Update Sunday 1:00 p.m. EST: Hurricane Sandy is moving north up the Atlantic Ocean with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Cruise lines continue to make changes to cruise itineraries for the sixth straight day.
The hurricane is expected to make land near Delaware/New Jersey late Monday or early Tuesday morning. The east coast is under a Hurricane or tropical storm watch from North Carolina up to New England. After affecting cruises to Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean last week, Hurricane Sandy now has cruise lines making even more adjustments.
The U.S. Coast Guard has announced that they will be closing the Port of New York at 6 pm on Sunday. The Norwegian Gem was scheduled to arrive Monday but will now stay at sea at least one extra day. The Norwegian Dawn will not be stopping in Portland, Maine on Tuesday, but instead will stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Monday. Visit NCL.com for the latest information on changes to Norwegian cruises.
Royal Caribbean has announced changes to three more cruise ships. The Monarch of the Seas’ departure has been delayed due to rough seas. The ship will depart once the waters are calm. The Enchantment of the Seas will not be stopping in Kings Warf, Bermuda and will have a 5 sea day cruise as the captain finds the calmest water possible. Lastly, the Jewel of the Seas was scheduled to depart from Boston on Sunday but will not remain in port until at least Tuesday. Visit RoyalCaribbean.com for additional information.
Previous Changes to Cruises
There were four cruise ships scheduled to port in Jamaica this week. The Norwegian Pearl was scheduled to stop in Ocho Rios on Wednesday. The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas was scheduled to stop in Falmouth also on Wednesday. Carnival has two ships scheduled to stop in Montego Bay this week, the Carnival Magic on Wednesday and the Carnival Valor on Thursday.
Royal Caribbean announced that the Allure of the Seas will have a sea day instead of stopping in Falmouth, Jamaica. They encourage guests who are sailing on the Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas to monitor RoyalCarribean.com for any additional changes.
Carnival also made changes to a few cruise ship itineraries. The Valor will skip Grand Cayman and Montego Bay and stop in Costa Maya and Cozumel. The Carnival Pride will no longer be stopping at Half Moon Cay or Freeport, Bahamas. The ship will now have an extra sea day and a stop in Port Canaveral. Visit Carnival.com for the latest updates on their ships.
NCL has announced changes to 3 itineraries in their fleet. The Norwegian Pearl will now call on Costa Maya, Mexico on Thursday and return back to Miami on Saturday. The Norwegian Jewel will be stopping in Charleston, SC on Friday, and will return as scheduled to NYC on Sunday. Lastly, the Norwegian Sky will have a sea day on Thursday skipping a stop at their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. Visit NCL.com for the latest updates.
There is a good possibility that more lines will alter additional itineraries as the storm moves close to the Bahamas on Thursday and Friday. It is also worth noting that some cruise lines will make last minute changes to itineraries and not announce them to the press.
It is rare that a cruise is canceled from a storm. Captains will sail the ships away from the storms to sunny skies so the passengers can enjoy their vacations.
Hurricane Sandy, which is the 18th named storm of the 2012 Hurricane Season, is expected to move north over Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas before making its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical storms become hurricanes when maximum sustained winds are greater than 74 mph.
For the latest on Hurricane Sandy, visit the National Hurricane Center.
Cruise Fever will continue to monitor this storm and will update this page if and when any cruise lines make changes to itineraries.
