When you cruise during hurricane season, encountering a hurricane while on the ship is a real possibility. The unpredictable nature of hurricanes means bad weather and storms can ruin your cruise vacation. So, what exactly happens if a hurricane hits while you’re on a cruise?
Cruise Itinerary Rerouting
The captain will do everything to keep you safe. Sometimes, that means rerouting your cruise itinerary, so your cruise ship stays far away from the path of the hurricane. Don’t worry, the cruise ship will change course to avoid hurricanes.
Port Cancellations
It’s common for cruise ships to cancel ports of call when there is a hurricane. Sometimes, visiting the cruise port is too dangerous, or bad weather can prevent your cruise ship from docking safely. The goal is to keep everyone on the cruise ship safe.
More Sea Days
When a cruise ship cancels a port, it often replaces it with more days at sea. This is because, most of the time, there are no safe cruise ports available nearby. Expect to spend more days at sea when there are cruise port cancellations.
Extra Day at Port
If you’re already near a safe cruise port, sometimes, you’ll luck out, and the cruise ship will spend the night at the cruise port to avoid sailing in the hurricane. This is one of the best case scenarios.
Onboard Announcements
When you’re on a cruise during a hurricane, expect to hear from the captain often over the cruise ship’s loud speaker. Your captain will provide regular updates about the hurricane, any itinerary changes, and cruise port cancellations.
Safety Protocols
If a hurricane hits while you’re on a cruise, expect the crew to implement safety protocols. These safety protocols include canceling the evening shows because the ship is too rocky for the cast to perform safely and asking passengers to stay indoors. Check out Should You Go on a Cruise During Hurricane Season? Pros and Cons
More Onboard Activities
Know that even if there is a hurricane, the cruise director will do everything possible to ensure that you still have fun indoors. This can include adding more indoor activities to making on-demand movies free. Check out 11 Mistakes People Make When Cruising During Hurricane Season
Onboard Credit
Depending on the cruise line, some will offer onboard credit as compensation for skipped cruise ports and disruptions due to the hurricane. Do know that cruise onboard credits are “Use It or Lose It.” You need to spend them all before you leave the ship. Check Out 9 Smart Ways to Spend Every Penny of Your Free Onboard Credit on a Cruise
Seasickness
Even if the captain navigates around the hurricane, hitting rough seas is often unavoidable. This will result in many cruise passengers feeling seasick. Check out Cruise without Seasickness: Genius Tricks You Need to Know