Why cruise in September?

[sjb317]

We cruise throughout the year but do seem to do a lot during September. Only once have we had a cruise affected and that was last year with Irma. Our cruise on Empress was cancelled but we received all of our money back so while disappointing, we were not out anything.

 

Cruising during hurricane season is a risk we take but we understand it. We are leaving Sunday for a B2B on Allure and I expect we could have some itinerary changes depending on what happens with the storms being watched but it will all be good!

 

Sherri🙂

[BND]

The worst weather we ever had on a cruise was in March. On Grandeur, we had 30 foot waves and ~80 mph winds. September is not always the worst. We cruised in early Nov a few years ago (out of NJ) 5 days after Sandy came through and there were ships who had issues with that. No guarantees any time of the year. You can have big storms any month and hurricane season is actually 6 months long (May 1- Nov 30) so don't naively assume it's only a month or two. Peak hurricane season is mid-Sept but that doesn't mean it's the only time they can happen. Blizzards/Nor'easters can be just as bad and cause just as much damage. The odds of you having a cruise scheduled during what turns out to be a hurricane is what it is. Higher chance in Sept? Yes, but there's a chance anytime during the 6 month season.

[Tatka]

In September we cruise to Canada. Best month. No storms and it's still warm there. It's also the best month to cruise in Mediterranean.

We did cruise in Caribbeans once and had the best weather... not even a hint of rain. We were prepared for not so great weather though, as we know that it's a peak of hurricane season.

 

In some reason our 2.5 out of 4 May's cruises featured the worst weather.

[fred30]

Less crowded ships and ports. Usually more moderate temperatures and still have decent amount of daylight for us northerners. Plus better rates.

 

Our worst weather was Thanksgiving. Clouds, cool and rain entire week.

[A&L_Ont]

and hurricane season is actually 6 months long (May 1- Nov 30) so don't naively assume it's only a month or two. Peak hurricane season is mid-Sept but that doesn't mean it's the only time they can happen.

 

The OP’s countdown clock says November 25th, so hopefully he doesn’t get caught at the tail end of the season with a hurricane. At least being from Florida the OP can drive to Port, an advantage that many here don’t have.

[gatour]

As of others have said, cheaper prices and fewer kids. We also live in Florida so don't have to worry about flight issues as we drive to embarkation port. We have been to most of the ports so many times, so if the itinerary changes it is no big.

 

For "bucket list" type cruise. I.E when we did the Panama Canal partial transit cruise, I didn't schedule it during hurricane season.

[squadron]

We’ve been fortunate. Every cruise has been late August to late September. We just knew the risk and planned accordingly. We’re just now getting to cruise again, but in the past the savings for this time of year were significant.

 

 

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West Coast and Hawaii - great time to cruise - weather good and crowds are much smaller.

[mom2tcdx2]

Pricing, ability to get time off from your job, etc. We have done 3 cruises in September without any issues from storms.

[Ashland]

We're onboard Freedom right now and have cruised the southern caribbean itinerary this month a few times....Never any concerns. We did miss today St Maarten but actually it doesn't seem necessary that the decision was made so early in our cruise we were surprised....but not our decision.

 

This is the first leg of our B2B and hoping the onboard atmosphere will get better next week, This is the most congested ship we've been on...huge crowds of local families (lots of kids but it's the adults causing the disruption) have taken over this ship in dining areas, eating areas and public venues....it's a madhouse frenzy everywhere. Brought on their own musical insturments and loud personal boom boxes. Crew can't seem to control them at all.

 

I'm sure they'll be many posts about this cruise once we get home and I'll certainly be able to add to those :eek::eek::eek:

[HippyandCarrots]

We live in the caribbean and own a tour company. This is literally the only time of year I can vacation!

[alfaeric]

We're onboard Freedom right now and have cruised the southern caribbean itinerary this month a few times....Never any concerns. We did miss today St Maarten but actually it doesn't seem necessary that the decision was made so early in our cruise we were surprised....but not our decision.

 

This is the first leg of our B2B and hoping the onboard atmosphere will get better next week, This is the most congested ship we've been on...huge crowds of local families (lots of kids but it's the adults causing the disruption) have taken over this ship in dining areas, eating areas and public venues....it's a madhouse frenzy everywhere. Brought on their own musical insturments and loud personal boom boxes. Crew can't seem to control them at all.

 

I'm sure they'll be many posts about this cruise once we get home and I'll certainly be able to add to those :eek::eek::eek:

 

Relative to this post, after last year, you heard many, many local families go on cruises to escape hurricanes. Especially for Puerto Rico, where there's no state that you can drive to- being on a cruise ship can be a lot safer than staying at home.

[John&LaLa]

We sometimes cruise in September, knowing the risk. More likely we cruise in October for our anniversary, and sometimes we have dodged hurricanes for our vacation weeks. We have been skunked twice. The first time was on the Pacific coast for a Mexican Riviera cruise, where a hurricane took out all 3 ports. The ship sailed to Northern CA- San Francisco and then back to Southern CA where we had started the cruise.

 

The second time was a Caribbean cruise. It wasn't weather related...but who knew that there was something called "Fall Break"? And the ship was full of children. We didn't realize that there would be a school break so soon after they had started for the school year. :confused:;):D

Atlanta starts school first of August

 

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[John&LaLa]

We're onboard Freedom right now and have cruised the southern caribbean itinerary this month a few times....Never any concerns. We did miss today St Maarten but actually it doesn't seem necessary that the decision was made so early in our cruise we were surprised....but not our decision.

 

This is the first leg of our B2B and hoping the onboard atmosphere will get better next week, This is the most congested ship we've been on...huge crowds of local families (lots of kids but it's the adults causing the disruption) have taken over this ship in dining areas, eating areas and public venues....it's a madhouse frenzy everywhere. Brought on their own musical insturments and loud personal boom boxes. Crew can't seem to control them at all.

 

I'm sure they'll be many posts about this cruise once we get home and I'll certainly be able to add to those :eek::eek::eek:

We gave up cruising out of SJ for those reasons. Take the B2B on Serenade out of FL instead

 

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[HicksRA]

The only time I’ve been affected/rerouted relative to a hurricane was the last week of July 2016. We cruise in Sept and Oct because the kids are in school and the prices are good. 9 days until we’re on the ship again. Not worried about storms.

[Iamcruzin]

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30th. That's six months out of the year. If you live in the North December through March and sometimes even into April can bring winter storms that can effect flights. Yes there are peak seasons for inclement weather. However, it is usually less expensive to travel during these periods. I think that any seasoned cruiser who books during this time frame are aware of the consequences and plan accordingly for either a cancelation of the cruise or by taking out tip insurance to cover the expense. We prefer to sail in May to early June but that's just mainly because it's the best time for us to vacation and as a bonus less families are sailing at that time which cuts down on the crowds and the rates are usually less expensive. People who complain are newbies who never bothered to do research before they booked during peak hurricane season.

[azarak]

We prefer cruising during October because A) the price, B) the price, and C) Fall Break. Yes, I am a parent that brings their children on a cruise during fall break. When booking, I am totally aware of hurricane season and understand the "what if's" of the weather. I've had itineraries changed, skipped ports, sailed rough seas through tropical depressions but to date have never had a cancelled trip (Knock on wood fast!) We are scheduled to sail in 30 days weather permitting. If, in the event, a cruise of ours ever gets cancelled due to a hurricane I will roll with whatever the cruise line offers in the form of a reimbursement or swapping to a different ship/date. I'm not the type to complain and cry and blame the cruise line for a natural disaster. But that's me. I know exactly what I'm booking and accept that stuff happens--especially hurricanes. I will continue to book during hurricane season because I'm of the mindset of why pay top dollar for the exact same room when I can just move the date back a month or two and get it at a fraction of the cost. But again, that's just me.

[LuCruise]

We prefer cruising during October because A) the price, B) the price, and C) Fall Break. Yes, I am a parent that brings their children on a cruise during fall break. When booking, I am totally aware of hurricane season and understand the "what if's" of the weather. I've had itineraries changed, skipped ports, sailed rough seas through tropical depressions but to date have never had a cancelled trip (Knock on wood fast!) We are scheduled to sail in 30 days weather permitting. If, in the event, a cruise of ours ever gets cancelled due to a hurricane I will roll with whatever the cruise line offers in the form of a reimbursement or swapping to a different ship/date. I'm not the type to complain and cry and blame the cruise line for a natural disaster. But that's me. I know exactly what I'm booking and accept that stuff happens--especially hurricanes. I will continue to book during hurricane season because I'm of the mindset of why pay top dollar for the exact same room when I can just move the date back a month or two and get it at a fraction of the cost. But again, that's just me.

 

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Hope you have a smooth cruise next month. I love your attitude.

[pilotboy1985]

I'm cruising September 30th this year.... my first ever cruise in September.

 

It fit into my work schedule and the price was right, so I booked it. I'm aware that things could get altered but I don't think it's accurate to say the odds are that a hurricane will alter travel plans, but the risk is obviously higher in September than other months.

 

I'm accepting the risk and just looking forward to a break from work and from the chilly fall weather.

[bouhunter]

, odds are that your cruise/flight plans will change

 

Stuff happens every year, but for most cruises, "odds are" people will not be affected.

[WeatherFx]

We still cruise every September, even after being on Anthem in 2016 during Hermine with 100mph+ winds on the way to Bermuda. Still had a blast. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day is our peak work season - so no vacation time then. As long as I am on the ship I really don't mind where we end up or the seas along the way. Also less kids and lower prices are a plus.

[LrgPizza]

If you look at all the cruises from all the cruise lines sailing the Caribbean in September, very, very few are affected by hurricanes.

[CruisingNole]

The OP’s countdown clock says November 25th, so hopefully he doesn’t get caught at the tail end of the season with a hurricane. At least being from Florida the OP can drive to Port, an advantage that many here don’t have.

 

I've lived in Florida my whole life, I don't know if we've ever had a storm over Thanksgiving weekend. Rarely does anything at all occur in November.

[CruisingNole]

Thanks for your answers everyone, maybe next September I'll roll the dice myself. Makes things more interesting. :D

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your answers everyone, maybe next September I'll roll the dice myself. Makes things more interesting. :D

 

There will (not if) be aTropical Storm of some sort in the Caribbean at the height of hurricane season -- it's just a matter of exactly when and where.

 

Seems you fully understand this so "roll the dice" and go for it! :D

[gammite]

We're onboard Freedom right now and have cruised the southern caribbean itinerary this month a few times....Never any concerns. We did miss today St Maarten but actually it doesn't seem necessary that the decision was made so early in our cruise we were surprised....but not our decision.

 

This is the first leg of our B2B and hoping the onboard atmosphere will get better next week, This is the most congested ship we've been on...huge crowds of local families (lots of kids but it's the adults causing the disruption) have taken over this ship in dining areas, eating areas and public venues....it's a madhouse frenzy everywhere. Brought on their own musical insturments and loud personal boom boxes. Crew can't seem to control them at all.

 

I'm sure they'll be many posts about this cruise once we get home and I'll certainly be able to add to those :eek::eek::eek:

 

ugh. I am on FOS in two weeks. I really hope that this is not the case then...