jumpinjess7

Hello all!
My BF and i have a week off in Mid November (16th wk) and are trying to plan a trip. We usually go somewhere warm and beachy, but we also like adventurous activities too. Is the caribbean a bad idea during this time? I know that its the end of hurricane season, and that aruba bonaire and curacao are less risk, and if we get hurricane insurance we should be alright, but it still freaks me out a bit to think that we could get stranded on an island during a hurricane! Just wondering what the expert travelers thought about traveling to the caribbean during hurricane season, or any recommendations on where to go, and what to do.

Thank you!!
Jess

mrknowall

Come to Barbados last hurricane was in 1955 lol,you dont need insurance for hurricane i know good cheap places where you can stay

RoamsAround

No one can give you any guarantees regarding the weather (that's true no matter where you go) but the odds of a hurricane striking a specific small island in the Caribbean during a specific week are relatively small. As you already know, the further south you go the lower the odds get.

November is the very tail end of the Caribbean Hurricane Season so that reduces the risk even more.

You can ressearch the number of hurricanes that have struck any particular island during November by going to the "Climatology" section at www.stormcarib.com. Once there click on the island of your choice and you'll see a list, by date, of all the major storms that have affected that island for the past 150 years. You'll be surprised at how few there have been for any given month.

nathy1973

Hi!
It's true that nobody can be sure that the weather will be perfect on november... The huracan season is until october. You don't need any hurracan insurance!!!
I'm living in North Coast of Dominican Republic, Sosua exactly, and I've got never hurracan! Tropical storm sometimes on september, but nothing else, believe me! I've got 4 children, and if there were dangerous, I would'nt live here!
On novembre the weather is good, not so hot as now for example.
Here there are many activities to do: River Rafting, horse, boat, jeep safari, Waterfall visiting, countryside, natural park... I can give you some information about hotels, tours operator, restaurants...
Just tell me and I will help you the better I can.

See you!
nathy1973

KVR

We have gone to Mexico/Caribbean in a November since 2002. The only issue we had was in 2005 when Hurricane Wilma hit Mexico. We had booked Cozumel and purchased the trip/hurricane insurance so we were rerouted to St. Lucia instead.

Just make sure that you trip ends before Thanksgiving or you will end you paying much more and it will be crowded. We usually go around 11th, which is Veterns Day.

RoamsAround

Contrary to what nathy 1973 says, the "official" Atlantic/Caribbean Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30. While the peak time for storms is usually from the middle to the end of August through the end of October major storms can and do occur outside that "peak time" window.

Now, I've been to the Caribbean in November 6 out of the last 10 years and have yet to encounter a major storm - that's not to say there weren't any but rather there weren't any major storms near the islands we visited during the weeks we traveled.

Again, you can reduce your risk of encountering a major storm by going further south. Consider Barbados, St. Vincent, any of the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Lucia Aruba, Bonaire or Curacao.

Callaloo

November is my favorite time of year to visit the Caribbean, and I've done it a dozen times. Not yet in the full swing of "high season," waters and air warm, etc.

However, I ALWAYS buy trip insurance (not "hurricane insurance" but trip interruption/delay insurance), regardless of when I travel; in fact, I've had more trouble getting to/from the islands in the winter due to snow in the US than I've ever had with other events. Also, even if a storm doesn't hit your destination, your routing through Miami or Puerto Rico or other gateway cities might be impacted by a storm. Trip delay insurance helps with any lost days and extra expenses. (Of course, read the fine print.)

That said, I've twice had to completely change my November plans on a day's notice because a hurricane was headed towards my destination. Because hurricanes are in the works for several days, I'm now in the habit of at least having a Plan B and Plan C in mind, and once watches/warnings go up, airlines and hotels are willing to work with you to re-book and refund. So last year, when headed to Cape Santa Maria on Long Island (Bahamas), we had to change plans the day before departure, it only took a few phone calls to reroute ourselves to Nisbet Plantation on Nevis. We ended up not needing to claim on our insurance, but it was good to know we had it, in case some travel provider was sticking to its non-refund policies.

If you are like me, getting the vacation time off is the hardest part of planning a trip. So, once I've got vacation days on the books, I'm going SOMEWHERE!

nathy1973

You're wright Roamsaround! I did a mistake!
thank you for your help!
Nathy1973

Knowing

The only major difference between being in the Caribbean in November vs Dec - July is hurricane season. As others have suggested, Curacao, Barbados and the Grenadines are farly safe places and it's a time of year when many resorts offer the best bargains - just stay away from the week of Thanksgiving. It's doubtful that a hurricane WILL wreak havoc with your vacation, so GO and have fun.

Anguillagirl

I have been going to the Caribbean for the last 15 years in November and have not even once encountered a storm of any kind. For that matter, barely even a day of rain. Go and enjoy and don't even worry about it!

Tuxedocat

In the past 7 years, I don't think I've heard of any major weather in mid-November. I've been there at that time maybe 4 times and each has been great. Maybe once or twice experienced a heavy rain but nothing that would ruin a vacation.

Barthophile

Lenny was a big boy in 2009, hit late November and hung out for a long time...odds are you will be fine. Good travels!