Tropical Storm Debbie & Miami Heat Parade impacting cruisers

updated 9:45 AM 6/25 with Miami Heat Parade Route Map & Full Schedule at bottom of post.   Use this info as a guideline, times and events may change. 

9 PM ET Sunday Image of TS Debbie

As tropical storm Debbie is drenching Florida & with the transportation strike last week in Italy to remind you of the importance of travel insurance.

While Debbie isn’t having major impacts on cruise itineraries, she could cause delays on flights to Orlando or Miami on Monday morning. Flights that some of you may be taking to get on one of the 4-night Bahamas cruises departing tomorrow. If you have a quality travel insurance policy and your flight is canceled or delayed due to the weather, then you will get full refund for your cruise. If you are not insured, and you miss your cruise due to flight delays from tropical storm Debbie then you are out whatever you paid for your vacation.

It is important to use a trusted insurer and to be skeptical of any cruise deal that includes ‘free’ travel insurance because you know the saying…’you get what you pay for’ – and in a case where you need travel insurance you want to be covered by Travel Guard or Allianz formerly know as AccessAmerica.  important note: you have to buy your travel insurance prior to a storm being named to be protected from that storm.

Strikes and bankruptcies of suppliers is covered by the Travel Guard Policies that we provide our clients. While the storms and strikes grab the headlines, canceling for medical reasons is the most typical use of travel insurance for our clients.

ALERT for Monday Morning Cruises departing Miami

Alert for passengers departing on the Norwegian Sky, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Destiny or Majesty of the Seas Monday 6.26.12:

While I was researching impacts to cruise itineraries due to TS Debbie, I found that The Miami Heat parade is scheduled for Monday. So, if stressing about a tropical storm wasn’t enough for you…the Miami Heat parade may end up being your biggest headache.

If you have any questions about these impacts to your cruise or about travel insurance please leave them in the comments.

The Miami Heat Parade Schedule and Map.

The City of Miami Police Department has informed that on Monday, June 25, 2012 the celebration parade for the Miami Heat will take place beginning at 11:00 a.m.  The following is the itinerary for the events that will take place:

Timeline

9:00 a.m.              AA Arena doors will open for “private event” for ticketed guests only.

10:30 a.m.           Doors close and there will be a hard closure of the exterior of the building (no one allowed on property).

11:00 a.m.           Parade is scheduled to start on SW 8^th Street and 2^nd Avenue.  A total of 23 double Decker buses will be transporting the players.  There will be barricades all along the parade route.

12:30 p.m.           Parade ends and the team will join a private celebration event inside the AA Arena
Parade Route:

Parade route starts at SW 8^th Street and heads east, then north on Brickell Avenue across the Brickell Bridge, onto Biscayne Blvd. Way north to Biscayne Blvd.  They will continue northbound into the AA Arena via NE 8^th Street (see attached map).  We have been informed that Biscayne Boulevard will be closed for the parade and access to the building will be limited until the parade begins at which point there will be no traffic into or out of our building. 
 Thanks to @AubreySwanson for the Parade Map!