Hurricane Joaquin bearing down on the Bahamas, what does DCL do?

[Buzzfanmom]

My sister is on the Dream now and said the captain just made an announcement for large swells tonight. Most activities at CC were closed today. It's going to be a rocky night but spirits are high

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks for updates! Guess I have memories of the Disney Fantasy sailing through hurricane Sandy & that wasn't safe. Sorry they are missing CC but glad they are staying safe.

 

[endotoothdoc]

I am on the Fantasy (Eastern) right now and our Castaway Cay day on Friday has been cancelled. We are going to have an extra sea day instead. The Captain emphasized the importance of safety in making the decision.

 

[littleblackegg]

Biggest threat from Atlantic/Caribbean hurricanes is storm surges/flooding. Pacific storms are more likely to generate the kid of tsunamis/cyclones etc that are really devastating to ships at sea. Being in the ocean during a big storm can be uncomfortable and scary, but is not usually terrifying (if the storm was going to be that bad, the ship would not usually be sent out). Obviously massive storms can be unpredictable, but the science of tracking them is pretty advanced. Disney would not send out a ship filled with guests if they were concerned about storm activity.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Right now Joaquin is beating up the Bahamas's pretty bad. Cat 4. I would expect CC is getting pelted with heavy winds and rains. That will also raise sea spray and brown out the plant life. It raises the question of if the island will be ready for the next scheduled vessel visits.

AKK

 

[lorimay]

My sister in on The Magic right now, they have been diverted to Key West instead of CC today. Hope everything turns out ok after on CC.

 

[gEar up]

What do the CMs who are on CC do when a hurricane hits, the highest point on that island looks no more than 5-10 feet elevation at most. I'm guessing they have a storm bunker of some sort, but what about storm surge?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

What do the CMs who are on CC do when a hurricane

hits, the highest point on that island looks no more than 5-10 feet elevation at most. I'm guessing they have a storm bunker of some sort, but what about storm surge?

Most leave the island by boat. I beleive the few that stay on the island, stay in a Storm shelter.

AKK

 

[Mark D.]

Any thoughts on when we'll know if future cruises will bypass CC due to damage? We're on the Oct 3rd Fantasy sailing, which means we'll be at CC on Friday Oct 9th.

 

[thumpie's mom]

Back in 2005, Hurricane Wilma hit during our cruise. They diverted us West to East. It did hit CC, but we were able to dock there as scheduled. There was obvious damage to the island and some of the activities needed to be cancelled. They did a admirable job of repairing things, but it definitely still showed some damage. Having said that, we still had a great time. I guess it would depend how much damage there is and whether they feel it is safe. Good luck!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We were at Castaway Cay a week after Hurricane Sandy had struck the island. The leaves were brown from salt water damage but the island was pristine. The grounds crew really worked hard to get the damage cleaned up in such a short time.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Any thoughts on when we'll know if future cruises will bypass CC due to damage? We're on the Oct 3rd Fantasy sailing, which means we'll be at CC on Friday Oct 9th.

Hello Mark,

They will have to wait for the storm to pass, and then get a look at the condition of the island

Past events like this, they have been pretty speedy to at least get the island straightened up enough to open it.

Hope it works out for you.....AKK

 

[Mark D.]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Since we're stopping late in the week, it sounds like we'll probably be okay. If not, I'm sure Disney will figure something out so we'll still have a great time.

 

[Expatriat]

How strong of a hurricane are those CC cabanas designed to withstand? Since they are right on the beach, I am wondering how they could survive a Cat. 3 or 4 hurricane. Would they?

 

[gEar up]

This was amusing to me, thought I'd share

 

[Expatriat]

This was amusing to me, thought I'd share

Except that the latest NHC-NOAA "Public Advisory" has it at Cat. 4 and maximum sustained winds at 130mph. I think Juaquin ought to be wearing his Gladiator outfit in that graphic!

 

[CJ Gren]

Does anyone know if this would mess with the Dream's upcoming Dry Dock? I would assume not, as she doesn't dock until Sunday, but as someone who's scheduled to embark on her second journey after the dry dock, I'm a bit nervous!

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks for updates! Guess I have memories of the Disney Fantasy sailing through hurricane Sandy & that wasn't safe. Sorry they are missing CC but glad they are staying safe.

Yes the Fantasy sailed through hurricane Sandy due to it switching paths last minute. The captain thought they would be in front of it and get everyone back to Port Canaveral and it would hit there. They did not expect to get stuck right in the bands. A similar thing happened to another boat (the pirate ship that ended up sinking and losing the crew). They thought they made the right decision and because Sandy caught everyone by surprise it ended up being the wrong decision.

 

[hardis5]

We were the first to be at CC after Irene in 2011 (which was 5 days after it passed - we were pushed out a day and us doing was in question until late the day prior). They can clean-up quick but there will be evidence of the salt damage to vegetation for a while after along with piles of debris hidden behind the scenes.

 

[mlayton14]

Yes the Fantasy sailed through hurricane Sandy due to it switching paths last minute. The captain thought they would be in front of it and get everyone back to Port Canaveral and it would hit there. They did not expect to get stuck right in the bands. A similar thing happened to another boat (the pirate ship that ended up sinking and losing the crew). They thought they made the right decision and because Sandy caught everyone by surprise it ended up being the wrong decision.

Seems an awful lot like the fantasy tried to make it back to port on time to avoid all of the troubles involved with getting there late and sailed right through it. I don't think it was any more complicated than that ...very poor and stupid decision.