When Janet and Jeff Blackwell checked into Beaches Negril on June 26, no one was paying much attention to a tropical wave forming off the coast of Africa. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, they planned to spend six days in Negril with their two grown sons, their wives and three small children, and then recreate their honeymoon with some private time at Sandals Montego Bay.
As the winds picked up, from 35 mph to 135 to 165, and the storm turned west and headed across the Caribbean toward them, they did consider changing their flights home. But tickets were scarce—and Janet would never go before all the grandchildren were safely off the island, she says. And their flight, delayed by a mechanical issue, did not leave until almost 8 pm on July 2.
Like many who endured the worst of the storm in Caribbean resorts, the Blackwells, owners of Tidewater Cruise & Travel in Bel Air, MD, credit the staff with making their stay, if not the full experience they expected, at least something bordering on fun. They credit them with staying on site despite their own concerns about their families, with smiling and chipping in and going above and beyond to ensure the safety and well-being of their guests.
When it was all said and done, the Blackwells say, they were lucky to have been at the more-sheltered areas in the north, in a property with its own water and power. On Wednesday they had buffet breakfast and lunch, then took food back to their rooms and sheltered indoors from about 2 to 8 pm, when their butler team called to check on them and say the buffet was open for dinner. In a third-floor oceanfront room, they watched the wind and the waves, heard the power switch over to the generator, but saw no real structural damage to the hotel. On Thursday the staff was out clearing the beach and the pool; by Friday the majority of the restaurants were open.
“The resort is in much better shape than most of the town” Janet says; 65% of the island has no power for probably the next two weeks, there are multiple road closures, no internet, and water supplies were limited. But 75 staff members stayed at the resort and “just did an outstanding job.”
In all, Janet says, she and Jeff “lost the better part of two days” of their second honeymoon.
Their tips for travelers and travel advisors traveling to the Caribbean in Hurricane Season:
If you are concerned about approaching weather, do not hesitate to change your airline reservations. Tickets were gone by Saturday.
If you do not know exactly how a resort to which you are headed fared, or if you know there has been extensive damage, cancel and go elsewhere.
Consider your own attitudes and those of your clients before booking. “It’s not unsafe but it’s not necessarily the experience you expected when you booked it,” Jeff says. The slightest thing will ruin the trip for some clients, so for them, just say, “Let’s work with the hotel company or the tour operator and have you go to another resort.” But if you are ready for a little adventure and a contribution to the good of the island, go for it.
Give them a chance to recover. “I’d say give them a couple of weeks to a month, and longer in the south. There’s long-term damage there,” Jeff says. “You don’t want to overwhelm the system or to leave clients with a bad impression.” But be supportive. The Blackwells are already booked for a return trip in November.
Purchase trip insurance. Compare your options, understand the exclusions, and bring a copy of the policy along so you know how to reach out if you need to contact them.
When you go, be ready to over-tip. Or bring along some toiletries and school supplies for employees to take home. “We were out there at 8 in the morning the day after the hurricane, and they were all working and greeting us with smiles where all I’d want to do is curl up and cry. It was very heartwarming to see their spirit,” Janet says.
Other Voices
Other travel advisors agreed with many of the points the Blackwells made and told their own tales of trips canceled or affected.
“I have a honeymoon couple going to Sandals Montego Bay in two weeks—and I am telling them to have a great time and enjoy themselves,” says Vince O’Driscoll.
Nancy Neimann was herself torn over whether to fly toward a hurricane or cancel for her fam to St. Lucia. “I lived through what many advisors are dealing with now with clients: Do you preemptively cancel? Do you wait it out? Do you go as soon as the country opens? What will insurance cover? It was a good learning experience and will help me to advise my clients better in the future,” she says.
To stay on top of things, Michelle Osborn followed TikTokers and Facebook groups for numerous resorts to which her clients were headed, and shared the information from current guests. “It is completely frustrating that resorts aren’t giving accurate updates,” said Osborn and a number of other travel advisors. “I understand they don’t want to create panic, but it’s ultimately our responsibility to do everything in our power to find out….even outside ‘official’ channels.”
Agreed Ajanaclair Wise, “your client may be relying on your expertise to guide them, which means doing your own diligence. If you have clients going to a Caribbean destination after a hurricane, check into the destination and property. While consumer groups and opinions have to be taken with a grain of salt, when you aggregate the information you can get a sense of what is really happening. If the people in destination are saying it is bad, you can’t rely on an email from a supplier saying it is all good.”
And remember that “fully operational” is in the eye of the beholder, says Tracy Gentner-Jarrett. “With all due respect, the ‘fully operational’ statement issued by a hotel brand is dependent on interpretation. It is open and safely operating for guests. BUT there was a hurricane that blew through their island. As advisors, we need to express that operating during a hurricane isn’t going to necessarily be similar to operating during a normal day.”
In the Caribbean herself, she also fielded many messages and emails to other advisors asking what she was hearing. “We have to be advocates for our clients and unfortunately part of that job is a lot of research, keeping up in the various social media posts from people on the ground, and leaning on one another for guidance. It’s important to remind all to exercise some level of empathy and grace during these kinds of situations. The staff of these properties are still reporting to work for long hours each day ensuring visitors to the island are comfortable and get the best possible while between shifts they return to homes that don’t have water, electricity or telephone/cell service. It’s ‘operating’ – they are accepting guests – but let’s be a bit more accepting of the reality of the situation and commend them for the service they are providing. The guests’ drinks are cold, the food is hot, the ocean and pools are still wet!”
Says Karynn Gross, “I’m telling my clients this week to go! Enjoy yourself! If they have any issues they will make it right. Are they at 100%? Unlikely. But is it worth canceling over? Absolutely not! You are outside most of the time in a bathing suit. Enjoy the local Caribbean life. Plus a lot of people have canceled, so you will have better service and no crowds! It’s all in the attitude!”
And at Sandals Dunns River, Avril Winkle said the resort “is up and running, and we had the best post-hurricane days made possible due to the quick cleanup crews at the resort. The big issue is staffing, as many are living in areas that were badly impacted and could not get to work. What it boils down to is how high-maintenance your clients are. I was totally mortified on Wednesday night by one guest who was getting upset because he couldn’t have sour cream with his baked potato. We were grateful, really got to know the staff, some of which hadn’t been home for over 37 hours, volunteering to stay and not knowing how their families or homes were. My husband and I were on our anniversary trip and we would have stayed longer if there had been flights, that’s how happy we were at our resort. So sad to leave!”
The Blackwells, too, ended up having a second honeymoon almost as memorable as the first. Both times, Jeff says, they spent many hours cuddling up in their hotel room. Only this time, they were playing Scrabble.
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.