Attn: dcdiva

[tiffyms02]

Hi! I am getting married on 9/2/06, and was looking at taking the Mariner of the Seas on 9/3 for our honeymoon. I was browsing through these threads and I noticed that you took the Mariner around the same time last year. My biggest question for you-did hurricanes interfere at all? I personally wouldn't mind if we missed any of our ports of call, however it would not be good for me at all if we had to debark the ship late. (I am a teacher, and they are already going to give me a problem for asking off for 4 days) What do you think the chances of that happening are like? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated! I'm assuming your cruise left out of Port Canaveral too.

[dcdiva]

We've cruised twice during hurricane season with no problem, and I've taken half a dozen other caribbean vacations during hurricane seasons. I have never had a serious problem. That being said, you need to know that it's a roll of the dice. The two weeks before our Mariner cruise last year, Katrina was messing up cruises in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf.

 

On the upside, it a hurricane hits the island you've chosen, you are stuck. A cruise ship can simply go where the bad weather isn't. My next cruise is schedule for Sept 3 -- this time on the Freedom. We may or may not have weather problems, but we are willing to take the risk.

 

Another thing is that cruising in the winter (at least for those of who live up north) can also be risky. The weekend before and after my wedding cruise saw major snow and ice storms that grounded and delayed flights across the norhteast. Lots of folks missed thier cruises because of delayed and cancelled flights.

 

My advice, book the cruise you want at the time it's most convenient for you and hope for the best.

 

We also really enjoyed sailing out of Port Canaveral. I was kind of surprised. But the trip from Orlando is really quick and it all just seemed less frantic than the scene at Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.

[tiffyms02]

Thanks so much for sharing! That will definitely help in our planning.