Hurricanes, Part 2…
For cruise ships, the H word means possibly changing itineraries and posting weather updates on websites. In reality, the only people cruise lines have to worry about keeping informed are the ones on their ships, and chances are slim they would be getting updates on the Internet.
Having said that, it’s disconcerting for the friends and relatives of people on cruise ships in the Caribbean when something like Earl picks up steam. The cruise-ship advisories are essentially to let them know that everything is under control and to let upcoming passengers know if departure times have changed because of weather.
Dangerous?
Not likely. Our colleague Phil Reimer of Ports and Bows has been on two cruise ships that changed course to avoid storms. On one, the ship stayed longer at sea and the missed port was added at the end of the cruise. On the other, the ship stayed 12 hours longer in port before venturing into the Caribbean.
“Most times,” he says, “the worst that can happen is some rough seas from skirting a storm.”
Hurricanes travel up to 18 knots per hour, unless they’re far from the equator. That’s just over 20 miles an hour. Even the biggest cruise ships are faster — Norwegian’s Epic and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas both cruise at 22 knots (or 25 miles) per hour. A quick check of major cruise lines didn’t find one ship that moved slower than a hurricane’s normal top speed.
And a quick check of a marine website that tracks ship movements yesterday didn’t find one cruise ship in any waters Hurricane Earl is projected to visit. In other words, by the time there is even a threat of a storm, the ships appear to be long gone.
There’s probably a better chance you’ll be struck by lightning than be caught in a hurricane on a cruise ship.