As Tropical Storm Isaias gains strength over the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane, Carnival Cruise Line has begun sending communications to warn guests.
The cruise line is currently monitoring the developing storm for six vessels across 12 sailings, including current sailings and upcoming departures. The cruise line has sent letters to guests onboard and text messages to those booked on the sailings.
Cruises that are under watch due to Tropical Storm Isaias:
- Carnival Breeze: Oct 5 and Oct 10 sailings out of Galveston.
- Carnival Dream: Oct 3 and Oct 10 sailings out of Galveston.
- Carnival Jubilee: Oct 3 and Oct 11 sailings out of Galveston.
- Carnival Liberty: Oct 4 and Oct 11 sailings out of New Orleans.
- Carnival Valor: Oct 3 and Oct 8 sailings out of New Orleans.
- Carnival Paradise: Oct 4 and Oct 8 sailings out of Tampa.
Carnival Valor is already at the end of its five-night western Caribbean cruise and is expected to return to New Orleans as normal on Thursday morning. How Valor handles its next voyage through the Gulf, departing October 8, will be one to watch, and it may be the first Carnival ship to have a confirmed itinerary change.
Guests booked on the October 10 Carnival Breeze sailing received a text stating, “At present, there are no changes to our plans.”
Captain Zvonko Anic, on the current October 3 Carnival Dream cruise, said in a letter sent to guests onboard on October 7, “In partnership with our Fleet Operations Center in Miami, we are actively monitoring Tropical Storm Isaias. Currently, there is no adjustment to our plans, but since forecasts can change, we will continue to monitor the weather and provide timely updates as we sail.“
Read Also: Cruising During Hurricane Season: What You Must Know!
According to the 7:00 PM CDT October 7 advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Isaias has maximum sustained winds of 65 MPH and is located 200 miles west-northwest of Progreso in Mexico. The storm is moving east-northeast at 8 MPH.
The current track does not have Isaias directly hitting any active cruise homeport. It’s currently tracked to hit just east of Mobile, Alabama, where no ships are departing until later in October. However, the track puts the storm straight through major cruise routes between the Eastern and Western Caribbean and major homeports in Galveston and New Orleans.
