Tropical Depression 5

[alamojo]

Ruh-roh.  My wife and I are scheduled to sail on the Equinox out of FL on Aug 31st.  Forecast does not look good.

 

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at5.shtml?start#contents

 

[carnivalman]

All depends where it goes after Puerto Rico.  Does it curl up the mid-Atlantic towards Bermuda, eastern Florida coast, or into the Gulf?  Captain has the discretion to change the itinerary based on weather conditions.  Taking this cruise as a getaway and have been to these ports many times.  Doesn’t really much matter where it goes.  However, I do recognize it’s a first for many people.

[Purplsmurf]

I wouldn’t worry so much about what will happen on the ship as much I’d worry about getting to the port. We sailed in September the last 2 years and both times had hurricanes. In 2017 we didn’t even know that we would actually be sailing until the day before. It was so nerve wracking. Last year had the same, but not quite as bad. Once you are on board the captain will keep you out of harms way, even if it means changing some ports. Key West was cancelled for us in 2017 and another port was added. We will never sail during hurricane season again. Good luck to you!

[mafig]

1 hour ago, Purplsmurf said:

I wouldn’t worry so much about what will happen on the ship as much I’d worry about getting to the port. We sailed in September the last 2 years and both times had hurricanes. In 2017 we didn’t even know that we would actually be sailing until the day before. It was so nerve wracking. Last year had the same, but not quite as bad. Once you are on board the captain will keep you out of harms way, even if it means changing some ports. Key West was cancelled for us in 2017 and another port was added. We will never sail during hurricane season again. Good luck to you!

 

You should post this often for all those who have short memories.

 

Every year people ask if they should cruise during hurricane season and most people reply that there's no problem the Captain will just go around the storm.  They fail to take into account getting to the port and the worry of wondering where exactly the storm is headed.  

Thanks for your post.

[Marelaine]

Our first cruise was impacted by a hurricane. We made our first port, St. Thomas. All excursions were cancelled and there were no taxis in port. Our captain advised us to stay within Heavensight in case we had to leave on short notice. The sea was a bit choppy and all other ports were closed due to damage so our itinerary was changed. All in all, it was pretty exciting, as a first cruise experience. 

 

Have a wonderful adventure!

 

 

[MISTER 67]

We live in Florida and among our 60 cruises have sailed 6 times in the heart of hurricane season, the only time we had an issue was with Irma in 2017. We were on the MSC Divina and after we left Grand Cayman on a Tuesday, the Captain said we have to head back to Miami as the port was going to close on Friday due to Irma expected to make a direct hit on Miami on Saturday. So we arrived in Miami on Thursday AM where you had the choice of debarking the ship or remain on the ship as it heads to Cozumel and wait for Irma to pass through Miami. We were 2 of 800 that left the ship out of 4000, we wanted get in our car and head home and ride out the storm. May I add that MSC more than made up for the inconvenience with a refund, some perks and very nice vouchers for another cruise which we took in November of 2017.

We are also on the Equinox on 8/31and from what I've gathered from the National Hurricane Center is that this storm will probably break up when it reaches the Leeward Islands next week, right now it's just a depression.

Edited August 24, 2019 by MISTER 67

[MISTER 67]

Update, the depression is now Tropical Storm Dorian and could reach hurricane status as in nears the Lesser Antilles.

[ghstudio]

you should be fine getting to the cruise on Saturday......and then let Celebrity worry about the weather 🙂

[keesar]

On our first cruise, our Western itinerary became an Eastern itinerary.  You will be in good hands.  Read the fine print if you have booked with an independent excursion company.

[MISTER 67]

9 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

you should be fine getting to the cruise on Saturday......and then let Celebrity worry about the weather 🙂

All depends on how fast it moves, could be an itinerary change.

[NaplesKnitter]

Download Hurricane tracker on your iPhone or iPad and it shows 5 day cone and future spaghetti models to help gauge the storm.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

3 hours ago, ghstudio said:

you should be fine getting to the cruise on Saturday......and then let Celebrity worry about the weather 🙂

 

I'm on this cruise also.  I could give a rip where it goes.  Although I would like to return to Tortola, only been there once.

[SeaHunt]

Check out this site for updates - Levi does a great job of explaining what is happening daily (his explanation of TS Dorian starts about the 3:30 mark):

 

https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/

 

Hopefully Dorian will just head out to sea and not affect anyone - plus my freezer is full of food (I know better in hurricane season, but somehow it still happened LOL) and I don't want to lose power!

[rakes5]

If you have used twitter, check out the Chief Meteorologist for Royal Caribbean International @ @JamesVanFleet or https://twitter.com/JamesVanFleet