Disruptions to cruise ship itineraries grow as Hurricane Ian barrels toward Florida
At least six cruise lines were rerouting ships in the Caribbean and the Bahamas on Monday as a growing Hurricane Ian barreled toward Florida.
In a significant change, Norwegian Cruise Line sent its 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sky to the Eastern Caribbean for the week instead of the Western Caribbean to avoid the storm.
The Miami-based vessel, which departed the city late Sunday, will visit Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Tortola and the Bahamas this week instead of Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras and Mexico.
MSC Cruises' 4,540-passenger MSC Seashore is also heading to the Eastern Caribbean instead of the Western Caribbean. The Miami-based vessel, which departed the city on Saturday, will visit the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic over the next few days instead of Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico.
At the same time, a New Orleans-based Carnival Cruise Line ship originally scheduled to sail to the Bahamas this week is heading to the Western Caribbean instead. The 2,980-passenger Carnival Glory, which departed from New Orleans on Sunday on a seven-night voyage to Key West, Florida, and Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas, is now visiting Belize, Honduras and Mexico.
Other last-minute itinerary changes affect:
- Celebrity Infinity. The 2,170-passenger Celebrity Cruises vessel pulled into Nassau in the Bahamas on Monday instead of being at sea as scheduled. It will skip a call in Belize on Tuesday and replace a call in Cozumel, Mexico, scheduled for Wednesday with a stop in Labadee, Haiti. The Fort Lauderdale-based vessel is on a seven-night voyage that began Saturday.
- Mariner of the Seas. The 3,344-passenger Royal Caribbean ship skipped a call scheduled for Labadee, Haiti, on Monday and instead was at sea. The Port Canaveral, Florida-based ship is on a five-night voyage that began on Saturday.
- Liberty of the Seas. The 3,798-passenger Royal Caribbean ship will skip a call at Cozumel on Tuesday as it heads far more easterly than normal to avoid the storm. The ship is on a seven-night cruise out of Galveston, Texas.
- Allure of the Seas. The 5,484-passenger Royal Caribbean ship will skip a call at Roatan, Honduras, scheduled for Tuesday as it also stays to the east to avoid the storm. The ship is on a six-night voyage from Fort Lauderdale.
- Scarlet Lady. The 2,770-passenger Virgin Voyages vessel will skip a call at Costa Maya, Mexico, scheduled for Tuesday and visit Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic instead. The ship is on a five-night voyage out of Miami that began Saturday.
- Carnival Ecstasy. The 2,052-passenger Carnival vessel will visit Progreso, Mexico, on Wednesday and Cozumel, Mexico on Thursday, reversing the order of the port calls. The ship is on a six-night sailing from Mobile, Alabama.
The storm will likely affect more cruise ships over the coming days as it crosses into the Gulf of Mexico and approaches the west coast of Florida.
Among other vessels that could face disruptions are Carnival's Galveston, Texas-based Carnival Dream and Tampa, Florida-based Carnival Paradise. The Port Canaveral-based Carnival Liberty also could be affected if Ian tracks eastward across Florida.
Related: Hurricane Ian likely to affect travel for days
A spokesperson for Carnival on Monday told TPG that six Carnival vessels in all could possibly be affected by the storm this week.
"Our fleet operations center in Miami is continuing to monitor Hurricane Ian and its potential impact on the itineraries for the following ships: Carnival Dream, Ecstasy, Glory, Liberty, Paradise and Sunrise," Carnival spokesperson Matt Lupoli said in a statement.
Of particular concern is Carnival Paradise, the only cruise vessel currently based in Tampa. It's due back in Tampa early Thursday from a five-night cruise to the Western Caribbean and scheduled to depart the city later that day on a new voyage. The current projections for Hurricane Ian's track put it close to Tampa by Thursday.
On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard set Port Condition Yankee for the Port of Tampa, which means gale-force winds (34 to 47 knots) are expected within 24 hours. Ships are barred from entering a port under Port Condition Yankee but can still depart.
Related: A complete guide to cruising during hurricane season
In a video update posted Monday, Royal Caribbean chief meteorologist James Van Fleet warned that the storm could cause more of an impact on the west coast of Florida than it appeared just 24 hours ago.
"I think there might be harder impacts [to the west coast of Florida] than it was looking over the weekend," Van Fleet said in the first of two Twitter videos offering his outlook on the storm and its effect on cruisers. "I think we need to be ready for that."
Also keeping an eye on Hurricane Ian is Disney Cruise Line, which has two ships based in Port Canaveral. The ships are scheduled to take on new passengers at the port on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
"We’re closely monitoring Hurricane Ian," Disney Cruise Line spokesperson Melanie Hager told TPG in an emailed statement. "We have not made any modifications to our itineraries at this time."
Hurricane Ian's projected path toward Florida is causing growing anxiety for cruisers scheduled to board ships in the state in the next few days, particularly those scheduled to sail out of the central Florida ports of Tampa and Port Canaveral.
In addition to possible delays to ship departures, cruisers scheduled to sail out of Port Canaveral and Tampa this week could face flight cancellations and delays.
"I really hope [Carnival Cruise Line] just cancels my cruise now," one passenger scheduled to sail out of Tampa on Thursday wrote Monday on Twitter.
Related: What happens when a hurricane hits Disney World
The disruptions come as one of the busier cruise ports in the region that often serves as an alternate stop for cruise ships avoiding hurricanes, Grand Turk, remains closed for now due to damage from Hurricane Fiona.
As of 5 p.m. EDT Monday, Ian was about 155 miles southeast of the western tip of Cuba and moving north-northwest at 13 miles per hour. The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour.
The storm is expected to strengthen rapidly over the next 36 hours as it moves toward the west-central coast of Florida. According to current projections, it could be a very powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour as it nears the coast of Florida late Wednesday into early Thursday.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.