Update Sunday 8:00am: Tropical storm Isaac currently has winds of 65 mph is located NE of Cuba. For current updates on TS Isaac and Joyce and to see cruise changes, click here.
Original Article: Tropical Storm Isaac, the 9th named storm of the 2012 hurricane season, is currently on a path towards cruise hot spots such as Martinique, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, and other Caribbean islands.
TS Isaac has top winds of 45 mph and is heading west at 15 mph. The storm is currently located south of Puerto Rico and is expected to strengthen as it moves towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the islands of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix). The tropical storm is expected to become a hurricane sometime on Thursday as it passes south of Puerto Rico.
Tropical storms become hurricanes when maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph.
The current storm projections have the hurricane headed towards Haiti and Cuba, passing to the northeast of Jamaica. However, the National Hurricane Center reiterates that tropical storms and hurricanes can be extremely difficult to forecast as their movements can be erratic. South Florida and the Bahamas should keep an eye on the storm as it moves north.
Cruise lines have begun to change cruise itineraries to keep the ships out of the path of the storm. Cruise Fever would like to remind everyone that cruise cancellations are rare due to hurricanes. Cruise ships will generally sail away from storms for the safety and enjoyment of the passengers. This often means a change in port or an unscheduled sea day.
Carnival issued a statement on their website that they are closely monitoring Isaac and that were are currently no changes for cruises departing on or after Thursday, August 23, 2012. They will update their guests on Carnival.com if any changes are made. They also reiterated that safety is their most important concern and their ships will stay a safe distance from the storm.
- Carnival Valor will skip the port of Curacao and replace it with stop in Nassau, Bahamas on Friday.
- Carnival Liberty will skip a stop in Grand Turk due to high winds and heavy swells and will replace it with an unscheduled stop in Nassau.
Royal Caribbean made an announcement that while they have yet to make any changes, passengers who will be traveling on the Majesty, Monarch, Freedom, Oasis and Allure of the Seas should monitor the storm and visit RoyalCaribbean.com for all updates.
Norwegian posted on NCL.com: “At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Isaac. Currently, all of our ships are sailing as scheduled. Should there be any updates, they will be posted here.”
Cruise Fever will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Isaac and will update this page if and when cruise lines (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Princess, and Holland America) make announced changes to itineraries.
For the latest on TS Isaac, visit the National Hurricane Center.
