Don’t Let a Hurricane Ruin Your Plans!

Planning a destination wedding? Don’t forget to keep hurricane season in mind!

Hurricane season can be a rather tricky time for summer weddings. The official hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1 and extends until November 30, encompassing the entire summer season in the Caribbean. The Pacific season starts officially on May 15. If you’re planning a Caribbean cruise from June through November, it pays to be aware of the possibilities.

A lot of travelers second guess their wedding plans, thinking that having their wedding on cruise ships is a bad idea. Of course, hurricane season and cruise liners do not go together well at all, but somehow the cruising industry has managed to stay above the hurricane season at least most of the time, making the summer one of the best times ever to take a cruise to the Caribbean. From August to December, the prices of cruises and everything that goes along with it (dining, ship lodging, activities and such) are at an all time low.

You might be thinking, is it even safe enough to take cruise during the middle of hurricane season? You might never find out. That’s because cruise line main strategy is to avoid the storms not fight them. Cruise lines have been operating in the Caribbean for years and have, by virtue of experience, specific hurricane/tropical storm emergency response plans in effect. These cover everything from designating a bridge officer as the weather monitor during the season to outfitting ships with state-of-the-art satellites to backing up onboard efforts with expanded staff at headquarters.

Hurricane season can be a real bummer, and especially for those of you who have had your hearts set on a summer wedding on a cruise line. Being displaced by a pesky hurricane or have had your long-awaited wedding planned and everyone flown in, be cancelled due to inclement weather know exactly how it feels. The good thing in all this is that the capabilities of the cruise liners and the liner companies themselves, have the technology to get through the storms. This means that shipping companies and weather services go to extra measures to insure that there are no mishaps.

Of course, this means that nothing is promised. Do not take any cruise reservations to be final ones, because any slight inkling or joke of a storm will cause the shipping company to pull their ship and their passengers off of the ocean in a heart beat, for everyones safety. Some might advise that it is smart not to finalize anything! Don’t pay any hefty deposits for anything having to do with your cruise during the summer months, the peak of the hurricane season. If this isn’t an option, look into insurance to cover your wedding plans. There are policies available specifically for this type of need.

Also, hurricane season means rainy season. Expect more showers to pop up during humid afternoons than you’d find during drier winter months. During hurricane season in Florida on the west coast you can set your clock by the afternoon storms that they have during hurricane season.

Bottom line is that should you chance a honeymoon or romantic getaway to the Caribbean, Mexico, or southern U.S. during the season, when lower hotel rates make such a trip more affordable? If the answer is yes, acquaint yourself with places that offer a hurricane guarantee, read the fine print in any hurricane guarantee… well before the rain has a chance to wash it away.

You can keep an eye on hurricane season and other weather related information at the NOAA website.

Original article by Heather.

Posted by Christine | July 17, 2008 | Filed Under Destination Weddings 

Comments

One Response to “Don’t Let a Hurricane Ruin Your Plans!”

  1. Corey on July 18th, 2008 5:02 pm

    I have been married twice and both times it was during hurricane season. The first wedding was in the north but our honeymoon was on a cruise and it was affected by a hurricane. Our departure was delayed by 2 days and then at sea we hit a Tropical Storm twice (on the way to and then from New Orleans). Things were delayed and goofy but they did their best to make sure that we got on the cruise and got our money.

    My second wedding was on a beach and although there was a threat luckily the storm pittered out. The BEST advice I can give is to have wedding insurance that will cover expenses if there is a hurricane. My vendors were all familiar with hurricanes being in the south and were willing to move ahead or back a day or two if we had to do it to avoid the storm. Having a backup plan and insurance kept me sane when it came to Mother Nature and my dream wedding!

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