I hear from clients all the time that they do not want to cruise during hurricane season. Hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30. If you decide you don’t want to cruise during this time, you are missing out on a lot of destinations and some great deals!
Cruises generally aren’t canceled because of hurricanes. Some have been diverted to other locations, but even those are few. Keep in mind that the captain of the ship does not want to hurt any of you but also doesn’t want to have any issues with the ship affecting future sailings as well. They are going to make sure all of you are safe. Also realize that there are chances for hurricanes outside of the “season” and bad weather/high seas can occur at any time.
While it is disappointing to miss a port of call that you were counting on, it is something that can happen. You need to understand that the cruise contract you have with the cruise line does not guarantee that you will go to any specific ports of call. Basically, they guarantee you will get a cruise. It is for this reason that I especially consider insurance when cruising during hurricane season (or for that matter in the winter when you are at the mercy of snowstorms).
If you are booking shore excursions on your own, you will want to make sure that you can cancel them at the last minute if your ship does not make it in to the port of call.
Holidays are a great time to sail, however, remember that whenever kids are out of school, pricing is generally higher on cruises. Holidays are generally the most expensive times to cruise. The exception of course is last minute reduction in prices, but usually when you are planning a long time in advance for the best availability, you do need to be prepared for higher prices.