Bridgetbien Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 My husband and I are doing a short weekend cruise next weekend. Due to PTO and babysitters, it was the only time we could get away. So I don't need to hear "whyd you book during hurricane season?!" snark. Although this is our 10th cruise, I get so anxious leading up to it! Will we get chairs on the deck? What will we do if we cant? Will CoCo Cay be cancelled?? Will it rain the entire time? Will it be so windy the boat will be too rocky?? How do you go with the flow? Things happen, I know that, and in the end we're still on a cruise (with the drink package!). But how do you pivot when your plans change and still enjoy the vacation? RCIfan1912 and SweetPea 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaa Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Awesome lead off expecting hurricane season snark from a blog full of cruisers also sailing during this time of year! On the chairs, I think your expectation should be similar to your previous 9 cruises. Chair hogs will be out expressing their entitlement by sequestering chairs for their possible future return. If you can't get chairs exactly where you want, look at your second choice, then your third and so on. No idea on if PDCC will be cancelled but I suspect not. It absolutely won't rain the "entire time". "So Windy" and "Too Rocky" are relative so I'll shoot you a maybe on those. How do I go with the flow? I use the coping skills I learned as a wee lad. Generally I don't focus on the few negatives in my view, but instead turn around and look at the vast number of positives. Relax @Bridgetbien, the purpose is to unwind, not to wind yourself up tighter. Enjoy your cruise. Cruiseseeker, SweetPea, RCIfan1912 and 7 others 9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjcruisers Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 We've went many times during hurricane season. Last time we went in Oct/Nov, we had no issue getting chairs at all, could almost sit where ever you want. For the most part the weather was fine. We did miss a port due to a hurricane (Grand Cayman) so we ended up staying in Labadee 2 days. They know well in advance and will adjust accordingly. Unless there is something you really want to do, kind of a once in a lifetime thing I found it pretty easy to adjust. Heck took us on our 3d try to actually get to PDCC RCIfan1912 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgetbien Posted October 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 39 minutes ago, Xaa said: Awesome lead off expecting hurricane season snark from a blog full of cruisers also sailing during this time of year! On the chairs, I think your expectation should be similar to your previous 9 cruises. Chair hogs will be out expressing their entitlement by sequestering chairs for their possible future return. If you can't get chairs exactly where you want, look at your second choice, then your third and so on. No idea on if PDCC will be cancelled but I suspect not. It absolutely won't rain the "entire time". "So Windy" and "Too Rocky" are relative so I'll shoot you a maybe on those. How do I go with the flow? I use the coping skills I learned as a wee lad. Generally I don't focus on the few negatives in my view, but instead turn around and look at the vast number of positives. Relax @Bridgetbien, the purpose is to unwind, not to wind yourself up tighter. Enjoy your cruise. Maybe I need to stay off royal Caribbean reddit where they were bashing the hurricane season cruisers. PPPJJ-GCVAB, Neesa, CrimsonCruiser and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Half of the year in the Caribbean is hurricane season. To go with the flow you have to get in the flow to go with. Go enjoy your cruise and adapt, if necessary, as necessary Neesa, tjcruisers, Al Miller and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 31 minutes ago, Bridgetbien said: Maybe I need to stay off royal Caribbean reddit where they were bashing the hurricane season cruisers. They do love to bash over there, lol. I sail\travel on Hurricane season regularly- been pretty lucky, no missed ports or re-directs. So just go into it hoping for the best, and you'll have a great time no matter what! PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I normally sail Oct/Nov and it is great imho. Other than an occasional changed/missed port it is the same as any other season of cruising. KJ777 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ777 Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 We've cruise during hurricane season a couple times. It was a little rocky but nothing of real concern. I think the only change to itinerary we had was we weren't able to go to Coco Cay and they swapped one of the ports and we went to Cozumel. Just relax and enjoy that you're on another cruise!! PPPJJ-GCVAB and Ampurp85 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Also, storms and other weather issues still happen outside of hurricane season. Especially in ports like Galveston or Tampa PPPJJ-GCVAB and Ampurp85 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatorCruiser Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I drink early and often. Easy to stay in the flow. TimeRacer, AlmondFarmer, tingtang and 6 others 4 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PL8SWPR Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 The number of cruises altered due to hurricanes during hurricane season is a very small percentage of the total cruise number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 We have been on cruises where ports were missed due to hurricanes, where one of the azipods failed as ship was trying to outrun a storm, and various other stormy issues. So my only gripe is that they kick me off at the end of the cruise when I am not ready to leave. BrianB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoppy2BHere Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 We happily and often cruise during hurricane season. It helps cut out the lightweights… We have been rerouted multiple times, but just go with it. Really just a change of view where you’re gonna go next. Getting chairs and such will be like other sea days (but easier if it is gloomy outside).. As we live on a barrier island on the East coast of Florida (Satellite Beach), our only problem is when there is impending doom heading towards home while we are out to sea. We try to prepare in advance based on NOAA predictions, but you never know. Oh and the D+ vouchers help with dismissing the worries of home. “It will be fine…” J&S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 7 hours ago, GatorCruiser said: I drink early and often. Easy to stay in the flow. Especially if the flow is called a lava with kraken! WAAAYTOOO, GatorCruiser, Pattycruise and 4 others 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveling Mike Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 When I travel, I want life experiences. I just keep the mindset that bad experiences are just as rememberable as good ones. Some of the time it is more exciting to tell people how I was in my truck in New Orleans when a hurricane came though as it was, I visited New Orleans with my son and enjoyed beignets overlooking the Mississippi River. Here is another example of a vacation experience that I do not consider bad, just a rememberable experience: When I was at Coco Cay for the first time I looked out and it was a great looking day. I got off with my walking shoes and shorts on. I took off walking exploring the island for the first time. I walked all over the island but just as i got to the furthest side I noticed the weather was getting dark and colder. I started walking back and it started to sprinkle. The closer I got to the ship the darker the skies got and the harder the rain got. By the time I got to the long dock it was pouring rain, the wind was blowing very hard, and I was soaked from head to toe. After we got on the ship there was a trail of water going down the hallway. When I got to the first bar there was a line of people getting shots just to warm up. Okgladgal, PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teddy Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 Plan for the worst, hope for the best. This may sound cynical, but it works for us, and allows us to roll with the punches. An example: We recently flew to Europe from the US for a cruise. We had a long layover in Lisbon, Portugal. After 8 hours of the layover, our connecting flight was cancelled. Since we booked through Air2Sea, built in extra travel days, and have travel insurance, it became a chance to explore Lisbon for the afternoon/evening rather than a catastrophe. Now we know we want to go back and see more of Lisbon. While waiting in line to be rebooked, we observed many people going to places for cruises who had no cushion built in to their travel plans. We felt bad for them, but also couldn’t help wonder why someone would spend “thousands and thousands of dollars” (said over and over in a very loud voice) and not have contingencies built in to their itinerary. PPPJJ-GCVAB and Okgladgal 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morganno Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 On 10/27/2023 at 4:46 PM, Bridgetbien said: Maybe I need to stay off royal Caribbean reddit where they were bashing the hurricane season cruisers. I think 99% of people on RC reddit aren't cruisers and hate RC. I left it a long time ago it's really full of weirdos sorry anyone that posts there but it's toxic. We went wonder 10/15 - 10/22 and missed coco key. I felt the ship trying to dock 3 times (shuddering as the thrusters work) then move away. We were there a few days before in Indy so I wasn't too upset as it was windy the week before so not too pleasant. The most annoying thing was the captain coming over the room PA to say go back to sleep because we can't dock. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 Think about the multiple sources of enjoyment that come with cruising (I’d like to think the majority of cruisers have these or else just go stay at a hotel somewhere). No matter what goes wrong, unless my cruise was cancelled entirely, it’s impossible for all the good things to be ruined. I’m on the last day of my 1st ever cruise with an itinerary change (it was an improvement to us though) & I’ve only ever missed one port due to wind… sailing almost exclusively during hurricane season in the Caribbean. We should be docking in CocoCay on a pretty windy day in a couple hours. We love CocoCay & would be disappointed if we missed it… but it wouldn’t erase our day in Cozumel, the shows we’ve seen (didn’t even like one but no biggie), the food we’ve enjoyed (I’m still full from last night), the drinks (so many margaritas the past 2 days, lol), etc. Some cruises have had fun & memorable excursions, some we never left the ship except for CocoCay, a couple have been in a suite with great perks, most have been frugal… my next bad cruise will be my first. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottD Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 30 minutes ago, Morganno said: I think 99% of people on RC reddit aren't cruisers and hate RC. I left it a long time ago it's really full of weirdos sorry anyone that posts there but it's toxic. We went wonder 10/15 - 10/22 and missed coco key. I felt the ship trying to dock 3 times (shuddering as the thrusters work) then move away. We were there a few days before in Indy so I wasn't too upset as it was windy the week before so not too pleasant. The most annoying thing was the captain coming over the room PA to say go back to sleep because we can't dock. The trick is to go to the RC specific subreddit, not just the "Cruise" one. The Royal one isn't nearly as bad because it's mostly Royal regulars. But, I agree, the people in the general cruising one can be a bit rough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 8 hours ago, teddy said: Plan for the worst, hope for the best. This may sound cynical, but it works for us, and allows us to roll with the punches. An example: We recently flew to Europe from the US for a cruise. We had a long layover in Lisbon, Portugal. After 8 hours of the layover, our connecting flight was cancelled. Since we booked through Air2Sea, built in extra travel days, and have travel insurance, it became a chance to explore Lisbon for the afternoon/evening rather than a catastrophe. Now we know we want to go back and see more of Lisbon. While waiting in line to be rebooked, we observed many people going to places for cruises who had no cushion built in to their travel plans. We felt bad for them, but also couldn’t help wonder why someone would spend “thousands and thousands of dollars” (said over and over in a very loud voice) and not have contingencies built in to their itinerary. @teddy, yours is one of the best stories I have ever read regarding "plan for the worst and hope for the best". You did an outstanding job of planning lots of cushion time and boy did you end up needing it ! In the end, once you were able to extract the stress from the unfortunate scheduling SNAFUs, you had a wonderful opportunity that you would have otherwise missed ! Talk about your silver linings ! ...and it was all due to your anticipation of "issues" which, unfortunately, came to pass. PPPJJ-GCVAB, BrianB, teddy and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 On 10/27/2023 at 9:58 AM, Bridgetbien said: My husband and I are doing a short weekend cruise next weekend. Due to PTO and babysitters, it was the only time we could get away. So I don't need to hear "whyd you book during hurricane season?!" snark. Although this is our 10th cruise, I get so anxious leading up to it! Will we get chairs on the deck? What will we do if we cant? Will CoCo Cay be cancelled?? Will it rain the entire time? Will it be so windy the boat will be too rocky?? How do you go with the flow? Things happen, I know that, and in the end we're still on a cruise (with the drink package!). But how do you pivot when your plans change and still enjoy the vacation? Not much to worry about in November. Also, day to day weather has nothing to do with hurricane season. I’m sure you will be fine. Focus on how great that first pina colada will be in Coco Cay. WAAAYTOOO and OCSC Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 54 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said: Focus on how great that first pina colada will be in Coco Cay. Then add a Kraken floater & it gets that much better. Very generous bartender at the Oasis pool bar today. PPPJJ-GCVAB and tonyfsu21 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 20 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said: Then add a Kraken floater & it gets that much better. Very generous bartender at the Oasis pool bar today. I second that! Have an awesome time! OCSC Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzywuzzy Posted October 29, 2023 Report Share Posted October 29, 2023 Going with the flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted October 30, 2023 Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 16 hours ago, Fuzzywuzzy said: Going with the flow. This looks like a weekend on Freedom. I’m sure the smoke will be just fine for the young children. Fuzzywuzzy, WAAAYTOOO and Okgladgal 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJsMrs Posted October 31, 2023 Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 Worrying about it won't change it. Maybe go with a lava flow if it all falls apart - then you'll care less Okgladgal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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