It’s about that time to plan your summer vacation, and enjoying a cruise or lying out on a sunny Florida beach sounds pretty good.
It’s also about the time for the Atlantic hurricane season to start, and the Sunshine State is a frequent target for powerful, roof-ripping storms that bring flooding and destruction. Is it safe to plan a trip here?
As scary as the videos look, and some areas of Florida have been absolutely decimated by hurricanes, they’re not that common. Last year, there were no Florida landfalls at all. Forecasters are predicting a potential “super” El Niño this summer, when water in the eastern Pacific Ocean warms and wind shear in the Atlantic prevents storms from forming, which could mean another quiet year. But it doesn’t guarantee it.
Storms can still happen, and they’re most likely to hit coastal areas and the southern part of the state, where many travelers plan their family trips.
Here are some things to consider before you book.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, but the odds of hurricanes increase in the later months.
While hurricanes and tropical storms can and do happen at any time, they are most common between mid-August and mid-September, although the Western Caribbean often sees storms into early November.
Both Walt Disney World and the Universal Parks and their resorts have similar policies.
If a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued by the National Hurricane Center for the Orlando area (or in your place of residence) within seven days of your scheduled arrival date, you can adjust your tickets and get refunds or reschedule resort and hotel packages as long as they were made through the parks’ company.
However, Universal also covers declared states of emergency and allows ticket refunds. Disney does not mention ticket refunds and says only that if the Disney parks close due to a tropical storm, hurricane, or other acute weather, you can get extensions for any partially-used multi-day tickets and reschedule any wholly unused ones.
The parks do not cover any expenses booked through third-party companies, nor do they cover any air transportation, hotel, or car rental expenses unless they were part of one of their packages. They also do not cover any added expenses due to weather-related delays that happen while you’re trying to get to Orlando.
Also note that these policies take effect in case of a hurricane warning, not a hurricane watch. A watch means storm impacts are possible in the area. A warning means storm impacts are expected, or they’re happening now.
It depends on each hotel’s policy and whether your reservations were non-refundable.
Some hotels may refund or reschedule you without question, some may only do so under certain conditions, such as declared emergencies, closed roads, or ordered evacuations, some may only do so if the hotel itself is closed or damaged, and some may not refund at all.
Check the hotel’s policies before you give them your credit card number.
It’s possibly safer to be on a cruise during hurricane season than staying somewhere on land, according to Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist, Van Fleet. Cruise ships and company forecasters constantly monitor the weather, and unlike a beachside resort, if something does build up, ships can move out of the way.
Rough seas usually aren’t a problem. “The Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are all much calmer in the summer than they are in the winter,” Fleet said. “So, it’s actually still a good time to take a cruise.”
Cruise ships have stabilisers, such as anti-roll tanks and stabiliser fins, to help maintain a smooth ride in choppy conditions, and they can generally outrun approaching storms. The captain may suspend or replace some onboard events.
However, you may not want to get your heart set on a particular port of call. While cruises are rarely canceled, the captain may find it necessary to change the itinerary to avoid storm cells, a closed port, or one experiencing rough and risky weather. Be prepared in case your Eastern Caribbean trip abruptly turns into a Western Caribbean voyage.
You might even catch a break on the price.
“Since many people don’t realize it’s possible to cruise during hurricane season safely, fewer people book cruises during peak hurricane months,” Celebrity Cruises said. “Cruise fares are often lower during this time as Caribbean hurricane season occurs just after the peak summer travel season ends.”
If your cruise is canceled at the last minute, the cruise line should refund your fare.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
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