Hurricane Irene Bahamas Cruise Impacts
August 22, 2011 
72 Comments
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Hurricane Irene has winds of 80 MPH and is headed toward one of my favorite islands, Turks and Caicos. Yesterday, Hurricane Irene forced Carnival Victory departing from San Juan to leave 4 hours early to get out before the storm arrived. Due to the storm, Carnival Victory will not be calling on St Thomas as originally planned.
Hurricane Irene Impacts Bahamas Cruise Itineraries
Looking at the projected path of Hurricane Irene, it appears to me that there will be some impact to Bahamas Itineraries for this week’s sailings for the Majesty of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Fascination, and NCL Sky. Many of these ships are departing today, Monday August 22nd. As of now, no itinerary changes have been announced to these above mentioned ships by the cruise lines… and they will wait to make changes because the exact path of these Hurricane’s is unpredictable. The cruise lines monitor hurricanes closely and all of their decision are based on whats safest for the passengers and crew.
In StormPulse’s most likely path of Hurricane Irene puts her in Charleston on Saturday, giving the Carnival Fantasy just enough time to get out on Friday for her 6-night Bermuda voyage.
I recommend for those of you departing on Friday, August 26th from Miami, Tampa, Port Canaveral, and Jacksonville, Florida to check-in Wednesday to see where Irene is at that time and to see the latest projected path. As I have for every major hurricane since 2008, I will keep you up to date with announcements from the cruise lines about itinerary changes due to Hurricane Irene.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. I will respond quickly!
Post written by Rich Tucker, he’s been covering hurricane and tropical storm impacts to cruise itineraries for CruiseSource since 2008. You’ll find Rich cruising during hurricane season because he can’t resist the awesome deals.
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please,let me no, will we pass it,,plus i live in jacksonville,, fla,,i dont want to be sent to keywest,i can drive there,i was not alb, to get inc,for ship,,will we lose all the money,,?r get some back,,i just want to put it back in ship,,we really want to go,but i will not put 3 grandgirls and my selp on any ship,till hurr, blows away,,
Francine, when are you departing?
As I predicted in this post yesterday, the Monarch of the Seas and the Majesty of the Seas have changed their itineraries to avoid Hurricane Irene. The Monarch will spend 2 days at sea while the Majesty of the Seas will be in Key West for 24 hours.
Any cruise ship scheduled for the Bahamas this week will have to modify their itinerary.
If you were on a land-based vacation in the Bahamas, you would have to fly home or try your luck at sticking it out through the storm. Either way, cruising is a much better vacation option during Hurricane Season.
hi, my brother works on the majesty of the seas and i´m really worried. Where are they at the moment? And are they really in danger/at risk? Is there a site where i can follow what the Majesty does?
Hanneke, I understand your concern… but the cruise lines keep the passengers and crew safely away from the approaching storms. The Majesty of the Seas will be fine. They are getting out of the way of the storm by heading to Key West, Florida.
Unfortunately, it is tough to track the ships while they are at sea. We will continue to update CruiseSource as we get news on ships impacted by Hurricane Irene.
Thanks – Rich Tucker
I’m supposed to sail on the NCL Jewel from NYC to FL/Bahamas on 8/27. Any prediction on what will happen to that itererary? Seems like we would be heading straight into the storm if we go South.
Christine,
There is a lot that can happen to this storm between now and Saturday. In a majority of the scenarios your cruise itinerary will not be impacted because the NCL Jewel will be able to navigate around the storm. Looking at current predictions for the storm track, the worse case scenario for you is to miss one day on an island for the Jewel to get around Hurricane Irene. In the last couple of hours the storm track for Irene has pushed further East, so I would not be too worried about it right now.
Thank you for commenting! And we will update CruiseSource with impacts for cruises departing on 8/26 & 8/27 as the come in.
Christine, The NCL Jewel is scheduled to depart 3 hours early. I will also email you to make sure you are aware of this change.
Do you know where the Fantasy is at the moment. I have a friend on it and would like to know what is happening and if they are diverting somewhere to avoid Irene. Thanks for any update.
Melissha – As of 2:25PM ET, Carnival is not reporting any changes in the Fantasy’s original itinerary. Carnival will keep the passengers and crew out of harms way.
Hello, I have been seaching for my sister’s ship that left jacksonville saturday. I cannot find any information about the location or divertion of this ship. The ship is call the fascination. We are just making sure they are all alright.Thank you,
Mary
As of 2:25PM ET, Carnival is not reporting any changes in the Fascination’s current itinerary. Carnival will keep the passengers and crew out of harms way.
I am going on the Monarch of the Seas 3 day cruise to the Bahamas and CocoCay leaving this Friday. Any word on changes to this itinerary?
Chris,
No changes yet… on Friday Hurricane Irene could be far east of Port Canaveral or it could be fairly close. The latest updates to the storm track pushed the project path to the East which is good for your cruise. – Tomorrow evening we will have a much better idea about the potential impact to your cruise itinerary.
My daughter and family are on the Fanasy cruise ship….are they O.K.
Ginger, the Carnival Fantasy is OK. When Carnival changes her itinerary it should show up here: http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=irene
My Mom and brother and his family are departing NY on Carnival’s Miracle on Friday 7/26. It sounds like from other posts, that the ship will steer around the hurricane, if they do leave as scheduled. Does this mean the ride will be choppier than normal, and if so how bad?
Cherrie,
You are correct, they will go around the Hurricane, but with an active storm this size of Irene there is the chance for choppier than normal seas. If you have concerns about motion sickness, bring Bonine or a motion sickness patches with you.
Rich Tucker
Hi…you have a great website and I am looking for expert advice. On vacation in Naples and scheduled to drive to Miami on Friday for 3 day Bahamas cruise on NCL Sky. Have cruised about 20 times but this is first time we didn’t get travel insurance thinking it was last minute and relatively inexpensive. Are we doomed? Thanks for your input.
Cooper,
Hopefully, Irene stays to the east of her projected path. By the time the NCL Sky departs Miami on 8/26, she should be far enough North that your cruise will not be impacted too much by the storm. If she comes in on the western side of the projected path then it could disrupt your departure time by a few hours. The project path for Irene has been moving further East, so lets hope that continues.
Hi rich,
I am set to take the NCL sky departing from Miami to the Bahamas on Friday the 26th for a three day cruise. Even if the storm has passed I assume that it is possible that the waters will be rough, the weather will not be too good, and they may be recovering from the effects in the Bahamas. Is it possible that the cruise line will not dock? Given the possible consequences would it still make sense to go on the cruise?
Pam,
If you do not go on the cruise, you’ll lose your money unless you have travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason [which has to be purchased at time of deposit]. There is the possibility that your cruise goes to Key West or some other Island if Nassau takes on too much damage. If you can get to the ship safely, personally I would go on the cruise as opposed to losing your money.
I am booked on the Carnival Fascination out of Jacksonville on Thursday, Aug 25, 2011, scheduled to go to Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. I can’t find any info yet about this departure and possible itinerary change due to Hurricane Irene. Do you have any updated info?
Rose,
There has not been an announcement. Hopefully, Irene heads to the East – With the projected path of Irene, it tough to predict what will Carnival will decide to do with the Fascination. I will announce on CruiseSource as soon as Carnival makes decision. The Florida Coast Line currently does not have Hurricane Watch or Warniing, so things are looking good for getting out of Jacksonville on schedule. I recommend working very closely with your travel agent on this…. and you can keep an eye on Carnival’s FAQs for updates: http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=irene
I just talked to a rep at Carnival and they said to continue to plan for a scheduled departure.
Hi Rich,
What do you think about Carnival Fascination leaving from Jacksonville Thursday? We are planning on heading down soon to be there Wednesday around 10 AM. Do you think that is a good idea?
Whitney,
Be ready to be flexible… I just talked to Carnival and as of now they recommend coming to Jacksonville as planned because the Fascination is still on schedule. Stay tuned to CruiseSource, work closely with your travel agent, and keep an eye on Carnival’s site: http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=irene
My family is scheduled to cruise on Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville, FL tomorrow (8/25). The cruise planned itinerary is to go to Freeport and Nassau. The cruise line has given no updates as to the status. We have a very early flight from NYC tomorrow and don’t want to proceed with plans if there is a likliehood of cancellation. If the cruise line changes itinerary, will they inform passengers prior to sailing?
Gretchen,
Stay tuned here, work with your travel agent, and look at Carnival’s Site for updates: http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=irene – - If you do not have Travel Insurance and your flight does not get in to Jacksonville because of the weather… and the Fascination departs as scheduled then you will not be able to get a refund. Unfortunately, it is too late to buy insurance that will cover you for this hurricane because it is already a named storm so it would be considered a pre-existing condition. If they are going change the Fascinations itinerary, I’m guessing that they will announce it by 6PM this evening.
My family and I will be boarding the Celebrity Cruise Summit on Sunday , august 28 from Bayonne, NJ to Bermuda. I heard in the news that Irene’s path will be around nj-Ny area. Do you think the cruise line will cancel the trip? And if not, how will the cruise line avoid the path of the hurricane? Thanks.
Anne Maca,
Celebrity has announced some changes to the Summit’s itinerary. Please work closely with your Travel Agent. Here are details of the annuoncement: http://cruisesource.us/2011/08/hurricane-irene-cruise-impacts/
Anne Maca,
At 8PM ET on 8/25, Celebrity announced that the Celebrity Summit will depart a day late on Monday 8/29.
Rich Tucker
I will be cruising with Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas Saturday, August 27th, through Thursday, September 1st. The ship leaves from Cape Liberty Port in NJ at 5pm on Saturday and arrives in Bermuda on Monday morning where it will dock for two full days and then return to NJ on Thursday morning. How do you think Hurricane Irene will impact that cruise?
Cruiser,
There are so many possibilities between now and the time you leave on Saturday, I would not look seriously at the projected path until tomorrow evening. In all models, Bermuda looks like it will not get hit by Hurricane Irene. Bermuda has only taken a couple of hits from Hurricanes in the last 100 years… so it is very popular vacation spot this time of year.
Right. I’m not concerned about Bermuda itself. I was more concerned about the route to Bermuda. I know I will need to wait and see. Fingers crossed.
You are correct, the route could get disrupted or even your time of departure. My fingers are crossed with you that she heads East and causes little damage to the Eastern US and the cruises departing out of the Northeast this weekend! – - Thank you for visiting CruiseSource and commenting!
Cruiser,
The Explorer is now scheduled to leave an hour early: New Changes to itineraries: http://cruisesource.us/2011/08/hurricane-irene-cruise-impacts/
We are scheduled for the Explorer for Aug. 27. Got the new sailing time. How far out can this ship sail to avoid most of the hurricane? How far away from the Carolinas is Bermuda?
Claudine, glad you got the new sailing time. The Distance from North Carolina to Bermuda is about 800 miles. In the current projected track it looks likes Bermuda will stay 500 – 700 miles away from the eye. The Explorer is leaving early for the safety of the passengers and crew. They will get out in time to stay a safe distance from the Hurricane — from the current track it looks like there is a possibility that you may experience winds up to 30 MPH as you are getting out. My suggestion is to get to the ship as as early as they are allowing boarding and you’ll be fine – With the chance that the port is hit by Irene, you may want to consider getting a ride to the cruise terminal as opposed to leaving your car at the pier — you just have to consider the risk vs. the hassle of getting a ride to the port.
We are scheduled for a Bahamas (Freeport & Nassau) cruise out of Jacksonville on Sept 8. Obviously the storm will be long gone but can you comment on the impact these storms typically have on the destinations (Ports, excursions, etc). I’m sure it depends on the amount of damage but is it possible (or typical) the ship might not be able to stop in those locations?
John,
It is quite possible that there is too much damage to the port for you to call on the Bahamas, but I’m guessing you’ll be fine. It will most likely be a decision based on the safety of the passengers. I do recommend you buying travel insurance if you do not already have it – just in case another storm gets named between now and then. Once a storm is named, you cannot buy Travel Insurance and be protected from that storm. Travel Insurance will protect in the instance that your cruise departs but due to the weather, you are unable to get to the cruise because of the weather. If this happens and you are not insured, you will not get reimbursed by the cruise line. Travel Insurance does not protect you from fear of going on your cruise unless you get cancel for any reason insurance which typically has to bought at time of your cruise purchase. To get Travel Insurance information, go to http://www.cruisedeals.com/clients/travel_insurance.asp
Thank you – Rich Tucker
What about Sensation set to leave Thursday at 4pm from Port Canaveral?
Leigh,
Work closely with your travel agent. With the variations of what Irene could do in the next 24 hours – There is wide range of potential impacts to your itinerary. Carnival’s decisions will be based on the safety of the passengers and crew. You can also keep an eye on Carnival’s FAQs: http://www.carnival.com/cms/faq/default.aspx?faq=irene
Currently, there are not Hurricane Watches on the Florida Coastline, so that is a good sign of being able to depart as scheduled.
My Mom and brother and his family are leaving on Carnival’s Miracle out of NY on 7/26. Reading other posts and the website for Carnival, it sounds like they most likley won’t cancel. While the ship may steer around the storm, is it likely the waters will be extremly choppy and make for an unpleasant trip?
My husband works on Carnival sensation a strictly Bahamas/us cruise ship. I checked Carnivals web page sensations itinerary is not listed. Can you help me with this please?
Lacey, According to Carnival, the Carnival Sensation is on schedule to be in Port Canaveral tomorrow. The Florida Coastline doesn’t appear to have Hurricane watches which is a good sign for the Sensation being in Port Canaveral tomorrow.
Leigh, I’m on that cruise as well. I hope carnival make an announcement soon so I can plan accordingly. Even if the ship goes around the storm, not sure if I want to experience the impact for my first cruise.
Akira, I agree this is not the best way to kick-off your first cruise experience. The unpredictability of these storms is the worse part – the are relatively slow moving, giving the cruise lines the ability to make what seems like last minute decisions. Once you get on the ship, I’m sure you’ll have a blast. Please let me know how your first cruise ends up…. thank you – Rich Tucker
Hi we are leaving on Royal Carribean Cruise Oasis on Saturday suppose to go to Bahamas, St Maarten and St Thomas. Any idea what will happen or what changes will go there. I saw that this week one went to Jamaica , haiti and cozumel. Doesnt seem as good or trade to me. Thoughts?
C
Your cruise should stay on a Eastern Caribbean Itinerary. Irene will be north of Miami. The Bahamas stop is the only that may be lost depending on damage from the storm. I think St. Thomas and St. Maarten are ok.
one more question…. We fly into Ft Lauderdale on Friday night from Arizona are we going to have an issue getting in with the storm then??? Thanks for the input!
The projected path puts the eye of Irene will be north of Fort Lauderdale at the time you are scheduled to land. Irene continues to stay on the eastern part of the project path which is a good sign. Hopefully, there are not too many delays from Thursday night when Irene should be the closest to Miami. As of now, you appear to be in good shape.
Hi Rich,
We are suppose to go in the Disney Dream tomorrow 8/26 going to Nassau and Castaway Cay (Disne’s private island) they still schedule to go out from Port Canaveral but I’m afraid that the waves and wind will be high….what are your thoughts? thanks
Juliana,
From the Storm Track at http://stormpulse.com it looks like Irene will be about 300 miles from Port Canaveral and you will have 25 – 30 MPH winds, Irene should be heading north away from Port Canaveral. Your first evening out there will probably be choppier than normal waters, but thanks to the size of the Disney Dream [130,000 tons], she is one of the best ships to be on in choppy seas. Please let me know us know how your vacation ends up. Thank you, Rich Tucker
Hi,
I will be porting from Port Canveral in Florida on Sun Aug 28th onto the Carnival Sensation. How will I know if the hurricane will affect our itinerary and do you know if it will clear up in the Bahamas by next mon/tues?
Samantha,
Here are Carnival’s latest announcements, I don’t think there is enough known about the damage in the Bahamas as Hurricane Irene slow down has she was going over the Bahamas. Here are the latest announcements: http://cruisesource.us/2011/08/hurricane-irene-cruise-impacts/
Hi,
Im leaving september 3rd out of miami florida. Im scheduled to visit half moon cay, san juan, grand turk and saint thomas. Does anyone think that these will change? I assume the hurricane will be over by then but i’m a little worried. Any thoughts?
Jackie, Carnival’s Turks and Caicos Cruise Ship Terminal will be ready to receive ships on August 27th. The terminal did recieve some minor damage from Hurricane Irene. It looks like Half Moon Cay is the only port that you may miss – I’m sure we’ll get damage reports tomorrow or Monday. There is another potential disturbance in the Atlantic, you may want to talk to a professional about protecting your cruise with Travel Insurance – - It’s probably too late to buy cancel for any reason insurance policy which is what I recommend during hurricane season.
hi ricky
we supposed leave from new york to bahamas on sat but what happend if i cant get to new york in case of state of emergency!
thank you
josephine
Josephine,
If the weather keeps you from getting to the ship and you have travel insurance you should be covered. Work with your travel agent or insurance company. If the state of emergency keeps the cruise ship from docking on Saturday, then the cruise line will modify the itinerary and probably do something in compensation for the missed days. We’ll keep updating CruiseSource with announcements from the cruise lines… Tomorrow, as the situation on Saturday becomes clearer be in contact with your travel agent so they can inform you of your specific options. – Rich Tucker
Hi, Ricky
Me and my husband are going to the bahamas departing Sept.12 on a four night crusie. Should hurricaine Iren be out of sight by then?
Thank You
We should get reports today on how much damage was done to the Bahamas and when they will be ready to receive cruise ship passengers. Hurricane Irene will be long gone, but there is the possibility for another storm. You may want to look into buying Travel Insurance to help protect your cruise investment in the case that there is another tropical storm or hurricane and the weather prevents you from being able to get to the ship. If you’d like to get the options on covering your cruise, you can also call a professional cruise consultant at CruiseDeals: 800.668.6414
Hi Rich. Thank you for replying via email regarding the latest update on the travel advisory of Celebrity cruise Summit which we were supposed to depart on Sunday but moved to Monday. I lose one day for the travel- do you know if the company will reimburse me for the 1 day? I don’t have travel insurance. Thanks
Anne, you’re welcome! I wanted to make sure you saw the change. I appreciate you commenting at CruiseSource.us!! Typically, when a day of travel is interupted for a storm, the Cruise Lines gives a future cruise credit or an onboard spending credit to make up for the missed day. Sometimes they give you the opportunity to cancel and rebook your cruise at no penalty… but most people do not take this option because they are ready for their vacation now. Hopefully you have subscribed to CruiseSource to receive our non-hurricane related posts in the future. Hope you have a wonderful vacation!
Hi Rich…
We are leaving this Sunday on the Disney Dream to Nassau. I understand there will be no delays considering the storm has passed, and the port wasn’t damaged. Can you recommend a site that details the sea conditions? I am very concerned about the rough ride with little ones.
Thank you
Christine,
So you are going to make me divulge my secret resources
. Since it’s for the little ones… I have been using this site for Wave Height predictions… I do not know how long after Irene has passed that they will keep updating the Florida view… I’m assuming they will keep updating through Sunday. Here is the link to the Florida Wave Predictions Chart, recently updated at 10:23 AM ET, 8/26: http://weather.myfoxtampabay.com/maps/WTVT/custom/waves_fl.html – - I expect for the wave heights for your cruise to go down quite a bit by Sunday and the Disney Dream is a huge ship – - But you can keep an eye on the predictions with that link above. Thank you for commenting and have a wonderful cruise!
Hi Rich!!
Me n my bf is going 2 bahamas sept 5 leaving port canaveral. I know it’s clear out by then but I’m not sure the damage of Irene in bahamas or the port. Do you think I can be able to schedule for a different cruise for a different time??
“The seaport, where as many as half-a-dozen cruise ships can call in a day, sustained little damage and was expected to re-open Friday.” From CBS Miami: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/08/26/bahamas-opens-airport-seaports-eyes-irene-damage/
Hi Rich…My sister along with a young niece and nephew cruised out of Miami 8/20 traveling to the turks and caicos island…do you know the status of that ship?
Cynthia,
All ships are scheduled to return to Florida on schedule. It is likely that their itinerary was changed, but there are not any reports of cruise ships that ran into issues because of the storm.
Thank you for commenting! – Rich Tucker
“The seaport, where as many as half-a-dozen cruise ships can call in a day, sustained little damage and was expected to re-open Friday.” Talking about Nassau and Freeport. via CBS Miami
Hey
We leave on sept 4 from port carnival going to nassu and freeport are we still going to be able to go there?
Hello,
We are supposed to depart out of Miami for an Eastern Caribean trip on Sat. 9/3.Carnival Bahamas, St Thomas ,San Juan route. Worried about Katia..thoughts?
thank you,