Cruise Ships Impacted by Nor’easter: Current Itinerary Changes and Port Delays

As a strong nor’easter churns along the East Coast, at least a couple of cruise ships have already had to make some changes.

If you’re sailing out of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, or Boston in the next few days, you’ll want to keep a close eye on your cruise line app and email.

What’s Going on with the Storm

This isn’t your typical fall hurricane. It’s a classic nor’easter that started gaining some strength off the Mid-Atlantic and is slowly moving north.

As of Thursday afternoon, it’s already causing coastal flooding, high surf (waves of 10–15 feet in spots), and gusty winds from North Carolina up through New Jersey and into New England.

Seas along the Eastern seaboard will stay rough for a while, which is exactly why cruise lines are doing what they can to keep itineraries on schedule but also keep passengers safe and comfortable.

Carnival Venezia Leaving Bermuda Early

Carnival’s Italian-themed ship has been dealing with the weather for a couple of days already.

On the sailing that was in Bermuda over the weekend, the captain of Carnival Venezia issued a letter on September 21 telling guests they would leave the island earlier than planned.

Instead of a later afternoon departure, the ship adjusted to arrive at 8:30 AM and sail away at 3:00 PM, with everyone required back on board by 2:30 PM.

That was obviously not a lot of time in port and cut into some excursion plans.

“We understand that leaving Bermuda earlier than planned is a bit disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding, but know you share our commitment to prioritizing safety,” the letter stated.

The return trip itself wasn’t exactly a smooth ride, though. Passengers reported breaking dishes in the dining room and some motion sickness as the ship slowed down and adjusted course for calmer waters.

Arrival in New York on September 24 was delayed until about 10:00 AM and the next sailing (the five-night Bermuda trip that was supposed to leave today) will also see a delayed departure that should be around 6:00 PM.

Carnival Venezia is scheduled to sail out of New York at least until October, offering 4- to 8-night cruises.

Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas Heads to Warmer Waters

This is the bigger itinerary change of the two.

Vision of the Seas was heading back to Baltimore when the weather forced a delay. Arrival time was pushed to around 2:00 PM on September 24 instead of the normal early morning.

And that delay ran into a delay for the next cruise as well.

The 9-night Canada & New England sailing that was supposed to leave Baltimore on September 24 has been completely changed.

Instead of Boston, Portland, Saint John, and Halifax, the ship is now heading south to Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Grand Bahama Island. That’s quite the climate change for this sailing as well, so hopefully guests will have the right outfits for the warmer weather.

Passengers will stay on the ship overnight in Baltimore and sail at 3:00 PM on Friday, September 25. Embarkation times were pushed back several hours as well.

Prepaid shore excursions for the original ports are being refunded as onboard credit.

Ships Worth Watching (No Confirmed Changes Yet)

A few other cruise ships could see some alterations as well, but nothing official has been announced as of late Thursday:

• Norwegian Breakaway and other Boston departures this weekend: possible timing or port adjustments could be announced.
• New York and Cape Liberty sailings on Viking Mars, Crystal Symphony, Norwegian Escape, Valiant Lady, Queen Mary 2, and Independence of the Seas: these Canada/New England or Bermuda itineraries could see changes if the storm lingers or tracks closer to the coast.

Cruise lines usually wait until the last possible moment before locking in changes, so these could stay on schedule or get adjusted tomorrow or Saturday.

If you’re booked on any East Coast sailing in the next week, check your cruise line’s app and email frequently.

Weather is unpredictable, which is why a meteorologist can still have a job with a 55% accuracy rating, right?