Cruise in Sept. or Oct?

[Lynne79]

DH and I are looking into taking our first cruise. We'd like to go to the Caribbean, likely the western itinerary, and we would like to go this fall. We knoe that hurricane season is from April to November and could cause missed ports, changed ports, or mass catastrophe. We're willing to risk it. And yes, we'll invest in good travel insurance not through the cruise line.

 

However, we'd like to minimize the risk if possible. Does anyone know, on average, how many hurricanes/storms have been in that area in Sept. How about Oct.

 

We're looking at two itineraries mainly. One goes to Grand Cayman, Labadee, Jamaica and Cozumel. The other goes to Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras and Cozumel.

 

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!

[tomc]

There is only one Person who can answer that, and I'm not planning on meeting Him for a while. Actually, I'm booking a trip at that time to the southern Caribbean because I'd like a little action. I was brought up on boats and having smooth cruises most of the time is getting a bit tiring. I'd like a little water over the bow.

[lv2crooz2]

Hi Lynne, I can't tell you how many hurricanes to expect during those months but I can tell you that tons of ships go out during that time. A few things can happen........your cruise can be cut short.........your cruise can be extended a bit............you can change itineraries, ports, and sea days. We had to switch from a Western to Eastern thanks to Ivan. When we arrived in St. Maarten, Jeanne was on her way:eek: and we headed North. Missed St. Thomas and got Nassau instead! We had a wonderful cruise, awesome food, great shows, calm seas, and super company :D ! Pack a good attitude, throw in some flexibility, and keep a sense of humor in your carry-on!! Whatever month you choose-you'll be cruisin', right???? P.S. we Floridians like folks who are weary of cruising during 'cane season-we get better deals that way;) (Just kidding)

[Lynne79]

I think I answered my own question. In case anyone also needs this info and searches for this thread, here is a website I found.

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastprofile.shtml

 

I lists the average number of storms per month over the past 100 years and had maps showing where they are most likely.

 

Thank you all. An yes, we do know and are prepared for port changes, ports dropped, etc. etc.

[PurpleCow]

August and September are generally the most active hurricane months.

[momsoftwins]

dear lynne.... i will give you my 2 cents in this topic...GO FOR IT!!!!!

i have sailed during hurricane season and i have had no problems. my thinking is this....carnival or rcl or any cruise line for that matter is not going to put a million dollar plus ship thru a hurricane (if they can help it) so if you are willing to be cool with any port changes or more than normally sea days i think you should just DO IT. well thats my thinking. enjoy your cruise no matter what season it is. by the way you can sometimes find good deals (price wise) at this time of the season too

[sportsterjohn]

I book during hurricane season although I only do it because I have a bit of flexability in my schedule. We booked a cruise in Oct 2003 and Aug 2004 and both went off without a hitch. We booked for Sep 2005 and Katrinia blew through. We could have went on the cruise but they moved the home port from N.O. To Galveston, we didn't want to spend 2 days driving instead of one. We ended up cancelling and then rebooking a different cruise in Nov. Had we not had a bit of flexability, we would have had incurred extra driving and hotel expenses and of course more vacation time from work. If you are in a position where you can be flexable, I would go for it. If you vacation time is locked in once you schedule it, you may consider avoiding sep / oct.

[Cotton]

It really doesn't matter what the statistics show.... A hurricane or tropical storm can develop at any time, and nobody can predict any exact storm.

Most of my cruises have been in early September, as that's my favorite time of the year to cruise. I take my chances.

 

BTW, the official hurricane season is June 1 - November 30 every year.

[GCurry]

"Flexible" is a good word if you choose to try your luck against the storms. We've seen New Orleans ships waiting in Galveston for the storm to pass which makes many people miss flights.

We don't Caribbean cruise then for two reasons, one, by Sep. we have been hot and humid for months, and don't want to go where it's hotter and more humid, and two, we need to be available to evacuate our home in case the storm has our number. Rita comes to mind.

 

That being said, we leave for Hawaii the 27th for 10 days on the Wind.

[Jus10mom]

We cruised in Sept 04 with Hurr. Ivan a day behind us. Everyone at home was worried sick but we never felt a thing. THEN last Oct were cancelled due to Katrina! We rebooked for THIS October and are taking our chances. Prices are lower and the kids are on fall break. Just cross your fingers and book away! :)