Sept Cruising- Dream Bahamian?

[DnA2010]

Hi Cruise Experts,

My knowledge of the Carribean/Bahamas is limited for cruising, as we have only cruised those areas in the winter, and not for a number of years. I am looking at a later Sept cruise on the Dream, but I think I've seen people mention that August and September are not good times to cruise those areas due to hurricanes? Would love some thoughts.

Thank you

 

[dcassetta]

Hi Cruise Experts,

My knowledge of the Carribean/Bahamas is limited for cruising, as we have only cruised those areas in the winter, and not for a number of years. I am looking at a later Sept cruise on the Dream, but I think I've seen people mention that August and September are not good times to cruise those areas due to hurricanes? Would love some thoughts.

Thank you

That is during hurricane season, which is June 1 - November 30. That being said, in most years hurricanes do not affect Disney cruises.

 

[OKW Lover]

The advantage of being on a cruise during hurricane season is that the ship can get out of the way of the hurricane. Land based destinations don't have that option.

 

[PAGA2003]

We'll be on the Magic in September and have cruised to Bahamian destinations on 4 different occasions during hurricane season. I do tend to avoid land based vacations to the Bahamas/Caribbean Aug-Oct but cruises I don't worry about. The ship will change course to avoid the storm and sometimes will end up with an itinerary change. The main thing with the Bahamas is hurricane season tends to make up the majority of the year when the water temperature is swim-able for us. It is too cold for me from about Dec-Mar.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We are traveling on the Magic in September. There could be a hurricane, but we do hope not. It’s a risk for sure.

 

[auntlynne]

It’s a risk. But also means less people and water still warm (air can be hot and humid). It’s a shoulder season for airfare and hotels - and cruises - so lower prices.

The day with the most hurricane activity is Sep 10, with peak season mid-August to mid-September.

My siblings took a vacation to St Thomas in 2017. September. Arrived just days before Hurricane Irma. But my sister will still book a cruise in September. Again, it’s a risk; we are fortunate this typically is a possibility of inconvenience to vacation, not to our homes and livelihoods.

If a cruise or vacation is a rarity or special treat in your life, I don’t know if I would recommend it. Unless you are the type to throw caution to the wind and accept your cruise may go nowhere - or nowhere you expected.

 

[sponica]

We did a 4 night cruise in 2014 in late September/early October with no issues, honestly my biggest concern is really "will I be able to get to the port?" but since we travel for our February break (which may or may not have a blizzard on either end of it,) it's the same issue. If you're flying in and are able to travel a couple days earlier than planned or have flexibility on the back end, and also don't mind if the ship doesn't go where it was originally planned to go, then go for it.

 

[DnA2010]

Thanks all for your thoughts so far

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

The Dream is in Europe in September 2024, then goes to dry dock and returns to Fort Lauderdale on 2 November 2024

 

[Mommb]

There are several things that could happen when sailing during hurricane season:

If a storm is predicted to affect routes or ports on a cruise, the captain will try to reroute the ship to avoid the storm. This could mean missing a port or arriving late/leaving early. This is the most common effect of storms. Because the changes are due to weather beyond DCL's control, you may not be offered any compensation (beyond refunds for any ship-booked excursions in cancelled ports), but addition onboard activities will be scheduled if you miss a port.

If a storm changes course unexpectedly or cannot be avoided, the ship may experience turbulence. This is rare, but has happened.

If a storm will be hitting your home area or your arrival/departure city (or areas in between), your flight may be delayed or cancelled or you may run into freeway delays. This is why it's recommended to plan to arrive at least a day before your cruise, and schedule return flights no earlier than afternoon.

If a strong storm is expected to hit the port on your arrival or departure day, the ship may divert to a different port. In those rare cases, Disney Cruise typically provides transportation to/from the original port, but that is not guaranteed.

If a strong storm is expected to hit the port on your departure day and/or to stay in the area where the ship is planned to travel, the cruise may be cancelled altogether. In that case, you will be given a full refund and usually a discount on a future cruise.

Most cruises during hurricane season run as expected. Some will have adjustments to avoid a storm. It is unlikely that the arrival/departure ports are affected enough to cause cancelations or diversions, but that is a possibility. Travel insurance may compensate you for needing to change your flight, staying at a hotel because you can't get home, or missing the cruise because you can't get to the port.

 

[Cfabar1]

Hurricanes are not like a thunderstorm. There is plenty of warning that they are coming. Often close to a week. DCL will reroute you or if they are afraid cancel your cruise and you’ll be made right in some way or another.

We have done a September sailing, and in many ways it was wonderful. Cheaper fares, fewer people, very nice experience overall.

My one complaint about it is that the weather is quite warm - even compared to Florida, so do be aware of that. It was so hot on Castaway Cay the day we went, we did not stay very long and came back to the room/ship pretty quickly. I would have been pretty disappointed if I had say bought a cabana.

 

[RedHead0186]

It's not a huge risk overall. Plenty of ships sail during hurricane season every year with no issue. The number/percentage of sailings that have some sort of disruption are pretty low.

The biggest 'risk' is that the ship may have to change course to go around a storm. This means you could miss one of the scheduled ports-sometimes you'll get a different port instead, other times you'll get a sea day instead. Either way, DCL will keep you safe.

Another concern is rough seas. If there's a storm in the area, seas will be a little rough. For many, it's not an issue, but for those prone to motion sickness you might have an issue. There are ways to mitigate that.

A much less likely outcome is cancellation of a cruise. If DCL has to cancel, you'll get a full refund and likely some sort of credit as well.

DCL tries to give as much notice of these things (port substitutions, cancellations) as far in advance as they can. But these storms can be a little unpredictable. So if you want to sail during hurricane season, be prepared to be a bit flexible if need be.

We were on the Fantasy in September 2022 and sailed between two hurricanes-Fiona and Ian. The sailing before ours had switched from a Western Caribbean to an Eastern Caribbean because of Fiona. Our sailing was not affected at all; seas were a little rough the first night but not horrible. Seas coming home the last night were quite rough-Ian had just passed over the eastern part of Florida so it was choppy. Port Canaveral had closed due to the hurricane and they had to wait until things calmed down to inspect the canal. We didn't know until late the night before if we'd even be able to disembark on time. The Wish was supposed to dock the day before us, but the port was still closed so they couldn't. They got a bonus two days added on their cruise. They docked the day after us and the sailing that was supposed to start after theirs was cancelled outright (it was only a 3-nighter).

 

[bobbiwoz]

The DVC MC went to Bermuda in October 2019. We hit a doozy of a hurricane. Instead of going to Boston, we headed south after Bermuda , and here’s a picture of the TV with the weather that shows what we faced. So, yes, there could be a problem. This is probably the worse weather I have experienced during a cruise.

 

[rab1974]

First cruise during hurricane season scheduled for early Sept 2024 on the Fantasy (Western Carib). The price was right so we are going for it. Travel insurance is set. We arrive in FL two days before the cruise to visit the Kennedy Space Center again. We'll just wait and see what happens. Fingers crossed tho.

 

[RedHead0186]

First cruise during hurricane season scheduled for early Sept 2024 on the Fantasy (Western Carib). The price was right so we are going for it. Travel insurance is set. We arrive in FL two days before the cruise to visit the Kennedy Space Center again. We'll just wait and see what happens. Fingers crossed tho.

You've done everything right! Just be sure to pack your patience in case your itinerary needs to be altered and you'll be fine. I do agree, those September prices are mighty nice if you don't mind the slight 'risk' that comes with it.

Fingers crossed for smooth sailing for you!

 

[tlprice]

I've been on more cruises in September than any other month. I guess it's because the price is usually right! I always get insurance, just in case. The only one that had any issue was our WBTA. We missed 2 ports because we had to avoid a hurricane.

 

[kiford]

It's definitely a risk of a hurricane but we did one last year in the first week of September. Biggest drawback for us was the heat. We didn't really intend to get off the ship. We got off at Nassau just to walk around the new port area and see what was there. We were off maybe 30-35 minutes and it was quite enough for me with the heat. Lovely to get back to the ship and back to the A/C. We did sit on our balcony for a while a bit later. We were "parked" right in front of the new gigantic screen they have there which is pretty cool to watch. If there's bad weather, they'll try to skirt around it or reschedule stops. I'd probably do a Bahamian cruise in September again. I'd just bring more shorts and tank tops!