Cruising During Hurricane Season: What You Need to Think About!

Not sure whether or not you’d like to cruise during hurricane season? Well, there are a few things that you need to think about, and some of them might change your mind! Throughout this post, I’m going to tell you all about cruising at this time of the year and offer you some advice on things you may want to think about, in order to help you to make your own mind up on whether or not a cruise around this time would be right for you. Before we jump in, if you do find this post interesting or useful (I really hope you do), then please sign up to my newsletters - you can do that using the sign up links throughout as you scroll through, or click here.

What, when and where is hurricane season for the cruise industry?

The term ‘hurricane season’ refers to the time of year where the highest amount of hurricane and tropical/extreme weather activity is present.

Hurricane season refers to the months of June - November, with the ‘peak’ of the season usually falling between August and the start of November. You’re more likely to be less impacted from a cruise point of view if you plan to take your trip outside of this peak window, as this window is when the weather is at its’ most volatile.

In terms of WHERE this usually impacts, I’m talking about the Caribbean in this post. Hurricane season will affect cruises departing from Floridian ports, but also those leaving Texas, or those leaving from elsewhere that will cruise through the area during their journey. Remember - other parts of the world also experience extreme weather, but more on this in another post…

It’s important to remember that hurricane season doesn’t just impact the ships leaving Florida. For example, I took a cruise from Long Beach, California, and we were impacted when visiting Cabo (which is on the Pacific side of Mexico, and not the Atlantic!).

Now that we’ve covered what, when and where the season actually is, let’s move on to the things you’ll want to think about if you’re looking to cruise at this point in the year…

1) Safety - is it safe to cruise during hurricane season?

Coming from the UK, I didn’t even think about hurricane season before booking my first cruise right in the middle of it. I’ve taken multiple cruises at all points of the season, and (thankfully) have been very rarely impacted as a result of the weather.

If a storm or a hurricane is forecast around the time of your cruise, you’ll probably receive an update before you even board the ship. Cruise ships are experts at avoiding these storms - after all, they need to be. You’ll often find that cruise itineraries can change before they even start, as ships try their hardest to avoid the path of the storm.

Itinerary changes can happen before the cruise, but they can also happen during the cruise. I took a cruise to the Bahamas last year, where we were told the weather could change in the afternoon. We were asked to listen for the ships’ horn - if we heard the horn blowing, it was a call to us that the Captain was keen to leave early. If everyone on the island heard the call and all passengers were accounted for on the ship, we’d leave early. In the end, we didn’t actually require this action, but it was fascinating to know that’s how they work weather changes in the middle of the day!

Always remember - the most important thing on any cruise is the safety and wellbeing of both the passengers and crew, and so a cruise line isn’t going to take any unnecessary risks. If there’s a high chance of a hurricane, or a bout of bad weather ahead, you should expect changes to help keep everybody safe.

2) Are you insured? If you’re cruising during hurricane season, this is even more important than it normally is!

This one’s absolutely crucial! Without good insurance cover, you could find that you’ll not get your money back should the worst - a cancellation - occur.

Sometimes, with storms occurring in the area, it can be difficult for cruise ships to safely dock. That could mean that your vacation is extended by a day or two and you need to spend more time on the ship, but it could also mean that the ship can’t get in to start your cruise, which therefore means you need to spend more time in your embarkation city than you’d expected. This could prove to be expensive, as you’d need to suddenly pay for accommodation, meals and other expenses that you probably hadn’t budgeted for.

With good insurance cover, they’ll cover the cost of a lot of these things. Yes, you’ll sometimes need to pay a little excess to contribute towards these costs, but they’ll usually support and pay for most (if not all) of your expenses associated with this. For those on the ship for longer, this could mean missing an international flight to go home - can you imagine how much it could cost to book a flight from Miami to London a few days later due to having no insurance, and therefore being required to make a totally new booking? Even if you’re flying internally, short notice flights can be super expensive!

We’ve spoken above about the event of a significant itinerary change, but extreme weather can also cancel an entire cruise. If the ship can’t get into the dock, you won’t be able to board. In these cases, Insurance will be a huge relief, as they’ll take care of most of your costs. A no brainer for the small amount of extra you’ll pay to take out the cover, right?

Another great thing about insurance is that some insurance products will even cover things like missed ports! This means that, should a cruise port change during your itinerary (and also sometimes before the cruise, too), you can expect compensation! I’ve previously taken a cruise where I received a $250 payout from my insurer because the ship rescheduled 5 ports of call (it was a 21 night cruise - don’t worry - it' wasn’t every port on the 7-night cruise…), and now I’m totally SOLD on cruise cover!

I usually take my cruise cover from a company called ‘StaySure’. I don’t have a working relationship with this company to offer you a link direct to their site, but I’ll see if this is something I can do in the future.

Final point on insurance - always remember to buy ‘Cruise Insurance’ - this is usually a special add-on that you’ll need to purchase if you’re planning to take a cruise as part of a trip. It’s similar to the additional insurance you ‘bolt on’ to a policy to cover things like gadget cover, water sports cover, and so on… Be sure to check this is included in whichever policy you’re planning to purchase, incase you end up buying general trip insurance that doesn’t actually cover cruises!

3) WiFi - if you’re cruising during hurricane season, you might want to be connected with the outside world…

In the event of a significant change to your itinerary (for example, the ship docking a day late at the end of your cruise), it’s been known for cruise lines to offer all passengers some degree of complimentary internet in order to sort out things like their onward travel plans (think flights, arranged taxi’s, and hotels etc). However, this isn’t always the case! It’s a good idea to either think about taking a package, or simply knowing how to activate a wifi package should the need arise. If there’s a problem and everyone needs to connect, do you really want to have to spend hours waiting in line alongside everyone else who doesn’t know how to work the wifi system?

Don’t worry - it’s usually really easy, but worth thinking about!

Even if you don’t experience any major changes during your cruise, you can get real benefit from a wifi package if even just 1 port changes. Think about it - if you’re not expecting to visit somewhere, you’re not going to spend any time reading into / researching it before your trip. However, if you know today that your port tomorrow is changing, you can use the internet to find out the best things to do when you arrive, or maybe even book an excursion!

On this point, be careful about booking 3rd party excursions if you’re cruising during hurricane season. Excursions booked through the cruise line will get refunded if the ship alters course, but the ones that you book on your own often won’t!

4) Have a slightly different attitude if you’re cruising during hurricane season…

At the point of writing this article, the US has seen some pretty significant storms sweeping through the region over the past few weeks. I’ve been reading more and more reviews online, with passengers explaining how unhappy that are that their cruise itinerary got changed, and they missed out some of the ports that they were planning to visit. I even read reviews where people were complaining that there was rough weather - they seemed to be ignoring the fact a HURRICANE was hitting Florida at the time of their cruise…

In terms of mindset and attitude, it’s important that you stay positive. If things change during your cruise, try and see these changes as an opportunity to see somewhere that you weren’t expecting to see this cruise, and block out any negatives.

One thing’s for sure - the Captain won’t be making the decision to re-route your cruise ship for fun - they’ll be aware of how the weather conditions in the area are constantly changing, and they’ll be ensuring they keep everyone safe.

The onboard crew will also be well aware of how disappointing changed to a cruise itinerary can be for passengers onboard, so try and cut them some slack. At the end of the day, they’re just doing their jobs, and you’d rather be safe at sea than in potential trouble, or a situation with a high level of risk!

5) Prices - some of my best value cruises have been during hurricane season!

If you’re anything like me, you love a good deal. I often find that prices can be at their lowest during the hurricane season, probably due to all of the reasons that I’m telling you about in this article. If you’re cruising during this part of the year, be sure to shop around - I’ve personally had some brilliant deals by opting to see the Caribbean during hurricane season, and they’ve been among my best cruises to date!

Not only can cruises have a lower base fare, but you’ll sometimes find other incentives too, in order to entice people to book. For example, I’ve seen cruise lines offering an included drinks package at points, and some will also run promotions like ‘free upgrades’, where you book an interior stateroom and you’re automatically upgraded to a room with a window (or better still - sometimes you’ll be upgraded to a balcony!).

We’ve covered the cost impact on your cruise of this time of year, but it’s also often cheaper to stay on land over this period too. Yes, there’s a risk of being caught up in weather events, but you’ll often find embarkation ports (for example, Miami), will be MUCH better value during the hurricane season, as less people will be travelling due to the risk involved, and the potential to not see as much sunshine as you would at other times of the year.

The short take away here - shop around, and keep your eyes peeled for deals!

6) Arrive early, and depart late - enjoy a few extra days of vacation!

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll already have heard my advice to ensure you arrive early for your cruise. My general rule is that I aim to arrive at a cruise port at least the day before. Not only does this give me time to overcome any travel issues, but I can also sleep off/recover from jet lag during that time period prior to boarding the cruise ship!

Over the hurricane season, I’d always recommend you not only arrive early, but also think about treating yourself to a night or two in a hotel after your cruise before you fly home. This allows you to have some time relaxing on land before you return to the ‘real world’. The big benefit here is that you’re not going to be stressed if you do have weather-related alterations on your itinerary - just relax and ride it out - you don’t fly for another day or two!

7) Is this cruise taking you to bucket list ports that you may not be able to go to again? Maybe take the cruise a few months earlier/later to avoid disappointment…

Imagine the scene - you book the cruise purely to experience a specific place or port, and you find out the day before you’re due to arrive that it’s not going to be possible to dock, and the ship has to go elsewhere.

I’d be heart-broken if this happened to me. My advice here would be to think about the cruise you’re taking - if this is one that’s been on your bucket list for a while, then would it be better waiting a few months until the weather is far more reliable, or is it worth taking the risk because (for example) the cost of the cruise is so much better to go during the inclement weather?

It’s such a personal point, but personally if I’ve been looking forward to taking a cruise for a long time, I’ll try to take every precaution possible to ensure I enjoy it to the maximum, and I’ll also try to eliminate risk of disappointment too.

Thanks a lot for checking out this article today, where we’ve covered some things that you need to think about if you’re cruising during hurricane season in the Caribbean regions. If you’ve enjoyed, then please do come and support me on YouTube - just search ‘Fraser at Sea’ or click here to go straight to my channel now!

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