When is cruise hurricane season

If it looks like a storm is brewing, consider what to pack. If you plan to bring your laptop into port to use at a Wi-Fi cafe, pack a large plastic storage bag in case of a sudden downpour.

If cruising with kids, bring a few familiar toys, games and playing cards from home. A cruise in hurricane season can be like any other time of year, especially in the early weeks of June and July.

Or, you might end up visiting a surprise port, have more family bonding time and relax knowing that if something unforeseen arises, your travel insurance has you covered.

As an avid cook, I collect recipes along the way from ships and places. I hope my articles, reviews, news and photos entertain, advise and inspire you to try solo travel and see the world without flying. Take a breath… stop for a meal and a glass of wine along the way. It can be a wise decision because during this time, everything is cheap. But you should plan ahead as well in case something bad will happen.

No one can tell when a hurricane will come. Your email address will not be published. For over twenty-five years, I've been traveling the world without flying, by only river ships, ocean ships, road trips and trains. I hope to inspire you to travel slow, explore new places, experience different cultures and taste new cuisine. Follow my solo travel and food adventures across the USA and the world!

Spa Cabins to cruise your cares away. Comments It can be a wise decision because during this time, everything is cheap. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Become an Insider! Join Cruise Maven's mailing list for exclusive content, travel tips and unbiased reviews. To avoid storms, cruise lines sometimes will completely rework an itinerary.

A ship on an Eastern Caribbean sailing to such stops as St. Thomas and St. In some cases, a port will be dropped from an itinerary with no new port added as a replacement. The latter situation can occur when a storm is forecast to pass in between a ship and its home port around the time the vessel is scheduled to be heading home. The ship either will return to the home port early to arrive before the storm or stay out at sea to wait for the storm to pass.

In rare cases when a home port closes due to a storm, ships have been known to sail to an alternative port to drop off passengers.

In such situations, the vessels sometimes will depart on their next cruise from the alternative port. Alternately, cruises occasionally are canceled when a home port experiences disruptions related to storms. But this is very rare. The fine print in cruise contracts allows them to make such changes when they see fit. Lines also will refund the cost of any prepaid shore excursions scheduled for the missed port, and the portion of port taxes and fees associated with that port.

In the case of a shortened voyage, lines typically will offer a prorated refund for the lost days. Passengers usually still will have to pay for such onboard extras as drinks and spa treatments. When cruises are shortened or extended due to weather, cruise lines also often will aid passengers who need to change post-cruise travel plans.

They might offer free phone calls from the ship or free internet access to make it easier for passengers to call airlines and hotels to make changes. It just might be adjusted a bit. Or not, depending on the way the storm tracks over the coming days. That said, there are exceptions to the rule. When a line knows in advance that a storm will cause a significant alteration to a voyage for instance, lost days due to a delayed departure it sometimes will allow passengers to cancel for a refund or credit toward a future cruise.

This happened in when some lines delayed departures out of Florida as Hurricane Irma approached. The lines that delayed departures allowed passengers to cancel for a refund in the form of a cruise credit.

Alternately, passengers could go ahead with the shortened trips and receive a prorated refund for the missed days. Each line approaches compensation issues differently, and some are historically more generous than others in offering compensation when storm-related disruptions occur.

The responses from lines also can vary depending on the circumstances surrounding any given storm. To avoid remorse, my advice is to go into any hurricane-season booking assuming you will not be compensated for storm-caused itinerary changes and not be able to get a refund if you cancel the trip at the last minute.

At TPG , we always suggest that cruisers head to their departure ports at least a full day in advance of their sailings, just to be safe, and this is doubly important during hurricane season. Some cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve will reimburse you for at least some of the costs of trip delays, cancellations and interruptions related to severe weather if you have booked the trip on the card. The travel protection benefits provided by such cards also can reimburse you for expenses when your baggage is lost or delayed.

Just be warned that these benefits often come with a lot of fine print that can make it tough to collect in some circumstances. You also can buy separate travel insurance just for the single trip that will provide reimbursement if you experience trip delays, cancellations or interruptions. These plans also come with a lot of fine print that limits the circumstances where they are valid, and they vary widely in what they offer. Cruise lines will reroute ships by hundreds of miles to avoid tropical storms and hurricanes.

Swells from big storms can travel thousands of miles. For a full six months of the year, the Caribbean is hit by an average of six hurricanes. Cruising during hurricane season means great deals from the cruise lines, but there are some things to consider before you book:. By Thomas Faddegon Cruiseline. Know that hurricane season is fairly long. Pay attention to where the storms usually land.

Expect changes in itineraries. Get Inspired for Your Next Vacation.