what if my cruise is cancelled due to hurricane
The Caribbean is ane of the world'due south about pop cruise destinations. Unfortunately, information technology's too where many of the world's hurricanes happen.
So what happens if your prowl is due to canvas the same path as a hurricane? Tin cruise ships handle hurricanes? And what happens if your cruise is cancelled?
I was recently due to sail on Royal Caribbean area's cruise transport Navigator of the Seas, but was forced to abolish my prowl due to Hurricane Dorian.
I have closely followed the advice given by prowl lines, government bodies and weather centres and have written this guide to cruising during a hurricane to aid anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation, finding their prowl affected by a hurricane
Are cruise ships safe in a hurricane?
The virtually important matter for anyone to consider during a hurricane is, undoubtedly, prophylactic. Many people wonder if a cruise ship can withstand being hit by a hurricane. Only honestly, it is extremely unlikely that that would ever happen. The tactic taken by cruise ships during a hurricane is to avert the hurricane by sailing out of its path.
In fact, a cruise ship is one of the safest places to be during a hurricane, every bit they tin can easily sail into safety. According to Unidata, the boilerplate frontward speed of a hurricane is 15-20mph. The average speed of a cruise ship is 23 mph, with maximum speeds reaching 34 mph. Weather forecasters have noesis of where a hurricane is heading up to a week before it gets there. This gives cruise ships ample time to move out of the path and into calmer waters.
Where to detect the latest updates on how cruises are affected past hurricanes
If your prowl vacation is affected by a hurricane, your cruise line will give yous information about what to practise. If you're already on board when the news comes in of a hurricane, the captain volition advise passengers over the public accost organisation, via written correspondence in your stateroom and via your stateroom television set. If y'all accept any questions, you lot should head to the guest services desk-bound and enquire.
If you oasis't yet sailed when a hurricane is announced, you will be advised by e-mail if your cruise is affected, although yous may also be able to gather information from other sources to aid you with your planning.
Twitter is an excellent resources for getting the latest data about hurricanes from trusted sources. As well as post-obit what your prowl line is advising, you can also follow meteorologists, such as James Van Fleet who is the chief meteorologist for Royal Caribbean, likewise as accounts such as the National Hurricane Center.
Flights and other modes of transport are also afflicted by hurricanes. Notwithstanding, where a cruise itinerary may be rescheduled days in advance, the fourth dimension frame for cancelling flights is ofttimes much shorter. Hurricanes tin can exist unpredictable, and flights may show as scheduled until it is admittedly certain that they need to be cancelled.
How are prowl itineraries usually affected by hurricanes?
Cruises are very rarely cancelled due to hurricanes, but they tin take itinerary changes and could be made shorter, or longer in elapsing.
In most cases, if a prowl is set to sail near a hurricane, it will simply be diverted to visit different ports of call, or you may skip a port altogether and have an extra sea day.
If the hurricane is due to hit a departure port, the port will close and cruise ships will stay away from the port until information technology is safe to dock. This means that passengers on the send volition stay on board for longer, usually having an extra 1, two or three nights on board. Even so, this means that the cruise is and then delayed for the next passengers, pregnant that their cruise will be shortened by the same length of time.
If cruises are delayed or extended earlier departure, passengers should be given the option to abolish their cruise.
What to do if your cruise is afflicted by a hurricane
Before doing annihilation, you should wait for an e-mail from your cruise line advising you of how your cruise is affected, what they are offering and what they recommend you lot to practise.
I was advised that my prowl on Navigator of the Seas would be delayed and shortened from a four-night sailing to a two-night sailing. I was given the option of standing with the cruise or cancelling.
If you have booked your prowl direct with the cruise line, y'all should contact them to permit them know how y'all wish to go along. You don't need to rush to do this. If you don't respond and don't make it at the port, y'all will likely exist marked as a no-show and treated the aforementioned as a cancellation.
If you have booked your cruise with a travel amanuensis, call them and they will sort everything out for you.
I'm really glad that I booked my prowl with a travel agent. The travel amanuensis cancelled my cruise, my flights and my hotel booking on my behalf. Considering I booked it as a package holiday, the ATOL scheme in the U.k. meant that I would not lose any money on the flights or hotel that I had booked
If you book your cruise, flights and hotel independently yourself, you would not necessarily be entitled to a refund on all three elements and would have to call each visitor yourself.
How are passengers compensated for cruise changes due to a hurricane?
Each cruise line has a hurricane policy and they will propose passengers about any compensation due.
In my case, the counterfoil of my cruise meant that Royal Caribbean gave me a credit to apply towards a future prowl in the side by side 12 months. They likewise refunded my drinks parcel, wifi and shore excursions.
For cruises that are shortened, passengers are refunded pro-rata for the days which they miss. They may also exist given future cruise credit as a gesture of goodwill.
For Regal Caribbean cruises which are extended, no accuse is made, and extras such as drinks packages, dining packages or WiFi packages will also be extended costless of charge. This policy may vary by the prowl line.
For itinerary changes such as alternative ports or missed ports, no compensation is normally offered, as the prowl line reserves the right to modify itineraries every bit needed.
Practise prowl lines offer refunds for hurricanes?
The refund policy is downwards to each cruise line. Presently, Majestic Caribbean is offer refunds in the form of future cruise credit only. This takes effectually three weeks to be processed, but information technology is valid for up to a year after the issue.
Advice for cruising in hurricane flavor
Hurricane flavour in the Caribbean officially runs from 1st June to 30th Nov, with the about hurricanes happening in August and September. Even though I had to cancel my cruise due to Hurricane Dorian, information technology would non put me off choosing to cruise in hurricane season again.
There are some great deals to exist had on cruises at this time of twelvemonth, and, as information technology coincides with schoolhouse summer holidays in the Great britain, it is generally a convenient time for families to cruise in the Caribbean.
Although in that location is certainly the possibility for disruption, the vast bulk of cruises during hurricane season won't be affected by whatsoever more than a few brusque showers.
Be flexible
If you're considering cruising in hurricane season, it'southward important to be flexible. If y'all're planning a cruise for a special occasion such as a wedding, honeymoon, anniversary or you have your middle set on visiting a certain port, then you should probably consider sailing at a different time of year. However, if you're happy to have itinerary changes, and want great value for money, and then a cruise in hurricane season is certainly worth because.
Get good travel insurance
Information technology'south always advisable to take out travel insurance for any prowl, merely, if you plan to cruise during hurricane season, information technology'south very important that y'all check your policy advisedly.
Some travel insurance doesn't cover cruises at all, so the start thing to check is that your policy includes 'cruise cover'. And then you'll want to check that hurricanes and other natural disasters are non excluded.
Adjacent, take a expect at how much you're covered for and what the backlog is. Cruises can exist expensive and some cheaper travel insurance policies have a relatively low limit on how much will exist covered.
Some travel insurance policies offer cover for missed ports only cheque this carefully. If you're only offered £25 per missed port, simply your excess is £100, and then this isn't actually worth anything.
Finally, y'all must get your travel insurance as presently every bit you volume your cruise (or a year before you sail, whichever is sooner). If you lot wait until the last minute to buy your insurance and a hurricane is named before you buy information technology, yous won't be covered.
Book with a travel agent
I am so glad that I booked my cruise with a good travel agent. They sorted everything out for me and gave me a full refund on my hotel and flights as well as my prowl. If I had booked everything myself and my prowl was cancelled but flights weren't, I would have had to pay for the flights or endeavor to claim on travel insurance
Summary
I hope this article has helped anyone whose cruise has been affected by a hurricane or who is concerned near cruising in hurricane season. This is just my feel of having a prowl booked with Royal Caribbean during Hurricane Dorian. Other cruise lines and other hurricanes may be slightly different.
Have you e'er taken a cruise that was affected by a hurricane? Allow me know, in the comments below, what your experiences were. And if you take any questions, please ask and if I don't know I'll practice my best to detect the answers.
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You're welcome to share this guide with your friends if you think it may help them too.
Source: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/how-hurricanes-can-affect-cruises/
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