What exactly happened to those so-called Caribbean Cruisers?

[Category5Kaiju]

Recently, I pondered this question, and I honestly decided to post it as I feel it might generate a meaningful discussion. When I mean "Caribbean Cruiser," I am referring to those very powerful hurricanes such as Allen, Gilbert, Ivan, Emily, Dean, and Felix that formed east of the Lesser Antilles and maintained Cat 4+ strength throughout the majority of their trek through the Caribbean Sea. It has been a while since we last saw a Caribbean Cruiser (2007, that is). But does anybody have any perspective or ideas on what factors have been missing throughout the past years since then that did not really allow any Caribbean Cruiser to happen? Do you guys also think that we are bound to see a Caribbean Cruiser sometime soon, and what would it take for a season to feature such a kind of storm?

I personally find Caribbean Cruisers fascinating as they tend to be phenomenal ACE-boosters, and I would love to further study and track one at some point in the future!

[somethingfunny]

Well, how common were they in the first place? Before Ivan Emily Dean & Felix they weren't too common either.
Iris 2001 didn't reach major strength until the western Caribbean
The 90s didn't have any classic Caribbean cruisers that I recall. I think you have to go back to Joan and Gilbert to find more, Allen before that and before that you're in the 1970s. It's very rare for a major hurricane to form east of the Antilles and traverse the entire Caribbean without pulling northward or weakening.