Having been on a cruise ship at sea while passing across the edge of a hurricane, I can say that it can be a bouncy, windy experience. For me, personally, I had a blast walking around as the ship moved dramatically with lots of pitching and rolling. I even ventured out on the highest deck forward in my bathing suit and within a short few moments I got completely soaked as the ocean water splashed across the bow and over the top of the navigational bridge. I would NOT recommend that anyone try this, as it can be very dangerous. For me, as someone who loved being at sea on a cruise ship, I enjoyed seeing the ship doing what it was built to do, which is to withstand the roughest seas. Ships are built to be at sea in the element they were designed for. I do know, however; that most people don’t share my fascination for being at sea in a rough ocean, in fact, a hurricane is what many potential cruise passengers fear the most. All of this being said, I can say with authority that it is safer to be on a cruise ship rather than on land during a hurricane. Also, it’s important to note that cruise ship captains do everything possible to avoid rough seas and hurricanes. The beauty of being on a cruise ship during hurricane season is that ships are mobile, and can cruise around or away from hurricanes, however; if you are at a resort in the path of a hurricane there’s no escape. Another possibility of cruising during hurricane season is that you may not get to visit the itinerary you signed-up for. Captains have the job of offering the highest level of safety during a cruise, and if that means changing the itinerary in order to avoid uncomfortable weather, passengers need to go with the flow and accept the unpredictability of a cruise vacation, especially during hurricane season.
I recommend that every cruise ship passenger purchase travel insurance, but more specifically, TravelSafe Insurance, which has policies specific to cruise vacations. This is extremely important to note….your credit card insurance, or even the insurance offered by cruise lines themselves, should be avoided and may not provide you with the unique coverage you might need. TravelSafe Insurance has a MUST SEE website with IMPORTANT information that anyone planning a cruise should explore.
