Hurricane season itinerary change?

[Touringmom]

We are sailing on the Pride from Baltimore to the Caribbean this August. What is the likelihood of an itinerary change due to hurricanes? We don’t actually mind a change but are curious how often this actually happens in August. Anyone have any experiences to share?

[2016USAHoliday]

We did a B2B in August 16. Cruise 1 went off without a hitch, once we were back on the ship for cruise 2 we were informed of a change as hurricane was due to hit our course.

Not sure when they decided to change, but shore excursions, guest services and most of the crew we spoke to were not aware of the change until we showed them the letter.

Didn’t faze us at all. Went from key west, Nassau and Freeport to Cozumel, Isla Rostand and Costa Maya. Cruise 1 was Cozumel, Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

[ray98]

It can certainly happen....no way of really predicting odds though because each year shapes up different.

[beerman2]

Not August , but Sept./Oct.

1st time Captain tried to out run a hurricane to Miami. Port was closed and we spent 2 extra days circling Cuba with 6 other ships.2005

 

Another time missed KW .2012

 

 

Last cruise missed Nassau. 2016

 

They do their best to avoid Hurricanes and as we know Mother Nature has a mind of her own.

[Sjb0704]

We were booked on the Magic last September when Hurricane Irma hit. Our 7 day Caribbean cruise turned into a 3 day Bahama cruise.

[Lottacruises]

Hmm magic eight ball says...... Try again later

[A&Jfamily]

Not aware that anyone has compiled any statistics. The important thing is to understand that when you plan a cruise, or even a land based vacation to a hurricane affected area, you need to be prepared to go with the flow and change plans. If there is a storm, depending on location, you could be sent to Bermuda or even New England. It all has happened - not common, but not unheard of either.

 

I had a friend that had to move his wedding from one island to the Bahamas due to a hurricane. And while I have only sailed once in hurricane season in early August, we missed St. Martin not because it was going to storm there, but because there was a storm 400 miles away creating swells that made it impossible to dock. We ended up being told that we would have a sea day instead, and then they changed it the next to adding Grand Turk at the back end - which was a great trade off IMHO.

 

I also have missed plenty of ports during March - well before hurricane season. We have cruised a few times in December, but not missed one then. Some ports like Grand Cayman and the private islands where you tender are more subject to being missed because if there are any kinds of swells, they won't be able to tender.

 

So, really, this is one of those things NOT to worry about...just go with the flow. I am a planner by nature and it took me a couple of cruises to wrap my mind around this concept but it really is the only mindset to have when cruising.

[stanatbil]

We sailed on the Pride in October 2016 and instead of going to the eastern caribbean we went to New York for 2 days. For now on I will always try to avoid hurricane season.

[Joebucks]

It's a good possibility. The fortunate thing is you are less likely to have a cruise vacation cancelled vs a land-based one. If you are on land, and the hurricane comes, you are out of luck. On a cruise, there are options to go different places. Sometimes you may miss out on a port you were planning for, but it is better than missing the whole vacation. The cruise lines will do what they can to not have to cancel cruises.

[Touringmom]

We sailed on the Pride in October 2016 and instead of going to the eastern caribbean we went to New York for 2 days. For now on I will always try to avoid hurricane season.

 

Was it still a weeklong cruise?

[Touringmom]

It's a good possibility. The fortunate thing is you are less likely to have a cruise vacation cancelled vs a land-based one. If you are on land, and the hurricane comes, you are out of luck. On a cruise, there are options to go different places. Sometimes you may miss out on a port you were planning for, but it is better than missing the whole vacation. The cruise lines will do what they can to not have to cancel cruises.

 

Yes we don’t really mind a different itinerary, but would be sad if the trip got cancelled/shortened. That is the only week we can go on vacation this summer!

[Micahs Grandad]

The itinerary you book might not be the itinerary you get. No way to tell but prices usually cheaper this time of year

[bobandsherry]

Unless someone here is a weather forecaster and has a track record to prove their accuracy OP is asking a question that has no real chance of being answered. The past doesn't predict the future. Odds are 1 in 4, just as good of a guess as anyone else could come up with.

 

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[summersigh]

Googled and got this info from The Denver Post:

As they have done every year since 1984, Colorado State University (CSU) has released its initial predictions for the upcoming season. Their forecast is for a total of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, which is slightly above the long-term average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and twoi major hurricanes. Last year, we saw 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes.

These 2018 predictions will be updated on May 31, July 2 and Aug. 2.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/04/05/colorado-state-university-hurricane-predictions-2018/

[Touringmom]

Unless someone here is a weather forecaster and has a track record to prove their accuracy OP is asking a question that has no real chance of being answered. The past doesn't predict the future. Odds are 1 in 4, just as good of a guess as anyone else could come up with.

 

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Just curious about past experiences that time of year so we can be prepared for anything!

[stanatbil]

Was it still a weeklong cruise?

Yes it was.

[candctroll]

We took a cruise Labor day week 2007, our honeymoon, out of Miami and were completely rerouted. They told us at the terminal.

[ParrotRob]

As someone else said, there's no way to predict it, but one in four like someone else said? I don't think you have nearly that much to worry about. I would bet that not one in a hundred cruises gets diverted in August. Personally, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[pacruise804]

We are sailing on the Pride from Baltimore to the Caribbean this August. What is the likelihood of an itinerary change due to hurricanes? We don’t actually mind a change but are curious how often this actually happens in August. Anyone have any experiences to share?

 

Just curious about past experiences that time of year so we can be prepared for anything!

 

I appreciated your post, as we are likely doing the same itinerary but in September. I thought I saw that last year it got diverted to Canada and was thinking about making a post to ask what ports they stopped at just in case it happens to us. I often find good information on these boards, but unfortunately it seems like most people took exception to your post.

 

I'm like you that I actually don't mind if they do have to change but would like to be prepared. I don't want to research every possible other port we might visit, but if there were a trend I could do some planning now of things we might like to do on our own rather than being stuck on the ship and missing out on a great opportunity.

 

Hopefully we will get some more helpful advice from previous cruisers who had this happen.

[bobandsherry]

Googled and got this info from The Denver Post:

As they have done every year since 1984, Colorado State University (CSU) has released its initial predictions for the upcoming season. Their forecast is for a total of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, which is slightly above the long-term average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and twoi major hurricanes. Last year, we saw 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes.

These 2018 predictions will be updated on May 31, July 2 and Aug. 2.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/04/05/colorado-state-university-hurricane-predictions-2018/

Check their prior year forecast, you'll see they were very wrong. I would put any faith it their prediction.

 

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[bobandsherry]

Just curious about past experiences that time of year so we can be prepared for anything!

It's simple, prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Not much you can do regardless. It is hurricane season after all. If itinerary changes just make the best and appreciate that you had the opportunity.

 

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[goofygal531]

We sailed in August right after Hurricane Irene out of Baltimore. The Pride came back a day early letting off their guests then went out to sea for the night to ride out the Hurricane. We were delayed one day. We boarded on Monday. We were given a refund for that one missed day.

 

On the Dream out of Port Canaveral, we had an itinerary change, we couldn't go to Nassau so they added Grand Turk. We were very happy with that. I believe that was the Dream's first visit to Grand Turk.

 

Back in 2004, we sailed in between hurricane Frances and Ivan. That itinerary was completely altered. I remember stopping in Key West and the locals had 4 hours to evacuate the island while we were trying to enjoy our port day. That was awkward!

 

We used to always sail the last week of August, but have noticed that is the most popular week for Hurricanes. You will notice the rates drop drastically that particular week.

[pbxtech]

We we're on Magic last year when hurricane hit. We we suppose to do the Eastern Caribbean and diverted to Western Caribbean. We then only made two port stops and missed the third, since Capt wanted to get back to Port Canaveral. When he realized how dangerous that was, he took us to New Orleans and gave passengers option to get off. We got off and flew home. Turned in our insurance claim and got our money back in about two months. We always carry travel insurance. The folks that stayed on ship got back on wedsday. I would say Carnival did an excellent job keeping everyone safe.

[pacruise804]

Thanks again to those who have shared your actual experiences. It's nice to know what some of the options are.

 

It's simple, prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Not much you can do regardless. It is hurricane season after all. If itinerary changes just make the best and appreciate that you had the opportunity.

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That's what I am - and possibly the OP is - trying to do. I have read nothing to indicate that the OP is unappreciative of the chance to cruise, if anything might even look forward to an itinerary change.

 

To me part of 'preparing for the worst' and 'making the best' of the situation is to be prepared. While I hope we can make our planned itinerary I know that things can happen anytime - and even more so in hurricane season. I recently visited, and therefore researched, Nassau (if a small detour) and Saint John and Halifax (if a major detour). I would have a clue what to do in those ports.

 

It's been a few years since I've been to the Western Caribbean, and I've never been to Bermuda or the N/E ports. Will there be good research opportunities on the ship to know what to do at these stops? Should we just stay on the ship and be grateful that we are safe and have extra "sea days"? Should we book ship excursions - which most on this site seem to think are overpriced and crowed - when we had already researched low or no cost options at our original ports.

 

Our cruises will likely sail as scheduled. We may be diverted to all private island stops where there is nothing extra we would need to book. Or we might end up somewhere that could be a great opportunity to visit if we had the chance to research something about that port ahead of time. I know that no one can predict what the weather will be this far out, but they could share ports that have been substituted in the past. If there is a trend of mostly going one route or another it gives us a starting point to prepare.

 

Does the ship usually have port guides that aren't just a shopping list for Diamonds International and Del Sol?

[lizardhowson]

We are sailing on the Pride from Baltimore to the Caribbean this August. What is the likelihood of an itinerary change due to hurricanes? We don’t actually mind a change but are curious how often this actually happens in August. Anyone have any experiences to share?

 

Last year due to the number of hurricanes, there were numerous changes.

Unless you have a crystal ball, no one could possibly answer this question.