Sept 8 NCL Sky cruise and Hurricane Irma

[sltrawick]

September 8 we leave out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on the NCL Sky to the Bahamas. Or so I hope anyway. I can't imagine they would still have this cruise. I'm hoping they change ports to embark and disembark from and a different itinerary.

I sent them a message and the reply I got was:

 

 

Hi we are closely monitoring the storm and will provide an update once available.

[Funsince1983]

September 8 we leave out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on the NCL Sky to the Bahamas. Or so I hope anyway. I can't imagine they would still have this cruise. I'm hoping they change ports to embark and disembark from and a different itinerary.

I sent them a message and the reply I got was:

 

 

Hi we are closely monitoring the storm and will provide an update once available.

I just called my PCC a little while ago. Got the standard "we still don't know where the storm is going" line. I think we're screwed. There's literally nowhere they can send us in the amount of time we have. Hoping we know by Wednesday. If the cruise is canceled I am not flying to Miami Thursday.

[sltrawick]

I just called my PCC a little while ago. Got the standard "we still don't know where the storm is going" line. I think we're screwed. There's literally nowhere they can send us in the amount of time we have. Hoping we know by Wednesday. If the cruise is canceled I am not flying to Miami Thursday.

 

Agree. We are coming in Thursday as well. It would be nice to know what is going on

[Greenlamb]

I'd like to know, too. I really don't want to have three days at sea on an older and smaller boat. Even with an open bar.

[ColeThornton]

Unfortunately, one of the hazards of sailing during hurricane season. NCL will do the best to accommodate their guests but there is only so much they can do and it's too early for them to give accurate information at this point. Keep an eye on the NCL home page for any announcements they will have pertaining to Irma.

 

Hope it works out well for everyone.

[BirdTravels]

September 8 we leave out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on the NCL Sky to the Bahamas. Or so I hope anyway. I can't imagine they would still have this cruise. I'm hoping they change ports to embark and disembark from and a different itinerary. I sent them a message and the reply I got was: Hi we are closely monitoring the storm and will provide an update once available.

Cruises are never cancelled. NCL will notify you if they have to leave early on Friday (robo calls, emails). You can leave on Friday, but if the hurricane stays on it's current track, you won't be going to the Bahamas.

[lkmas]

I'm booked with my sister and my aunt on NCL Sky on the 8th. I can't believe how much time I've wasted over the past three days trolling the internet for updates!! Checking the nhc site every three hours to see if there's any change in path. Called NCL twice yesterday, same standard line... our ships have state of the art equipment to monitor conditions, passenger and crew safety our first priority. We're flying in Friday morning, so just hoping we're notified of any change before boarding that flight. If it does sail, looks like we'll just be bobbing around in the rain for 3 days. I can't think of any other ports that can be substituted on a 3-day cruise, other than Key West and looks like they're going to have the same trouble as Miami & Bahamas.

[Tiggertastic]

We fly in from the uk on the 8th to join escape on the 9th. We're watching and waiting to see if first we get to land in Miami and secondly get a ship docked. Hey we've got a credit card and a case full of clothes and insurance - I'm sure we'll know re flight once were in the airport lounge. I keep checking the boards just in case and ncl.com

 

 

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[NYcruzzer]

Cruises are never cancelled. NCL will notify you if they have to leave early on Friday (robo calls, emails). You can leave on Friday, but if the hurricane stays on it's current track, you won't be going to the Bahamas.

 

Are you sure cruises are NEVER canceled ?

 

The Aug. 26 sailings of Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom, and the Aug. 27 voyage of Carnival Breeze have been cancelled, the cruise company announced. Passengers for those cruises will be given a refund along with credit toward a future cruise booked in the next 60 days.

[JustMeKWR]

Cruises are never cancelled. NCL will notify you if they have to leave early on Friday (robo calls, emails). You can leave on Friday, but if the hurricane stays on it's current track, you won't be going to the Bahamas.

I just want to go *anywhere

[Funsince1983]

We're going on this cruise for a bachelorette party. At this point we're at "as long as the booze is flowing, we don't care where we're going," mode. Aka survival mode.

[rosyjen22]

My husband and I are booked for this cruise, but I live in South Florida. There is no way I can leave my four kids with this storm coming, changed itinerary or not. We have trip insurance but I'm not sure it will cover a cancellation for a hurricane looming over my home. Does anyone know if NCL will over a voucher or something if we cancel??

[BirdTravels]

Are you sure cruises are NEVER canceled ?

 

The Aug. 26 sailings of Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom, and the Aug. 27 voyage of Carnival Breeze have been cancelled, the cruise company announced. Passengers for those cruises will be given a refund along with credit toward a future cruise booked in the next 60 days.

 

Let's not get into "fake news". Let's discuss the facts. Those cruises were cancelled because ships were diverted and could not get to Texas to embark their next passengers. Both ships had originally planned to arrive a day or two late and operate abbreviated cruises the next week. Even if the embarking passengers had to sit in Texas waiting for the ships to arrive. As it turns out, the port remained closed and the ships were diverted to Miami.

 

The OP asked about next weekend's Sky. They will be able to embark on Friday. Where they go depends on Irma which continues to move further south.

[BirdTravels]

My husband and I are booked for this cruise, but I live in South Florida. There is no way I can leave my four kids with this storm coming, changed itinerary or not. We have trip insurance but I'm not sure it will cover a cancellation for a hurricane looming over my home. Does anyone know if NCL will over a voucher or something if we cancel??

At this point, you have a 100% cancellation penalty. If you NCL insurance, the insurance will not pay anything. NCL will give you 75% as a future cruise credit under the "cancel for any reason". If you have a third party insurance policy, you will have to check with your insurance carrier.

[Lcjr2002]

The Sky can do Cozumel. Check what it has done historically in previous years under the same circumstance (last year as an example). The itinerary will be changed to Cozumel, assuming the Bahamas will be impacted.

 

Keep in mind cruises can travel a lot faster. Selected speeds are a balance between less stress for the engines and fuel efficiency. When circumstances call for it, cruise lines will run the engines faster. This is one of those times.

[NYcruzzer]

Let's not get into "fake news". Let's discuss the facts. Those cruises were cancelled because ships were diverted and could not get to Texas to embark their next passengers. Both ships had originally planned to arrive a day or two late and operate abbreviated cruises the next week. Even if the embarking passengers had to sit in Texas waiting for the ships to arrive. As it turns out, the port remained closed and the ships were diverted to Miami.

 

The OP asked about next weekend's Sky. They will be able to embark on Friday. Where they go depends on Irma which continues to move further south.

• Go ahead a put a spin on this one. You who said cruises are NEVER canceled
  

Disney Dream

• The October 3 sailing of the Disney Dream is being extended by one day, as Port Canaveral will not be available for the ship’s scheduled arrival on Friday, October 7. We are now planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, once the Coast Guard has determined that the port is safe for cruise ship operations. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.
  
• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral is being cancelled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for cruise bookings. Guests are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 beginning Monday, Oct. 10, to book a future cruise at a discount.
  
• 
  
• 
  

[Funsince1983]

• Go ahead a put a spin on this one. You who said cruises are NEVER canceled
  

Disney Dream

• The October 3 sailing of the Disney Dream is being extended by one day, as Port Canaveral will not be available for the ship’s scheduled arrival on Friday, October 7. We are now planning to disembark in Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 8, once the Coast Guard has determined that the port is safe for cruise ship operations. We are working with the guests onboard to assist them with their travel arrangements.
  
• The October 7 sailing of the Disney Dream from Port Canaveral is being cancelled. Refunds will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment used for cruise bookings. Guests are invited to call us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 beginning Monday, Oct. 10, to book a future cruise at a discount.
  

Ugh. Can we not? Can we just keep this to Irma updates for this sailing please?

[rosyjen22]

The Sky can do Cozumel. Check what it has done historically in previous years under the same circumstance (last year as an example). The itinerary will be changed to Cozumel, assuming the Bahamas will be impacted.

 

Keep in mind cruises can travel a lot faster. Selected speeds are a balance between less stress for the engines and fuel efficiency. When circumstances call for it, cruise lines will run the engines faster. This is one of those times.

 

Interesting. Even with going to Mexico in lieu of the Bahamas, I would think the ship is going to have a problem getting back into Miami on Monday morning. The storm is expected over south Florida Sunday and Monday.

[Lcjr2002]

If there is a problem getting back the cruise ship will remain away from the port. Whenever I have seen this it's usually been out at sea for a day or so. Have seen cases where they stay at a port for longer, sometimes overnight.

 

Cruise lines lose a lot of money when cruises get cancelled. As such they would do almost anything possible so that it does not happen, while still of course maintaining the utmost safety. Quite honestly, having been in situations like that myself being on board a cruise ship during hurricanes is actually a very safe place to be. Cruise ships will always move away from the storm. If you live in Miami and the hurricane is going to hit, God forbid, getting on the cruise ship is actually a great move. It will be much better than staying home or going to a shelter for sure. The cruise ship will not get back to port until things are safe for passengers to disembark. This will be after the storm has passed, for example. Let's say hypothetically speaking that the port is destroyed or in bad shape and there's no going back in days or weeks, the cruise will dock at an alternate port.

 

Yes cruises can definitely get canceled and full refunds given. However cruise lines consider this an absolute worst-case scenario. They will do their absolute best go out of their way as much as they can to ensure that cruise sails while still ensuring the safety of the passengers, crew, and the ship itself. Cruise lines have been doing this for many years in the Caribbean so they have a lot of experience handling hurricane problems.

[kitkat343]

My question is - if the dates are changed, do you always have the option to cancel for a full refund? I understand they have the right to change the whole itinerary (switch Bahamas for Cozumel) but if they need to change the actual dates of the cruise and you can no longer get there do you get a full refund without insurance (we actually travel with insurance I'm just curious)?

[riclop]

September 8 we leave out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on the NCL Sky to the Bahamas. Or so I hope anyway. I can't imagine they would still have this cruise. I'm hoping they change ports to embark and disembark from and a different itinerary.

I sent them a message and the reply I got was:

 

 

Hi we are closely monitoring the storm and will provide an update once available.

Did you expect a different reply??? I hope not.

[Lcjr2002]

If the dates are changed you will either get a refund or full credit toward another cruise sailing. The cruise line has to be the one doing the rescheduling for that to apply. They can change itineraries without refund. In fact many times itinerary changes are not announced until you're actually on board the cruise ship. If itineraries are changed you are entitled to some refund for the port so members of your party will be refunded $10 - $20 depending on the port. If you purchased an excursion through the cruise line you will be reimbursed for that as well since that port is going to be skipped.

[snchpnz]

I've been following the storm for the past few days and I think it's still way too early for Norwegian or anyone else to decide anything in regards to the cruise. By Wednesday or Thursday night we could be looking at a completely different track for the storm. I mean, just compare the current track from the one they were predicting this past weekend. Still, even if the storm keeps its current track it will be very unlikely that they'll cancel this sailing. By Friday night the storm is still predicted to be passing to the north of Haiti and Eastern Cuba. That's way too far from Miami to have any effect on operations at the Port of Miami. Saturday sailings will be a different story. At most they'll have the ship leave a little earlier on Friday and theyll definitely change the ports of call (I'm thinking 2 sea days or a stop in Cozumel) but the cruise won't be cancelled. The storm should also have cleared out of South Florida by Monday morning so I think at worst the ship might come in a little later in the morning/afternoon but they won't want to disrupt the next sailing either.

[Lcjr2002]

I've been following the storm for the past few days and I think it's still way too early for Norwegian or anyone else to decide anything in regards to the cruise. By Wednesday or Thursday night we could be looking at a completely different track for the storm. I mean, just compare the current track from the one they were predicting this past weekend. Still, even if the storm keeps its current track it will be very unlikely that they'll cancel this sailing. By Friday night the storm is still predicted to be passing to the north of Haiti and Eastern Cuba. That's way too far from Miami to have any effect on operations at the Port of Miami. Saturday sailings will be a different story. At most they'll have the ship leave a little earlier on Friday and theyll definitely change the ports of call (I'm thinking 2 sea days or a stop in Cozumel) but the cruise won't be cancelled. The storm should also have cleared out of South Florida by Monday morning so I think at worst the ship might come in a little later in the morning/afternoon but they won't want to disrupt the next sailing either.

 

I agree this assessment is correct.

[LFPrincess]

My husband and I are booked on the Escape leaving Saturday 9/9. We reside in Miami and have 3 homes we need to secure plus our sons, elderly parents and pets, etc. I can't imagine sailing out of Miami with tropical storm winds and a category 4-5 Hurricane approaching us! I also will not leave my elderly parents! I have insurance; however not through NCL. My insurance covers natural disasters. Any recommendations are welcomed. Be Safe! Thank you