How safe is a cruise ship in a storm?

Hurricane Melissa is having a major impact on cruises, with many Caribbean sailings altering their itineraries in response the category 5 storm. Forecasters have warned that the hurricane could be the strongest storm recorded in 2025 so far, and the worst to hit the island since records began 174 years ago. While flights have been cancelled, cruise ships cannot stop in the middle of the ocean when there is a storm or hurricane. Instead, several cruise lines have adjusted their itineraries and routes in recent days to avoid the hurricane, according to CruiseMapper. Here is everything you need to know about how cruise ships cope with extreme weather. Read more: Hurricane Melissa latest Stormy seas can lead to a rocky experience on board for passengers, but modern-day vessels are built to withstand extreme weather. Cruise ships are equipped with stabilisers that counteract the roll of the waves. A vessel's centre of gravity is also tested when it is being built. The CruiseHive blog says: "Testing includes putting scale models of the cruise ship through storm simulations to see how it holds up. These ships are designed to handle all types of storms, even hurricanes." Ideally, a cruise ship will avoid storms and hurricanes rather than travel through them. The Cruise Globe ship tracking app shows there are currently no vessels in the area of Hurricane Melissa. Alongside inbuilt weather navigation systems, some cruise ships may have meteorologists on board to advise about extreme weather. This may mean skipping ports and arriving at destinations earlier or later. A spokesperson for industry trade body, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), told The Independent: "Cruise lines will always prioritise safety and, therefore, the first line of decision making is always based on what is the safest course of action based on the current and potential challenges. "Decisions are made case by case based on the situation, including if the ship has already begun its voyage or if it is scheduled to sail on an itinerary that would be impacted. The captain will usually warn guests of bad weather and sick bags are always available if passengers suffer from rough seas. There may be parts of a ship that are closed during a storm, such as the outside of higher decks, where it can be wet and dangerous for passengers. In rough conditions, it is usually best to be on the lower decks and in the middle of a ship, as the movement of the sea will not be felt as strongly. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas yesterday (Monday, 27 October) rerouted its eastern Caribbean itinerary to the western islands instead to avoid the worst-hit areas. MSC Cruises has also rerouted its World America ship from the east to the western Caribbean. Disney Wish and Disney Treasure have also altered their Caribbean itineraries this week to avoid the hurricane. Passengers aboard Disney Wish will visit the cruise line's private island Castaway Cay two days earlier in the itinerary this week, instead of a scheduled sea day. Disney Treasure, which began a Caribbean cruise on Saturday, will visit Cozumel, Mexico today (Tuesday, 28 October) instead of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. It will have a sea day tomorrow rather than visiting the island of St Thomas. The ship will also stop at Castaway Cay on Thursday, when it was due to have a sea day. Ships not yet in the region have also altered their itineraries to ensure the waters are calmer by the time they hit the south Atlantic. Hurricane season in the Caribbean is between June and November, and therefore ships are be prepared for changes to their schedule. A storm can disrupt the route and length of a cruise but, unlike a flight delay, there is no automatic right to compensation. This is because most cruise lines warn in advance that itineraries can change at short notice, and ships will make an effort to visit alternative ports. Goodwill gestures may be offered, such as onboard credit. It is important to have travel insurance for a cruise as your policy may include missed port cover, which could compensate you if you have paid for private excursions. Any prepaid excursions arranged with the cruise line should be refunded. There may be compensation and refunds available if a cruise gets cancelled on the day of departure if weather conditions make it impossible to sail. A CLIA spokesperson said: "As ships have the benefit of being able, in most cases, to navigate around severe weather, full cancellations rarely occur. Instead, cruise lines will look to adjust itineraries and reroute the ships. "There are rare occurrences where unpredicted storms arise outside of forecasts. In these situations, the crew has extensive training to navigate the situation with the safety and comfort of the guests as the top priority."