Rescheduling a cruise one week before leaving

[Dreams&wishes]

Hi all,
Just thinking ahead, is it possible to reschedule a Disney cruise one week prior of departure?

I have booked one in October and I'm really concerned about hurricanes and rough weather, what Disney consider good enough for sailing may not be what I would feel comfortable with. So I'm just wondering if it's possible to reschedule own week prior to departure given that an hurricane system may already be forming.

Cheers

 

[SteveMouse]

No, you cannot generally change your sail date a week prior to your scheduled sailing. That would create all kinds of chaos.

The ship owners are not especially interested in putting a billion dollar (or hundreds of millions of dollars) ship at risk in a major storm. The ship's itinerary would be altered to keep it away from any major storm, if a storm
was present.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

No, you cannot generally change your sail date a week prior to your scheduled sailing. That would create all kinds of chaos.

The ship owners are not especially interested in putting a billion dollar (or hundreds of millions of dollars) ship at risk in a major storm. The ship's itinerary would be altered to keep it away from any major storm, if a storm
was present.

Thank you do you know when is the latest for changing the date?

 

[Disneyland_emily]

120 days for longer cruises 90 before shorter cruises.

Anytime after that is money lost. Within 14 days you forfeit 100%.

You either take the risk of booking in hurricane season or you don’t. If there needs to be an adjustment they make it and if you are affected you are affected and there may be compensation if it adjusts

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I thought those dates were just if you wanted to cancel the cruise not reschedule

 

[TRTRguy]

I thought those dates were just if you wanted to cancel the cruise not reschedule

When you reschedule, you are technically canceling the first cruise and booking the new cruise at prevailing rates.

 

[lanejudy]

As mentioned, “rescheduling” is a cancel and re-book so any penalties will kick-in after PIF. Also be aware the “new” cruise will be booked at prevailing rates, so that could cost more than what you paid for the original cruise.

I suggest first deciding whether you are comfortable with cruising during hurricane season, which does mean being a bit flexible and “go with the flow” attitude. Also make sure you have good travel insurance that covers the unexpected - flight delays or cancellations, extended pre- or post-cruise land stay, etc.

 

[sponica]

I've cruised during hurricane season and my thought process is more "what if I can't get to the port" than the actual cruise itself. If the cruise gets cancelled, which is rare, I get my money back. I don't really care if the itinerary is changed.

Do you have flexibility in arriving earlier than planned if the airport is closed the day you planned to land in Florida? Do you have additional time off days if your flight home needs to be pushed off....assuming you're flying.

To me it's no different than flying to/from the northeast in the winter. I need to be mentally prepared to leave earlier if a storm is coming through or to have a couple days tacked on at the end.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I've cruised during hurricane season and my thought process is more "what if I can't get to the port" than the actual cruise itself. If the cruise gets cancelled, which is rare, I get my money back. I don't really care if the itinerary is changed.

Do you have flexibility in arriving earlier than planned if the airport is closed the day you planned to land in Florida? Do you have additional time off days if your flight home needs to be pushed off....assuming you're flying.

To me it's no different than flying to/from the northeast in the winter. I need to be mentally prepared to leave earlier if a storm is coming through or to have a couple days tacked on at the end.

I guess the getting to the airport is not so much the issue as we will have been at Disney World for two weeks I'm actually concerned about rough waters ( I'm not able to use anti nausea tables) and ship capsizing due to the weather like the MS Estonia.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

As mentioned, “rescheduling” is a cancel and re-book so any penalties will kick-in after PIF. Also be aware the “new” cruise will be booked at prevailing rates, so that could cost more than what you paid for the original cruise.

I suggest first deciding whether you are comfortable with cruising during hurricane season, which does mean being a bit flexible and “go with the flow” attitude. Also make sure you have good travel insurance that covers the unexpected - flight delays or cancellations, extended pre- or post-cruise land stay, etc.

What insurance do you use?

 

[SteveMouse]

I guess the getting to the airport is not so much the issue as we will have been at Disney World for two weeks I'm actually concerned about rough waters ( I'm not able to use anti nausea tables) and ship capsizing due to the weather like the MS Estonia.

The MS Estonia was a ferry that had a failing in its bow doors, causing the doors to open at a time they were not supposed to. None of the Disney ships were built as ferries and don't use the same type of constructio."n.

Quite frankly, you are probably at much greater risk of getting killed walking across the street ij front of your home.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DCL always makes safety their first priority. Also, keep in mind that hurricane season runs from June 1-November 30. That is literally half the year. We have cruised many many times during hurricane season including peak times of August-September. We buy trip insurance and are prepared to go with the flow. I worry far more about dh having a heart attack onboard and needing to be helicoptered off the ship than I do about capsizing during a storm. DCL generally tries to sail around bad weather if possible.
OP, as for your October cruise, if you made the first reservation, (whether that's flights, hotel, cruise deposit, etc) for this vacation within the past 2 weeks, you could possibly buy insurance that offers "cancel for any reason" for some extra $$$. Usually after the 2 week point, they no longer offer CFAR. Each policy lists the reasons for cancellation that are covered. We buy from Insure Your Trip dot com. I've never needed to file a claim but their rates are reasonable and their website makes it easy to compare different policies from different insurance companies.

 

[Rex1993]

It would be a real shame if you tested positive for COVID right before your cruise.

 

[Kwami]

I once rescheduled a cruise one day before departure. Disney was going to charge me a penalty, but I was able to change the cruise without paying the penalty because Disney had already altered the itinerary. Anyway, the penalty was in the hundreds of dollars, not the full cost of the cruise.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I once rescheduled a cruise one day before departure. Disney was going to charge me a penalty, but I was able to change the cruise without paying the penalty because Disney had already altered the itinerary. Anyway, the penalty was in the hundreds of dollars, not the full cost of the cruise.

So if they change the itinerary before leaving you are able to reschedule? Do you know why you would have been able to do it just for hundreds of dollars and not lose all the money?

 

[Mommb]

If there is a storm strong enough that the ship changes its itinerary significantly in advance (for example, going to Canada rather than the Caribbean) or changes the number of days of sailing (for example, leaving a day later) Disney Cruise may allow rebooking with no penalty. With a storm that bad, many guests will have difficulty getting to the port anyhow, and DCL would rather get a good count of passengers than potentially leave later to wait for people with delayed or cancelled flights.

These major changes are rare, though. Typically, if a hurricane or major storm is predicted to affect the area of the planned itinerary, the ship will just change direction, visiting different ports in the Caribbean or skipping one or more ports altogether. If a port is missed, the port fees will be refunded and excursions booked through DCL will be refunded or not charged, but weather changes don’t usually lead to any additional compensation.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

Thank you for this information.
Can you please let me know what are some good cruise insurances I. The USA we are in Australia and only have a couple and they don't seem to cover the cancel for any reason for cruises.
Thanks

 

[lanejudy]

Thank you for this information.
Can you please let me know what are some good cruise insurances I. The USA we are in Australia and only have a couple and they don't seem to cover the cancel for any reason for cruises.
Thanks

I don't know if US-based insurance can be sold outside the US. Insurance is a regulated business here, with some differences in what is allowed varying by state. Is it possible "cancel for any reason" coverage may not be allowed in AUS? The insurance through DCL has a form of "cancel for any reason" in that if you cancel for a non-covered reason then DCL will offer a credit of 70% (maybe 75%?). That credit must be used within a certain period of time or be lost, and DCL insurance only covers parts of your trip purchased through DCL. With 2 weeks at WDW pre-cruise, I assume you would need additional coverage for your flights and the land portion of the cruise.

And I agree with PPs, the Estonia situation is very different from a major cruiseliner. You seem to be reacting to sensational news stories. Try researching and educate yourself about cruising during hurricane season.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

I don't know if US-based insurance can be sold outside the US. Insurance is a regulated business here, with some differences in what is allowed varying by state. Is it possible "cancel for any reason" coverage may not be allowed in AUS? The insurance through DCL has a form of "cancel for any reason" in that if you cancel for a non-covered reason then DCL will offer a credit of 70% (maybe 75%?). That credit must be used within a certain period of time or be lost, and DCL insurance only covers parts of your trip purchased through DCL. With 2 weeks at WDW pre-cruise, I assume you would need additional coverage for your flights and the land portion of the cruise.

And I agree with PPs, the Estonia situation is very different from a major cruiseliner. You seem to be reacting to sensational news stories. Try researching and educate yourself about cruising during hurricane season.

Thank you this is very helpful I will look into the DCL insurance. But yes we will definitely have insurance for the whole trip, but was I was particularly interested in a cruise cover as we don't seem to have many companies that offer that in AU covermore is one of those but doesn't offer CFAR anymore.

On a side note I don't tend to react to sensationalized news stories, I was fully aware that the reason for that event was different, but what concerned me of that event and many others including the sailing of DCL through Sandy is the human error aspect of it all. I quoted the Estonia just to call in an example.
Again I have never cruised so I'm a bit more concerned of what me and my family could take in, I'm trying to inform/educate myself so I can make an inform decision.

 

[otten]

If you are really nervous, get the cancel for any reason travel insurance.

They won't put the ship or passengers at risk. In the event of a hurricane they will either route the ship away from the storm, potentially skipping ports or even making it a cruise to nowhere with no port stops or if there is a risk to the departure/arrival port they will cancel cruises if required, extend cruises that are at sea etc.

Cruising during hurricane season does come with a certain bit of uncertainty. Disruptions are rare but do occasionally happen. It is a good idea to have insurance in the event that something happens. Honestly in the event of a hurricane your biggest risk is likely that you won't be able to get to the port.