Hurricane Evacuation Cruise?

Most of the calls I've received recently about the hurricanes have to do with potential cancellations, whether or not one of the upcoming storms is going to affect cruise plans, or even to discuss what to do if power isn't restored from the effects of Gustav before they're scheduled to leave for their cruise. All fairly routine issues this time of year.

But a client tonight brought up an interesting concept - using a cruise as evacuation shelter. Here's the scenario: a client was concerned she might have to evacuate her vacation rental in Ft. Lauderdale next week due to Hurricane Ike. Rather than spend part of her annual vacation in a shelter, she decided she'd rather book a last minute cruise, even if Ike looked to be heading farther south and away from the area.

It's a good idea, actually. If you might have to evacuate anyway, the timing works right for catching a short cruise, and you can get your home prepared in advance, why not? While some might feel it's being irreverent in the face of potential devastation, it goes along with the long tradition of "hurricane parties," but moves the venue to a potentially much safer location onboard a ship.

Get on a ship, get away from the storm, come back shortly after it is all over and deal with it after a few days of not having to worry about things. Not necessarily a bad plan.

While availability can sometimes be difficult to find close in, and there are Homeland Security issues, a cruise can often be found in these circumstances. Tonight, we found a few good options for her, and she'll be sailing aboard the Norwegian Sky come Monday.

There are other issues to consider and discuss if you're thinking about something like this. Insurance won't cover storm-related pre-cruise cancellations or delays once a storm is named, but that's not really an issue for a client like this. There's always the risk that the ship might not be able to make it into port to turn around for the cruise, or might be delayed or even come in and depart early. This option works best for people who have a nearby port to which they can easily drive - you probably wouldn't want to deal with air in this situation. But if a client understands all that, and is willing to accept those conditions, why not?

My client is booked and happy and looking forward to her cruise starting on Monday. And while I'm hoping that Ike diminishes in strength, she may be the smart one here. Wonder if this will be a trend for the future?

I did forget to ask her one question, however. Wonder if she's going to be ordering a "hurricane" from the bar as she sails away?