Royal Caribbean Is Using One of Its Ships to Help Evacuate Irma Survivors From St. Maarten
Royal Caribbean is doing its part to help evacuate the island of St. Maarten after the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. In an itinerary update, the cruise company announced that it plans to mobilize its ships and supplies in order to help those in the Caribbean and Florida who are still struggling after Irma wreaked havoc last week.
The Majesty of the Seas, an 830-foot, 73,941-ton cruise ship, stopped in St. Thomas on a humanitarian call on Tuesday. On Friday morning, the ship will make a stop in Philipsburg, the main port on the Dutch side of the island — the other half being French — that was devastated by Irma's strong winds, rainfall and storm surge.
The ship will bring supplies including water, food and ice as well as other provisions to the island on the way in, and on the way out it will transport evacuees — to San Juan in Puerto Rico, according to media reports. We asked Royal Caribbean to confirm that the destination will be indeed San Juan, and we will update the post if that destination changes.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson confirmed that if anyone needs assistance evacuating, they need to send some personal information to stormhelp@rccl.com by 6:00pm ET on Thursday. The necessary information to be included in the email, which is required by US Customs and Border Protection, includes: family name, given name, date of birth, ID type and country, ID number, ID expiration, country of residence, email address and/or phone number, emergency contact and any special circumstances.
The cruise line did not comment on how many people it will be able to take on board the Majesty of the Seas to evacuate St. Maarten. But, if you or someone you know is stuck in St. Maarten and trying to get out, be sure to email the required information by 6:00pm ET Thursday.
In order to use the Majesty of the Seas for this humanitarian trip, Royal Caribbean delayed its September 18 sailing on a regular cruise until September 19. For passengers who still want to sail, Royal Caribbean is giving a refund of 25% on the cruise fare, as well as a 25% future cruise credit.
