Hurricane Season in the Caribbean

Sunny0710

Hi Ladies,
FI and I are getting married in August, and have to take our honeymoon then because I am a teacher and FI generally works like a fiend.
We really want to do the Caribbean- sandy beaches, palm trees, snokeling, etc.
However, I am becoming increasingly worried about it being the hurricane season.
We considered Hawaii, but since we can only be gone a week we didn't want to spend forever getting there (a far trip from home for us), and Aruba didn't really strike our fancy. We want to go to Jamaica. Has anyone been there in August and can share their experiences? I don't mind if we get an hour-long thunderstorm everyday, what I am concerned about is having no sun at all.
Thanks ladies!

duckie1905

We've gone to Jamaica during hurricane season.  It didn't rain all day, everyday and I can't even really say that it rained anymore than it does outside of hurricane season.

but, it is hurricane season so you have to be prepared to deal with the fact that your travel plans (to or from) as well as your trip might be affected by the weather.  There is not a "good" time to go during hurricane season; you just run the risk that a weather issue will occur.

Get good trip insurance and hope for the best is probably the only advice anyone can give you if you MUST travel to that location during that time of year.

dirtymartini

We had an August wedding and were concerned about hurricanes too.  We decided on Aruba (the only 3 islands that are pretty much 100% safe are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao).  It was absolutely fantastic and we didn't have a drop of rain.  The rest of the caribbean during that week was getting POUNDED by hurricanes- so badly that most flights were cancelled.  It ended up being a very very wise decision!!!

Why are you more interested in Jamaica than Aruba?  Just wondering- because I've been to about 6 Caribbean islands and my favorite by far was Aruba.  I would rethink it if I were you!  Good luck!

Sunny0710

DirtyMartini- When we were looking at Aruba we were having problems finding a hotel we liked. Where did you stay? Any recommendations?

katanne9

We decided to suck it up and go to Jamaica anyways! (also getting married in August). We got insurance, just in case. August is still at the beginning of the season, so we're just banking on it being fine.

kbelle91

I am close to booking my honeymoon in the DR, was going to go through a travel agent, but decided saving 800 dollars was way better to book myself!  But I guess that means no travel insurance, the insurance she offered me was medical cancellation anyway!  Thoughts?

jacquelyng1215

I'm in a similar situation as Sunny.  Our wedding is Aug. 21 and we're thinking of a Caribbean beach vacation for a week, but are concerned about the threat of a hurricane.  I've done some reading and am hearing better things about the ABC islands and Bermuda (one site also recommended St. Lucia?), but we were really focusing on St. Thomas or St. John.

We're leaning towards sticking with our original plan and getting travel insurance as a precaution.  My question is, does anyone know any specifics about travel insurance in this case?  Would we be able to simply rebook our trip to go somewhere else during the same time if there was inclement weather, or how does that work exactly?

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_hurricane-season-caribbean?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:6047de69-809b-4c6a-9948-adb19975fbcaPost:7592dc27-f929-48ad-a324-169a99e01c81">Re: Hurricane Season in the Caribbean</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm in a similar situation as Sunny.  Our wedding is Aug. 21 and we're thinking of a Caribbean beach vacation for a week, but are concerned about the threat of a hurricane.  I've done some reading and am hearing better things about the ABC islands and Bermuda (one site also recommended St. Lucia?), but we were really focusing on St. Thomas or St. John. We're leaning towards sticking with our original plan and getting travel insurance as a precaution.  My question is, does anyone know any specifics about travel insurance in this case?  Would we be able to simply rebook our trip to go somewhere else during the same time if there was inclement weather, or how does that work exactly?
Posted by jacquelyng1215[/QUOTE]

I'm not really sure.   I work for a major international hotel chain and we will move you to a sister hotel at no additional charge.   A few years ago a 100 person wedding from Cayman moved to our hotel with a few days notice because of hurricane.  It pretty much went  off without a hitch.  Different location, yes.   Still had the time of their life... absoultely.

If you book through a major hotel chain, more than likely the will be able to move you to a sister property somewhere, or at the very least honor your reservations at a later date.