Cruise Lines Make Changes As Hurricane Nicole Heads Toward Bermuda
by Daniel McCarthyAllure of the Seas. Photo:
Just a week after Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, Hurricane Nicole strengthened overnight on Wednesday, bringing 130 mph winds and heavy rain to Bermuda—causing a number of cruise lines to alter their itineraries.
Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, which left from Ft. Lauderdale on Oct. 9, now will skip St. Thomas and St. Maarten and go to San Juan and Labadee instead.
Grandeur of the Seas, which was diverted to Cape Liberty, NJ, earlier in the week to avoid Hurricane Nicole, was supposed to depart from Baltimore on a five-night Bermuda sailing. But the ship will remain in New Jersey from Sunday to Tuesday.
All Grandeur guests will receive a 100% future cruise credit as compensation.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway, one of the few ships to escape Matthew with only minor changes to its itinerary, has been forced to skip Bermuda on its current sailing from New York and instead stop at Port Canaveral and Nassau. Norwegian is giving each cabin $200 in onboard credit as compensation.
As of Thursday morning, Norwegian Dawn is still scheduled to stop in Bermuda during its current seven-night round-trip sailing out of Boston.
