Hurricane Beryl is on a path toward the Caribbean, causing several cruise lines to alter routes. The Category 1 storm (74-95 mph winds) made landfall in Texas today with powerful wind and rain causing power outages for thousands. Cruise ships must find a way to steer clear, whether switching course or rescheduling port calls.
By adopting contingency plans, cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian aim to keep passengers safe and avoid ship damage. Here’s what their plans include.
Steering clear of Hurricane Beryl: Each cruise line’s strategy
When you take a cruise, you picture open ocean horizons and sunrise deck walks. Sometimes, Mother Nature has other plans and cruise lines have to adapt. Many ships are changing course with Hurricane Beryl on course for the Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean changed the routes for five ships — Wonder of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas, Celebrity Beyond, Icon of the Seas (the biggest cruise ship in the world), and Harmony of the Seas. This involves making port calls on different days or replacing (or delaying) scheduled visits.
Harmony of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas plan to visit Cozumel, on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, on different days, avoiding the storm’s projected path. The other ships will replace or delay visits to Roatan, Honduras, and Kralendijk, Bonaire, with stops in Nassau, Bahamas, and Oranjestad, Aruba.
Carnival and Norwegian have similar plans. The Carnival Horizon canceled its scheduled July 3 port visit to Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Additionally, its July 4 trip to Cozumel, Mexico was replaced with a trip to Nassau on July 5. The Carnival Liberty rescheduled its July 5 Cozumel trip to Tuesday.
Norwegian changed plans for two of its ships — Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Breakaway — calling off trips to the Cayman Islands, Belize, Jamaica, and Mexico’s Cozumel and Costa Maya.
