The cruise terminal in San Juan, Puerto Rico has suffered extensive damage and will be out of action for weeks.
Puerto Rico really is suffering at the moment since Hurricane Maria devasted the U.S. territory in the Caribbean just days ago at a category 4. The cruise port in San Juan also got hit by the Hurricane and Carnival Cruise Line Ambassador John Heald has posted that the Carnival cruise terminal has “sustained extensive damage” and will be out of action for weeks.
John Heald posted on his Facebook page the following:
Port officials have informed us that our terminal in San Juan has sustained extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Maria. The assessment is still in progress but it now appears that it will take several weeks to make the necessary repairs.
The cruise terminal which is at pier 4 is managed and used by Carnival which also includes sister cruise lines like Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. The terminal is located in old San Juan has is not just a popular cruise destination but also used as a home port. The U.S. Coast Guard is assessing the port damage and we do expect further updates in the coming days.
At the moment Carnival Fascination is being impacted by the closure of San Juan Port and John Heald also posted an update on the situation:
The Port of San Juan is currently closed. Fascination guests currently on board enjoyed a day in Antigua today and are now on their way to San Juan. Our intention is to be in position to dock this weekend, in the event the port re-opens, in order to give guests an opportunity to debark, if they wish to do so. Alternatively, guests may also remain on board as the ship repositions to Miami, where it will arrive on Tuesday afternoon and stay until Wednesday. Our airline partners are committed to working with our guests to waive any change fees associated with rescheduling flights.
Upcoming sailings for Carnival Fascination have also been affected and Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled San Juan and Barbados departures. San Juan sailings on September 24, October 1 and October 8 are now cancelled. Barbados sailings on September 27, October 4 and October 11 are also cancelled. The cruise line is refunding the full cruise fare.