Hurricane Ian Impacting Itineraries for Cruise Lines
After regaining strength over the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Ian was expected to make landfall in South Carolina near Charleston as a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 mph on Friday afternoon.
The National Hurricane Center said Ian would bring potentially life-threatening flooding, storm surges and winds to Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, which are all currently under a hurricane warning.
As for the cruise industry, PortMiami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale have reopened, giving the several cruise ships stuck at sea during the storm a place to safely dock.
Officials said the ports would be able to accommodate scheduled cruise departures, but Port Tampa Bay, JAXPort in Jacksonville and Port Canaveral remain closed, forcing cruise lines to cancel voyages scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Update: September 29, 2022 at 8:35 a.m. ET
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Ian was one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the United States when it made landfall in Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm.
Tropical storm force winds are expected in Florida, Georgia and the Carolina coasts through Friday and hurricane conditions are possible. The storm is expected to bring life-threatening flooding to Florida, southern Georgia and eastern South Carolina.
Cruise lines are also being forced to extend voyages and stay at sea as three major Florida ports are now closed, including Tampa, Port Canaveral and Jacksonville. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC ships have been impacted by the closures, according to CBS News.
Carnival canceled a planned Thursday voyage on its Carnival Paradise ship leaving from Tampa and offered passengers a full refund and a 25 percent credit for future cruises. Disney Cruise Line canceled its Friday sailing of the Disney Wish due to forecasted weather conditions for Port Canaveral and Central Florida.
Royal Caribbean postponed Thursday’s Mariner of the Seas departure from Port Canaveral until Friday, but that plan is subject to change. Norwegian rerouted its Norwegian Sky and canceled a 10-day Caribbean sailing on Norwegian Getaway that was to depart Thursday from Orlando.
Update: September 28, 2022 at 8:25 a.m. ET
The National Hurricane Center announced that Hurricane Ian will bring catastrophic storm surge, wind damage, rainfall and flooding to central Florida as it makes make landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 storm.
Major cruise lines have adjusted plans due to Hurricane Ian, in some cases changing nearly entire itineraries or canceling sailings altogether. Carnival Cruise Line canceled two upcoming sailings due to port closures in Jacksonville and Tampa, while Royal Caribbean International ships are skipping several ports due to the storm’s trajectory.
Celebrity Cruises also replaced stops in Belize and Cozumel with visits to Nassau and Labadee for the Celebrity Infinity sailing that left from Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. MSC Cruises made changes to MSC Seashore’s Saturday sailing from Miami, swapping its Western Caribbean itinerary for Eastern Caribbean stops.
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Several major cruise lines serving the Caribbean from Florida have already started rerouting and canceling sailings due to the projected trajectory of major Hurricane Ian.
According to USA Today, Norwegian Cruise Line altered the itinerary for Norwegian Sky after it left Miami on Sunday, shifting the voyage to avoid the path of Ian and now visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.
Passengers on current or future Norwegian sailings impacted by Ian will receive a refund to their onboard account.
MSC Cruises already altered the itinerary for MSC Seashore to include Eastern Caribbean destinations instead of the previously booked Western Caribbean sailings. MSC Divinia is on a voyage to Nassau and the Ocean City Marine Reserve, but officials said the ship might be delayed returning to Florida due to Hurricane Ian’s projected path.
Officials from Carnival Cruise Line announced that two of its sailings have been adjusted, including Carnival Ecstasy’s itinerary in Mexico being reorganized to keep the ship from the storm. Carnival Glory will now port in Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico, instead of the previously scheduled Key West and the Bahamas.
As for Disney Cruise Line, the company sent out emails to guests booked on the Disney Wish sailing scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on Friday, saying that departure could be delayed or altered due to the storm.
Ian strengthened into a Category 3 storm as it made landfall in Cuba on Tuesday morning, bringing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, heavy rain, storm surge and flash floods.
The National Hurricane Center issued warnings for Florida’s western coast, including Tampa and Fort Myers, as Ian is forecasted to become a Category 4 in the Gulf of Mexico as early as Tuesday evening.
By Wednesday, hurricane-force winds are expected in west central Florida, where mandatory evacuations have already started. Heavy rain, high winds and flooding are expected across Florida and could spread into Georgia and South Carolina this weekend.