BOSTON — Hundreds of passengers on the Norwegian Peal are likely unhappy after the cruise ship left Bermuda June 5, two days earlier than planned, to avoid Tropical Storm Alex.
The Pearl sailed from Boston and docked in Bermuda Sunday morning at 10 a.m. The ship headed out to sea just hours later, instead of spending nearly three days in the country.
I sailed on the Pearl the week before, spending three perfect days in Bermuda. Disembarking in Boston Friday, I luckily missed the tropical storm.
Unfortunately when it comes to traveling during hurricane season luck has a lot to do with it. I’ve been lucky. In the years I’ve traveled I’ve only really been impacted by tropical weather twice.
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This is what I experienced to help you know what to expect.
Cancellation
The most extreme thing that can happen is that both your flight and cruise will be canceled. While it’s disappointing, it is also the easiest situation to handle.
In 2017, I planed to cruise from Tampa to Cuba with a stop in Key West, but Hurricane Irma had other plans.
We canceled flights as soon as we could, assuming our cruise would simply be canceled because of the forecasted path of the hurricane. Instead we were left checking for email alerts daily, crossing our fingers that the cruise would be canceled and we wouldn’t lose all of our money.
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Luckily the cruise was eventually canceled and we were issued partial refunds and credits in the form of cruise deposits.
PROS:
If everything is just simply canceled, you’ll be given either a refund, or cruise and airfare credit. Then you can simply rebook your vacation using the credit.
CONS:
There’s a possibility that your flights will be canceled, but your cruise isn’t.
If that’s the case, it’s up to the cruise line to determine whether or not your be issued a refund or credit. It’s best to know what the company’s policy is before booking. If you’ve cruised a lot, you may still want to check with the company since some policies have changed since the pandemic began.
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If you have travel insurance, it may or may not cover your planned cruise. It will depend on the terms of the policy. You’ll want to read the fine print since insurance companies have also made changes to what is covered since the pandemic.
LESSONS LEARNED:
Read the fine print, or ask about cancelation policies before booking a cruise or airfare. Do the same before buying travel insurance.
Avoid canceling airfare, if possible, until you lean what the cruise company is planning.
Change in Itinerary
A change in itinerary is much more likely than a full cancelation when it comes to tropical weather on a cruise.
I’ve experienced this during an eastern Caribbean cruise. Instead of stopping at an island owned by the cruise line, we sailed around the storm and spent a day in Turks and Cacaos.
PROS:
The good part about this option is that the entire sailing wasn’t canceled and you are still able to take a vacation. Depending on the change, you may even like the itinerary better than the original.
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Any excursions booked for the port skipped will be refunded. Make sure this is also true if you book an excursion or tour through an independent operator.
CONS:
The disappointing part of this option is that you may not get to visit all of the ports you looked forward to seeing. it also doesn’t give you much time to scramble to try to find an excursion, however the cruise ship will offer some tours and activities, if you want to pay their prices.
LESSONS LEARNED:
If it happens, try to go with the flow and enjoy as much of the cruise as you can with the unexpected change in itinerary.
Shortened Time in Port
A cruise captain can also decide to change port times, depending on the weather. Similar to what happened to the NCL Pearl this week, a captain can decide the ship needs to leave sooner than planned causing a shorter time on land.
This can also impact excursions and tours that you may have booked prior to sailing.
Canceled Excursions
Tropical weather doesn’t just impact airfare and cruises.
I’ve also experienced a tour being canceled because a tropical storm made the water too dangerous. My money was immediately refunded.
Hotels and Resorts
Hotels and resorts have their own policies when it comes to operating during hurricanes and tropical storms. It normally depends on how close they are to the beach and how damaging the storm is expected to be when it hits the area.
You’ll want to check with the individual hotel or resort to see what its cancelation policy is, as well as it’s plan if an evacuation is needed.
While it can be stressful, and sometimes disappointing, there are also fantastic deals on vacations in Florida and the Caribbean during hurricane season.
4 thoughts on “How to Cruise During Hurricane Season”