Hurricane Melissa to Hit Jamaica Tonight as Category 5 Storm: Flight & Cruise Waivers for Travelers

Hurricane Melissa, the latest and maybe most powerful storm in the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is hovering in the Caribbean on Monday morning as a Category 5 hurricane, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is sounding its loudest alarm for those in its path.

The storm was just below Jamaica on Monday morning, and the NHC expects the core of Melissa to hit Jamaica tonight and into Tuesday morning before moving onto Cuba on Tuesday night and then the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

For now, the storm is producing 160 mph winds with even higher gusts, making it a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and one of the most powerful storms of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. It is expected to strengthen further before hitting Jamaica and Cuba, and will still be at major hurricane strength when it hits the Bahamas on Wednesday, the NHC said.

The NHC currently has a Hurricane Warning out for Jamaica and parts of Cuba; a Hurricane Watch out for the southeastern and central Bahamas along with Turks and Caicos; and a Tropical Storm Warning out for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas. It has already issued some of its harshest warnings of the year:

“Do not venture out of your safe shelter,” it said in its warning for residents of Jamaica. “Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday.”

Airlines Issue Waivers for Travel through the Caribbean

JetBlue has a waiver out for flights through both Kingston (KIN) and Montego Bay (MBJ). That waiver runs through Friday, Oct. 31, and allows flyers to rebook their flights for travel through Nov. 8 without penalty.

Southwest has a waiver out for Montego Bay (MBJ) through Oct. 29. Travelers can rebook or travel standby within 14 days of the original ticket without penalty.

United Airlines has a waiver out for flights through Montego Bay (MBJ) and Providenciales (PLS) for travel through Oct. 29. Travelers can change their flight to a new one through Nov. 5 without penalty.

Celebrity, Disney, and Royal Caribbean Reroute Cruise Ships Amid Storm

Celebrity Cruises is moving Celebrity Beyond on an Oct. 26 sailing out of Miami from the Eastern Caribbean to the Western Caribbean. That ship will not call on Costa Maya, Belize City, and Roatan.

Disney Cruise Line is rerouting Disney Treasure on a Halloween sailing out of Port Canaveral to Cozumel instead of Tortola, and St. Thomas. The ship will also visit Castaway Cay a second time during the sailing.

Disney is also making a change to Disney Wish’s four-night Halloween itinerary, visiting Castaway Cay on Oct. 28 and Nassau on Oct. 29 instead of the other way around.

Royal Caribbean is moving Icon of the Seas, which is in the Caribbean on an Oct. 25, seven-night sailing from Miami, to the Western Caribbean from the Eastern Caribbean. That ship will call on Cozumel and Roatan instead of St. Maarten and St. Thomas. It will still head to Perfect Day at CocoCay, though it will now do so on Friday at 7 a.m.