What it's like on a cruise ship during a hurricane

I recently sailed on Allure of the Seas while Hurricane Ian was wreaking havoc in the Caribbean. Our itinerary changed and there were a lot of changes to track. Here's what you can expect if you go on a cruise ship when there's a tropical storm out there.
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[@joeo7693]

My first cruise in October of 2014 was an Eastern Caribbean itinerary, which turned into a Western Caribbean (Cozumel) cruise due to a Hurricane. We still loved it and cruising has been our go to vacation ever since. 😎

[@LiedYou]

Went on Royal Caribbean's "Independence Of The Seas" last week.. Sadly hurricane Ian cancelled my original flight and I had to find another flight within the hour. Definitely wasn't a good time for a hurricane to hit. Luckily I managed to make it on the ship and I really enjoyed it! I used a lot of your tips & tricks to make sure I had the best experience, thanks!

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Glad you were able to still sail on Independence!

[@nabrochill9627]

ian also sadly left an insane amount of people living in tents. people that were watching netflix eating whatever u eat and sadly their house is gone. and sadly insurance abandoned them. stranded. not a very good time to get hit by a hurricane

[@crackac]

Wow! I was on Independence of the Seas from Sep 23-26. Luckily we got back before the storm was set to strike!

[@mreverstrucked23]

@@nabrochill9627 Not anyone's fault, you probably did the same thing.

[@gms4430]

sailed during ian THE SHIP WAS ROCKING 🤦🏾‍♀️ i don’t have motion sickness but i felt it. it took days for me to feel normal again when i was back home

[@juniorpeters445]

It's a ship what do expect fool

[@benwilley7188]

While it is pretty rare, our family ended up in the middle of a hurricane on the way from New Jersey to the Bahamas on The Anthem of the Seas a few years back. It was quite an adventure. RC took good care of us during and after the storm. It's always quite a story to tell :).

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

That was the impetus for hiring James Van Fleet! Since then, smooth sailing

[@JaniceCrowell]

Sounds pretty scary to me.

[@genericwatcher2439]

I was probably on that same ship (January 2018), hours of hell, I was on the top deck when the hail hit and people RAN for cover, knocking people over. During dinner, crash, crash, CRASH. We ended up just taking our food to go, our stomachs were in turmoil and we couldn't eat anyway. I LOVED the ship, but that captain made some BAD decisions.

[@benwilley7188]

@@genericwatcher2439 if it was Superbowl Sunday, then yes it was. I will have to say that in the midst of the hurricane, we were getting a perfect tv signal to watch the Superbowl as well as internet to facetime to those at home. Home satellite normally goes out with a small cloud in the sky. I was very surprised and impressed! Glad we both made it out.

[@pt192]

Disney sailed us straight into a storm with 12 foot waves. People were throwing up in the hallways due to the tilting back and forth for about 4 hours. Would not recommend.

[@faymoussa9178]

I was on the Allure the same time. So glad RC kept its passengers & crew out of harm’s way. During hurricane Doreen a few years back our cruise was extended from 7 to 10 days.

[@cody25aren]

We were on Mariner in September when we had to dodge Hurricane Fiona. I was impressed with how well the captain did at navigating us to both of our destination. There was supposed to be 2 ships in Haiti while we were there but we were the only ones that made it. I was also impressed with how much the ship rocked while we were 150 miles away from the storm.

[@nancysatori4744]

We’re you on the Sept 24 cruise? I was, 2 extra days.

[@Shilo2020]

My daughter works on Mariner as a dancer. She's been gone since mid-April. Boy I miss her! They left Bermuda early (7am as opposed to 3pm) to avoid hurricane Earl. She said they had blue sky and no wind but the ship was rocking because of the ocean currents even though Earl was a few hundred miles south. As a Mom I was nervous and she being young thinks it's kinda cool. For Ian they changed up the order of ports for Bahamas and Labadee, then just had to float around for 2 extra days. Can't recall if they did Cocoa Cay twice but cruise was extended 2 days to Oct 1st. They did cancel the cruise that was to start on 29th but sold off a cheap weekend cruise to Cocoa Cay. They have since been back on schedule. I get anxious when they are in Bermuda when something brews because its 2 days to Bahamas. She's loving her job!!

[@eileenhuber8001]

I was on this same cruise. The movement of the ship was incredible, especially the water in the pool. The wind on the top decks was so fierce.

[@tjparrish5639]

I was on the independence during Hurricane Ian, Having a free day was nice even though the ship was definitely rocking. On Independence they have a bunch of phones free to use at the customer service and free hour of internet. Also paid up to $200 in flight change fees.

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@karengatz3022]

We were on Liberty of the Seas for the cruise that was affected. It was a fun cruise. We were definitely in limbo a lot about where we would stop, but it was really fun and most of the time the weather was fantastic. Thanks for sharing your port stops with us in both Costa Maya and Cozumel.

[@wilburhill2299]

I was on Harmony of the seas recently and we certainly rocked a bit more than normal. I sent my family a video of how my closet door was swings back and forth without touching it. I don't' think anyone ever felt we were at risk or in any kind of danger. The captain kept us informed about the potential impacts of the storm on our ship and sailing, so that seem to keep most people calm about what was going on. I did see some people who appeared to be experiencing some motion sickness, but I never did experience any of those symptoms myself. It was still a very enjoyable cruise overall.

[@Ferrari-sw7nl]

I was on Adventure of the Seas during Hurricane Matthew several years ago. 3 of our ports got changed which was very disappointing, but we still had a great time. Just have to go with the flow!

[@steviejohnson6452]

I was on a cruise during hurricane Sandy. We were coming back to NYC (Manhattan i believe)and got back in the same day sandy hit land in New York/ New Jersey. We had no itinerary changes and it was mostly smooth sailing except for the last night. That last night was a rough one. You could hear the clothes shifting from side to side in the closet, the pools were closed because the water was shifting so much, and stuff would fall off of counter tops of it wasn’t too heavy

[@dansaysnothing0121]

I was on the same cruise the same time you were, I remember going out the pool deck and moving so fast at night. There was also a thunder storm as we were passing by. Luckily, we made it through!!!

[@goodsdistributing]

Thanks Matt. This information puts our family at ease for our first cruise on October 23rd!

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Our pleasure!

[@timkline162]

We were on the Enchanted Princess last week during Hurricane Ian, it wasn't a hurricane anymore but still very windy and rough seas. We had to skip our first stop due to the water being too bad for the tenders to go ashore, so they sailed farther out to sea away from the storm and went straight to Boston. We had a pretty bumpy ride, but the next day it was all fine.

[@blackbutterfly3]

I left from Cape Canaveral on Independence of the Seas two days before Hurricane Ian hit Florida. It was my very first cruise so I was concerned. I had a fantastic time! The cruise was extended by 1 day. RC gave all guests 1 hour of complimentary internet and access to phones to make adjustments to travel arrangements. The seas were extremely rough on Friday but the staff did their best to keep guests comfortable including distributing green apples which help sea sickness in the Windjammer and free sea sickness medication. At the Grease performance, the audience had to wait about 20 minutes while the cast made modifications because of the rocking ship! The quality of the show was still excellent! I have nothing but praise for RC and how they handled the hurricane.Definitely a loyal customer from now on.

[@sherrybarrett7655]

I was there with you. Captain did a great job!

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@davidcrespo5699]

Went on a cruise in 1972 from NY to Nassau and ship sailed right thru a hurricane off the Carolina's. Waves as high as the promenade deck. Sick all day. Only apples and cheese served. Was terrible.

[@JayaLove]

Wow!!! I bet things would be way different now. Glad you made it! Did you have fear of cruises after?

[@kimmejia4866]

I was on the same ship! Felt totally at ease knowing RC wouldn't put us in danger. I've got to start watching that weather man...had no clue he was there. Would have helped ease my family's mind who was freaked out we were out at sea. 😂 Had a blast and only had two days of rocky motion. Such a relaxing time...wished we would have gotten a few extra days. 😆

[@Marshal_Dunnik]

Was aboard the SS Norway (ex SS France) during a Cat 3 hurricane; well over half the pax were knocked out by seasickness. But her sharp bows, deep draft and hull form - all designed for Atlantic storms - served her well. There was quite a bit of pitch (up and down) but almost no yaw (side to side). The ships motion was predictable. Eighteen year old me and a few other lunatics spent some time on the weather deck forward, riding the storm. Good times! Todays cruise ships wouldn’t do as well. Forecasting and storm tracking has improved, but modern cruise ships are flat bottom barges with a small draft, and tend to struggle in rough seas: lots of unexpected movement, especially yaw. Just remember the old sailors adage: have one hand for yourself, and one hand for the ship (meaning, always keep a hand on a railing).

[@natalieknott1426]

I was on Navigator of the Seas over Labor Day weekend when we caught the outer edge of a Pacific hurricane. Oh man, was the boat rocking. By the time I finally had to cave and go get Dramamine from Guest Services (delightfully complimentary), they were all out at GS and had to run down to sick bay to get more. It happened on a sea day so our itinerary didn't change but activities onboard were largely curtailed. I was very impressed by everyone who made it to dinner that night (not me) after about 8-10 solid hours of 9-12ft swells.

[@blindpanthervlogs]

The best outcome for your cruise when it comes to hurricanes is that your cruise will be extended. When that be awesome to be on a cruise, and then the captain comes on, say, due to hurricane, whoever the hell, this cruise will be extended by an extra day. Awesome.

[@BrianAlt]

During the group cruise in September 2017, Hurricane Maria was barrelling down on Puerto Rico. We were in the Western Caribbean and the seas were like glass. Likely because all of the "weather" was being pulled to the east into the storm. The worst part of being on the ship during the storm was the guilt of the destruction it was wreaking in the Eastern Caribbean.

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

You mentioned the weather being "pulled" and that was what it was like on Allure after Ian passed by.

[@barbrussial1378]

We were on Harmony the end of Sept. and were switched from a Eastern to a Western itinerary. (Hurricane Fiona) We got the letter from the meteorologist about the change, but didn't know we could have followed him on social media. Thanks for the info!

[@CrispiePotato]

My very first cruise was a Carnival Cruise out of Tampa in 2006 and the day we were leaving there was actually a tropical storm coming towards Tampa. So the crew made the decision to just speed through the storm. Almost everyone on the ship was dealing with some sort of sea sickness, but they powered through it!

[@azrealtorjp]

This was some great info about Royal Weatherman and the service he / they provide! Wasn’t aware, thanks Matt!

[@JaniceCrowell]

I wasn’t either. Awesome. I wonder if he is accessible on the cabin TV.

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Glad you now know about him!

[@sarenar6868]

We were on Mariner OTS while Ian was making landfall. Got 2 extra days on sea

[@adamsangry]

I was on an RC cruise when literally THREE hurricanes hit Florida and criss-crossed the state. One of the storms went RIGHT OVER Port Canaveral and sucked all the water out of the port We got an extra 2 days at sea. The ship was running out of weird things (like salad dressing)… we only had Regular Budweiser and Coors Light as beer options on the last night. We ended up docking in Miami and having to take a bus BACK to Port Canaveral. On the ship, the weather was perfect, but it was a little disheartening to see the storm sitting on Florida the way it did. One thing that was nice: RC gave us a “note” on RC letterhead excusing us from work and school due to “weather factors beyond our control.”

[@KillerMan-jj5ys]

I was on the carnival breeze when hurricane Ian was happening, originally on Wednesday the 28th of September; when we were supposed to arrive at Cozumel, Ian was projected to hit the top of Cuba and forecast for that day showed rain and thunder storms but instead we got beautiful skies and Ian wasn’t near Cozumel, all we got from Ian was 10 foot waves that night but other than that it was smooth sailing

[@erikagholston6610]

Thanks for the info I was worried about cruising during hurricane season. I put off my trip because of the storm.

[@pryttyfatchick]

I was on Oasis last week, our 1st night we had 20-25ft waves that rocked the ship so bad they had sea sick bags hanging on the stair cases. the captain said that there were some waves that came up as far as the promenade. we were heading right towards the storm as it wad coming into the Carolinas, they were finally able to move us out farther into the ocean so it wasnt as bad. you didnt realize how full the ship was until mid day 2 because so many people were in thier cabins. it was crazy!

[@RushellKB]

I just wonder why they cruise with bad weather out there crazy

[@shaloskyj6898]

Had a coworker on that cruise. They were on the third deck and their port hole started leaking during the first night. They ended getting moved to a balcony on the eighth floor after port Canaveral because they couldn't fix the leak

[@cbranson8604]

I was on Adventure of the Seas during Hurricane Maria. We left from San Juan and our itinerary changed daily as Maria’s path changed. Jimvanfleet became my go to meteorologist during the cruise as he gave multiple daily updates and I now follow him daily. With Family in 3 separate areas along the gulf coast he hands down provides the best information. With a complete itinerary change, an extended cruise, a mid ocean refuel, a short stop in St. Lucia for food supplies, and a completely different port disembarkment due to the damage San Juan suffered from Maria, Captain Tomas was a calm and informative leader. We were rerouted to Fort Lauderdale and those families onboard who lived in San Juan were housed at no expense to them on the ship until they were able to return. It was quite the experience but we never once had rain or rough seas because we were sent to safe areas. My faith in Royal Caribbean was completely solidified during this cruise and I will be loyal to Royal because of it. The company’s supportive efforts of San Juan and their families during this tragic time for them was astounding.

[@JayaLove]

Wow that’s an awesome heartening story

[@mainemicki91]

I was on Grandeur in the Gulf during Ian. The impact of hurricane was miles away; however, the Gulf waters were so very choppy as a result. After many sailing under my belt, this was the first time I got sea-sick.

[@thebikinilife]

I was on Freedom for the four day Bahamas trip during Ian. Very little changed for us except traveling a bit further east of the Bahamas. The waves were a little higher than normal... but the sailing was smooth. I was on Symphony during Tropical Storm Alex in May. We were actually trying to race it back to Miami, but Alex won. We did experience being in the storm... mostly heavy rain and wind... but the sailing was again so smooth. We were fortunate to get an extra day at sea with a new day of events, amenities, and an extra Loyalty Day. :-) I would say being at sea during a hurricane is one of the safest places to be.

[@edgars6081]

I was also on freedom for a 4night bahamas trip during Ian, last night heading to Miami had the boat shaking quite a bit took a couple days to feel normal again

[@sharesacurtis7147]

I was also on the Freedom of the Seas, same cruise, during Hurricane Ian, last week of Sept.2022. I had A BLAST, felt safe, and barely noticed the rough seas. 😁🤷

[@Soenning]

The seas can be quite rough! My first cruise was in the gulf the same time hurricane Katrina was in the gulf. We were not close and certainly didn’t go,through the storm. We were going from Cozumel to Galveston so we were on the Western side and Katrina was more East at the time. It was crazy NO ONE was able to walk straight and soooooooo many people were sick. I was fine and it was the best nights sleep I had (I felt like I was rocked to sleep) however, my now husband didn’t sleep at all! I guess I’m saying be prepared for the worst, you never know!

[@BrianAlt]

My wife and I were also on the Brilliance of the Seas out of Bayonne immediately after Superstorm Sandy. The cruise left on Friday and the storm hit our area Monday-Tuesday. There was some doubt if the cruise would sail. There was obvious damage at the port (you could see debris on a chain link fence that reached about 4 feet high) and people would have trouble getting to the port, whether flying in or driving in. Many people in our area lost power, some for up to two weeks! Somehow, we were spared from that. If not, we probably would not have traveled.

[@YourGayAunt_]

My very first cruise ever, I don’t remember what cruise line this was, we went right through the center of a hurricane. The waves were rocking the ship back and forth, and you could’ve see the wave splashing on our port whole. When this happened we were in the dining rooms, and glass was shattered, food went everywhere, and I thought the ship was going to flip.

[@morrispearl9981]

I did the full ship tour on a Royal Caribbean ship a while ago and got to talk to the chef who explained how they always had enough food for a few extra days in case they needed to extend the cruise.

[@Midwest..]

They have one week of extra food just in case 👍

[@JayaLove]

I was thinking about that

[@JayaLove]

Would you recommend the tour for my family? (12 year old son w builder/engineer mind)

[@morrispearl9981]

@@JayaLove I enjoyed the tour. The main things on the tour: (1) Dining room, talking to manager of waiters. 2) Kitchen, talking to a chef, seeing huge special equipment, learning about logistics of preparing huge amounts of food. 3) Food storage areas -- a score of walk in refrigerators and freezers, each the size of a small house, learning how they get the food delivered, and how they get garbage and recycleables off the ship on turnaround days. 4) Engine Control rooms. Talking to some engineers who know everything about the electricity, and how the propulsions works. 5) Laundry room. Learning a huge amount of details about how a large scale laundry room is run. 6) Bridge. Talking to a few of the officers who are driving the ship. I was very impressed. It was interesting how different parts of the ship had (mostly) different nationalities. The engineers and the bridge team spoke English as well as the we did. The food people were fine (some talk to passengers every day), but were from the Philipines and I got the impression that English was not their first language. The guy in charge of the laundry room was struggling to talk English.

[@metalmilitia89]

We were out on Independence during Ian. Got one extra day at sea but it was choppy as hell. RC extended dining packages, drinks, internet for free.

[@livingweirdestherc6644]

We have only taken one cruise so far and it was to Alaska. I would have been heartbroken to miss my ports but I still would have had a great vacation.

[@twftravelingwithfriends9402]

Listening at O.25x speed was hillirious. Thanks! Good content.

[@DanielaGarcia-ig2xm]

I was on Liberty of the Seas during the hurricane, and we did experience high waves for most days. Days 3- 6 were horrible and I was constantly dizzy and throwing up.

[@JayaLove]

Wow that sounds horrible. How do you feel about cruises now?

[@kathyweber3730]

I didn’t know you were on with us. That first night in Central Park was windy. We live on Marco Island and put everything outside inside.

[@williambrown1480]

Very informative speech and good to know thanks you

[@carlosescobar2170]

In 2019 our cruise skipped the Bahamas becaue the port was damaged by an earlier hurricane that year and so we were at sea the entire cruise. The waters were choppy from a TS that was further out in the Atlantic. All in all I was still a great time.

[@nancysatori4744]

I was on Mariner during Ian. We got 2 extra days and a lot of front to back rocking, the pool had to close.

[@duffin.caprous]

They may try to chart around rough seas, but last year sailing on Oasis of the Seas in May from Cape Liberty, that first night, the rocking was so bad that we actually had items falling off of tables. We later were told in the Captain's Q&A that basically there were hurricane-force winds which caused the waves. It was a bit odd, the weather was incredibly cold the first couple days before we reached the Caribbean.

[@susandrown7368]

We were on the cruise right before you, apparently. Our last day the seas were incredibly rough. First time I got seasick while wearing the patch.

[@duffin.caprous]

@@susandrown7368 Yeah I got sea sick halfway through dinner. Definitely rough!

[@jobee1]

I had my very first cruise cancelled out right after hurricane Maria took out every single port on our itinerary including our embarkation port. It was discouraging but we got a full refund and a future cruise credit.

[@caitpat96]

Does RC charge you for the extra days if they extend your sailing? Or refund you the difference if they shorten it? I know you mentioned free credit, internet, etc but I’m curious about the actual cabin cost

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

No extra charge, that's for sure. If your cruise gets shortened, it depends. I believe with Ian people who had a shortened cruise got choice to cancel outright or get a percentage of what they paid for the cruise back as onboard credit.

[@sherrybarrett7655]

No charge for the extra day.Then we just booked the next 2 nights. No free OBC only the soda package I had...but the weather was great for us...no charge for extra nights of parking either. Our 4 day turned into 7!

[@terricarper5766]

We cruised out of Baltimore about 4 years ago on Granduer, heading to Bermuda. Going over, we crossed ahead of the storm and coming back below the Hurricane. It Was much worse on the way over. One night we could hear drawers opening in cabins above you and below, nice domino affect. When crossing the ship from side to side, you felt like you were climbing a mountain or in reverse skiing down a mountain. You could actually feel and hear the ship hit the waves. Over 50% of the people did not make the dining room that night. Puke bags were staged at every landing. Lol, swore I would never go to Bermuda again.

[@terricarper5766]

Note: We had a port window on the floor and water was splashing the windows.

[@JaniceCrowell]

Amazing! You usually talk so fast that I cannot understand much of what you say. This time, while you still spoke somewhat rapidly, it was not so fast that entire phrases were unintelligible to me. Great video. Good information and nice delivery.

[@claudiajohnson2352]

Mat...we are taking a Thanksgiving cruise out of Galveston on the Alure when is she making her way to TX?

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

At the end of October

[@aquavoce]

Wait, so ships sail even when a hurricane is forecasted and confirmed?

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Of course. But they go around the storm, not in or near it

[@claytonolden84]

I was just on harmony of the seas from oct2nd too the 9th I was a bit worried about hurricane Ian but we ended up Being fine

[@RoyalCaribbeanBlog]

Glad to hear it!

[@hootie3851]

Hope Cargo Ships 🚢 Did not get lost where did they go Ian ? FLORIDA

[@kathrynpiper8979]

When is hurricane season?

[@drekson23]

I am going to work on a cruise ship, a royal caribbean crew. I am worried about thr ongoing global crisis and recession. Can it affect the cruise industry?

[@jamesebbs2373]

If you see Jim Cantorre on your cruise, you're in trouble.

[@Mmd792]

I was trying to find James van fleet, the Royal Carribean meteorologist, looks like he left May 1. No replacement. Now what?

[@rolfbuchner857]

Ride out a hurricane/typhoon on a small 375 ft long 40ft wide 2200 ton destroyer

[@farmasinema]

No footage at all.

[@RCG-FN]

Hi there

[@dadca9705]

Thanks for NO INFORMATION