Royal Caribbean and Carnival Skip Fiji after Cyclone Winston Rips Through

Fiji is under a 30-day state of disaster after the strongest storm in Fiji’s recorded history killed at least 29 people over the weekend, and all cruise lines sailing to Fiji altered plans this week to deal with the damage left in its wake.

Cyclone Winston tore through the archipelago with up to 200 mph winds, and the government reports that most buildings have been heavily damaged or flattened.

The mandated curfew issued on Saturday evening has been lifted, however, and the international airport has reopened.

A spokesperson for the Fijian government said “whole villages have been destroyed, homes and crops have been damaged, power lines have been cut.” More than 8,000 people are seeking shelter in evacuation centers. Aid workers are trying to get supplies to the country’s remote areas, spread out across 100 islands.

Tourism Minister Faiyaz Siddiq Koya said all tourists have been accounted for, however. Fiji has put up a spreadsheet showing the state of all its resorts; it’s available here.

Cruise ships take a detour
While Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Lines are both going ahead with Australian sailings, they cancelled any scheduled port calls to Fiji. Royal changed the itineraries of the Voyager of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas due to the storm.

Neither has yet set a date to return to Fiji, though both promised to make every effort to do so as soon as possible.

“We are fully committed to returning to Suva and Port Denarau as soon as the people of Fiji are ready to welcome us back. We are still evaluating the impact of the storm and will advise our booked guests if we believe a change to any itineraries is required. Rest assured, we will only visit if the local community is open and able to handle the visit,” Carnival said in a statement on its Facebook page.

“We’ll continue to support Fiji as they rebuild and recover, making every effort to maintain our scheduled port calls in the weeks and months ahead, if it is appropriate to do so,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria also skipped a scheduled call in Apia and P&O’s Pacific Jewel skipped a stop at Mystery Island in Vanuatu.

Call for donations
The Fijian government has set up a disaster relief fund. Donors will not be charged any fees, including overseas transactions.

Donations can be made through the following account:

Bank: Australia New Zealand Banking Corporation
Account Number: 12628523
Account Name: Prime Minister’s National Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation: Cyclone Winston
Swift Code: ANZ BFJFX
BSB: 010 890