Is it bad to book a cruise during hurricane season?

If you're flexible about timing and open to itinerary changes, you should have no worries when booking a cruise during hurricane season. If you choose to cruise during hurricane season, the fact that you likely booked a luxury cruise at an excellent price should make any itinerary changes easier to handle.



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The good news is that no, your ship in all likelihood won't be anywhere near a hurricane during your cruise. First, while it lasts for six months, the severity of hurricane season is limited for most of that time. Storms are most prevalent during a two month period from mid-August through mid-October.

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First things first: the chances your cruise will be affected by a storm in hurricane season are slim. However, changes to your itinerary are possible, and it's important to approach a hurricane season cruise with the right attitude.

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In a dire scenario, a cruise ship could sink in a hurricane. But before you cancel all your future cruise plans, know this: it's highly unlikely. Cruise ships are built like fortresses.

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Are Cruises Ever Canceled Because of Bad Weather? Because cruise ships can move around bad weather, full cancellations are rare.

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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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The only way that a cruise ship would be able to be flipped over is if it took the wave hit perpendicular on the port or starboard side, along the beam. Most of the time, ships will aim to hit a wave bow-first.

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Only in rare cases will the cruise actually be cancelled by the cruise line. These ships can travel at speeds over 21 knots so they can usually outrun any hurricanes or tropical depressions and just go around any inclement weather.

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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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Over the past 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in 1912, only 18 cruise ships and some ocean liners have been publicly known to have sunk. And, over the past 50 years, only four cruise ships have sunk while navigating on a cruise.

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No, it is extremely unlikely that a cruise ship would tip over in a storm. The industry uses rigorous safety standards to ensure that ships are balanced to stay upright in even the roughest waters.

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In a dire scenario, a cruise ship could sink in a hurricane. But before you cancel all your future cruise plans, know this: it's highly unlikely. Cruise ships are built like fortresses. They boast stability, seaworthiness, and a bucket-load of safety features to help them ride out even the angriest storms.

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A rogue wave could sink a ship, although most modern cruise ships are big enough to withstand the majority of smaller rogue waves, though not without damage. Smaller ships are more at risk, but they are also more manoeuvrable so would stand a higher chance of being able to navigate out of the wave's path.

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The only way that it could happen is if the ship were in extreme weather and positioned sideways to a 70- to 100-foot wave that would have the potential of rolling it over, Bolton said. I guarantee you're never going to be in those kinds of waves anyway, he said.

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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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Can Royal Caribbean change a cruise itinerary? In the event of strikes, lockouts, riots, weather conditions or mechanical difficulties, or for any other reason whatsoever, Royal Caribbean® may, at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing o...

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Will a cruise line cancel a cruise due to weather? The safety of passengers and crew is always the top priority, so if weather conditions are severe enough to warrant it, yes, cruise lines will cancel sailings. If that happens before you set sail, you will be given a full refund.

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Are cruise ships safe in high winds? In extreme cases, they may even reroute their ships away from areas where they expect severe weather conditions. While there is no definitive answer as to how strong of a wind a cruise ship can take, most vessels are designed to handle winds up to 70 knots (80 mph).

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A few passing showers are little cause for concern, and there are plenty of things to do inside until the rain stops. A storm, squall, or hurricane is a different matter. If your ship is in danger of encountering seriously bad weather, here's what you can expect to happen: The captain will change course.

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The problem with travel If global aviation was a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters – kicking out an estimated 3% of all global greenhouse gases per year. Cruise ships are some of the worst offenders emitting more carbon per passenger kilometre than flying.

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