Are you going on a cruise during hurricane season? Be prepared for the possibility of stormy, rainy weather and rough seas. To make your cruise vacation as comfortable as possible, here are cruise tips to consider when going on a cruise during hurricane season.
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Tips for Going on a Cruise During Hurricane Season
Mid-Ship
When you go on a cruise during hurricane season, be smart and book a mid-ship cabin. The mid-ship is the most stable part of the cruise ship, so you’ll feel less impact from rough seas.
Bigger Cruise Ship with Stabilizers
When planning a cruise during hurricane season, it’s important to know that not all cruise ships handle rough seas in the same way. Larger, newer cruise ships with advanced stabilizing technology offer a more stable experience, minimizing the impact of rough seas.
On the other hand, older, smaller cruise ships are more susceptible to the effects of rough seas, resulting in a less stable and potentially rougher ride. So, if you’re prone to seasickness, stick to cruises on larger and newer cruise ships!
Onboard Activities
Another thing to consider when you’re cruising during hurricane season is the onboard activities on the cruise ship. Be prepared for the possibility of being rained out and needing to stay indoors.
That’s why it’s smart to choose a cruise ship with a wide variety of indoor activities to keep you entertained. If you’re traveling with kids, choose a cruise ship that has plenty of indoor activities such as bumper cars, indoor ice skating, indoor sports courts, an indoor pool, and even a bowling alley.
For adults, look for cruise ships that have a thermal suite where you can spend the day relaxing indoors in the hot tub and sauna. An adults-only indoor pool is also a big plus on rainy days!
Bigger Cabins
When you’re cruising during hurricane season, you might spend more time in your stateroom because of rainy weather.
Therefore, it’s more important than ever to make sure that your stateroom is comfortable. Booking a larger, more spacious stateroom could be worth the extra cost, especially if you’re traveling with kids.
Instead of booking one cabin for four people, you might want to book two adjoining cabins, which will give more space for everyone. Or you might want to upgrade to a suite!
Plan Childcare
Another thing to consider when going on a cruise during hurricane season is to plan for childcare in case of a worst-case scenario. Imagine becoming seasick and unable to care for your children—having a backup plan is essential.
I speak from personal experience. I once went on a cruise during hurricane season with my toddler daughter. Fortunately, I went on the cruise with my parents. However, my mom and I got so seasick that we couldn’t function.
I literally could not look after my daughter, and the worst part was that she was too young to join the kids’ club. Thankfully, my father was unaffected by the rough seas and was able to care for my daughter the entire time we were seasick.
So if you’re cruising with kids, you need to plan for the worst-case scenario. Even if your children are old enough to go to the kids’ club, there are too many breaks in between when you have to pick up your kids for lunch and dinner.
If you were to fall severely seasick, you might not even be well enough to perform simple tasks like picking up your child from the kids’ club and taking them to the buffet for lunch. You need someone else to do that for you!
That’s why, when cruising with children, it’s important to consider bringing along a support person to help you out in case you become extremely seasick. Preferable someone who is not prone to seasickness!
Don’t Book Shore Excursions
One thing you shouldn’t do when you go on a cruise during hurricane season is to book shore excursions that are non-refundable. When you cruise during hurricane season, there is a high chance that you will not even make it to the port of call because of last minute cruise ship rerouting to avoid the storm.
When that happens, if you have booked a shore excursion you can’t cancel, you will be stuck paying for it even if you don’t reach the port of call.
Your safest bet is to book shore excursions through the cruise line. If your cruise ship is rerouted and you miss the cruise port, the cruise line will give you a refund or find you another shore excursion at the new port.
However, always review the fine print to confirm the cancellation policy. Some cruise shore excursions take place rain or shine as long as the cruise ship arrives at the port. You might not want to go on a shore excursion in dreary weather!
My suggestion is to book your shore excursions at the last minute. You don’t want to be stuck with non-refundable shore excursions!
Buy Travel Insurance
Always buy travel insurance when you’re going on a cruise during hurricane season. It’s a risky move if you don’t since a lot can go wrong during hurricane season.
Even in the event of a hurricane, it’s rare for cruises to be canceled. Instead, they usually change the route so that the ship sails in calmer waters, or there may be a delay.
This means you can’t simply cancel your cruise due to fear of a hurricane and expect to be reimbursed. The best course of action is to upgrade to a travel insurance policy with “Cancel for Any Reason” coverage (CFAR)- you can cancel your cruise and get reimbursed for any reason before your trip. That means, even if you become nervous about sailing in rough seas, you can cancel it!
But keep in mind that CFAR coverage is typically 40% more expensive than the standard travel insurance premium. But for me, the peace of mind it offers is worth the extra cost.
Remember that you need to buy your travel insurance early, usually within two weeks after booking, since you can’t buy it when you hear about an approaching hurricane. By that time, it will be too late to purchase travel insurance. Need travel insurance? You can get travel insurance quote here; they even cover Canadians.
Anti-Seasickness meds
You need to be ready with anti-seasickness medication when you go on a cruise during hurricane season. You can’t rely on the cruise ship to provide free anti-seasick meds because I’ve noticed that they don’t do this much anymore, probably to cut costs.
It’s best to bring your own just to be safe. Also, if you are cruising with kids, make sure to bring anti-seasick medication that is formulated for kids and is chewable in case they can’t swallow pills!
I recommend taking your anti-seasickness medication when you anticipate rough seas. Rough seas often happen during at sea days, especially when your cruise ship is sailing on the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s important to take the anti-seasickness medication early rather than waiting until you’re already feeling seasick since it takes a while to take effect. The key is to prevent seasickness from happening in the first place. The last thing you want is to get caught in a downward spiral of seasickness that you can’t get out of! Check out: Cruise without Seasickness: Genius Tricks You Need to Know
Cruise Essentials
Cruise Lanyard
Bring cruise lanyards; to make your life easier so you are not constantly looking for your cruise card!
Towel Bands
Towel bands are great in keeping your beach towels in place! So, they are slipping off the pool lounge chairs!
Power Strip
Definitely bring a cruise-approved power strip so you have more outlets for charging your devices. Cruise cabins never have enough outlets!
Packing Cubes
Make cruise packing easier by using packing cubes. These cubes will help keep your clothes organized. And unpacking is easy because you just need to take them out of your luggage and put them in the drawers and shelves- so easy! Assign a color for each person in your cabin so you are not getting your cubes mixed up.
Luggage Tags
For safety, make sure every luggage and bags are labeled with a luggage tag. I like these custom luggage tags that you can order and personalize with your information.
Magnetic Hooks
Bring magnetic hooks to organize your cabin and keep it clutter-free. These hooks are for hanging baseball caps, cruise lanyards, goggles, bathing suits and towels.
Detergent Travel Packets
These detergent travel packets are great for handwashing bathing suits in the sink.
Anti-Seasickness
This anti-seasickness medicine is a go-to to combat seasickness on a cruise. If you have kids, make sure you bring the chewable version. If you are looking for a natural solution, try these acupressure bands.
Hanging Toiletry Bag
Cruise cabin sinks are notoriously small. Get a hanging toiletry bag to make it easier!
Cruise Travel Planner Printable
Get our 25 page cruise travel planner to stay organized before and during your cruise. It includes pre-cruise and post-cruise itineraries, a cruise port planner, sea days planner, packing lists, cruise budget tracker and more!
Check out these free cruise printables
I took a Cruise During Hurricane Season, This is What It’s Really Like
10 Foolish Mistakes that Can Get You Kicked Off the Cruise Ship Immediately
10 Cruise Private Island Mistakes You’ll Regret Making
14 Important Things to Do on Cruise Disembarkation (Free Checklist)