Cruise Lines Make Itinerary Changes Ahead of Hurricane Florence
by Daniel McCarthy
Norwegian Dawn is one of a number of cruise ships that have had their itineraries change due to Hurricane Florence. Photo: Shutterstock.com.
As the east coast of the U.S. prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Florence — a storm expected to devastate parts of Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and more — cruise lines have announced changes to scheduled itineraries to avoid the storm.
Norwegian Cruise Line earlier this week announced that Norwegian Escape, which departed New York on Sunday and was scheduled to spend three days at Bermuda’s King Wharf, will instead call at Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay.
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Norwegian this week also announced changes to Norwegian Dawn’s scheduled itinerary. The ship, which left from Boston on Sept. 7, will now sail a Canada and New England itinerary instead of going to its original destination of Bermuda.
Royal Caribbean is changing the Sept. 8 sailing on Grandeur of the Seas. The ship is staying in Port Canaveral until it is safe to return to its homeport of Baltimore. Grandeur guests had a full day in Nassau on Tuesday before sailing for Port Canaveral. It is currently scheduled to spend the rest of Sept. 13 in Port Canaveral.
Royal Caribbean said it doesn’t expected Grandeur to return to Baltimore later than Sept. 16. Its next sailing is being finalized, though the cruise line said the plan right now is for it to leave on its next sailing on Sept. 16.
Royal Caribbean is offering passengers on that sailing, which will now be cut three days short, a refundable onboard credit or the option to cancel and receive a future cruise credit for the sailing in return.
Oceania Cruises is changing Sirena’s Sept. 7 itinerary, which was supposed to have spent two days in Bermuda on Sept. 12 and 13. Instead, Sirena is calling at Nassau on Sept. 15 and returning to Miami on Sept. 16.
Oceania has also changed Insignia’s Sept. 7 sailing out of Halifax, calling at New Brunswick, Maine, and New York instead of the scheduled call to Bermuda.
Carnival Cruise Line has also made some changes. Pride is skipping its Bermuda call on Sept. 12 to 14 and instead, heading to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay. It has cancelled a planned call in Freeport, The Bahamas and is expected to arrive as planned on Sept. 16 in Baltimore.
Right now, Carnival is still planning on sailing its scheduled itinerary on Pride out of Baltimore on Sept. 16, though it says it is monitoring the storm. Ecstasy’s Sept. 16 sailing out of Charleston is still being considered by Carnival.
“We will confirm our plans to operate this cruise once the storm has passed and the post-storm assessment process has been completed. We expect this to take place no earlier than Saturday morning. In the meantime, we ask our guests to remain safe and follow all recommended precautions,” Carnival said in a statement on its website.
Carnival guests can opt in for text alerts on its website in order to be notified of any changes to upcoming sailings.
