Louisiana Cruise Guests Surprised by Carnival’s Hurricane Plan

It was early on Monday morning that Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. Anytime a hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico we pay special attention to it here in Louisiana.

Fortunately for the northern and western sections of the Gulf Coast, the worst of the weather was confined to Florida and the southeastern United States. But that doesn't mean that Louisiana travelers weren't affected by the storm.

One of the "drawbacks" of planning a Caribbean Cruise in the months of August, September, and early October is the threat of tropical systems such as Hurricane Debby. This time of year is when tropical activity is usually at its highest in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean and I would imagine being on a cruise ship is no place you'd want to be in a storm.

That's why cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Line do everything in their power to avoid big storms. Of course, guest safety is the underlying issue but in reality, who wants to go on a cruise where all you do is sit in your stateroom and watch the rain fall on the waves?

That's why it's standard practice in the cruise industry to change course or totally reroute the entire cruise if enough ports of call will be affected by a big storm. It's also not uncommon for a cruise ship to delay its return to port by a day to let bad weather pass. But what Carnival Cruise Line did concerning Hurricane Debby is something that I have never heard of.

The principles guiding the Carnival Elation made an unprecedented decision over the weekend. They decided that the Elation would return from sea a day early. And, in order to avoid the storm, they would embark on their next voyage a day ahead of schedule. In other words, the Elation was set to sail yesterday. Instead, the vessel set sail on Sunday.

And for those of you who are asking, "What about the..." Carnival will make it right. Guests whose cruise ended a day early will be compensated. Those who missed the cruise because of the change in sailing date will be compensated. Still, it would totally suck to plan a vacation and miss the boat because of a storm. I guess that's why they call it an adventure, right?