Tropical Storm Erika

[Trera]

Looks like the current forecast has it hitting the Florida coast on Monday which could mean the Dream won't even be able to get into port canaveral that day.

Might give some cruisers an extra day at sea as the dream waits to get into port.

 

[Trera]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/083850.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Looks like the current forecast has it hitting the Florida coast on Monday which could mean the Dream won't even be able to get into port canaveral that day.

Might give some cruisers an extra day at sea as the dream waits to get into port.

In the Past the DCL ships have docked in Miami and Fort Launderdale if they can and then bus people up/down. They also are in the target area, as well as Tamper.

 

[perditax]

I suppose on the bright side it's still really far out and still very hard to say what it will do.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I suppose on the bright side it's still really far out and still very hard to say what it will do.

Yes its 'only' a storm and could break down .

 

[Trera]

I suppose on the bright side it's still really far out and still very hard to say what it will do.

Hopefully many took out the cruise insurance.

 

[perditax]

I just caught up on some discussions, including the NHC discussion page. It seems like the different models are pretty consistent in thinking it'll make some kind of US landfall; what they can't figure out is if it'll have a chance to strengthen into a *major* hurricane by then. (I believe right now it's still just a TS.)

Definitely one to keep an eye on.

 

[Matterhorn Girl]

I am also on Dream 8/31/15.

Storm is slated to hit Florida Monday am. They are telling ppl via phone that it is not their proceedure to stay in port, and that they will go around it. I don't see that happening being this forecast is slated for our departure date - well, at 2am-ish. Who knows what will happen! It will be interesting to see though. I am hoping for a fizzle, like Danny. Just as long as I get on that boat on Monday, I will be happy!

 

[ThisGirlLovesDL]

I am hoping for a fizzle too.

 

[Tara8595]

This is not a magical way to take my very first cruise. Disney Dream (Fri-Mon). And saying 'that's what you get when you schedule during hurricane season' isn't helpful. I kinda had to - schedules and cost and all. I just wish I knew more about what to expect. For now, we are trying to stay positive and calling it the "Disney Magical Mystery Cruise". I'm totally taking my annual pass.... just in case, who knows, we may end up at Disney World instead of cruising if it's cancelled or cut short.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

This is not a magical way to take my very first cruise. Disney Dream (Fri-Mon). And saying 'that's what you get when you schedule during hurricane season' isn't helpful. I kinda had to - schedules and cost and all. I just wish I knew more about what to expect. For now, we are trying to stay positive and calling it the "Disney Magical Mystery Cruise". I'm totally taking my annual pass.... just in case, who knows, we may end up at Disney World instead of cruising if it's cancelled or cut short.

I am not aware of them cancelling a cruise ever for weather, ( yes for drydocks and post dry docks), On weather they have sailed late, stayed in port, sailed away from it, got back early, changed ports, but always delivered something.

 

[perditax]

This is not a magical way to take my very first cruise. Disney Dream (Fri-Mon). And saying 'that's what you get when you schedule during hurricane season' isn't helpful. I kinda had to - schedules and cost and all. I just wish I knew more about what to expect. For now, we are trying to stay positive and calling it the "Disney Magical Mystery Cruise". I'm totally taking my annual pass.... just in case, who knows, we may end up at Disney World instead of cruising if it's cancelled or cut short.

Did someone actually say that? If so I must have them on ignore.

Interesting factoid I learned today, it's been 9-10 years since a hurricane actually made landfall in FL.

 

[TagsMissy]

We're on the Fantasy leaving this Saturday and one of the passengers in another group I'm in called DCL to see if they had any indication that our itinerary would be changing and they said no decision was made yet (at least one one that was passed on) so I'll wager we won't know until the very last minute.

 

[Matterhorn Girl]

Saturday, you should be fine! You have time to get around it.
Monday is not looking as swell at this point. Ha! But, good to hear that they have never just cancelled.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Afternoon All

This storm is tracking in about the worst place/time possible. It can keep moving this way or vary north or west with a few hours notice and destroy any Masters plans. If it follows this track, OKW Lover, it about a 18 hour trip (maybe a bit short if the Chief has a extra knot or two up his sleeve) to Key West from PC, so if they sailed as 1600 Saturday, they could manage to lip ahead and then south though the Yucatan.

Of course the storm could vary westerly and come across Cuba and meet him there!

As to the suggestion the vessel go east and steer south is good *if *the storm continues north westerly and doesn't arch easterly and meet them.


Peridtax, Same story for the Dream, she and the storm will be kissing cousins! If she goes south or east, the storm could turn and meet them.


This is going to be a tight one and we really will not have a god idea of where this storm will go and how fast until Friday. The weather folks( when they are being honest) will tell you they really will not have a good idea of what will happen until 48 hours out.

Folks, it a matter to be handled, but not as bad as it may seem. The DCL officers and crews ( Cunard and RCCL in my opinion) are the finest out there and very well trained. The cruise may not be the same one you expected, but they will keep you safe and make the best of it, port and weather wise. Another option and I am not sure if DL has done this, but in the past Vessels have not returned to PC, but gone to Miami or Port Everglades.

his is the tracker I use, for what it is worth.

http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/

We will have to sea how it goes.


AKK

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We're on the Fantasy leaving this Saturday and one of the passengers in another group I'm in called DCL to see if they had any indication that our itinerary would be changing and they said no decision was made yet (at least one one that was passed on) so I'll wager we won't know until the very last minute.

Very likely true, you will have a basket load of rumors, but no announcement until Friday night or Saturday.

AKK

 

[over50visits]

...On weather they have sailed late, stayed in port, sailed away from it, got back early, changed ports, but always delivered something.

And sailed into a hurricane, at least once. But that is rare, almost always they have avoided the really bad weather and reportedly the cruises are lots of fun, just a different route.

 

[truck1]

For all of those scheduled to board on Mon, don't panic yet. Theres a simple reason. Beside being far enough out that the track and timing isn't a certainty, the port has a set of guidelines they follow. The ships will know 24 hours in advance what the port is doing. Just looking at the latest NOAA track its showing Erika off the coast at 2 pm south of PC right around Ftl. This is a divergence of what I saw earlier this morning when I went to work showing that she was going to be over the Okechobee swamp at that time. So I wouldn't get worked up yet. Theres plenty of plans DCL can and will go thru if they need to. Its wait and see not wait and panic a week in advance.

 

[truck1]

I am not aware of them cancelling a cruise ever for weather, ( yes for drydocks and post dry docks), On weather they have sailed late, stayed in port, sailed away from it, got back early, changed ports, but always delivered something.

Back in 2004, DCL canceled a Wonder cruise when they got so far behind they were early for the next trip due to the 4 hurricanes that hit Florida in a short period of time.
This was after they shortened cruises trying to get the ships back into their normal routines.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...y-cruises-century-cruise-ships-carnival-ships

 

[darwinsrule]

We did B2B on the Dream in 2011. Ended up pulling out of PC on the Thursday as Hurricane Irene was going up along the FL coast. The Dream hugged the coast the first night. Lets just say there were a lot of people who were seasick that night. There were a few that got off the next day when we stopped in Nassau. If you think Nassau is ugly now, imagine it the day after a hurricane hits it. For the second leg of the B2B there were a bunch of empty cabin due to Irene hitting the NE resulting in major flight cancellations.

Last August we were on the Getaway out of Miami. What became Hurricane Cristobal was bearing down on the Bahamas. We got out of Miami and swung around behind it. The Fantasy and the Carnival ship out of PC both ended up being diverted. We were supposed to meet up with the Fantasy in St. Maartin, it never showed (ended up in San Juan). We ended up talking to a couple waiting for the airport shuttle when we got back to BUF about what happened.

We are on the Getaway again leaving Miami this Saturday. For us Erika is directly in the path down to St. Thomas/ Tortola. Wait and see what happens when we get to the port on Saturday.