Cruising vs Tropical Storms: What If?...

One of the most common questions I receive as a cruise and travel agent is, "What if there is a storm during our trip?"  As we all know, the weather in the world has been strange and quirky over the last few years, with snow falling in the summer, hurricanes affecting parts of the world, flooding, tornados, etc.  Well, the best thing about cruising is that those ships can move, where as a hotel cannot.  In general, if a storm is seen in the area, a cruise ship will change it's itinerary to avoid the storm.  If a scheduled port has been damaged or is being affected by a storm, the ship will avoid the port.  Sometimes, the ship will spend an extra day at sea, or plan to visit a different port of call. 

Tropical Storm Debby is now affecting the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the United States.  Here is an example of how the cruise lines have altered their schedules to lessen the impact on their cruising customers:

The Carnival Freedom skipped Key West and is spending the day at sea.  It will make an unscheduled call in Cozumel on Tuesday.  The rest of the itinerary remains the same.

the Ecstasy called in Nassau on Sunday instead of Key West, but will visit Key West later in the cruise.

No other major cruise lines have report any changes due to the storm.  Fortunately, a travel agent keeps up to date on these changes and then passes that information along to our clients...another good reason to work directly with an agent who has you in mind when these events occur.

For more information and to book your next cruise or land vacation, contact Michelle at 210-858-6399 or mjackson@cruiseholidays.com.