As the Atlantic hurricane season heads into its peak, Tropical Storm Ernesto has officially reached hurricane status as of 11 a.m. AST, August 14, 2024. This means the storm has reached maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
Ernesto, which began forming over the tropical Atlantic Ocean as a low-pressure area last weekend, rapidly escalated through the stages of a tropical system. By early August 12, it had organized into a tropical depression, swiftly gaining strength and structure.
By August 13, it had strengthened into a tropical storm, affecting the eastern Caribbean with heavy rains and strong winds.
However, cruise lines scheduled to head to the islands in the wake of its path kept tabs on the weather patterns and quickly altered itineraries. Here’s a look at which ships have been affected by Hurricane Ernesto.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line proactively adjusted the itineraries of two of its ships as Ernesto approached. For the 88,500-gross-ton Carnival Pride, which departed from Baltimore, Maryland, on August 11 with more than 2,000 passengers on a 7-night sailing, moved up its only scheduled call.
Initially meant to dock at Kings Wharf in Bermuda at 8 a.m. on August 14, the ship arrived at 5 p.m. on August 13. The change allows passengers as much time on the island as possible as the ship will now depart a day early, August 15.
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With Ernesto expected to hit Puerto Rico on August 14, Carnival Magic, which also departed on a 7-night voyage on August 11 and can hold 3,690 guests, cancelled its stop in San Juan.
Instead, the 130,000-gross-ton ship moved up its itinerary for calls to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and the Turks & Caicos, and added a stop in Nassau, Bahamas, on August 16 to make up for loss.
At press time, the ship was calling in Grand Turk with an urgent request for guests to return to the ship to leave earlier than expected due to worsening weather conditions from Ernesto.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Also sailing out of Miami, the nearly 4,000-passenger Norwegian Breakaway departed on a 7-night Caribbean cruise originally set to visit many islands in the path of the storm, including St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
The 146,600-gross-ton ship rehauled its itinerary and headed west. Currently enjoying a day at Norwegian Cruise Line’s private destination, Harvest Caye in Belize, the vessel visited Roatan, Honduras, and will continue to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, before returning home on August 18.
Similarly, the 77,104-gross-ton Norwegian Sky also transitioned to a western route from its Miami homeport. Its 9-day Eastern Caribbean route, which launched August 12 with up to 2,004 guests, changed to the same calls, but with two extra days is also visiting Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios in Jamaica.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas has become the latest ship in the fleet to change itinerary due to Hurricane Ernesto. The ship’s August 15 sailing out of Cape Liberty in New Jersey has canceled its port visit to Bermuda. Instead, the vessel will be sailing to Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos islands. The full details are right here.
The world’s largest cruise ship, the 248,663-gross-ton Icon of the Seas, also swapped the eastern Caribbean for the west for its roundtrip voyage from Miami. Departing on August 10, the ship cancelled its calls to St. Kitts and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Currently in Costa Maya, the 5,610-passenger ship has visited Cozumel and Roatan. Before heading home on August 17, it will spend 10 hours at Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Meanwhile, Symphony of the Seas, sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, on August 9, replaced its visit to Puerto Plata on August 15 with a second visit to Nassau.
The 228,081-gross-ton ship with a capacity to hold 5,518 passengers previously visited the island on August 12, as well as Perfect Day at CocoCay and Port Canaveral, Florida.
Rhapsody of the Seas, a 78,491-gross-ton ship that homeports in San Juan, left the port before the storm on August 11. It reversed its itinerary for its more than 2,400 guests to start in Barbados then carry on to St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Islands before returning home on August 18.
