Update (12:45 p.m., July 1): We have updated the article below to reflect the latest information regarding changes to cruises for Carnival Horizon and Carnival Liberty.
Hurricane season is off to an early start, with Hurricane Beryl forming and rapidly intensifying to the earliest category 4 Atlantic hurricane on record.
Currently sitting about 500 miles southeast of Puerto Rico, the storm is battering the Lesser Antilles as it makes its way into the Caribbean Sea.
Beryl is generating maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. If there is good news, forecasts are for the storm to weaken from here, hopefully reducing its impact and potential damage.
For cruise passengers on vacation in the Caribbean, however, there are already impacts being felt in the form of itinerary changes, with more likely in the coming days.
Forecast models are in agreement that the storm’s track will take it through the middle of the Caribbean, on a beeline that will take it near Jamaica and then into the Yucatan Peninsula. As a result, a number of busy cruise ports, including Ocho Rios and Falmouth (Jamaica), Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel are all in the possible path or could see the impacts.
So what changes are being seen already?
Itinerary Changes to Cruises
So far, we have heard news of a number of itinerary updates in order to keep ships clear of the impending storm. Here’s what we know so far:
Norwegian Jade: Adjusted itinerary from Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel to San Juan, Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Puerto Plata for the June 30 sailing. Source: Reddit
Celebrity Beyond: Adjusted itinerary from Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba to Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire (swapping the order of Aruba and Bonaire) for the June 29 sailing. Source: Reddit
Harmony of the Seas: Adjusted itinerary from Roatan, Costa Maya, and Cozumel to remove Roatan (now an extra day at sea) and swapped the order of Cozumel and Costa Maya for the June 30 sailing. Source: Facebook
Icon of the Seas: Reportedly adjusted schedule from St Maarten, St Thomas, and CocoCay to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and CocoCay for the June 29 sailing. Source: Facebook
Carnival Horizon: Adjusted itinerary to cancel a visit to Grand Cayman for the June 30 sailing. Source: Carnival
Carnival Liberty: Adjusted schedule to visit Cozumel on July 2. Now July 5 will be a day at sea. Source: Carnival
That said, there are a number of ships scheduled for the ports in the area that we haven’t heard exactly what changes (if any) will be made.
Potentially Impacted Ships & Sailings
We’ve looked at the port schedules for the coming week and identified a number of sailings that could be impacted. However, at this time we have not heard word that changes have been made to the sailings listed below.
In addition, we’ve contacted both Carnival and Royal Caribbean and asked to be alerted to any updates. Keep in mind that just because a ship is listed here does not mean it will definitely be affected by the storm.
Note: As of this original article (11:00 a.m., July 1), a Carnival representative told us they don’t “have any updates at the moment” but will let us know of any changes. (Carnival has now shared updates to the schedules for Horizon and Liberty, listed above.)
As mentioned, the good news with Hurricane Beryl is that the intensity is forecasted to lessen as the storm moves across the Caribbean. As well, there is strong agreement on the projected path, making it easier to plan any changes to cruise routes.
If you are sailing on a trip to the area, remember that your cruise line will be in touch with the latest updates.
Hey Cruizely!
I just wanted to let you know that the Enchanted Princess has cancelled Belize, and will be in Nassau on July 5th.
Thanks for sharing!