10 Things You Need to Know About Sailing During Hurricane Season

Apparently, a Super El Niño is developing right now, and you may be wondering what that means for cruising during the 2026 hurricane season. While I’m no meteorologist, I’ve got some good news about that below. I also have extensive experience sailing during hurricane season. The good news is that the vast majority of my hurricane cruises have gone off without a hitch, or with very minor changes. Here are some general things you can expect when sailing during hurricane season.

1. This Super El Niño May Actually Mean a Low Hurricane Season – Let me emphasize again – I am no meteorologist (although my dad was, does that count?), but according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), El Niño conditions often suppress hurricane development. They’re predicting a 55% chance that there is a lower-than-normal hurricane season! The best explanation I’ve found on this is on Stormbag, which says, “El Niño typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity by increasing wind shear across the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic, which tears storms apart before they organize.” There are no guarantees, of course, but it sounds like good news for anyone that’s concerned!

2. Hurricane Season Runs from June through October – Hurricane season starts earlier than a lot of us think; it begins in June. I think the reason we don’t typically associate summer with hurricane season is that most hurricane activity takes place between mid-August and mid October according to NOAA.

3. Hurricanes Aren’t a Surprise – The good (?) news about hurricanes is that they aren’t a surprise event like, say, an earthquake. We’ve got some warning that they’re happening and can somewhat plan accordingly.

4. You’re Going to Want Insurance – I believe you should always cruise with insurance, but especially during hurricane season. If a hurricane affects your cruise, you may incur other travel expenses that just a refund of your cruise fare (if it comes to that) will not cover.

5. Cruises Can Be Canceled – So what does happen if there’s a hurricane out there when you’re cruising? It is very, very rare that Disney has to cancel a cruise. Disney does everything they can to avoid outright cancellation, but if they cancel your cruise, you will get a refund.

6. Cruises Can Be Altered Significantly– Far more likely to happen would be an itinerary alteration. There are times when Disney has changed a Western Caribbean to an Eastern Caribbean to avoid a storm. I was on a 4-Night sailing in October of 2024, which was extended to a 6-Night sailing due to Port Canaveral being closed. That also resulted in one of those rare cancellations, because rather than make the 3-Night sailing scheduled immediately after ours into a 1-Night sailing, it was canceled. We were warned when boarding that our cruise would likely be extended, and if we had no flexibility to extend last minute, we should disembark before the ship sailed. Everyone who took that option was given a full refund.

7. Your Port Day May Change to a Sea Day – Sometimes itinerary changes just mean Disney can’t make a port, and a port day will turn into a sea day. That’s much more common and happens throughout the year because of weather-related issues. No cruise line guarantees a port stop in their terms and conditions. If that happens, you will get a refund of port fees and taxes, but don’t expect any other kind of compensation.

8. Disney Pivots With the Changes – The good news is that Disney is somewhat adaptable. If your port day becomes a sea day, you’ll see your Navigator app fill with activities that were not on there before. When we added two days to our sailing, we were told they would be sea days, but on the afternoon before our last day, the Captain announced we were going back to Castaway for our last day! There was an audible cheer around the ship! All of our length-of-cruise purchases also extended. Our four-day Rainforest pass became a six-day Rainforest pass. Same with our Wi-fi. Our dinners in the Main Dining Room repeated the first two night menus, which we expected.

9. You May Just Have Bad Weather – Sometimes a hurricane in the area just means the weather is bad. Seas can be rough, ports can be rainy, and the pool decks can be closed. Bring your Dramamine if motion sickness is a concern.

10. There’s One Giant Benefit to Sailing During Hurricane Season – Price. So why do people risk sailing during prime hurricane season? One big answer is price. September is traditionally the cheapest time of year to sail. Combine that with the odds that your cruise will go off without a hitch, or with minor alterations, and the savings make it worth it. It’s one of the reasons I’m on a cruise at least once every September and October.

What’s been your experience cruising during hurricane season?