WHEN DO YOU CRUISE?

Hi there, I am new here on the board and had a question for you. I have been on 3 cruises so far. I am currently looking to book a trip on the Oasis of the Seas. We have cruised in the past, in April for the other 3. But the pricing, and Itinerary seems to be better looking at September of 2010. I am curious as to how many of you sail without any hesitation in september, and out of you who do sail then, how many have had itineraries changed, or the cruise outright cancelled because of hurricanes. Thanks for your input/ info! Cruizinmama

Hi! I normally cruise in the winter but, have taken the ocassional September cruise - so far I've been lucky and didn't experience any changes of itinerary due to hurricanes. I believe it's a matter of personal choice and how well you roll with the punches. If you are the type that would be upset that a port would be missed or the ship rerouted entirely - then you might want to avoid booking during prime hurricane season. However, if you're the type that enjoys the ship, doesn't mind an extra day at sea should an itinerary change occur or can easily adjust then I say go for it! Septmeber usually offers some of the best rates of the year for cruising in the Caribbean!

Thanks Dee. Because of the size of this new ship, and all the features it has, we are sailing for the ship this time, not so much the ports. We have been to most of the ones it will stop at anyway. I figure if we end up with an extra sea day, or switching ports & itinerary around, it won't matter. It will just give us more time to explore the ship!

I have sailed in September and actually experienced a reroute due to a hurricane and, honestly, I didn't mind one bit. There were lots of complaining and others demanding refunds and such but, it turned out to be one of the best cruises I ever taken. We were scheduled for a Western itinerary and the cruise line completely rerouted us for an Eastern. We had a lot of fun, got some extra ship board credit and, I wouldn't let something that "might" or "could" happen hold me back from taking a ship or route that I really wanted to try. As Dee mentioned - September rates are often the best of the year. Have a great time!

Welcome Cruzinmama! We are glad you joined us.

I have personally sailed in March, April, May, July and August. I do have one cruise coming up in October. Hopefully the tropics will cooperate! But I don't mind if changes have to be made. I enjoy exploring the ships!

Thank you for the warm welcome! I am certain that with the size of this new ship, it will take us all week, and then some just to see everything we can on her. The itinerary is taking a back seat on this one. I was just curious of how many experiences some of you all have had cruising this time of year. Thank you

Let's see. I've been on the following so far:
Crown Princess 10/08 (less than 60 days now!)
Cunard QM2 11/07
Carnival Celebration 6/07
Carnival Victory 10/06
Carnival Spirit 9/05
Carnival Destiny 9/04
Carnival Triumph 10/03
RCL Monarch of the Seas 9/02
Carnival Paradise 9/01

All of those, except for the Carnival Spirit were in the Caribbean. We have not had any problems with storms. We were diverted from Limon, Costa Rica while on the Victory, but that was due to ongoing civil unrest in Limon.

For the most part, you don't have anything to worry about planning a cruise in the Caribbean in September, unless you absolutely want to visit specific ports. Unless a storm is hitting your embarkation port around the day you are due to leave, you are still going to sail. However, based on where the storm is and is forcast to go, you may take a different route than was planned. If you were going on an Eastern Caribbean cruise, and the storm is headed there, you will likely be redirected to the Western Caribbean. Since being on a cruise ship at all beats the heck out of being in the office, I wouldn't care if I was re-routed. But like I said before, if you have your heart set on a particular destination, then you may want to pick a different time of the year.

I wouldn't hesitate to book during hurricane season...if that's what I wanted. Chances are slim that weather will interupt...but it could happen. Just know that, and work around any problems.

We have only cruised in the winter months. We live in ND, you figure it out!

I have no qualms about cruising during hurricane season - especially since it lasts 6 months out of the year Technically the charity cruise we'll be doing for Halloween 2010 on Oasis will still be during hurricane season.

I am not able to travel at that time of year but I wish I could, as the prices are so cheap!

We sailed from NYC to the Caribbean on Norwegian in Oct with no problem at all. Though the month before the same ship had been hit by a rogue wave which hit the top deck and rolled the ship considerably. Some windows were broken. It didn't deter us. We had a great time. I wouldn't mind being diverted, most of the destinations in the Caribbean are quite similar to one another.

I have sailed in November, January, April, oh wait... I did sail in September...LOL...

We had absolutely gorgeous weather... it was a 10 night Disney cruise to the Southern Caribbean....

I would not hesitate to book in September again (but due to school just getting started... won't be doing it for a while...lol)

Good luck...
Dolores

MerryMeetingTravel wrote:

it was a 10 night Disney cruise to the Southern Caribbean....

Hey! I was on that sailing with you!!

I've been on 13 crusies and have had only 1 slight delay in tendering because of high seas....of course, I don't usually mind a last minute change of plans because I consider it all an adventure....but if I had plans for a specific port, I'd still rather be safe than sorry and a change to itinerary could happen any tme of year and not just during hurricane season

Laura

We love to cruise during September as the rates are usually lower, and the ships are able to steer out of harm's way. The absolute worst weather we ever had was in the Caribbean during the month of March. Whitecaps, sheets of rain and lots of motion. Never in 5 cruises in the month of September.