I think misperception is a major cause of that irritation for those cruisers. They are effectively causing themselves to be irate by way of not understanding the product that they're purchasing.
The mainstream cruise lines' business model is predicated on a set of terms and conditions that draw
a very specific line with regard to
risk sharing between cruise line and passenger. They (and other companies) offer additional cost (insurance) options that allow the passenger to move that line. Therefore, it is unreasonable to expect the cruise line to ignore the line that they've drawn after they've gone to all the trouble to put the line in a specific place and to offer the passenger ways to move the line if they wish.
The cruise lines often have legitimate incentive to make their decisions as late as possible. They almost surely will always time the announcement of their decision based on when such an announcement would best serve the financial interests of their owners, deferring only to the dictates of authorities (such as the harbormaster) who are the ones actually responsible for prioritizing safety.
Consumers and the cruise line also have responsibilities regarding safety, but not necessarily the responsibilities that passengers think:
- Consumers has safety responsibilities to make decisions in the best interest of their own safety regardless of whether it would cause them financial harm (that they neglected to insure themselves against).
- The cruise line has safety responsibilities pertaining to their passengers on board their ship (only) and to their investment in the ship itself.
I feel it is a disservice for cruisers to go into a cruise line booking (any cruise line booking, not just during hurricane season, but especially during hurricane season) with any expectations that go beyond what I've outlined above, and I feel it is a disservice for those of us
in the know to misrepresent the risk sharing as outlined above.