Cruise lines have been busy altering cruise itineraries to keep the ships at a safe distance from Hurricane Sandy. The storm that has been nicknamed “Frankenstorm” is much larger than a traditional hurricane and is causing rough seas even for ships that are hundreds of miles away from the storm.
There have been two cancellations of cruises so far, and there are several others that have delayed departures or have extra sea days. Reports are starting to come in to Cruise Fever from passengers who just got off cruises, and from those who are currently still on a cruise in the Atlantic Ocean. The Port of NYC is currently closed and will not re-open until officials feel it is safe to do so.
Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled the Carnival Glory cruise (October 28) out of Norfolk, VA and the Carnival Pride cruise (October 28) out of Baltimore, MD. Guests will be given a full refund and a 25% discount towards a future cruise. Visit Carnival.com for complete details.
R Neeley told Cruise Fever that his daughter called him from the Carnival Sensation telling him that were were many passengers who were seasick and frightened by the rough waters. The Sensation was scheduled to port in the Bahamas but was on its way to Key West instead. However, the rough waters from the storm had some crew members concerned for the comfort and safety of the passengers.
There has been other reports of passengers who were a little freaked out by the rough seas that they were walking around the ship wearing life jackets. It is worth noting that cruise lines do everything in their power to keep the ships away from tropical storms and hurricanes and the cruise ships are rarely if ever in danger.
However, Hurricane Sandy is so large that cruise ships that are hundreds of miles away from the storm are experiencing extremely rough waters. Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas will be having a 5 day cruise to nowhere instead of stopping in Bermuda. RCCL made a statement on their website that they will be trying to find the smoothest water possible to sail in so passengers can enjoy their cruise.
Stories from passengers on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Norwegian all have one thing in common, seasickness. On a normal cruise there are very few that get sick due to the extremely large size of the ships and the state of the art stabilizers that they now have. The reports that Cruise Fever is hearing is that many on board have been seasick the past few days. Hurricane Sandy has many saying that they will never cruise during hurricane season (June 1- November 30).
While not required to do so, many of the cruise lines have offered compensation to those who were on some of these ships. Disney is offering a 25% discount on a future 3 day cruise to those who were on the Disney Dream. Royal Caribbean offered $150 in on-board credit to those who decided to stay on the 5 day cruise to no-where (Enchantment of the Seas). Those who didn’t want to board were given a full refund of their cruise fare.
Cruise Fever will continue to monitor Hurricane Sandy and the cruise lines as they make any changes necessary to keep the passengers and crew members safe at sea.
We just landed from the Enchantment of the Seas cruise to nowhere. We were upset at missing Bermuda but made the best of the situation. The outer decks were closed during the storm, as we were anchored near Cape Charles. There was very little movement of the ship and we were very comfortable. The staff on board were incredible and made our stay fun. The indoor pool was open and lots of extra activities were added to keep us entertained. All in all it was a very positive experience.
Glad to hear Enchantment did ok during the storm. We got off the ship when offered a 100% refund, We really wanted to see Bermuda. I was curious as to how many people stayed on board and what kind of activities did they add? We are in process of rebooking.
I also was on the Enchantment of the seas but choose to get off ship!! Did not pay all the money to cruise to nowhere in a hurricane. I also would love to know how many people remained on board!! When trying to get off ship the lines were wrapped around Deck 5. We finally got off at 7:30pm! I purchased travel insurance and they wont even return my money have to reschedule and wont receive anything for 4-6 weeks!!! Should of never let us board ship, I monitored the website several times a day and nothing ever changed!!! They knew that we were going to sea when we boarded!!!
Below is our e-mail to Carnival about our horrible stay on the Carnival Sensation. They refuse to do anything for us!
To whom it may concern,
Recently, my significant other and I sailed on the Carnival Sensation, which was supposed to sail to the Bahamas but did not. To say that we enjoyed our stay with Carnival, would be telling a lie. We were “very” disappointed to learn upon embarkation that we would only be going to Key West, which we could’ve driven to in six hours ourselves. We departed from Port Canaveral on Thursday, October 25th, 2012 at 4 P.M. and did not even arrive in Key West, FL until Saturday, October 27th, 2012. We arrived at 7 A.M. in Key West, to pretty much EVERYTHING being closed and not opening until 9 or 10 A.M. We were not able to explore Key West due to lack of time there and were unable to even do the excursion we had planned to do, prior to leaving. Our ship departed Key West at 2 P.M. on Saturday, October 27th, and we did not arrive back into Port Canaveral until late in the evening on Sunday, October 28th. Our ride to and from Key West were extremely rough and dangerous. We rode through the Hurricane on the way there and through it on the way back. Knowing the conditions of the storm, I do not understand why you would send people out into the severe weather on a ship. The only reason I can think of is because Carnival does not care about its customers, but only about the money their taking from them. As past cruisers, we are completely disappointed with Carnival and its staff. This by far was the worse vacation/cruise we have been on. Who wants to spend their vacation in their cabin with motion sickness because of the rough seas? I didn’t, but was forced too. Also, the staff was not friendly, our steward left dirty dishes in our room, and our safety was not cared about. Now that we have arrived back from our cruise, I am hearing on the news and reading on the internet of Disney Cruise Ships giving their customer discounts on future cruises. Carnival on the other hand, was quick to deny us of any kind of refund, credit, or comps. The female representative I spoke with early this morning, was quick to deny us of any refund, credit or comp. Instead, she read a paper Carnival gave her to inform us that we would not no receive ANYTHING. It’s completely crazy to me that Carnival can refund other customers from their other ships, but cannot credit or compensate us for our uncomfortable stay. Why were we not given the option to not go out in a Hurricane, but instead forced to go or lose our money? I will personally be looking further into this, if there is not some kind of comp, discount, or credit. If forced too, I will contact the BBB or news channels. We are completely disappointed with Carnival and will not sail again, if we are not taking care of as others have been by other cruise lines. Below are postings about other cruise line accommodations.
Hi…..I’ve never cruised in a storm, let alone a hurricane. Obviously, it would not be safe to go outside on deck, like to the pool. (The one thing about “sea days” is to relax by the pool.) So, I’m curious, did they lock all doors & make you stay inside the ship the whole cruise? What did they have extra for you to do on board? Thanks for your response.
I just got off the majesty of the sea on October 26th. Our ports of call were cancelled and shortened. All water exercursions were cancelled in key west. The last 12 hours were nothing short of pure hell.
We should have been taken back to Miami when we skipped coca cay. This was a terrible storm to be caught in. I will never cruise again.
Hi…..I’ve never cruised during a storm or hurricane before. So I’m curious, what did they have extra for you to do? Obviously, it’s not safe to go on deck or to the pool. Did they lock the doors & make everyone stay inside? (The one thing fun about “sea days” is relaxing by the pool.) Thanks for your comment.
I agree! I was on that boat ! It was terrible!