Any traveler who has experienced bad weather when on vacation knows how fast that great vacation can turn into a completely forgettable experience. While land based travelers can choose to perform alternative activities that include staying indoors, folks who choose the open seas on a cruise ship are generally not as lucky. Even though much of the East Coast still cleaning up damage and debris from Hurricane Irene, cruise lines have their own interesting way of dealing with hurricanes.
The first question that pops into many travelers' heads is: Why book a cruise during hurricane season? Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, which includes a large chunk of the summer months. Plus, cruise lines tend to offer some great deals during this time period. The math really adds up, great deals, kids out of school, plus a tropical climate, equals a great time to be had by all.
Putting off a cruise because of hurricane season is completely understandable, but probably unnecessary. Cruise ships are equipped with top-of-the-line systems allowing them to detect bad weather, which allows ships to stay one step ahead of the storm. Sure, choppy seas are a possibility, but cruise lines avoid storms rather than head right into them.
One major possibility associated with cruising during storm season is a change of ports. While cruise ships obviously move, islands and ports are not so lucky. Cruise lines have the ability to head to a region not being affected by bad weather or even spend an extra day at sea. However, bad weather that is moving fast can result in passengers being left behind, but they usually catch back up to the ship in short order.
While hurricanes may are able to inflict a lot of damage to private islands, cruise lines are able to outmaneuver the storms. Some headaches can be expected, but for the most part cruising during hurricane season is not any different than the rest of the year-except maybe cheaper.
In short, while some logistical problems are possible, they are usually not something that a good cruise line or travel agent cannot work around. When passengers are on the ship rain can turn into sunshine rather quickly, which is something ground based passengers can long for.
Jason Gallagher is a former travel professional with a decade of experience in the industry. He remains an avid traveler and hotel fan with exposure to technology and trends in properties across the United States.
