How often are cruises cancelled due to hurricanes?

Because cruise ships can move around bad weather, full cancellations are rare. But they can and do happen. Cruise lines are loath to cancel sailings and try to wait as long as possible before making a decision, while still trying to give passengers enough lead time to make alternate plans if necessary.



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The tactic taken by cruise ships during a hurricane is to avoid the hurricane by sailing out of its path. In fact, a cruise ship is one of the safest places to be during a hurricane, as they can easily sail into safety. According to Unidata, the average forward speed of a hurricane is 15-20mph.

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On a cruise ship, captains can sail out of the way—and quickly.” So, yes, it is safe to cruise during hurricane season. And here's why. Cruise lines are constantly monitoring the weather, even outside of hurricane season.

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Though your itinerary may change, cruises are rarely canceled due to storms. Ships are designed to handle rough seas and can be rerouted to avoid danger. Once you're on board, any port updates will be announced over the ship's intercom or detailed in a notice delivered to your stateroom.

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Wet season and dry season are both good times to cruise the Caribbean. The worst time for a Caribbean cruise weather-wise is August to September, as it is peak hurricane season.

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How did they avoid calamity? Today's modern cruise ships are built to withstand storms, avoid them, and even outrun them. Cruise companies follow the weather very carefully, changing itineraries, canceling sailings, and working hard to keep passengers and crew out of harm's way.

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In such cases, cruise lines have two options: head to a different port up or down the coast to disembark passengers or remain at sea until the ship's home port reopens.

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If a storm is threatening the area a ship was scheduled to sail to, cruise lines will reroute the ships if the forecast is severe enough. While cruise ships can typically outrun most storms, passengers may still experience rough seas as their ship skirts the edges of a weather system.

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  • Expect Rougher Caribbean Seas in the North and East. ...
  • Alaska Cruises Can Be Bumpy in the Gulf of Alaska. ...
  • Bermuda and the Bahamas Are a Bit Less Sheltered Than the Caribbean. ...
  • The Drake Passage on the Way to Antarctica Is Notoriously Intense. ...
  • You'll Find Some Rough Waters in the South China Sea and Elsewhere. ...
  • Australia. ...
  • Africa.


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What month should you avoid in the Caribbean? Due to the risk of hurricanes, September and October are the months when it is wise to avoid the Caribbean.

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When travelers think of safe islands to visit during hurricane season, the “ABC Islands” of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao often come to mind. Of the three, Aruba is the best option for points travelers.

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According to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), hurricane season in the Caribbean runs from June 1 through November 30 and normally peaks in August and September. The Caribbean region is a part of the Atlantic hurricane season, which also impacts Florida and other parts of the coastal southern United States.

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Issues: Ocean crossings always encounter the roughest waters because there are no nearby landmasses to provide shelter. Avoid: The winter months are the most intense, with transatlantic cruises hitting very rough seas from November through February and Pacific cruises from February through April.

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According to a recent report from research firm G.P. Wild, each year an average of 10 people die and 60 more are injured on a cruise as a result of so-called “operational incidents,” which are basically...

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From hurricanes to wildfires, catastrophic weather and natural disasters are understandably able to alter and even cancel cruise itineraries. Cruise lines know this and try to place their ships in destinations where the weather is less likely to affect the itinerary, but avoiding inclement weather is never guaranteed.

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“The safest place for a ship is out to sea and as far away from the storm as possible.” Ships are built with hardened steel, but if left tied up to the dock, they can be easily damaged as waves push them against concrete pilings. If a ship were to break loose from the dock, it would turn into a floating wrecking ball.

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Cruise ships move about twice as fast as the storms themselves, so the vessels can either outrun the storms or simply go around storm cells. If you're worried about your cruise being canceled, you can rest assured that that's highly unlikely.

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You're always free to cancel your cruise before the cruise line does, but in most cases, you will lose the full price you paid for the cruise (minus port fees). In instance of extremely severe storms (like hurricanes), cruise lines will typically allow passengers to cancel without penalty.

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What happens when someone goes overboard on a cruise ship? The ship goes into emergency mode. The bridge will contact the Coast Guard and a search will begin. The ship will stop and the crew will try to pinpoint where and when it happened so they can start a thorough search in that area.

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The Drake Passage The Drake Passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This is one of the roughest seas in the world. There are no large landmasses in the area so there is a large, unimpeded flow of current that carries a huge volume of water through the passage.

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Hurricane Season Storms in August and October have a moderate risk of developing into hurricanes while September has the highest risk of all. For these reasons, September is the worst month of the year to take a cruise.

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