6 things to expect if your cruise hits a storm
No one imagines themselves sailing in the middle of a storm, but it certainly happens. Here’s how your cruise might be affected by bad weather.
1. Your route will change
The top priority of the captain and crew is to keep passengers and crew safe, so if the weather is sufficiently dangerous they will change your itinerary. That could mean skipping a port to spend more days out at sea away from the storm or it could mean that you’re sailing to a completely different destination. As storms can change quickly, you might not get all the answers at the start of the cruise. Be flexible and make the best of it.
2. You might get sick
Bad weather means rough seas, so there’s a good chance that you’re going to feel unwell at some point. The crew are aware of this so will be proactive in supplying seasickness tablets and sick bags at multiple points around the ship. In this case, the best thing to do is generally to stay in your cabin with the curtains closed (the sight of the ocean can make it worse).
3. Open decks will be closed
In a big storm, the ship’s open decks will be wet, windy and seriously dangerous. Many passengers like to go outside to see and feel the storm, but crew will close the decks in the interest of safety. You don’t want to slip over or be injured by pieces of flying debris. Most ships have a bar or lounge with big windows looking over the ocean, so you can head there instead to get your storm fix.
4. Pools will be covered
The middle of a storm is not the time for a swim. As the ship moves, water sloshes violently around in the pools and spas so the crew will cover them with nets to stop people getting in. You may even find that the pools are drained completely. If not, there will be plenty of water thrown onto the deck around them so it’s best to stay well away.
6. Things are packed away
Expect to see anything that can easily move around or fall over to be packed away or strapped down. That includes everything from deck chairs by the pool to wine glasses in the restaurants and perfume bottles in the shops. The crew will quickly run around the ship and secure all the loose items to ensure that they don’t break or that they don’t injure passengers. That means you’ll need to hold onto your martini glass tightly as you wait out the storm in the bar.
Have you ever been on a cruise that’s encountered a rough patch of weather? Have you ever endured any hairy conditions on holidays?
Let us know in the comments!
Related links:
5 items to never bring on a cruise (and what to pack instead)
What life is REALLY like as cruise ship crew
Cruise over for light-fingered passenger