Newbie questions!

[Bazody1990]

Hello everyone! Booked my first cruise last night for the end of September on the Independence of the Seas. Had some general questions I was hoping someone could help with 😁

* Most things I’ve read about sailing during hurricane season is to just keep an open mind. Would most agree with that? Or anything else I should know about cruising during hurricane season? Our cruise has 3 stops in the Bahamas. If it skips those ports and goes elsewhere I’m good with any of it. We just wanna drink and relax. We didn’t book it for the itinerary specifically. 
* We booked what I see is referred to as a “hump” balcony room. Is there any added benefits space wise or balcony wise to these types of rooms? 
*We are looking at adding the deluxe drink package just to not have to deal with any shock and awe at a final bill. Currently it’s showing for $69.99 per person/day…do they ever run specials where it gets cheaper? Or should I just go with that price. 
 

I think that may be my biggest questions for now. Very excited to try cruising! Any other newbie tips are very welcomed 😁

[Tree_skier]

While huricaine season has a chance to disrupt your itinerary it is still unlikely and I would really worry about it.  Most cruises go off without a hitch.  If it happens it happens but not something I'd be fretting.

 

The only benefit of a hump balcony is a slightly larger balcony and a little better view.

 

Yes they run sales on everything in the cruise planner.  $69 is at the high end for Independence I would think. 3 and 4 day cruises tend to have higher per day drink package prices than 7 days but I'd still look to get it closer to $60. I have a 4 day Navigator (a similar ship)  at $63 right now.  One nice thing about how royal does it is they will let you cancel and then rebook at a lower price if that becomes available.  Buy it when a price works for you and then look for it go cheaper.  If it does you cancel your original purchase and rebook. 😉 

[Surfguyxxx]

Our cruise was interrupted one time during hurricane season but it worked out fine.  The ports we were supposed to go to were just switched around to accommodate the storm.  I think day 3 was St. Maarten but it now became day 5.  We kept the same excursions but it just happened on a different day.  $70 for a drink package seems steep to me too.  Just know that you can cancel the higher priced package if you see a lower price; it just takes a little time on your part.  

[cruisegirl1]

I wouldn’t worry about hurricane season. Hurricane season starts in the summer and that is the busiest time so obviously passengers are not concerned. 
 

activity seems to ramp up in late august/early September. As noted, they will not sail into a storm but away it around it. Your itinerary can change.

 

A couple of years ago, we were sailing during hurricane Irma.  Our cruise could not return to port in Florida, and we had to remain at sea/other ports for three extra days.  Sounds great but some had work or other obligations. We knew we were going to be delayed towards the end of the original cruise and some passengers disembarked when we stopped at one of the ports. We stayed on. 

M

[BirdTravels]

While you are cruising at the peak of heart I and season, very, very, very cruises get impacted. We have cruises for many years, multiple times a year, many during hurricane season. We have only been cancelled once. And we got rerouted once on the Anthem. 
 

Be flexible if there is a storm coming. Hurricanes don’t move exceptionally fast and are somewhat predictable. If you need to fly in a day early, then airlines usually let you do that (same is true of sailing out of New England during the winter). 

[firefly333]

I must be unlucky as I've been impacted at least half a dozen times. Sept is the top of hurricane season. My car was wiped away from hurricane Ike and it was totalled. Last sept my car was in 100 mph winds in the parking lot.

 

In sept my advise is to park indoors, not in a outside open parking lot. .. just sept. The rest of the time I dont care. I've missed 1 or 2 ports ...be flexible about your ports. If you miss them just think oh well, I'm safe. Sept normally is cheaper .. so you got a deal on the price. This year people are just glad to cruise again and maybe they didnt have half a dozen cruises where they missed ports due to hurricanes. 

 

I also went out of Galveston all those times and from there it's harder to substitute other parts. 

 

I've been on more than  one cruise where barf bags came out due to high waves. Bring some over the counter sea sick meds. They cost very little and it's better to have them than not. Go and enjoy but sorry I sure think if you google it labor day in sept is considered the top of hurricane season. I'm still cruising. ..dont go with the attitude oh it wouldnt be me be flexible. I was with a newbie who planned a wedding in jamaica and missed it. She was furious.,its not a airplane getting you from here to there. Dont make plans in ports that cant be changed.

Edited March 6, 2022 by firefly333

[LeeW]

8 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

 

 

A couple of years ago, we were sailing during hurricane Irma.  Our cruise could not return to port in Florida, and we had to remain at sea/other ports for three extra days.  Sounds great but some had work or other obligations. We knew we were going to be delayed towards the end of the original cruise and some passengers disembarked when we stopped at one of the ports. We stayed on. 

M

 

Our cruise also didn't even go to the scheduled ports.  Any drink packages and internet were extended for free.  And since next cruise left 3 days late many cancelled because they couldn't get to the port.  Second cruise they refunded 50% as OBC and 50% as future credit if you sailed.  Lots of Florida folks stayed on - they didn't have power at home and were offered $400 cabins to stay.  By the time the cruise finally got into Fort Lauderdale we had around 1600 passengers onboard.  They closed one dining room and waiters only worked every other night.  Staff were allowed to see shows with guests.

[smplybcause]

8 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I must be unlucky as I've been impacted at least half a dozen times. Sept is the top of hurricane season. My car was wiped away from hurricane Ike and it was totalled. Last sept my car was in 100 mph winds in the parking lot.

 

Lol you're the opposite of me! Sept 2021 was the first time I cruised in September and didn't have a hurricane following me home. All other times 2-5 days after I got home a hurricane was hitting Florida. I had started telling people to stock up on supplies when I booked. 

[firefly333]

6 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

 

Lol you're the opposite of me! Sept 2021 was the first time I cruised in September and didn't have a hurricane following me home. All other times 2-5 days after I got home a hurricane was hitting Florida. I had started telling people to stock up on supplies when I booked. 

I was on carnival in sept and we missed not one but two ports. We had a uprising. Carnival has a higher percentage of naive newbies who knew their rights, they wanted a refund. They were calling radio stations and having meetings and marching around the ship protesting. I tried to tell some they werent due more than port fees back but they werent listening. 

 

We did finally get a free hour of drinks, but with the whole ship there I only managed to get one free drink. Security took some lawyer out of the atrium near customer service when he refused to leave and quit his protest. They wanted him away from customer service. 

 

The radio and tv stations werent there when we arrived back in Galveston. 

[SG65CB]

If you are flying to the port city you should consider flying in a day before the cruise in case weather disrupts flights. If flying in, also look into travel insurance. If Royal Caribbean cancels the cruise you will get your money back. But if the ship sails and you miss it because you can't get to the port you will be out the money for the cruise. You can purchase the insurance after you make final payment but don't do it too close to the cruise date because once a storm is named you can't get insurance coverage for it. 

[clskinsfan]

I have cruised in October over a dozen times and only missed one port. Half moon due to a Hurricane to our south making tendering unsafe. But Half Moon being missed happens quite often I am told. The rest of the years Hurricanes were almost always somewhere in the Atlantic basin and never had an effect on my cruise.