4 Tips for Cruising During Hurricane Season Worry-Free

September 12, 2024 - Kate

Thinking about embarking on a cruise during hurricane season? While this period from June to November can present some weather challenges, it also offers great deals and fewer crowds for savvy travelers. Cruising during hurricane season doesn’t mean you have to miss out on your dream vacation—just be sure to keep a few essential tips in mind. Check out our top four tips for a safe and enjoyable experience!

Jumping Ahead

• Understanding Hurricane Season
• Get Insured BEFORE a Storm is Announced
• Make Sure You Purchased the Right Coverage
• Get a Deal on Your Cruise

Understanding Hurricane Season

The first thing you need to know is which areas are prone to hurricanes. Really, the only destinations in the Atlantic you need to worry about at all are:

• Some of the Caribbean islands
• Cities that border the Gulf of Mexico
• Florida
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Louisiana
• Georgia

If you want the details, here’s a list of the destinations that were most impacted by hurricanes in 2023.

Determine the Risk of Hurricanes Affecting Your Cruise

If you plan to book a cruise during hurricane season, consider the actual risk of encountering a hurricane. Many cruise itinerary areas experience hurricane seasons without any major hurricanes. So, what’s the real risk?

Each year varies, and meteorologists can often predict the weather outlook well before a hurricane reaches a damaging level. Colorado State’s hurricane research team released their predictions for 2024, with a total of 23 named storms predicted, 11 of which are expected to turn into hurricanes and 5 of which may turn into major hurricanes. 

While they provide predictions on storm paths, these forecasts are often inconclusive and can change throughout the year. Of note, 90% of hurricanes occur after August 1st, so you’re at a much smaller risk of encountering one if you cruise during the summer months.

Do Cruises Get Cancelled Due to Hurricanes or Bad Weather?

Usually not. When you’re cruising, you’ll usually never end up heading right into a storm. As soon as the storm is announced, your ship will change its course to avoid the hurricane and head to a safe port.

What Destinations Aren’t Affected By Hurricanes?

We’re thrilled you asked! We have a thorough article outlining alternative destinations that don’t usually experience hurricanes in other regions of the world. In general, parts of Europe and certain areas of Asia are safe bets. Instead of abandoning your Caribbean itinerary during hurricane season, we hope these destinations inspire you to tick off some items on your travel bucket list.

Get Insured BEFORE a Storm is Announced

Why You Might Want Travel Insurance For Your Cruise

This leads us to our next point. If you’re going to book a cruise in a hurricane-prone area during this season, travel insurance is more important than ever. With the right coverage, you could snag a refund for your non-refundable trip expenses—think cruise fares, hotel bookings, and excursions—if your cruise gets caught in the crosshairs of a tropical storm or hurricane.

Important Travel Insurance Benefits to Consider

Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Coverage: This benefit allows you to recover non-refundable costs if you need to cancel or interrupt your cruise due to a hurricane or severe weather. Look for policies that cover cancellations or interruptions due to “inclement weather”, hurricanes, and natural disasters. We have more information on this most-asked-about benefit later in this article.

Emergency Medical Coverage: Having coverage for medical expenses while on board or at port is crucial, especially if you need treatment for storm-related incidents. Or, if the potential rougher seas during the fall cruising season take a toll, travel insurance can help reimburse any medical expenses you incur seeing the medical team onboard.

Evacuation Coverage: This benefit covers the costs of emergency evacuations if a hurricane threatens your safety without incurring significant out-of-pocket expenses. Make sure you find a policy that includes “non-medical evacuation”, as this is different coverage than standard “medical evacuation” benefits. 

Travel Delay Coverage: If your cruise is delayed due to weather, this coverage can help refund you for additional expenses, such as accommodation and meals, until you can continue your journey.

Missed Connection Benefits: If you miss your cruise departure because of bad weather, travel insurance can cover the cost of extra transportation to get you caught up with your itinerary. For example, say your flight to your port of call gets delayed due to inclement weather and you miss the cruise departure. You could get reimbursed for the extra flight costs to get you caught up to the next port of call.

Coverage for Lost or Delayed Luggage: If your luggage is lost or delayed due to travel disruptions caused by a hurricane, this benefit can help cover the costs of replacing essential items like clothing and toiletries.

24/7 Assistance Services: Many policies offer 24/7 assistance services in the price of the premium. They provide support for navigating emergencies, rebooking travel, or finding medical care during your cruise.

When to Purchase Travel Insurance for Your Cruise

The key is to purchase your cruise insurance before a storm is named. Our advice? If you’re traveling to an area that’s in hurricane season between June and November, get insurance as soon as you book your cruise.

“Think of it this way –buying travel insurance after a storm has been named is like trying to purchase fire insurance after your home has already caught fire,” explains Terry Boynton, co-founder and president of Yonder Travel Insurance. “If you wait until a storm is on the horizon to secure coverage for your cruise, you risk having your claim denied. It’s crucial to get your travel insurance early to ensure you’re fully protected.”

How to Get Cruise Travel Insurance

To compare travel insurance policies with coverage for hurricanes, simply run an instant quote and select the filters displayed below. Our team of friendly humans would be happy to help you find a policy with cancellation insurance. Give us a call or shoot us an email to walk through which plan has the hurricane coverage you need. Peace of mind for your cruise is really that easy!

Make Sure You Purchased the Right Coverage

If you decide to take our advice and get cruise travel insurance, you’ll want to make sure you have the right protection for any issues that might arise if a storm hits the path of your cruise during hurricane season. The catch –not all coverage is created equal.

Before opting for cruise-offered travel insurance, read our article on how cruise-offered insurance lacks vital benefits compared to general retail travel insurance. To sum it up, cruise-offered protection plans can be more expensive and might not insure your full trip cost.

We recommend using a comparison site like Yonder to look for a more comprehensive plan. Often times you can find even cheaper options than what the cruise lines have. We have a whole page dedicated to breaking this down and what our experts look for in a cruise travel insurance plan. Regardless, here’s the top priority benefit for most cruisers: 

Trip Cancellation Coverage

Trip Cancellation doesn’t just protecs your cruise expenses. You can also insure other hotels and excursions you booked against events that might cause you to cancel your cruise. This almost always includes Hurricane and Weather coverage and will reimburse you for prepaid and non-refundable travel payments if you have to cancel your cruise because of a storm. It will also very likely cover Trip Interruption if a storm comes up after you’re already on your cruise.

What if bad weather prevents me from getting to my cruise departure?

If you miss your cruise launch because of a weather-related flight delay or cancellation, various benefits could apply:

• Trip Interruption: could reimburse any lost trip fees you prepaid

• Missed Connection: could refund the additional transportation costs to catch you up with the cruise

• Travel Delay: could compensate you for extra hotel, meal, and local transportation costs while you wait for the next flight out

What if there isn’t a formal weather warning, but I don’t feel safe to travel?

If you really want to be safe, you could also opt for Cancel for Any Reason insurance. This will allow you to be refunded for up to 75% of prepaid expenses. Just make sure you cancel 2-3 days before your departure date. This way, if you feel unsafe traveling to the destinations on your cruise line itinerary, but there hasn’t been a formal warning, you can still cancel and get most of your money back.

Pro Tip: Want to be prepared if a storm does come up during your cruise? Read up on expert hurricane preparedness tips before you depart for your cruise.

Get a Deal on Your Cruise

If you do happen to want to cruise to a hurricane-prone destination between June and November, we have some good news.Iit’s a great season to get deals on cruises! If you’re looking for a really sweet deal on a cruise, this is the time to do it. And it probably won’t surprise you that the best deals to be had are for cruises during peak hurricane season –September to November.

Sometimes, the cruise line prices are so low during this season that you can also get travel insurance and still save money. That way, you can cancel if you need to, which you most likely won’t. If you’re ready to find the right cruise plan, check out our free quote tool to get started. Even when the weather isn’t ideal, the cruise ship will likely have plenty to keep you entertained inside. Take full advantage of the unique dining options available as well as planned activities and shows going on!

Bonus Tips!

Although you can often score a good deal on cruises during hurricane season, here are a few things to watch out for before purchasing.

Rocky Seas: With storms brewing, you might encounter some choppy waters, which can make for a bumpy ride. If you’re prone to seasickness, it could be a bit rough!

Itinerary Changes: Because of bad weather, cruises sometimes have to change their cruise route or even canceled stops. That means you might miss out on some of the fun excursions you were looking forward to. Here’s your friendly reminder to purchase coverage to protect these amounts if this happens to you!

Limited Options: Some cruise lines might cut back on their sailings during this time. This means you might not have as many choices when it comes to itineraries or ships.

Unpredictable Weather: Aside from hurricanes and storms, cruisers during this season might encounter more rain and thunderstorms. Yonder suggests packing some waterproof gear like jackets and non-slip shoes when venturing outside. Higher temperatures and humidity might also be more common. However, you can still likely expect to have some beautiful (and sunny!) days on your cruise.

As you prepare for your next adventure, cruising during hurricane season can be a rewarding experience. It just takes the right planning and precautions. Don’t forget to get a coverage quote for your trip to safeguard your adventure against unexpected weather events.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, experiences, or additional tips for cruising during hurricane season in the comments below. Your insights could help fellow travelers make the most of their journeys. Safe travels!

Tags: hurricanes