Weather update from Carnival

[DebJ14]

This is the information I received from the company(a third party insurer) we always buy our travel insurance through. And, 99% of the time it is cheaper than the cruise line insurance!

 

On Wednesday, September 28th, Tropical Storm Matthew officially formed in the Caribbean, and could impact the southern United States. While many travel suppliers and airlines are trying to reroute flights, some delays and cancellations are inevitable. ******** understands those with plans to travel to this area will have questions about their coverage, and they are encouraged to call us 24/7 with any questions.

 

Policies purchased on or before September 27th, 2016 may have coverage for this storm. Following are some general guidelines regarding the various coverages available:

 

· Trip Delay – Additional meal and accommodation expenses may be reimbursed up to the amount provided by the plan if you have left home and travel is delayed 6 hours or more due to flight delays or cancellations. The dollar amount of coverage will be based on the plan you selected. Please refer to your policy documents for complete details.

 

· Missed Connection – All of our plans also include the missed connection benefit if your flight is delayed for 3 hours or more. This benefit can reimburse unused land and water arrangements and additional transportation to catch up to the trip. The dollar amount of coverage for Missed Connection will vary depending on the plan you purchased. For more details, please review your plan documents.

 

· Trip Interruption – TravelSafe plans offer Trip Interruption coverage for your travel arrangements if they are disrupted due to the storm and you must leave or return later than originally scheduled. Depending on the TravelSafe plan, covered reasons to interrupt the trip can include: 12 hour or more flight delay due to weather; home, work, or accommodations at your destination made uninhabitable; or a Tropical Storm warning from NOAA within 24 hours of departure. Trip Interruption bases the dollar amount of coverage on the amount of trip cost you insured on the plan. To be certain that you have this protection, please review your plan certificate or call TravelSafe.

 

· Trip Cancellation – Should your flight be delayed or canceled due to Matthew, TravelSafe plans can cover cancellation penalties if you are not able to travel for 12 hours or more. Based on the plan selected, TravelSafe can also cover you if your destination is officially declared uninhabitable due to the storm, if your home or work place is made uninhabitable, or if your destination is under an official Tropical Storm warning issued by NOAA within 24 hours of the trip. A mandatory evacuation can also be considered, if when the evacuation ends and there is less than half or less than 4 days left of your trip. The dollar amount of coverage is determined by the amount of trip cost you insured on the plan. Please read your policy certificate for specific information.

 

This information is a general overview of coverage benefits that may apply if travel plans are impacted by the storm. The coverage available for Tropical Storm Matthew and your trip will be based on the terms in your travel insurance plan. Please refer to your plan documents to learn more or contact *****with questions. Agents are available 24/7 and happy to help.

Edited October 7, 2016 by DebJ14

[Towel Critter]

I was just thinking how congested the roads will be going south after the storm passes. It will be a nightmare. All those evacuees will be trying to get back home. I know I wouldn't want to get on a ship after this storm for a week or so. We sailed on the Fascination out of Norfolk several years ago. There had been a nor-easter storm and the ocean was so rough all along the coast. I seriously thought we would die the first night. About 10% of dining rooms had diners. Women could not wear high heels. They cancelled stage shows to protect the dancers, etc. etc. etc. On the return to port the seas were just as rough if not worse. Even the crew couldn't function from sea-sickness. I saw a dealer get "sick" on the black jack table. My husband nearly fell out of bed. Again that night very few were in the dining rooms. It's a wonder we ever got on another ship. So no more cruises for me during hurricane season.

Your reluctance to sail during hurricane season is certainly understandable, given your experience. My wife and I were on an NCL ship that somehow managed to get into a tropical storm South of the DR several years ago. We were awakened about four in the morning by all the drawers opening and then closing loudly, as well as the bathroom door banging around. You could barely walk without being thrown into a wall. This went on until about five in the evening. My wife got sick, but I didn't. I would have bet money it would have been the other way around. We still sail in the Fall fairly often. I guess we didn't learn our lesson.

[BoDidly]

It's not a secret. Most people should be responsible and buy travel insurance when cruising, especially if they can't afford to eat the price of the cruise and related expenses. There's too much that can go wrong (travel to / from port, lost baggage, medical, emergency evac, etc.).

 

The people that cheap out over a hundred or so bucks and don't buy it are real quick to call out the cruise line as inhuman and evil when something goes wrong and they're not covered. They deserve no sympathy for their whines.

 

That being said, I wish good things for our fellow cruise aficionados that are wresting with what to do over the next couple of days.

 

I'm not going to disagree with you :D

[debshomespun]

It's not a secret. Most people should be responsible and buy travel insurance when cruising, especially if they can't afford to eat the price of the cruise and related expenses. There's too much that can go wrong (travel to / from port, lost baggage, medical, emergency evac, etc.).

 

The people that cheap out over a hundred or so bucks and don't buy it are real quick to call out the cruise line as inhuman and evil when something goes wrong and they're not covered. They deserve no sympathy for their whines.

 

That being said, I wish good things for our fellow cruise aficionados that are wresting with what to do over the next couple of days.

 

Very well said!! Many people think they don't need to purchase travel insurance. I always get travel insurance, for several reasons. First, would be for any medical issues while on the cruise, 2nd would be for any interruptions while on the trip (missed connections, or whatever it might be) and lastly, we get piece of mind that if something does go wrong, we have the insurance to help us out. To us, it is a small price to pay for the peace of mind.

 

Shame on the people that do not get insurance, then start crying about what they are owed from the cruise line! Maybe they should have also purchased the insurance

[seaturtle5]

On any cruise that they have even changed ports on due to current conditions they are offering a full refund - insurance or not. They don't have to do that according to the cruise contract. Carnival is being more than fair over a situation out of their control IMO. And I know to many their cruise should be the #1 cruise on the list. However, there are multiple ships and thousands of passengers and crew to think about. A lot of decisions have to be made and so many lives affected....they wait it out for a reason.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cruzin Phillis]

Supposed to sail Saturday on the Glory. Carnival told us they wouldn't refund us at all even though there is no way we can get into Ft. Lauderdale/Miami. The only flight option is a Saturday morning that arrives at 3:45 in FLL. The rest are either canceled or extremely overpriced/at impractical times due to being booked last minute.

 

 

But tbh a life is worth more than a cruise at this point. At least we can book another one in the future and suck up the loss.

Thats not right. I would think that. CCL would understand the flight issues.

 

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

[riclop]

In case anyone has not seen it yet:

Carnival Victory – 10/6/16 departure- canceled

Based on the latest forecast track and no discernible shift in the storm’s path towards the central east coast of Florida as we had hoped, it is anticipated that the Brevard County area, including Port Canaveral, will suffer the strongest effects of Hurricane Matthew throughout the day on Friday. Port Canaveral is presently closed to all marine traffic and we expect it to remain closed until the storm has passed and port officials have had the time to complete their assessment and make a determination on when the port is safe to re-open.

 

Given the above, unfortunately, we will be forced to cancel Carnival Victory’s cruise that we had hoped to operate tomorrow. Guests will receive a full refund as well as any pre-paid gratuities, Carnival shore excursions and any FunShop purchases. Refunds will be applied to the original form of payment within three weeks. We will also provide a 25 percent discount off a future two or three day cruise.

 

Carnival Sensation – 10/6/16 departure

 

The Greater Miami area will be experiencing the strongest effects of Hurricane Matthew late Thursday evening and in the early morning hours of Friday. Once conditions become safe on Friday, port officials will begin their assessment and make a determination of when the port is safe to reopen. This could take some time and, assuming the port reopens on Friday, embarkation would take place late afternoon/early evening. We will stay in close contact with port officials and will provide you an update after 10:30 AM tomorrow. If PortMiami re-opens on Friday, we will operate a three-day cruise, visiting Nassau on Saturday pending a post-storm assessment of the port.

Guests who opt to sail on the shortened voyage will receive a pro-rated refund equal to the amount of one day of their cruise fare as well as pre-purchased shore excursions for Key West and Cozumel. Refunds will be applied to the original form of payment within three weeks Also, gratuities will be adjusted to reflect the shortened cruise.

 

As previously indicated, should guests scheduled on this voyage wish to cancel, they may do so with a full refund by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL. Guests will receive a full refund as well as any pre-paid gratuities, Carnival shore excursions for Key West and Cozumel and any FunShop purchases. Refunds will be applied to the original form of payment within three weeks.

 

 

Carnival Fantasy – 10/7/16 departure

The Greater Miami area will be experiencing the strongest effects of Hurricane Matthew late Thursday evening and in the early morning hours of Friday. Once conditions become safe on Friday, port officials will begin their assessment and make a determination on when the port is safe to reopen. This could take some time and, assuming the port reopens on Friday, embarkation would take place late afternoon/early evening. We will stay in close contact with port officials and will provide you with an update after 10:30 AM tomorrow.

 

Given the uncertainty Hurricane Matthew has caused, should guests wish to cancel, they may do so with a full refund by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL. Guests will receive a full refund as well as any pre-paid gratuities, Carnival shore excursions and any FunShop purchases. Refunds will be applied to the original form of payment within three weeks.

 

If PortMiami reopens on Friday, we will operate the scheduled itinerary with an overnight call in Nassau, pending a post-storm assessment of the port.

 

Carnival Elation – 10/8/16 departure

The Port of Jacksonville will close as of tomorrow morning. Carnival Elation’s arrival scheduled for Saturday may potentially be delayed. We will remain in contact with port officials and update you accordingly as additional information becomes available.

 

Carnival Glory - 10/8/16 departure

The Carnival Glory cruise departing on Oct. 8 remains as scheduled. At this time, there are no changes to the ship’s itinerary. Should any changes becomes necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

 

Carnival Magic – 10/8/16 departure

The Carnival Magic cruise departing Oct. 8 remains as scheduled at this time. Should any changes become necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

 

Carnival Splendor – 10/8/16 departure

The Carnival Splendor cruise departing Oct. 8 remains as scheduled. At this time, there are no changes to the ship’s itinerary. Should any changes become necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

 

Carnival Sunshine - 10/8/16 departure

The Carnival Sunshine cruise departing on Oct. 8 remains as scheduled. At this time, there are no changes to the ship’s itinerary. Should any changes becomes necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

 

Carnival Valor – 10/8/16 departure

The Carnival Valor cruise departing Oct. 8 remains as scheduled. At this time, there are no changes to the ship’s itinerary. Should any changes become necessary, we will provide an update accordingly.

 

Carnival Conquest - 10/9/16 departure

The Carnival Conquest cruise departing on Oct. 9 remains as scheduled at this time. Should any changes becomes necessary, we will provide an update accordingly

 

Carnival Pride – 10/9/16 departure

We are monitoring the storm very closely and will be in a position to let you know about any needed itinerary changes by Saturday morning. Given our experience with hurricanes and their propensity for unexpected shifts, this time allows us the opportunity to make the best decisions for your vacation once we have greater clarity on the timing of the forecasted track.

 

We apologize for the tremendous inconvenience the storm is causing and thank you for your understanding.

 

Additionally, to stay up to date on any changes that may affect your sailing, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

 

Carnival Fantasy 10/7 CCL2

Carnival Magic 10/8 CCL3

Carnival Sensation 10/6 CCL4

Carnival Pride 10/9 CCL5

Carnival Valor 10/8 CCL6

Carnival Victory 10/6 CCL8

Carnival Elation 10/8 CCL9

Carnival Glory 10/8 CCL10

Carnival Splendor 10/8 CCL11

Carnival Conquest 10/9 CCL12

 

Thanks for the update.

[jefffrompawpaw]

Who do you get your insurance from? I've only been on 2 cruises and never purchased before, but this storm has made adjust my thinking and i'll get it from now on. I always assumed that travel insurance was like car rental insurance that is for the most part not needed. From just reading post here today I see the reason to purchase it.

[smarks]

I understand that in normal conditions Carnival keeps the money if you cancel, but it is my understanding that "right now" with conditions being what they are, Carnival is allowing booked guests to cancel with no penalty, thus my question about canceling versus trying to get there but failing.

Unless Carnival cancels you get nothing. I called today and asked about my 6 year old great grand daughter who is refusing to go because someone in school told her she was going to die. I asked if I could get the money back on her. There are 5 of us going. They said no that we would forfet her fair but could get port charges back. She's not going. Carnival at this point is not concerned. We're leaving on the Valor on Sat. if we make it down there ok.

[smarks]

It's not a secret. Most people should be responsible and buy travel insurance when cruising, especially if they can't afford to eat the price of the cruise and related expenses. There's too much that can go wrong (travel to / from port, lost baggage, medical, emergency evac, etc.).

 

The people that cheap out over a hundred or so bucks and don't buy it are real quick to call out the cruise line as inhuman and evil when something goes wrong and they're not covered. They deserve no sympathy for their whines.

 

That being said, I wish good things for our fellow cruise aficionados that are wresting with what to do over the next couple of days.

Insurance is no good in this case unless you can't make it to port. My daughters flight was canceled and she is having to drive. We are driving to a state that has been evacuated, out of gas, hotels closed or full and highways have been reversed. Insurance doesn't pay for that stuff. We may get to Port Canaveral and then the cruise is delayed for a day. No hotels available. Insurance is no good. I have it though and wouldn't leave home without it. Stay safe everybody.

[craftykitty]

She's going to Saint John in New Brunswick, not Newfoundland. The folks in Saint John are very particular about the confusion.:)

 

The folks in Newfoundland are just as particular.... LOL

[DenaInWyo]

I wish they'd get on with it and cancel for Saturday. I know they're waiting until it's a 100% sure thing, which makes sense for them, but even if they can get a ship into and back out of port, it's going to be a mess for people traveling.

 

There will be people trying to balance risking getting there vs losing all their money since the cruise wasn't actually canceled. Even if they have trip insurance, I'm not sure if that would work out if they don't actually cancel.

 

If the news reports are true, trying to get to Canaveral is going to be next to impossible Saturday, no matter what mode of transportation and I highly doubt the port will have electricity.

 

I'm betting though that if the hit is as hard as predicted, they're going to have to cancel. Time will tell probably Friday afternoon.

[D&L Thomas]

We're booked on the Magic out of PC for Saturday.

 

Our pre-cruise hotel package was canceled and our flight was canceled.

 

Our current arrangements are to fly to Tampa today (Friday) and stay in an Air B&B because there are no hotels available at any price . We found some sort of shuttle to get us from Tampa to PC on Saturday morning; it's a 2+ hour drive.

 

For us it's not just a vacation. Our son is to be married on the ship. I simply had to try everything to be there.

 

If the port remains closed and Carnival has to cancel at this point we will have to figure out how to get home to New England. There are 50 people in the group but we are traveling the furthest.

[Dayenu]

Who do you get your insurance from? I've only been on 2 cruises and never purchased before, but this storm has made adjust my thinking and i'll get it from now on. I always assumed that travel insurance was like car rental insurance that is for the most part not needed. From just reading post here today I see the reason to purchase it.

 

I start with InsureMyTrip website, put my info in, sort them by price, and compare.

[paper1122]

I am 30 or 40 miles west of the coast. Still have power and it is quite windy but we are faring well thus far. The worst is still to come for us. Hopefully with the eye staying off the coast thus far the damage to major infrastructure will be limited.

[BoDidly]

Looking at the radar it looks like the eye is just touching PC at this moment .

[crewsweeper]

Looking at the radar it looks like the eye is just touching PC at this moment .

 

Close, it's western edge was/is about 25 miles off the coast. Still not necessarily good news. Just that the Western side is a tad less ferocious than the Eastern side.

 

Miami is dropping from TS watches and MIA should start receiving flights later today.

[BoDidly]

Looks like Miami will be cruising today . PC cam is up and down shows quite a bit of damage.

 

 

Just looking at the eye of the storm with all those birds trapped in the center moving north..

[TrinaLC]

Not often there is a pure cancellation. In light of all circumstances, it might be best for everyone.

 

A couple of years ago (probably also storm related) they cancelled a 7 day Pride cruise out of Baltimore, but then a day or so later they advertised a four or so day "surprise" cruise - we lived near port and snapped up an aft balcony.

 

Almost all the folks that did the checking in were also sailing - they were given first notice of the cruise - it was so festive, many of them had been working embarkation check in for years and had never sailed - they were so excited!

 

It was a blast!

Edited October 7, 2016 by TrinaLC

[cruzin Phillis]

From Miami Airport:

Flights resumed but at limited capacity. There are 305 flights canceled today. Before coming to MIA check flight status with your airline.

 

Port of Miami:

PortMiami will reopen after United States Coast Guard inspection. The inspection is scheduled for today.

[peanutbutterjelly]

Ok I hear a lot of you saying "Kudo's to Carnival Cruise" however for those still "waiting" to hear updates we are NOT happy campers. I understand safety but geez louize it would be nice to know what the heck we are doing. Waiting until the "last minute" to let us know has me so stressed out.

Let me explain: We are suppose to go 10/8 out of Port Canaveral, they meaning everyone knew that area was going to get hit hard by the hurricaine "several" days ago. That said, we live out of state and live up north, our airline canceled our flight into Orlando for Friday, ok fine we adjusted and bought a one way airfare from another airline getting into Jacksonville Thursday (we also took an extra day off from work to get to Florida) now we had to rent a car to get to Port Canaveral, now we had to find a hotel because our hotel cancelled in Port Canaveral, this was so hard to find as most "safe areas" were booked completely. So now we are talking a rental car(we got price gauged paid 300 for a one way two days from Jacksonville to Port Canaveral), additional airfare (an additional 500), hotel for two nights, gas, food. Here it is 10/7 and update says "we will keep you posted and will let you know tonight 10/7". I'm thinking the cruise will go on however the stress of it all was/is out of this world. We felt we HAD to do this because the cruise line didn't cancel (yet) so we would loose money (insurance won't help because technically its not a "disrupted" trip--yet), thus is why were here riding out the hurricane (not fun). So for those in this forum just saying "better to be safe" and "Kudos" etc you may not be going through what some of us cruisers waiting to find out whats going on because we are suppose to cruise this weekend are going through so you truly don't understand the stress we are experiencing at this time and for the last few days. I understand this is hurricane season, we took our chance to book this cruise however, this is the most stressful experience I've ever had and would've really appreciated more updates than what Carnival is doing. :eek::eek::eek:

Edited October 7, 2016 by peanutbutterjelly

[jamon]

carnival has to wait to see if the port opens up or not...it is not their decision. If they were to cancel the cruise and the port opens, people would be mad that they cancelled ahead of time. No win situation for them..

[mouche]

Ok I hear a lot of you saying "Kudo's to Carnival Cruise" however for those still "waiting" to hear updates we are NOT happy campers. I understand safety but geez louize it would be nice to know what the heck we are doing. Waiting until the "last minute" to let us know has me so stressed out.

Let me explain: We are suppose to go 10/8 out of Port Canaveral, they meaning everyone knew that area was going to get hit hard by the hurricaine "several" days ago. That said, we live out of state and live up north, our airline canceled our flight into Orlando for Friday, ok fine we adjusted and bought a one way airfare from another airline getting into Jacksonville Thursday (we also took an extra day off from work to get to Florida) now we had to rent a car to get to Port Canaveral, now we had to find a hotel because our hotel cancelled in Port Canaveral, this was so hard to find as most "safe areas" were booked completely. So now we are talking a rental car(we got price gauged paid 300 for a one way two days from Jacksonville to Port Canaveral), additional airfare (an additional 500), hotel for two nights, gas, food. Here it is 10/7 and update says "we will keep you posted and will let you know tonight 10/7". I'm thinking the cruise will go on however the stress of it all was/is out of this world. We felt we HAD to do this because the cruise line didn't cancel (yet) so we would loose money (insurance won't help because technically its not a "disrupted" trip--yet), thus is why were here riding out the hurricane (not fun). So for those in this forum just saying "better to be safe" and "Kudos" etc you may not be going through what some of us cruisers waiting to find out whats going on because we are suppose to cruise this weekend are going through so you truly don't understand the stress we are experiencing at this time and for the last few days. I understand this is hurricane season, we took our chance to book this cruise however, this is the most stressful experience I've ever had and would've really appreciated more updates than what Carnival is doing. :eek::eek::eek:

 

 

I understand your frustration as I am also on a 10/8 sailing, my husband and I are leaving tonight driving an alternate route from NC to avoid the storm. The Gov stated that all roads were open in FL and that there was not a shortage of gas, I just hope that by morning traffic is not too bad and most have made it back to their homes safely.

 

It looks like Carnival Magic is scheduled to get back to PC at 9:16am on 10/8, according to Marine Traffic, also I see the Victory made it back in to PC this morning. So I believe we will be able to cruise although maybe a late embarkation. We will have to wait for the port officials to give the okay.

 

I am just so thankful that most made it through this storm and I pray that all involved has minimal to no damage to their properties. Hopefully we will be on board tomorrow and all the stressing will be gone.

[bunnyette]

According to Carnival's website, the Magic will be sailing in the evening with embarkation starting in the late afternoon.

 

I hear your frustration, they should be at least providing passengers with a link to their website where they can go and check on the latest update.

 

But I wonder how it will be able to use PC if the damage is severe?

[nybumpkin]

It looks like Carnival Magic is scheduled to get back to PC at 9:16am on 10/8, according to Marine Traffic, also I see the Victory made it back in to PC this morning. So I believe we will be able to cruise although maybe a late embarkation. We will have to wait for the port officials to give the okay.

I think you're looking at the wrong Victory. The one docked at PC right now is Victory I. She usually docks on the other side of Fishlips, but they moved her to the passenger ship terminal a few days ago. Marine Traffic has Carnival Victory off the Keys.