Trip Tools

Typhoon-season risk table

“Booked for October — will a typhoon wreck it?” We computed thirty years of JMA best-track data (1995-2024) into monthly storm counts per cruise corridor. Not vibes — data.

📡 Official JMA data 🗓 30 years · 1995–2024 🌏 4 cruise corridors

← swipe to see the full year →

Corridor JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Singapore · Malacca legs Genting Dream & Disney Adventure home turf 000000000000
South China Sea (HK–Vietnam) Southbound Hong Kong sailings 0000.10.10.61.11.41.31.10.60.1
Taiwan · Keelung waters Keelung departures 00000.20.40.91.21.00.40.20
Okinawa · SW Japan legs HK/Taiwan → Naha & Kagoshima 0000.10.50.71.42.11.91.00.20

Numbers = average storms per year at tropical-storm strength or above entering each corridor (JMA RSMC-Tokyo best track 1995-2024). Near zero Low Mid High

📊 Three conclusions from the data

  • Singapore runs are typhoon-free year-round — two storms touched the Malacca corridor in thirty years. Nervous about weather, or travelling with kids and grandparents? Depart Singapore and the season simply stops mattering.
  • July–September is peak — the Okinawa corridor averages 2.1 storms in August, so a summer sailing has a genuine chance of rerouting.
  • December–May is the calm window for Hong Kong and Taiwan routes — all four corridors sit near zero.

🌀 So a typhoon actually comes — then what?

Rarely cancelled, usually rerouted. Ships generally travel faster than typhoons move, and captains detour early — the common outcomes are a skipped port, reordered calls, or an extra sea day.

What does a skipped port refund? Typically that port’s fees and any ship-booked excursions; the cruise fare itself usually isn’t refunded. Policies differ by line — read the official itinerary-change terms before booking.

The ship itself stays comfortable. Rerouting exists precisely to avoid the rough zone — what you’ll most likely experience is “Okinawa became an extra pool day”, not heavy seas.

🎯 So how should I choose?

  • · Summer is your only window? → depart from Singapore, or take an Okinawa route accepting that rerouting is part of cruising
  • · Flexible dates? → sail after late October: the peak has passed and fares soften too
  • · Travelling with parents, want zero surprises? → December–May, all corridors calm; see cruising with parents
  • · Check whether your travel insurance covers “itinerary changes” — a typhoon reroute usually doesn’t count as a “cancellation”, and the wording decides the payout

Method: data from the Japan Meteorological Agency RSMC-Tokyo best-track archive (1995-2024), tropical-storm strength and above, one count per storm entering a corridor. Corridors are approximate sea boxes around the routes, not individual sailings’ tracks. This page is a risk reference, not a forecast — follow official weather services and your cruise line before sailing.