Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald confirmed Carnival Sunrise proceeded with its scheduled call in Grand Turk on August 20, 2025.
Captain Mario Epifani told guests the island sustained only minor damage with some sand erosion on beaches.
Hurricane Erin forced other Carnival ships, including Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, and Carnival Venezia, to adjust their itineraries during the storm.
The Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean are breathing a sigh of relief after avoiding a direct hit from then-Category 4 Hurricane Erin on August 18.
However, Grand Turk did sustain some damage from the storm’s 10- to 13-foot storm surges, prompting guests heading to the island aboard Carnival Sunrise to be worried about whether the destination would be ready for visitors.
According to Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald, passengers began reaching out with reports of seeing early images of debris, prompting clarification from the cruise line.
He used a video update to reassure passengers that the 2,984-guest vessel would keep its scheduled call in Grand Turk on August 20, 2025, despite concerns.
“Hurricane Erin is something we have definitely been working very hard on, and when I say ‘we’ I mean the people at the fleet operation center,”Heald said.
“It’s been a busy time. We’ve added changes to our itineraries on the Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, and the Carnival Venezia and a big and sincere thank you to all of those that have been so understand through the changes.”
He then revealed the good news from aboard Carnival Sunrise, which came directly from Captain Mario Epifani.
“Although Hurricane Erin did not directly pass over Grand Turk, the island was impacted by tropical storm conditions,”Captain Epifani shared with guests.“Some cleanup of debris has already occurred, and the destination will be ready for our visit.”
The captain went on to say that there was no major damage to the island’s local infrastructure and only some sand erosion on beaches took place.
Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Honourable Premier Charles Washington Misick, and Permanent Secretary for National Security Tito Lightbourne assess damage in the Turks & Caicos. (Photo Credit: Turks and Caicos Islands, Governor’s Office)
“Enjoying the beaches are part of the Grand Turk experience and you will still be able to take advantage of the sections that are in good shape,” he said, promising to let guests know if there are any specific tours that will not be able to operate.
Jack’s Shack, one of the most popular beach bars on the island, is closed on August 20 as staff work to clean up from the storm.
“We’re moving as quickly as possible to get everything back in order so we can welcome you again very soon. Thank you for your understanding, support, and good vibes, it means the world to us,” it shared.
Hurricane Erin Damages Turks & Caicos
Hurricane Erin, which officially became a hurricane on August 15, was a Category 4 storm on August 18 with sustained winds of up to 130 miles an hour as it traveled northeast of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
At that time, the governor’s office issued an immediate shutdown of Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Salt Cay from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“All services on these islands are suspended. Residents must remain indoors and are instructed to comply with all emergency directives,”stated the Governor’s Office.
Carnival Sunrise (Photo Credit: Just dance)
A shelter-in-place was also put into effect for Providenciales, North Caicos, and Middle Caicos.
The next day, Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, accompanied by other island officials, traveled by helicopter to assess the storm’s damage and praised the preparedness of residents and responders as cleanup began.
The cleanup, thankfully, took place ahead of the arrival of the 101,509-gross-ton Carnival Sunrise, which currently homeports in Miami, Florida. The ship had departed on a 5-night Eastern Caribbean cruise per its normal summer schedule on August 18, 2025.
After a sea day on August 19, keeping clear of the storm, the ship arrived in Grand Turks at 7 a.m. for 7.5-hour call.
It will sail to Carnival Corporation’s private destinations of Half Moon Cay and the newly opened Celebration Key in the Bahamas on the 21st and 22nd, respectively, before returning to Miami on August 23.
At press time, Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm and is off the coast of the southeastern US.
David J. Herrera has exited Norwegian Cruise Line after serving as president since April 2023.
Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has stepped in as interim president of the brand.
The change comes as Norwegian Cruise Line is poised to launch its 21st ship and expand and enhance its private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay.
After serving just over two years as president of Norwegian Cruise Line, David J. Herrera has exited the brand.
The surprise announcement on August 20, 2025 disclosed that Harry Sommer, president and CEO of parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) , will temporarily run the cruise line on an interim basis.
Sommer knows how to do the job. He is a former president of Norwegian Cruise Line and was promoted to the top post at NCLH in July 2023, after longtime president and CEO Frank Del Rio retired. Herrera was appointed president of the cruise line in April 2023.
In the company statement, Sommer called Herrera a dedicated member of the Norwegian Cruise Line team and wished him well. His departure from the brand was effective on August 20, 2025, and an executive search already is underway for a successor.
“Aligned with our continued strategic evolution and focus on our Charting the Course Strategy and 2026 targets, NCL is entering a transformative chapter in its nearly 60-year history that will elevate the guest experience even further,” said Harry Sommer, interim president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
“I am excited to work closer with the team at NCL to capitalize on the many opportunities ahead as we embark on our search for the next leader who will guide the brand into the future,” added Sommer.
Sommer pointed to the brand’s seven cruise ships ships on order along with the substantial changes on the horizon at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Caribbean as indicators of the brand’s future growth strategy.
For his part, Herrera, who joined Norwegian Cruise Line in 2012, had a strong background with the brand, having served as senior vice president of finance, strategy, and consumer research, and senior vice president of corporate development and strategy for the parent company.
Former President Oversaw Launches of Two New-Builds
As president of the 20-ship Norwegian Cruise Line, Herrera oversaw the launch of two mega-ships, the 3,200-guest Norwegian Viva in 2023 and the 3,500-guest Norwegian Aqua in 2025. He would have been intricately involved with the line’s next new-build — Norwegian Luna, which will launch in 2026.
It was also on his watch that extensive dry-dock renovations were made to Norwegian Epic and Pride of America earlier this year. The brand’s financial outlook was bright, too, by all accounts.
In NCLH’s second-quarter earnings report issued on July 31, 2025, its three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, set a second-quarter revenue record of $2.52 billion, an increase of 6% year over year.
Photo Courtesy: Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line’s revenues were not listed separately in the report, but the three brands combined enjoyed an occupancy level that reached 103.9% for the quarter.
Looking ahead to 2026, the new president of Norwegian Cruise Line — or interim president Harry Sommer — will take the leading role in the launch of Norwegian Luna, the second ship in the line’s Prima Plus class and sister to Norwegian Aqua.
The 3,550-guest ship is under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, and is scheduled to enter service in April 2026 from PortMiami.
Also in 2026, the expansion and enhancement plan at Great Stirrup Cay will be unveiled. The reimagined private island destination will feature a 6-acre Great Tides Waterpark with 19 waterslides, an 800-foot lazy river, tube slides, and a cliff-jumping experience — a first for the cruise industry. Multiple thrilling waterslides will be contained in a 170-foot-tall Tidal Tower.
A total of 21 cruise ships across nine cruise lines have now changed their itineraries to avoid Hurricane Erin.
Impacts range from complete itinerary changes to port reversals and alternative port visits.
This list will be updated as additional changes from different cruise lines are confirmed.
Even though Hurricane Erin is not making any landfall, the impact it’s having on cruise itineraries continues to increase due to ocean swells and sea conditions. Here are all the latest cruise ship impacts due to the category 2 storm.
While additional changes are possible over the next few days, so far, ships from Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Norwegian Cruise Line have confirmed changes.
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas (Photo Credit: StudioPortoSabbia)
Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas was the first ship to change her route, cancelling a stop in Bermuda and instead heading for the Bahamas to avoid the hurricane’s projected track.
Even early in the storm’s formation, the shift toward Bermuda was a high probability, and Royal Caribbean made this change for the 9-night sailing several days before Erin became an official hurricane.
Instead, Vision of the Seas added Port Canaveral to her schedule and extended her time in Nassau. The visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay is unaffected, and the ship will return to Baltimore on August 23.
Liberty of the Seas
Liberty of the Seas at Sea (Photo Credit: Debbie Ann Powell)
Liberty of the Seas’ sailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, opted to completely skip Bermuda and head in the opposite direction. The ship is instead enjoying an overnight visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This is a 5-night sailing with just a single port visit, and so will likely be very disappointing to guests who had hoped to visit Bermuda. Liberty of the Seas will return to Bayonne on Thursday, August 21.
Royal Caribbean is providing up to $400 of onboard credit as compensation for the very dramatic itinerary change. The total onboard credit depends on stateroom category.
Freedom of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in Miami (Photo Credit: EQRoy)
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas has also been impacted by Hurricane Erin, with the ship unable to make its call to Nassau, Bahamas, on August 17 and headed straight back to Miami with an earlier arrival.
For the ship’s August 18 departure out of Miami, a day at sea was replaced with a call at Nassau, instead of making that port visit a day later on August 20. At the moment, there are no other adjustments, and the 4-night Bahamas sailing is still scheduled to return home as normal on August 22.
Harmony of the Seas
During the ship’s 8-night Caribbean voyage that departed Galveston, Texas, on August 16, the ship was forced to cancel its call to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas on August 19.
Symphony of the Seas
The vessel’s 7-night August 17 sailing out of New York has been affected by Hurricane Erin. The ship has cancelled its scheduled call to Nassau, Bahamas, on August 20 and is instead spending a day at sea.
Utopia of the Seas
The newest Oasis-class cruise ship had to cancel its scheduled visit to Nassau in the Bahamas on August 19. The ship spent a day at sea instead during the 4-night Bahamas cruise that departed Port Canaveral on August 18.
Celebrity Beyond
At the moment, the Celebrity Beyond is the only cruise ship from Celebrity Cruises that has been impacted by the hurricane. On the ship’s 7-night sailing that departed Miami on August 17, the call to Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas was cancelled on August 19.
Princess Cruises is another cruise line that has been forced to make adjustments for its Enchanted Princess. The ship’s 14-night Caribbean sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has cancelled its call to Dominica on August 17 and St. Maarten on August 18.
The vessel instead made a call to Martinique and St. Kitts. In a more recent update, the Enchanted Princess’s return to New York has been delayed from August 23 to August 25. This also means that the originally scheduled August 23 departure has been revised.
Island Princess
Island Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Andres Felipe Perez)
Island Princess is also impacted as Hurricane Erin impacts New York operations. The cruise line has communicated to guests on the August 19 10-night Caribbean and Bermuda sailing that the ship will remain docked in Brooklyn, New York, through August 22.
To make up for the delayed departure, the vessel will spend an extra day docked in Bermuda. However, the calls to Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and San Juan are cancelled.
Disney Treasure
Disney Treasure Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: MartinLueke)
The brand new Disney Treasure completely shifted her planned 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary to avoid Hurricane Erin. Instead, the ship is sailing a Western Caribbean route this week.
This includes visits to Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica. The Wish-class ship will still visit Castaway Cay, one of Disney Cruise Line’s private islands in the Bahamas, on Friday, August 22, well after Hurricane Erin has passed.
The ship is homeported from Port Canaveral and will return on schedule on Saturday, August 23.
Sailing from Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, August 17, Carnival Sunshine has cancelled her Bermuda visit and is instead visiting the Bahamas for her 6-night cruise.
Rather than the planned overnight in Bermuda, the ship will now enjoy visits to both Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s new private destination on Grand Bahama Island, as well as Nassau.
Carnival Sunshine will be at Celebration Key on Tuesday, August 19 and in Nassau on Wednesday, August 20 before returning to Virginia on Saturday, August 23 as planned.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday, August 16 for a 7-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. While the ship will still be sailing that region, the cruise line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, confirmed the port order has changed.
“She has an itinerary reversal,”he noted.“They are just swapping a couple of the ports, same ports, and putting them in reverse order to avoid any particularly bad weather.”
The ports on Mardi Gras’ original itinerary include Grand Turk, Amber Cove, Nassau, and Celebration Key. Guests onboard will be notified if there is any further change to their schedule.
Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista in Port Canaveral (Photo Credit: Joni Hanebutt)
Carnival Vista is another Carnival Cruise Line ship that has been forced to adjust its itinerary due to Hurricane Erin. The vessel was unable to make its scheduled call to the cruise line’s private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas due to ocean swells.
The ship has instead made a call to Nassau, Bahamas. The rest of the August 17 sailing has remained as normal. The vessel is still set to complete its 6-night Caribbean cruise back in Port Canaveral on August 23.
Carnival Elation
Carnival Elation Cruise Ship in the Bahamas (Photo Credit: Dennis MacDonald)
On her 5-night Bahamas cruise that departed from Jacksonville, Florida on Monday, August 18, Carnival Elation will be unable to visit Half Moon Cay on Wednesday, August 20.
Instead, the Fantasy-class ship will visit Freeport, where dock facilities make it safer for guests to debark the ship. It is not possible to use tender boats at Half Moon Cay due to swells from Hurricane Erin.
Carnival Elation will return to Jacksonville as planned on Saturday, August 23.
Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia in New York (Photo Credit: Maksim Toome)
The Italian-style Carnival Venezia departed New York on a 9-night Eastern Caribbean cruise on Monday, August 19. While the ship will still be able to sail in the region, the visits to St. Thomas (August 23) and San Juan (August 24) have been cancelled.
Carnival Venezia will instead visit Celebration Key on Saturday, August 23. The visit to Grand Turk on August 25 will go ahead as planned.
The ship will return to the Big Apple on schedule on Thursday, August 28.
MSC World America
MSC World America (Photo Credit: Just dance)
The new MSC World America, which just debuted from Miami in April, has shifted from her planned Eastern Caribbean itinerary to a Western Caribbean route instead.
Rather than visiting Puerto Plata and San Juan, the ship will instead be found at Costa Maya and Cozumel. Her visit to MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve remains as planned for Friday, August 22.
MSC World America will return to Miami on Sunday, August 23, without any disruption.
Norwegian Gem’s August 22 sailing out of Boston has been pushed back due to the impact of Hurricane Erin. What is a themed “On the Blue Forever Autumn” sailing, embarkation for the voyage will now commence on August 24 instead. The call in Sydney, Nova Scotia, has also been cancelled on August 25.
On her first sailing from New York following the end of her deployment from Port Canaveral, Norwegian Aquacannot go to Bermuda as planned.
The 4-night sailing is departing Monday, August 18, and will head to Saint John, New Brunswick, rather than the Royal Naval Dockyard on Wednesday, August 20. The time in port will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., rather than the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. originally scheduled in Bermuda.
Norwegian Aqua will return to the Big Apple on Friday, August 22. The Prima-plus-class ship is offering a short deployment of just eight sailings from New York, all to Bermuda if there is no further weather interference.
Norwegian Jewel
Norwegian Jewel in Bermuda (Photo Credit: The Hungarian Sailor)
Unlike most ships skipping Bermuda early this week, Norwegian Jewel was able to visit as planned beginning on Sunday, August 17.
Instead of remaining at King’s Wharf into Tuesday, August 19, however, the ship departed in the late afternoon Monday in order to head back to Boston, Massachusetts and away from Hurricane Erin’s impact.
No substitute port is planned but Norwegian Jewel will return to her homeport on schedule on Friday, August 22.
Zuiderdam
Holland America’s Zuiderdam (Photo Credit: Gelu Popa)
Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam is finishing a transatlantic sailing from Rotterdam to Boston, having departed on August 5. Unfortunately, the ship will be unable to make her last port of call, St. Johns in Newfoundland due to Hurricane Erin.
Instead, the ship will make an overnight visit to Halifax, in order to be more protected from the rough weather the storm is generating.
Zuiderdam should still make her planned debarkation in Boston on Saturday, August 23, without difficulty.
Valiant Lady
This is the only Virgin Voyages cruise ship currently impacted by Hurricane Erin. The vessel’s 5-night August 15 cruise out of Miami has swapped its call at Puerto Plata with Cozumel.
Cruise Hive will continue to update this list of cruise ships impacted by Hurricane Erin as such changes are confirmed. Booked guests should stay in close contact with their cruise line for updates to their sailings.
Hurricane Erin strikes again, this time delaying Norwegian Gem’s arrival into Boston, Massachusetts.
The Gem-class ship was supposed to embark on a chartered music-themed sailing on August 22, but this has been pushed back to August 24.
At least one port call, which was on Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, has been cancelled as a result of the delay.
Hurricane Erin continues to upend itineraries, and this time, the Category 2 storm will have future guests of Norwegian Gem singing the blues.
The NCL shipis supposed to host a themed “On the Blue Forever Autumn” music cruise from August 22 to August 29, 2025.
Unfortunately, the special sailing is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, which will be hit with strong winds, flooding, big waves, and deadly rip currents, courtesy of Hurricane Erin, on August 22 and August 23.
The check-in process will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. that morning, with terminal doors shutting at 12 p.m. local time. The new departure is planned for 1:00 p.m.
“We are reaching out with an important update regarding our upcoming charter. Due to hurricane Erin, NCL has just informed us that the Norwegian Gem is unable to arrive in Boston as originally planned,”On the Blue Cruise updated on social media.
“Because of this, our embarkation is expected to take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025 with check-in estimated to begin at 8:00 am and ending at 11:00 am.”
Luckily, embarkation can launch first thing because current passengers will not need to disembark.
The Jewel-class ship disembarked a 4-night sailing to the Bahamas in Miami, Florida, on August 19, and will not be operating another sailing before arriving in Boston for the themed cruise.
An Unavoidable Itinerary Change
As you likely already suspected, a delayed start does mean that the itinerary will have to change for the now 5-night sailing to New England and Canada.
Originally, the 2,394-guest ship was slated to call on Halifax and Sydney in Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Portland, Maine.
But now, the call in Sydney on August 25 has been cancelled. Shore excursions booked for Sydney will be automatically cancelled and refunded.
Additionally, any pre-purchased Wi-Fi packages and drink packages that are charged at a daily rate have been updated to reflect the new length of the voyage.
It’s unclear at this time if the visit to Halifax that was planned for August 24 has been rescheduled, but in theory, it could now slot into the August 25 spot or the sea day on August 26.
While the unavoidable itinerary change may be disappointing, the organizers behind the themed sailing want to reassure passengers that the experience onboard won’t be any less fun or musical.
“Even with this update, our team is working diligently to ensure your experience is nothing short of spectacular,” the event organizers reassured guests.
“Your comfort, experience, and peace of mind are at the center of every decision, and we are committed to making sure that the time we spend on board together is a vacation filled with music, community, and connection.”
A new music-filled schedule is being created to pack every moment with performances and jam sessions, with the tunes expected to fill the ship early on embarkation day.
It’s also hard not to have fun with an impressive line-up of musical legends onboard, featuring names like Alan Parsons, Starship, Ambrosia, The Orchestra, and more.
Island Princess will stay safely docked in Brooklyn, New York, until Hurricane Erin passes through – which disrupts her 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda.
At the same time, Enchanted Princess has had to delay her return to New York from August 23 to August 25 because of the dangerous weather conditions.
Enchanted Princess’s delay will carry over to the subsequent 7-night cruise to New England and Canada, which will now have to be shortened.
Because of Hurricane Erin, Island Princess is stuck in New York and Enchanted Princess is stuck at sea as she tries to return to New York. Either way, cruisers won’t be happy.
Starting with Island Princess, the 2,210-guest ship was supposed to depart fromthe Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York today, August 19, to operate a 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda.
But with Hurricane Erin bringing potentially life-threatening rip currents, strong winds, and waves of up to 20-feet tall to the US East Coast over the next few days, Princess Cruises had to make the decision to keep the ship safely docked in Brooklyn.
“We have learned that our originally planned passage to the Caribbean would be impacted by the predicted path of the storm, and as the safety of our guests and crew is always our highest priority, we have made necessary adjustments to our scheduled itinerary,” Princess Cruises wrote in a letter, which a current guest emailed to Cruise Hive.
“In order to avoid the worst of the weather, we will now remain in Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for three nights and will commence our journey on Friday, August 22, once conditions have improved.”
The Coral-class vessel will stay put through Friday, August 22, before heading straight to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, which was supposed to be an overnight call from August 26-27.
Guests will now get to spend an extra day exploring Bermuda with an early arrival on August 25, but the destinations that were supposed to be visited along the way will be skipped.
“Due to this delay, regretfully we no longer have the required time to make our passage to the Caribbean. As a result, we will no longer call to Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; or San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the letter continued.
“Instead, after our departure from New York, we will proceed to Bermuda, and we are happy to share that we have arranged an additional day and night for you to enjoy the island.”
Island Princess Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Brian Logan Photography)
While in New York, guests are able to go ashore to explore, with Princess Cruises providing free shuttle services to and from Manhattan.
However, those who would rather throw in the towel are allowed to disembark early and receive a full refund.
Enchanted Princess Delays Return to New York
While Island Princess rides out the storm from Brooklyn, Enchanted Princess is too far away to make it safely back to New York as planned on August 23, 2025.
The Royal-class vessel is now expected to sail back into New York on August 25, 2025.
She is currently in the middle of a one-way Caribbean voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to New York that embarked on August 9.
The 3,660-guest ship has already had to skip planned callsto Dominica on August 17 and St. Maarten on August 18 to avoid the Category 2 Hurricane, and is now stuck on the other side of the weather as Erin looms closer to the US East Coast.
Cruise tracking data currently shows the vessel sailing northwest away from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The 145,281-gross ton vessel will not make it back to New York until August 25, but she will return to Fort Lauderdale on August 22 where guests may disembark early if they wish.
“We are on Enchanted now. We are stopping in FLL on the 22nd, and you have the option to get off early. Or, you can stay until the 25th and go to NYC. The next cruise will be shortened,”a current guest reported.
As they pointed out, this means that the subsequent sailing that would have embarked on August 23 will now be shortened.
The next voyage was supposed to be a 7-night sailing to New England and Canada, although it’s unclear how the new itinerary will shake out at this point.
In both cases, compensation will almost certainly be provided, but what that looks like is not publicly known – although Princess Cruises is surely communicating with impacted guests.
Instead of trying her luck at sea, Norwegian Escape will stay within the safety of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal until Hurricane Erin passes.
Because of this necessary change, ports have been removed and replaced from the 10-night sailing to the Caribbean and Bermuda that was supposed to set sail on August 20, 2025.
Hurricane Erin is expected to bring strong winds, flooding, and dangerous rip currents to New York and much of the East Coast during the second half of this week.
In the past few days, more than a dozen cruise ships have altered course to stay away from Hurricane Erin. Norwegian Escape, however, is taking a different tactic.
Instead of heading out to sea or pivoting to visit a different part of the world as other ships have done, she will stay put at New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal for two extra days.
The sailing that will be impacted by this is a 10-night cruise to the Caribbean and Bermuda that was supposed to depart New York tomorrow, on August 20, 2025.
The Breakaway Plus-class vesselwill stay docked in Manhattan through August 21, and will anchor in the harbor through Friday, August 22.
Those two days were originally supposed to be sea days, before the NCL ship called on Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 23 and 24, respectively.
Because of the delayed start, neither of these port calls will be possible anymore. That might be for the best, as Erin brought heavy winds and rain that left more than 150,000 people in Puerto Rico without power.
These days will now be spent at sea instead of in port.
In a domino effect, this means that the visit to Philipsburg, St. Maarten on August 25, and Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on August 26 will also need to be scrapped.
As a more practical alternative, those dates will be spent in Nassau, Bahamas, and Great Stirrup Cay, which is Norwegian Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas and the future home of the Great Tides Waterpark.
The only port call on the itinerary that has been left untouched is the planned visit to King’s Wharf, Bermuda, on August 28.
Even so, many of the up to 4,266 guests booked on this sailing are disappointed by the change, potentially leading to some stormy attitudes onboard.
As a good-will gesture, Norwegian Cruise Line has offered a 20% refund and a $200 onboard credit.
Norwegian Escape in New York (Photo Credit: Mariusz Lopusiewicz / Shutterstock)
“They sent out an email stating itinerary changed due to hurricane Erin potential impact. Severe downgrade if you ask me and they’re only giving 20% refund and $200 credit per stateroom,” one impacted passenger shared.
While cruise guests could use this as an opportunity to explore New York more deeply, they likely will have to contend with some windy or rainy weather during their extended stay.
Although Erin has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm as of August 19, the hurricane is still quite intense with wind speeds of 105 miles per hour.
According to theNational Hurricane Center’s (NOAA) latest update at 5 p.m. EST on August 19, Erin will be running parallel to the US East Coast and is expected to be present from the night of August 20 (Wednesday) through at least all day August 21 (Thursday).
Although the hurricane will not make landfall, Erin may still bring storm surges and waves as high as 20 feet tall, potentially deadly rip currents, coastal flooding, and strong wind gusts.
Carnival Elation and Carnival Venezia have both had itinerary adjustments due to Hurricane Erin.
Itinerary impacts are being felt in the Eastern Caribbean, the Bahamas, and at private islands, especially where there are no dock facilities.
Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 2 but still has a massive wind field with impacts felt hundreds of miles from the storm’s center.
As Hurricane Erin turns more toward the north at her closest point to the Bahamas, Carnival Cruise Line has adjusted two more ships to ensure the safest and most comfortable sailings.
The cruise line’s meteorologist consultant, Amy Sweezey, has provided the latest update for the fleet, noting that safety is always the foremost consideration.
“Safety is Carnival’s priority, factoring in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, the U.S. Coast Guard and local port authorities,”she said.
Sailing from Jacksonville, one of the line’s smallest ships, Carnival Elation, will not visit Half Moon Cay on August 20 as planned. Instead, the Fantasy-class vessel will visit Freeport.
As Half Moon Cay does not yet have a dock, it is impossible for a visiting ship to safely use tender boats when the sea is more active. Even with Hurricane Erin now 245 miles northeast of Half Moon Cay, higher waves make using tenders unsafe.
Carnival Elation is currently sailing a 5-night Bahamas itinerary and should be able to call on Celebration Key on Thursday, August 21 as planned. The ship will return to Jacksonville on Saturday, August 23.
Carnival Venezia
Carnival Venezia set sail from New York on Tuesday, August 19, for what was to have been a 9-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary.
While the ship will still be sailing in the same region, the calls to St. Thomas on August 23 and San Juan on August 23 have been cancelled. Instead, Carnival Venezia will visit Celebration Key on Saturday, August 23.
The visit to Grand Turk on Monday, August 25, is unchanged, and the ship should be able to return to New York as planned on Thursday, August 28.
Hurricane Erin Update
Hurricane Erin, Advisory 34A
As of the National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. update on Tuesday, August 19, Hurricane Erin is rated as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour.
She is now moving north-northwest at 10 mph, with her track exactly as expected between Bermuda and the US coast through Wednesday and Thursday.
The biggest concern from Hurricane Erin is the size of her wind field. Hurricane force winds extend 80 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles.
This means the storm’s total diameter is more than 450 miles. Significant swells can be felt even further away.
Cruise guests booked on any sailing in the Bahamas or Eastern Caribbean over the next couple of days, as well as Bermuda, should stay in close communication with their cruise line for any further updates and changes.
A pontoon boat in Tampa Bay narrowly avoided Margaritaville Islander but was towed to safety by the sheriff’s office.
The boat became temporarily disabled when a line wrapped around its propeller as the cruise ship was approaching.
Fast action and a quick tow meant no injuries or lasting damage in what could have been a much more tragic incident.
It was a tense situation in Tampa Bay on Sunday, August 17, when Margaritaville Islander had a close encounter with a disabled pontoon boat.
Fortunately, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Marine Enforcement Section was on hand for assistance, rescuing six adults stranded in the channel as the cruise ship approached.
The incident happened just after 4 p.m. as Margaritaville Islander was setting sail on a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing.
The 85,600-gross-ton cruise ship had just departed the cruise terminal and was heading south into Tampa Bay when a pontoon boat with six adults aboard became temporarily disabled.
“[Our] Marine Enforcement Section jumped into action when a pontoon boat with six adults on board was stranded in the channel in the path of an outbound cruise ship,”the sheriff’s office said.
“The pontoon had a line wrapped around the propeller, keeping it from moving. Our deputies conducted an emergency tow and stayed until their boat was operable. We’re always ready to assist when trouble arises!”
Video of the incident shows the tow being undertaken while the cruise ship draws closer and closer.
No one was injured and there was no damage to the cruise ship.
🛥️𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐭🛥️#teamHCSO's Marine Enforcement Section jumped into action when a pontoon boat with six adults on board was stranded in the channel in the path of an outbound cruise ship. The pontoon had a line wrapped around the… pic.twitter.com/CCMzVrg2ut
It would be very challenging for the ship to have steered clear of the pontoon boat, which wouldn’t have been immediately visible to the moving ship. Furthermore, the cruise ship has to keep a precise path down the channel to stay in a safe navigation lane for its size.
There have been no delays for the Margaritaville at Sea ship. The vessel spent Monday at sea and is visiting Cozumel, Ratan, Belize, and Costa Maya over the next four days before returning to Tampa on Sunday, August 24 as planned.
No other cruise ships were in Port Tampa Bay on Sunday. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise along with Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas all homeport from Tampa.
Stay Out of the Way of Cruise Ships!
While no one is at fault in this accidental situation, other than perhaps whomever may have improperly discarded the line that disabled the pontoon boat, this isn’t the first time a smaller boat has encountered a cruise ship in Tampa Bay.
In that incident, the cruise ship in question was either Radiance of the Seas or Enchantment of the Seas, as both were departing Port Tampa Bay at the time.
Margaritaville Islander in Tampa, Florida (Photo Credit: Feng Cheng)
While the smaller boat was destroyed, luckily there were only minor injuries reported.
Tampa Bay is often impacted by poor visibility and heavy fog. To prevent these types of incidents from happening more frequently, the bay will be closed until conditions improve.
At times, this means cruise ships may be delayed for hours until it is considered safe to navigate the bay.
Visibility was not a factor in this weekend’s encounter with Margaritaville Islander; in fact, the ship could be seen from quite a distance.
Hopefully, this close encounter of the cruise kind will remind other boaters to stay alert to debris and hazards in the water that might cause even bigger problems than anticipated.
Disney Wonder and Disney Magic will offer a combined 93 sail dates from San Diego and Galveston from fall 2026 through spring 2027.
The rest of the fleet, including Disney Destiny, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and Disney Treasure, will remain in Florida while Disney Adventure homeports in Singapore.
“Halloween on the High Seas” and “Very Merrytime Cruises” seasonal voyages will return.
Families in California and Texas will soon have more chances to sail with Disney close to home. Disney Cruise Line just announced new fall 2026 and spring 2027 itineraries on August 19, 2025, and notably it features longer deployments from San Diego and Galveston.
The move means an increase in options for cruisers who prefer to start sailing without a cross-country flight to enjoy the spoils of Disney.
Plus, the new schedule places two Disney Cruise Line ships together on the West Coast for the very first time.
Disney Wonder will sail from San Diego for seven months beginning in October 2026, while Disney Magic will also homeport there in October and November before shifting to Galveston, where it will remain through April 2027
“Today, Disney Cruise Line releases the fall 2026 and spring 2027 itineraries, offering West Coast and Texas families more sailings in their backyard with even more voyages from San Diego and Galveston,” said the cruise line.
For the 2,400-passenger Disney Wonder, guests will find 47 sail dates ranging from 3 to 7 nights. Short Baja cruises will feature stops in Ensenada, Mexico, and Catalina Island, California, while longer voyages reach Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Meanwhile, Disney Magic will add 46 new sail dates for its 2,713 guests, mostly 4-, 5-, and 7-night itineraries from Galveston. Western Caribbean routes include Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico, while Bahamian sailings will feature Nassau and the private Disney Castaway Cay.
Fleet Deployments and Holiday Themes
As Disney Cruise Line’s two oldest ships journey far from Florida, the rest of the Disney Cruise Line fleet will mostly be based in the Sunshine State.
Disney Destiny, the cruise line’s newest ship debuting in November 2025, will sail from Fort Lauderdale between October 2026 and May 2027.
The ship’s itineraries will include 4-, 5-, and 7-night cruises to Disney’s Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, as well as Cozumel, Nassau, San Juan, and Puerto Plata.
Also sailing from Fort Lauderdale as well as Port Canaveral will be Disney Dream, offering 3- to 7-night voyages to similar ports, with calls also further afield in St. Maarten and the British Virgin Islands.
Disney Cruise Ship Docked in Galveston (Photo Credit: Ceri Breeze)
Both Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish will feature 3- to 5-night cruises from Port Canaveral with stops at Castaway Cay, Lookout Cay, and Nassau, as the new Disney Treasure, which debuted in December 2024, will take guests on longer 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.
Those include visits to Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and St. Thomas and Tortola in the Virgin Islands.
Additionally, the new Disney Adventure will be based in Singapore for its inaugural fall 2026 season.
Homeporting in Singapore when it embarks on its maiden voyage in December 2025, the vessel will operate 3- and 4-night itineraries across Southeast Asia between October and December 2026.
The cruise line also revealed its continuing popular themed cruises like “Halloween on the High Seas,” with sailings across US-based ships taking place from September through October 2026.
From November through December 2026, the fleet will shift to “Very Merrytime Cruises” with Christmas-themed programming, decorations, and seasonal menus.
