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.
Do cruise ships go around bad weather?
But if it looks like a more serious storm is in their path, cruise ships generally try to outrun or avoid them. “We've steered our ships around typhoons, hurricanes, fog, massive storms with rapid intensification—which gets the term 'bomb cyclones,'” Van Fleet says. “But we've moved.
Can a storm take down a cruise ship?
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.
What happens if a hurricane comes while on a cruise?
Most likely a hurricane will not impact your cruise, but you might incur an itinerary change if a hurricane is in the path of a port of call on your cruise itinerary.
What happens if a cruise ship is caught in a hurricane?
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.
Will cruise ships sail in bad weather?
What are the worst months to take a cruise?
However, September and October are peak months for hurricanes. Even though ships try to steer clear of these storms, the weather still might be less than ideal.
Can a storm tip over a cruise ship?
No, it is extremely unlikely that a cruise ship would tip over in a storm.
How often do cruise ships get caught in storms?
Cruise ships rarely get caught in weather this rough as the cruise lines make every effort to sail away from storms. Ports regularly get skipped, and, in extreme cases, cruise lines will extend a trip in order to move their ships away from bad weather.
Are cruises bad during hurricane season?
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.
What is the rainiest month in the Caribbean?
Like many Caribbean destinations, St. Thomas experiences peak rain during the fall, with October the wettest month. Showers generally last less than half a day in the Caribbean in fall unless there's a big weather system passing through.