Do cruises cancel due to weather?

[DisneyFan32WI]

I’m supposed to be headed to Miami tomorrow to take a cruise Friday through Monday. I’m really, really worried about the weather in the south east Florida this weekend. I’ve heard 20 to 30 foot waves are probable. I feel like I want to cancel, but I know it is nonrefundable. Does anyone know if a cruise will cancel, or simply stay in the Miami port the entire time? I’d be OK with just staying at the port and not actually going anywhere. Lol.

 

[Grankm21]

Typically cruises are only cancelled for major weather events such as unavoidable hurricanes or ship mechanical issues. Keep in mind that another ship will likely need that Miami terminal the morning after your ship leaves so staying at the Miami port is unlikely. It’s much more likely that you may stay at sea and not visit any ports one day or go to a different port where the weather is better. The captain will do his best to sail around the bad weather if at all possible. Whatever happens, have a great cruise!

 

[Anthony1971]

Cruises can cancel due to very bad weather very rare but mostly will redirect where they go. Hate to say it but most cruises out of Florida or at least everyone I have been on was hit 20+ foot waves at some point. The ship will rock a bit should be nothing making it very uncomfortable for most. 30's will be a bit rough.

 

[RedHead0186]

Typically, cruises only cancel if weather is bad enough that the ship couldn't get out of port (like, if a hurricane is coming straight for the port and would hit on embarkation day). Otherwise, they will typically still go, and sail around the weather. As PP said, it's actually very hard for cruise lines to not leave on time-they may pay penalties to the port, it would likely affect scheduling for other ships needing that berth, etc. So it's pretty rare.

 

[bwmjam]

We were on a cruise last Christmas, there were heavy rain squalls and 20 foot swells. The cruise wasn't canceled but 3 of our 4 ports were cancelled. Such a bummer! Cruise ships are not designed for all passengers to be indoors. They are designed for people to spread out between the interior and exterior activities. Being trapped inside the ship for a week was not fun, (not being able to go on water slides, rock climbing, etc.) Honestly, it cured me from every cruising in the winter again!

 

[DCLMP]

I’m supposed to be headed to Miami tomorrow to take a cruise Friday through Monday. I’m really, really worried about the weather in the south east Florida this weekend. I’ve heard 20 to 30 foot waves are probable. I feel like I want to cancel, but I know it is nonrefundable. Does anyone know if a cruise will cancel, or simply stay in the Miami port the entire time? I’d be OK with just staying at the port and not actually going anywhere. Lol.

Unfortunately not. It’s one of the cons of cruising. The only thing you can do is avoid cruising in the Winter. I personally think winter is worse than hurricane season. Cruise lines are pretty good at going around hurricanes or changing the itinerary. They also see to be a little more gracious with cancellations if there a state of emergency and airports are closing.

Winter storms or a low pressure system over the Atlantic can cause rough seas, but really not affect travel overall. April through June is in my opinion the best time for a Caribbean cruise.
20 to 30 foot swells does not sound fun. I hope that’s an exaggeration.