Hurricane Threat, what happens?

[FMCowboy]

We are all ready for our cruise on September 7th. The weather man in Tampa is saying there are 3 Tropical Waves and by Labor Day weekend and after (peak hurricane season is Sept. 10th, we leave on Sept 7th.) He said it will be very active by then because of the activity that's out there.

 

I have read before that they re-route ports of call around storms and such. But what if there is a storm in the Gulf preventing us leaving from the Tampa port, would they ever bus peopel over to Port Canaveral and leave out of there. (of course they would have had to dock there that morning on a re-route from teh prior cruise)

 

We've been looking forward to this cruise forever and I don't care if we get 7 days at sea, as long at we get on the ship and it leaves. Just wondering what circumstances would actually prevent us from going.

 

FM

[mom2girls]

Yes, if necessary they will dock at a different port and bus people to that port. The Sensation is leaving from Port Everglades today instead of Port Canaveral because of Fay.

[Earthworm Jim]

It happened to us once, we couldn't return to Tampa because of hurricane Katrina and went to Miami instead. It's a long bus ride, but i have to give Carnival credit. They were very organized and got us back to Tampa by bus in good time. If people missed their flights, they must have been early flights since I think we were there by early afternoon.

 

Keep in mind though that if there is a hurricane around flights are likely be delayed anyway, so even if you are late you might still make your flight.

[dan40]

We are all ready for our cruise on September 7th. The weather man in Tampa is saying there are 3 Tropical Waves and by Labor Day weekend and after (peak hurricane season is Sept. 10th, we leave on Sept 7th.) He said it will be very active by then because of the activity that's out there.

 

I have read before that they re-route ports of call around storms and such. But what if there is a storm in the Gulf preventing us leaving from the Tampa port, would they ever bus peopel over to Port Canaveral and leave out of there. (of course they would have had to dock there that morning on a re-route from teh prior cruise)

 

We've been looking forward to this cruise forever and I don't care if we get 7 days at sea, as long at we get on the ship and it leaves. Just wondering what circumstances would actually prevent us from going.

 

FM

 

Each hurricane is unique, so it is possible that even a day or two before a cruise, they may have to be waiting to see what the storm may do. It is just really hard to tell. The present storm FAY, is "only" a tropical storm. Normally we pay little attention to a "storm" unless it has the makings of a hurricane. Even cat. 1 hurricanes do not stir up all that much notice here. But FAY may have changed a lot of minds. Storms are nothing but FAY doesn't seem to know that and has caused havoc throughout the state and isn't done yet.

 

They will make the best arrangements they can. Using Pt. Canaveral instead of Tampa would be very unlikely. Just a guess but it has to be 700 miles around Florida from Tampa to Pt. Canaveral Depending on where the bad weather was, it could take 30 to 40 hours for a ship to go from one to the other. More likely they would go to Miami or stand off for a day. That's what happened for us in 2004. We left Miami a day late when Frances hit Miami on sailing day. When a hurricane passes thru an area, it often, almost always, leaves very calm sunny weather behind it. Digging out normally happens in bright sunshine with hardly a breeze. Like the hurricane took ALL the energy with it.

 

Dan

[mom2girls]

Each hurricane is unique, so it is possible that even a day or two before a cruise, they may have to be waiting to see what the storm may do. It is just really hard to tell. The present storm FAY, is "only" a tropical storm. Normally we pay little attention to a "storm" unless it has the makings of a hurricane. Even cat. 1 hurricanes do not stir up all that much notice here. But FAY may have changed a lot of minds. Storms are nothing but FAY doesn't seem to know that and has caused havoc throughout the state and isn't done yet.

 

They will make the best arrangements they can. Using Pt. Canaveral instead of Tampa would be very unlikely. Just a guess but it has to be 700 miles around Florida from Tampa to Pt. Canaveral Depending on where the bad weather was, it could take 30 to 40 hours for a ship to go from one to the other. More likely they would go to Miami or stand off for a day. That's what happened for us in 2004. We left Miami a day late when Frances hit Miami on sailing day. When a hurricane passes thru an area, it often, almost always, leaves very calm sunny weather behind it. Digging out normally happens in bright sunshine with hardly a breeze. Like the hurricane took ALL the energy with it.

 

Dan

 

I'm with you on taking notice of a storm. Fay has got to be the slowest moving stormin Florida history. She is definitely wreaking (sp?) havoc on the coast.

 

I agree with you on the ship being rerouted to Miami. It doesn't make sense being rerouted to PC. It could also be rerouted to Ft. Lauderdale like the Sensation was this week.

[floridacruiser63]

We are all ready for our cruise on September 7th. The weather man in Tampa is saying there are 3 Tropical Waves and by Labor Day weekend and after (peak hurricane season is Sept. 10th, we leave on Sept 7th.) He said it will be very active by then because of the activity that's out there.

 

I have read before that they re-route ports of call around storms and such. But what if there is a storm in the Gulf preventing us leaving from the Tampa port, would they ever bus peopel over to Port Canaveral and leave out of there. (of course they would have had to dock there that morning on a re-route from teh prior cruise)

 

We've been looking forward to this cruise forever and I don't care if we get 7 days at sea, as long at we get on the ship and it leaves. Just wondering what circumstances would actually prevent us from going.

 

FM

Yes, they will re-route the ship to another port, bus the passengers in and out of the port, and leave from there. It happened this week with the Sensation which had to be brought down to Port Everglades instead of Port Canaveral due to T/S Fay. This ship will now be docking in Ft. Lauderdale when it returns and moved to Pt. Canaveral for a late departure this coming weekend.

Do not worry, this happens very few times throughout Hurricane Season, the waves do not necessarily become storms and even if they do, they do not necessarily head towards Tampa. (Very, very few times they do).

Relax and have a great time on your cruise!:)

[beachbum6264]

We sailed out of Tampa and Hurricane Frances came in during our cruise. We spent an exta day in Cozumel and had an extra sea day.... turned a 7 day cruise into a 9 day for us, but the flip side was the people waiting for the next cruise. I don't remember what they were offered for the missing 2 days. It was good for us, though! (although we had to use paper napkins in the dining room the last night, plus no towel animals... hey, wait a minute, I think I deserve at least 50% off a cruise for my trouble :D )

[cruisercr]

We sailed out of Tampa and Hurricane Frances came in during our cruise. We spent an exta day in Cozumel and had an extra sea day.... turned a 7 day cruise into a 9 day for us, but the flip side was the people waiting for the next cruise. I don't remember what they were offered for the missing 2 days. It was good for us, though! (although we had to use paper napkins in the dining room the last night, plus no towel animals... hey, wait a minute, I think I deserve at least 50% off a cruise for my trouble :D )

 

Any ideas if the ship is leaving from San Juan what would happen? Could the ship possibly leave early due to waether?

[FMCowboy]

How rough are the waters in the western caribbean during the peak of hurricane season (Sept 10th timeframe). DO you notice the ship rocking more than normal?

[dan40]

Any ideas if the ship is leaving from San Juan what would happen? Could the ship possibly leave early due to waether?

 

NCL just left Miami a few hours early to avoid FAY. A dozen or so pax were left behind.

 

For our 2004 Paradise canal transit, the ship stayed out of Miami for FRANCES. The storm came thru Miami on sailing day. Paradise came in to port the next morning. The airlines were in a jumble from all the flights in to Fl being canceled the day before. We left port that afternoon with a half full ship because IVAN was spinning out in the gulf and we HAD to get out ahead of it or we wouldn't get to the canal. 14 day cruise without a single line on the ship. And a whole gang of CCer's aboard. We had a good trip, meeting each day after tea time. I'm sure Carnival gave full credit to those that didn't get to make the cruise, but it was a one of a kind repo cruise.

 

Due to IVAN in the gulf and the need to meet the canal schedule, we passed on the Aruba visit. Then, once thru the canal and in the Pacific, Hurricane JAVIER was churning ahead of us. We turned due WEST at top speed to avoid JAVIER, thus missing a couple of ports in Mexico.

So FRANCES delayed embarkation for a day.

IVAN had us going full speed thru the Gulf instead of the Caribbean.

JAVIER had us heading for China at flank speed.

And JEANNE destroyed our house 2 days after we got back from LA.

 

Years and years of cruising during hurricane season with never a problem. Then a lifetime's worth [i hope] of problems all on one cruise.

 

Dan

[Aplmac]

She is definitely wreaking (sp?) havoc on the coast.

Congratulations on your correct spelling!

Wreaking havoc is correct.

 

 

Reeking is quite another matter - usually assoc. with unpleasant odor

but I hate to think how many times I've seen reeking havoc.

Mind you..there's a certain logic to that.. :D

 

 

 

And then we have you're and your...I even saw your'e one day :rolleyes:

[mom2girls]

Congratulations on your correct spelling!

Wreaking havoc is correct.

 

 

Reeking is quite another matter - usually assoc. with unpleasant odor

but I hate to think how many times I've seen reeking havoc.

Mind you..there's a certain logic to that.. :D

 

 

 

And then we have you're and your...I even saw your'e one day :rolleyes:

 

Thanks for letting me know that I had the correct spelling. Normally, I'm a pretty good speller. But, I wasn't sure in that instance.

[dan40]

Congratulations on your correct spelling!

Wreaking havoc is correct.

 

 

Reeking is quite another matter - usually assoc. with unpleasant odor

but I hate to think how many times I've seen reeking havoc.

Mind you..there's a certain logic to that.. :D

 

 

 

And then we have you're and your...I even saw your'e one day :rolleyes:

 

 

I'm guessing that when you're typing at a high rate of speed, your'e prone to making your own errors. But that's only a guess because I've never been able to type at even a low rate of speed.

 

Dan

[Dorothy & Morty]

NCL just left Miami a few hours early to avoid FAY. A dozen or so pax were left behind.

 

For our 2004 Paradise canal transit, the ship stayed out of Miami for FRANCES. The storm came thru Miami on sailing day. Paradise came in to port the next morning. The airlines were in a jumble from all the flights in to Fl being canceled the day before. We left port that afternoon with a half full ship because IVAN was spinning out in the gulf and we HAD to get out ahead of it or we wouldn't get to the canal. 14 day cruise without a single line on the ship. And a whole gang of CCer's aboard. We had a good trip, meeting each day after tea time. I'm sure Carnival gave full credit to those that didn't get to make the cruise, but it was a one of a kind repo cruise.

 

Due to IVAN in the gulf and the need to meet the canal schedule, we passed on the Aruba visit. Then, once thru the canal and in the Pacific, Hurricane JAVIER was churning ahead of us. We turned due WEST at top speed to avoid JAVIER, thus missing a couple of ports in Mexico.

So FRANCES delayed embarkation for a day.

IVAN had us going full speed thru the Gulf instead of the Caribbean.

JAVIER had us heading for China at flank speed.

And JEANNE destroyed our house 2 days after we got back from LA.

 

Years and years of cruising during hurricane season with never a problem. Then a lifetime's worth [i hope] of problems all on one cruise.

 

Dan

A Hurricane Question about Insurance:

We live in Boynton Beach, FL. What happens if we are unable to fly to Newark to catch the Explorer in Sept? Does insurance pay if you miss the ship and airplane due to a hurricane? We're pretty sure the Explorer won't be affected, just thinking about the consequences and a bit worried.

Thanks,

Dorothy

[dan40]

A Hurricane Question about Insurance:

We live in Boynton Beach, FL. What happens if we are unable to fly to Newark to catch the Explorer in Sept? Does insurance pay if you miss the ship and airplane due to a hurricane? We're pretty sure the Explorer won't be affected, just thinking about the consequences and a bit worried.

Thanks,

Dorothy

 

Not being a smart alec here. All insurance questions of any kind, one read the policy, two, ask your agent. Insurance policies cover EXACTLY what is written in them. Not what anybody thinks they say or should cover.

 

Dan

[gkrnjlr]

How rough are the waters in the western caribbean during the peak of hurricane season (Sept 10th timeframe). DO you notice the ship rocking more than normal?

 

 

Hey there! You asked the original question I have been wondering and since we're on the same sailing I thought I'd follow your thread here!

 

I've sailed in September a few times and have never had rough waters. The only time we had rough waters was on the Fascination (once) and Celebration (once) but it wasn't even hurricane season! The Fascination just ran through a storm one night and it was rocky! But instead of trying to endure it (a lot of people got sick that night and they had "vomit bags" beside stairwells, etc.) we just went to bed. Got up the next morning and everything was back to normal.

[stevenubloom]

I know physics tells me this is true, but in your general experience do the upper decks, Lido in this case rock more than the lower decks? Or is the difference really negligible.

[Lyncruiser]

We were scheduled for a Saturday departure on Navigator of the Seas out of Miami when Hurricane Jeanne was churning toward Florida. They closed the port of Miami late on Friday. RCCL could not get the ship into port. It remained at sea, along with lots of other ships. The people on board got an extra 2 days aboard ship.

 

We, however, were stuck in Miami waiting for the category 4 hurricane to hit. Not fun, let me tell you. We were at a South Beach hotel on the waterfront. We arrived on Friday (we always fly in a day in advance!). All day Friday we checked in with RCCL and our travel agent. RCCL told us, "Don't worry, the ship is on schedule to depart Saturday at 5 p.m." So, we went ahead and flew to Miami on Friday from the West Coast. It wasn't until after we arrived in Miami that RCCL finally announced around 5 p.m. that Navigator would be delayed one day and have a Sunday night 9 p.m. departure.

 

It was at this point that RCCL finally offered a re-booking option. Too late for us. We'd just flown 10 people from the West Coast. We had trip insurance. I called them to see if we could fly home before the hurricane hit -- and rebook for another time. All I needed from the trip insurer was for them to pay airfare for us to go another time (we couldn't eat $5,000 in airfare). Answer from the insurer, "No way. You've used 1/2 your air tickets and we won't do anything for you. You fly home now and re-book, you are on your own to pay for your own airfare to get to the port at another time." So much for trip insurance.

 

And, too bad RCCL didn't offer a rebooking option until around 5:00 p.m. on Friday -- after anyone coming from anywhere other than Florida very likely was already in Miami. To make matters worse, our family group included my elderly parents and my 4 month old niece. I felt like I had just flow them across the country and into the path of a Category 4 hurricane -- which I had.

 

We hunkered down in our South Beach Hotel. We didn't know if the authorities would let us stay there or if we'd need to evacuate inland. We got on the phone and found two of the last inland hotel rooms in Miami, in case we needed them. (I had visions of my parents and the baby being evacuated to a public building somewhere. Note that this was before Hurricane Katrina. I had no idea how bad that situation could get.)

 

We later learned that many stranded Navigator passengers arriving at the port by car were unable to get hotel rooms and ended up actually sleeping in their cars the night the hurricane hit. Very dangerous, but what choice did they have?

 

On Saturday, we learned that the storm would veer slightly away from Miami -- enough that we didn't have to leave our hotel due to a possible storm surge. Fortunately, our hotel wasn't fully booked and was able to accommodate us for Saturday night.

 

It was only on Saturday night that RCCL finally announced that the ship would not be leaving on Sunday night. They posted on the web site that it would actually leave at 9 p.m. Monday night, sailing a very modified itinerary. Instead of the Eastern Caribbean ports we like, we went to Jamaica, which we don't like, and Labadee, which we do. We had to scramble to change shore excursions, etc., when we got on board. Our travel insurance did reimburse us for some of our hotel and food expenses due to the delay in the Navigator's departure.

 

RCCL gave us, if I recall correctly, a $500 on-board credit per cabin in compensation for the delay. This was of more value to the people in two person cabins than for us. We had people in four person cabins. We also had six people in a family oceanview. But, it was still a nice gesture and we appreciated it.

 

RCCL also gave us a certificate toward 25% off another 7-day cruise within one year. It's hard to put a value on that certificate, really, and we ended up finding a better rate for our cruise the following year than the one available with the 25% certificate. So we never used it.

 

What was the worst part of this experience? Flying my elderly parents and baby niece straight into the path of a category 4 hurricane. It was very scary. We didn't know if there would be a blackout. I ran to a nearby Walgreens on Saturday morning and stocked up on all kinds of bottled water and food to last our large group for at least two days and perhaps more, in the event of power outages, floods, etc., and no ability for the hotel to get any food deliveries. And, this was all pre-Katrina. I now shudder to think of the situation we were all in. It worked out fine, but mainly because the storm veered slightly away from Miami at the last minute. We still spent a sleepless Saturday night with rain and wind battering our 1940's-era shorefront hotel and whipping up the sea just beyond our hotel.

 

What bugs me the most? When people on these boards who have never been through it declare, "Don't worry, the worst that can happen is the ship will just steer clear of the storm, or you'll get a couple of extra days on board!"

 

No, the ship may not make it into shore. And, you may be on land -- not on the ship. They keep the ships far away from the port when a hurricane is approaching, understandably. But, you may well find yourself flying straight into a hurricane, with all that implies.

 

Since that time, I've noticed that RCCL seems to have improved in its storm management. I've seen re-booking offers being posted before people have had to make the difficult decision as to whether to get on the plane or not. We didn't have that option. With assurances from RCCL that the ship would go on time, we didn't have the choice not to board the plane and fly to Miami. Had we stayed home, and had the ship gotten into port, exchanged passengers and gotten back out to sea before the storm hit (which it had managed to do a couple of weeks prior), we'd have been out the $10,000 price of our cruise! We were literally between a rock and a hard place!

 

I post my experience because "to be fore-warned is to be fore-armed". Good luck to everyone traveling during hurricane season this year.

[Cruisenouvelle]

Lyncruiser... WOW !! What a mess. I'm sorry you had to endure that, but also glad everyone came through okay.

It seems sometimes that some of us (especially we Floridians) have a cavalier attitude about 'canes... but believe me, we respect them. It's like the boy that cried wolf - when a 'cane finally looks like it's coming, THEN we buy supplies and hunker down (what a term).

[gkrnjlr]

Yikes, Lynncruiser! That's an eyeopener.

 

I'm glad everything turned out okay but that's HORRIBLE that you went through that....... did you eventually sail on that delayed cruise? Or just go home to calm the nerves?

[Lyncruiser]

We went on the shortened cruise and had a nice time. And, we've cruised several times since!

 

I simply noticed questions in this thread about "what happens if" and thought my story would answer some of those questions.

 

Again -- all the best to those traveling in the next month or so! It's iffy, but usually works out!

[gkrnjlr]

It's good that you were able to go! AND yes, I am full of what ifs....and your post definitely answered some questions!

 

Thanks!

[floridacruiser63]

What bugs me the most? When people on these boards who have never been through it declare, "Don't worry, the worst that can happen is the ship will just steer clear of the storm, or you'll get a couple of extra days on board!"

 

No, the ship may not make it into shore. And, you may be on land -- not on the ship. They keep the ships far away from the port when a hurricane is approaching, understandably. But, you may well find yourself flying straight into a hurricane, with all that implies.

 

Hi,

 

I am very sorry you had to go through that horrible experience.

When a South Florida resident tells people on this board "please do not worry", we do not mean to offend anyone or to take things lightly. All we do is try to keep people a bit calmer, as the storms are truly umpredictable and, if you look at Gustav, the path it showed on Monday is no where near the one it reflects today. Living in Miami most of my life, believe me out of every ten storms pointed towards us at the start of their path, maybe one will actually hit the area. (Hopefully not even that "maybe" one I mentioned).

[DixieSV]

What bugs me the most? When people on these boards who have never been through it declare, "Don't worry, the worst that can happen is the ship will just steer clear of the storm, or you'll get a couple of extra days on board!"

 

No, the ship may not make it into shore. And, you may be on land -- not on the ship. They keep the ships far away from the port when a hurricane is approaching, understandably. But, you may well find yourself flying straight into a hurricane, with all that implies.

 

 

Exactly! The Carnival representative I just called to inquire about my cruise (leaving Mobile on Sept. 1, the same day Gustav is supposed to HIT), gave me the same canned response. I said "I understand that, HOWEVER, what if we cannot depart due to the hurricane, or what about the people trying to GET there while New Orleans is being evacuated (the original port was New Orleans, so Carnival is shuttling people from the airport)

 

Give me a real answer! I was so aggravated with that representative, because they give saying the same things, and not answering the question.

[wrp96]

Give me a real answer! I was so aggravated with that representative, because they give saying the same things, and not answering the question.

 

They can't give you an answer until they know themselves. Anything they told you other than at this time this is what is currently scheduled would only be speculation.