Are you going to go on a cruise ship from central Florida? Delays and disruptions are something you should be prepared for.
Due to the rapid approach of a strengthening Hurricane Ian, there are currently no sailings from the cruise ports in the next few days.
All marine traffic, including cruise ships, was shut down at the Port of Tampa Bay as of early Tuesday, anticipating gale force winds from Hurricane Ian. The ports of Port Canaveral and Jacksonville are expected to close by the end of the day.
Some of the biggest cruise ships in the world are based in the three ports.
Sign up for the cruise newsletter for more information.
The most likely to be affected is the Carnival Paradise, which has 2,052 passengers. On Thursday, the ship will leave for a four-night trip to Mexico.
The passengers were told not to go to the cruise port on Thursday if they didn't hear from the line that the departure was still on.
At the same time as Hurricane Ian is expected to hit the west coast of Florida, Carnival Paradise is going to be coming back to Tampa.
There is a chance that the return of Carnival Paradise could be delayed due to the storm. It may be necessary to make changes to your cruise due to the safety and security of our guests and crew.
You can sign up for our newsletter.
It's related to cruising during hurricanes. First, read this.
The company had no new information on Carnival Paradise's schedule.
There will be a bigger impact on cruisers if Port Canaveral is shut down. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line are some of the major cruise operators that operate at Port Canaveral.
James Van Fleet, Royal Caribbean's chief meteorologist, warned in a video that Port Canaveral could shut down Wednesday as Ian approaches.
"You will hear from Royal Caribbean if any adjustments are made, so this is just my thoughts, and nothing is official yet, but what I am anticipating is we might see the Port Canaveral closing starting on Wednesday, continuing into Thursday, and the port reopening on Friday," Van
The 3,344 passengers on the Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas will disembark from the ship at Port Canaveral early Thursday. The ship is scheduled to leave Port Canaveral later that day on a new voyage to the Bahamas.
Van Fleet said there was a chance that the return of Mariner would be delayed. If the port is closed, you'll hear from the company.
If the port is closed on Thursday, the Thursday departures of the Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Getaway will be affected. The departures had not yet been delayed as of Tuesday.
Van Fleet said that he expected the port to reopen by Friday so that Independence of the Seas could return to the port on schedule. The ship will leave Port Canaveral late Friday for a three night trip to the Bahamas.
In addition to Independence of the Seas, Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wish and Carnival's Carnival Liberty are also scheduled to leave on Friday.
The departure of the 5,479-passenger Harmony of the Seas from Port Canaveral on Sunday is likely to go on as planned, according to Van Fleet.
The line's vessels sailing out of Port Canaveral have not been updated.
The Port Condition X-Ray was set by the US Coast Guard. gale force winds are predicted within 48 hours. Under Port Condition X-Ray, ships are allowed to return and leave the port.
The 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation is based in Jacksonville. The ship is going to come back to the city on Thursday. The ship is due to leave the city later that day for a cruise to the Bahamas.
Port Condition X-Ray was set by the Coast Guard.
In the last few days, nearly a dozen cruise ships in the Caribbean and the Bahamas have changed course to avoid Ian.
Cruise ships have been affected by Ian.
One of the busiest cruise ports in the region that often serves as an alternate stop for cruise ships avoiding hurricanes, Grand Turk, is currently closed due to damage from HurricaneFiona.
At 11 a.m., Ian was moving north at a rate of 10 miles per hour. The storm had a maximum wind speed of 115 mph.
As the storm moves toward the west-central coast of Florida, it is expected to strengthen considerably. It could be a very powerful Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 130 miles per hour as it nears the coast of Florida late Wednesday into Thursday.
Are you planning to go on a cruise ship? These are the stories to start with.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
