| Hurricane season can be a rather tricky time for | | | | making the summer one of the best times ever |
| summer travelers. Kids are home from college, | | | | to take a cruise to the Caribbean. From August |
| the younger kids are out of school, mom and dad | | | | to December, the prices of cruises and |
| are taking time off of work and the family want | | | | everything that goes along with it (dining, ship |
| to take a vacation. Wait...what about hurricanes? | | | | lodging, activities and such) are at an all time low. |
| The official hurricane season in the Atlantic begins | | | | Hurricane season can be a real bummer, and |
| June 1 and extends until November 30, | | | | those of you who have had your summer |
| encompassing the entire summer season in the | | | | vacation displaced by a pesky hurricane or have |
| Caribbean. | | | | had your long-awaited and oh so well-deserved |
| In 1998 the Phantom, a ship on the Windjammer | | | | cruise vacation cancelled due to inclement |
| cruise line lost its ship and all of the crew | | | | weather know exactly why that is. The good |
| members after it sailed off into sea to avoid a | | | | thing in all this is that as technology has advanced, |
| hurricane. In trying to avoid the hurricane, they | | | | so has the capabilities of the cruise liners and the |
| ran straight into the storm. Thankfully, the | | | | liner companies themselves. No, this does not |
| passengers had all been dropped off safely on the | | | | mean that a cruise ship can take on a hurricane. |
| shore, but the captain and crew of the ship were | | | | What this does mean is that shipping companies |
| not so lucky. This is a wake up call to all of those | | | | and weather services go to extra measures to |
| out there who think that cruise liners are | | | | insure that mishaps such as those that occurred |
| unsinkable--obviously, they are not. A year later a | | | | with the Phantom never occur again. |
| Carnival cruise liner experienced some problems | | | | Of course, this means that nothing is promised. |
| during a hurricane, but fortunately the ship, crew, | | | | Do not take any cruise reservations to be final |
| and all the passengers made it out of the storm | | | | ones, because any slight inkling or joke of a storm |
| in one piece. | | | | will cause the shipping company to yank their ship |
| Situations such as this can cause a lot of travelers | | | | (their biggest investment) and their passengers |
| to second guess their travel plans, thinking that | | | | (those who fund their biggest investment) off of |
| cruises and hurricanes do not mix. Of course, | | | | the ocean in heart beat. |
| hurricane season and cruise liners do not go | | | | A strong piece of advice is not to finalize anything! |
| together well at all, but somehow the cruising | | | | Don't pay any hefty deposits for anything having |
| industry has managed to stay above the | | | | to do with your cruise during the summer |
| hurricane season at least most of the time, | | | | months, the peak of the hurricane season. |