with a disease this week and started treatment. So that could cover our money coming back to us. I did really want to go back to Nassau. We booked our own excursion that has a money back guarantee with 24 hours cancellation notice. How bad is it when you've gone out like this? Also, have any of y'all canceled successfully before using medical reasons? Thanks!

 

The answer here is "who knows!" What I do know is that they try very had to reroute around storms. Right now Hurricane Matthew is slated to turn due north Monday and go across Cuba, but that may change dramatically. I happen to love the rocking and rolling of a ship, so that wouldn't bother me. It is also in your ships contract that they can change ports as they need to and they do not have to give you notice, although they do their best to inform people. Keep your eye on the website for any published changes, but even if there is a change you might not know until you get to the dock. No one can assure you of clear water or good snorkeling.

 

If you consider all this and are trying to decide whether to go, make sure you check the fine print on your insurance plan to see what you will or will not get back. Also, check with your doctor to make sure they will write you a note. Good luck with your decision making.

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kelzow

kelzow

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Hi! This is my first ever cruise. We are supposed to go on the Majestic that leaves Port Canaveral this up coming Monday Oct 2. We have a toddler with us. Our goals were to snorkel and dive this trip so water clarity is important to us. My dad cruises a lot and on this same boat some years ago was rerouted and stuck on that boat for days during a storm. He said they were told to stay in their rooms and the boat rocked a lot, the pools emptied out on the decks and people were seasick everywhere. He loves cruising and encouraged me to finally go on one. We paid extra for the protection plan from Royal Caribbean, & I may be able to get my doctor to sign a note since I did just get diagnosed with a disease this week and started treatment. So that could cover our money coming back to us. I did really want to go back to Nassau. We booked our own excursion that has a money back guarantee with 24 hours cancellation notice. How bad is it when you've gone out like this? Also, have any of y'all canceled successfully before using medical reasons? Thanks!

FYI... Oct 2 is SUNDAY...not Monday. I would hate for you to miss your cruise.

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Seamingo

Seamingo

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Posted
Hi! This is my first ever cruise. We are supposed to go on the Majestic that leaves Port Canaveral this up coming Monday Oct 2. We have a toddler with us. Our goals were to snorkel and dive this trip so water clarity is important to us. My dad cruises a lot and on this same boat some years ago was rerouted and stuck on that boat for days during a storm. He said they were told to stay in their rooms and the boat rocked a lot, the pools emptied out on the decks and people were seasick everywhere. He loves cruising and encouraged me to finally go on one. We paid extra for the protection plan from Royal Caribbean, & I may be able to get my doctor to sign a note since I did just get diagnosed with a disease this week and started treatment. So that could cover our money coming back to us. I did really want to go back to Nassau. We booked our own excursion that has a money back guarantee with 24 hours cancellation notice. How bad is it when you've gone out like this? Also, have any of y'all canceled successfully before using medical reasons? Thanks!

 

I will be onboard with you. Personally I haven't cruised during a storm like this. However, a few years ago we were on one a week after a storm. It was out of Port Canaveral and I believe the Monarch. A crew member told us the ship stayed in port for an extra day before departing. Then people were given the option to get off the ship or they could go to sea on the cruise. Since they left on their own, there were no refunds. It was extremely rocky at sea per your dad's experience. Even after the storm passes, the water is still reacting as the storm moves away. Don't expect clear water. You should seriously consider canceling your excursion since you can get your money back. This could be a very unpleasant cruise especially for your toddler. A rocking ship can mean seasickness and difficulty getting around (easy to get hurt). We haven't decided if we will go and are watching it now. I love the rolling but this storm might be a bit much. As to medical, I did use RCI insurance two years ago. Their insurance company asks for the doctor's note, their forms to be completed by the doctor and access to your medical record. Their insurance company said I didn't meet the 90 day requirement because I had a test done during that time. RCI refunded port fees/taxes, the amount as designated by their cancellation policy then 75% value of the remainder as a credit to be used within a year. So do read the policy and see how it fits your circumstance. We will all have to decide what's best for ourselves.

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Nemomof3

Nemomof3

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We are on the Liberty cruise starting Oct 1 too. We are not scheduled for Jamaica until Thursday so the storm will have likely moved North. There is no way to tell for sure but I would expect if it is still around we will turn back and not head East from Grand Cayman.

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CruisingMermaidMommy

CruisingMermaidMommy

Posted
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I will be onboard with you. Personally I haven't cruised during a storm like this. However, a few years ago we were on one a week after a storm. It was out of Port Canaveral and I believe the Monarch. A crew member told us the ship stayed in port for an extra day before departing. Then people were given the option to get off the ship or they could go to sea on the cruise. Since they left on their own, there were no refunds. It was extremely rocky at sea per your dad's experience. Even after the storm passes, the water is still reacting as the storm moves away. Don't expect clear water. You should seriously consider canceling your excursion since you can get your money back. This could be a very unpleasant cruise especially for your toddler. A rocking ship can mean seasickness and difficulty getting around (easy to get hurt). We haven't decided if we will go and are watching it now. I love the rolling but this storm might be a bit much. As to medical, I did use RCI insurance two years ago. Their insurance company asks for the doctor's note, their forms to be completed by the doctor and access to your medical record. Their insurance company said I didn't meet the 90 day requirement because I had a test done during that time. RCI refunded port fees/taxes, the amount as designated by their cancellation policy then 75% value of the remainder as a credit to be used within a year. So do read the policy and see how it fits your circumstance. We will all have to decide what's best for ourselves.

 

Thank you so much. Yes I hope I'm able to get a refund, sailing with a toddler in that kind of weather....honestly would be a nightmare and dangerous. I've been staring at the map of the Caribbean trying to think of where they could take us instead, being hopeful and optimistic, but with such limited time, I don't see where they could go that wouldn't be affected. I wanted to hear more "we went around a big hurricane and it was still gorgeous and fun" stories. I only know my dad's in person story, being trapped on board inside a tiny cabin for days, only got out once at Key West, which was a change in ports, but he said it was so windy and unpleasant, but at least he was outside of his cabin....it's ironic we chose this time with a hurricane happening since that was one of my worst fears and kept me from cruising for decades. We always rented a condo on the beach, made our own meals, and did our own excursions. But we would pay for a nanny and fly her out with us everytime which is very very expensive and pay for private boat charters and plane tickets to island hop. We chose a cruise bc of the meals being included, different island trips, and that they had a daycare on board. I'm not stressing about the money, I'm just laughing at myself now for the irony of it all. I wish the best for all of your cruises and I will post about my cancelation experience to help those in future circumstances. Hopefully it will work but you never know.

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MommaBear55

MommaBear55

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Posted
Thank you so much. Yes I hope I'm able to get a refund, sailing with a toddler in that kind of weather....honestly would be a nightmare and dangerous. I've been staring at the map of the Caribbean trying to think of where they could take us instead, being hopeful and optimistic, but with such limited time, I don't see where they could go that wouldn't be affected. I wanted to hear more "we went around a big hurricane and it was still gorgeous and fun" stories. I only know my dad's in person story, being trapped on board inside a tiny cabin for days, only got out once at Key West, which was a change in ports, but he said it was so windy and unpleasant, but at least he was outside of his cabin....it's ironic we chose this time with a hurricane happening since that was one of my worst fears and kept me from cruising for decades. We always rented a condo on the beach, made our own meals, and did our own excursions. But we would pay for a nanny and fly her out with us everytime which is very very expensive and pay for private boat charters and plane tickets to island hop. We chose a cruise bc of the meals being included, different island trips, and that they had a daycare on board. I'm not stressing about the money, I'm just laughing at myself now for the irony of it all. I wish the best for all of your cruises and I will post about my cancelation experience to help those in future circumstances. Hopefully it will work but you never know.

 

Earlier you indicated it was health reasons that might let you get a refund. Unless you have "cancel for any reason" insurance having a toddler along is not a reason for money back on a cruise. It won't be dangerous, because the company and captain have many reasons to make it a good experience for everyone. I am not going to discount your many year fear of cruising, because every one has something that makes them fearful, and high seas and a rolling ship make a lot of people both physically and mentally uncomfortable. Do what is best for you and your family, and maybe not going on this one would be better than forcing yourself into an uncomfortable position.

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gamecock411

gamecock411

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Posted

I have cruised in Feb, April, Sept and Nov. September was the very height of the hurricane season and it was the best weather of any cruise. Smooth sailing. In Nov, it was terrible weather but the captain managed to find us sunshine. We went right in between 2 storms and it was awesome.

 

I would go and have fun knowing that the captain and crew will do their very best to get you a good cruise. After all, they want you to come back!

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Cruzin-K

Cruzin-K

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We are on the Liberty cruise starting Oct 1 too. We are not scheduled for Jamaica until Thursday so the storm will have likely moved North. There is no way to tell for sure but I would expect if it is still around we will turn back and not head East from Grand Cayman.

 

You might be doing that anyway if Jamaica is severely damaged from the storm :(

 

My first RCI cruise had to skip a port (Grenada) because it had suffered a lot of damage due to Hurricane Ivan

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internetwhiz

internetwhiz

Posted
Posted (edited)
We are on the Liberty cruise starting Oct 1 too. We are not scheduled for Jamaica until Thursday so the storm will have likely moved North. There is no way to tell for sure but I would expect if it is still around we will turn back and not head East from Grand Cayman.

 

 

 

Jamaica could be in bad shape for Thursday. We sailed into Cozumel after Wilma I think it was. Some of those concrete docks were on the floor of the sea.

Edited by internetwhiz
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