Delayed Turnaround

Hurricane Florence will delay the turnaround of Grandeur of the Seas at on Saturday. To avoid the storm, Royal Caribbean will hold the ship at Port Canaveral until Saturday.

It will then set out for Baltimore, now scheduled to arrive on Sunday (September 16). They will delay the sailing of Saturday's cruise until Monday (September 17) and make it into a five-night cruise. It will sail to Halifax spending the day on September 19, and returning to Baltimore on Saturday, September 22, so it will be in position for the next cruise.

Other details appeared in the September 14 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - September 13, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• NCL change the itinerary of Norwegian Escape again thanks to a change by Hurricane Florence. 
• It's not often you get something free in Alaska.
• Meyer Werft put the two parts of Spectrum of the Seas together. You can see it happen in the video below. 

Details appeared in the September 13 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Three Storms Reroute Three Ships

Even though we have lots of storms on the map, their paths are fairly well-defined and stable, so we don't have lots of updates and changes of things we've already told you, just additions to the short list of ships cruise lines are keeping well away from the storms.

The complete story appeared in the September 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Lines Moving Ships in Response to Storms

The weather in the Caribbean has been relatively quiet until the end of last week, and there are lots of things now brewing that have already caused some changes.

Both Tropical Storm Isaac and Hurricane Florence are causing changes.

Hurricane Isaac Delays Carnival Valor Turnaround at Miami

The Port of Miami is expected to close by 11:00pm on Saturday night. Carnival Valor was scheduled to turn around at Miami on Sunday, August 26 (2012). It will, instead, remain at sea until the port reopens, which is expected at noon on Monday.

Sunday's scheduled sailing will be delay until Monday, August 27 and operate as a 5-day cruise. The call at Key West will be canceled. The new 5-day itinerary call at Grand Cayman and Montego Bay. Departure time on Monday is expected to be at 8:00pm.

Passengers are being offered the option to either cancel with a full refund, or if they choose to sail on the 5-day cruise on Monday, they will receive a one-day prorated refund of their cruise fare, and they will also receive a $50 per person shipboard credit.

Hurricane Isaac Relocates Carnival Legend Turnaround

The Port of Tampa will close at 3am Sunday until Hurricane Isaac passes in the Gulf. Carnival Legend was scheduled to turnaround at Tampa, but will turnaround at Port Canaveral instead.

Carnival Legend will arrive at Port Canaveral on Sunday, August 26 (2012) at 8:00am. Carnival will provide complimentary motorcoach service for passengers from the port to the Port of Tampa and Tampa International Airport. It is an approximately two and a half hour drive.

For passengers who were scheduled to on embark on Carnival Legend on Sunday, August 26, Carnival will be providing complimentary motorcoach service from Tampa to Port Canaveral. At this point, Carnival Legend will operate its scheduled itinerary as planned. The ship will return to Tampa on Sunday, September 3 as scheduled.

Hurricane Isaac Reschedules Allure of the Seas Turnaround

Even though Hurricane Isaac will not be hitting South Florida directly, tropical storm force winds are currently extending out 205 miles from the center, so they will be affecting operations at Port Everglades. Royal Caribbean has, therefore, rescheduled next week's sailing of Allure of the Seas.

Sunday's turnaround has been delayed until Tuesday, August 28.

Passengers on that sailing are asked not to arrive at Port Everglades until 11:30am on Tuesday. Check-in and boarding will be between 11:30am and 4:00pm.

The shortened cruise length will necessitate a change of itinerary. Allure of the Seas will spend Wednesday at sea, and call at Cozumel on Thursday, August 30. Friday will be another sea day, and on Saturday, September 1, Allure will visit Nassau. Allure of the Seas will then return to Port Everglades as scheduled on Sunday.

Customers who are on the shortened cruise will receive an onboard credit, the amount of which will be based on their stateroom category. (The amount will cover both the refund for the shortened cruise and provide a small compensation for the inconvenience.) They will also receive a future cruise credit of 10% of the price they paid for the August 26 cruise. The details of the offers will be explained in a letter delivered to the stateroom.

Passengers who are currently aboard Allure for the current cruise which departed Port Everglades on Sunday, August 19, will remain aboard the ship for a couple bonus days and arrive in Port Everglades Tuesday morning, August 28.

Royal Caribbean is automatically adjusting return air flights for passengers who purchased air arrangements from them. The line is also opening their phone and internet lines to other passengers who need to contact airlines to adjust their return flights.

Last update Saturday, August 25, 2012, 12:10pm

Hurricane Paula Changes Itineraries

Hurricane Paula formed in the western Caribbean and this week is affecting ships planning midweek calls at Yucatan ports.

Carnival, Celebrity and Holland America are all reporting itinerary changes to avoid the storm.


Details appeared in the October 13, 2010, issue of Cruise News Daily.

Alex Has Little Impact on Cruise Industry

Tropical Storm Alex (who also occasionally has become Hurricane Alex) is again over the Gulf of Mexico, now between the Yucatan Peninsula and the Mexican mainland. As of 5pm, it is now expected to make landfall slightly south of the border just after midnight on Thursday, so it appears its effects on the cruise industry are finished.

The impact on cruise ships has been minimal, with only three ships having to change itineraries. The only ships reporting changes were Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas (June 24 sailing), Carnival Ecstasy (June 26 sailing) and Carnival Triumph (June 26 sailing).

Details were in the June 29, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cabo San Lucas Escapes Major Damage from Jimena

The eye of Hurricane Jimena has passed to the west of the popular port city of Cabo San Lucas, but the city still experienced strong winds, rain and heavy surf.

The tourist board at Los Cabos says that Cabo San Lucas escaped major damage, and the area is again open for business. (The airport has already reopened.) There was no known damage to the hotels and tourist attractions. Storm debris (palm branches and such) does litter the streets, but it should be cleaned up very quickly.

At this point, cruise lines haven't officially announced their returns, but it's expected that they will return with their next regularly scheduled calls.

Swine Flu - H1N1 - Carnival Cruise Lines Changes Itineraries thru June 15

Carnival Cruise Lines has now suspended calls for all 16 of its ships that were scheduled to call at Mexican ports through June 15, 2009. Ships affected are Carnival Conquest, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Elation, Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Legend, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Valor, and Holiday.

Carnival's latest statement is below.

STATEMENT ON H1N1 (SWINE) FLU ITINERARY CHANGES
Miami, FL – Monday, May 4, 2009 – 3pm

Carnival Cruise Lines has canceled all port of call visits in Mexico for 16 of its ships that were previously scheduled to stop in that country. 

Itineraries for vessels departing between now and June 15, 2009 that included stops in Mexico have been modified. In many instances, the modification simply involved substituting an alternate port.  Full details on the modified itineraries are available on the update chart.

Guests who do not wish to sail on a modified itinerary may opt to receive a refund in the form of a future cruise credit equal to the full amount paid for the voyage.  The credit may be applied to an alternate sailing departing through the end of 2010.  Compensation for missed ports/altered itineraries (where applicable) for guests who sail varies by itinerary.  With four and five-day cruises from Galveston and New Orleans that are being converted to seven-day voyages, those guests may opt to receive their refund in the form of a future cruise credit or money back. Details are on the link at the right on the update chart.

Swine Flu - H1N1 - Itinerary Changes for Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival has now revised all itineraries visiting Mexico with sailing dates through June 15, 2009.

Please see the updated item posted on May 4, 2009.
http://cnd-cruiseblogger.blogspot.com/2009/05/swine-flu-h1n1-carnival-cruise-lines.html

Swine Flu - Itinerary Changes for Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises has issued the following statement canceling their calls in Mexico and detailing the alternate itineraries:

4/29/2009 Statement on Swine Flu

In light of the travel warning issued yesterday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommending against non-essential travel to Mexico because of concern over swine flu, Princess Cruises has modified its itineraries to suspend calls to Mexican ports through the few remaining voyages of the spring season, which concludes next month.

Six Princess ships are currently scheduled for calls in Mexican ports through May, as they reposition to Alaska for the summer season. In total, eight itineraries and 22 calls in Mexico are affected, and passengers who are booked on these cruises will either visit alternative ports or spend an additional day at sea.

Coral Princess
April 26-May 15
The ship had the following stops scheduled in Mexico: Cabo on Apr 28, Acapulco on Apr 30, Huatulco on May 1, Manzanillo on May 11 and Puerto Vallarta on May 12. All of them will be replaced with sea days and a call at San Juan del Sur will be added on May 2.

Island Princess
Panama Canal - April 23-May 11
The ship was scheduled to stop at Huatulco on May 3 and that will be changed to a sea day.

Pacific Princess
Panama Canal - Apr 24-May 14
The ship was scheduled to stop at Puerto Quetzal on May 4, Acapulco on May 6 and Cabo on May 8. It will now stop at San Juan del Sur on May 3, Puerto Quetzal on May 5, and remain at sea until it reaches San Francisco on May 11.

Sapphire Princess
April 25-May 2:
Instead of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo, the ship will now visit San Diego and Catalina (Ensenada service call/no debark)

May 2-May 9:
Instead of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo, the ship will now visit Santa Barbara, San Diego and San Francisco (Ensenada service call/no debark)

Sea Princess
Panama Canal - May 9-May 24
The ship was scheduled to stop at Huatulco on May 18, Acapulco on May 19 and Cabo on May 21. it will now call at San Juan del Sur on May 17, Puerto Quetzal on May 18 and then remain at sea until it arrives San Francisco on May 24.

Star Princess
April 27 - May 7
Instead of Acapulco, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo, the ship will now visit Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Catalina, and San Diego (Ensenada service call/no debark)


We are sorry that circumstances beyond our control have caused these itinerary changes, and we recognize that these modifications may cause some disappointment among our passengers. However we hope our passengers will also agree that adhering to the recommendations of the CDC is the best course of action for the safety of our passengers and crew.

Our ships and medical staff are already well equipped to prevent and contain the spread of contagious diseases, including swine flu. Even though the risk of contracting this illness is very low, we will be taking extra precautions, and will be guided by advice from the CDC and other health authorities.

In an abundance of caution, some of the measures we are taking onboard all our ships worldwide include:
# We are enhancing our screening practices for passengers and crew embarking our ships.
# We are adhering to CDC guidelines for reporting and treatment of persons with suspect swine flu.
# We will isolate and treat passengers and crew with suspect swine flu. Anti-viral medications that effectively treat the swine flu are currently available onboard all Princess ships.
# We will continue our rigorous cleaning and sanitization of our ships to minimize the spread of any contagious disease. Our ships are routinely cleaned with a disinfectant proven to be highly effective against the flu.
# We are communicating to our passengers and crew that they should take extra care to practice healthy habits such as washing their hands often.
# We are asking passengers and crew to report to the medical center immediately if they exhibit any symptoms of flu.

As always, we will continue to do everything possible to protect the health of our passengers and crew.

Swine Flu - Itinerary Changes for Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean has issued the following statement canceling their calls in Mexico and detailing the alternate itineraries:

Royal Caribbean International - Swine Flu Statement
April 28, 2009 - 9:00 p.m.

Today, we announced we are temporarily suspending our port calls in Mexico. The decision was made in an abundance of caution, and allows additional time to better understand the full impact of the Swine Flu.

The temporary suspension involves four of our ships currently making regularly scheduled port call in Mexico - Enchantment of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas. It also involves two additional ships scheduled to make upcoming Mexico port calls as they reposition - Serenade of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas. The revised sailings for each ship will be as follows:

Enchantment of the Seas

* Its five-night sailings that depart Port Everglades on Mondays will replace their Cozumel port calls with additional time in Key West and an additional day at sea.
* Its four-night sailings that depart Port Everglades on Thursdays will replace their Cozumel port calls with additional time in Key West and port calls in Nassau, Bahamas.
* Its five-night sailings that depart Port Everglades on Saturdays will replace their Cozumel port calls with port calls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Freedom of the Seas

* Its seven-night sailings that depart Port Canaveral on Sundays will replace their Cozumel port calls with additional time in George Town, Cayman Islands, and an additional day at sea.

Liberty of the Seas

* Its seven-night sailings that depart Miami on Saturdays will replace their Cozumel port calls with port calls in Coco Cay, Bahamas.

Mariner of the Seas

* Its seven-night sailings that depart Los Angeles on Sundays will sail a fully revised itinerary, visiting Canada and the U.S. West Coast. It will now visit San Francisco, California, Mondays from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Victoria, British Columbia, Wednesdays from noon to 10 p.m.; and Seattle, Washington, Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
* The ship's May 10 sailing will feature a port call in Astoria, Oregon, rather than San Francisco.
* At the current time, our revised itineraries for Mariner of the Seas are scheduled to take place up to and including the ship's June 14 sailing.
* Mariner of the Seas guests booked on a revised sailing are encouraged to contact their travel agent or Royal Caribbean International for compensation and rebooking options.
* We have established a special help desk to assist these guests. The toll-free is: 1-800-327-6700.


Serenade of the Seas

* On its current sailing, it will replace its port call in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with a port call in San Diego, California.

Radiance of the Seas

* On its current sailing, it will replace its port calls in Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with an extended, overnight port call in San Diego, California, and additional time at sea.


Like our guests, we take all health matters seriously. Although authorities have not raised specific concerns regarding the ports we visit in Mexico, we want to err on the side of caution. We’re taking proactive steps onboard our ships to help ensure the health and well-being of our guests and crew members, and this is just one more step in that process. We apologize for the disruption these changes will cause our guests, and we appreciate their understanding.

We continue to closely monitor Swine Flu developments and utilize our Influenza Prevention and Response Plans. That plan was developed by our office of Medical and Public Health in coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts. The plan is based on three pillars: Preparedness and Communication; Surveillance and Detection; and Response and Containment.

Our Swine Flu activities include:

* Providing guests with Swine Flu information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
* Screening embarking guests and crew members regarding recent visits to, or travel through Mexico, contact with people ill with the Swine Flu, and for recent flu-like symptoms
* Conducting enhanced sanitizing of all high-touch areas onboard
* Providing hand sanitizers throughout all ships
* Asking guests to follow the advice of medical experts regarding the best ways to help prevent the spread of flu and other illnesses - via proper and frequent hand washing, and covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
* And, if necessary, onboard medical staff can isolate and treat guests or crew members who display flu-like symptoms, using the supply of anti-viral medications kept onboard all ships.


We'll continue to closely follow developments regarding the Swine Flu.


Note: This affects all sailings with sailing dates through June 14, 2009.

Swine Flu - Itinerary Changes for Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL has issued the following statement canceling their calls in Mexico and detailing the alternate itinerary:

Travel Advisory: Updated 7pm 04/28/09

Miami - Apr 28, 2009 ---

The health and well-being of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance to Norwegian Cruise Line. Accordingly, the company is closely monitoring the health advisories regarding the current Swine Influenza (Swine Flu) situation.

As a precautionary measure due to the recent travel advisory relating to Mexico, the company is canceling Norwegian Pearl's final two calls in Mexico on its current repositioning cruise. The stops were scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, April 29 and Friday, May 1, 2009. Instead, the ship will call on San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, May 2. Apart from this sailing, Norwegian Cruise Line's scheduled deployment does not include any other ports of call in Mexico until the end of September 2009.

Norwegian Cruise Line has stringent protocols for cleaning and sanitation on all of its vessels to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. In addition, the company is taking proactive precautionary measures to protect its valued guests, including, but not limited to, fleet-wide guest screening via a health questionnaire prior to embarkation and on-board education regarding Swine Flu symptoms and preventative actions. As a result, the company does not anticipate that its guests' cruise experience will be impacted.

Furthermore, Norwegian Cruise Line's on-board medical centers are stocking an appropriate amount of the anti-viral medication used to treat the illness, in the unlikely event the need for its use becomes necessary.

Carnival Returns to Galveston

Carnival Cruise Lines will resume operation from Galveston on November 1, after operating temporarily from Houston due to damage at Galveston caused by Hurricane Ike.

Carnival Ecstasy's November 1, 2008 sailing will be the first cruise ship to return. It will be followed on the next day (November 2) by Carnival Conquest.

Details appeared in the October 22, 2008 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Hurricane Omar Updates

Updated October 18 - 9am EDT

Hurricane Omar has moved out to sea and is no longer a threat to cruise ships.

The following itinerary changes were received from cruise lines (listed alphabetically by ship name):

Carnival Glory - departed Port Canaveral Saturday (October 11) - Grand Turk (on Thursday, October 16 - 8am-5pm) is being substituted for the St. Maarten call (on Wednesday) which was canceled. The new itinerary calls at Nassau (Sunday, October 12), St. Thomas (Tuesday, October 14) and Grand Turk (Thursday, October 16).

Carnival Triumph - departed Miami on Sunday (October 12). The itinerary has changed from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western Caribbean itinerary. The new itinerary calls at Half Moon Cay (Monday, October 13), Ocho Rios (Wednesday, October 15 - 7:30am-3:30pm), Grand Cayman (Thursday, October 16 - 7:30am-3:30pm) and Cozumel (Friday, October 17 - 10am-6pm).

Crown Princess - departed Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday (October 12). Ports have been rearranged and substituted to remain out of the storm's way. The eastern Caribbean itinerary originally called for ship to go to St. Maarten on Wednesday, St. Thomas on Thursday, and Grand Turk on Friday. It will now call at Grand Turk on Wednesday (October 15 - 7am-1pm), Ocho Rios on Thursday (October 16 - 9am-5pm) and Grand Cayman on Friday (October 17 - 7am-6pm).

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas - departed Port Canaveral on Sunday (October 12). The eastern Caribbean itinerary has been changed to a western Caribbean program. The calls at St. Thomas and St. Maarten have been canceled. Instead the ship will remain at sea on Wednesday (October 15) and visit Grand Cayman on Thursday (October 16) and Cozumel on Friday (October 17).

For other weather-related information please see the cruise weather page on our main website at www.cruisenewsdaily.com

Tropical Depression 16

It doesn't even have a name, but Carnival Legend moved out of its way.

Tropical Depression 16 was moving through the Bay of Honduras yesterday and moved on shore today and dissipated so that it no longer even has tropical depression status.

Carnival Legend (which departed Tampa last Sunday, October 12) was to have sailed from its call at Cozumel on Wednesday evening to Thursday's scheduled call at Belize. Since it would have had to move close to the storm, the Belize call was canceled, and Carnival Legend remained in Cozumel overnight and will leave there at 4pm on Thursday headed to its scheduled call at Roatan on Friday.

The ship will then be back on schedule and will return to Tampa as scheduled on Sunday (October 19).

Hurricane Norbert Updates

Updated October 11, 9pm EDT

Hurricane Norbert has moved out of the ocean and is no longer affecting cruise ships. The itinerary changes that have occurred are shown below.

The following itineraries have been affected. (Ships are listed in alphabetical order.)

Carnival Elation - departed San Diego Thursday (October 9) - The Cabo San Lucas call on Saturday will be canceled. The revised itinerary calls at Catalina on Saturday (October 11 - 8am-5pm) and Ensenada on Sunday (October 12 - 8am-5pm). Carnival Elation will return to San Diego on Monday (October 13) as scheduled.

Carnival Pride - departed Long Beach Sunday, October 5 - The Mazatlan call on Thursday (October 9) will be canceled and replaced with Cabo San Lucas on Thursday (October 9 - noon-6pm) as the ship hurries to pass in front of Norbert's path. A call will then be added at Ensenada on Saturday (October 11 - 8am-5pm). Carnival Pride will return to Long Beach as scheduled on Sunday (October 12).

NCL's Norwegian Sun - departed San Francisco Thursday (October 2) - The ship will cancel its call at Cabo San Lucas on Friday (October 10) and remain at sea. Norwegian Sun will return to San Francisco as scheduled on Monday (October 13).

Holland America's Ryndam - departed San Diego Sunday (October 5) - The ship is on a charter and not operating its regular itinerary. A call at La Paz on Friday (October 10) has been canceled, and the ship will remain at sea, creating three sea days in a row.

Sapphire Princess - departed Los Angeles Saturday (October 4) - The only change was a cancellation of a call at Cabo San Lucas Thursday (October 9) as the ship wants to cross the storm's projected path ahead of it instead of having to wait for the storm to pass. The ship is therefore spending the day at sea. Sapphire is expected to return to Los Angeles on Saturday as scheduled.

For other cruise weather-related information , please see our cruise weather information page on our main website at CruiseNewsDaily.com

This item will no longer be updated.

Hurricane Kyle Updates

Updated Sept 29 - 3:30pm EDT

Hurricane Kyle is now over land and has dissipated.

Here are the itinerary changes announced (listed in alphabetical order by ship):

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas - which departed New York on September 25. The call at Charlottetown on Sunday was canceled. Instead the ship will proceed to Quebec and have a two-day call there. The new itinerary calls at Sydney NS (Saturday, September 27), Saguenay River cruising (Sunday, September 28), Quebec (Monday & Tuesday September 29 & 30) and Halifax (Thursday, October 2). Explorer will return to New York as scheduled on Saturday (October 4).

Holland America's Maasdam - departed Boston on September 27. The call at Bar Harbor on Sunday (September 28) was canceled and the ship went directly to Halifax, arriving there early for an extended call.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 - which departed New York on September 27. If QM2 had departed as scheduled, Cunard said it would have had to sail right in the storm, so departure from New York was delayed until 5pm on Sunday (September 28), allowing it to sail behind the storm and keep all the other ports in a revised order, except Portland Maine, which will be canceled. The rearranged itinerary is delaying the call at Saint John by a day (until Wednesday October 1) which was to have been a record-breaking day at the port with four ships in at once.

Royal Princess - departed New York on September 26: The ship overnighted at Boston on Sunday (September 27) and departed at 8am on Monday (September 28) for Saint John where she will arrive on scheduled on Tuesday (September 30) at 7am. The Bar Harbor call on Tuesday (September 28) was canceled.

Sea Princess - departed Quebec on September 23: The ship called on Halifax on Saturday (September 27) as planned but departed four hours early. The ship then headed out to sea on an easterly track to keep clear from the worst of the storm. The call to Saint John was cancelled on Monday (September 29), and the ship will return to her scheduled itinerary on Tuesday (September 30) in Bar Harbor.

For links to other related weather information, please see the cruise weather page on our main site at www.cruisenewsdaily.com.