Hurricane Milton made its way across the Gulf of Mexico this week, making landfall on the west coast of Florida late Wednesday, October 9, 2024. As a result, Walt Disney World announced closures and cancellations, and Disney Cruise Line canceled an entire sailing. Some of you might be wondering what happens if you are sailing onboard a Disney cruise ship during a hurricane, and since I’ve personally experienced it, I thought we would go over some of the significant things you should know.
In September 2022, my husband and I were onboard the Disney Wish as Hurricane Ian approached Florida from the Gulf Coast. We were on a four-night sailing. We did not think the hurricane would affect our cruise at all, but boy, were we wrong. Two nights before our cruise was supposed to end, as we were having dinner in the Arendelle restaurant, the ship’s captain announced over the loudspeaker that our sailing would be extended for at least one night, possibly two, due to the storm closure of Port Canaveral. He explained that the ship needed to go out further into the Atlantic Ocean to avoid any part of the storm. To be completely honest, I didn’t hear anything else the captain said because the entire dining room erupted in cheers the instant he said the cruise was being extended.
I found it so interesting that when the ship heads out to the open ocean (read: out to nowhere in particular), it sails around in gigantic circles. We were able to see the storm from our location, which was fascinating, as we were in a beautiful area with blue skies and sunshine. We felt safe and confident knowing that keeping the ship and all of its passengers safe and out of harm’s way was a top priority, and there was never any doubt in our minds that that that would not be the case.
Another interesting point was that when we looked at the map on our TV, we could see just how close we were to the eastern seaboard and Port Canaveral. It was reassuring to know that the captain and crew were keeping a very close eye on the direction of the storm in relation to where we were located. It was so nice not to have to worry about what was going to happen. We felt completely safe and knew that Disney would take good care of us. As I write this, the Disney Wish is near Nassau in The Bahamas, far away from Hurricane Milton. Visit this page to see all the Disney ships’ current locations.
At the time of this post, Hurricane Milton has already made its way across Florida, and the storm’s center is out in the Atlantic Ocean. Port Canaveral is still temporarily closed, and the captain of the Disney Wish told the ship’s passengers that they plan to arrive back in Port on Sunday, Oct. 13, instead of Friday, Oct. 11. This was our exact experience, too.
The ship’s crew seemed to step everything into high gear with entertainment, characters, and more. Since those last two days on the ship would essentially be at-sea days, they were well prepared to keep us busy and enjoying ourselves. It was fun to talk to other guests who told us that they were having a great time too.
We wondered how our dining rotation would work, and our server told us to watch the app as the new information would be added there. What was so great about this part was that we just went right into the next rotation as if we were the new guests who just boarded the ship. Plus, the servers that we loved stayed with us! There were no hiccups, and we loved repeating two of the main restaurants. We were big fans of the menu, so for us, it was fabulous.
Something else we wondered about was gratuities and how they would be handled since we’d prepaid ours when we originally booked our cruise. We didn’t even have to ask as a message was sent via the DCL app advising us that Disney Cruise Line would pay the gratuities for the two extra nights. How cool is that?
One of the most important things you need to know is something that we did not have first-hand experience with due to where we lived at the time of this cruise. We only had a two-hour drive from the Port. It is very important to understand that you will need to adjust your travel arrangements should your cruise get unexpectedly extended or cut short. Guest Services will assist you with your airport transportation and flights as long as you booked those as part of your cruise. If you booked your airfare on your own, Disney will assist you if you need it, but it is entirely up to you to adjust your arrangements for the new date(s). This is an excellent example of it paying to book with a travel agency like Dreams Unlimited Travel, as they could handle all of this on your behalf.
All in all, our experience was a fantastic one. I mean, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t absolutely LOVE having their 4-night cruise turn into a 6-night cruise without it costing more? We felt like it was a one-in-a-million experience and we loved every moment. We hope the passengers currently onboard the Disney Wish have the same experience!
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